Chapter Twenty-Seven: Resolute Will

Dong! Dong!

Hearing the sound by his ear, Yuanye opened his eyes. He saw, on the open ground outside the cave, Bear One, Bear Two, and the Skinny Monkey standing back to back. Surrounding them were more than ten enormous snakes, as thick as a grown man’s thigh. These snakes were also covered in golden scales and had twin horns on their heads—clearly the same species of Bosiqu snakes that inhabited the valley.

Faced with the onslaught of these great serpents, Bear One and Bear Two wielded their machetes with a force like a raging gale. Though the situation was perilous, they managed to hold on with some effort. Skinny Monkey, however, was a different story. Clutching a long blade, he shrank between the two brothers, only able to strike at the snakes when an opportunity presented itself.

Yet these snakes, while not as invulnerable as the giant serpent in the cave with its iron-hard body, still possessed golden scales as tough as steel. Skinny Monkey’s blade, when it fell, produced a mere white mark with a resounding clang. The force of the recoil nearly wrenched his weapon from his grasp. If not for Bear One and Bear Two repeatedly saving him from the snakes’ attacks, he would have already met his end in their jaws.

After observing for a moment and noticing that both Bear One and Bear Two were flushed and their machetes growing heavier in their hands, Yuanye decided to act.

With a tap of his toes, he shot into the melee like a bolt of lightning. As he closed in, his body twisted, forcing himself to dodge laterally. His longsword was still embedded in the giant serpent within the cave, so he was unarmed—he would have to rely on his bare hands.

He darted before one of the snakes, his inner energy surging, and struck the serpent’s head with the full force of Wudang’s Mountain-Shaking Palm.

With a thunderous crack, the snake’s head slammed into the ground. Its eyes bulged, blood gushed from its mouth, and its body writhed violently—clearly on the brink of death.

Uncertain if these snakes possessed the same defenses as the giant one, Yuanye had used his full power in that blow. He was surprised to find that, terrifying as they seemed, these snakes were far weaker than the cave serpent—one blow was enough to kill.

With this realization, Yuanye hesitated no longer. He darted around the snake horde, his hands striking down with relentless force.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

A dozen explosive sounds echoed, and then Yuanye reappeared before Bear One, Bear Two, and Skinny Monkey. The snakes now lay with their heads on the earth, bodies twisting in their death throes—signs of a fleeting, final struggle.

Skinny Monkey had hacked at the snakes repeatedly, but they remained unscathed, while the shock had left his own chest churning with blood. All he could do was huddle between the Bear brothers for protection. When he saw the two brothers also start to falter, each struck several times by snake tails, he thought they were doomed. But then a white blur flashed before his eyes, followed by a chorus of cracks. In the next moment, the young master stood before him.

Rubbing his eyes to be sure he wasn’t dreaming, he glanced around at the battered, contorted snake corpses. Overjoyed, Skinny Monkey shouted, “Young master, you’re finally out!”

Hearing this, the Bear brothers turned as well, their faces pale with lingering fear. If the young master had arrived a moment later, they would have been overwhelmed.

“I came out some time ago. I only wanted to see how far you three could get on your own. I didn’t expect you to be so useless,” Yuanye said coolly.

“After we leave the valley, you may go your own way,” Yuanye added, casting a sidelong glance at the three.

Bear One’s face turned red as he dropped to his knees. “Young master, please don’t send us away! I’d be willing to work myself to the bone just to remain by your side!”

Having spent twenty aimless years, and only now witnessing the young master’s earth-shaking martial prowess, Bear One could not bear the thought of returning to a life among mediocrity.

“That’s right, young master—please don’t drive us away! Whoever you want us to fight, we’ll fight, I swear!” Bear Two knelt beside him, pleading.

“Young master, I won’t leave either. I want to stay with you forever,” Skinny Monkey added, his eyes reddening. Though timid and fearful for his life, these past few days had shown him that, while the young master could be cold, he did not treat him as worthless nor order him about.

This feeling of being respected was something he had never experienced in over twenty years. Whether outside or in the stronghold, he had always been at the lowest rung, subject to scorn and insults, never a shred of regard. Especially earlier, when danger was imminent, the young master had sent the three of them out first. It was then that he resolved to pledge his loyalty for life.

