In the Years When I Was a Father-Chapter 169: The Ruthless Marshal Father (12)

The little tiger’s beast form was growing slowly. Even after two years, when Qi Sheng picked him up, he found that the weight and size hadn’t increased much.
One benefit of father and son cultivating together was that Qi Sheng could occasionally absorb a bit of the energy his son’s body gathered. The little tiger’s body was like a natural vortex that absorbed energy. Just lying there quietly, doing nothing and thinking of nothing, he could automatically draw in the invisible and intangible energy particles from the surroundings.
Qi Sheng scratched the soft fur on the little tiger’s chest, smoothed his fur as the little tiger lay on his legs, and casually rubbed his belly with a relaxed rhythm. Then he asked, “Xiaoye, do you want to go to school? After all, no one would dare look down on you anymore.”
Qi Junye immediately refused without even thinking. “No.”
“Going to school would let you make some new friends, meet more people. You really don’t want to?”
“Nope. I can still meet them later in college. There’s no rush.”
Qi Sheng laughed, “If you go now, you might even meet a cute little girl early. Childhood sweethearts and all that. Are you sure you’re not interested?”
Qi Junye was speechless. He didn’t expect his father to have so many thoughts. “Father, my main goal right now is cultivation!”
“Alright, then we won’t go. But if your younger siblings see that you’re not going, they’ll definitely start thinking about skipping school again.”
Qi Sheng wasn’t wrong. At that moment, in the classroom of Grade 1 Class 1, the little buns who had only transformed into human form a year ago were still a bit curious about the similarly sized children around them. Among them, the most eye-catching were Qi Junyan and Qi Junhe.
In her little white fox form, Qi Junhe had already been an exceptionally beautiful little fluffball. After her transformation into a child, her facial advantages became even more striking. It hadn’t been long since the school term started, yet her looks had already attracted many classmates who all wanted to be near her and play.
As for the little white tiger, his appearance was a blend of both parents’ genes. Slightly chubby with big watery eyes and soft pinkish-white baby skin, he was the kind of child that made people want to come up and give him a nibble.
Of course, beyond their looks, what truly drew other children in was their strength. There were several classmates in Class 1 who had been with them since the cub nursery and had been on the receiving end of the little white tiger’s “training.” These veterans unanimously warned the others: don’t judge by appearances, don’t be fooled by their cuteness!
Unfortunately, the experiences of those who’d been there didn’t deter the new kids. All they saw were two adorable and cool classmates they wanted to hold hands with and train together.
At that moment, the two cubs who had become the center of the class sat lazily, listlessly watching the other children their size.
“Yanyan, I want to go home… I want to return to beast form and cultivate beside big brother.”
“Mm, me too…”
Even though they had successfully transformed into human form a year ago, due to their home environment and training habits, they still preferred to cultivate in beast form. Unfortunately, they had transformed too early and now were forced to go to school with the rest of the kids.
Thinking about how their big brother was probably lying on a soft cushion at home or snuggled up in their father’s arms cultivating made the two little ones’ eyes turn red with envy.
“Yanyan, let’s go home now. Let’s go home and cultivate with big brother!”
Qi Junyan also really wanted to go back, but thinking of their two parents at home, he hesitated. “But if Father and Mother find out, they’ll definitely send us back here.”
“It’s not fair! Why does big brother not have to go to school, and we have to come so young? I refuse! I protest!”
“Well, it’s because we transformed too early. Sigh, I told you to keep it a secret, but you had to run off and show off to Mom. Regret it now, don’t you?”
“How was I supposed to know that transforming would lead to this?!”
The two little white dumplings huddled together, muttering and complaining, while the kids nearby, hoping to join in and play, eagerly tried to squeeze their way over.
“Junhe, Junhe, can we sit together during writing class later? And during the crafts period, can we do the tasks together too?”
