Chapter 37

At the first crow of the rooster, at dawn, Luo Shixin stretched lazily, yawned, and leaped out of bed with a kip-up, moving his stiff body. Suddenly, he said, "Who's out there?"

"It's me, it's me!" Zheng Liwan's clear voice sounded from outside.

"Bang!" The door was kicked open, and the little girl burst in, holding a basin of water in both hands. She placed the basin on the table and was about to speak when she saw Luo Shixin bare-chested, wearing only shorts, flexing his muscles with his hands raised high and twisting his waist. Her face turned as red as a ripe apple, and she quickly covered her cheeks, exclaiming, "You, how can you be so shameless, not even wearing clothes?"

Luo Shixin looked innocent, "Who sleeps with clothes on in such hot weather? It's not like we're outside, you're making a fuss over nothing!"

Zheng Liwan lowered her hands, her eyes wide with indignation, "Who's making a fuss over nothing? I've brought the water, go wash up!"

The little girl was also quite competitive and didn't cover herself anymore. Her eyes couldn't help but wander, looking at his well-built muscles, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but think, "He looks pretty good."

Luo Shixin felt uncomfortable under her gaze and put on his clothes, saying, "I can do this myself, you should go rest!"

"No way!" Zheng Liwan shook her head, "I, Zheng Liwan, won't let you take advantage of me for nothing. If you say I'll be your maid, I'll be your maid. If you say I'll give you advice, I'll give you advice." She spoke with righteous indignation, but in her heart, she thought, "If you take my help, you won't have the face to kick me out."

Luo Shixin felt a bit helpless. He couldn't hit or scold this kind of person, so he let her be. He took a towel and started to wash up.

Zheng Liwan was intelligent but couldn't hide her girlish nature. Seeing Luo Shixin's tacit agreement, she hummed a little tune smugly.

Zheng Liwan had a naturally pleasant voice, and when she hummed, it sounded as sweet and moving as a lark's song.

"I didn't expect you to sing, and you're pretty good at it," Luo Shixin suddenly became interested. Everyone has their preferences and strengths. For the historical Luo Shixin, his preference was martial arts, and his strength was his invincible prowess. For the Luo Shixin from before his穿越 (time travel), his preference was singing, and he was known in his friend circle as a karaoke king, able to sing everything from Li Na's "Qingzang Plateau" and Ashin's "Love Until Death" to the delicate songs of the love prince Zhang Xinzhe, and he sang them quite well.

Zheng Liwan said smugly, "This girl is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Humming a few tunes is nothing. With a maid like me, you still complain about this and that. You really don't know what's good for you."

Luo Shixin rolled his eyes, "A good maid doesn't talk back to her master. So even as a maid, you're this." He extended his little finger, wiggling it in front of Zheng Liwan, and waved his hand, "Take the water away, little girl!"

If the tiger doesn't show its might, they really take you for a sick cat!

Luo Shixin realized that women shouldn't be indulged or pampered. Once indulged and pampered, they become uncontrollable. At first, he thought Zheng Liwan might be a future wife and was lenient with her, but she took advantage of his kindness, becoming smug and almost taking over. If he didn't discipline her properly, she might end up like Cui Shi, making him kneel on a搓衣板 (washing board).

Zheng Liwan was so angry that her eyebrows furrowed, but she held back, picked up the basin, and walked out, stomping her feet heavily to vent her anger.

Luo Shixin was in a good mood and hummed a cheerful tune.

The tunes of the Tang Dynasty were clearly less structured and melodic than those of later times. When Luo Shixin started singing, he easily outshone Zheng Liwan's casual humming.

Zheng Liwan was stunned for a moment, finally understanding the meaning of the "also" in Luo Shixin's words. Her eyes sparkled with interest, thinking about how to get Luo Shixin to sing for her. She finished her chores and her little head started to spin with ideas.

Before she could come up with a plan, she heard a loud and clear voice singing:

"The great river like a dragon, the mountains with tigers, roaring to the sky, singing in sorrow. Dragon and tiger coiled, with bells and drums, dragon and tiger leaping, with culture and martial arts... A sword splits the sky, a heart of blood writes the history. Great tasks, hardening the spirit, strengthening the body, but righteousness, writing articles, showing ambition... Standing tall as a man, with a noble heart as a hero. The sun and moon rise and fall, the clouds and winds rise, what a great Chinese nation, hiding dragons and tigers."

Luo Shixin, not content with just humming, had his karaoke king nature awakened and wanted to sing a few lines loudly.

But the conditions were limited, so Luo Shixin could only patiently go to the training ground, clear his mind, and focus on practicing martial arts. The long spear in his hands moved like lightning and a dragon, and because his martial arts were honed on the battlefield, even when he practiced alone, it exuded a fierce and unyielding aura.

Once he got into the spirit, Luo Shixin couldn't suppress his excitement. As his long spear created a flurry of shadows, he sang "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" by Tu Honggang.

Tu Honggang's songs were grand and majestic, and even without any accompaniment, they could stir the blood. Combined with Luo Shixin's battlefield martial arts, they complemented each other perfectly, creating a unique and powerful feeling.

Luo Shixin's spear followed his heart, and his heart followed the song. He sang and danced, his spear slicing through the air with unmatched might. The fierce aura from the spear tip condensed into snowflake-like light points, as if thousands of winter plums suddenly bloomed. The movements were grand and expansive, filled with killing intent, and he felt the exhilaration of facing enemies on the battlefield.

Luo Shixin couldn't help but let out a long, joyful cry, his cry filled with satisfaction. He had unexpectedly experienced the heart of a warrior through this song.

The heart of a warrior is a realm, a realm where a top expert integrates their essence, energy, and spirit, a spiritual elevation.

Luo Shixin inherited Luo Shixin's divine strength, martial arts, and even his memories, senses, and intuition, but he couldn't directly inherit the spirit. That had to be experienced personally.

Therefore, Luo Shixin's martial arts always lacked a spiritual force. He could defeat Cheng Yaojin but not a super expert like Qin Qiong. In the past, when Luo Shixin faced Qin Qiong, he was slightly inferior, but the outcome was still a 40-60 split. After the time travel, however, Luo Shixin had never won against Qin Qiong.

Both of them had honed their techniques and strength to the limits of their bodies, and the difference lay in the realm of the spirit.

Luo Shixin felt the grandeur of battlefield spear techniques from the song and unexpectedly stepped into the realm of the heart of a warrior.

Luo Shixin suddenly felt someone watching him and turned back to see Zheng Liwan standing outside the courtyard, her eyes wide with amazement, completely absorbed. Looking at the wutong tree on the other side of the wall, the leaves rustled, but there was no one.

Pei Qingyi landed gracefully, her expression somewhat dazed, muttering, "His realm has improved again, does he even let others live?"

Princess Pingyang felt a bit regretful, having not climbed the tree to watch, and had no idea what was happening on the other side.

A truly capable person is always diligent. Like Luo Shixin, Princess Pingyang got up at the first crow of the rooster every day to read and practice martial arts, without fail. Her training ground was opposite Luo Shixin's, separated by a wall.

Such a loud and clear song naturally reached their ears.