The next morning, Shu Yang headed out to the fields to work, bringing his children with him. Even with double the land, he still only had Old Lao working for him.
If he weren't a martial artist, he probably wouldn't be able to handle the workload.
"Dad, what can I do to help?" Tianan asked excitedly.
Shu Yang shook his head and put his daughter down from his arms, "You are too young. Go play with your sister."
"I'm old enough to help," Tianan said stubbornly.
"Fine," Shu Yang said with a laugh. He knew the kid would get tired of it soon enough.
"Tianren, bring your brother with you and teach him," Su Yang instructed.
Both Tianren and Tianhu usually helped out a little. They were still young, so Su Yang didn't count on them getting any real work done. It was just a way to get them to stay out of trouble and get familiar with the work of a farmer.
"Tianhu, you look after Tianyue," Shu Yang instructed.
Tianhu nodded seriously.
"Dad, I'm already grown up," Tianyue said with a pout.
Shu Yang laughed out loud. It looked too funny when hearing her say that while she could barely stand without swaying on her small legs.
"Alright, Tianren, Tianhu, take them away. I'll come find you when it's time for lunch."
Watching his children walk away, Tianyue and Tianan jumping around excitedly, Shu Yang smiled happily.
'Even if I didn't have the Bloodline Tree…I don't think this second life of mine would be so bad.'
'No.' Shu Yang shook his head. 'I can't forget my ambition. How can I protect these moments if I don't have the strength? The village looks peaceful, but all it takes is the mind of a powerful man to change, and it all comes crashing down. And I will be helpless to stop it.'
Shu Yang took a deep breath and got to work.
Hours passed, and when he saw that it was time for lunch, he went to pick up his children.
He spotted Shu Tianren explaining things while picking out the grain of the ground to show Tianan and Tianyue. Tianhu stood next to them with his arms crossed, looking around with a vigilant look.
"What are you so on guard for?" Shu Yang asked his son with a smile, "Are you thinking a thief will show up?"
"Dad, you always say that we must stay out of trouble, but we can't expect trouble not to come to us. We have to be strong and smart so we can be safe."
"Well…It's good that you keep this in mind." Shu Yang said, patting his son's shoulder.
He tried his best to educate his children, so they could be aware of their situation. He would love for them to be carefree and happy, but he would rather err on the side of being too cautious than see them suffer harm in the future because he coddled them too much.
"Dad, is trouble coming to us?" Shu Tianan overheard what his brother said and came over with a worried expression.
"Probably not," Shu Yang said, lowering himself while speaking, "But we have to be prepared to deal with it if it ever comes."
"Oh," Shu Tianan said, not quite understanding.
"Dad, is it time for lunch?" Tianren asked.
"Yes, let's go back."
"Dad, why do we work in the fields? Are we poor?" Tianyue asked.
"Why do you think we are poor just because we work in the fields?" Shu Yang asked.
"Tianren said that the rich people have workers, and they don't do any work themselves," Tianyue explained.
"Wait, no- I just…" Tianren tried to explain, looking at Shu Yang nervously.
Shu Yang just smiled and asked, "Did you hear that from Yezi?"
"Mm," Tianren nodded.
Yezi was a kid Tianren's age. Their family owned 30 acres of land nearby, and they were wealthy enough to hire workers and live a pretty affluent life.
"It's true we aren't as rich as Yezi's family," Shu Yang said, "But Yezi's family is far from as wealthy as the Liang family. And the Liang family is poor in comparison to the powerful families in town. Those families, in turn, are nothing compared to Kuo City. And then again, they can't compare to the Prefecture Capital. And the people there all have to bow their heads to the King in the end, and live and die by his words. Even the King himself, probably has people to look up to.
"It goes on and on forever. There will always be someone better, someone stronger. Comparing yourself to someone else is useless. If you do that, you will always be unhappy with what you have. You have to know there are families in the village who have to work until their bodies break, and they still can't afford to feed their children. I count myself lucky that I'm not like them."
"So we should compare ourselves to those less fortunate?" Tianyue asked, "That way, we will always be better!"
Shu Yang smiled as he watched his daughter's proud expression.
"I only compare myself to who I was yesterday," Shu Yang answered.
He didn't explain anything more. It was good for the children to think for themselves too.
After a moment of silence, Shu Yang thought there was another lesson to be taught, so he continued.
