Chapter 32: If you don’t coax me, I won’t give it to you
The green bamboo stands upright, its slender leaves rustling in the wind.
This place is quiet and remote, with little sunlight and a faint scent of grass and trees in the air. A girl in a green dress walks through the place, her petite figure hidden in the bamboo forest, her skirt wet with dew.
clang--
The sound of the sword startled countless birds. The gray birds flapped their wings and flew, circling above the bamboo forest. Jiang Yueying quickened her pace and followed the sound of the sword.
Deep in the bamboo forest, there is a cleared space.
Jiang Yueying approached lightly, carefully hiding behind the dense bamboo bushes, poked out her little head, and looked at the man dancing with a sword in the open space with wide eyes.
Xie Yuting was dressed in a gorgeous robe, holding the sword inlaid with gold and jade in his hand. He just tapped his toes and the sword was unsheathed. The cold light swept across the green bamboo in front of him with lightning speed.
With a clang, the green bamboo was cut, and the green leaves fluttered in the air, like floating duckweed.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and a chill came over us.
With a flick of his wrist and the flutter of his clothes, he took advantage of the situation to perform a sword dance, fighting against the sound of the wind.
He leaped forward, and the sword light pierced the green bamboo again. With a snap, the bamboo broke in half.
Xie Yuting shrugged helplessly, lowered his eyes and wiped the sword blade, looking nonchalant and lazy.
rustle.
Silence returned, and a few startled birds flew back and landed on the treetops.
Jiang Yueying, who was hiding in the corner, watched intently. She opened her eyes wide, and put her hands on the green bamboo. Her palms pressed up and down involuntarily, feeling the smooth touch of the bamboo.
Holding something in her hands helps her relieve tension.
The Queen Mother was not lying. Xie Yuting was actually proficient in swordsmanship. Although his sword dance was fancy and a bit flashy, for a moment, she seemed to see some sharpness in the sword moves.
For a dandy fool, this kind of swordsmanship is indeed quite good.
Jiang Yueying thought silently that it seemed that she didn’t know Xie Yuting well enough.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not completely useless.
Xie Yuting, standing in the open space, swung his sword again. With each move, the cold wind brushed across his cheeks, blowing his black hair into the air, making his handsome face even more vivid and lively.
Jiang Yueying held her breath and watched carefully, her hands unconsciously moving slightly as she tried to memorize his sword-swinging moves and strength.
I was just worrying about having no place to learn how to defend myself, and now it’s right at my doorstep.
The most important thing is that Xie Yuting always likes to be lazy. She dances with the sword sometimes fast and sometimes slow. When she dances slowly, she can see more clearly, which makes people sigh that God is helping her.
I come here every day to learn a few tricks.
As she watched, she suddenly felt that the other party's sword technique was somewhat familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere.
She scratched her head, suspecting she was seeing things.
An hour passed quickly, Xie Yuting stopped and sheathed his sword.
Jiang Yueying quickly hid her body, bowed slightly, and quietly retreated, trying to leave without being noticed.
Click.
There was a crisp sound under my feet, and I actually stepped on scattered bamboo pieces.
She secretly cried out in alarm and in panic her movements became larger, causing the bushes to sway.
As she lifted her skirt and walked forward, a strong force came over her, grabbing her arm, and the temperature of his palm was like a branding iron.
Jiang Yueying closed her eyes and was finished.
"Where did this little beauty come from, peeping at Gu Lianjian?"
Xie Yuting smiled playfully and patted her shoulder. The girl didn't move. He couldn't help laughing and straightened the shoulders of a little quail, forcing her to face him.
"So it's Her Royal Highness the Princess. Are you also impressed by my heroic demeanor?"
"Can you be a little thicker-skinned?" Jiang Yueying raised her face and made up an excuse, "I came to the bamboo forest to relax because I had nothing to do. Who would come to peek at you? You're being too sentimental..."
She turned around and walked forward, feeling regretful. She should have left halfway through the show. The consequence of her greed was getting caught red-handed.
His pace quickened, and he couldn't help but tighten the handkerchief in his hand.
"Are you shy?" Xie Yuting caught up with a smile.
Jiang Yueying refused to admit it, her face flushed red, but Xie Yuting kept laughing, which made her feel even more guilty. In anger and humiliation, she stepped on him hard.
In an instant, a small and cute footprint was left on the man's black boots.
Xie Yuting admired it for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Did you bring a handkerchief?"
