Thud, thud, thud...
The hoe swung down repeatedly, loosening the soil.
The old farmer had a white sweat towel around his neck, yet there wasn't a drop of sweat on his face.
Nearby, his coat hung from a bamboo basket with a water bottle inside.
Seemingly tired of swinging the hoe, the old farmer stopped, walked over to the bamboo basket, moved aside the coat, and took a drink from the water bottle while gazing at the distant scenery.
A gentle breeze blew by, and on the coat hanging from the bamboo basket, the character "鹤" (crane) was embroidered.
---
Vroom, vroom, vroom...
The sound of engines roared closer, and swirling dust formed a circle, surrounding Yamiru, Son Gohan, and Tights.
"This place really is full of trouble every time we come through..." Yamiru sighed.
"Robbers?" Son Gohan asked, looking at the figures in the dust.
"They're so unlucky," Tights said without a hint of fear, smiling. "Why rob someone else?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The desert bandits stopped their motorcycles and formed a circle, each of them styled in a wild, punk-like manner with all sorts of beasts—wolves, tigers, leopards—represented. Their strange yells and howls echoed, and the leader, a man with tusks, shouted at Son Gohan and Yamiru, "If you don't want to die, hand over all your cash, capsules, jewelry, and anything valuable! Otherwise, don't even think about leaving this desert alive."
Tights raised her hands, "I surrender."
"Hahaha, beautiful lady, it's not just about giving us money, you know?" The bandits laughed loudly, acting arrogantly.
"Sigh, why bother?" Tights sighed, exchanged a look with Yamiru, and they both shrugged.
However, at that moment, Son Gohan looked in another direction—towards the back of the bandit leader.
Hmm? Yamiru raised an eyebrow and looked over.
A shadow quickly approached behind the bandit leader, leaping high, arms slightly swaying, fingers like wolf claws. The face, shadowed by the sunlight, had glowing eyes.
"Not bad at all," Son Gohan commented.
"Huh?" The bandit leader suddenly turned around. Before he could see who was behind him, a sudden tingling sensation spread through his neck. His eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
The person was none other than the desert bandit, Yamcha.
He was now tall and handsome, with a fit build but still carrying a bit of a rogue vibe. He was about to deal with the other bandits when he heard Yamiru call out, "Hey, kid, who gave you permission to steal my prey?"
"Huh?"
Yamcha, thinking the voice sounded familiar, suddenly heard a series of rapid and sharp strikes.
What speed? What skill?!
Yamcha was stunned, but when he looked in the direction of the sounds, he couldn't spot the attacker, only seeing the bandits one by one, rolling their eyes and falling unconscious in the desert.
"Slap."
Turning around, Yamiru was back where he started, casually giving Tights a high-five.
Not even a drop of sweat was on his forehead, and his breathing was completely steady, as if he had just effortlessly knocked out all the bandits in an instant—like casually brushing dust off his wife's clothing while strolling down the street.
"You... who are you...?"
Yamcha, who had been robbing other bandits in the desert for years, was left speechless in shock.
"Yo," Yamiru walked over, "Long time no see, little thief."
Yamcha shook suddenly, "It's really you!"
Behind him, a blue cat-like creature popped out, blinking its eyes, and asked, "Yamcha, is this the guy you were talking about?"
"Someone you know?" Tights asked in a low voice. Yamiru nodded, explaining that they had met briefly when Goku and he had left the Mount Paozu to search for the Dragon Balls.
Son Gohan chuckled and said to Yamcha, "Young man, your martial arts is quite good."
The group followed Yamcha back to his hideout—the stone cave with the words "千锤百炼" (Thousands of Tempering) written on the wall. After wiping out the bandits who used to be his group, Yamcha had taken up residence there, practicing diligently every day and occasionally making some extra money through shady dealings. It wasn't so much that he had developed a sense of justice but more because he feared that one day, like years ago, he might run into someone like Yamiru and Son Goku—someone who would effortlessly wipe him out without a second thought, and that would be an unjust death.
Yamiru stood outside, looking at the four large Chinese characters on the stone cave wall.
Tights leaned on her elbow, rubbing her chin, and casually asked, "Did you write this?" She had guessed it.
Yamiru nodded and muttered, "Back then, I was really curious about why there were these kinds of characters."
Tights found it strange, "Just a rare script, I suppose."
"Maybe." Yamiru didn't confirm or deny, his hand playing with the ring in his pocket, thinking to himself: This desolate place, no one here would be able to carve characters… Well, I'll get it done somewhere else.
Staring at the distant winds and sands, Yamcha asked where they were headed next.
Son Gohan said, "There's a mountain ahead. We're heading there."
Yamcha pondered, wondering if there were any famous mountains or rivers in that direction.
