"You are worse than this mud!"
Ling Feng's words were cold and unyielding. Like a thunderbolt out of the blue, they left Deng Yongshi stunned. She stared at Ling Feng in shock before a surge of anger rose within her.
Raging flames of anger ignited!
"Who do you think you are? How dare you say I'm worse than mud!" Deng Yongshi clenched her fists tightly while gritting her teeth. "Don't think that just because my grandfather invited you you can insult me without consequence!"
"Insult?" Ling Feng scooped up a handful of mud before saying coldly, "This mud, though humble and trampled upon, can still nurture a seed which can sprout and grow into a towering tree.
"This humble mud can give birth to powerful life. And you? All you do is take advantage of your status. You’re just spoiled and willful. What else can you do?"
Ling Feng's eyes locked onto Deng Yongshi's as he said coldly, "Comparing you to mud is an insult to the mud!"
Deng Yongshi shivered at Ling Feng's words which struck her like a wake-up call. She then began to question herself. What can I do? My family has always indulged and cared for me, but what have I ever done for them?
Could it be that I am really worse than mud?
Thinking this, Deng Yongshi cried even harder. "No, I don't want to listen to you. I don't want you to teach me! Wahhh..."
She desperately tried to crawl out of the stinking mud pit.
But Ling Feng mercilessly pushed her back into the mud, saying coldly, "You think I want to teach you? If it wasn't for your grandfather begging me and even kneeling before me, do you think I'd bother?"
Deng Yongshi was stunned again. Grandpa kneeled before Ling Feng?
"Impossible! You're lying! You're lying!"
"Lying? Why would I lie to you?" Ling Feng stared at her coldly. "Who do you think your grandfather did this for? It was all for you!"
"No! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear it!" Deng Yongshi covered her ears while crying. "I haven't done anything wrong. I'm just a bit spoiled, a bit willful. I... I haven't done anything bad! I don't need you to teach me!"
"Naive!" Ling Feng's gaze softened slightly. "You have a good heart and you're innocent. When you like something, you show it. When you dislike something, you show it. You cry when you want to cry, and laugh when you want to laugh. That's your lovable side. Unfortunately, you were born in the general's mansion, and you can't afford to stay this naive.
"Your naivety makes you easily deceived and easily influenced by others. Your innocence might become the reason for your family's downfall."
"You! You're talking nonsense!"
"Nonsense?" Ling Feng said calmly, "There's so much in this world you can't imagine. You think your grandfather is your protector. You think that with him around, you can do whatever you want. You think it's your privilege. But what if one day, you offend someone even your grandfather can't handle? Or when your grandfather passes away, what will you rely on then?"
Deng Yongshi was stunned again. No one had ever told her these things. She always believed that as long as her grandfather was around, there would be no consequences for her actions!
"Think about it carefully! As a member of the Deng family, if you continue your reckless ways under the family's protection, it won't be long before you bring about their downfall!"
After saying this, Ling Feng jumped into the mud himself, allowing the mud to splash on his face and the insects to crawl all over him without flinching.
He even laid back in the mud, letting his body sink and the mud cover his face while still being unmoved.
From beginning to end, his expression didn't change at all!
He had crawled out of heaps of corpses. From the moment his Eye of the Emperor was awakened, he had already died once.
Deng Yongshi watched Ling Feng in bewilderment.
How could he not feel anything in such a foul and disgusting place?
Ling Feng slowly sat up, his gaze fixed on Deng Yongshi as he said solemnly, "When you have a goal in your heart, you can overcome anything! You are too willful and pampered. I want you to stay in the mud not to torture or take revenge on you, but to help you overcome your instincts and learn to endure!
"A qualified martial artist must first learn to overcome themselves before they can overcome others!"
Ling Feng's eyes were locked onto Deng Yongshi's as he spoke each word clearly. "If you don't want your grandfather's hard-earned glory to be ruined by your hands, you better listen to me.
"And if you really are worse than mud, then you should go and tell your grandfather that you don't need me as your teacher, and I'll leave immediately.
"The choice is yours to make!"
Ling Feng's deep, resolute gaze left Deng Yongshi in a daze. These eyes had unknowingly left a deep impression on her mind.
Deng Yongshi bit her lip, "Isn't it just training? I won't back down! If you can do it, I'll do it even better!"
Though Deng Yongshi still sounded defiant, she had begun to accept Ling Feng as her teacher.
He is right; I had only taken from my family, relying on my status to be reckless. What if I were not the general's mansion's young lady?
What if I were nothing at all?
It's impossible for Grandpa to always be by my side. I should think about how to repay the family that has always protected me instead of continuing to be willful.
"For the family! For Grandpa!"
Deng Yongshi's expression began to change. She no longer centered on herself. Her heart now held something she wanted to protect.
Seeing the change in Deng Yongshi, Ling Feng smiled faintly, "It seems I need to change my words. At least now, you're as good as the mud."
"Hmph!" Deng Yongshi gritted her teeth before saying, "I won't let you look down on me!"
"Whether I look down on you or not isn't important. What's important is that those who care about you and love you won't be disappointed." Ling Feng sighed lightly before continuing, "Unfortunately, I no longer have such relatives."
Deng Yongshi's lips moved as if she wanted to say something but stopped several times. Finally, she mustered the courage to look at Ling Feng and said, "Hey, why did you jump down too? Just to show off?"
"I'm not as bored as you think." Ling Feng's eyes met Deng Yongshi's, and he smiled faintly. "As a teacher, I have to lead by example."
Deng Yongshi's face flushed slightly, and she spat softly, "Don't think that just because you scolded me a few times, I'll call you 'teacher!' You... you still have a long way to go!"
"Oh, really?" Ling Feng shrugged indifferently and, with a splash, jumped out of the mud while smiling faintly. "Then I won't stay to accompany you. Enjoy yourself! Stay here for at least another two hours. If you don't want to stay, I won't force you!"
His voice gradually faded away, and in the blink of an eye, Ling Feng disappeared.
Deng Yongshi was almost dumbfounded. What about setting an example? What about leading by example?
However, Deng Yongshi didn't climb out of the mud early. She didn't even struggle anymore and instead imitated Ling Feng's behavior, lying motionless in the stinking mud.
If he can do it, I can do it even better!