The little white tiger, Qi Junhe, just wanted to immediately return to her beast form. Why was it that after turning into a human, not only did she not get to pilot a mecha, but she also had to practice writing and do arts and crafts every day? She refused to accept these subjects!
Qi Junyan glanced at the classmate who asked the question and, thinking of their own dreadful experience in arts and crafts, replied before his sister could react, “Sure, come sit with us.”
Hearing her brother’s voice, Qi Junhe instantly understood his intention. She lowered her head in anguish, once again pondering how to skip class. She didn’t want to practice writing, didn’t want to take arts and crafts, and absolutely disliked math class! She wanted to cultivate and pilot mechas—wuuh…
After painfully enduring the entire day, the two little ones returned home and immediately went to complain to Qi Junye.
At that moment, the little tiger—who was faintly on the verge of breaking through his beast transformation—paused for two seconds, looking at his paws. Recalling his father’s earlier suggestion about going to school, the deep-blue tiger eyes flickered, but he said nothing.
Qi Junhe, back in her little white tiger form, was still grumbling. The little white fox, lying between the little tiger’s neck and shoulder, immediately noticed something unusual in their older brother. Just as he was about to ask, the alert little tiger smacked him down with a paw and pinned him in place.
“Be good, focus on cultivating, don’t get distracted.”
The little white fox, who was now forced to chew a mouthful of fur: …
Ugh, big brother is so mean… he regrets everything!
Unaware that the two brothers had just silently reached an understanding, the little white tiger thought her brother was speaking to her and sullenly asked, “Big brother, how can I get out of going to school?”
The little tiger rubbed her fluffy head and comforted her with a pretend answer: “You still have to go to school. Once you’ve learned the basics, you’ll get to work with mechas soon enough.”
While the three little fluffballs were huddled together cultivating, Bu Qiongyu walked into the study holding two space buttons—one red, one silver.
“Soon Junhe and Junyan will start mecha training. I’m worried Junye will feel left out.”
Qi Sheng took the two mechas prepared for the little ones. As he activated them and examined them, he reassured her, “Nothing to worry about. Those two little rascals are probably complaining to him about the school curriculum. If anything, I bet Junye’s glad he hasn’t transformed yet.”
No one knows a son better than his father—Qi Sheng hit the nail right on the head about what the little tiger was feeling.
Bu Qiongyu couldn’t help but chuckle, though she still frowned and said, “But if Junye doesn’t start school for another two years, what if he can’t keep up academically?”
Especially in today’s upper-class society, where elegance and literary refinement were prized, if Qi Junye transformed two years later than his peers, he might fall behind in those aspects.
Qi Sheng understood her concern and smiled, “He’s already studying basic knowledge and mecha training. Don’t worry. As for all that ‘presentation and refinement’ stuff, as long as he understands the gist, that’s enough. Who really masters those things? It’s all just empty posturing.”
He wasn’t wrong. With mechas now dominating the world, only the elderly—too weak to pilot—had time to enjoy gardening and cultivate refinement. Most young people couldn’t sit still long enough to study that kind of thing. Qi Junye didn’t need to worry about fitting in. And besides, it was still a society that revered strength. With the little tiger’s abilities, no one would dare look down on him.
That said, Qi Sheng still insisted that the younger two go to school. So during the entire first-grade year, the two little ones practically played guerrilla warfare with him—every time he left the house, they’d sneak back home and beg their mother to help cover for them.
Qi Sheng turned a blind eye to it all. That’s the only reason the two didn’t stage a full-on rebellion.
—
Four years later.
Just after turning sixteen, Qi Junye stared into the mirror, observing how much larger his tiger form had grown. He raised a paw thoughtfully, and in the next second, a nearly 1.8-meter-tall youth appeared in the room.
The boy’s deep blue eyes continued to gaze into the mirror. His sharp brows furrowed for a moment, giving his already well-defined face a cold edge. Luckily, the frown didn’t last long. Staring at his reflection, he couldn’t help but run his fingers through his long black hair, then pulled out a set of pre-prepared clothes from his space button. After changing, he disappeared from the Qi house without a sound.
