He watched with satisfaction as Gu Nuo, who had stopped acting coquettishly and volunteered to practice swordsmanship.
Filled with pride at the sight of his son growing up, Gu Nuo felt that his efforts in educating him had not been in vain, and that he had come to understand the allure of power.
They understand that only by becoming stronger can they obtain what they want.
Only what you gain through your own strength is truly reliable!
Before he could finish his reflections, Qin Junche dragged Gu Nuo back.
"Ahem... Nuo'er..." Gu Tang felt this was a good opportunity to teach Gu Nuo a lesson, "If the Flying Cloud Palace Master wants to stop you from cultivating and practicing swordsmanship, and you can't defeat him, you can only obediently let him do as he pleases. What does this show?"
Gu Nuo was clearly stunned.
In his little mind, the fact that the Palace Master of Feiyun Palace was preventing him from practicing swordsmanship and cultivating meant that the Palace Master of Feiyun Palace didn't want him to become stronger, which meant...
Gu Nuo's face flushed bright red!
He looked up at Qin Junche somewhat timidly.
So, does the Palace Master Feiyun really not want to be another father to him?
So, he really is the little bastard those kids talk about, and no one but his father would like him?
Gu Nuo's eyes were red.
He felt like crying.
But his father was still waiting for his answer.
"Nuo'er isn't strong enough." Gu Nuo opened her mouth, then opened it again, and said in a low voice.
The once clear, childlike voice was now tinged with sobs, sounding exceptionally pitiful: "Palace Master Feiyun is much more powerful than me. He wants to stop Nuoer from practicing swordsmanship. He doesn't want to be another father to Nuoer... Waaah..."
Gu Nuo was truly heartbroken.
But he quickly rubbed his eyes hard with his arm.
He mustn't cry!
We can't afford to let Palace Master Feiyun look down on us any further!
"Nuo'er." Gu Tang reached out and ruffled his son's hair. "It's alright. After all, Palace Master Feiyun is so much older than you and has cultivated for so many more years. Twenty years from now, you might not be no match for him. If you still feel..."
"Gu! Tang!" Qin Junche interrupted Gu Tang almost through gritted teeth.
His face turned completely dark.
What kind of theories are these?!
Is this how you raise your son?!
To acknowledge someone as your father, you first have to beat them into submission?!
Yes, he had seen how Gu Tang taught children before, so he was already mentally prepared.
But I never expected that hearing and experiencing it in person would be so much more impactful!
Qin Junche was so angry that his shout to Gu Tang was clearly quite fierce.
Gu Tang didn't seem to care. He even shrugged and gave Gu Nuo a shrug.
He had this arrogant look on his face, as if to say, "See? Even Daddy can't beat Palace Master Feiyun. He can only let him do whatever he wants!"
Gu Nuo nodded vigorously, looking like she understood, and stared at her father with tears welling up in her eyes.
Qin Junche: "..."
He shouldn't have let Gu Tang teach the child himself!
"Nuo'er." Qin Junche took a deep breath, leaned down slightly, and looked Gu Nuo, who was standing on the wooden stool, in the eye.
The child had completely lost the affectionate demeanor he had shown earlier; his face was downcast, and he didn't dare look at him at all.
Qin Junche took another deep breath, trying to soften his tone: "Nuo'er."
He raised his hand and gently patted Gu Nuo's little head: "What your father said isn't entirely correct either."
"Huh?" Gu Tang was displeased.
Who are you?
Why did you immediately admit you were wrong?
No matter what, he was an orphan who climbed his way up from the bottom of the chaotic and dark cultivation world, eventually standing at the very top of that world!
"Nuo'er." Qin Junche didn't even look at Gu Tang. He reached out and pinched Gu Nuo's chin, forcing his son to look at him. "As long as you like it, I will always be your other father. You don't need to become stronger than me."
"Huh?" Gu Nuo was clearly stunned again.
Is it possible to calculate it this way?
Qin Junche knew that the child's thoughts had been influenced by Gu Tang and he couldn't change them in a short time.
He decided to cut to the chase and then said to Gu Nuo, "Your father..."
