Quickly, Li Wuya brought Li Qilang to Ye Mo's residence.
Seeing the rising white smoke from the roof, Li Wuya breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that Ye Mo had endured the seven days in the ground trap!
As soon as the siblings stood in front of the wooden fence, Ye Mo's voice came from inside the house.
"Come in!"
Observing the closed door, Li Wuya raised an eyebrow. Ye Mo had sharp senses; he could tell they were there even without opening the door.
"Uncle Ye!"
Li Wuya, with a smiling face, led Li Qilang into the house.
Ye Mo's dwelling appeared simple from the outside, and it was even simpler inside. Besides a heated brick bed and a stove, there was nothing else.
At the moment, Ye Mo was squatting behind the stove, tending to the fire, paying no attention to Li Wuya and Li Qilang entering.
Seeing Ye Mo ignoring them and not even acknowledging their greetings, Li Wuya decided to get straight to the point, "Uncle Ye, my father seems to be acting strangely this time he returned. Has something happened to him at the outpost?"
At her words, Ye Mo turned his head to look at Li Wuya, "After the New Year, your father will be dispatched to the forefront at Die Ling Pass."
Li Wuya's expression changed, and she urgently asked, "Why? Did my father offend someone?"
Ye Mo raised an eyebrow, "Why are you asking like this?"
Li Wuya replied, "My father is in the minor flag division at the outpost. Why would he be sent to the forefront at Die Ling Pass?"
Li Qilang, looking bewildered, asked, "Sister, what's the forefront?"
Li Wuya explained, "The forefront is where the soldiers of the two armies engage in combat."
Ye Mo looked at Li Wuya with raised eyebrows, surprised that she knew this.
The forefront battlefield was often referred to as the "meat grinder."
Every time a battle began, the forefront division suffered the most casualties.
It could be said that out of ten soldiers in the forefront division, nine wouldn't return.
If he were ordered to the forefront, it meant someone wanted him dead. But if Li Changsen were ordered there, he truly had fallen into misfortune.
"Your father has shown great improvement in martial skills these past few months. While practising, he caught the attention of the commanding officer from the capital, who specifically requested him to be sent to the forefront division."
Li Wuya hadn't expected this reason at all. She didn't know whether to feel regretful or distressed.
She had enhanced her family's physique to ensure they could better protect themselves and lead better lives. But now, her father was in a more dangerous position because of it.
"Uncle Ye, could you teach us internal martial arts? We genuinely want to be your disciples."
Ye Mo was truly astonished this time. He hadn't expected that, in such circumstances, Li Wuya would still be thinking about learning martial arts from him.
"Aren't you worried about your father?"
He was surprised that Li Wuya, who understood the concept of the forefront, seemed so composed. Did she lack concern or was she unaware of the gravity of death?
Li Wuya's expression turned serious, "Of course, I'm worried about my father. But I also understand that pointless worries are useless. The only thing I can do now is make myself stronger."
Ye Mo had started to regard this young girl in front of him more highly.
Before, he had thought of her as shameless and cunning, but now he saw a hint of intelligence and quick-wittedness.
When many people faced sudden emergencies, especially life-threatening ones, they either panicked or worried without reason, making an already dire situation worse.
Clearly, Li Changsen being dispatched to the forefront division at Die Ling Pass wasn't something the Li family could control. At this moment, it was better to think about their future lives.
If Li Changsen survived, it would be best. But if he died, life for this family would become even more difficult.
One should know that the Li family had experienced instances of favouritism from the parents, even in other people's matters that he didn't concern himself with, he had heard about it.
As long as Li Changsen was alive, the elderly couple of the Li family wouldn't go too far. But if Li Changsen were gone, for this family to continue living well, they needed some capability.
The fact that this young girl could quickly calm down and make decisions that were most beneficial to herself showed a commendable character.
Thinking of the person who wanted to put him in a deadly situation, who was becoming more ruthless and less restrained with each attempt, Ye Mo had no confidence that he could overcome it next time.
Now that he had been sent to the forefront division, they didn't need to intervene anymore. With him, a crippled man, entering the meat grinder, the chances of him returning alive were very low.
