In the afternoon, the He siblings came to visit. Qiao Qiu hosted them, leading them on a tour of the Shen family's old residence, and then took them to the martial arts training ground.
This training ground wasn't very big; it was just an ordinary little courtyard with a stone path three or four meters wide in the middle, and many weapons were placed on both sides of the path.
"I've long heard that the He family's swordsmanship is unparalleled in the martial arts world. I wonder if I could have the honor of witnessing it?" Qiao Qiu asked.
He Qixie didn't agree immediately, and He Suyue got anxious, grabbing his arm and shaking it back and forth, "Brother, just perform for Brother Shen, aren't you friends anymore?"
He Qi Xie couldn't refuse his sister, so he smiled shyly at Qiao Qiu and said, "Then I'll make a fool of myself."
"Brother He, please." Qiao Qiu gestured for him to enter, then stepped down into the corridor.
He Suyue stood three steps away from Qiao Qiu, stealing glances at her profile every now and then. Her face flushed and her heart pounded; her hands kept fidgeting, sometimes crossing her arms, sometimes twisting her sash, sometimes smoothing her hair—she simply didn't know where to put them.
Qiao Qiu was focused on He Qixie and didn't notice He Suyue. She wanted to know how many flaws He Qixie's martial arts had and how they compared to that perverted killer.
He Qi Xie drew a long sword, assumed a sideways stance with the sword raised, and his aura changed instantly. He launched an attack in a flash, his sword flashing like lightning, each strike nimble and skillful, without a trace of clumsiness.
To have mastered swordsmanship to this level is already a remarkable achievement for a young man. However, for someone like Qiao Qiu, an expert among experts who has mastered countless martial arts techniques, there are still many flaws. And most importantly, He Qixie's martial arts are indeed as he himself said, not as good as Shen Junbai's.
Qiao Qiu didn't know what kind of expression to wear. If Shen Junbai hadn't killed the psychopathic killer, would she have been able to entrust her life to someone with such martial arts skills?
This is not the case.
While Qiao Qiu was still thinking, He Qixie, who was wielding a knife, suddenly thrust it at her. The knife was as fast as lightning; anyone without martial arts skills would die instantly.
Qiao Qiu prepared to dodge, but as soon as she moved, a piercing pain shot through her ankle. She gritted her teeth and dodged to the side, pressing herself against a pillar as the long knife almost grazed her nose.
"ah!"
He Suyue screamed, startling the two of them.
He Qixie originally only wanted to test Qiao Qiu's martial arts skills, but this shout completely ruined the atmosphere.
He Suyue rushed over, using her scabbard to parry He Qixie's knife, and stood in front of Qiao Qiu, angrily shouting, "Brother, what are you doing?!"
Qiao Qiu forced herself to use her martial arts skills, and the pain in her ankle was so intense that she could barely stand.
Just as He Qixie was about to explain, he suddenly noticed that Qiao Qiu was acting strangely. He pulled He Suyue away and supported her, "Junbai, what's wrong?"
Qiao Qiu's face was pale, her forehead was sweating, and her lips had turned white.
He Suyue noticed it too, rushed over, and supported her on the other side, "Brother Shen, what's wrong?"
Qiao Qiu paused for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm fine."
"How could you be alright in this condition?" He Suyue was almost in tears.
At this moment, He Qi Xie keenly noticed that something was wrong with his wrist—he had accidentally grabbed it when he went to help the person.
He pulled up Qiao Qiu's sleeve, straightened her wrist, and saw the scar on it.
He Suyue didn't understand. "Brother, what are you doing?"
He Qi Xie wanted to look at Qiao Qiu's other hand, but she avoided him.
However, her action just confirmed his suspicions.
He Qi Xie was startled and asked in a low voice, "Your tendons in your hands were severed, were your tendons in your feet also severed?"
He Suyue gasped, covered her mouth in disbelief, and tears of heartache streamed down her face.
Qiao Qiu withdrew her hand and said expressionlessly, "Since you've seen through me, then you must keep my secret."
He Qixie's eyes darkened, and he asked again, "Why do you want to see me perform the He family sword technique today?"
If he hadn't known about this, he would never have doubted Qiao Qiu's intention to see the He family's sword technique.
Qiao Qiu paused for a moment before saying, "My tendons in my hands and feet have been severed, and I can no longer use martial arts. I'm practically a cripple. But I haven't avenged my great grudge, and I can't let myself be killed like this. If my deduction is correct, the officials from Shuzhou City will come to take me back tomorrow. I also need to return to Shuzhou City to bring back the remains of my parents and brothers from the yamen so they can be laid to rest."
As Qiao Qiu spoke, the almost suffocating pain in her heart caused her fingers to clench repeatedly. The excruciating pain from the severed tendons in her hand was the only thing that slightly eased the pain in her heart.
He Qi Xie raised an eyebrow, "You mean you want me to protect you?"
Qiao Qiu looked at him and said, "If you feel that money insults you, I can help you point out the flaws in your swordsmanship."
The weaknesses in a technique are very important to a martial artist, which is why she offered this tempting offer.
In retrospect, of all the things she could learn in her hundreds of reincarnations, the best she ever learned was martial arts, but she was forced to master it.
Qiao Qiu was completely bewildered. What was she thinking? Wasting so many lifetimes? It was simply unforgivable.
Let's start from this life. In each life, we'll master one thing. Learning is endless. Spending a lifetime learning one thing should be enough, right?
Of course, the most important thing is for Qiao Qiu to figure out what the ring is really up to. Ever since she became a politician and started to be skeptical of everything, her curiosity has been running wild.
Looking at the calm Qiao Qiu, He Qixie felt very unsettled. He couldn't imagine how much of a blow a once-proud person had to suffer to become like this. It was truly admirable that Shen Junbai could maintain such composure.
“I can promise to protect you, but I, He Qi, am not the kind of person who makes deals with friends. So take back all the benefits you offer, or I will not consider you my friend.”
Qiao Qiu stood with her hands behind her back and smiled slightly, "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. How about you move into the Shen residence tonight?"
He Qi Xie agreed with him, "That's good. My sister and I will go back and make arrangements. We'll send the people from the escort agency back first, and we can also send a letter home to my father so he knows that I'm protecting you. I think he will definitely approve."
"Alright, I'll wait for you both at the Shen residence." After saying this to He Qixie, Qiao Qiu turned to look at He Suyue, who was silently shedding tears. "Suyue, don't cry. The most important thing to me is not martial arts, but my mind. So, as long as I'm alive, it's fine if I can't use martial arts. It doesn't matter."
Hearing her words, He Suyue felt even more heartbroken, and tears kept falling.
He Qi Xie shook his head helplessly and said to Qiao Qiu, "Jun Bai, I'll take her back first. Otherwise, given how much she cares about you, I don't know how long she'll cry."
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