~~~

The Eastern Port City Tournament arrives in an almost unreasonably short amount of time. At least, that is how it feels like to Liu Jin.

The young child takes a deep breath to calm down while he looks at himself in the mirror.

His height is average for his age, which means those who are closest to him are all taller than him. Liu Jin’s face is slowly starting to change into that of a teen, and his skin has become somewhat pale since he passed Nine-Headed Snake God’s trial. Even though he often has to walk under the sun to deliver medicine, he shows no signs of tanning. It makes his red eyes stand out more.

The Inner Disciple robes fit him well, almost as if they had been made with his exact measurements in mind. It may very well be that is the case. Compared to his Outer Disciple robes, these ones feel to be even more high quality and resistant to damage.

Today, he’ll find out just how durable they are.

Liu Jin passes by Old Jiang’s door on his way to the stairs. A frown appears on his face as he does. Naturally, Master is not going to the tournament. Someone like him has no interest in such a small spectacle. That is what he said. Indeed, Liu Jin never imagined he would say anything else.

However, his Master is sleeping in today.

He didn’t use to do that before. Old Jiang always had a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy, a benefit of what were likely centuries of cultivation.

Now though…

Liu Jin swallows and keeps walking. It is as Father said. If he just tortures himself thinking about it, he’d be wasting his time. Master wouldn’t approve of that. Right now, the only thing he can do is focus on the tournament. It might not be worth speaking about compared to Master’s impending fate, yet at least it is something he can do something about.

His father waits for him down the stairs. Curiously, there are no patients.

“The clothes fit you well,” his father says with an approving smile.

Liu Jin shuffles awkwardly at the praise. He is grateful for the scarf that hides his embarrassed expression. It is the scarf he acquired from the bandits in New Moon Town. Even though it clashes with his high-quality clothes, Liu Jin has grown fond of it.

Besides, his new robes don’t have enough red for his tastes.

“Give me a moment. I need to take care of a few things. We’ll leave together after that.”

Liu Jin blinks.

“You will be going with me to the tournament, Father?”

“You are participating, are you not?” His father raises an eyebrow. “Did you think I wouldn’t want to watch my son compete? The clinic can close for a day or two.”

“I… that’s…”

The truth is that it hadn’t once occurred to Liu Jin that his father would want to watch him. While his father was the one who arranged for him to be accepted into the Xiao Sect, matters of martial prowess are not something he has ever shown interest in. Many Eastern Port City Tournaments have gone by without his father paying them the slightest attention.

That is why Liu Jin never once thought his father would close the clinic to go see him. It is only upon hearing his father’s words that Liu Jin realizes how much he wants his father to be there.

“But Father, what about…?”

Liu Jin’s gaze darts towards the stairs. His meaning is obvious, even if he doesn’t say it.

Will Master be okay if they both leave?

“Master’s condition is stable,” Liu Jianguo says. “It is not going to get better, but it will also not grow worse. Trust me when I say Master would have known weeks in advance if something serious were about to happen today.”

“I see... In that case, it would be an honor if Father were to watch my matches.”

His father smiles.

“I would not dream of missing them.”

~~~

The Eastern Port City Tournament is always held in the commercial district. In the months leading up to it, renovations and expansions are made to the arena as needed. Already many people are standing in line, waiting to be allowed in.

“There are so many people,” Liu Jin says as he looks around. The streets are completely full, making it hard to walk without bumping into someone.

It is the first time Liu Jin has seen the commercial district so busy. Although he has lived in Eastern Port City all his life, he has never once watched the Eastern Port City Tournament. His father never showed any interest in it, so Liu Jin never paid it much attention either, choosing to focus on his medical duties instead.

“It is only to be expected.” His father moves through the crowd with far more ease than Liu Jin, likely a sign of greater experience. “Tournaments tend to be popular among the people. Even though it is certain that the Xiao and Yun Sects will claim the top spots, that doesn’t stop people from wanting to see the matches. The disciples of the strongest Sect and Clans of the city will test their might against each other. That is not something the average person can see every day. This encourages people to come in droves, which, in turn, stimulates financial activity as people eat, drink, and gamble.”

Liu Jin lets out a small hum.

“I never thought of it like that.”

“That is only to be expected. You have never taken much interest in such things, which is largely my fault. This will be your first tournament in more ways than one, whereas I have seen many and participated in many as well.”

Liu Jin almost trips.

His head slowly turns towards his father, who keeps walking as though he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. Liu Jin waits for a sign. The paling of his skin. The widening of his eyes. Anything that could indicate that his father hadn’t meant to share that information.

It never comes.

It means that, just now, his father did mean to share his past with him.

Liu Jin swallows, his nails digging into his palms as he walks beside his father. There are dozens of questions he wants to ask, and it takes every ounce of control he has to stop himself from blurting them out all at once. He is afraid of what will happen once he speaks.

Perhaps then, his father will remember his past is not something he has ever talked about.

Yet, if Liu Jin remains silent, he will not learn anything new.

“Father participated in tournaments before?”

Liu Jin tries to make his voice sound as casual as possible. His throat feels unusually tight. His words sound awkward and stilted to his ears, enough to make him cringe. However, his father does not seem to notice.

