Chapter 110: People Get Hungry if They Don’t Eat

The last day.

Late afternoon.

The quiet atmosphere in the room seemed to be ignited by the sunlight, becoming noisy in the hazy light and rising and falling within the overlapping shadows.

Wu Yingxue was about to leave; having recovered from her injuries, she prepared to uncover the truth.

Therefore, she was packing her belongings.

Calling it "packing," there actually wasn't much to take.

She had very few items; after all, falling into Xu Xi's house back then had been an accident.

"That's it?"

After being busy for a while, the young girl wrapped her long spear in a disguise to make it look less conspicuous. She stood there, looking at the empty room, feeling momentarily dazed.

The chirping of the summer cicadas was nearing its end.

The scorching sunlight carved out shadows.

The 16-year-old girl stood in the room where she had lived for nearly two months.

Suddenly, she had a strong illusion of being in another world.

Her past sixteen years were exciting in the eyes of others, a luxury that ordinary commoners could only dream of, but after living in Qingniu Town for two months, Wu Yingxue felt that such a life had passed a long time ago.

It felt not like two months, but a year, or even longer.

"Strangely, I'm a bit reluctant to leave…"

The girl murmured to herself, then closed the doors and windows. When she opened them again, her attire had been changed.

Her original red and white robes were too eye-catching. If she wore them directly back, the girl was certain her whereabouts would be discovered by officials before long.

Therefore.

She specifically asked Xu Xi to find her a set of clothes.

For her to use as a disguise.

"Next, it's just a matter of time." After changing, Wu Yingxue glanced sideways at the scorching sun outside the window.

Wu Yingxue planned to leave at night. The dark and dim environment was more conducive to movement and could greatly reduce the possibility of being seen by the townspeople.

At the same time, it could also conceal the fact that she had come from Xu Xi's home.

However.

There was still a period of time, neither long nor short, before the sun set and night completely shrouded the sky.

What should she do to pass this boring time?

The girl did not know.

Carrying her long spear and a small bundle, she pushed open the wooden door of the room for the last time. With light steps, she stepped over the worn wooden threshold marked by time.

"Hu—!"

"Hu—!"

Directly opposite the doorway was the open practice area in the courtyard.

Xu Xi was still the same as usual, standing under the scorching sun, ignoring the heat and cold, ignoring whether it was cloudy or clear, practicing his punches in a horse stance day after day.

Sweat dripped, and the wind from his punches was fierce.

Every punch, every roar of blood and Qi, shook the air until it was blurred and distorted, like a heart full of vitality beating loudly.

"The Teacher's fist techniques have become even more profound…"

Wu Yingxue sighed in her heart.

A flash of bewilderment crossed her small face.

During this time, she had been learning from Xu Xi, but for some reason, the gap between her and Xu Xi was growing wider.

It was a bizarre growth that was neither scientific nor based on martial logic.

It was as if Xu Xi were the protagonist of a novel or storybook.

As soon as he started practicing martial arts, his martial level would soar rapidly.

"How could such a thing be possible?" Wu Yingxue laughed at her own thought.

She temporarily put down her spear and bundle and sat on the threshold of the room. The blazing sunlight was just blocked by the eaves, providing the girl with a cool spot.

The young Commandery Princess, not knowing how to pass the time,

Made the same choice she had during her recovery.

Watching Xu Xi's martial arts practice.

Blue bricks and red tiles, upturned eaves, unknown deep green plants crawling all over the walls. In the transition between summer and autumn, it created an incredibly quiet atmosphere.

The 16-year-old girl watched like this, quietly watching Xu Xi throw punches and looking at the dark mountains in the distance.

It was an indescribable emptying of the mind.

Completely forgetting the passage of time.

After a long time, the scorching sun began to wane, and the sky was no longer so bright. The girl finally couldn't help but ask about the confusion in her heart.

If she didn't ask now, she might not have the chance once she left Qingniu Town.

"Teacher, do you really not feel tired from practicing your punches like this every day? I've never seen you relax or rest for a single day."

Facing Wu Yingxue's inquiry,

Xu Xi's movements paused slightly. He looked up at the setting sun and slowly withdrew his stance.

His answer was very direct: "Of course I get tired."

"Eh?"

The overly direct answer seemed to greatly exceed the girl's expectations, and her face showed a look of astonishment.

She had thought that for a hard-working Martial Artist like Xu Xi, the answer would be a classic "it's not hard, not tiring" or "perseverance is more important than anything."

However.

Xu Xi's answer overturned Wu Yingxue's assumption.

He stood in place, constantly adjusting his surging blood and Qi, his breathing resonating with his chest as he completed his internal circulation bit by bit, answering the girl:

"People get hungry if they don't eat."

"People get thirsty if they don't drink water."

"People get cold if they don't wear clothes."

"Similarly, I feel tired practicing punches every day, and I also find it hard and agonizing."

"No one is perfect; there are no people without flaws or mistakes, who do not fear hardship and exhaustion. Such a person does not exist, at least I am not one."

Finishing the exercise.

Calming down.

Taking a deep breath.

After Xu Xi finished regulating his blood and Qi, he turned to look at Wu Yingxue sitting on the threshold.

He never felt he was some kind of Saint, nor did he feel the need to brag about anything.

From beginning to end, Xu Xi considered himself an ordinary person, just with slightly better luck, able to live off the support of his sister, Disciple, and teacher.

But Xu Xi's performance and his words

Caused Wu Yingxue to fall into a long silence.

The light of the setting sun exhausted its last strength, and the sun slowly sank into the distant horizon. Golden ripples rose at the boundary, reflecting the bitter waves in the girl's heart.

She felt that compared to Xu Xi, her previous thinking was too naive and simple.

It was so unbearable to look back on.

She had grown up in the Prince's mansion. Prince Dingyuan had named her Yingxue, hoping she would be as quiet and beautiful as soft snow.

But things often do not go as one wishes.

The girl's character was the opposite of her name, with a passion like fire. Since childhood, she disliked needlework and only loved martial arts and stories of wandering heroes, dreaming of becoming a heroine or a female general who protected the country and its people.

The peaceful life in the Imperial Capital.

The many conveniences of her status as a Commandery Princess.

The experience of being carefree since childhood.

Under the influence of various factors, Wu Yingxue's perception of the world was very superficial, consisting only of a simple distinction between the Human Race and demons.

She felt that Great Gan was good because it protected the entire Human Race.

She felt that demons were bad because the Hundred Thousand Mountains threatened people's lives.

She dreamed of becoming a heroine from a storybook, cutting through the Hundred Thousand Mountains with a single sword and saving the common people from suffering.

But these…

"Were all one-sided and ignorant thoughts."

After the sunset came the rise of the full moon.

The bright moonlight poured over the earth. Wu Yingxue stood up from the threshold, once again shouldering her spear and picking up her bundle.

"If it weren't for this attack, and if it weren't for your teachings, perhaps I would never have discovered the truth in my entire life."

"Thank you."