Wait, suddenly something clicked in his mind. He closely examined the appearance and demeanor of the old man, and the more he looked, the more it seemed to fit. "Could you be—"
"Hehe," Son Gohan smiled and said, "The World Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin. If you're interested, young man, you might have a special encounter."
He was referring to Master Roshi.
Son Gohan knew that Goku and Yamiru had agreed to attend this year's tournament. Given that, Master Roshi would most likely be attending as well. This young man, Yamcha, might have the chance to become a disciple of the martial arts god.
"The World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament, huh? Alright, I'll remember," Yamcha nodded and smiled. "Is he going to participate too?" He referred to Yamiru. "In that case, isn't the championship already decided?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it," Yamiru said, but the champion he referred to clearly wasn't the same one Yamcha was talking about. However, he didn't clarify and simply waved his hand. "Let's go! We need to keep moving."
With that, he turned around and walked ahead briskly.
"Hey, you're going the wrong way, aren't you?" Yamcha said, surprised, as he watched Yamiru's back.
"There´s no wrong way, this is the way," Gohan winked at the young desert bandit.
Boom! Tights threw out a capsule containing a motorcycle, smoothly hopped on, and waved her fingers at Yamcha. "Bye-bye, little handsome."
Vroom! The motorcycle roared to life, catching up to the master and disciple.
"What's going on..." Yamcha was left puzzled in the dust, with Puar also having no idea.
---
The road back, though it was the same road, with the same scenery, felt different somehow.
Tights drove the motorcycle, the scenery rushing by on both sides, her mind wandering. "We're just following Yamiru's route from years ago, but as we head back, I feel a bit complicated. Back then... when Master Shen and Tao Bai Bai forcibly took Yamiru away, how did he feel as he watched Mount Paozu fade into the distance?"
She glanced back slightly, looking at the distant desert. The gap in the windscreen whistled, as if something was howling in the wind.
"Don't space out, Tights."
Yamiru and Gohan had managed to overtake her without her noticing.
Tights chuckled and called out, "The road's still long, what's wrong with getting lost in thought for a bit?"
She twisted the throttle, speeding up and leaving a trail of dust behind.
As the sunset cast a blood-red glow over the empty, lifeless town, Yamiru and Tights traveled together.
Gohan, crouching, gently placed a delicate wildflower on the ground. Standing up, he looked ahead at rows of gravestones and tombs, bathed in the bloody sunset, exuding an unusual peace.
Nearby, it seemed like a young, slim Yamiru stood there, his golden eyes fixed on the graveyard.
Young Yamiru said, "Back then, I couldn't save them."
"They couldn't save you either." Yamiru, hands in his pockets, spoke into the air towards the graveyard. "We've already killed Tao Bai Bai."
A gentle breeze blew, the grass swayed, and the three of them stood silently for a moment. Tights patted Yamiru's arm. "Let's go."
Gohan, half a step ahead of Yamiru, suddenly moved to trip him with a subtle kick.
Yamiru's gaze was still unfocused, lost in thought, completely unaware of Gohan's action.
However, as he walked, he instinctively lifted one leg more, naturally stepping over Gohan's attempt to trip him.
After walking for a while, Tights noticed Gohan had fallen behind. She turned and asked, "Grandpa Gohan, what's wrong?"
Gohan, his beard twitched, smiled and said, "Oh, I just... saw an interesting kid."
"Huh?" Tights looked confused.
Back in the Southern Capital, the starting point of their journey, Yamiru found an excuse to leave for a moment, asking Gohan and Tights to wait.
Gohan sipped tea, steam rising from his cup. "Is this kid up to something sneaky?"
"Who knows?" Tights propped her cheek with one hand, took a sip from her white porcelain cup, and grinned. "Probably has some little secret, the romantic mister..."
Gohan thought for a moment and smiled lightly.
Tights glanced at her watch; it was almost time. A hovering car stopped beside her.
A cat-faced lady in an exquisite dress got out and handed Tights a small box. "Miss Tights."
"Thank you." Tights quickly placed it in her bag.
"Oh?" Gohan's tone rose.
"Shh," Tights held a finger to her lips, "It's a secret."
Gohan chuckled and playfully winked at Tights, signaling that Grandpa knew.
When Yamiru returned, he brought a bouquet of flowers and two boxes of sweets.
Tights threw out a capsule for a hover car. With current anti-gravity transportation technology, they could easily use the hover car to cross the sea.
She placed the bouquet on the back seat, opened the passenger door with a gentlemanly gesture and said, "Please."
Yamiru smiled and climbed into the car with his master, Gohan.
Tights put on her sunglasses, floored the gas pedal, and sped off towards the ocean, heading for the island where Dr. Omori had retired.
"Really strange person..." Dr. Omori muttered as he stood by the shore of the small island, holding a box of sweets, watching as Tights and the others hurried by.
Jaco, picking a sweet from the box, said, "Milk-flavored, I like it."
