novelraw Chapter 4 : This Is Too Difficult
Chapter 4 : This Is Too Difficult
Chapter 4: This Is Too Difficult
“It’s you!”
Looking at the man striding toward her, Li Yunqing was slightly taken aback.
Five days ago, while she had been playing the zither in the courtyard, it was this very man who had climbed over the wall and entered.
Although he had been extremely polite, claiming he had been drawn by the sound of the zither and repeatedly apologizing, she still had not the slightest favorable impression of him.
What kind of decent person climbed over someone else’s courtyard wall?
“Senior Brother Jiang!”
Not far away, Xue Ling slightly bowed in greeting, then looked at Li Yunqing and asked, “You know Senior Brother Jiang?”
“Senior Brother Jiang?”
“Oh no, I’ve been schemed against by Father?”
Li Yunqing’s lips twitched slightly. She already had a guess in her heart and calmly replied, “I don’t know him.”
Hearing this, Senior Brother Jiang smiled silently, feeling somewhat helpless.
As the direct heir of the Jiang Family, his reputation resounded throughout Qingzhou. No matter where he went, people would fawn over him, offering all sorts of flattery, just hoping to establish even the slightest connection with him.
Yet the girl before him seemed afraid of having any connection with him at all.
All because he had been attracted by that beautiful zither music and climbed over the wall—he had apologized nearly eight hundred times, yet still had not earned her forgiveness.
“Such a temper… quite stubborn!”
Jiang Yu murmured inwardly, though a trace of delight flickered in his eyes.
After meeting the girl that day, he had naturally sent people to investigate her. It had even caused his father to misunderstand and personally visit to propose marriage.
He had not expected that the young lady of the Li Family, who was said to be extremely gentle, rarely went out, and was as quiet as a figure in a painting, would actually have such a stubborn temper.
“I am Jiang Yu. As an apology, I am willing to teach Miss Yunqing the Mingyu Fist.”
Jiang Yu cupped his hands, sincerity filling his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Xiaolan’s eyes lit up slightly. She instinctively sized up Jiang Yu, then ran to Li Yunqing’s side and whispered, “Miss, I finally know why you came to practice martial arts.”
“You came to see your future husband, right?”
Though her voice was soft, to those practicing martial arts here, it was no less than a thunderclap.
Jiang Yu pressed his lips together, suppressing a smile, and quietly waited.
So this girl had come to practice martial arts just to see him?
Meanwhile, Xue Ling, who had just been about to speak, widened her eyes slightly. She looked back and forth between Jiang Yu and Li Yunqing in disbelief.
Jiang Yu, her master’s final disciple, possessed talent renowned throughout Qingzhou City.
He had an excellent character and a gentle temperament. Whenever disciples in the Martial Hall encountered trouble, if he came across it, he would always lend a helping hand.
Many female disciples in the Martial Hall favored him, and among the noble ladies of Qingzhou City, he was the dream lover spoken of by countless families.
Such a man… was actually Li Yunqing’s fiancé?
Her gaze turned toward Li Yunqing, sizing her up with a hint of envy.
Her brows and eyes were like a painting, her nose delicate and straight, her lips red and teeth white, exuding softness and beauty.
Her skin was fair and tender, her figure graceful and well-proportioned, standing elegantly like a secluded orchid in a valley, her refined temperament naturally revealed.
“Senior Brother Jiang actually likes this kind of woman?”
Xue Ling lowered her head to look at herself, feeling inexplicably dejected.
Those who practiced martial arts truly could not compare to the delicate young ladies raised in boudoirs.
“What nonsense are you saying? Focus on your training and stop talking!”
Hearing the whispering beside her, Li Yunqing inexplicably felt the urge to get angry.
She now roughly understood why her father had so readily agreed to let her practice martial arts—he clearly had his own motives.
For the sake of the family, before she possessed strength or the ability to protect it, she could not truly offend Jiang Yu.
Thinking of this, she turned to Jiang Yu, her voice pleasant and melodious: “Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Jiang, but with Senior Sister Xue’s guidance, that will be sufficient.”
“Cough… well, I still have something to attend to. Junior Sister Yunqing, I’ll leave you to Senior Brother Jiang!”
Xue Ling coughed lightly and quickly turned to leave the small courtyard.
Staying here and interfering with someone else’s budding romance was somewhat awkward.
Moreover, judging by what that maid Xiaolan had said, she had even chased him all the way to the Martial Hall, and even Senior Brother Jiang had come forward eagerly—how could she possibly interfere?
