Yesterday's swordplay seemed a bit awkward, but today it already showed the charm of a swordsman. The stance was precise, the movements crisp and agile, giving off a sense of skill! A genius in swordsmanship! At this moment, only these four words floated in Lin Haixia's mind.
You have to understand, how long has Bian Ruxue been practicing this sword technique? It's impressive enough to get a grasp of it in half a month. But now, she was already proficient, and her moves even had a rare spirit to them. That was the key point.
Although he had scolded the little girl a bit yesterday, it was only because he saw her talent in swordsmanship, believing she could become a strong swordsman in the future, which made him strict and demanding. He didn’t expect Bian Ruxue’s performance today to far exceed his expectations. She was definitely a rare talent in swordsmanship!
“Good, very good,” Lin Haixia smiled and nodded repeatedly. After Bian Ruxue finished her practice, he asked, “Did you practice by yourself last night?”
Bian Ruxue immediately thought of her brother Li Hao's guidance but also recalled his serious warnings, so she gently nodded. Lin Haixia was not surprised; if she hadn’t put in the effort last night, there was no way she would have performed like this today. However, to have made such rapid progress after just one night of practice was truly delightful.
“This sword technique is a bit too simple for you. Today, I will teach you a higher-level sword technique!” Lin Haixia said. The previous one was a basic technique, and he didn’t have the authority to enter the Li family’s Listening Rain Pavilion, where the higher-level sword techniques were listed. He wasn’t qualified to teach those to this little girl unless it was authorized by Li Hao's parents. Even now, Li Hao didn’t have that qualification; he was still too young to take charge.
“Okay,” Bian Ruxue nodded.
The two of them, one big and one small, began practicing the new sword technique in the courtyard. One taught while the other learned. Li Hao watched for a moment but felt a bit bored, so he continued to ponder his chess strategies. He fiddled with the black and white pieces in his hand, rolling them between his fingers, while his mind wandered through the chess patterns.
Time passed quietly in this courtyard. During the day, Li Hao stared blankly at the chessboard. At night, he would occasionally offer guidance to Bian Ruxue, correcting her little mistakes. Bian Ruxue's rapid progress in swordsmanship amazed Lin Haixia.
Months later, in the Snowfall Courtyard, Li Hao silently stood among the crowd, watching an elder with an ethereal presence lead the eight-year-old Li Wushuang away for training.
Wuniang sent her off with tears, reminding Wushuang to eat well, listen carefully, and sleep properly. Li Hao remembered that when he was still in swaddling clothes, this little girl had tugged at his mother’s pants, her bright eyes curiously observing him. Wuniang had three children, two daughters and a son, and this was the eldest daughter.
At five, she was tested and found to have a ninth-grade battle body, making her another genius of the Li family. Now, it was said that she had revealed exceptional talent in cultivation and had been taken as a disciple by a powerful figure.
Li Hao had seen this familiar scene two years ago when Liu Yueren’s child was taken away by a bald monk chanting Buddhist scriptures. Clearly, that person was from Mount Wuliang. Most of the exceptionally talented individuals in the Li family would join the top forces led by Dayu for training; this was one of the ways top forces spread their connections.
As for those with lesser talent, like the second son of the second daughter, who only tested as a seventh-grade battle body, while still considered a genius, he clearly fell short compared to those exceptional ones and would likely join the Tanguang Academy in Qingzhou City for training.
Compared to Wuniang's maternal feelings, Li Wushuang's small face showed maturity, like a little adult, calmly nodding and reminding her mother and father to take care of themselves. Then, the little girl scanned the courtyard, glancing at everyone. When passing by Li Hao, she only gave him a brief look, having no impression of him anymore.
Among the third generation of children in the mansion, she often heard her mother mention only a few, all of whom were exceptionally talented, like the second daughter’s child, Li Qianfeng, who was her current target to catch up with. The others, she no longer paid attention to.
Surrounded by the world of martial arts, with her mother, instructors, and servants talking about it, even at her young age, she had matured mentally. Her gaze held a hint of sharpness, and in her heart, she already had the ambition and goal to pursue the peak of martial arts.
