In the training grounds.
Meng Shaoxia and Jiang Feng were practicing swordsmanship together.
Jiang Feng was using the sword Meng Shaoxia had given him.
Meng Shaoxia was wielding a sword his grandfather had gifted him. His grandfather, known as the World's First Bounty Hunter, had a sword named "Abundant Fortune" which he had passed down to Meng Shaoxia.
The sword was sharp and of excellent quality, but its name carried a certain pressure.
"Abundant Fortune" implied abundance in both wealth and offspring.
Meng Shaoxia felt the deep-seated pressure to marry and have children – a complete package deal.
Jiang Feng's sword was a gift from Meng Shaoxia.
He had initially thought of naming it "Sword Gifted by Good Friend Shaoxia," but feeling it was too long and cumbersome, he settled on "Flawless."
He hoped this sword would remain flawless as long as it accompanied him.
Meng Shaoxia gripped "Abundant Fortune."
Jiang Feng held "Flawless."
Meng Shaoxia felt immense pressure, recalling how Brother Feng had once disarmed him with a mere wooden stick.
Now that Brother Feng also had a proper sword, the pressure was even greater.
However, during this time, Meng Shaoxia had faced life and death situations. Upon returning to the capital, he was immediately thrown into rigorous training at the military headquarters by his family. He hadn't wasted a moment and had been diligently honing his martial skills.
He felt he had made a significant leap in progress.
He was far stronger than before.
This Meng Shaoxia was not the same as before.
"Brother Feng, be careful. I've improved rapidly lately, and I'm not the same person I used to be," Meng Shaoxia warned kindly.
After all, if he were to hurt Jiang Feng, he'd be hurting little Yu'er's brother, who was also his future brother-in-law.
He vividly remembered when his father had sparred with his mother's brother. Although his father had won, he returned home covered in bruises from his mother's beating. Thankfully, both the Meng Family and Zeng Family had excellent medicinal salves for wounds.
Sometimes, winning could feel like losing.
Jiang Feng nodded.
"Brother Meng, since we last parted, I've been practicing diligently with the sword manual you gave me, regardless of the weather. I've also made significant progress, so you should be careful too."
Hearing this, Meng Shaoxia felt even more insecure.
Back then, he didn't possess any profound sword manuals. What he had given Jiang Feng wasn't even a proper manual, just the most basic training techniques from the military.
Almost everyone knew those moves.
If Brother Feng had truly been practicing those, wouldn't he have been holding him back?
Those techniques were so elementary that even children could master them. They were the most fundamental of basics.
Thinking about how Brother Feng had been treating these basic moves as some kind of secret martial arts manual and practicing them for so long, Meng Shaoxia felt increasingly guilty.
He could only try to look on the bright side.
At least the Jiang Family's living conditions had greatly improved.
Now they even had a dedicated place for martial arts practice.
As long as life was getting better, that was a good thing.
Having witnessed so many displaced civilians, Meng Shaoxia had become much more grounded.
For ordinary people, having enough to eat and wear was already a blessing. In fact, whether they rebelled or not, these basic necessities were all they truly sought.
In the afternoon.
The young men who had left such a strong impression on each other when they first met, once again took up their swords.
Fortunately, they didn't need to engage in a life-or-death battle; they still had the opportunity to spar and practice swordsmanship.
Meng Shaoxia said his sword had become faster.
Jiang Feng said his sword had become more stable.
Jiang Yu stood at the edge of the training ground, cheering, "Big brother, go for it!"
It wasn't clear whether she was cheering for Big Brother Meng or her own big brother...
Jiang Mianmian was being held by Aunt Yin, who had come to watch the excitement.
Eunuch Duan had also followed, carrying a tray for the little mistress with tea and snacks.
As he approached with the tray, he suddenly wondered why he was being so attentive. It made sense to be this eager to serve Strict Mentor's adopted daughter, but why was he so attentive to this country aunt? He had unconsciously acted based on her expressions.
Tsk, he truly was born to serve others.
