“Mother! Mother! It really has nothing to do with me I swear! They’re the ones who hit me!” Yang Baoshu ran around the courtyard while he screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Why did they hit you? If you didn’t bother them, why would they hit you?” a middle-aged lady stood with arms akimbo and pointed at him madly.
Chu Li was watching all of this through the Omniscient Mirror.
The middle-aged lady was petite, she looked graceful and elegant.
There were almost no women with good looks on the street so she was pretty enough to be outstanding.
“I don’t know either. I really didn’t find any sort of trouble with them. They’re the ones who kept bothering me!” Yang Baoshu replied innocently.
“Nonsense! You’re always babbling and driveling. Why would they want to bother you?” the middle-aged lady sounded even more outraged.
“Maybe it’s because I’m an easy target for a bully?” Yang Baoshu answered with uncertainty.
“Nonsense, nonsense! You’re so tall and big, who would think that you’re easy to bully?” the middle-aged lady was furious.
“Mother, your thinking is not right. There’s no point in being tall and hefty. The man who bullied me was short and skinny; it looked like he was just playing a game when he hit me!” Yang Baoshu quickly continued.
“So you’re saying that your muscles and build are all for nothing? If he bullied you, why didn’t you hit him back?” the middle-aged lady became even more irritated.
“I did but I lost to him! My martial arts is too weak!” Yang Baoshu said helplessly.
“That’s because you don’t put enough effort into training! Train after your meal and don’t even try to be lazy!” the middle-aged lady scoffed.
“Mother, other people have good masters to give them pointers but I have none. I can only rely on the secret manual so how can I train to become anything out of that?” Yang Baoshu muttered to himself. But when the middle-aged lady stared at him, he quickly laughed instead. “Alright, alright, I’ll train right after I eat. I’m a born genius, I don’t need a master!”
The middle-aged lady said snappily, “It’s all because I’m incapable isn’t it? I can’t earn enough money for you to have a martial arts master.”
“Mother, it’s alright, I’m pretty good by just doing self-training. Although Hu Yu bullied me, I can still bully other people!” Yang Baoshu said.
“You bastard, did you say you’re going to bully others?” the middle-aged lady’s face turned dark again.
Yang Baoshu waved his hand immediately. “I’m just casually saying, of course, I won’t!”
“Go eat now!” the middle-aged lady turned around and entered the house.
Yang Baoshu sighed in relief and wiped away the sweat on his forehead. He shook his head and thought to himself that he finally managed to get over that!
As Chu Li listened, he could not help but break into laughter. He felt that the whole ordeal was extremely entertaining.
Chu Li kept ignoring Yang Baoshu but it was because he did not want to give him any trouble.
Anyhow, that boy was a rare gem. He had a pure and kind heart.
Chu Li carried the braised pork to the East side courtyard.
Yang Xu took the meat and brought them inside to cut and plate them. Since Chu Li had already eaten at the restaurant, he was preparing to leave.
“Wait up!” Xiao Shi called out.
Chu Li looked at her.
Xiao Shi sat on a garden stool with a scroll of scripture in her hands. She frowned and stared at him with her shiny and clear eyes.
“Chu Li, are you avoiding me?”
Chu Li hesitated for a moment. “I’m not.”
“I’m not a fool! Chu Li, am I a Spirit Beast? Are you afraid of me?” Xiao Shi rolled her eyes at him and said gently.
Chu Li chuckled.
“What exactly is the reason?” Xiao Shi scoffed.
Chu Li replied calmly, “Lady, you’re overthinking, there’s no such thing.”
Xiao Shi’s rolled her eyes and forced a laugh. “Chu Li, have you fallen for me?”
Chu Li kept waving his hands in denial.
Xiao Shi laughed softly. “I guess I’m right.”
Chu Li chuckled bitterly. “Lady, I’ll be honest with you. I’m worried that I can’t control myself and that I might really fall for you.”
“I’m the prettiest woman in the Great Ji, how can you not?” Xiao Shi smiled wider. It was as bright as a pearl.
Xiao Shi knew that she was charming. Unfortunately, her heart could no longer be moved and she could not fall for anyone anymore but nonetheless, it was fun teasing Chu Li.
“Improper thoughts are the roots of worries. Don’t worry, Lady, I won’t seek trouble on my own.” Chu Li sighed.
Xiao Shi said, “Men are all like that and you’re no exception!”
Chu Li nodded gently.
Xiao Shi suddenly felt dispirited, she waved her hand. “You may leave.”
