บท 4: Clan Training Grounds

Liu Xuefeng sighed in relief as he sat on the bed, exhausted from the whole interaction. It was fortunate that his dantian had been repaired; otherwise, life in this world would have been unbearable. He could finally relax and focus on the important matters.

One task was familiarizing himself with the area, while the other was overcoming his feelings for Wuying, which proved to be a significant hindrance. He didn't want to always feel tense whenever they interacted so he had to get used to being around her.

"Young Master, you didn't tell me anything about this pill," Wuying was the first to break the silence as she walked up, looking him straight in the eyes. "I was with you in the city a week ago and I didn't notice you feeding any beggars."

Xuefeng scratched his head, knowing very well his story would only work on his parents. Judging from the fact that she didn't immediately expose him, it was safe to assume she could be trusted with the partial truth.

"I am sorry for lying earlier, but you are right. There was no pill," Xuefeng admitted while matching her gaze. "I actually have a secret that aided in my recovery, but I haven't fully grasped how it works yet. Once I figure it out, I will make sure to tell you."

He smiled genuinely, and she gratefully accepted his apology, sighing with relief as she sat down by his side. "Ah, I'm so glad it was just a lie… If it was really an unknown pill you have consumed, I would have blamed myself for not taking care of you properly. Young master, you should never eat any medicine unless you know its source. You can never know if someone is trying to poison you."

"I know, I'm sorry," he apologized again, taking a deep breath. "At least now that I can finally cultivate, I will be able to get stronger and protect myself."

He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to recall the memories of his tragic incident. As much as he was still far from being strong enough to get his revenge, it shouldn't take long considering his cousin wasn't the ultimate genius of their generation.

'I will show you that you are leaving Wuying in good hands so that you can finally move on,' Xuefeng promised in his mind, quite confident of his abilities. Although he wasn't a good fighter, he was always good at studying so cultivation shouldn't be that hard.

"Young master," Wuying whispered, placing her hand on top of his. "I also wanted to apologize for being absent yesterday. If only I was by your side at all times, you wouldn't have to suffer..."

Xuefeng could feel her trembling as she spoke, her voice breaking several times as if she was on the verge of tears. He opened his eyes and sat up, gently holding her hand. "It's not your fault, Wuying. I got injured because I wasn't strong enough to protect you. I won't let it happen again."

He cringed at his own words, but Wuying seemed content, pulling his hand towards her face to feel its warmth. "I can't wait to see your amazing growth. I'm sure you will become a powerful cultivator in the future."

Once again, Xuefeng felt his heart tighten, but he managed to endure it until Wuying pulled away and encouraged him to leave the bed. "Young master, I think a stroll would be good for your health. Would you like to visit the city? We still have a few hours till sunset."

Supervising the area was one of his plans so he didn't have a reason to reject her. "Alright, I will be right with you after I take a bath and change."

"Do you wish for me to help scrub your back?" she offered sincerely, causing Xuefeng to curse his predecessor's luck.

"There is no need, I can manage on my own today," he replied quickly before hurrying into the bathroom. Thankfully the baths weren't that much different from the modern world so he didn't require anyone to bring him hot water.

'I really need to be careful. If I keep rejecting her, she might catch on that I'm not the person she once knew,' Xuefeng thought, sighing to himself. 'I guess I will just follow her lead for now and see what happens...'

Tianshi was still fresh in his mind, so it was hard to imagine he could fall for another woman. Even though he inherited his predecessor's feelings, it was still hard to accept the new reality.

***

Xuefeng made sure to calm down his heart before they left for the city, but all his efforts were crushed after Wuying grabbed his hand, caressing it gently with her thumb. He was fine with it at first, but his mind soon started wandering into dangerous territories he was trying to avoid.

"Ehem," he cleared his throat to cover the awkwardness and stopped before they left his courtyard, knowing very well he couldn't go on like this forever. "I know we are comfortable with each other, but we shouldn't hold hands in public. I don't want other people to talk behind your back."

Wuying seemed disappointed at first but she nodded shyly, letting go of his arm. "I just wanted to somehow thank you for defending my name yesterday. I know how much you like when I touch you so that's the least I can do."

"W-well, that's okay, but not in places where everyone can see us," Xuefeng replied while looking away, trying to play it safe.

He expected her to accept his wishes, but she totally misunderstood his intentions.

"Mhmm, I understand. I will now touch you more when no one is looking to compensate for your public appearances," she concluded, smiling happily at her own idea. "Until we are alone again, you will have to bear with it."

Xuefeng opened his mouth to counter, but no words came out. He stared blankly at her cute face while silently thinking of a solution. In the end, he gave up, letting her take this small victory.

"Oh, one more thing," Wuying added, suddenly leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "Since we can't hold hands, you can take this kiss as your reward. I know it's your favorite."

"..."

