On the straw mats inside the ruined temple, Yang Guo and the other two had already eaten until their bellies were round, lying sprawled every which way and burping loudly.
It was the first time in their lives eating such a sumptuous meal, and their lips hadn't been able to stop.
Yet they were only children after all, with limited appetites.
Two meat buns and half a roast goose still remained on the table.
The beggar's chicken, however, had been picked completely clean.
Aniu rested for a moment before sitting up again.
He wrapped the remaining buns and roast goose back up in lotus leaves, doing so with meticulous care.
Watching him, Yang Guo felt quite satisfied, thinking that Aniu hadn't gotten arrogant and still knew how to save food.
The next instant, however—
Aniu wrapped up the half-carcass of goose bones that had been picked entirely clean in a lotus leaf as well.
Yang Guo looked bewildered:
“Aniu, what are you wrapping up that pile of bones for?”
“Saving them to use as hidden weapons against stray dogs?”
Aniu chuckled foolishly:
“Yang Guo, you don't get it.”
“These goose bones are soaked in master stock and rich fat.”
“Tomorrow I'll swipe two heads of Napa cabbage from the vegetable patch and buy a little salt.”
“If I throw these bones into a pot to simmer over a low flame and add the cabbage, that's a proper 'White Jade Emerald Old Goose Soup'!”
“It'll still be delicious.”
Yang Guo was left utterly stunned, giving him a thumbs-up:
“Not bad, Aniu.”
“You really have this poor life figured out.”
...
As the three were talking,
a sudden gust of wind blew into the temple.
A figure with wild, matted hair entered, upside down with his head pointing down, gripping the ground firmly with only his two palms.
Like a giant gecko supported on two palms, he leaped into the temple.
It was too fast.
So fast that even the sound of the wind was left far behind.
Aniu's hands were still holding the wrapped roast goose.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and his arms felt empty.
The lotus leaf bundle was gone.
He looked down, then looked back up.
Without him noticing, an extra person had appeared beside them.
He had white hair, a white beard, and clothes tattered beyond recognition.
He was holding the half roast goose, devouring it frantically.
Crunch. With one bite, a large chunk of crispy skin and meat was gone.
A poor beggar was used to a hard life; even if the King of Heaven came, no one could snatch meat out of his bowl!
Aniu had no idea what kind of figure this old madman was; his eyes turned red with heartache on the spot:
“Give me back my roast goose!!”
In a hot-headed rush, Aniu reached forward with both hands to snatch it back.
Yang Guo possessed the foundation of the Nine Yang Divine Art.
The moment Ouyang Feng entered the temple, Yang Guo sensed a terrifying inner force surging from him like mountain-toppling waves.
His scalp tingled with horror, and he yelled at the top of his lungs:
“Aniu! Give it to him! Forget about it!”
But Aniu had already lunged halfway forward.
Ignoring the pain in the meridians of his right arm, Yang Guo kicked hard off the ground and dove low across the floor.
He slammed into Aniu hard, knocking him airborne.
At the same time,
Ouyang Feng, who was gnawing on the goose rump, found the noise annoying and casually threw out a palm strike without even looking up.
Yang Guo could only hastily meet it with a palm strike of his own.
Although this palm strike from Ouyang Feng carried barely any power,
likely not even thirty percent of his strength,
Yang Guo felt as though he had been struck by a rampaging bull, his whole body flying backward.
With a heavy thud, he crashed into the broken dirt wall, shaking down a shower of dust.
Yang Guo spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Aniu's face turned pale: “Yang Guo!”
Little Shitou was scared out of his wits as well: “Yang Guo!”
Yang Guo leaned against the wall, his chest hurting as if it were splitting open.
Yet his mind was clearer than ever.
The opponent was too strong; he was not even on the same level.
Even Li Mochou couldn't compare to the man before him.
Having been blocked by Yang Guo, Ouyang Feng stopped eating the roast goose.
His mind was already muddled and chaotic, and remembering the humiliation of being double-teamed outside the city by Guo Jing and Huang Rong, he flew into a raging fury.