Ye Mo glanced at Li Wuya, who was looking at him earnestly. After a brief silence, he reached into a shabby porcelain jar beside the stove and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
This young girl had persistently pestered him for over two years, showing a level of determination that was commendable. Moreover, during the time he was trapped in the pit, the five Blood Ginseng leaves she had given him saved his life. This debt of gratitude had to be repaid.
He also didn't want to let the internal martial art of the Ye family die out in his hands. Well, he might as well pass it on to this young girl. How they practised it would be up to them.
"This is a set of internal martial arts techniques. Take it."
Li Wuya's eyes brightened. Instead of immediately taking the crumpled paper, she knelt down and bowed, "Master, please accept your disciple's bow!"
For techniques like these, without a master's guidance, it would be hard to even get started.
First, to acknowledge the master, and after acknowledging, if she had any questions she didn't understand, would the master who had taken her as his disciple still not guide her?
Following her lead, Li Qilang also knelt down and bowed, acknowledging the master.
Ye Mo looked at Li Wuya and Li Qilang on the ground, his expression somewhat complicated. "I have enemies, if you don't want to be silenced, it's best not to let anyone know that you have any connection with me."
Li Wuya replied promptly, "Master, rest assured, in the future, we will keep our distance from you in public."
She acted like an obedient and compliant disciple, which amused Ye Mo. It seemed this girl was just seeking benefits and avoiding trouble. There was clearly no intention of being a disciple who laboured for the master.
Even if he held no other expectations, at this moment, Ye Mo still felt complicated. He couldn't help but snort and directly threw the crumpled paper to Li Wuya.
Li Wuya reached out and steadily caught the paper, then swiftly unfolded it.
Seeing the words written in charcoal on the paper, Li Wuya's lips twitched uncontrollably.
It was hard to imagine that the martial arts manual she had envisioned would be written so hastily on a piece of scrap paper, and it was recorded using charred wood coal.
How could this be so disregarded!
The handwriting appeared freshly written, and Li Wuya glanced at Ye Mo. She figured that he had guessed she would come looking for him as soon as he returned, so he wrote this so-called internal martial art technique in advance.
"Do you know how to read?"
"Yes, we've learned from the village scholar, Fan Xiucai."
Ye Mo raised his eyebrows in surprise again, but also found himself more approving. Knowing how to take the initiative to learn showed ambition.
Even though he hadn't planned to formally take her as a disciple, he didn't want the internal martial art of the Ye family to be wasted either.
"Do you recognize the words on the paper?"
Li Wuya didn't answer immediately. Instead, she read through the entire piece of paper from start to finish, then glanced at Ye Mo, "Master, I recognize the words, but I don't fully understand the content."
Ye Mo nodded, "You don't need to understand it for now. Just memorize the technique. You can't take this paper out of the room, and after you leave, you shouldn't copy this internal martial art."
"I understand, Master. However, can my brother, sister, and father also practice this internal martial art?"
Ye Mo looked at Li Wuya, "Do you think anyone can practice internal martial arts?"
"I don't know about others, but my family can," she paused, "All of us in our family have extraordinary aptitude, and each of us is a martial genius."
Ye Mo listened speechlessly, "You, this girl, not only have a thick skin but are also quite good at bragging."
"Tell your brother and sister orally, but your father can't. He's already past the age for practising internal martial arts. It's time-consuming and exhausting for him, and there won't be much gain."
"Remember, you must not leave any hint about these techniques outside. Internal martial arts are not to be shared with outsiders. You are already an exception!"
Li Wuya heard a hint of disdain in Ye Mo's words, knowing he didn't think highly of them siblings. But what did it matter?
"By the way, Master, do you have any other disciples?"
Ye Mo was puzzled by the question, "Why are you asking this?"
Li Wuya smiled, "If you don't have other disciples, then I'll be your first disciple, and I'll be the big senior sister."
Li Qilang, finally getting a chance to speak, added, "Then I'll be the second senior brother."
Looking at the two earnest children in front of him, Ye Mo suddenly felt a bit amused and helpless.
Li Wuya continued, "Once I teach my brother and sister the technique, Master, you'll have four disciples."
Ye Mo chuckled. Speaking candidly, he didn't have high hopes for these four siblings. He was passing on the technique mainly out of gratitude for saving his life and also to ensure the survival of the Ye family's techniques.