Martial Arts Secret Realm: Only I Can Know the Plot?

Chapter 132 The Past of the Sea

"I waited until he taught me marksmanship."

He suddenly paused, as if something was stuck in his throat. After a while, he spoke with difficulty, his voice terribly hoarse, "But he didn't live to see that day."

"I'm useless."

Sun Fan looked at Dong Dahai, at his scarred face that appeared particularly menacing under the light, at the thin layer of tears welling up in his eyes. "Then take it back," Sun Fan said, his voice soft but firm. "Not for the Shen family, not for revenge, but for your father. For your family."

Dong Dahai was stunned.

"The lower half of the Cloud Piercing Spear is in your hands, and the upper half of the Dragon Roar Spear is also in your hands now." Sun Fan looked at him. "You don't need Shen Wuxiu's charity, nor do you need his exchange. The items originally belonged to your master, so it's only right that you take them back."

Dong Dahai's hand gripped the gun barrel tightly, his knuckles turning white. He lowered his head, looking at the gleaming black gun, and remained silent for a long time. Then he raised his head, looking at Sun Fan, his eyes filled with something indescribable—not gratitude, but some deeper, more profound emotion, like the earth, like the mountains, like those things that have remained unchanged since time immemorial.

"Squad leader, thank you."

Sun Fan shook his head. "It's not about thanking him." He paused, then said, "Da Hai, I have a question for you."

"you say."

"Did Shen Wuxiu offer to return the gun to you, or did you go to him about it?"

Dong Dahai paused for a moment, then shook his head. "He had it delivered. I didn't say or do anything. His deputy handed me the gun and said—Brother Shen said this gun shouldn't remain in the Shen family's possession—and then left."

Sun Fan's brow twitched slightly. "He didn't mention any conditions?"

"no."

"The second half of the volume doesn't mention the Cloud Piercing Spear?"

"no."

Sun Fan remained silent. He had seen Shen Wuxiu clearly on the arena—meticulous, goal-oriented, and ruthless in achieving his objectives. He would investigate Dong Dahai's background to obtain the second half of the Cloud Piercing Spear, agree to the "boss's" conditions to complete the Dragon Roar Spear, and use all his strength on the arena to force Sun Fan to unleash that sword strike. Such a person wouldn't return the Dragon Roar Spear without a reason. Unless he saw something more important than the Dragon Roar Spear.

What is it?

Sun Fan couldn't figure it out, but he knew one thing: Shen Wuxiu was a much more complex person than he had imagined.

A knock came at the door, and Feng Congyun pushed it open, carrying a wine jug, still looking as unkempt as ever. He glanced at the Dragon Roar Spear leaning against the edge of the bed, then at Dong Dahai, said nothing, walked to the bedside, sat down, and took a swig of wine.

"Teacher Feng," Sun Fan called out to him.

"Um."

"Shen Wuxiu returned the Dragon Roar Spear to the sea."

Feng Congyun paused for a moment, then continued drinking. "I know."

"You know?"

"That gun sat here with me for half an hour," Feng Congyun said. "Shen Wuxiu's second-in-command came to me first, saying that Shen Wuxiu wanted to return the gun to Dong Dahai and asked me if it was appropriate. I said whether it was appropriate or not was not up to me to decide; it was up to Dong Dahai himself."

He said Shen Wuxiu didn't want to give it to him in person, fearing Dong Dahai wouldn't accept it. I said, "Then leave it with me, I'll pass it on."

He took a swig of his drink and smacked his lips. "Then Dong Dahai came himself, saw the gun, and took it without saying a word. I didn't even have a chance to hand it over."

Sun Fan looked at Feng Congyun and suddenly asked, "Teacher Feng, did Shen Wuxiu ask you to pass on any message?"

Feng Congyun stopped halfway through raising his wine jug. He looked at Sun Fan, remained silent for a few seconds, and then put the jug down. "Yes."

"What did you say?"

He said, "The Dragon Roar Spear belongs to the owner. I've guarded it for the Shen family for decades; it's time to return it."

Sun Fan frowned. "That's all?"

"There's one more thing," Feng Congyun's voice lowered, "He said— 'If Sun Fan wakes up, please tell him I'm sorry. I'm not sorry to him, I'm sorry to Dong Dahai.'"

The ward fell silent. The fluorescent lights hummed, the wind outside stopped, the branches ceased swaying, and even the air seemed to freeze. Dong Dahai sat there, gripping the gun barrel, head bowed, motionless. His shoulders trembled slightly, but he made no sound.

Sun Fan looked at him, remained silent for a long time, and then said, "Da Hai, there's no rush regarding the Dragon Roar Piercing Cloud Spear. Focus on healing your injuries and improving your internal energy first. Once you have enough strength to master the complete Returning to Truth level spear technique, then we can consider merging the two into one."

Dong Dahai raised his head, looked at Sun Fan, and nodded. His eyes were still red, but his gaze was much steadyer than before, like a ship that had been tossed about in a storm for a long time finally seeing the light of a lighthouse.

"Squad leader, I'll listen to you."

Feng Congyun leaned back in his chair, watching the scene unfold, and suddenly sighed. "You kids, each one of you is more sentimental than this old man." He took a swig of his drink, stood up, and said, "Alright, the wound has been treated, the gun has been returned, I should go. Sun Fan, you better lie still and don't move around. If your wound reopens, I won't stitch it up for you."

He walked to the door, then suddenly stopped and turned to look at Sun Fan. His gaze had changed; it was no longer the usual lazy and nonchalant look, but rather a sharp, penetrating seriousness.

"Sun Fan, there's something I need to tell you."

"Please go on, Teacher Feng."

"Don't use that sword strike again."

Sun Fan did not answer.

"I know you don't want to hear this." Feng Congyun walked back, sat down on the edge of the bed, and placed the wine pot on the bedside table. "But I have to make this clear to you. That sword strike of yours wasn't something a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator should possess, or even something a Qi Opening Realm cultivator should have. That's a power that only a Seventh Realm swordsman can wield, and you used it prematurely. Your body was bearing the brunt for you, and your inner demons were bearing the brunt for you. But you can withstand it once, you can withstand it twice, but you can't withstand it a hundred times."

He stared into Sun Fan's eyes. "The bloodshot in your eyes isn't an ordinary injury; it's a mark of inner demons. Inner demons can't be suppressed by willpower alone. They will slowly erode your character, making you more and more paranoid, more and more extreme, less and less like yourself. By the time you realize it, it will be too late."

He looked at Sun Fan and said, word by word, "There have been people who were ruined like this before."

Sun Fan lowered his head, looking at his left shoulder, which was wrapped in bandages. Beneath the bandages were seventeen stitches, beneath the stitches was torn muscle, and beneath the muscle was the wound from the spearhead. The wound would heal, the stitches would be removed, and the muscle would regrow.

But the inner demon won't. It will always remain there, like a thorn, stuck deep in your heart. It doesn't hurt, but it's always there.

"Teacher Feng." Sun Fan looked up at Feng Congyun.

Um."