Dual Cultivation God Returns-Chapter 986: Father and Son

The four sons stood in front of the door to the City Lord’s study, loud crashing noises and cursing heard from the other side, intermittent with a few minutes of silence, after which they resumed with renewed force.

"I... have to make patrols", the oldest of the brothers finally spoke, remembering that their father gave them the mission of patrolling the City Lord Manor grounds. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Of course, we were out so we should make a more proper check! Youngest, stay here in case Father needs any of us, we will handle the security sweep", the second oldest instantly reacted as well.

Ko Fuan rolled his eyes, not surprised with how things played out. However, what he noticed was that the attitude of his eldest two toward him brothers have definitely changed in the time they haven’t seen each other - the time he had been living separately in his own manor and managing his personal City Guard Troops.

He felt there was a slight difference when they met about an hour ago, when his father summoned him to this very City Lord’s Manor to depart toward the wine pagoda tower together, but since they did not speak much it wasn’t as apparent as it was now, when his brothers left without adding any mocking remarks or provoking him beyond saddling him with the role they themselves didn’t want to perform.

The third oldest brother looked at him encouragingly, but followed the two elders when they told him to hurry, and thus Ko Fuan was left in front of the heavy double doors alone.

After some time, he noticed that the sound of something crashing or breaking were getting sparser and further in between, and the loud cursing ceased almost completely.

As he stood there and looked at the door, something within him suddenly urged him, and he stepped forward, grabbing the handle of one door, cracking it open.

He paused.

’What am I doing?’, was the thought he had while his mind was screaming at him that he was likely making a big mistake, but his body, as if moving out of his control continued to open the door further.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked in.

Bits and pieces of porcelain and clay vases, bottles, and planting pots, plant dirt in messy piles and broadly scattered patterns, broken plants with roots laid bare, jade statuettes and wooden furniture cut with something sharp, writing tools and scrolls, as well as various prized weapons usually kept on the wall rack. All of it messily strewn all over the marble floors.

That was the first thing reflected in Ko Fuan’s eyes as he went in with eyes down.

Strong scent of alcohol hit his nose at the same time.

And as he gradually raised his more and more astonished gaze, he saw his father sitting in a chair with a half-cut backrest, slumped, with a wine bottle loosely held in one hand and his favorite sword in the other, placed tip-down against the floor.

He gulped. He has never seen his father in this state. Always proud and arrogant, sometimes furious or dangerous, perhaps in thought, doubt and suspicion, occasionally in a very good, even happy mood, maybe disappointed in others, but never like this... the Ko Zhumen that Ko Fuan saw almost seemed... defeated, broken.

He also never saw his father indulge in alcohol more than just as a tasty drink to enjoy. The bottle in his hand, as well as recognizable in some of the broken porcelain pieces among those on the floor, were his prized possessions - a strong and very expensive, incredibly rare in these lands, Spiritual Wine that could make even a powerful cultivator like him drunk. He never let his sons touch it on their own, taking it out only on special occasions or very rare evenings he wanted to drink a cup, cherishing every drop.

Ko Fuan could count at least five bottles broken on the floor, some of them even with droplets of wine around them indicating they were thrown away when there was at least a small cup’s worth in them.

It was the first time in a long time, he didn’t see the mighty and powerful City Lord, only his father.

Ko Zhumen raised his dull, unfocused bloodshot eyes, half-closed with heavy eyelids from the spot he was staring at on the floor to first the feet, and then very slowly the face of his youngest son.

"Heh!", he snorted, "What? Came to gloat?"

"I was left to attend if you needed one of us...", Ko Fuan slightly awkwardly replied in a strangely calm voice.

"Ahh~ of course!", Ko Zhumen groaned a sarcasting ’I understand’-esque sentiment, nodding, while letting go of the bottle that fell to the floor with loud noise of emptiness, as he raised his hand to slightly clumsily support his head while placing the elbow, from the second try, on the armrest, "As usual, the worst most unwanted most avoided duty foisted on you..."

His voice was unevenly becoming louder on some words, which gave what he said an unusual clarity of emotion contrasting his usual detachment.

Ko Fuan was able to tell what his father thought about what he was saying for the first time in what felt like forever. And what he saw surprised him, since he always assumed his father never noticed, or rather didn’t care to notice, perhaps just didn’t care even if he did notice, the dynamic between the sons. Now, he seemed almost angry with it.

Just a few seconds ago, he was contemplating attacking his father. After all, the latter was so vulnerable at this moment, and unguarded by anyone else. He clearly was drunk, even with the difference in their cultivation, there had to be a lag of response in that kind of state. Yes, he could expel alcohol quickly using his Dantian, but there was still a split moment where he would be vulnerable. It was a unique and precious opportunity. If not do it himself, perhaps he could contact Zhao Xieren.

