After My Faked Death Failed, My Ex-Wife Came Chasing After Me - Chapter 5

“If you don’t stay, it won’t do! My rules are the rules!”

Lu Ting’an: “…”

Even though she wasn’t exactly thin-skinned, she was currently so embarrassed that the tips of her ears were flushing a deep red. Yet, on the surface, she had to pretend to be nonchalant: “Oh, it’s probably because I haven’t used a sword in too long and forgot. Come over and give me some guidance.”

Lin Zheng didn’t say much; she simply walked over slowly, pinched the blade of the sword with two fingers, and rested her other hand on Lu Ting’an’s shoulder. “When starting the stance, keep your feet slightly apart, shoulder-width. The right foot slightly forward, the left foot steady behind, and sink your center of gravity into your Dantian.”

Lu Ting’an followed her instructions, setting her posture clumsily, feeling an indescribable awkwardness. “And then?”

Lin Zheng pinched her wrist, causing the tip of the sword to rise slightly, and said: “When striking, do not stiffen the shoulder, do not raise the elbow, sink the wrist slightly. Let the fingers melt into the sword, and the breath harmonize with the momentum.”

Lu Ting’an tried, but her foundation was truly too poor. Her strike was soft and powerless; forget about “breath and momentum harmonizing,” if she used even a little too much force, the vibration would make her own hand ache. She could only look at Lin Zheng helplessly.

“I can’t learn it. Do you have a simpler way?”

Lin Zheng said indifferently: “This is only the starting stance; it doesn’t even count as true swordsmanship yet. How could it be simpler?”

Lu Ting’an: “…”

Sometimes, a person really does laugh at their own incompetence.

“Then can you hold my hand and demonstrate once? I want to see how you exert force.”

Lin Zheng nodded and took a step forward. She was more than half a head taller than Lu Ting’an, easily drawing the other girl into her embrace. Her palm covered Lu Ting’an’s hand on the sword hilt, a warm sensation transmitting through the sleeves. In an instant, a wisp of gardenia fragrance drifted into Lu Ting’an’s nose. Her breath hitched, her heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and the longsword in her hand nearly lost its aim.

“Pay attention.” Lin Zheng’s cold voice came from above. In a breath’s time, her robes fluttered slightly, and spiritual energy flowed out along the spine of the sword. The sharp edge manifested, and a natural aura of power formed.

“Mm-hm,” Lu Ting’an responded twice, her mind wandering. Lin Zheng’s soft hair brushed against her cheek, and the pads of those fingers—calloused from years of sword practice—lightly grazed the back of her hand with every movement. For some reason, it made the tips of her ears burn, and her cheeks couldn’t help but flush a faint red.

Seeing her strange expression, Lin Zheng stopped her movements and asked, “What is wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lu Ting’an’s eyes darted around randomly as she replied nonsensically, “Ah, ah? No, I’m not.”

Lin Zheng looked at her crimson cheeks and frowned slightly. Before Lu Ting’an could react, she felt something dry and warm press against her forehead.

She was momentarily stunned.

Lin Zheng used her palm to test the temperature of her forehead. After a moment of contemplation, her gaze fell on Lu Ting’an’s thin shoulders, and she began to take off her outer robe.

Lu Ting’an was shocked: “What are you doing?”

Lin Zheng draped the outer robe over her, saying calmly: “The wind is strong at night; be careful not to catch a cold.”

Seeing that Lin Zheng was left with only a thin inner garment, Lu Ting’an hurriedly tried to take the robe off, saying: “No need, I’m not cold…”

“It’s fine, wear it.” Lin Zheng pressed her hand down, tightening the collar for Lu Ting’an, then handed the sword back into her hand. She immediately took two steps back and softly murmured two lines of a formula. In an instant, a longsword shimmering with radiant light broke through the air.

Lin Zheng gripped the hilt with her right hand and gave it a light swing. Suddenly, a dragon’s roar vibrated through the air, and her momentum was like a rainbow.

Lu Ting’an was filled with wonder and couldn’t help but praise: “What a great sword! What is its name?”

Lin Zheng said: “Sui Yue (Broken Moon).”

Lu Ting’an felt a slight pang of envy. When she read cultivation novels, she loved to fantasize about one day being able to fly on a sword. Unfortunately, her foundation was too poor; she hadn’t even reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, let alone possessed her own spiritual sword.

Lin Zheng pointed to the sword in her hand and said: “If you have no more questions, do it again.”

“Oh.” Lu Ting’an pulled a long face and with great difficulty assumed the starting stance as Lin Zheng had taught. Taking a deep breath, she lunged forward, but because her body leaned too far, she lost her balance and fell straight toward the ground.

“Watch out!”

Lin Zheng was quick and caught her. Lu Ting’an’s heart trembled; shaken, she grabbed Lin Zheng’s arm, her fingertips trembling slightly. Raising her eyes to meet Lin Zheng’s calm gaze, she said awkwardly: “Sorry… I’m still not very good at it.”

Lin Zheng said in a low voice: “It’s no matter. You have improved much more than before. I will demonstrate once more with my own sword; watch carefully.”

Knowing these words were just for comfort, Lu Ting’an nonetheless felt inexplicably joyful. Her gaze fell on Lin Zheng’s smooth nape and sharp backline, and the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably.

Lin Zheng turned to see her grinning foolishly and was somewhat puzzled: “What is it now?”

“Ah, nothing.” Caught in the act, Lu Ting’an stuck out her tongue sheepishly. She forced herself to be serious and began practicing with increasing vigor. An hour passed, and she—a regular person who had never touched cultivation before—actually managed to make the three starting stances look respectable. Lin Zheng nodded slightly, offering a rare word of praise: “Not bad, you are a teachable student.”

