>>5537002 >>5537028 >>5537033<span class="mu-i">Whatever the reason is, it's likely to your benefit. Best to abide by his decision.</span>
While Kinzou does question the situation a bit further, your remark does make him think twice about looking into things too much. Curiosity killed the cat, or you've heard said. The days off are spent as they normally are with Kinzou: Training in the morning and afternoon, going through Jun Rei's travels and stopping by the inn between those two training sessions, playing outside a bit, and heading back home at night. Nothing too much of interest - just another day of many.
As the weather gets colder, and the first snow looms overhead, Jin Mao lets Kinzou know that he won't be needed over the winter. "The commute is hard for a kid and there aren't many caravans that come through in the winter regardless", by his words. That makes one fateful afternoon near the start of the 12th month of the year Kinzou's last day of work, at least until Sheng 485.
「It's gonna be boring stuck at home.」You concur. Kinzou attempts to warm his hands in his pockets as best he can, frustrated by the cold.「Remember that mountain that shoots fire that one guy mentioned?」<span class="mu-i">The eastern man last month?</span>「Yeah. No way that's real, right?」<span class="mu-i">I believe he was referring to a volcano, and they are most certainly real.</span>
「Really? Grandpa Hops, have you seen a volcano?」You take some time to respond. <span class="mu-i">I am not sure. I know of volcanoes, but I cannot be sure what I did in my life. My memories are still in storage, replaced with more important data.</span> Kinzou seems confused on how to respond.「Huh. That sucks. A lot.」A couple minutes of walking later.「Well, that doesn't matter. We can always go see one ourselves, right? Plenty of time for memories.」<span class="mu-i">Certainly.</span>
Only a couple of days after work ends for the year, Kinzou feels an odd burst of energy. A need to be active. You and Takigi identify this behavior a the symptom of a breakthrough, and Takigi decides to kill two birds with one stone and have Kinzou cut all of the wood out back into kindling.
Kinzou's breakthrough goes more cleanly than Takigi's. There is pain, and an entire day spent engaging in physical activity before it occurs, but in Kinzou's case there is both a lack of fever, and a lack of intense pain. A result of his youth, perhaps. Regardless of the differences, however, the result is the same - Kinzou passes through The Martial Gateway, improving his strength and becoming what can barely be called a "cultivator", depending on one's usage of the word. As a result of his youth he can't be said to be quite as strong as his father, but at the very least, he should be as strong as any normal adult male. An occasion to celebrate, surely.
