Mermaid pearls are treasures. Baili Wanwan glanced at her master, and seeing her nod, she accepted them.
After waving goodbye, he returned to the Wan family home and slept soundly through the night.
The next day, before the sun had even risen, Qingchen had already opened her eyes.
She struggled to put on her little jacket, jumped out of bed, and put on her shoes. Then, without turning on the lamp, she went straight out into the yard.
The moonlight, like water, gently spilled onto the ground, and the sky was still barely light. It was quite chilly in the mornings and evenings at this time of year, and Baili Wanwan, wrapped tightly in her padded jacket, shivered as she ran outside.
With a clear purpose, I went to the neighbor's yard.
At this moment, Xiao Qi was already practicing his martial arts in the courtyard.
He wore only a single robe, yet seemed completely oblivious to the cold. His longsword danced in the air with fluid grace, displaying a unique and elegant style. Its cold gleam flashed sharply in the moonlight, as if it could shatter all the filth of the world.
Bai Liwan was captivated by the sight and, unusually, stood quietly to the side without making a sound.
However, a moment later, Xiao Qi suddenly stopped wielding his longsword.
He turned around and raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw Baili Wanwan, then a smile appeared on his face.
"I didn't expect you to actually be able to get up."
It's still dark, and everyone in the village is fast asleep. It's truly remarkable that a three-year-old girl in this remote area can get up so early.
"I'm very good!"
Baili Wanwan said smugly, and when she saw Xiao Qi come to open the door for her, she could see the thin layer of sweat on his forehead. It was glistening on his porcelain-white skin.
The little girl had no bad intentions. Without thinking, she tiptoed and wiped away the bead of sweat.
She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Auntie said that if you don't change your clothes after sweating, you'll get sick!"
"Um."
Xiao Qi had never had his sweat wiped so closely by a young girl before. His face flushed slightly, and he gave an awkward "hmm."
However, seeing that he didn't seem to take it to heart, Baili Wanwan frowned and added fiercely, "Being sick is uncomfortable! And you have to drink very bitter medicine!"
Just thinking about the herbal smell she had last time made Baili Wanwan shake her head.
I've decided that I absolutely must not get sick and must not take any medicine!
"Okay, I'll be careful."
Seeing her insistence, Xiao Qi's tone became more indulgent. After agreeing, he didn't just give a perfunctory answer, but went straight into the house and took out an outer robe to put on.
His outer robe was a bluish-green, which, against the backdrop of the bamboo grove beside him, made Xiao Qi appear as upright and sturdy as bamboo. His entire being exuded a sense of integrity and character.
Baili Wanwan couldn't see through these things, but she noticed that Xiao Qi's aura seemed to have changed slightly again. Curious, she decided to find out why later, and ran to Xiao Qi's side.
He stared longingly at the long sword.
"You've only just begun your studies; you can't wield a sword yet."
Xiao Qi sternly refused her, and even Baili Wanwan's tantrums and attempts to charm her were useless. In the end, she had no choice but to listen to Xiao Qi and obediently start practicing horse stance on the side.
This is the most basic thing in martial arts. Ordinary children have to spend a year or two practicing martial arts before they can learn boxing or other skills.
Even with Xiao Qi's near-prodigy-level martial arts talent, he still practiced horse stance for two months before his master felt comfortable teaching him anything else.
However, to everyone's surprise, he had just demonstrated the movements and had only just stood up.
When he turned around, Baili Wanwan had already assumed a beautiful horse stance, her small eyes looking at him expectantly.
It's as if it's asking: Am I doing it perfectly?
Xiao Qi: ?
He rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again, and after confirming he wasn't seeing things, he showed an extremely surprised expression. You see, Baili Wanwan's movements now far exceeded standard.
He looked like he'd practiced martial arts for ten years; his stance was stable, his back straight, and he didn't seem like a beginner at all. And she was just a three-year-old girl! Where would she have found the time to practice for ten years? Besides, in this remote and impoverished area, there was simply no one who could teach her!
Could he really be a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy?
Xiao Qi had originally intended to teach Baili Wanwan martial arts, with a somewhat playful attitude. But now he dared not be negligent in the slightest.
He cleared his throat and said, "From now on, you will stand in a horse stance for one hour without moving. If possible, I will then teach you swordsmanship directly."
Practicing the horse stance is extremely physically demanding. After an hour, even martial artists who practice regularly will experience back and waist pain and discomfort. Those whose skills are not up to par simply cannot stand it!
For ordinary people, let alone an hour, they can't even maintain that for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Xiao Qi said this for two reasons. First, he wanted to temper Baili Wanwan's arrogance, so that she wouldn't be too haughty when she actually started learning swordsmanship, and would instead humbly seek guidance. Second, he wanted to temper her temperament and prevent her from being too impatient.
But he never expected that Baili Wanwan could actually hold a horse stance for an hour without moving an inch! Her posture was also perfectly standard from beginning to end!
The sun has slowly risen. The first rays of dawn fall on the delicate face of Bailiwan, making the beads of sweat on their heads glisten.
Xiao Qi's initial calmness turned to shock, and now to surprise.
He never expected Baili Wanwan to be so talented!
He stepped forward, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Baili Wanwan's head, then said softly, "An hour has passed, you can start learning swordsmanship from me now."
He had a premonition that Baili Wanwan would surely surpass him and quickly master swordsmanship!
On his way to chop wood after waking up, Wan Yuekui happened to pass by Xiao Qi's courtyard.
Xiao Qi usually practices swordsmanship alone, but today there was a small figure behind him.
Baili Wanwan was small in stature, and the longsword was almost as tall as her. There were many moves that she simply couldn't execute with her small arms and legs.
However, he learned the swordsmanship meticulously, and there was a hint of sword intent in it.
When Wan Yuekui saw his younger sister, he was immediately surprised: "Wanwan, what are you doing here!"
Keep in mind that it was still early morning, and the streets were sparsely populated. Baili Wanwan was alone at Xiao Qi's house. Even though she was still a little toddler of three years old, if those gossipy women saw her, they would surely spread rumors about her behind her back.
The moment he was born, the two swordsmen stopped practicing.
Xiao Qi frowned in displeasure at being interrupted, while Baili Wanwan ran over excitedly, holding up her longsword and showing off to Wan Yuekui: "Brother, I can practice swordsmanship now!"
It wouldn't be wrong to say that she's learned it; although her sword dance isn't as good as Xiao Qi's, she's already grasped some of the basics.
Even though Wan Yuekui knew that his younger sister was always intelligent, he did not expect her to learn so quickly, and he was stunned for a moment.
But Baili Wanwan thought he didn't believe her, so she immediately stood in the courtyard, her long sword flashing like a silver snake.
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