If succeeded, there was no need for any long struggles or schemes. Everything could be solved right here and now.

He was eyeing the sword that his father held in reverse grip as if it was a walking stick, moving the handle in circles while balancing the tip in one point as if trying to drill a small hole into the marble floor.

But hearing the naked emotions, and perhaps unwitting sincerity brought out by alcohol, or the moment of weakness, or perhaps both at the same time, he suddenly hesitated. He wanted to hear more.

"And, of course, you took it. You always take everything that you’re saddled with", Ko Zhumen chuckled, taking a deep breath for some reason and beginning to look contemplative as he turned his gaze toward the open doors to the balcony, and the view of the night city beyond. And then, very abruptly turned back to his son, speaking very loudly and faster than before from the very first word, "Do you know why..."

And then continuing more quietly and calmly, "...I’m always so angry with you, Son?"

Ko Fuan shook at suddenly being called "son", as the thoughts about ending this whole struggle with his father here and now returned for a moment, and now, once again receded, giving space to curiosity about the answer to this question and a strange feeling that he wanted to see where this conversation was going, "Not really, no"

"Because you don’t... DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!", Ko Zhumen exploded with loud rage at the end, and then continued with angry frustration in a once again quieter voice with slow speed that gradually grew in both speed and volume, as well as intensity, as he spoke until he was once again shouting at the end, "You let them push, and push, and push, and take it, and take it, and take it, and take it, and take it, again and again, over and over, time after fucking time, and just hold it in, tuck your head into the sand, and compromise, and nod!"

The sword that Ko Zhumen held, went up and then slammed into the floor, cutting deep into the marble as Profound Qi burst from the tip, a web of deep cracks forming throughout the whole room with it as the center.

Ko Fuan was forced to take a few steps back by the Profound Qi, unable to bear the intensity of this outburst as Ko Zhumen heavily breathed with maddened eyes that gradually became calmer again as he slumped back down onto his half-cut chair, "Heh, what a joke"

"I didn’t just ’take it’ without any thought, Father", Ko Fuan felt compelled to answer, once again postponing any action against his father, now thinking the best timing would be when this conversation was over. He also had a lot to say to him, after all, and missing this chance meant never having this talk, "It’s just reckless to make a move when you are not ready. When you are obviously weaker. When you are bound to fail. You have to build strength and means first. The smart thing is to hide your claws until you are ready to stike-..."

"Heh!", his father loudly snorted in derision before he had the chance to finish talking. However, contrary to his seeming disapproval, there was now a smile on his face as he proceeded to cackle and then outright loudly laugh, by all looks of him, very amused and at the same time somehow incredibly bitter, and then muttered in an almost unintelligible volume, "Like father, like son, huh?"

He then raised his eyes toward Ko Fuan, eyes that were now sharper, as if a bit of the alcohol drunkenness wore off, "See? That! That’s why I’m angry with you. You’re too... smart, too cunning, too cautious for your own good... you fail to see that every time you give in, every time you compromise to conserve your strength, you’re chipping away at your own ability to stand back up. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next month, year, decade, century, millenia, maybe one day..."

Ko Fuan was forced into silence as he watched his father, suddenly seeing him from a different light for the first time.

"Heh... but of course you are like that... you’re the son of a City Lord", Ko Zhumen then spoke with a strange, very palpable and dark, viscous disgust, "A measly servant to the court of greater men, destined to bow head and smile, and shout ’Glory to the Empire!"

Shivers went through Ko Fuan as he felt that his father’s unwitting sincerity revealed something a lot darker this time. He couldn’t recognize the look in his eyes, one he saw for the very first time, and there was something within that made Ko Fuan shudder in horror.

"Did you know... that our City is older than the Wei Dynasty itself?", Ko Zhumen suddenly asked in a completely normal voice, as if speaking of some trivial curiosities.

As Ko Fuan shook his head, his father chuckled, "But it is... it’s much older than even the Dynasty that ruled in its place before it, and the one before that, and a lot more. And it was our family that founded this ancient city..."

But as he spoke, Ko Zhumen’s complexion continued to get more and more sober until he stopped speaking while Profound Qi flashed in his eyes.

And then, Ko Fuan saw the City Lord again.

"Go... go and join your brothers on the patrol, or go play with your little city guard troops if you want. You can tell your brothers I sent you away. I want to be alone", City Lord Ko stood up, turning to look at the scenery of the city again, speaking in his usual cold and detached tone, but as Ko Fuan turned to leave, the City Lord half-turned his face, looking at him over his shoulder with a trace of worry in his eyes, ’Did I say too much? No, it won’t matter. All of this won’t matter soon enough’