"Eh?"
Simultaneous queer cries interrupted the silenced atmosphere. Juliet turned towards his father and said.
"Never Gonna Go Down Pills? What is that, Papa?"
Looking at the pills that looked like colorful candies, Juliet's curiosity awakened and she inched closer as Natalie quickly snatched it away from Dan's hands and hid inside her Spatial Ring. Dan looked awkward while Grace turned speechless and furiously blushed.
"Ahem, since we're done eating, I think it's time for us to explore..."
Natalie lightly coughed and interrupted the damaging silence. Dan shook his head and said, "No, we're not gonna do that," Glancing at Grace and Natalie, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Lamenting about how popular he became these past months.
Just months ago, he was just an otaku living somewhere in the Philippines and doomed to be forever alone. But now, he had a wife, a little daughter and was surrounded by beauties left and right.
"Why? There's so much to know about the Academy, you know?" Natalie lifted an eyebrow and asked for the reason. It was incomprehensible to her that Dan denied his request. After all, it should be his first time inside the Academy and normally, one would be curious.
"Why, you ask? Just look at yourself and Grace, and you'll know the answer..." Dan rolled his eyes and didn't bother to explain. Natalie understood the meaning of his words and couldn't help but lift a smile on her lips.
"Well, you're right. If you really did walk towards the crowd with me and Grace beside you, you'll definitely become the public enemy number one of most males in this Academy..." Her cheeky smile irritated the latter as Dan fiercely replied,
"Why are you saying that as if you're so confident that it would really happen..." Dan's eyes slightly narrowed and Natalie chuckled in response, "That's because when you were gone, I actually won a public battle and acquired quite the fame to the extent that everyone recognizes me..."
Dan stared at Natalie's cheeky and teasing expression. If one didn't know anything and just stared at her visage. One would think that the latter was making fun of the former. But as her husband, Dan knew that it was different as he stretched his hand out and patted her head.
"Okay, okay, enough bragging, you just want to be praised, right? Good girl, good girl, you did well..."
"What are you..." Natalie blushed and protested for a moment because they were under Grace's watchful eyes. But when the sensation of Dan's thick hand brushing through her hair, struck her mind. She narrowed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation while slightly lifting her head.
Staring at Natalie's tender countenance, Dan couldn't help but chuckle in his heart. Every time he ruffled her hair, it would always be accompanied with back rubs and Dan felt like he was domesticating a cat instead of pampering a human.
"Papa, how about Juliet, Juliet has been a good girl, too!" Seeing her mother having a good time under her father's magical hands. Juliet frowned and intervened at the side. Her pouting expression and desperation to get closer made Dan who witnessed her actions all this while, chuckled in response.
"Of course I know that sweetheart, come here," Tapping on his thigh, he said, "How could I forget my little loli?"
Juliet transformed into a joyful ball and leaped towards Dan's thigh, sitting there and laying her head on his chest.
"This is bliss~"
"Fuah..."
Natalie mumbled while Juliet yawned as she felt sleepy. Dan could understand Juliet's exhaustion since she was just a child and nodded his head in understanding. Stopping his series of head pats and back rubs. The two lifted their heads in a frown as Dan explained.
"I can't let the two of you sleep! We're still gonna have fun this afternoon..." Dan declared and glanced at Natalie, "Dear, show me your progress when I was gone..."
Natalie leaked a small smile, "Of course I will, but do you want to see how strong our Juliet has become, first?"
"Juliet?" Dan's expression flickered, "You trained her?"
"Yep," Natalie nodded her head and when Dan asked for the reason. She replied, "Well, you do know that the position of women in this world is lower than men, right? And because of that, women are more vulnerable to abuse and as someone who experienced such things, I don't really want my daughter to experience what I have experienced..."
"At the least, I want her to protect herself..."
Dan's countenance softened and he nodded his head in understanding. Staring at the little girl that looked like she was about to fall to sleep in no time, Dan asked, "Juliet, can you show Papa about how much you learned in your training with Mama?"
"Training?" The little girl raised her head and replied in confusion.
"Yes, Papa wants to know if Juliet is strong enough to protect herself..." Dan leaked a small smile of encouragement and Juliet finally caught a hold of his meaning as she furiously nodded her head, excitement decorating her visage.
"Yes! I can show Papa what I know!" Juliet agreed and the four of them walked towards the Training Grounds of the Fragrant Peak Pavilion.
Above a training podium, Dan and Juliet could be seen standing before each other. Juliet changed into a training attire while Dan didn't bother to change. Darting his gaze at his wife, he asked, "Dear, how far should I suppress my cultivation?"
Natalie turned towards him and said, "You should suppress it to the Middle Stage of Flesh Tempering Realm since that's the best that Juliet can handle. Be careful though, the techniques that Headmaster Mathias trained her in are all gruesome killing techniques..." Her eyes momentarily landed on Dan's crotch before darting away.
Dan clenched his fists when she heard that Mathias taught her daughter some killing kung-fu techniques, 'Damn it how dare that old bag of bones taught my daughter such barbaric techniques! I'll definitely scold him when we see each other...' He wryly smiled and shook his head, dispelling his thoughts.
Popping sounds rumbled in his body as his cultivation shrunk back at the Middle Stages of the Flesh Tempering Realm. But even though he was weakened. He could still easily kill dozens of mortals with a sweep of his kick.
