Chương 30: What Did I Get Myself Into?

After finishing breakfast in the main dining hall, Xiao Xuan navigated the familiar corridors of the Su Clan estate, making his way toward the training ground. The morning air was already growing warm, carrying the faint scent of damp earth and blooming plum blossoms. Why only Su Luoyang?! As he walked, his brow furrowed in frustration. He had just tried to sense the emotions of everyone at the dining hall, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't. He didn't even know how or why it happened the first time.

Did I really feel it? He let out a long sigh, deciding to drop the matter for now. He would just have to wait until Su Luoyang returned. He soon reached the familiar training ground he had previously visited with Su Luoyao. The sun-baked dirt ground was perfect for him. Xiao Xuan walked to the center and stopped. He fetched the Falcon Dash manual from his ring. He didn't bother opening it. He could still remember every little detail of the technique he had so rigorously practiced in his dream.

Xiao Xuan took a deep breath, setting his feet into the starting stance. He closed his eyes, routing a thin thread of Qi from his dantian, pushing it down through his thighs and into his calves. He stepped forward with his left heel. He dropped his center of gravity. As he pushed off, he released a little bit of Qi. Whoosh! He pitched forward and slammed face-first into the packed dirt.

"Gah," Xiao Xuan groaned, spitting out a mouthful of gritty earth. He pushed himself up, his arms shaking slightly, and wiped the dirt off his face with his sleeve. He took a deep, stabilizing breath. It was fine. He walked back to the starting line and reset his stance. Step. Pivot. Push. He moved forward, clearing three feet before his right ankle rolled, sending him crashing onto his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, stood back up, and repeated the cycle.

He fell, he got up, he adjusted the Qi flow, and he stepped again. His progress was visibly fast compared to his dream. While Xiao Xuan was looping through his cycle of falling and rising, a petite figure was passing down the open stone passage that overlooked the training grounds. She stopped, leaning over the stone railing. She watched Xiao Xuan drag himself out of the dirt for the fifth time, meticulously adjusting his footwork. An unmistakable evil grin slowly spread across her round face.

On the ground, Xiao Xuan was finally finding his rhythm. He had successfully executed three short dashes without falling. The Qi flow was smooth, his breathing was perfectly synced, and his center of gravity was locked low. He took a deep breath, preparing to string two dashes together. He stepped, pivoted, and perfectly routed the Qi into his soles. Just as his back foot tensed to initiate the explosive push—"Brother-in-law!" The sharp, high-pitched shout erupted directly behind his ear.

"Ahh?!" Xiao Xuan's focus shattered. The carefully regulated Qi in his legs surged out of control. His left leg jerked upward, his right leg locked straight, and all of his forward momentum instantly redirected straight into the ground. Thud. A loud, melodic giggle echoed through the training ground. Xiao Xuan groaned, rolling onto his back. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and turned around, shooting the intruding girl a displeased look.

She was standing a few feet away, her hands clasped behind her back, rocking on her heels with a highly satisfied expression.

"Why did you have to do that?" Xiao Xuan asked, dusting off his blue robes.

"Hehe… I apologize," Su Luoyao said sheepishly, though her eyes were dancing with amusement. She stepped forward, gesturing broadly to the scuffed dirt.

"You looked so serious, I couldn't resist. But in exchange for interrupting you, let me help you practice." If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Xiao Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"How?" Su Luoyao puffed out her chest, her aura flaring slightly.

"Spar with me!"

"Absolutely not," Xiao Xuan denied instantly, taking a step back.

"You are way stronger than me! And you use a terrifying whip!"

"I won't use my whip," Su Luoyao promised, waving her hand dismissively.

"And don't worry, I'll limit my cultivation to the exact same level as yours. Come on! You can't learn a movement technique just by running in a straight line." Xiao Xuan hesitated. He knew she was right. Su Ming had told him the exact same thing in his dream. He let out a long sigh.

"Okay…" Su Luoyao's eyes lit up. She instantly dropped into a low martial stance, her hands raised into tight fists. Xiao Xuan barely had time to widen his stance before she moved. Unlike Su Ming's fluid grace, Su Luoyao fought like a hurricane. There was no subtle shift in pressure, no calculated pacing. She simply exploded forward, relying on brute-force momentum. She closed the distance in a single leap, driving a heavy palm strike straight toward his chest.

Xiao Xuan tried to pivot and activate the Falcon Dash, but her raw speed overwhelmed his reaction time. Before his Qi could even reach his calves, her palm connected with his shoulder. Thwack. The impact was heavy and uncompromising. Xiao Xuan was sent spinning off his feet, crashing hard into the dirt.