"As for why I work in the fields myself instead of hiring workers. It's because this is the source of all our family's wealth. This is where our food comes from, where our lives comes from. We can't hand something so important over to someone else, not until we have the confidence to survive even without the fields.
"My father neglected the fields. And in the end, he lost half the land that our ancestors worked for decades to acquire. It took me ten years of hard work before I could earn that land back…Wealth is hard to gain but very easy to lose.
"That's not just the case with money. Everything in life that is worth something has to be worked for. Strength…Love…These things do not come from nowhere, they come from right here, from years of hard work in the fields."
The kids were silent again. Shu Yang didn't know if they understood everything he wanted said. But he had instilled in them to think things over, so he was happy to see them in silent contemplation.
"What if I find a big treasure?" Shu Tianan asked, "I've heard that there are all kinds of treasures buried. Isn't that wealth from nowhere?"
"Haha," Shu Yang laughed, "Luck certainly exists. You can welcome it, but you can't rely on it. Besides, if you find a treasure, you have to have the strength to keep it. Without putting in the effort to become strong, how could you have the luxury of hoarding treasure?"
"What do you mean? People will steal it?" Shu Tianan asked, "That's not allowed. It's against the law!"
"Do you know what the biggest crime in the world is, Tianan?" Shu Yang asked.
"Err…killing?" Tianan asked.
"Can be a serious crime," Shu Yang said, "It could also be rewarded with gold and honor if you kill the right people. No, the biggest crime isn't written anywhere in any books of law. It is the crime of possessing a treasure you don't have the strength to keep.
"A thief might be condemned by people, hunted by the authorities if he's unlucky. But if you are weak and possess a treasure, the whole world will hunt you down."
The kids were silent for a while once again.
"Are you strong, Dad?" Tianan asked.
"Don't you know I'm a martial warrior? That makes me strong in the village, but beyond that…there are plenty of people who are stronger."
"Who is stronger, you or grandfather?" Shu Tianan asked.
"Of course, it's me," Shu Yang answered.
"But grandpa says…" Tianren cut in.
"Your grandfather is confused," Shu Yang said, "He thinks he is stronger, but how can I prove him wrong? It's not like I can beat him up, right?"
"Isn't grandpa a 2nd-grade warrior?" Tianhu spoke up and asked.
"That isn't the only thing determining one's strength. You will know for yourself in the future when you have mastered the Shu martial art," Shu Yang said.
Shu Yang was indeed stronger than Ren Min, even as a 3rd grade warrior. At least he believed he was just as strong.
When he first deduced the low-grade martial art that would allow him to become a 3rd-grade warrior, Shu Yang didn't have any talent for martial arts. So, of course, the martial art that he deduced, which was most suitable for him, couldn't be too complicated and powerful.
But when he deduced the middle-grade martial art, Tianren had already been born, and his talent fed back to Shu Yang. So this middle-grade martial art was a lot more impressive.
After practicing for a little over a year, he felt that he had become stronger than Ren Ming even as a 3rd-grade warrior.
But even if he was wrong about that, he would still be more powerful than Ren Ming now. Because 2 years ago, Shu Yang advanced to become a 2nd-grade warrior.
He didn't tell anyone about it, though. He didn't want his children to think that their father was strong enough to take care of all their troubles. It would be bad if they grew up fearless by relying on his strength.
He was also a little worried that people would be suspicious and look into his secrets. Shu Yang didn't manage to reach the 3rd grade until he was 17. To then advance to the 2nd grade in just four years didn't make any sense.
Of course, Shu Yang wouldn't hide it forever. When he needed to show his strength, he would. At worst, he could just say he found some precious medicine.
Hopefully, he would have advanced further by that point, though. It would be nice to always have some of his strength hidden.
It was a shame that he didn't have access to any higher-level martial arts, though. To go from a 2nd-grade warrior to 1st-grade, you needed a high-grade martial art. Shu Yang had to deduce it without any reference, and it took him a whole six months. It would probably take him even longer next time when he needed a top-grade martial art.
'Either way, it will probably take at least another 5 years until I can advance again. As for advancing to the Innate stage…that will be tough with my current talent. But it shouldn't be impossible.'
'But then again, my bloodline power increases every day. When the time comes, it shouldn't be an issue to reach the Innate stage even without any special resources.'
'Hopefully, my next child will inherit more of my talent for martial arts than the other kids have.'