Chu Li smiled and made his move to exit.
Xiao Shi was truly the bane of men. She had an unparalleled beauty, was as gentle as water, and her smile was even more seductive. But against all expectations, her heart was as cold as stone.
It was not that Chu Li was afraid that he would lose control and eventually fall for Xiao Shi, but it was more because she made him think about Xiao Qi. This made his heart ache at times so Chu Li subconsciously avoided meeting her.
——
In the evening, rosy clouds shrouded over the entire courtyard.
Chu Li was waving his long sword slowly in the courtyard as he wanted to transform the Seven Forms of Divine Blade into the Seven Forms of Godly Sword.
Nonetheless, he was always dissatisfied with the power of the Seven Forms of Godly Sword as he could not unleash the powers of the Seven Forms of Divine Blade entirely. It felt like there was a layer of paper in between. Although it was just a minor difference, Chu Li could not fix it no matter what.
Chu Li knew that it was because the cultivation of his martial arts was still shallow as he lacked a concrete foundation.
During the process of practicing the Seven Forms of Godly Sword, it was also a time for him to master martial arts, which was extremely beneficial for him.
After Yang Baoshu had his dinner, he trained his martial arts for a while then he placed a long ladder to the roof for him to climb to the top as he wanted to change a broken roof tile.
Out of nowhere, Yang Baoshu saw Chu Li wielding his sword around in his courtyard and he cracked a laugh or two at that moment. Then, he waved to greet him.
Yang Baoshu knew that his neighbor was an odd man who did not like to acknowledge other people but when it was appropriate to greet, he had to greet him, otherwise, he would feel uneasy.
Chu Li nodded then continued wielding his sword slowly.
The technique was simple. The key was the cooperation and timing of the Heart Technique and the form technique. Only by achieving a perfect and flawless level would he be able to completely unleash its powers.
Nevertheless, since his movements could not wholly merge with his Heart Technique, Chu Li had to move around slowly as he attempted to look for that obscure feeling.
Looking in as an outsider, Chu Li seemed like he was casually making gestures instead of practicing his sword skills. It looked as though he was playing with the sword.
Chu Li was not afraid of being seen by Yang Baoshu as he was entirely focused on seeking the obscure feeling.
Meanwhile, Yang Baoshu stood on the roof as he held a tile in his hand. He was absent-minded as he took glances at Chu Li from time to time. He was unusually curious.
“Aiyo!” Yang Baoshu shouted abruptly as he rolled down from the roof.
Bang! He landed in Chu Li’s courtyard.
Yang Baoshu turned and stood up immediately. Before he even bothered to wipe all the mud away, he scratched his head while smiling apologetically and embarrassingly. “Sorry, sorry, sorry for disturbing your training, Mister!”
Chu Li put his sword back into its scabbard. “Are you injured anywhere?”
Since Yang Baoshu had landed in his courtyard, it was inevitable that they conversed, so Chu Li greeted him.
“It’s alright, it’s alright! I have thick skin, one fall won’t do me any harm!” Yang Baoshu said hurriedly.
“I can see that,” Chu Li said.
For the past few days, he had noticed that Yang Baoshu always had injuries whenever he returned home. He was being hit every day and after dinner each night, he would train with his secret manual as a guide.
By the looks of it, Yang Baoshu was no different from children playing house as he would not master anything forever.
Yang Baoshu looked at his sword then smiled and said, “Mister, are you a martial arts master?”
Chu Li waved his hand.
“That’s a really nice sword! What a beautiful sword!” Yang Baoshu stared at the dark green scabbard and was amazed.
Chu Li could not help but chuckle.
He knew what Yang Baoshu was actually thinking.
Not only him, but his sword was weird too. It was just a wooden sword anyway, so dull and dark. Moreover, even his sword technique was like a flower skill, it was so soft as if there was no sword at all. Chu Li could not even kill a chicken, let alone a person!
Luckily, the weird man did not admit that he was a martial arts master; at least he did not lie.
Chu Li placed his sword on the stone table then said, “I’ll pour some tea for you.”
Chu Li stood up and entered his house then brought out a cup of tea.
Yang Baoshu smiled embarrassingly, then received the teacup with both his hands.
As expected, Chu Li was a scholar. Although he was arrogant, proud and always ignored people, at least when he had guests over, he was quite thoughtful and gave great hospitality.
“Uhm…” Yang Baoshu asked awkwardly, “Mister, can I take a look at your sword?”