Lu Ting’an sheathed the sword, drenched in sweat. She lifted her chin proudly at Lin Zheng: “Of course, my comprehension is very high. I’m dying of thirst, where is the water I brought?”

Lin Zheng remained noncommittal, but there was a hint of softness in her eyes.

She looked at the sky and said to Lu Ting’an, who was sitting on the edge of the training platform drinking heavily with her legs crossed: “It is late. I must return.”

“Mm.” Lu Ting’an thought of the disgusting mess on her own bed and, wiping her mouth, quickly called out to her: “Wait, don’t leave. Stay at Yingyue Pavilion tonight.”

Lin Zheng refused immediately: “No.”

“What’s the big deal?” Lu Ting’an scrambled up from the ground and winked at her. “Don’t worry, as long as I give the word, no one will dare report this to the Master.”

Lin Zheng remained insistent: “It cannot be; it violates the sect rules.”

Lu Ting’an sometimes found this “stubborn donkey” temperament of hers quite a headache. She pressed her hand to her forehead and said, “Don’t be so rigid. It’s already past curfew; even if you go back now, aren’t you still breaking the rules? It’s better to stay. If the Master asks tomorrow, just say I kept you here to discuss swordsmanship. Not only will the Master not punish you, but he might even praise you.”

Lin Zheng shook her head. “I can explain the curfew matter to the Master. Besides, there are morning classes tomorrow; I must go back to study.”

Lu Ting’an clapped her hands and laughed: “How coincidental! I knew you’d say that, so I brought them over for you in advance.”

Lin Zheng: “…”

She hadn’t expected that the reason Lu Ting’an had stolen her books was for this.

“No. As the Master’s head disciple, how can I knowingly break the law?” Lin Zheng sheathed her sword and gave Lu Ting’an a slight nod. “Thank you for your kindness, I will trouble you no further.”

With that, she turned to head back to Yingyue Pavilion to get her books.

Lu Ting’an panicked. The most important thing she had to do tonight hadn’t been done yet; how could she let this lady just walk away? She immediately took three steps and caught Lin Zheng’s arm, saying overbearingly: “I said you’re not allowed to leave, so you’re not allowed to leave!”

Lin Zheng felt a bit helpless. “Let go.”

“I won’t.” Lu Ting’an hugged her arm even tighter, nearly collapsing her half-body onto the ground, making it impossible for Lin Zheng to move a step. “You won’t even listen to the young miss? If you don’t follow my wishes, be careful—I’ll go to the Master and my father and file a black report against you.”

Lin Zheng looked at her in disbelief. “Why must you insist on me staying?”

“Because I…” Before Lu Ting’an could finish her sentence, the system’s alarm blared: 【OOC Warning! Lu Ting’an would not show kindness to Lin Zheng!】

The noise made Lu Ting’an’s eardrums ache and her head spin; she nearly lost her grip on Lin Zheng, but she kept muttering: “Anyway, you’re just not allowed to leave…”

Lin Zheng easily pulled her up from the ground and said sternly: “Lu Ting’an, do not be so willful. Do you know that violating sect rules results in punishment?”

Hearing this, Lu Ting’an became even more determined not to let her go. She spread her hands and said nonchalantly: “Stone-head, go then! I’m telling you, several disciples saw me at Guiyi Hall today. If they go back and find that both you and your books are gone, they will definitely know you are with me. You know how those sycophants brown-nose me, right? As long as they talk nonsense in front of the Master, don’t even think about getting another Spirit-Gathering Pill for the next month!”

As expected, Lin Zheng’s expression froze slightly, and she hesitated for a moment.

Lu Ting’an struck while the iron was hot. “But as long as you don’t leave, I’ll tell them all to shut up tomorrow. No one will say a word about you breaking curfew or staying the night. How about it?”

Lin Zheng pursed her lips, her brow furrowed as if she were undergoing a great internal struggle.

After a long while, she finally relented: “Very well. However, I must return before the Hour of the Rabbit (5:00 AM) tomorrow; the elders must not find out.”

“Deal.” Lu Ting’an cheered inwardly, but on the surface, she pretended to be unruffled. “But it’s a deal—you are only allowed to stay in the east wing on the first floor. You are not allowed to come upstairs and disturb me.”

Lin Zheng nodded calmly, and the two of them entered the house from the corridor. Just as they sat down on the stools, Lin Zheng saw Lu Ting’an rummaging through the chests and cupboards in the tool room. She asked in confusion: “What are you doing now?”

“Found it.” Lu Ting’an wiped the sweat from her forehead and placed a small porcelain bottle before her eyes. Folding her arms, she tilted her chin up triumphantly: “Here, for you. I, Lu Ting’an, the eldest miss of the Baiyun Lu-Ying Sect, never owe favors. This bottle of Wujin whip-wound medicine is the return gift for you teaching me swordsmanship.”

Lin Zheng paused, about to say something, but Lu Ting’an shoved the medicine directly into her hand, her tone full of disdain: “Fine, stop acting tough. You were clearly trembling from the pain today. In the end, I caused it anyway; if you don’t take it, you’re not giving me face.”

Lin Zheng remained silent for a long time before finally clutching the bottle in her palm. “Thank you.”

Lu Ting’an waved her hand impatiently. “Alright, alright, enough with the mushy words. You don’t need me to help you apply it, right?”

Lin Zheng shook her head: “No need.”

Lu Ting’an shrugged and went into the inner room, pretending not to care, but the moment she turned around, she nearly couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud. Lin Zheng watched her back, momentarily lost in thought.

The Lu Ting’an in her memory always felt inconsistent with the person before her now. Although both were equally overbearing and bossy, today’s Lu Ting’an was significantly more “human” than the little junior sister who used to do nothing but commit outrages.

Could it be that Lu Ting’an had truly turned over a new leaf?