Fang Qingyun sighed: "It’s changed, everything has changed. It’s like time suddenly accelerated, catching me completely unprepared."

"Reaching Martial General within five years was my highest goal, but now I’m not even in the third year yet, and I’m already a Martial General. This rapid pace of advancement, I wasn’t ready for it myself; reaching this point, I have to develop the family to the eighth level, don’t you think? Otherwise, how embarrassing would that be?"

"Continuing like this, by graduation, I should probably be a Martial King. If I inherit the family, a family with a King level sitting in place, not to mention the seventh level, it has to be at the eighth level’s peak, and even that would be embarrassing..."

"But I’m still young, the future holds endless possibilities. Just staying home to guard the family? Not doing something for the Continent? That wouldn’t feel right."

Fang Qingyun said dejectedly: "Originally, seeing your success, cousin was also happy. Cousin knows that he is ordinary and has no big ambitions. Just thought that in the future, when you venture out, cousin would take care of the family."

"So that no matter when, when you feel homesick, you can come back to see, the family will still be here. This is our root! That way, even if you wander for a thousand or ten thousand years, your mind will be settled, because you have a root, and the root is still here!"

Fang Qingyun smiled bitterly: "But now... it’s come to a point of neither here nor there; if I continue cultivating, I even begin to feel hopeful of becoming a Martial Emperor or Monarch, but... if so, how could I sit idle at home? Did I learn all this just to cling to life, fearing death?"

Fang Che finally understood.

He couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh: "Cousin, how can you have such thoughts? What’s the contradiction here?"

"I want to become a Guardian, to fight against the Demons, to contribute to the Continent."

Fang Qingyun said in confusion: "But my character at its core is like a guard dog; not a tiger or wolf smiling arrogantly in the Jianghu, and certainly not an eagle or dragon soaring in the Nine Heavens."

"Simply guarding the family, I’m unwilling; but venturing out, I can’t let go of the family."

"I’m afraid, if I go out, one slip, and both of us cousins would be rootless."

Fang Qingyun’s face was full of melancholy and bewilderment.

"You don’t need to worry about this."

Fang Che comforted: "Just focus on enhancing your cultivation, let fate decide the future path. Uncle’s chronic illness has been cured, with him at the helm, there’s no problem for at least a hundred years or more. As for your questions... considering them two hundred years from now won’t be too late."

"Moreover, there are plenty of paths for you to choose from in the future: one, come back and guard the family; two, become a Guardian; three, take a position at the Guardian Hall; four, go to the City Guard department."

"Whether you can oversee the family depends on your strength, not on whether you are at home or outside."

"I know your character, you’re indeed not of the kind that ventures into the Jianghu, and also not suited for it, but staying at home doesn’t mean you won’t make contributions."

"Bringing stability to the people in one area is also a huge contribution!"

Fang Qingyun nodded silently, but his mood was still somewhat gloomy; he still believed that with all his abilities, not going to the front lines to fight the Weiwo Zheng Sect was simply a crime.

"Rest assured, the bridge will straighten itself when it reaches the end. The road ahead in your future will appear naturally, it’s still early days, why worry? I actually feel the most important thing for you now is to face your problem of making too many friends carelessly."

Fang Qingyun said: "I was thinking, for the long-term development of our family, laying the foundation first, isn’t making more friends a good thing? Having friends all over the world is the greatest fortune."

Fang Che lightly said: "Having friends all over the world is good, but I think being invincible on my own is even better!"

"When you have too many friends, various situations are unavoidable. Because, there are unfairness and no one can keep things perfectly balanced."

"Seven friends, taking turns to treat, all drinking wine priced ten gold coins, but one of them using two taels of silver; over time, various issues will arise. This is the most ordinary thing."

"So, you don’t need many friends, three to five are enough."

"Cousin, I always disrupt your friend-making not because I don’t understand, but... those friends you have now aren’t worthy of being your friends."

Fang Che said earnestly: "Without a bit of gratitude, for so long, it’s always been you giving, but they have never given back. I know you don’t mind, but friendship is mutual. When they have resources and good things, they always cozy up to the strong and never think of you as a so-called friend."

"Open your eyes; friends will await you in the distance."

"Moreover, as long as you get stronger, you’ll have even more friends than now."

"As for the path in the future, what you think, how you walk it, I can’t help you. I can only tell you, unknown roads ahead, just walk them step by step."

Fang Che smiled: "Thinking so much, actually is not as good as the two of us getting drunk tonight."

Fang Qingyun’s eyes lit up, proposing: "Drinking is fine, but let’s seal our cultivation, and whoever doesn’t get drunk can beat up the one who does!"

This honest blockhead actually wants to retaliate?

Fang Che held back a laugh: "Alright!"

That night Fang Qingyun got drunk.

Completely hammered.

He had never drunk that much before, and with his cultivation sealed, he ended up lying on the ground like a boneless heap of mud.

Drunken Fang Qingyun’s eyes were blurry, babbling nonsense.

"...Cousin, cousin..."

"I’ve wanted to hit you for years... So naive; always thought I’d hit you when you matured, damn it, by the time you matured, I couldn’t beat you..."