Jiang Yueying paused and glanced down at the handkerchief that had already been crumpled into a pulp. On it was embroidered a cluster of goose-yellow osmanthus flowers, which seemed to be emitting a fragrant aroma.
Jiang Yueying's tone became much gentler after she stepped on someone's foot: "You want a handkerchief?"
"Put your handkerchief up."
"ah?"
Jiang Yueying looked puzzled, not understanding what Xie Yuting was up to. After hesitating for a moment, she raised her handkerchief. The snow-white embroidered handkerchief fluttered in the wind, rippling the silk fabric.
Her hand was raised in the air, and Xie Yuting suddenly bent down and put his face close to her handkerchief. His cheeks bounced lightly a few times, and his peach blossom eyes curved with a smile.
Xie Yuting was half a head taller than her, and she usually had to look up at him. But now, when she suddenly looked down at him, she was distracted for a moment by his handsome and elegant face.
Once again, I sigh that this guy's appearance is impeccable.
He said proudly, "Thank you, Madam, for wiping my sweat."
Hearing this, Jiang Yueying's eyes suddenly widened.
No, who wiped your sweat? !
She held her handkerchief in her hand in a daze, and it was disheveled in the wind.
After Xie Yuting had taken enough advantage, he straightened up, a smile on his lips, and the word "arrogant" was written on his face.
"Childish." Jiang Yueying's ears turned red.
Xie Yuting knew when to stop and said flatteringly: "Do you want to learn swordsmanship? I can teach you."
I want to, I really want to.
Jiang Yueying was screaming wildly in her heart, but her expression remained calm.
"I don't use a sword." She said something that didn't mean it.
"But you can't touch soft weapons anymore. Why don't you learn some swordsmanship? I can be your master reluctantly. How about that?"
"You want to hear me call you Master?"
"Hey, is it that obvious?"
Jiang Yueying raised her neck and slightly raised her chin.
When facing a guy like Xie Yuting who likes to go against others, the more reluctant he appears, the more excited he becomes.
If she wants the other person to teach her, she has to pretend to be uninterested.
Xie Yuting suddenly leaned close to her ear and asked, "Isn't it that a certain little princess is afraid that she will be embarrassed if she can't learn it?"
She knew the other party was trying to provoke her, so she played along and retorted loudly: "How could I be afraid of you? If you want to learn, then learn!"
"That's great. Starting tomorrow, I'll teach you the basics. Little princess, don't back down."
Jiang Yueying hummed softly, but in fact she was very happy.
The silly Crown Prince is so easy to deceive.
…
Jiang Yueying didn't expect that the basic skill Xie Yuting was talking about was horse stance.
At this moment, the morning light shines into the bamboo forest. The morning air is mixed with light fragrance. A few gray-feathered birds are perched on the branches, chirping.
The girl was wearing a neat lotus-colored dress with narrow sleeves, her hair was tied up high, and she was half-squatting in a horse stance. There was a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, which flowed down her jawline.
As soon as she woke up, Xie Yuting dragged her to the bamboo forest and started practicing the so-called basic skills.
No one said this thing is so tiring, my legs are so sore...
Xie Yuting pressed down her shoulders from behind, stroking her back with his big hands: "Shoulders level."
Then he patted her thighs and said, "Keep your legs flat and don't tuck your knees in."
Jiang Yueying was so upset that she wanted to cry but had no tears. She thought it didn't matter if her hips didn't open.
Also, if you want to give me some pointers, just give me some pointers. Don't take advantage of the opportunity to touch me up! Damn Xie Yuting, you have no intention of using your mind in the right place.
"Does this horse stance have to be done? Can't we just practice swordplay directly?"
Xie Yuting pinched her rosy little face and raised an eyebrow, saying, "You want to fly before you even learn to walk. Do you really think you're a little bird?"
The birds on the treetops chirped in unison.
Jiang Yueying: "..."
Why is this guy still bringing up old grudges?
After practicing horse stance for a while, Jiang Yueying's legs no longer trembled, and she was able to maintain a standard posture. However, basic skills are not acquired overnight; it takes years of continuous training to gradually become easy.
Xie Yuting had already told her the key points, and the rest depended on her own persistence.
After lunch that day, Xie Yuting decided to teach Jiang Yueying how to hold a sword.
The sky is clear and blue, lush forests and tall bamboos stand tall, and a cool breeze blows through the forest, blowing your clothes.
