Chapter 6 Her Hobby: She Wanted to Hold That Sword
One day, Bai Ziyuan and Bai Lian went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to visit their maternal grandfather, Changsun Luo.
The Bai residence and the Zhenguo Duke's residence were located in the east and south of the city respectively, quite a distance apart. Bai Ziyuan rode a horse, and Bai Lian rode in a sedan chair; the group traveled slowly through the streets and alleys.
With nothing to do, Bai Lian gently lifted the curtain of the sedan chair window and chatted idly with the traveling elder brother to pass the time.
Bai Ziyuan also slowed down, accommodating the pace of the sedan chair, and walked side by side with her.
At first, the two chatted happily, and when they got to the funny parts, they looked at each other and laughed. The atmosphere was harmonious.
However, gradually, both brother and sister vaguely sensed something was amiss, feeling that the atmosphere on the long road had inexplicably become stagnant and subtle, making them somewhat uneasy.
It turns out that, without anyone noticing, pedestrians along the roadside had already stopped and stood on both sides of the road in an orderly manner.
The men all stared intently at Bai Lian, who had a beautiful and graceful appearance, inside the sedan chair, while the women all stole glances at Bai Ziyuan, who was aloof and handsome, with spring-like smiles on their faces. Their gazes were intense and direct.
Bai Lian and Bai Ziyuan noticed the situation at the same time, and their conversation immediately ended. They had no choice but to hurry on their way.
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Upon arriving at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, a steward was already standing at the entrance to greet them.
The Duke of Zhenguo, Changsun Luo, doted on his two grandsons far more than on his other younger relatives, especially his granddaughter Bailian, whom he adored. He thus became a rare example of "valuing daughters over sons" in the court.
Changsun Luo felt that this little girl, who was like a meatball when she was little and always jumping around, had grown more and more charming every day in recent years. He found her eyebrows and eyes pleasing to the eye.
"Tsk, that Bai family brat got lucky. He got my precious daughter and will also have my cutest little granddaughter." The old man couldn't help but mutter this to himself whenever he thought about it.
He never expected that a later incident would make Bai Lian his "precious treasure".
It was a bright and sunny morning when Bai Lian came to pay her respects at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion as usual. As she passed through the familiar courtyard, she heard a whooshing sound coming from the backyard, and out of curiosity, she followed the sound.
In the center of the courtyard, Changsun Luo was practicing his sword. Although he was over sixty and his temples were gray, the old general's posture was still as upright as a pine tree.
The long sword in his hand moved like a dragon and a phoenix, its flashing light creating gusts of wind, while the fallen leaves beneath his feet swirled and danced in the air.
Every move he made was sharp and fierce, carrying the killing intent honed through countless battles, making him no less formidable than the young and middle-aged soldiers of the garrison.
Bai Lian stopped in her tracks without realizing it and stood quietly under the eaves watching.
At first, she simply admired her grandfather's agile skills. But as she watched, her mind gradually became completely captivated by the cold, gleaming longsword.
The sunlight reflecting off the sword danced in her eyes, and the sound of the blade slicing through the air was pleasant to her ears. She watched Changsun Luo's every turn and every thrust, and those movements seemed to slow down automatically in her mind, making every exertion of force and every change in angle clear and distinct.
A strange sense of familiarity welled up inside her, as if she had performed these movements a thousand times before. Her fingers twitched unconsciously, mimicking the movements of a sword strike. An indescribable impulse surged within her; she wanted to grasp that sword, to unleash the same sharp and fierce wind of its power.
When Changsun Luo finally stopped, Bai Lian rushed over almost impatiently, her eyes still fixed on the sword.
Just a moment ago, Changsun Luo was quite pleased with himself, eagerly awaiting the little girl's praise. But the next moment, he discovered that his granddaughter seemed more interested in the precious sword that had been with him for many years...
"Grandpa..." Bai Lian's voice held a longing she herself was unaware of, "Could I borrow this sword?"
When his old eyes met those bright, pleading eyes, Changsun Luo was naturally defeated.
An ordinary old man would have refused the sword for fear of harming his granddaughter, but who was Changsun Luo?
While wondering what tricks this girl was up to, he handed her the sword. However, still worried, he stood by and watched, ready to protect her at any moment.
The moment Bai Lian received the sword, a strange sense of connection flowed from her palm, as if the sword were an extension of her body. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and the sword techniques she had just witnessed flashed through her mind.
At first, she seemed to be struggling quite a bit. The weight of the longsword was somewhat unfamiliar to her, and she almost dropped the sword several times.
Her sword-wielding movements were awkward and stiff, completely unlike Changsun Luo's fluid and graceful movements. Changsun Luo watched anxiously from the side and wanted to step forward and stop her.
But in a fleeting moment, as she tried to mimic her grandfather's flip-and-thrust thrust, her body seemed to suddenly click. Muscle memory was awakened, and her previously clumsy movements suddenly became fluid. She clearly felt how to use the power of her waist and abdomen to drive her arms, and how to control the direction of the sword's blade through her wrists.
After that, it was as if he had found his rhythm, and his movements became fluid and graceful. Although his strength was far inferior to Changsun Luo's, the connection between his moves and the coordination of his footwork were surprisingly impressive.
This really scared Changsun Luo.
It hadn't been long since they last met, yet he had memorized most of his entire sword technique... If he hadn't actually seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it no matter what.
When did this girl develop such skills? She's actually putting on quite a show!
After the initial shock, Changsun Luo was overwhelmed with uncontrollable joy. He strode forward, grasped Bai Lian's wrist, and carefully examined her bones and muscles.
"Lian'er, have you ever practiced martial arts before?" he asked eagerly.
Bai Lian shook her head blankly: "No. I just felt... it was very familiar when I watched my grandfather practice swordsmanship."
Changsun Luo then had her perform a few more basic movements, and the more he watched, the more alarmed he became.
This girl has extraordinary bone structure, she is a natural talent for martial arts, and what is even more rare is her photographic memory. She is truly a martial arts prodigy, one in a million!
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