Chapter 19: A Year to Remember

"I see," Yoze Deeply sighed in his helplessness.

He knew that his father was going to die eventually and with how advanced in age his father was it made sense.

"I can only spend my last remaining time spending as much time with Dad and try to fulfill his last wishes." Yoze stood up and left to ask for his father's bucket list so he could try and fulfill as much as possible with his remaining time.

A year passed by and Yoze was sitting with his father on a table. After a year his father's skin had become pale and he had a constant cough that he never seemed to get rid of.

"Dad, what is it that you wanted to tell me?" Yoze looked at his dying father with gentle eyes.

For the past year Yoze was trying his best to fulfill all the things that were on his father's bucket list. From traveling to other cities, trying delicious foods, and bought a small home outside of Jade City.

This made Yoze realize that he wished that he had gotten his cheat earlier so maybe he could have found some way to save his father. After all Yoze was only a martial artist, he didn't have any life saving techniques or abilities he could use to save his old father.

"Yoze, son I know that you have been doing everything you can to fulfill my life goals because you can tell that I don't have much longer to live. Cough!"

"But I don't want to leave this world with you thinking that you don't have any family left." Yoze's father stopped to take a breath as he grabbed Yoze's hands.

"I have a son and daughter who are in their late twenties to thirties. They left me a few years before I took you in. The last time I received a letter from them a few years ago they lived in New Swampscott City. "

"In my last time alive on this earth I want to connect you with them so they could take care of you." Yoze's father looked at Yoze before continuing.

"But it's your decision to make. If you don't want to meet them, so be it but if you are fine with fulfilling this old man's last request I will make you dinner."

Yoze didn't bother to contemplate a decision in his heart to take his father there to visit his brother and sister. He didn't have much attachment to Jade City anyhow except for his friend Evi who he occasionally chatted with.

As for the Martial Courtyard after a year Yoze had collected all the talents available and stopped going for the last six months other than to go to the investigations. At the moment Yoze was splitting his attention and time to three things.

The first was obviously spending his last remaining time with his father and making him happy. The second is improving his Martial arts and developing his Inner Vigor. The last is learning some medicinal techniques from Leah Goat.

Even though Yoze had let Leah go after collecting all his talents, he still visited Leah to ask him questions about making medicine from him. The talent was named Medicine Goat after all so he learned from the Goat himself.

"Dad, you already know my answer because you cooked dinner already. Give me two weeks so I can take care of a few things and we can set off. " Yoze gulped his saliva as he saw the bowls and plates of food stacked in the kitchen.

"That's good."

Yoze ate the piles of food made by his father and savored each bite. For all he knew this would be the last time he could taste his father's cooking.

The next morning Yoze visited the Martial Court Yard one last time and took a copy of the Iron Skin body cultivation manual. Even though Yoze had made up his mind about traveling Big Golem Cultivation manuals he couldn't resist the temptation of being invulnerable to weapons.

Yoze took one last look at the Martial arts techniques on the first floor but decided against taking them since they were too basic and wouldn't provide any help to his basic ability.

Yoze then requested to meet with the other scholars of the Courtyard to tell them that he was leaving.

"You're planning to leave the Courtyard, did you receive another offer somewhere else?" Eric looked at Yoze in surprise.

Out of all the other scholars, Yoze was the one who fit the Martial Court Yard out of all of them. So Eric was surprised when he heard the news that he was planning to leave soon.

"I didn't receive another offer but I am heading to New Swampscott City to meet my long-lost relatives. Since New Swampscott City is three months away from carriage, I believe that it would be better for me to resign." Yoze explained his logic.

"That makes sense!" Hearing Yoze's reason made everyone nod their heads in understanding.

That was when Grewn suddenly spoke up, "If you are planning on leaving the city I would suggest paying a visit to the director's son. "

"I believe that you might be short on cash once you arrive at New Swampscott and that you want to collect some extra money before you leave."

"The director's son has become obsessed with practicing martial arts to defeat you and if he hears that you are leaving he will want to fight you at any cost. That includes paying you to fight him."

Yoze thought about Grewn's suggestion and thought to himself that he was indeed strapped for cash. It was expensive to hire a carriage to travel to New Swampscott City.

Yoze had initially been planning on selling the small house he had just bought to make up for his lack of savings. Not only would that mean he lost the house he had bought for his father but it would also take some time trying to find a buyer. If he could get some money from just fighting the director's son that would be ideal.

"Thank you for the suggestion, Grewn but I feel that it would be a problem visiting the director to fight with his son." Yoze thought for a second and said what Grewn wanted to hear.

"What if you go tell the director's son that I'm leaving the city? If he is interested in a fight you can inform me. I will visit the Courtyard for the next few days as I get everything set up."

"That sounds like a good plan. " Though Yoze couldn't see Grewn's expression he felt that he was pleased.

"It seems that after all these years Grewn still wants to gain some brownie points to leave the Martial Court Yard." Yoze thought to himself.

Resolving the final details of the plan, Yoze said his final goodbyes before leaving the Courtyard.