Becoming a Single-Parent Family

Joli hadn't actually processed what was happening yet.

He didn't realize that they were currently facing an assassination attempt... and the move he had just made was merely a subconscious defensive reaction.

For Joli, sword techniques were already deeply engraved into his very being. When encountering the appropriate situation, they would manifest naturally; he could even make adjustments and variations to respond with the most suitable technique.

Swordsmanship had become Joli's instinct. Relentless practice had made him like a drudge on an assembly line who had been tightening screws for hundreds of years... sometimes, even he himself wasn't aware that he had unleashed a sword move.

Joli just found it a bit strange: why was that guest hiding and sneaking around? Were they planning to give his father a surprise?

Seeing that he had failed, the assassin retreated immediately after a single strike, vanishing back into the shadows.

"Joli... are you alright?"

Yorid looked at the scene with some disbelief.

Since retiring, Yorid would occasionally serve as an instructor for the Elven Guard. People often trained in the clearing in front of their house, so his skills and reflexes hadn't actually regressed much... But if he imagined himself in Joli's shoes, he wasn't confident he could have retreated unscathed from that previous attack.

"Uh... was something supposed to happen to me?" Joli shrank his neck back. In front of his father, he still maintained that timid and submissive demeanor.

Yorid only then remembered what Liana had told him earlier.

"Yorid, let me tell you, that kid Joli has really made something of himself now..."

In his heart, Yorid hadn't actually believed it, thinking Liana was just comforting him... after all, compared to the past, neither Joli's personality nor his appearance had changed much.

But now, the facts were laid out right in front of Yorid.

"Be careful. That guy might not have left yet," Yorid warned Joli. "Also, keep an eye on protecting those two young girls."

"Oh... okay!" Joli finally understood the situation.

That guy was an enemy.

Joli never expected that someone would actually come to assassinate them right at their doorstep in broad daylight.

"Is... is it a killer from the Blood Alliance?" Joli had guessed the opponent's identity and immediately became somewhat panicked. "Then, then aren't we in great danger? If Mr. Xia Lun isn't here..."

Yorid's gaze turned a bit odd. This kid had just casually forced the enemy back one moment, so how did he have the face to say something like that the next?

"Ah, Father, look out."

Just as the shadow beneath Yorid's feet began to ripple, Joli, with quick eyes and hands, grabbed Yorid by the shoulder, yanked him over, and unsheathed his longsword.

*Clang—*

A streak of sword energy embedded itself deeply into the ground, leaving behind a sword scar several meters long.

Before the assassin could even launch an attack, he was hammered back down like a mole in a game of Whac-A-Mole.

A pool of blood emerged from within the shadows, and subsequently, the black figure rapidly fled into the distance.

"Ah, he's left!" Joli exclaimed. "That's great, Father, we're safe."

At this point, Yorid didn't know what to say.

However, since it was a killer from the Blood Alliance, it meant they were just doing a job for money. After being injured, they likely wouldn't return.

Yorid frowned again.

He knew some of the Blood Alliance's rules. Clearly, he hadn't committed any heinous crimes in his daily life, so logically speaking, he shouldn't be a target for the Blood Alliance.

Moreover, if the target was him, why was Joli attacked? The Blood Alliance obviously wouldn't involve anyone other than the target.

Could it be that it wasn't the Blood Alliance, but some other assassin organization?

Mo Lini and Lian Na stood to the side, looking still in shock.

Little Lan hopped on Mo Lini's head. Fortunately, the assassin hadn't attacked Mo Lini earlier... with its current strength, it seemed it wouldn't have been able to stop him.

Also, Teacher Joli was truly amazing; he drove the enemy away with just one strike.

Little Lan extended a small tentacle and began to gesture. Sooner or later, it would become as powerful as Joli too.

Lian Na took a deep breath, her legs still trembling slightly.

Ever since she met Xia Lun and Aina in the alley that night... the trajectory of her life had been completely changed.

What had just happened before her eyes was an intense clash she wouldn't have dared to imagine... The sword scar Joli left on the ground now also left an indelible crack deep in her heart. Through that crack, she was able to catch a glimpse of a corner of the real world.

"Mr. Yorid... I want to learn archery from you. I will definitely work hard." Lian Na clenched her fists.

Yorid nodded, though he wasn't quite sure why Lian Na would suddenly bring this up at such a moment.

Subsequently, Yorid patted his son's shoulder forcefully.

Sure enough, Joli wouldn't lie to him.

Yorid faintly recalled the stubborn look in Joli's eyes before he left home back then.

He really had put in the effort, and he had become very strong now.

Even an opponent he couldn't resist was driven away by this kid Joli with a single sword strike.

A strong sense of pride spontaneously rose in Yorid's heart.

"Ow, ow, ow... Father, why did you hit me all of a sudden? That hurts..." Joli said with a look of grievance.

The sense of pride that had just emerged instantly dissipated.

Whether it was his tone of voice or the expression on his face... they all revealed a kind of pure, unadulterated foolishness. This kid Joli, despite his age, seemed to still be just a child.

Yorid smiled and shook his head.

"Father, didn't you say earlier that you were going to prepare some snacks? I'm a bit hungry," Joli reminded him.

"Then come help in the kitchen." Facing his son, Yorid's expression returned to its usual impassive look.

It was hard to imagine that after experiencing a thrilling assassination attempt, the first thing they would do was have afternoon tea.

Everyone gathered around the coffee table, upon which sat freshly baked green dumplings and hot cocoa.

"By the way... Father, there's something I've been forgetting to ask..." After taking a sip of hot cocoa, Joli suddenly looked up.

"Hm?"

"Where is Mother?"

Yorid's expression darkened slightly. Joli seemed to realize something and opened his mouth in grief: "Don't tell me Mother has already..."

Yorid: "Yes, we had a fight earlier, and then we separated. She went back to her parents' home... I'll bring her back later."

"Oh..." Joli breathed a sigh of relief, then said with a hint of reproach, "Father, neither of you are young anymore. Don't just separate so casually in the future."

Yorid let out a cold snort, clearly unconvinced. "It was your mother who was being too willful... With that foul temper of hers, what other man besides me would be willing to put up with her..."