Xuefeng was left speechless once again, but she didn't allow him to complain, stepping out of the courtyard with a mischievous grin. His eyes followed her graceful curves before he gently smacked himself on the face, taking a deep breath.

'Calm down, calm down...'

It was only a kiss on the cheek but his heart was already pounding like crazy, showing how much of a mess he was. If this kept on going, he wouldn't be surprised if he mistook these feelings as his own one day.

"Are you coming?" Wuying called out, turning back to look at him. "Or do you perhaps want another reward?"

Xuefeng shook his head in denial, forcing a smile. "I will be right with you, but please stop teasing me. My heart can't take it."

Wuying only chuckled in response and moved on, waiting for him to join her. They silently walked side by side and he managed to focus, looking around the clan for any information he could gather.

The sight of small courtyards he saw alongside the main clan road spoke volumes of his small advantages. Even despite being a cripple, he lived in one of the biggest houses in the clan which might have been one of the reasons why everyone bullied and ridiculed him.

In this world where individual strength was everything, without cultivation, one was considered a useless person. It wasn't a surprise everyone was jealous of his status when he had no power of his own. Luckily for him, they didn't meet many people on their way that could badmouth him. Not like it bothered him in the slightest.

"How about we see the training grounds? It doesn't hurt to watch a bit now that I can cultivate myself," Xuefeng proposed on the way and they stopped by the entrance, watching from afar as many youngsters practiced their skills.

It only took a moment for his eyes to widen, watching with amazement.

A young guy casually swung with his sword and a crescent-shaped light came out from the blade, piercing through the air towards the wooden puppets ahead. Xuefeng expected an explosion but instead saw a slash across the puppet's chest.

"Amazing..." Xuefeng commented, feeling thrilled just from imagining he would soon start cultivating on his own.

Wuying smiled at his curiosity and explained, "That's Liu Yong. He is currently a Peak Spirit Master and possesses two spirit artifacts, one weapon, and one armor. The one you see is a rank two Spirit Sword called Air Cutter. It's quite uncommon. There are only a few of them in the clan."

"You need to kill a beast to get one artifact, right?" He pointed out after scanning through his memories and only finding some basic information.

Wuying nodded as she continued to explain, "Spirit weapons are actually the remains of the beast spirit. For example, if you kill a rank two White Sparrow, there is a possibility that you can get an Air Cutter. Unfortunately, only one out of ten White Sparrows can give a spirit artifact."

"I see…" Xuefeng nodded in acknowledgment, all the while scolding his predecessor for having less knowledge about cultivation than his own maid. Even though he couldn't cultivate, it didn't excuse him from missing out on knowledge.

"When we reach the city, we can drop by the Spirit Artifacts House and see if they have anything interesting," Wuying proposed.

Xuefeng was more than happy to agree, quite curious how everything worked. If he wanted to hunt for beasts later on, he needed to research all the details beforehand.

The Liu clan's territory was located in the middle of the city, with most of the shops and restaurants nearby. They only needed to pass through the main gate to find everything they were looking for.

"Miss Wuying, Young master," the clan guards greeted them as they reached the gate and hurriedly bowed their heads, letting them pass.

Xuefeng didn't think too much about it considering his status as the Clan Leader's son, but he wasn't the one they were bowing to. Their respectful attitude was all caused by the sweet woman by his side.

Not many people knew this guarded secret, but how could guards not know who Wuying was? She was the one who trained them!

Only the best of the best could join the Liu Clan's Shadow Guards who worked as the hidden force of the Clan Leader himself. They were authorized to kill anyone who they thought was harmful to the clan which was why there weren't many criminals roaming the streets.

Many years ago, there were other powerful clans in Phoenix City but after Liu Xiaobei created the Shadow Guards, they were promptly suppressed. Most of them were forced to relocate to other cities, making the Liu Clan the only major force in the area.

Of course, there were still some other small forces in the city like the Trade Union which had branches in every city, but they didn't interfere in the power struggles between the clans. All they cared about were profits.

As soon as Xuefeng and Wuying disappeared around the corner, the two guards finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"If I didn't take the Shadow Guard's test, I would think she was a normal, cheerful girl. She can act in front of the Young Master, for sure," the shorter guard muttered to himself, causing the other to roll his eyes.

"Are you tired of living? What if she hears you?" his partner warned, checking if anyone could hear them. "By the way, how long did you last in this month's Shadow Guard's test? I thought I could make it this time, but I had to give up on the second day."

The guards spoke about the monthly evaluation for ordinary guards to be promoted to Shadow Guards. Each month, those who were interested in joining the elite force of the Liu clan had to undergo different strengths and skills evaluations for seven days. Tests got tougher each day, and only those who made it to the last day would succeed.

"I lasted for three days this time. It's better than before, but because I overexerted my body, I had to lie in bed for a whole day," the short guard replied with a sigh. "Maybe if we cultivate like crazy we can make it next time."

There was only so much one could improve in a single month.

"Maybe…"