Chapter 377 Severe Beating
Li Mingde's face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground with a thud. Intense pain came from his abdomen, and he vomited a mouthful of bile.
After wiping his mouth with white mourning clothes, Li Mingde knelt on the ground for a moment to recover.
On the other side, Li Mingxiu once again swung his knife at Lin Changning. Lin Changning dodged to the side and swept his leg, tripping Li Mingxiu to the ground.
The next moment, Lin Changning's cold-looking blade was pressed against Li Mingxiu's neck.
Li Mingde, who had just been kneeling on the ground, saw his younger brother being restrained by Lin Changning again, and immediately rushed forward with his knife, preparing to slash Lin Changning's shoulder.
Lin Changning raised an eyebrow, grabbed a handful of damp sand from the ground, and slapped it at Li Mingde's face.
Li Mingde swallowed a mouthful of dirt, and his eyes were also momentarily blinded by sand. His blade, which was slashing at Lin Changning, paused for a moment, and the next instant he felt a cool sensation pressing against his neck.
Li Mingde: ...
Needless to say, they've been caught again.
Li Mingxiu, who had just been pinned to the ground by Lin Changning, rolled over and scrambled to his feet when he saw Lin Changning smear dirt on his face. He shouted, "Sir, this is cheating! Who has ever seen someone smear dirt on their face? This is not what a gentleman should do!"
Lin Changning released the knife from Li Mingde's neck, turned his head and raised an eyebrow at Li Mingxiu, who looked indignant: "Young Master, a gentleman who is weak and incapable of even killing a chicken will not go to the battlefield to fight. Whatever method can protect oneself on the battlefield and kill the enemy is a good method."
Lin Changning chuckled softly, but a hint of melancholy flashed in his eyes: "We're going to the battlefield to fight to the death. Those fancy moves are useless. Swordsmanship, spearmanship, all skills are ultimately for taking lives and protecting ourselves."
When she was in the stable, Old Liu said the same thing: no matter what the method, as long as it can protect you, it's a good method. It may be a bit underhanded or even insidious, but on the battlefield, it's the best way to protect yourself.
A complex emotion flashed in Li Mingxiu's and Li Mingde's eyes. After a moment of silence, Li Mingxiu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Sir, I have learned a lot."
Li Mingde also clasped his hands in a fist salute: "We understand."
After examining the two men's skills, Lin Changning released his sword, smiled gently, and looked at Li Mingxiu, saying, "Your Highness has a good foundation, but your swordsmanship still needs improvement. On the battlefield, swordsmanship is for killing and self-preservation, not for fighting guards. Don't easily expose your weaknesses."
Li Mingxiu seemed to be seriously considering it. After thinking for a while, he nodded to Lin Changning: "I understand."
After Lin Changning finished speaking, Li Mingxiu looked at Li Mingde and frowned slightly. In the fight just now, Li Mingde was obviously much more clever than Li Mingxiu, but perhaps because his basic skills were too poor, his speed and strength in receiving the attack were not enough.
"Your Highness, your foundation is not very strong. You will most likely have to start by improving your basic skills. First, your foundation is unstable. Second, there are too many flaws in your swordsmanship. The speed and power of your strikes are far from sufficient."
Li Mingde nodded: "Sir, how should I practice?"
Lin Changning thought for a moment and said, "Run around the yard 30 times every day, then practice horse stance for two hours, and finally spar with me for one hour."
After speaking, Lin Changning looked at Li Mingxiu and said, "As for the young master, his foundation is quite good. He runs around the courtyard 30 times every day and then spars directly with me."
Li Mingxiu rubbed his aching side and nodded to Lin Changning.
Lin Changning had someone bring a chair from the corridor, and after sitting down, he looked at the two of them and said, "Let's begin today. It's still early, and we can practice for another hour."
Li Mingxiu glanced at Li Mingde and the other man, who then clasped their hands in a fist salute to Lin Changning: "Yes, sir."
After saying that, the two of them ran into the courtyard together. As Lin Changning watched them run, two clever maids brought her a plate of pastries and warm tea.
"Please have some, sir."
Lin Changning's eyes lit up. The maids in the Prince's mansion were indeed perceptive. She touched her stomach, which was indeed a little hungry, and picked up a few pieces of pastry from the plate and put them in her mouth.
He ate while watching the two people run.
By the time the two people finished running, Lin Changning had almost finished what was on the plate.
Lin Changning called out "Stop!" and shook his head as he watched the two panting and preparing to sit down: "Keep practicing while your muscles and bones are still stretched. Do 500 slashes with the sword. Don't sit down."
Li Mingxiu let out a sound of disappointment and sighed rather dejectedly as Li Mingdala led him toward the center of the courtyard.
After taking the knives, the two men began hacking and slashing in unison in the courtyard. Lin Changning sat on a stool watching their movements; both men had some basic skills.
Both their grip on the knife and their slashing movements were exceptionally precise. After watching the two men slash enough times, Lin Changning glanced at the already bright sky.
He stood up from his chair, gripped his knife, and gestured with his chin toward Li Mingxiu, saying, "I will be sparring with the young master now. I won't hold back, so be careful, young master!"
After saying that, he gripped the knife and charged straight at Li Mingxiu. The knife was so fast that Li Mingxiu almost couldn't dodge it. After narrowly avoiding Lin Changning's knife, Li Mingxiu quickly grabbed the knife and slowly widened the distance between himself and Lin Changning.
Lin Changning is incredibly strong; a close-range blow would be unbearable. Therefore, the only option is to create distance first and then strike slowly.
Lin Changning watched as Li Mingxiu distanced himself first, a smile flashing in his eyes. He then chased after Li Mingxiu. Li Mingxiu narrowed his eyes slightly, gripping his knife with both hands, thinking about how to intercept the attack.
Seeing Lin Changning getting closer and closer, about to slash at his neck, Li Mingxiu immediately sidestepped and swung his hand to strike Lin Changning's back. But Lin Changning seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, and quickly deflected his long sword with another swift strike.
Before Li Mingxiu could react, Lin Changning's longsword circled around Li Mingxiu's sword twice before slashing downwards fiercely, the blade about to strike his own wrist.
Li Mingxiu was shocked and quickly dropped his hand. The long sword clattered to the ground, and the next second, Lin Changning's long sword was pressed against Li Mingxiu's chest.
Li Mingxiu sighed, and just as he was about to admit defeat, he saw Lin Changning smash his wrist hard with the back of his knife.
Instantly, Li Mingxiu cried out in pain, "It hurts!"
Lin Changning squinted at Li Mingxiu: "It's good that it hurts, young master. Losing your knife on the battlefield is almost like losing your life. Even if my knife is about to cut your wrist, you will only suffer a minor injury if you instinctively block it with your arm. If you lose your knife, you can only wait to die."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