So when he suddenly heard the young master wanted them gone, Skinny Monkey’s heart filled with grief and terror.

Yuanye’s gaze sharpened as he regarded the three kneeling before him. After a moment’s silence, he said, “You are too weak. If you stay by my side, you’ll only be a burden. Still, I’ll give you one chance.”

“Thank you, young master!” the three exclaimed, overjoyed.

Seeing their elation, Yuanye’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Don’t celebrate too soon. Starting tomorrow, we will remain here for a time. I will teach you martial arts. If, before I leave, you do not meet my expectations, I will destroy your martial arts and abandon you to your fate.”

“Teach us martial arts?”

Bear One cried out in disbelief. He had never imagined that the young master’s condition would be precisely what he had long dreamed of.

In the past, the two brothers had wandered the land, surviving on brute strength, barely scraping by. They had to avoid gangs and bullies, and often suffered at the hands of Yuan soldiers, living in constant fear. Later, after joining the mountain stronghold, their strength earned them leadership positions. But after Bear Two foolishly challenged the chief and was nearly killed, they realized that, in the eyes of true martial artists, their strength was nothing.

Since then, they had yearned to learn martial arts, but the chief was wary and taught them nothing, not even the most rudimentary skills captured from the occasional slain martial artist.

Having witnessed the young master’s near-supernatural skills these past days, the brothers’ greatest wish was to learn even a single technique—it would make their lives worthwhile.

Now, hearing this promise, Bear One was beside himself with joy, tears almost welling in his eyes.

“Young master, you really will teach me martial arts? Rest assured, if I learn, I’ll do anything—even go to Dadu and kill the emperor, I won’t hesitate!” Bear Two, blunt as ever, blurted out.

Yet his words perfectly echoed Yuanye’s hidden thoughts.

Ever since arriving in this world years ago, Yuanye had understood the plight of the Han people. Though he was a science student, he knew that in the Yuan dynasty, the Mongol court divided the populace into four classes: Mongols, Semu people, Han (including Jurchens, Khitans, Bohai, and others), and Southerners (those from former Southern Song territory).

Under such a hierarchy, the Han and Southerners lived in abject misery, not only oppressed and exploited by Mongol and Semu officials, but also subject to pillaging by Mongol troops. The Han commoners suffered greatly, and in recent years, chaos had erupted across the land.

But Yuanye knew that the Yuan dynasty would not fall for over twenty more years. The people would suffer for decades to come, and as uprisings broke out, the common folk would suffer most—caught between Mongol oppression and the depredations of so-called righteous armies.

When he first arrived, Yuanye only wished to return to the world of the Hokage. The idea of saving the nation had never crossed his mind—he had been a shut-in with no such ambitions.

But after this ordeal, Yuanye’s resolve was firmed aboard that little boat. Since he had come to this world and possessed the power to change fate, why should he not do something?

He knew, however, that this path was almost certain death. He lacked the luck of Zhang Wuji, who fell off a cliff to find a manual, met beauties wherever he went, and stumbled into becoming a sect leader.

Therefore, Yuanye resolved to prepare early and cultivate trustworthy followers. This was why he decided to keep the Bear brothers. With their innate talent, a little guidance, and the right martial arts, they could become top-tier experts within years and serve as his right-hand men.

As for the Skinny Monkey, Yuanye only kept him around because he was clever and handy enough to be useful.

His words now were meant to spur them on, to make them strive for greatness. Judging by their reactions, it was working.

Smiling, Yuanye said, “Get up, all of you. Take care of the snakes—save the gall bladders, smoke the meat for food. Build some shelters. We’ll be staying here for a while.”

The dozen or so snakes had now ceased moving, stiff in death.

“Yes, young master,” the three replied, faces radiant.

They quickly set to work, efficiently dealing with the corpses.

Seeing them busily occupied, Yuanye turned back toward the cave. He needed to check if the giant serpent was truly dead.

He also worried—since the cave had been occupied by the serpent for so long, and Yang Guo had once hidden martial arts manuals there, he wondered if those precious texts had survived or if they had been destroyed by the serpent.