chapter 16

The doors of the manor were rolled open .

Bai Qi shook the flakes of snow off his shoulders . Untying his dark cloak, he handed it to the waiting housekeeper .

Ghost Valley was sitting quietly in the main room, contently sipping some recently-brewed tea . Ever since he committed to teaching Gu Nan, he’s taken the opportunity to settle into the Wu’an Manor .

Noticing Bai Qi walk in, he lifted his gaze .

“For you to have left so early in the morning, it must be no less than the King, hm?” Ghost Valley faintly said with a certain confidence . But not intending to force matters, he resumed drinking his tea without speaking further .

When the days are cold and the winds are dry, the tea warms and comforts the throat .

Bai Qi didn’t rush to answer, although his face displayed his slight helplessness . With minor mannerisms, he slowly took a seat opposite of Ghost Valley .

“Zhao intends to play their move . ”

‧‧‧

Ghost Valley neatly put down his tea and smiled . “So, the Zhao King is growing frustrated, and Zhao’s situation is slowly worsening . Your thoughts?”

“Zhao must fall . If not, it will be Qin who does instead . ” Bai Qi said with a resolute certainty, slowly pouring himself a cup of tea .

In his career, he’s fought more than seventy battles and still no defeats, his tone expresses his honed confidence .

“Is that so?” Ghost Valley eyed Bai Qi carefully .

Bai Qi frowned slightly at his next line . “This time, however, I want to use this to temper her . ”

‧‧‧

A soft quietness fell upon the room .

Only after a long time did Ghost Valley finally break this silence . “You’ve taught Nan’er for half a year already?”

Bai Qi took a deep breath and sighed . “Yes, a half year . ”

“Then you should know what kind of person she is . ”

Turning his head to look out to the snowing skies, he sighed even deeper than before . “I know . ”

“Then you should know, Nan’er is quiet and timid, and her disposition is weak . These trouble times and these heinous wars are not the places for a young girl . ”

“Ghost Valley, I should tell you . I once asked her what she wants in life . She said to live an uneventful life . Maybe she is a young girl, but her mind has far surpassed that . ”

Ghost Valley sighed and nodded in agreement . “Nan’er won’t like war . You should understand that . She is just not suitable for the battlefield . ”

He took another hard look at Bai Qi . “But you, you know that . You have the authority to give her the quiet life she desires . ”

Bai Qi sat for a long time without speaking . “When I took her in that day, it was partly because I wanted her to use her talents in service to Qin . ”

…

To him, she represented the last contribution he could make to the state he devotedly served .

If she only held little talent, it wasn’t a loss . Bai Qi could still make comfortable arrangements .

But, because she’s too talented, it’s impossible for him to allow her a normal life .

…

“To serve…” Ghost Valley faintly muttered and nodded . “So it passes like this . ”

For a long time, the room became a void of silence .

Finally, Ghost Valley spoke up with hints of frustration in his tone .

“Bai Qi, do you know what I once asked Nan’er?”

“What did you ask?”

Ghost Valley sighed a bit . “I asked her what she thought of you as her master . ”

Bai Qi picked up his cup and smiled .

“She said because you saved her life . ”

It seemed to be an unremarkable answer, but Bai Qi’s hand stopped as he heard it, splashing some tea onto the table .

“Maybe she has long understood your intentions . Because you brought her in, no matter what plan you set, that reason alone is enough for her . ”

Ghost Valley grabbed his sword and got up .

“This afternoon, I’ll assess her swordsmanship for the final time, then I’ll leave . ”

Ghost Valley walked away, leaving Bai Qi alone in the room .

——————————————————————————

“Master . ” Gu Nan bowed slightly at the two people standing at the courtyard entrance . “Mr . Ghost Valley . ”

The snow had stopped falling, but the courtyard was still covered with it .

The wind remained strong, slowly disheveling her hair further . Her appearance has always been rugged, but the household has since gotten used to it .

Ghost Valley looked at Gu Nan and smiled .

For the last three months, he has become increasingly content with this student . Although she often acts lazy and uncontrollable, she has never quit in the teachings . Because of this, she now has a solid introduction to swordsmanship .

Of course, it’s only an introduction, it will require more work and practice to reach proficiency . Nonetheless, taking three months for this result is already quite good .

Learning the sword requires a foundation . If that foundation is bad, these flawed habits will weaken the final result considerably . It’s normal for ordinary people to take a year and a half for this result .

However, in the future, her level of attainments will depend entirely on her own ability .

“Nan’er, so you’ve been learning from me for three months?”

“Should be, more or less . ”

“Ha, more or less . ” Smiling at her unceremonious answer, Ghost Valley only shook his head .

“Today, I will conclude my duties as your teacher . ” Ghost Valley said with a sigh . “This is the last time I will teach you, and then I will return to my sect . ”

Gu Nan was stunned by the sudden change of events .

The past several months, Ghost Valley has treated her quite well . In addition to swordsmanship, he also taught philosophy and reasoning . Although he’s exacting and strict, his efforts in teaching are noticeable .

“Come and attack, show this old man the results of your work . ”

“This…” Gu Nan felt like scratching her cheek .

Ghost Valley is naturally very strong, she wouldn’t be able to win even if she used the so-called internal qi .

Her swordsmanship is at a level of taking care of groups of street bandits .

But when compared to this kind of person, it’s more of a test of mentality . Otherwise, you can’t even draw your sword .

“Then Senior . ”

Gu Nan made up her mind and nodded . Focusing, she went into the draw stance with a hand resting on the hilt .

“Be careful . ”

“Ha, don’t worry, this old man is still quite well . ”

…

The level of strength in her hands, even she’s not too clear right now .

Even her body feels strange, as if faster and stronger, but it’s only a vague feeling .

Bai Qi said that, theoretically, once someone started martial arts training, they will see a strong period of growth . However, this growth is limited, unless they begin practicing internal qi, it would be difficult to have any further gains in physical strength .

But for Gu Nan, her strength has been constantly increasing . Three months ago, she was at seven hundred jin (400kg) of strength .

And today, it’s surpassed that as well .

…

Power is speed .

“zing!”

The sword was drawn out of the scabbard like a blurred line . With a step forward, she propelled forward, as fast as an arrow .

In just a blink of an eye, the blade had already arrived in front of Ghost Valley .

In this move, she dedicated her full strength and her fastest strike .

Out all the sword moves, the one she was most familiar with was also her strongest, her forward thrust .