"Why are you always mooching off of us?"
Dr. Omori glared at Jaco with dead fish eyes. "The elite of the Galactic Patrol doesn't seem that busy!"
Jaco retorted confidently, "This planet is home to the largest number of Saiyans in the entire universe, as an elite, how can I not patrol regularly? Dr. Omori."
Dr. Omori was covered in black lines: "I think you're just greedy for food..."
---
"After 15 years in the Dragon Ball world, I know very clearly what kind of person I want to be."
"My current battle power is around 160 or so, not exceeding 180. It's stronger than Master Gohan and Master Roshi, but still not up to the standards of Krillin or Tien Shinhan at the same stage in the manga."
"Fifteen years of being in the Dragon Ball world, yet this is how I'm doing—barely getting by—is kind of funny."
"Even though I train every day, the progress in physical ability is slow, and I can clearly feel it. Pushing too hard might only result in injury."
"Without the limitless Saiyan-specific gravity chamber training method, I can't take it."
"As for the training in the realm of ki taught by Korin..."
While riding in the speeding hover car, Yamiru calmly thought: "Maybe the greatest use of something is that it's useless..."
He then asked, "Master, what do you think martial arts realms really are?"
Master Gohan didn't respond.
"Master? Master?" Yamiru called twice, but there was no answer from the back seat. Both he and Tights turned around, only to see Master Gohan sitting there, head down with his hands hanging, suddenly shaking as he let out a soft snore and lazily woke up, "Hmm... What? Hehe, I just dozed off... Martial arts realms? Let me think..."
Tights breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to continue driving.
Yamiru furrowed his brow and asked, "Master, are you okay?"
Master Gohan chuckled and simply replied, "The martial arts realm, I guess, is a way of thinking, right? How you see yourself, how you see life, how you see everything around you... Bardock once mentioned when he gave up on increasing the gravity chamber multiplier that if he hadn't come to Earth, he would have just kept raising the gravity multiplier indefinitely. But after accepting the martial arts concept, he learned the importance of adjusting both body and mind."
Yamiru quietly listened.
"After all," Master Gohan continued softly, "ki isn't just physical energy. Courage, righteousness, and all kinds of spirit are also part of ki."
Yamiru looked at Master Gohan, who was imparting wisdom, and suddenly his dark eyes widened, tears involuntarily welling up.
"Master..." He was about to speak.
"Hehe," Master Gohan raised a hand, signaling that he didn't need to say anything, "Tights, turn left. There should be a small village there. Let's stop there."
"Okay, got it." Tights turned the steering wheel.
The hover car passed through fields and came to a quiet small village before stopping.
The scenery was just right.
Master Gohan got out of the car and looked at the surrounding countryside.
"I wonder where Goku is right now..." The elderly man said, "But it's okay now, thanks to you, Yamiru, for bringing his parents back to life."
"Grandpa..." Tights could tell there was something off in Master Gohan's tone.
"Tights," Yamiru spoke up to stop her.
Tights looked at him and then noticed that his eyes were already red.
At that moment, Yamiru took a ring out of his pocket.
Tights glanced at the ring, then turned to look at Master Gohan. The elderly man winked at her, and Tights smiled, her eyes red. She took a box from her bag—the same box she had ordered the custom-made piece from the first time she arrived in South City, which she had picked up after returning to the city.
"Miss Tights," Yamiru said, holding the ring and taking one of her hands, "May I have the honor of becoming your husband?"
Tights looked at the ring. It was engraved with patterns, and if you looked closely, you could see names of places and scenery along Yamiru's journey.
"Mm." Tights nodded, "But no matter how many times you ask, my answer will be the same."
Master Gohan stood between them, smiling at this scene.
Tights opened the box she had in her hand. Inside was a men's necklace with a pendant featuring the side profile of the two of them kissing.
Yamiru remembered the first gift he had given Tights was a necklace, though he had hurriedly made it with a gold ingot at the time...
"Mr. Yamiru," Tights asked, "May I have the honor of becoming your wife?"
Yamiru spread his arms, joking, "You're very fortunate."
"Ha!" Tights was amused, and the tears that had been in her eyes fell. She placed the necklace around Yamiru's neck.
The two embraced, kissed, and pulled apart.
Master Gohan took one hand from each of them and gently stacked them together.
"As for the road ahead," Master Gohan softly patted their hands, "There's still a long way to go to Mount Paozu. Yamiru's future is even longer." With his white beard and brows, the teacher smiled, narrowing his eyes, and kindly said, "You two kids will have to walk it together..."
Tights's tears flowed freely.
Yamiru, suppressing his emotions, managed to smile and said, "Thank you, Master, for being willing to be my teacher."
Master Gohan nodded with a smile. As the two watched, his body slowly transformed into countless glowing points, drifting in the sunlight with the breeze...