The two stood face to face in the woods.
Jiang Yueying stared at the incredibly heavy sword in his hand and hesitated, "Can you change it? This sword of yours is too heavy."
Xie Yuting casually made a sword flower with his eyebrows raised, as if to say, isn't this easy?
The guy who deserves a beating.
After amusing a little princess, Xie Yuting handed her the wooden sword he had prepared in advance. Jiang Yueying looked down and saw that the wooden sword was polished smooth and clean, without a single rough cut or thorn that could easily prick one's hand.
You can tell at first glance that it has been carefully selected.
"Did you ask someone to make you a wooden sword?"
Xie Yuting's mouth drooped immediately, and he looked extremely aggrieved: "This is a wooden sword that I polished myself. How could you not recognize it? I'm angry."
Jiang Yueying was surprised. Xie Yuting had this skill?
I couldn't help but think that maybe this guy could get a job in the Ministry of Industry.
"Why don't you coax me?" Xie Yuting looked gloomy.
Jiang Yueying was at a loss for words: "There's no name engraved on it, so how can I recognize it? You're being unreasonable."
Xie Yuting immediately kidnapped her wooden sword: "If you don't coax me, I won't give it to you."
"Are you three years old?"
"Cheer me."
Jiang Yueying put her hands on her hips and asked him how she wanted to coax him.
Xie Yuting pointed at his face and gave her an ambiguous smile, his implication obvious.
Jiang Yueying played dumb: "Do you want to be slapped?"
Xie Yuting chuckled, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and falling between his brows. The wind blew gently, and mottled light and shadows swayed in an intertwined manner. He looked elegant and graceful under the bamboo forest.
After laughing for a while, Xie Yuting began to teach her how to hold the sword seriously.
The wooden sword was light, and Jiang Yueying got the hang of it quickly. Xie Yuting corrected her posture on the side. The Crown Prince, who always loved to doze off in class, was rarely serious and didn't even feel tired.
Before we knew it, the sun was setting in the west and the bamboo forest was enveloped in the sunset.
Jiang Yueying was tired after a day of work, her back and waist ached, and her steps were weak. When she was walking back along the path, she almost stumbled and fell to the ground. Fortunately, Xie Yuting supported her in time and prevented her from falling and getting dizzy.
She took two breaths and watched Xie Yuting suddenly squat in front of her and pat her shoulder.
"Ah?" Jiang Yueying was confused. "Your back is itchy. Let me scratch it for you?"
Xie Yuting: "..."
"Little princess, you really don't understand romance."
Jiang Yueying pursed her lips.
"Come up, I'll carry you on my back."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yueying's feet felt like they were on fire, so hot that she couldn't stand still and just wanted to escape quickly.
She stammered, "I... I'm not tired, so save me the trouble..."
"If you don't come up, I won't teach you sword skills."
This sentence hit Jiang Yueying's soft spot. She secretly told herself that she was only doing this to learn swordsmanship, not to be carried on someone's back...
The tips of her ears were dyed peach blossoms. She slowly lay on the man's broad back, and then froze. She had never been carried on someone's back before, so she didn't know where to put her hands and was very embarrassed for a moment.
What should I do? Will I look stupid?
Xie Yuting smiled: "I didn't realize Ah Ying trusted me so much. She didn't even hold my hand. Aren't you afraid that I might drop you?"
After being reminded, Jiang Yueying carefully put her hand on his shoulder, and in a corner where Xie Yuting couldn't see, most of her fair face turned red.
The wind became gentle and brushed against her hot cheeks.
Xie Yuting stood up, carried her on his back, and walked through the bamboo forest, step by step towards Nanyuan.
The girl's hot breath felt strangely soft against the back of his neck, and the sweet scent of osmanthus lingered, diluting the scent of the grass and trees in the bamboo forest. At this moment, he could only smell her scent.
Listening to the steady footsteps, Jiang Yueying suddenly lost herself in thought, feeling an indescribable sadness in her heart, as if something that had been missing for a long time had come to her in another form, making her unable to resist.
She lost her mother at birth. Her father did not acknowledge her as his daughter and never stayed with her. Her wet nurse was old and always walked forward with a hunched back, holding her hand.
No one has ever carried her.
Jiang Yueying stared at Xie Yuting's handsome profile, and thought in a trance, feeling that this guy seemed to be getting more and more pleasing to the eye. Could it be that she already regarded him as a relative...
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