After bidding farewell to her parents, the little girl left with the elder amidst the crowd. If they met again, it would probably be years later when she returned home famous.
Life returned to calmness. In this peaceful time, Li Hao slowly returned to playing chess with himself. But now, he wasn’t focused on experience; he was simply thinking about each game. He tried to defeat himself, switching his thinking to the white pieces when playing with them, and to the black pieces when playing with them. Although the process was a bit difficult, it felt like a challenge.
Competing with himself was endlessly enjoyable. In this world, entertainment was scarce, and Li Hao gradually grew fond of this feeling of concentrating on something, especially with the added fun of a challenge.
So, the maids occasionally saw the young master suddenly exclaiming. For example, during a quiet meal, he would suddenly shout, “Oh no, that piece should go there!” looking regretful. Sometimes he would point at the flowerbed and ask the maids, “Don’t those flowers look like a chessboard?”
The maids were confused, completely unable to understand. But since the young master said so, what could they do but go along with it?
When Li Hao turned six, Lin Haixia found him and said he wanted to teach him techniques. He set up a weapon rack for Li Hao to choose weapons from to practice, just like he had done for Bian Ruxue. However, considering that Li Hao’s physique wasn’t as exceptional as Bian Ruxue’s, he decided to wait a year before starting his training to avoid affecting his bone development.
At this point, Li Hao realized that the reason this military expert was still in the mansion was to teach him techniques.
“I can’t cultivate, can I?” Li Hao yawned, wanting to crawl back into bed.
“Practice the techniques first. If one day the commander finds a way to help you open your meridians, you can immediately start cultivating, and you won’t have fallen behind in techniques,” Lin Haixia said, explaining his plan to practice first and be prepared.
What if he could cultivate in the future? Wouldn’t he then be able to use what he learned?
“But what if I can’t?” Li Hao asked.
“You’re not doing anything anyway,” Lin Haixia replied lightly.
Li Hao felt like he wanted to spit blood. What kind of reasoning was that? Doing nothing was better than being forced to work hard!
But Lin Haixia was clearly determined, and no matter how Li Hao tried to persuade him, it was useless. Finally, with a stern face, he took out a bamboo stick, saying that if Li Hao didn’t listen, he would be punished.
Li Hao wasn’t afraid of pain; with his current body, unless Lin Haixia really used all his strength, it would just be a tickle. But seeing him so serious, he had no choice but to hold back.
Li Hao picked up the weapons and practiced one by one, just going through the motions, swinging the swords and staffs without any real form. When he got to the sword, the little girl beside him looked eager, encouraging him with her little fists, “Come on, Brother Hao!”
Li Hao felt a bit speechless and waved the sword a few times casually, just to get it over with.
Lin Haixia’s face darkened, as if he could see through the little guy’s thoughts. He said, “You didn’t pick a single weapon today that satisfied me. You’re not allowed to rest, and you’re not allowed to touch that damned chessboard!”
“Uncle Lin!” Li Hao cried out.
“Practice!” Lin Haixia gritted his teeth, ignoring Li Hao’s pleas.
Li Hao had no choice but to pick up a knife and start practicing, but his mind wasn’t on it. Although he looked serious, there was no method to his movements.
Seeing that Li Hao was interested in the knife, Lin Haixia began to teach him step by step, starting with the simplest stances. Li Hao noticed how serious he was and felt even more reluctant to practice. If Lin Haixia saw any potential or hope, he would surely push him to practice harder every day, making it impossible to have any peace.
So while Lin Haixia was teaching, he kept nodding, saying he understood. But once he picked up the knife, he was all over the place. It was as if his hands and feet were saying, “What do you mean, you can do this!”
The afternoon passed, and Lin Haixia was starting to feel frustrated. Even the most basic knife technique hadn’t been practiced properly. This showed a complete lack of martial arts understanding.
He couldn’t help but think of certain geniuses. Some people had extremely high talent in one area, but in others, they were completely clueless, even worse than ordinary folks.
Li Hao seemed to be that type. It was just a pity that his talent was misplaced.
Chess skills… what kind of nonsense was that?!
Lin Haixia even started to resent why there were such boring things in the world, why someone would invent something like that; it was simply infuriating!
