"A very cute little girl."
The man's attention was drawn away by Elysia's antics, and he couldn't help but praise her.
Then he extended a broad, sturdy hand towards Ryn and politely introduced himself:
"I am the current master of this martial arts dojo. May I ask what brings you here, sir?"
"Nothing special. My unfilial daughter and I were just wandering and happened upon this dojo, so we came to pay a visit. My name is Ryn, and this little treasure is Elysia. You can call her Little Elysia."
Ryn shook the dojo master's hand in greeting.
Elysia scratched her head in confusion. Her dad had such a polite side? Why was he speaking so formally? Could he be an imposter?
So, Elysia circled around Ryn, carefully examining him to see if he was really her dad.
Then, Elysia felt her feet leave the ground as she was lifted up.
That's the stuff. It's my dad, alright.
Ryn held Elysia like a piece of pork he'd bought from the market. If he didn't keep an eye on this little treasure, there was no telling what kind of mischief she'd get into.
"Let's drop the official tone, Mr. Dojo Master. We just came to have a look around the dojo. Is it convenient?"
The dojo master glanced at the moon hanging high in the dark night sky, then gave Ryn a look that said it all.
"It's already very late, not convenient for a tour. Why not come back another day?"
"That works. Let's go, Little Elysia." Ryn sighed deeply, full of the regret of a hero at the end of his era.
"Waaah... Daddy, are we going to have to sleep on the street again?"
Little Elysia also sadly wiped the corners of her eyes with her little hands, squeezing out a few non-existent tears as she cried mournfully.
Dojo Master: "???"
Elysia tugged on Ryn's sleeve, looking at him with teary eyes.
"Daddy, can we not eat out of the trash tonight...?"
Ryn bent down, knelt on one knee, and hugged Little Elysia, saying softly,
"We can. Daddy will go sell a kidney to get money to buy Elysia yummy food."
"Waaah... Elysia doesn't want yummy food, Elysia doesn't want Daddy to get hurt! Waaah—"
Elysia hugged Ryn and burst into tears. Ryn sighed, hugged her back, and patted her on the back to comfort her.
The dojo master stood there, completely dumbfounded. What was going on? He had just said it was too late for a tour! Why did it make him seem like he was kicking a poor father and daughter out to sleep on the streets!
One by one, the lights in the surrounding, already-darkened houses and windows began to turn on, as Little Elysia's cries attracted the neighbors' attention.
Damn it, this is moral blackmail!
The dojo master, on the verge of tears, helped Ryn up and took Little Elysia's hand.
"The night is late. If you two don't mind, you can stay temporarily in my dojo."
"Really? That would be too much trouble!"
"My dojo may not be large, but it's more than spacious enough for you to rest."
As soon as the dojo master spoke, Ryn and Elysia perked up. The crying stopped, and they broke into wide smiles.
Then Ryn took Little Elysia's hand and walked into the dojo as if he were coming home.
Both of them were now grinning from ear to ear, without a trace of sadness or guilt, as if the earlier tragic scene had nothing to do with them.
Damn, I've been scammed.
The dojo master watched Ryn's back, getting angrier the more he thought about it. Public morals are really degenerating! How could a dignified martial artist be so despicable!!!
Ryn: Old-timer, times have changed!
Although the dojo master was a little unhappy about being scammed, he still arranged a guest room for Ryn and Elysia and told them to call him if they had any problems.
However, as the dojo master was leaving, Ryn stopped him, gave him a few thousand yuan, and then closed the door.
The dojo master stood outside the door, looking at the money in his hand, lost in thought. He recalled what Ryn and Elysia had said earlier and suspected this was the money Ryn had earned by selling a kidney, their lifeblood for survival. So he quickly knocked on the door, telling Ryn to open it.
"Young man! I can't take this money! You absolutely must not do anything to harm your body!"
"Take it. You're a kind person, Dojo Master. I feel a bit guilty for tricking you."
"No! I still have this dojo, but you two have nothing! If you lose this money, you'll starve on the streets!!"
"I was kidding. We're actually quite well-off. In this day and age, it's not easy to run a dojo. Please, take this money! See you tomorrow!"
Ryn turned off the light, cutting off any chance for the dojo master to refuse.
The dojo master stood at the door for a while before finally leaving with the money.
It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough to move him.
After all, times had changed. It was truly difficult to keep a martial arts dojo running... Moreover, the dojo master had no son, no successor.
He had only one daughter, but unfortunately, the dojo master felt it was better to let her get a proper education.
The path of martial arts had already fallen into decline...
There was no need to hang his daughter on this dead-end path.
In the room, Ryn and Elysia were lying on the bed, staring at each other.
"Daddy, you tricked someone again."
"Don't talk about me. I don't remember teaching you how to deceive people. Your crying is way more fake than the few words I use to trick people!"
"Hmph, hmph, that's a girl's natural talent. Daddy, you can't learn it!"
"You haven't learned a single bit of my noble character, but you've picked up all the bad habits without missing a beat."
"Bleh~"
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The next day, early in the morning.
The sounds of "Heiyah! Heiyah!" from martial arts practice woke Little Elysia up.
Seeing that Ryn was still asleep, a curious Elysia carefully climbed off the bed and went outside to see what was going on.
She saw a group of men in uniform practice attire and a child even smaller than herself, all practicing a morning boxing routine with neat, uniform movements, full of vigor.
Beside them, the dojo master held a small wooden stick, walking around them, occasionally using the stick or his words to point out incorrect movements and adjust their rhythm.
Elysia stood to the side, watching blankly, her eyes filled with infinite curiosity and longing.
The dojo master noticed Little Elysia watching with rapt attention and walked over to her side.
"What's the matter, Little Elysia? Do you want to learn boxing too?"
"Mhm! It looks so cool!"
"Haha, of course it's cool!" The dojo master proudly puffed out his chest. This was the power of heritage!
Then, the dojo master shook his head and said to Elysia:
"But we're all big and burly men here, so the environment isn't the best. If you're interested, Little Elysia, I can take you to another master on the opposite street. She can teach you how to wield a spear and shoot a bow. How about it, are you interested?"
"Wield a spear? Shoot a bow?!"
Elysia's eyes lit up instantly. She had wanted to learn archery for a very long time.