"Get up quick!" Su Luoyao barked, not giving him a single second to recover. She stepped forward, her shadow falling over him. She was not kind. Unlike Su Ming, who offered technical reprimands, Su Luoyao simply kept the pressure high, relentlessly forcing him to react. Xiao Xuan scrambled to his feet, but before he could even raise his guard, she swept her leg low, hooking his ankle. He hit the ground again, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

"Are you going to protect Big Sister with this pathetic technique?" Su Luoyao berated, her voice ringing across the training ground.

"Get up!" Xiao Xuan gritted his teeth, the metallic taste of copper filling his mouth.

"Just you wait…" Xiao Xuan grunted, pushing himself off the dirt. Su Luoyao lunged forward, throwing a wide, sweeping kick aimed at his ribs. Xiao Xuan didn't look at her leg. He kept his eyes firmly locked on the center of her chest. The moment her collarbone dipped, signaling the shift in her weight, Xiao Xuan moved. He didn't try to dash backward. He dropped his center of gravity, perfectly routing a thread of Qi into his left calf, and pivoted sharply on his right heel.

Su Luoyao's heavy kick swept through empty air, passing mere inches from his torso. Su Luoyao's eyes widened in surprise. Her momentum carried her forward, but she quickly adjusted, planting her foot and driving a rapid jab toward his face. Xiao Xuan didn't flinch. He leaned his upper body backward, letting the fist glide harmlessly past his nose, and simultaneously pushed off his back foot. He slid two feet to the left, effortlessly breaking her line of attack. Gotcha!

Su Luoyao rushed to her left, executing a rapid combination of palm strikes. Xiao Xuan routed the Qi into his soles. He glided backward, his boots sliding smoothly over the packed dirt. He was already a fraction of an inch out of range.

"I'm here, Luoyao," Xiao Xuan teased, a confident smirk touching his lips.

"You're getting clumsy…"

"Will you only keep evading, or even strike back?!" Su Luoyao demanded furiously. She abandoned all pretense of technique and lunged forward with everything she had, committing her weight to a descending strike. Xiao Xuan didn't retreat. He forcefully injected a surge of Qi into his meridians. He stepped forward with his left heel, stepping directly inside her guard as her strike descended. He dropped his weight, confusing her trajectory. Before she could stop her downward momentum, Xiao Xuan pivoted hard.

He channeled the explosive propulsion of the Falcon Dash, but instead of using it to run away, he drove all of that generated forward momentum directly up through his torso, down his arm, and into his open palm. Whoosh! He shot forward in an instant, catching Su Luoyao off guard. She saw the strike coming. It was far too quick for her to evade, so she crossed her arms over her chest. That won't do anything! she thought dismissively. Bang! Xiao Xuan's palm slammed into her crossed forearms.

"Ah?!" Su Luoyao's eyes widened as the heavy impact lifted her off her feet and sent her crashing into the dirt. Thud. She landed squarely on her butt, kicking up a large cloud of dust. The training ground fell dead silent. Xiao Xuan stood in the center, his right hand still extended, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He slowly lowered his arm, a wide, satisfied grin breaking across his face. Su Luoyao sat in the dirt, stunned.

She looked at her arms, then looked up at Xiao Xuan, her face rapidly flushing a deep, furious crimson.

"You cheat!" Su Luoyao berated, scrambling to her feet and pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"I beat you fair and square!" Xiao Xuan laughed, dusting off his hands.

"You are just being a sore loser…" Her furious expression was replaced by shock.

"Your strike… your cultivation has advanced!"

"That's right," Xiao Xuan said, his voice ringing with undeniable pride.

"I have reached the third stage of the Qi Tu (Qi Disciple) rank."

"I hate you, brother-in-law! You didn't tell me that beforehand!" Su Luoyao protested, puffing her cheeks out in exaggerated anger.

"Haha… I'm sorry, Luoyao," Xiao Xuan said, offering a sheepish smile to placate her. But Su Luoyao stubbornly refused to listen, turning on her heel and marching away toward the corridors.

"Wait! Luoyao," Xiao Xuan chased.

"Aren't you happy I advanced?" Su Luoyao's steps faltered for a fraction of a second, but she quickly resumed walking without looking back.

"Come on now! I will buy you anything you want to make up for it, alright?" he offered.

"Hmph! What could you even buy me?" Su Luoyao asked skeptically, her pace finally slowing.

"Did you forget? I still have nine hundred thousand silver coins from selling my pills at the auction!" Su Luoyao's ears practically twitched. She instantly spun around, her previous anger vanishing into thin air as she began bouncing on her heels in joy.

"Really?! Wait right here. I'll go bring my list!" Without giving him a single second to respond, she dashed off down the corridor like a red blur. List? Xiao Xuan was left standing alone in the stone passage, staring blankly at her rapidly vanishing figure. What did I get myself into?