Huo Qixuan had just returned from school and opened the door to find a long-haired boy about his height sitting in the room.
Rolling his eyes, Huo Qixuan complained, “Could you show a little respect for the Huo family’s security? You never announce yourself when you barge in!”
The long-haired youth—none other than Qi Junye—smiled as he looked at his grumbling friend. Standing up, he said, “Come on, accompany me for some mecha practice.”
Huo Qixuan rolled his eyes again. “Spare me. If you want real combat, go find your master. At this point, he’s the only one who can spar with you.”
The little lion cub who used to pester Qi Junye endlessly for sparring had now come to terms with the harshness of reality. He had no desire to be mercilessly flattened to the ground the whole time again—just seeing Qi Junye now made his whole body ache.
“My father still doesn’t know I can transform.”
“What? He still doesn’t know?! You’ve kept this secret for a long time!”
Thinking about it gave Qi Junye the urge to pull his hair out again in frustration.
He had unknowingly completed his beast transformation three years ago, one night. By the time he noticed something was wrong with his body and woke up, his body was already… no longer the same.
After three seconds of stunned silence, he initially wanted to rush to tell his parents the good news. But then, remembering what his younger siblings had said, he abruptly stopped and flopped back down onto the mat.
He weighed the pros and cons of transforming. At that time, he was already nearly thirteen. If his parents found out he could transform, they would definitely send him to school. And after that, he wouldn’t have the excuse to snuggle in his father’s arms anymore. The idea of such a tragic post-transformation life made him scoot over to the mirror, take a good look at his human form… and silently change back into his beast form.
So, while his younger siblings were forced to go to school every day, bitter and miserable, the ever-lazy Qi Junye, in his adorable little tiger form, comfortably snuggled into Qi Sheng’s arms for cuddles. Life couldn’t be any sweeter.
For the first two years, he was genuinely slacking off. Later, he just didn’t know how to explain it anymore, and so the secret dragged on until now.
Huo Qixuan couldn’t help but gloat, “Let’s see how much longer you can keep hiding it! Just wait till Master finds out you’ve been hiding your transformation on purpose—you’re in for it then!”
“One day at a time,” Qi Junye said with a sigh. He was determined to enjoy his dad’s massage services for a little while longer—he’d confess after he’d had his fill!
The two arranged a mecha duel near the outskirts of the Black Domain Forest. After quickly defeating Huo Qixuan, Qi Junye’s gaze lingered on the forest depths, clearly itching to explore.
“What are you staring at? Did you spot a mutant beast?”
“…No.”
Huo Qixuan didn’t understand but didn’t press further. Qi Junye also withdrew his gaze at the right time.
Hmm, I’ve already kept one secret from Father—better not push my luck this time.
The two left, and Qi Junye silently flashed back to his room. He put away his clothes into his space button, turned back into a little tiger, gave his tail a flick, and energetically headed out the door.
That evening after dinner, a little tiger who needed belly rubs appeared at Qi Sheng’s side. The little white tiger, now mindful of her identity as a girl, rarely clung to Qi Sheng anymore. However, the little white fox, upon seeing this, pitter-pattered over as well.
The two fluffy bundles lay together, resting their round bellies after a hearty meal. The little white fox squinted in contentment for a while, then suddenly remembered something about his big brother and couldn’t help turning to glance in his direction.
Noticing his brother’s gaze, Qi Junye calmly pulled the little fluffball into his arms, then continued to lounge on Qi Sheng’s lap, squinting lazily to aid digestion.
Once again buried in fur against his will, Qi Junyan: …
Big Brother’s shamelessness has really leveled up!
Qi Sheng, who had noticed all the small movements between the brothers, quietly observed the whole scene, gently bit his lower lip, and said nothing, smiling in amusement.