But after the resentment, he felt sad again. Could he really not help the young master? He hated his own inability, regretting that he couldn’t repay the commander’s kindness.
After forcing Li Hao to practice for half a month, Lin Haixia finally felt hopeless and gave up. He told Li Hao that there had been some changes in the war in Yanbei and that he would have to leave soon.
Li Hao looked at the man, knowing he had given up hope. During this time, he had seen the man’s sorrowful expression, feeling both touched and ashamed.
Lin Haixia had expressed hatred for the chessboard and frustration over his own teaching incompetence, but he had never hated Li Hao.
“Uncle Lin, do you think a person who can’t cultivate martial arts could become a master if they focused on body training and combined it with techniques?”
Sitting in the courtyard, Li Hao asked the man who was drinking beside him.
Lin Haixia set his drink aside, thought for a moment, and confidently replied, “Yes!”
Then he added, “I’ve seen masters in the army with strong physical power and exceptional spear skills; they are considered strong too.”
He turned to look at Li Hao, but his gaze quickly dimmed. “Young master, I know you are smart and can endure hardship. If you choose the path of body training, you will definitely manage, but your understanding…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, feeling a sense of despair. He had initially hoped that by having Li Hao practice techniques, he could help him in this regard.
Li Hao looked surprised and said, “I sleep until the sun is high every day; do you really think I can endure hardship?”
Lin Haixia shook his head slightly, a bitter smile appearing on his face. “I’ve seen how you play chess. I know you can endure hardship; it’s just that you don’t like it.”
From Li Hao, he saw the potential to become a top master. That potential lay in intelligence, character, and hard work.
But he lacked martial arts talent and understanding.
These two things were precisely the ticket to martial arts.
If you couldn’t even get through the door, how could you talk about sitting in the best seats?
This also meant that the abundant training resources in the Divine General Mansion were piled up in front of Li Hao, but they were just an empty mountain.
Hearing Lin Haixia’s words, Li Hao felt a bit surprised, turned to look at the man, and then fell silent again.
As the night wind blew, one person continued to drink, while the other silently gazed at the night sky, as if a shooting star had passed by. Whose star was falling?
Two months later, Lin Haixia was leaving and formally said goodbye to Li Hao.
Li Hao waited for him in the inner courtyard. The large courtyard felt empty, and he had the servants step back to the outer courtyard, leaving only himself to see him off.
“Uncle Lin, don’t you think it feels too lonely?” Li Hao asked with a smile, hands behind his back.
Lin Haixia sighed lightly and said, “I don’t care about such things. But you, I’m leaving Ruxue in your care. That girl has exceptional talent in swordsmanship and will definitely achieve great things in the future. Treat her well, and she will protect you later.”
At this moment, there was a complex look in his eyes, mixed with sighs and relief.
By now, he had completely given up on Li Hao practicing martial arts.
He had come to the Divine General Mansion full of hope and passion, wanting to do everything he could to train the commander’s young son and repay his kindness.
Now, he was leaving with a heart full of regrets and loneliness, feeling a bit sad inside.
Li Hao smiled slightly and said, “Uncle Lin, I don’t have anything to give you as a parting gift, but since you’re leaving today, let me give you a little present.”
“I don’t want any gifts, and I’m too embarrassed to ask. Just take care of yourself,” Lin Haixia said, feeling a bit comforted but not interested in the gift Li Hao mentioned. He didn’t lack anything.
Li Hao didn’t say anything; he just slowly walked over to the weapon rack.
Lin Haixia was taken aback, looking at him in confusion.
Then he saw Li Hao slowly draw a sword from the rack.
“This sword is for you, Uncle Lin.”
“Thank you for your guidance!” Li Hao said softly.
Then, he raised the sword.
His posture was graceful like snow, and the sword in his hand shone like surging waves, instantly bursting into countless sword flowers, intricate and beautiful, reaching the peak of splendor.
To the utmost, the sea is boundless, the Tidal Sword Technique!
At that moment, the dazzling sword light illuminated the entire empty inner courtyard.
It also shone in Lin Haixia’s eyes, reflecting his darkened pupils, making them shine bright like snow.
(End of Chapter)