Although most women held some affection for this refined and elegant Senior Brother Jiang, if they were not from great families, the disparity in status meant they at least had some self-awareness.
Watching Senior Sister Xue leave, then glancing at the quietly waiting Jiang Yu, Li Yunqing’s lips moved a few times, yet no sound came out.
After a long while, she finally resigned herself and spoke, “Please demonstrate the Mingyu Fist Art once, Senior Brother Jiang.”
With her ability to remember things as if replaying a movie, one demonstration would be enough.
It was a simple matter anyway—she had no need to overthink or be overly particular.
“Alright!”
Jiang Yu smiled and nodded, also letting out a sigh of relief.
He had truly been afraid that Miss Yunqing would remain so stubborn—then he would have been thoroughly embarrassed.
Fortunately, although Miss Yunqing had a bit of a temper, she still understood the bigger picture.
No wonder, after meeting her only once and hearing his father propose marriage, he had not felt any resistance.
With that thought, Jiang Yu assumed his stance.
“The Mingyu Fist Art emphasizes intent, drawing upon the power that carries all things, absorbing the essence of heaven and earth, and nurturing a strand of divine radiance.”
Jiang Yu was extremely serious and meticulous, teaching while demonstrating the fist technique.
“The Mingyu Fist has thirty-six forms, and each form must be coordinated with breathing techniques.”
“Let your mind be like a mountain, your heart as still as water. Sense the spirit of all things, exhale turbid air, and inhale divine radiance.”
As Jiang Yu spoke, the thirty-six forms of the fist technique were quickly completed, taking no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
“How much did you remember?”
Jiang Yu’s face carried a smile, his tone gentle. “If you didn’t remember, it’s fine—I can demonstrate it a few more times.”
This was merely teaching, not combat. Thefist technique did not consume much effort.
Although he likewise did not think highly of Li Yunqing practicing martial arts, since he had come to apologize, he naturally would not be perfunctory.
Instead, he wanted to interact more and understand this young lady of the Li Family better.
Li Yunqing slightly closed her eyes. In her mind, Jiang Yu’s movements replayed like a film—every gesture, every breath, vividly clear down to the finest detail.
“Thank you for your instruction, Senior Brother Jiang. I have remembered everything!”
Hearing this, Jiang Yu froze slightly, disbelief flickering in his eyes.
When their master had taught him, it had taken him an entire day to remember it all.
And that was with the foundation of his family’s martial heritage.
“Could it be she’s just trying to save face…”
Just as that thought arose, Jiang Yu saw Li Yunqing already assume her stance and begin practicing on her own.
Though each move was slow and weak, her breathing rough and unrefined, extremely immature, as if merely imitating the form…
The patterns within her movements and the rhythm of her breathing clearly showed she was on the correct path.
“She really remembered it!”
“And she’s quite intelligent!”
Jiang Yu was somewhat surprised, his gaze sizing up Li Yunqing.
The young girl’s body was delicate. Though her punches were weak and inexperienced, her moving figure was like a willow swaying in the wind, pleasing to the eye.
“Mingyu Fist Experience +1”
“Mingyu Fist (Not Yet Initiated 1/10)”
After completing one set offist technique, Li Yunqing was slightly out of breath. Fine beads of sweat covered her forehead, sticking strands of hair together.
Her complexion was tinged with an unhealthy flush, carrying a trace of fatigue.
Yet seeing the changes on the Experience Panel, she could not help but purse her lips in a smile.
This visible progress filled her heart with joy.
Just as she was about to assume her stance again, her body swayed slightly, and a wave of dizziness struck her.
Seeing this, Jiang Yu’s expression tightened. He wanted to step forward, yet stopped himself.
With Li Yunqing’s temperament, she still remembered him climbing over the courtyard wall until now.
If he approached without permission and made physical contact, she might very well draw a blade and kill him.
“This little temper is quite interesting.” He felt delighted inwardly and gently advised, “Junior Sister Yunqing, your body is delicate. Practicing for the first time consumes a great deal of your body’s essence.”
“Wait here for a moment!”
With that, Jiang Yu turned and quickly walked out, his steps swift, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
“Miss, are you alright?”
Seeing that her mistress’s face, which had just been flushed, had now turned pale, Xiaolan hurried forward to support her, her eyes full of concern.
“I’m fine!” Li Yunqing smiled lightly, patting Xiaolan’s head. “How much did you remember?”
Hearing her mistress’s question, Xiaolan glanced at the book in her hands, thought carefully for a moment, then spoke with a bitter expression:
“This is too difficult. I just memorized one page, and after being interrupted, I forgot everything again!”