“All right, you may all take advantage of me not leaving yet. I will just give you all some pointers in your martial arts techniques,” said Mo Kongyuan.
Ling Chuxi already knew Mo Kongyuan’s intentions behind this offer, so naturally she did not reject it.
In the garden, Battle Qi was churned and emitted a loud rumble. Although Ling Chuxi and the boys had wanted to keep the damage to a minimum, under Mo Kongyuan’s enormous majestic no-holds-barred suppression, they had no choice but to use their all to meet him in battle. The garden which had recovered its original looks after much great efforts were made was once again left in a mess.
“Not bad, not bad. I have not had such a carefree match in such a long time.” Finally, Mo Kongyuan held back his hands and laughed loudly, as if he did not see the miserable state of his garden in the aftermath of their battle.
“Many thanks for your guidance,” said Fu Chengyu and Ling Yichen who were extremely disheveled but bore looks of delight on their faces. Under Mo Kongyuan’s enormous pressure, they had exhibited both their potentials to the maximum and they had gained even more of an understanding and enlightenment towards the martial arts path they had to take as compared to the last time.
After their sparring, Mo Kongyuan pointed out the areas in which the two of them were lacking. Seeing as the sky was getting dark, Ling Chuxi and the boys then bade their farewells and left.
“Sigh. I knew the moment they come, that nothing good would come of it. A proper garden has been again spoiled till such an extent,” said Uncle Chai in dissatisfaction when he came over.
“It’s all right, it’s all right,” said Mo Kongyuan with a smile.
“Mister… Why do you say this?” asked Uncle Chai as he could not help but look at Mo Kongyuan in surprise. Mo Kongyuan had always thought of this garden as being more important than life itself. Why was he suddenly so open-minded today?
“Those few young people are not bad. If I don’t return this time, Nan Xia Country will be in their hands in the future. So you should also help them out,” said Mo Kongyuan to Uncle Chai as they watched the receding figures belonging to those few young people slowly disappear into the distance.
“Mister…” Uncle Chai’s expression immediately changed, and his heart sank. So, things have turned out to be like this. Mo Kongyuan already had such a grim realization. Uncle Chai looked at Mo Kongyuan worriedly and after a long time, he finally squeezed out a few words, “Mister, why don’t you just not go this time?”
“I know what I have to do. So, you just have to remember my words is all and that’ll do,” said Mo Kongyuan as he waved his hand to stop Uncle Chai from continuing to speak any further.
Mo Kongyuan then turned around and looked at the calm pool of lake water before him. As the vague sight of the imperial city in the distance caught his eye, his gaze became profound and distant.
…
Early in the morning, sunlight spread out in rays of hazy light through faint mist, and a skylark flew over grass soaked with morning dew as it chirped cheerfully on its way.
“Master, why are you leaving again so soon? I’m so reluctant to see you go,” said the fifth princess to Ling Chuxi, full of reluctance to see her go.
“You were wishing that I would have left even earlier, right?” said Ling Chuxi as she looked at the fifth princess with a smile that did not look like a smile.
“Says who? You have had the grace to recreate me, so my admiration towards you is as continuous as a long, great endless river. With my heart of innocence, heaven and earth as my witnesses and the sun and the moon as my reflections, I just want to serve you as my master every day,” declared the fifth princess without stopping to take a breath between her words as she beat her own chest in pride.
“It’s so rare of you to demonstrate such a filial heart. Why don’t I stay back and teach you for a few more days? Anyway, the carriage is slow, so after I finish teaching you, I can just catch up to it and I would still be able to make it to the gathering on time,” said Ling Chuxi as she put on an expression that made her look as if she was deeply touched.
“Master, you have proper matters to handle at the moment, so you need to rest as much as you can on the way. It is still better for you to depart quickly,” said the fifth princess with a dry laugh as her face changed drastically.
“You’re just thinking of being lazy all day long and not even making the slightest bit improvement, aren’t you? Just look at that face of yours,” said Ling Chuxi sternly as her expression turned cold.
“My face? What’s happened to my face?” asked the fifth princess as her mouth began to hang open in shock and she began to get goosebumps. Could it be… Could it be that she had fallen victim to a poisoning once again?