DEMON EMPEROR

CHAPTER 13 The Secret Path

Wong An had not taken on any missions for a year, focusing himself on teaching Ba Bel basic lessons such as reading, writing, and painting, as well as other fundamental skills required for a martial artist to learn martial arts.

“Bel’er, you never cease to amaze me,” Wong An said, gently stroking Ba Bel’s head.

Wong An was surprised because lessons that a five-year-old child would typically complete in two to three years were accomplished by Ba Bel in just three months.

This was possible because Ba Bel was, at his core, a 101-year-old adult man who had already mastered the basic skills needed to become a martial artist, such as reading, writing, and painting.

Ba Bel could have completed all the lessons given by Wong An in three days, but that would certainly have made Wong An suspicious. It was impossible for a child from a peasant background to be able to read, write, and paint at the age of five after being taught for the first time. Such a feat had never been accomplished, even among children of nobility or imperial families.

Day by day, time flew by; a year had passed unknowingly since Ba Bel arrived at the Earth and Heaven Sword Sect. Wong An had not taken any missions for a full year because he wanted to ensure Ba Bel was never lazy in learning the basic skills needed for a martial artist.

Although Wong An noticed his disciple greatly enjoyed spending his time in the Bamboo Villa’s library, reading books on medicine, general knowledge, the history of the Shu Empire, and Ba Bel even read books on chess, which had recently become a trending game in the three empires.

Ba Bel had decided that in this life, he would learn the things he hadn’t had the chance to learn in his first life. Day turned to night without them realizing. Wong An entered the library and invited Ba Bel to have dinner with him.

After the master and disciple finished their dinner, Wong An invited Ba Bel to the living room of Bamboo Villa. “Bel’er, each Sword Elder can only take leave from missions for a maximum of one year. As a Sword Elder, Master has a duty to undertake missions given by the Earth and Heaven Sword Sect. Tomorrow, Master will leave to carry out a mission, and it might take seven to ten days for Master to return to Bamboo Villa. Don't be lazy; keep reading books to broaden your horizons,” Wong An conveyed his message to Ba Bel.

Although Wong An knew Ba Bel's talent in martial arts could be described as very poor, his talent in general knowledge and his comprehension speed were excellent.

Wong An thought to himself, even if Ba Bel wouldn’t become a great martial artist in the Shu Empire, Wong An believed that Ba Bel could become a scholar working in the government. It was even possible that, with Ba Bel’s abilities and intelligence, his disciple could one day become a minister in the Shu Empire.

Wong An was confident that if Ba Bel became one of the important ministers in the Shu Empire, Ba Bel could solve problems that martial artists couldn't, such as famine, poverty, equitable development, and so on. Wong An was also sure that the Earth and Heaven Sword Sect would support Ba Bel morally and with strength to protect him from any disturbances and threats he might face if he became a minister in the Shu Empire.

“Master doesn’t need to worry; this disciple promises to continue reading every useful book in the Bamboo Villa library, and this disciple will also keep practicing literary writing,” Ba Bel said to Wong An, bowing respectfully.

Wong An clicked his tongue in admiration, seeing Ba Bel’s filial devotion.

Ba Bel himself knew that the food supplies at Bamboo Villa were running low, and therefore Wong An had to undertake a mission to earn contribution points from the sect. These contribution points could later be exchanged for money, daily necessities for the master and disciple, materials that could improve a martial artist's bone quality or internal energy, or even ancient artifacts.

After their conversation, Wong An chose to rest in his room, while Ba Bel continued to copy the Nine Demonic Transformations Scripture and several important events he remembered into two of his own books.

The next morning, Ba Bel saw Wong An off to the front gate of Bamboo Villa. As soon as Wong An was no longer visible, Ba Bel immediately leapt with joy.

“Finally, I can begin my grand plan to forge myself into a martial artist who surpasses my achievements in my first life.” Ba Bel’s eyes shone with eagerness to start something grand.

Wong An had been monitoring Ba Bel very closely to ensure he learned the basic skills needed for a martial artist. As a result, it was impossible for Ba Bel to start doing anything other than reading books and studying literary writing or poetry.

Fortunately, every night when Wong An was sound asleep, he had built a secret path that led to the back of the main road. Because Bamboo Villa was located at the eastern edge of the Earth Sword Sect, and the Sect's wall behind Bamboo Villa directly bordered the wall separating the Earth Sword Sect’s territory from the public road in the Shu Empire, the distance between the Sect’s wall and the boundary wall built by the Shu Empire was only about two to three meters, filled with tall grass.

Just across the boundary wall built by the Shu Empire lay a very mysterious river, greatly feared by the local populace. Legend had it that strange sounds could be heard from within the river every night, and the water in the river was extremely cold, with no fish living in it.

Therefore, the local community was reluctant to approach the river and named it the River of Death Spirits.

Ba Bel immediately prepared everything he needed to pass through the secret path he had been working on for the past year. After Ba Bel ensured no one saw him enter the small crevice behind Bamboo Villa, he quickly hurried into the crevice and began his grand plan to become an invincible martial artist.