In the end, it took Shu Yang three months to complete his own middle-grade martial art.
"Huh," Shu Yang put down his arms and breathed out.
'Three months. It's longer than I thought. Who knows how long it would have taken me without the Hurricane art as a reference?'
'The high-grade level will probably take even longer, especially if I don't have anything to reference.'
'Perhaps it's not all that bad. I can feel that my connection with the Bloodline Tree is growing smoother. These three months have given me more than a year of meditation would. Perhaps in the future, I'll get so familiar with it that I don't even have to think, and all the martial arts I need simply pop into my head.'
Shu Yang ran through his newly derived martial art for an hour before stopping.
His whole body was covered in sweat, and his body was aching.
'This is the effect of just one hour of practice? Incredible.'
'But it should be a good thing. The harder it is to practice, the better the martial art, right?'
'Maybe I'm thinking too simply about it. Anyway, this martial art is leagues above the Hurricane art of Ren Ming. At least for me it is.'
"Da!"
"Tianren?"
Shu Yang turned around and saw his son crawling out from the house.
"Well, aren't you full of energy?" Shu Yang said with a smile and went to pick up his son.
"That's good. Maybe it's your martial arts talent that is already shining through. Unfortunately, you're still a little too young."
While it's true that it's better to start early than late. Kids generally only start at around 7 or 8 years old, and they start very carefully. That's because if you can't control the flow of blood and qi properly, it can do more damage than good.
Shu Yang carried Tianren inside again, where he spotted his wife just finishing making breakfast.
"Look how hard your mother is working, Tianren," Shu Yang said, poking the boy's cheek, "You have to grow up strong so you can let your mother relax and be pampered in the future."
"Don't talk nonsense to my son," Qianyue said.
"It's not nonsense. It's good that he can hear our expectations from an early age, so he knows what to strive for. You don't want him to grow up as a good-for-nothing, do you?"
Qianyue just smiled and shook her head.
"Come on, Tianren. I'll let you know the truth of this world while your mother cooks."
Shu Yang put Tianren down on the floor and explained seriously, "This is a world where the strong make the rules. If you are weak, you can only live at the mercy of the strong. Unfortunately, it's not easy to be strong. You have to put in more effort than everyone else. But never forget that you carry the Shu bloodline, and you are the eldest son. If anyone can do it, it's you."
Shu Yang kept rambling on while Qianyue listened from the side with an amused smile. Tianren couldn't understand anything and just crawled around the floor looking for something to play with.
"You know he can't understand you," Qianyue commented as she put the food on the table.
"Well, it doesn't matter. He'll understand one day, and then he'll have an advantage over the other children who are ignored and not expected to make anything of themselves."
'Speaking of which, I should make some kind of lesson plan for the children in the future. There is only one school in Chunsi Town, and the price for sending children there is not low. Besides, who knows what nonsense they will teach the children? It's better if I educate them myself.'
Shu Yang didn't waste any time. Right after eating, he sat down with pen and paper and began outlining his children's future education.
Even if his eldest son was only three months old, Shu Yang's children would be the pillars of his family in the future. If he doesn't raise them right, the following generations won't have any hope either.
It has to be taken seriously.
Qianyue saw what he was doing, but didn't comment on it; she just smiled and started breastfeeding Tianren.
She knew just how special her husband was. Despite growing up in a house with a drunk father who passed early, he knew how to read and write and seemed more educated than anyone else she had met.
"Do you hope for Tianren to become an Official in the future, husband?" Qianyue asked.
That question would have caused any other villager to burst out laughing. How could the son of a farmer hope to become an official?
But Qianyue knew it was very possible.
Shu Yang thought about it. Even if he looked down on the Officials here, they did hold very real power. If he had a son in that position, it would be very helpful in order to grow his family safely without worrying about anyone bothering him.
"We'll see," Shu Yang said, "We'll leave it up to the kids to decide. If they don't have the talent for martial arts, taking the exam isn't a bad option."
"Hm," Qianyue nodded, leaving the decision to her husband.
When Shu Yang had written down a rough outline of his child's education plan, he headed out to the fields to work.
It had gotten a lot easier since he advanced to the 3rd-grade martial warrior. Doing hard labor for an entire day didn't tire him out completely like it used to.
'With the kind of harvest we just had, I could afford to hire a few more workers. It wouldn't be impossible to be a hands-off boss in the future. But that won't leave much money.'
Taking a deep breath, Shu Yang threw any thoughts of laziness away and got to work. His plan at the moment was to save as much money as he could and buy more land.
Through his knowledge of modern botany, Shu Yang's fields yielded almost double the harvest of his neighbours. If he could put all his extra income into more land every year, it would cause a positive feedback loop.
It would be hard work, and they wouldn't have the money to indulge in any luxuries. But in time, he would become the largest landowner in the village, and the income from his fields would be enough to support a large family.
'A few hard years are worth it. Besides, it should strengthen my children's character to grow up in adversity.'
'Good! It's decided.'
Shu Yang returned home late in the evening.
When he stepped inside his house, he heard an old man's voice coming from the kitchen.
"Eat well during this time and don't do any hard labor. It wasn't long since you gave birth, after all."
"What's going on?" Shu Yang asked worriedly as he stepped inside the kitchen and saw Old Ma with his wife. Old Ma was the village doctor.
"Congratulations," Old Ma said with a smile, "Ren Qianyue is pregnant again.'
'Pregnant?'
Su Yang looked at his wife and smiled widely.
"Is it true?"
"It seems so," Qianyue said with a shy smile, "I felt a little sick earlier, and it reminded me of when I was expecting Tianren, so I called Old Ma over to make sure."
'Great! The bloodline will grow stronger again!'
"Thank you for your help, Old Ma," Shu Yang said, handing him a few coins.
"It wasn't difficult. I'll leave you two alone," Old Ma said with a smile and left.
"It's been hard work for you, Qianyue," Shu Yang said, hugging his wife. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He wanted to have as many kids as possible, but it was his lovely wife who had to do all the work while he was the only one reaping the rewards.
"It's not difficult," Qianyue said, smiling and caressing her belly. "Do you think it will be a girl this time?"
"Boy or girl doesn't matter. It's our child all the same," Shu Yang said.
"Mm," Qianyue nodded.