"Mama, should I use everything against Papa?" Juliet turned towards her mother and asked with a wide smile on her face, excited about the prospects of unveiling her newly-gained skills towards her father.
"Yep, don't worry about it, Juliet, I'm sure your Papa can handle pain, just fine..." Natalie's eyes dangerously narrowed as she glanced at the indifferent Dan.
"Dear, if you think that cultivation is everything in a fight, then you're greatly mistaken. This should teach you a lesson about that..." She mumbled under her breath before shaking her head and staring with anticipation towards the fight.
Dan stared at her little daughter and Juliet took a stance. Dan could see something in her stance for a moment but he decided to disregard it.
After all, Juliet was just a young child. Even if she really learned something in the past weeks, she still couldn't possibly defeat someone like him who repeatedly experienced life and death battles.
"I'll just approach her then send a palm strike at her right arm..." Dan made the first move. Opening his palm, he sent it towards Juliet's right arm in a speed that could only be considered as average. Natalie's lips leaked a small smile and Dan's eyes widened in shock when he realized that Juliet suddenly caught his wrist in mid-air using her right hand.
Though his movements were slow, it should still be imperceptible for children. How did Juliet catch my wrist in one fell swoop and with such godly accuracy? Dan screamed in his mind as Juliet turned right at a 180-degree angle, struck his center of gravity and made use of the force to push him forward, sending him crashing towards the ground.
Bam!
Dust flew towards the skies and when it cleared up, Dan still laid there staring at the skies. His mind was still processing everything that happened and apparently. He couldn't believe what just happened.
The four motions that Juliet did that sent him crashing on the ground was done in a vivid and fluid manner as if it wasn't a child that executed such maneuvers. Clicking his tongue, a small smile lifted on his face as he said,
"So you taught Natalie some self-defense techniques? Did you teach her what to do in all sorts of situations?" Dan turned towards Natalie with a wry smile on his face.
"Yes, Senior and I taught her everything that we could, and that is the result..." Natalie stuck her chest out and nodded her head. A smug smile decorated her lips.
"Hmmph, So that's the reason why..." Dan snorted. With the help of an expert like Mathias. It wouldn't be strange if Juliet could defeat cultivators at the Flesh Tempering Realm as a mortal. However, according to Natalie. Not even a month has passed since Juliet learned these techniques.
There should be something that Juliet was vulnerable of and Dan needed to find and correct it.
Standing before Juliet once again, Dan formulated a plan inside his mind.
With the next several seconds, Dan pounced at his daughter, sending a palm strike at her right area once again. Juliet's figure shook and her arms moved to catch his palm in mid-air. But before Juliet could do so, Dan retracted his palm and sent his left hand in an attack at her left side instead.
Though it looked shameless using such a feint towards a child. Dan was there to test Juliet's battle prowess.
Juliet became stunned but soon regained her state of mind as she slapped Dan's away with the back of her right hand before closing in with her right foot and with her elbows bent. Sent a fierce strike at Dan's abdomen.
Guah!
"How fast..."
Dan sharply inhaled, his eyes could only process Juliet's movements but his body was unable to stop it. By the time that it clicked to him. Juliet's elbows have inflicted its damage.
Kneeling on the ground in pain, Dan didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. But he still stood up and despite Juliet's urgings, continued on the challenge.
Guah!
Fail.
Guah!
Fail!
Guah!
Fail.
After the fifth try, Dan finally gave up and sprawled on the ground. Juliet leaked a proud smile on her face while Natalie rubbed salt on his wounds, "Juliet, your Papa is hurting, go and console him!"
Juliet's expression flickered, she became confused as to why her father would be hurt instead of feeling happy and proud. But still, when she saw her father's heartbroken and tragic expression, she moved forward and patted his head as if saying that everything was okay and he was a good boy.
"Fuck me..." Dan cursed himself for being so powerless that he was beaten up by his daughter.
Natalie stood before him but didn't say anything. Dan stared at her for a moment as memories of the recent fight surfaced in his mind. Earlier, no matter how many tricks Dan did towards his daughter such as feints, and sudden strength increase, it never worked and he was still smashed on the ground.
Thinking about it now, Dan finally understood why he lost to his daughter.
It was the difference between techniques.
From the memories of the previous owner of this body. Dan had numerous techniques, but didn't really use it to train, believing that as long as you got the higher cultivation, you will definitely prevail.
But now that his daughter knocked him down a peg. Dan wryly smiled, lifted his head and stared at his wife before saying, "So this is the reason why you wanted me to fight against Juliet? I understand,"
Natalie leaked a small smile on her lips. Her eyes shone in a light of satisfaction.
"I understand everything now so..." Reaching the end of his sentence, Dan suddenly turned red and looked reluctant to continue.
"So?" Natalie lifted an eyebrow.
"So..." Dan looked away from her gaze.
"So? just say it already..." Natalie urged him and Dan took a deep breath before announcing.
"Can you help me train my battle techniques?" Dan hung her head low, ashamed that he was asking someone that should rely upon him, for help.
"Help you train your battle techniques?" Natalie turned her head towards the opposite direction, "I sure could, but I am quite strict, you know? Will you be fine with that?"
"Of course I will be, I can do anything as long as I improve and acquire the strength that I desire..." Dan lifted a smile on his lips and Natalie's figure shook for a moment before she stretched her hand out and said.
"I accept your proposal, but prepare yourself, the training that I acquired from Headmaster Mathias that is tailored for you is harsher than Juliet's."