The next morning, Mei and Hiyori returned to the Eagle Eye Sect. Mei kept asking where Kazan was because she couldn’t find him.She left without saying goodbye to him. Kazan deliberately stayed in his room, unwilling to deal with a child.“Here are your supplies for a month, and starting tomorrow, Daigo’ll accompany you. Do you have any objections?” said Kenzou.Kazan nodded. Kenzou’s absence would leave him time to practice his breathing without the teacher watching.Kazan’s reading lessons would use books Takao brought to his room.Takao would teach him for less than half a day, leaving him on his own for the rest of the time.That would leave time for breathing practice and for finding medicines to strengthen his small body.Daigo would only come at night and sleep in Kazan’s room to keep him company.“In that case, I’m going to go see Takao, so just wait here for a moment!” said Kenzou, and then he left Kazan behind.“This kid is way too cold and quiet!” thought Kenzou as he turned

“Young Master! Is it just me, or have you actually gotten taller?” Daigo asked Kazan, who was sitting on a chair in front of the house.“Of course, Senior. Did you expect me to stay small forever, with no changes?”“No, that’s not what I meant!” Daigo scratched his head; he felt like he’d said the wrong thing, prompting Kazan to ask him that in return.Disciples lingered beyond Kenzou’s fence, whispering about making the little newcomer cry. None caught him alone outside; Takao was there in the morning.After lessons he shut himself in his room; by nightfall Daigo was beside him again.***Kenzou finally returned at the end of the third month. He stopped at the sight of Kazan, his gaze moving from the boy’s face to the sleeves he had outgrown.“I’m sure I’ve only been gone three months, not a year, but why is this kid growing so fast?” Kenzou thought as he looked Kazan over from head to toe.Kazan watched him make the comparison and kept his face blank.“What’s wrong, Master?” asked Ka

Kenzou immediately picked up and unrolled the scroll while Masaki finished the tea in his small cup.“Kenzou, thank you for the tea. Next time, come to my house—I just bought some sake from the Fengrui merchant!” said Masaki.Kenzou stopped at the first line of the letter. “Sake?”Kazan looked up too.“Are you kidding, Sect Leader? Fengrui sake is incredibly expensive!” said Kenzou.“It’s true that Fengrui sake is very expensive, but the taste doesn’t disappoint, especially the aroma…!” said Masaki as he took a deep breath through his nose while closing his eyes.Kenzou swallowed. Beside him, Kazan had to swallow as well; his old taste for good wine had not vanished with his Ki.“All right, I’ll stop by sometime, so save a little for me!” said Kenzou.“Of course, Kenzou. Well then, I’ll be going now!” Masaki didn’t even glance at or greet Kazan after saying goodbye to Kenzou.Kazan lowered his eyes to the book again, offering no farewell either.Only Kenzou’s presence kept the words he

Lion’s Roar had knocked the blades away for Kenzou and now scattered these men for Chiyo. Kazan looked between them; the same art linked the two.“She’s even more powerful than that old man! If I keep forcing a fight against her, I’ll be the one to lose!” thought Ichiro.Ichiro glared hatefully at Kenzou.His thirteen men were scattered across the road, clutching injured heads and limbs. Ichiro turned and fled.“Coward! Never come back!” Chiyo called, then returned to the carriage. Kazan waited on the seat.“Grand Master! What should we do with them?” Kenzou asked Grandma Chiyo.“Grand Master…? So Grandma Chiyo is Kenzou’s Grand Master?” Kazan thought.“Just leave them be. They won’t die, but they won’t be able to fight again until their bones heal,” said Grandma Chiyo.A few of the men were already trying to sit up. Others held their broken legs, but all were still breathing.“But if we just leave them like this—”“Do you think our carriage can fit all of them? Come on, let’s get goin

“I’m sorry, Father-in-law, if my words seem presumptuous, but this is my home and Kazan is my son, so he also has the right to enter this house with no one’s permission, and if the Haruki family still refuses to acknowledge him as a family member, then he’ll become a member of the Sayuri family!”Enjou stared at Kazane. Her voice no longer trembled, and she stood firmly between Jun and Kazan.Kenzou let out a breath. The woman who had cried at Kazan’s departure did not move aside now.“Look at your wife—she’s daring to argue with me just to defend that street kid! That child’s presence will only tear our family apart,” said Jun.“Don’t blame Kazan for this, Dad! He’s not the one making this situation worse—you are! So stop saying bad things about him,” Enjou insisted.“Stop saying bad things, you say? I’m actually worried he’ll have a bad influence on Rika in the future.”“That’s how you see him, Dad. Look at Kazan himself—he’s courteous and respects his elders. Isn’t that enough to re