"He came to Feiyun Palace a couple of days ago to ask me to become his Daoist partner." Qin Junche turned to look at Gu Tang, then spoke gently to Gu Nuo.
"Huh?" Gu Nuo's eyes widened in surprise.
He was still young, but he knew what it meant to form a Daoist couple.
“Although he can’t beat me, I still agreed to his request,” Qin Junche said again.
"Huh?!" Gu Nuo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"When you were younger, you couldn't beat your father either, but he still became your father," Qin Junche asked Gu Nuo. "Why is that?"
Gu Nuo blinked and asked in a small voice, "Because Father likes Nuo'er."
"Yes!" Qin Junche patted Gu Nuo's head as a reward.
A slight smile appeared on his lips. The usually aloof and arrogant Palace Master of Feiyun Palace showed a smile that could be described as gentle in front of his son.
Even little Gu Nuo was stunned for a moment.
"Because I like him, I don't need him to be very powerful." Qin Junche picked up Gu Nuo.
He hesitated for a moment, then gently kissed Gu Nuo's cheek: "I love Nuo'er too, so you don't need to become stronger. I will still be your father. So, Nuo'er, do you like me?"
Gu Nuo's little face was flushed.
He blinked, looked at Gu Tang, and then at Qin Junche.
After a long while, he nodded vigorously: "I like it!"
He lowered his head and thought for a while before gently placing his little hand on Qin Junche's shoulder: "Then... can I call you Father Junche?"
"Of course," Qin Junche said without hesitation.
He held his son in his arms, his expression more tender than ever before: "What would you like to eat tonight, Nuo'er?"
"Anything is fine?" Gu Nuo asked.
"Yes." Qin Junche replied without hesitation, "You've had a long day, you don't need to continue practicing your sword..."
"Wait!" Gu Tang hadn't really stopped him from saying those things to Gu Nuo earlier.
He has self-awareness.
Qin Junche might be gentle and patient with his own son, but he's not so good-tempered with himself.
But he was unhappy when he heard Qin Junche say that.
He finally managed to get Gu Nuo on the right track, as the other party had a very strong interest in cultivation.
I absolutely hate zombie-style parenting!
"You still need to practice your swordsmanship." On this matter, Gu Tang wouldn't budge an inch.
Gu Nuo looked at Gu Tang, then at Qin Junche.
He obediently slipped down from Qin Junche's arms, tilted his little head up to look at the two of them, and said, "Nuo'er will go practice her sword first. But Father Junche..."
Gu Nuo's expression suddenly became a little awkward.
He lowered his head, his two little hands twisting together shyly: "Can...can you stay here today?"
He looked up at Qin Junche, his face full of anticipation: "Nuo'er can not eat delicious food, but... but she wants to sleep with both fathers."
Qin Junche glanced at Gu Tang and nodded: "Okay."
"Thank you, Father Junche!"
Gu Nuo immediately cheered up.
He grabbed the short sword Qin Junche had given him and skipped and hopped towards the door.
Although they were both going to practice swordsmanship, he clearly seemed much more cheerful and happier than before.
Soon, only Gu Tang and Qin Junche remained in the wooden house.
"Regarding what happened just now..." Qin Junche's gentle expression had vanished.
He looked at Gu Tang coldly: "Don't you want to explain?"
"Explain what?" Gu Tang asked, looking completely bewildered. "Which matter?"
"It's about Gu Nuo recognizing her father," Qin Junche said.
“Oh.” Gu Tang nodded. “Actually, I still think my explanation is better. Your approach, which involves deception, with all that talk of feelings and liking, is too vague. It will lead Nuo’er down a lot of wrong paths. After all…”
He pondered for a moment, then said earnestly, "The path of cultivation is extremely arduous. Even with undivided attention, one could perish at any moment. If one is distracted by these trivial matters, a slight misstep could lead to demonic possession, death, and the dissipation of one's cultivation."
Gu Tang thought for a moment and then said, "I see you are about to break through, and a great calamity is imminent. Let us encourage each other."
Qin Junche looked at Gu Tang coldly: "Gu Tang."
He suddenly asked, "You really never had a heart?"
Chapter 23 The Son's Father is the Demon Lord (23)
Did you truly never have a heart?
Gu Tang was momentarily stunned.