Like a child throwing a tantrum, he pointed at the three of them and roared:
“Bullying me! You're all bullying this old man!!”
“That couple bullied me just now, and now even you little brats dare to bully me!”
“Not letting me eat,”
“and even stealing my things!”
Aniu couldn't help saying:
“That was clearly ours!”
Ouyang Feng glared fiercely at him:
“Once it's in my hands,”
“it's mine!”
Aniu opened his mouth, wanting to argue further.
Ouyang Feng cursed: “Since you won't let me eat, I'll beat you all to death!”
Setting down the roast goose, his fingers curled into a claw as he reached down to grab Aniu on the ground.
At this moment, ignoring the pain across his body, Yang Guo moved in an unusual footwork pattern and closed the distance in an instant.
His left hand grabbed Aniu tightly by the collar, while his right hand scooped up the dazed Little Shitou.
Channeling all his Nine Yang true qi into his waist and legs,
he exerted force through his torso, his whole body spinning like a top.
Using the centrifugal force of the spin, he hurled both of them right out the broken window into the wild grass outside the temple.
After landing and rolling twice, Aniu and Little Shitou were both stunned.
Seeing that Yang Guo was not only okay after taking a palm strike but had also managed to rescue the others, a trace of surprise flashed in Ouyang Feng's eyes:
“Little brat, you actually know martial arts too? Then take another palm strike from me!”
Ouyang Feng's body suddenly dropped to the ground, his elbows bent, and his belly puffed out with a loud gribbit.
Both palms thrust straight forward!
Yang Guo hastily leaped sideways and rolled to dodge.
Ouyang Feng's palm struck empty air, and the majestic force of the palm wind slammed into the wooden doors of the ruined temple.
With a loud boom, the two door panels exploded into splinters that flew in all directions.
Outside the temple, Aniu and Little Shitou clung to their heads in terror.
Yang Guo's pupils shrank as he thought:
“Toad Stance! It really fucking is Ouyang Feng!”
Just as Yang Guo steadied himself, Ouyang Feng appeared right before his eyes like a shadow following a form.
Too fast.
Ouyang Feng then raised his right palm.
This time, Yang Guo truly felt he was about to die.
Not as a figure of speech—he was genuinely going to die.
Before the palm could even descend, the fierce wind compressed his chest until it felt suffocated.
In a flash of inspiration amidst the peril, a flash of insight struck Yang Guo's mind.
Straining his throat, he used every ounce of strength in his body to roar:
“Father!!”
Ouyang Feng's palm was on the verge of falling.
The howling astral wind blew Yang Guo's hair straight back, making the skin on his forehead sting.
Yet the instant Ouyang Feng heard the word “Father,”
his entire body froze as if struck by heavenly thunder.
The rolling murderous intent in his eyes shattered in an instant, turning into endless confusion and emptiness.
He jerked his wrist sideways, unleashing that powerful palm force onto a nearby stone statue.
Boom!
The greenstone Buddha statue, taller than a man, was blasted into a cloud of rubble and powder in an instant.
Dust filled half the ruined temple.
Yang Guo stared blankly, his throat swallowing hard.
If that palm strike had landed on his head, his life would have ended at age thirteen.
The dust slowly settled.
Ouyang Feng stood there, staring intently at Yang Guo:
“You...”
“What did you just call me?”
Yang Guo felt panicked inside, but did not show it on his face in the slightest:
“Father.”
Ouyang Feng's body swayed slightly.
“Father?”
“Mm.”
“I'm your father?”
Aniu and Little Shitou had just crept up to the window sill.
Hearing this line, both of their eyes widened at the same time.
Aniu asked in a low voice:
“When did Yang Guo get a father?”
Little Shitou also lowered his voice:
“He has one now.”
“What do you mean?”
“A life-saving father, obviously.”
Scratching his hair, Ouyang Feng asked in confusion, “I have a son?”
Yang Guo replied with utmost seriousness:
“That's right, Father. I am Ke'er!”
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