Jiang Mianmian saw the tray placed before her, reached for the cup, and took a sip of tea. She said, "Thank you, little Eunuch Duan."
Eunuch Duan bowed humbly, "It's my duty, my duty."
Then, like an eager little bee, he brought over cushions and small tables.
He even placed a small round cushion for little Mianmian to sit on.
Aunt Yin gave Eunuch Duan an approving look; the young man knew how to secure his position.
Jiang Yu also sat down.
Eating chicken feet while watching the match.
Jiang Mianmian was excited; this was a real-life performance.
Real sword fighting.
It should be much more impressive than what they show on TV.
But just as she settled down, adjusting her position to get comfortable, the match ended.
There were no dazzling sword techniques, no spinning moves, no leaping into the air, no back-and-forth exchanges.
With a single "Clang!" it was over.
It was utterly unspectacular.
Meng Shaoxia's sword was once again knocked from his hand by a single strike from Jiang Feng.
With a "Clatter," the sword hit the ground and bounced once, producing a second sound.
Meng Shaoxia looked at his hand in disbelief, then at "Abundant Fortune" on the ground.
The last time Brother Feng had disarmed him with a wooden stick, he hadn't been prepared.
This time, he had been very confident and had prepared for a long time.
One might not be able to gauge their own improvement in literary pursuits, but when it came to martial prowess, it was quite tangible. After all, killing and combat produced real, physical results.
Meng Shaoxia felt that today's version of himself could defeat at least six versions of himself from a year ago.
Yet he had still been disarmed by Brother Feng with a single strike.
Jiang Feng also looked pleasantly surprised, believing it was all thanks to Brother Meng's efforts. The sword manual he had given him was incredibly profound. The more he practiced, the more powerful he felt. At first, it seemed like just a few ordinary moves, but as he continued to practice, he discovered endless possibilities in each technique.
Brother Meng was truly a good friend.
Now he was truly a brother-in-law.
They were family.
Meng Shaoxia looked utterly bewildered and said, "Let's go again."
Once more, he was disarmed.
"Again."
Disarmed.
"Once more."
Disarmed.
...
Meng Shaoxia sat on the stone steps, his face a picture of despair.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and he felt like crying.
He couldn't understand it.
He truly couldn't comprehend.
How was this possible?
He had improved so much, yet he still lost.
Brother Feng was using the most common and ordinary sword techniques. Brother Feng must have been going easy on him, using only those three basic moves.
Three basic moves, over and over.
Yet they left him completely helpless.
Jiang Yu, who had been cheering just moments ago, now charged furiously onto the training ground.
She chased after her big brother, intent on beating him up.
"Big brother, how dare you bully Brother Meng! Hitting him once wasn't enough, you had to do it several times!" Jiang Yu sprinted after her brother, wielding the chicken foot she had been eating. She not only struck Jiang Feng on the head with it but also picked up "Abundant Fortune" from the ground and chased Jiang Feng all around the training ground.
Meng Shaoxia, who had initially felt defeated, was now filled with emotion.
Little Yu'er loved him so much that she was even seeking revenge on his behalf. He felt deeply touched and protected.
Little Yu'er was much better than his own mother, who used to chase his father around to avenge her brother.
However, watching Jiang Yu chase Jiang Feng around the field, running so fast they left afterimages, the siblings engaged in back-and-forth combat. Jiang Feng ran, dodged, and fought simultaneously, while Jiang Yu pursued and attacked. Were they evenly matched???
Meng Shaoxia felt even more frustrated?
How could this be?
Jiang Feng must be going easy on his sister.
On the field, Jiang Feng shouted while sprinting: "Xiao Yu, you're going too far! You're even ambushing me! If you want to fight, then fight fair! Pulling my hair is not okay! You're not even married yet, but you're already taking sides against your own brother! Xiao Yu, stop it! Xiao Yu... I give up! Ouch, ouch! I surrender!"
Meng Shaoxia watched tearfully as little Yu pinned down brother Feng. She turned back to him with a radiant smile.
Meng Shaoxia wanted to laugh but couldn't.
His lips twitched slightly.
...
