Practicing the Sword

The next morning...

Shi Yi woke up quite early, before the sun had risen high. Tossing the blanket aside, she stretched her body, let out a lazy yawn, and wore a sluggish expression. For some reason, she felt like getting up early today.

She quickly left the rear courtyard, following the path leading to the flower garden. As soon as she stepped in, the fresh scent of flowers wafted through the wind. Walking a bit further, she reached the backyard, where Dinglun usually practiced his sword.

In the early morning, as usual, he was practicing diligently. The sharp longsword in his hand moved with lightning speed, his velocity terrifying. The sword in his hand was like a flood dragon roaming free, its power like rising thunder. Each strike was peerlessly powerful, nothing could compare, moving so fast the naked eye could not keep up. Truly an unpredictable and divine sword art!

This heroic and majestic appearance, with an aura that reached the heavens, would surely drive countless women mad. Waking up early in the morning and having a great beauty of a man like this hit your eyes—who wouldn't be happy? She was both admiring and impressed: "It's just sword practice, does he need to be this handsome?"

To be honest, the world's title for him as the number one handsome man was no exaggeration! Now she understood why every woman in the world wanted to marry him.

— "What are you looking at?" — A voice like a passing breeze rang out.

Only then did she snap out of her wandering thoughts, escaping from that immersion and admiration. Looking at him, she stammered:

— "It's... it's nothing. Just looking at the sky, the earth, and the clouds."

Dinglun didn't hold back and spoke directly:

— "I clearly saw you looking at me."

Those deep eyes seemed to see through all mortal affairs. Before him, it felt as if all lies and excuses could not be uttered. Anyone with a guilty conscience would feel an inexplicable panic. She was no exception, equally flustered, constantly scratching her neck.

At that moment, Dinglun suddenly remembered Master Bai's words: "Your Highness must smile." So he curled his lips, his mouth widening into a bright smile. In his mind, it must have been a radiant smile full of aura. But from her perspective, that smile looked truly bizarre and forced, nothing like Prince An's usual style.

His smile made her take a few steps back. It was clear; before her, he was as stiff as a block of wood, smiling with great difficulty, looking no different from someone about to cry.

She looked at that smile and couldn't help it, bursting into laughter:

— "Ha ha ha... An Dinglun, are you smiling or crying? Your face looks terrible!"

That cold face was still much better to look at. It wasn't just bad; it was extremely bad. Fortunately, being born with a handsome face saved a part of that pathetic smile.

This time he learned his lesson; he would never smile again. Being criticized by her so harshly, Dinglun's face turned bright red, both angry and embarrassed to death, his face flushed as he turned away. If there were a hole here, he wouldn't hesitate to jump in to avoid the shame! Thus, the majesty of Prince An was completely lost to her.

That's why they say chasing a girl isn't easy; being handsome isn't as good as being thick-skinned. And pride must be thrown away.

Seeing Dinglun's embarrassment, Shi Yi covered her mouth and laughed. She didn't dare laugh loudly, fearing he would hear and not know what to do out of shame. Seeing the sword lying neatly on the table, an idea flashed. To save what little dignity he had left, she immediately suggested:

— "Let's spar!"

— "Spar? Spar what?"

She pointed to the sword on the table and said:

— "Sword fighting."

Dinglun's face was full of confidence as he said:

— "Are you sure? Although your movements are agile, you don't look like someone who practices the sword. Even if you do, your cultivation base must be low. I have held a sword for over ten years; isn't this like throwing an egg against a stone?"

— "I naturally know you're powerful; I just want you to teach me a few moves. Is that okay?"

With a pouting face looking at him, who could refuse such a beauty? Heroes have always found it hard to pass the trial of a beautiful woman. Naturally, Dinglun was no exception, and besides, since there was an opportunity to show off, why refuse? He didn't think twice and immediately agreed:

— "If you want to learn that much, then come over here."

Shi Yi quickly ran to his side. He didn't yet know that the woman before him was a top assassin in the world; let alone swordsmanship, if you gave her anything, it would become a divine weapon in her hands.

She stepped quickly down the steps, gliding across the grass. After the rain, the flower garden seemed to wear a new coat—the color of green jade. A few sparkling dewdrops still lingered on the petals. The trees, grass, and flowers were all flourishing, and all things were full of life. Those blossoms bloomed brilliantly under the morning sun, and a fresh, gentle scent wafted in the early breeze.

Dinglun handed her the sword he was holding, while he himself turned to the table, firmly grasping a precious sword with a green scabbard, and said with a cold demeanor:

— "Let me see how far you've come to make my Guard lose to you like that."

She wasn't at all flustered or afraid, saying with a smile:

— "Begin!"

The sparring match began immediately after.

The shining sword was drawn from its green scabbard, pointing straight at her. She leaned back, her left hand touching the ground, and immediately flipped herself up.

He lunged forward, swinging the sword behind his back; the sword light seemed to tear through the air, instantly rushing toward her...