“Many times.” His father hums as he thinks back. “I believe I was sixteen the first time I participated in a tournament. I was quite brash back then.”

He is doing it.

Liu Jin can’t believe it. His father is talking about his past.

Liu Jin does not know what combination of events has caused this to happen. Right now, he can only thank the Heavens for granting him such a gift!

“What happened?”

“I won.” His father says it as if the matter is not worth mentioning. “Much like this one, it was a relatively small tournament. At the time, it seemed like a safe way to test my strength.”

Although the things he is speaking about would doubtlessly make some people’s eyebrows rise if they happened to overhear them, his father does not bother lowering his voice. In a crowd like this one, he has no reason to. Everyone is talking. Everyone is laughing. Everyone is arguing. His father’s words barely make it a foot away from him before they are drowned by the noise all around them.

However, that’s not the case for Liu Jin. For him, it is as if the crowd does not exist. Only the words that come from his father’s lips exist. The noise of the crowd is nothing compared to them.

“Were there other tournaments after that?”

“Many,” his father admits. “To be honest, I have long lost count of how many tournaments I took part in. At first, I merely wanted to hone my strength. There is no real substitute for actual combat experience, and tournaments are a good way of finding suitable opponents.”

It is weird to hear his father talking about such subjects. His father has never really concerned himself with matters related to fighting. Instead, he has always put his focus on being a doctor. It is odd to know there was a time when such a thing wasn’t true.

“However, I soon learned there were other benefits to tournaments.”

“Such as?”

“The prizes, for one. Participating in tournaments can be a good way of acquiring money and other resources. Besides, strong people gather in tournaments, which also makes them a good place to scout potential allies.”

Ah, Master talked about this, didn’t he?

His father is someone who used to have people working under him. Is that what he did in the past then? Go from tournament to tournament to seek those who would ally with him?

Liu Jin wants to ask, yet he does not dare interrupt his father.

“Winning in sufficiently large tournaments also makes it easier to become notorious. Fame is a necessity for certain things. Unfortunately, fame also breeds envy. It is all too easy for grudges to form as a result of a match. Make sure to watch out for that, son. Your name is already known throughout the city, but after today, people will know your face as well. Make sure you do not start needless feuds.”

Liu Jin nods as he absorbs his father’s advice.

While it is true most of Eastern Port City knows his name by now, they know him as the son of a crippled doctor or, more recently, as Xiao Shuang’s husband. After today, people from all over the city will have the chance to see his face and see his performance in combat.

Liu Jin does not really care for being known as someone strong. If at all possible, Liu Jin would rather just be known as a good doctor. However, he has no intention of giving a lousy performance. He already knows it is impossible for him to win the tournament. Even discounting Xiao Nan’s request, his level is not good enough for something like that.

However, at that moment, Liu Jin resolves himself to not only pass the group stage but also to at least win his first two matches.

“I will do my best, Father. I—”

“Boss!” Liu Jin cringes with his whole body as Su An’s voice cuts him off. The girl waves from a few yards away, already making her way through the crowd.

“Doctor Liu! It is good to see you!” Su An is almost jumping in place by the time she reaches them, doubtlessly happy at being chosen for the tournament. Liu Jin personally does not understand why she is so surprised.

She’s an Inner Disciple in the Nascent Realm.

“It is good to see you are doing well. I assume you were waiting for my son to take him where the rest of the delegation is?”

Su An nods.

“Participants are to enter through another gate. We also need to meet up with the other members first.”

Liu Jin almost wants to cry! He can’t blame Su An for this, but he almost doesn’t want to go. Who knows if his father will still be in a talking mood by the time the tournament is over? This has been the most he has said about his past in years!

There is no telling when another chance like this will appear again!

“In that case, do not let me stop you. Take care, my son. Do enjoy yourselves.”

“I’ll make sure he will, Doctor Liu! Boss will dominate the competition!”

Even as she speaks, Su An is already dragging him away. Liu Jin sighs, mourning the missed opportunity.

“Are you okay, Boss?” Su An asks, finally noticing his mood.

“Yes,” Liu Jin says after a while. “I am.”

Liu Jin takes a few seconds to mourn before shaking his head and clearing his thoughts.

“Where are we supposed to meet the others?”

He asks the question to Su An, but it is not her who answers.

“Finally! I have been waiting for hours!"

Ah, so it is here.

Making sure to keep his expression as stoic as possible, Liu Jin meets the eyes of Big Nose Li. The Inner Disciple has grown in height, cultivation level, and nose size.

“Hours? I was under the impression it was still quite early.”

Big Nose Li crosses his arms and draws himself to his full height, big nose pointed to the skies.

“The Young Master says the Xiao Sect must set the standard for others to follow!”

Big Nose Li says that, but Liu Jin is certain Xiao Fang has definitely not been waiting for hours. Most likely, he had Big Nose Li doing it for him.

“Follow me, Young Master Xiao Fang is waiting.”

As soon as Li shows them his back, Su An starts making faces at it even as she follows him. Liu Jin fights the urge to chuckle. Amusing as that is, this is not the time to antagonize Big Nose Li.

They have a tournament to win.

~~~