Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

The night had deepened.

Returning home, the youth briefly washed up before choosing to rest, curling up on his bed, lying on his side. Within only half an hour, his expression began to show a faint, nearly imperceptible pain as his brows furrowed intensely.

"Don't start with me! Let's talk this out! It's been several months of this, sister, you can't hold a grudge like this."

"I won't ever marry an eighteen-year-old again, really!"

"I just like the older... no, I mean, I like mature and knowledgeable women, isn't it enough that I want to marry you... Don't force me to fight back, don't... ah!"

The sword flashed without a shadow, its cold light fierce.

Accompanying the screams, the longsword in his hand snapped, tiny plum blossoms thoroughly staining his body red, his fingers stretched taut; the invisible sword energy scorched his eyes, yet his thrust was still unhesitating.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he could fall asleep in the quickest time, and then he would enter the private torture time of a certain petty immortal.

His body fell powerless, limp as mud; but what was puzzling was the absence of fear in his eyes, replaced instead by a hint of pride and incredulity.

If it were someone else, they might think Jiang Feng had finally gone mad from prolonged torture, but only he himself knew what this pride was for.

Three months, and he had finally caught a sword.

His eyes slowly opened, and what met his gaze was the familiar ceiling.

He had just closed his eyes, but when he awoke, it was already slightly bright outside. His body ached, covered in sweat; it felt like he had undergone some extremely strenuous physical exertion, yet upon waking, his strength would slowly return, leaving him energized for the whole day—truly an enigmatic phenomenon.

"Did I actually fight back?"

He looked down at his slightly trembling hands, even spasming a little, a pain that ordinary people would find unbearable, but Jiang Feng's face was filled with excitement; he had finally done it.

Slash, wipe, lift, stab, fish, chop, hack, poke... from the initial unfamiliarity to now fluid expertise, from initial confusion to present concentration, using his body as a medium, it took him more than three months to finally imprint all of Liu Tangxi's swordsmanship moves into his mind.

"Tsk, even killing me for three months won't change the fact that I want to marry an eighteen-year-old."

This was his obsession.

Even if Liu Tangxi stood here with a knife to his throat and asked him again, he would still give the same reply, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly as if in a smile, appearing as though he was thankful for Liu Tangxi's good intentions.

Even though he had never touched martial arts, let alone the Immortal Path, his intelligence was not a problem.

Bai Hui, Shen Ting, Ear Gate, Qing Ming, Ren Zhong, Ya Men, Feng Chi, Ren Ying, Dan Zhong, Jiu Wei, Juque, Qi Sea...

He could claim personal experience with all thirty-six deadly acupoints of the human body, including how to hit them precisely, and the subsequent physical responses; he remembered it all too clearly.

However, at that time, he still couldn't understand the other's intent—clearly, there were better ways to teach him, so why insist on using such bloody and brutal methods? Although the body would not die, the pain in the dreams was no falsehood.

Until today, he finally understood.

How can you teach a child to discern right from wrong in the fastest and most effective way?

The answer is... pain education.

Admittedly, this is not the best way and has been criticized by countless people.

Even accused of domestic violence, reviled by many, such atrocious behavior has not been phased out by time; instead, it has been passed down for thousands of years, which speaks volumes.

Because it is the simplest and most effective method.

Especially when children are too young, not to mention reason with them, they can't even understand words, only at a babbling level. In such cases, the majority would give up patient guidance, opting for the simplest method.

Give them a beating and then talk.

If you don't learn your lesson, I'll beat you until you do.

The child doesn't understand what he did wrong or why he must be punished, but all he needs to know is that if he continues, he will feel pain that is unbearable, and so instinct will teach his body to remember and form a conditioned reflex, which is enough.

It may sound like a temporary solution rather than addressing the root cause, but at least it works as a temporary fix, and when the child grows a bit older, when his mindset matures and he has his own ability to think, addressing the root issue will also be feasible.

And now, Jiang Feng is like that child who doesn't pay attention in class every day.

Liu Tangxi is like that mother holding a ruler, a stern look on her face, as she beats her child over and over until the child memorizes the entire textbook by heart.

The content of the textbook doesn't matter.

Whether you understand the meaning of this article, or the implications of various poems and verses, doesn't matter.

With Jiang Feng's current level and understanding, explaining too much to him would just be a waste of time and energy, he simply cannot digest all that.

But, you must memorize that textbook for your mother.

Because the test must be taken; first memorize mechanically and get past the test, and the theory can wait until you're older, when your mother is on holiday and has time, then I'll explain it to you slowly.

Swordsmanship is like the textbook, dying over and over is like rote memorization, and the environment he is currently in, is like...

An exam.

"Jiang Lang, your hysteria seems to be getting worse."

Her expression filled with worry, she gently wipes her fiancé's forehead with a towel.

He always used to wake up soaked in sweat and showing pain on his face, and that had already made her extremely anxious; now, it had become worse.

He was in pain in his dream just moments ago, and then when he woke up... he actually smiled?

And he seemed really happy?

She was considering whether to have Yan Mansion's guards hold Jiang Feng down to keep him from struggling, and then forcibly take him bound to State City to see a physician.

"What hysteria, I just dreamt of some... well, happy things."

"But if your hysteria isn't cured, what if it suddenly occurs when we get married..."

She said timidly, but her words made Jiang Feng pause, his previously excited expression immediately subdued, beginning to think calmly.

Last night, Master Xue's young master and the coachman mentioned Uncle Yan going to State City, and Yu Rou had mentioned it too.

So the experts from home would naturally accompany Uncle Yan there, and those remaining would naturally be responsible for protecting the Yan Family and Yu Rou. Although Uncle Yan took good care of him, in the end, he was not one of their family.

While Uncle Yan is in the county, no one would dare to make a move against him, but it's different once they leave Qingshui County.

Even if they committed a crime in the city, so what? What if they were discovered?

Having neither background nor power, they could simply produce a scapegoat, and the Yan Family would not likely tear their relationship with the other party completely over a "prospective son-in-law."

The underlying reason is still that he is too insignificant to attract attention; even if the Yan Family is willing to marry their daughter to him, it's because of the marriage arranged by the previous generation.

The Yan Family is just adhering to the old master's last wish, after all. If he really were to die at the hands of others, aside from Yu Rou, would anyone grieve for him?

He doesn't know.

But he does know one thing.

"The night is long, and filled with dreams."