Chapter 15: Father and Daughter Discuss

Chapter 15: Father and Daughter Talk It Through

Fortunately, his daughter was quite talkative.

Jiang Wan put down the book in her hand and stood up, giving her father a slightly awkward bow. Neither of them cared much whether the gesture was perfectly executed—after all, they had just arrived in the city, so there was no need to be overly critical.

"What's up, Eldest Daughter? What do you want?"

The short time they had spent together was enough for Jiang Huailiang to understand his daughter's nature. She wasn't the type to be a rigid stickler for rules—hadn't she already managed to wrap her grandparents around her finger? Now that she was suddenly being so polite, there must be something she was after.

"Dad, come sit. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

As his daughter smiled, the old man's heart skipped a beat.

"Let's be clear first—what the Zhu family did has absolutely nothing to do with your father! Your mother knows I'm innocent!"

Having just been chastised by his wife in the main courtyard, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy facing this sharp yet unpredictable eldest daughter of his.

Jiang Wan smiled and blinked.

"As a child, I don't get involved in you adults' business. As long as you don’t bully Mother, you’re a good father to the three of us. I have something else I’d like to discuss with you."

Only then did Jiang Huailiang breathe easier.

As a farm boy who became a military general, fighting his way through countless battles, he didn't subscribe to the notion that daughters needed to keep their distance from their fathers. So he walked openly over and sat down opposite his daughter, his thick beard twitching with eagerness.

"Daughter, what’s on your mind? Spit it out—don’t hold back. I’m not boasting, but with a capable man like me, is there anything in this Maocheng that I can’t handle? Go on, speak!"

Her old father’s eagerness to show off and please his daughter was immediately evident to Jiang Wan. Every time she heard her father proudly refer to himself as a "capable man," she couldn't help but doubt the image of a shrewd father that her mother had instilled in her memory.

"Dad, I want to learn martial arts from you. From now on, could you make some time to teach me, Second Brother, and Third Brother?"

Jiang Huailiang paused, looking at his daughter’s hopeful expression. His thick beard twitched several times before he lowered his voice to dissuade her.

"You’re just a young girl—wouldn’t it be better to learn household management from your mother? Later, I’ll definitely find you a truly good husband, and you can live a comfortable life—isn’t that the proper way? What’s there to learn from me? All I know is fighting and killing…"

Without him finishing, Jiang Wan could tell that her father wasn’t too keen on teaching her, his daughter, martial arts. She frowned and asked softly, "Does your secret skill also have that rule of passing it down only to sons, not daughters?"

"What secret skill? Since when does our family have such a rule?"

Jiang Huailiang looked utterly confused. Once he realized what his eldest daughter meant, he immediately denied it.

"What nonsense are you spouting? I’m not the kind of person who favors boys over girls! To be honest, you and Second Brother definitely have more potential than Third Brother. I’m neither blind nor stupid—why would I set such a ridiculous rule?"

"Then why don’t you want to teach me? Even though I’m a girl, I’m very strong—you know that."

Her voice dropped even lower.

"The world is unstable now. If the Prince of Huai really manages to advance further in the future, our family might not remain safe. It can’t hurt for me, Second Brother, and Third Brother to learn some ways to protect ourselves!"

This was Jiang Wan’s honest opinion. Ever since she became sensible in her previous life, she had understood one thing clearly:

In this world, you truly can’t rely on anyone else—the only one you can really depend on is yourself! If you want a secure life, you have to be able to stand on your own two feet.

In this ancient era where cold weapons reigned, she was incredibly lucky to be born with great strength. If she didn’t learn some martial arts to protect herself, wouldn’t that be a waste of her high-end configuration as the chosen one of this world?

So she raised an eyebrow and mustered her persuasive skills to continue working on her old father.

"Dad, our family are military commanders—who knows if we’ll be able to live peacefully under the watchful eyes of others? After all, history books are full of examples where great generals weren't allowed to enjoy peace."

Her words hit home. Jiang Huailiang’s eyes flickered, and he had to admit his eldest daughter had a point.

But still...

He really didn’t want to teach!

The man began making up excuses.

"Eldest Daughter, your mother said she wants to teach you and Second Brother household management. If you really follow me around making a fuss, I won’t be able to explain it to your mother!"

"I’ll go talk to Mother myself. Don’t worry, Dad—we’re biological father and daughter. I definitely won’t get you into trouble!"

"Actually, I don’t have much time either..."

"Just teach us a few moves when you have time. Anyway, none of us three have any foundation in martial arts. We can worry about the rest after we’ve mastered the basics!"

To make her old father commit, Jiang Wan even made a solemn vow on behalf of herself, Second Brother, and Third Brother.

"Dad, I promise you—if you’re willing to teach, we’ll study hard! Later, when we go out, we’ll make sure people say 'like father, like children,' and never tarnish your mighty reputation!"

The child practically pounded her chest with enthusiasm, and the father couldn’t keep refusing outright. He could only stammer and mumble vaguely.

"...Well, then... give me a few days to think about it..."

No matter how she pleaded, he refused to give a definite answer. Jiang Wan’s latent mental issues began to flare up steadily.

"If you won’t teach me, fine, but without some skills to protect myself, I won’t feel secure living.

"Either you find a way to take down the eldest and rise to power yourself—then I can probably feel stable as the eldest princess. Or I’ll just end it now, so I won’t have to worry about being cut to bits or torn apart if I have the bad luck to be captured later.

"I refuse to die suffering such a messy death!"

"What nonsense are you spouting, child?"

Jiang Huailiang shot her a fierce look, quickly turning to look around outside. Only after confirming it was just the two of them did he relax and turn back.

"If you really want to learn, I’ll teach you. Why spout such nonsense? You have to change that habit, understand?"

The dad giving in made his daughter nod happily.

"I know, I know. Have you ever heard me say anything inappropriate outside? Do you think I’m as stupid as Jiang Laosan?"

Rarely did he see such a childlike, mischievous expression on this kid’s face. The old father smiled with relief.

"Right, my Eldest Daughter is clever!"

"Dad, there’s no time like the present. Second Brother, Third Brother, and I all have plenty of free time lately. If you’re available too, why not start teaching us now?"

"Deal!"

Since he had already agreed, Old Jiang wasn’t one to go back on his word.

"Go explain things clearly to your mother—just don’t get me in trouble. Anyway, I don’t have much serious business to attend to during this time. As long as you get her approval, I can start teaching you right away!"

"Great! Dad, wait for me!"

"Calm as a virgin, wild as a madman" had always been Jiang Wan’s trademark. When it came to things she wanted to do, her mental state could seamlessly shift from capybara calm to berserker rage.

Who knows how she managed to pester Xu Shi with Second and Third Brother in tow, but early the next morning, all the men of the Jiang family gathered in an empty courtyard dressed in training clothes, squatting in a row.