Before entering Xianchang Academy, He Yan always thought that he was pretty good.

After entering Xianchang Hall, He Yan doubted himself every day and took another step forward.

All the students who entered Xianchang Hall were from noble families. Not only were they rich and powerful, but their families were also rich. Such families, nouveau riche or those who lived on the title, could not compare. If He Yuanliang and his teacher had not had a personal relationship, He Yan would not have been able to get in through the back door.

On the one hand, He Yan was very happy that she could enter Xianchang Hall, but on the other hand, she was filled with pain every day in Xianchang Hall.

The reason is simple: compared with the kids here, her grades are really terrible.

The He family taught her to follow men's manners and behaviors, but she didn't learn much about the inner things. When she first arrived at Xianchang Hall, she didn't know anything and often made jokes, and the teacher was helpless.

In terms of liberal arts, she was still better. She read more, memorized more, and listened carefully during lectures, so she could barely get an average score. But in military science, she was a complete failure.

Since she was a child, He Yan had secretly gone to the back mountain to help the monks fetch water to practice her hand strength. She thought she was now quite capable, and as a result, the first time she took the martial arts test in Xianchang Hall, she became a wonder in Xianchang Hall.

She failed to master any of the "bow, sword, and stone" techniques. She fell off her horse and her arrows all missed. Even her teacher shook his head and sighed. The young men around her pointed at her and laughed. Someone asked, "He Rufei, you are not a woman, are you? How come you don't know anything? Are you learning embroidery at home?"

He Yan stood up from the ground in a panic, patted the dust off his body, and thought to himself, no, if I continue like this, my identity will be discovered. Before my identity is discovered, I will be taken back by Madam He, and I will have to stay at home again. I had better study hard, so that I can stay safely in Xianchang Hall.

So He Yan started his journey of "hard study and practice".

There was no chiseling on the wall to steal light, no fireflies reflecting the snow, but there was dancing at the sound of the cock-crow, and there was also pricking the thigh with a needle. He Yan often cursed in his heart while practicing, calligraphy, horse riding, archery, and swordsmanship.

She tried her best but could only struggle on the edge of the tail, so those proud ones who could easily get the lead without any effort stood out.

Xiao Jue is one of them, and the most annoying one.

This young man was as delicate as a tossed fruit, as sharp as a jade. He came from a privileged family and was the apple of everyone's eye. He went to school on time every day, but was often late and sometimes left early. He didn't seem to be very attentive on weekdays, but he always ranked first in both liberal arts and martial arts, without fail.

He Yan was confused. God had already given him beauty and a noble status, so why did he go to the trouble of giving him wisdom? Couldn't he just give a little to himself?

God did not answer He Yan, she could only work hard to make up for her shortcomings with tears.

Gradually, He Yan's "sword, horse, and bow" began to show results. Although he was not as good as those teenagers who had been exposed to the art since childhood at home with their fathers and brothers, he was not always ranked last. Sometimes, if he tried hard, he could even get the third from the bottom.

He Yan felt satisfied. His hard work paid off.

At the back of Xianchang Hall, the martial arts subject will be divided into weapons. He Yan chose the sword among the swords, not for any other reason, but just because he felt that the sword was lighter than the knife, and it would not be so strenuous to swing it.

However, her swordsmanship is also terrible.

The He family had never hired a martial arts master to teach her in the mansion. He Yan had no basics at all, and even her horse stance was crooked. The swordsman at Xianchang Hall didn't have high hopes for her. He thought that as long as she looked good, it would be fine. Whether she could fend off the enemy was a question for later. Which young master would go out without a few servants? If there was any danger, the servants would go.

He Yan, however, felt that this was not acceptable.

Since she had chosen it, she had to practice swordplay. Students could only go home two days a month, and the rest of the time they lived in Xianchang Hall. She sneaked out in the dark at night and ran to the courtyard of the hall to practice swordplay.

The academy is elegantly built. When the moon is bright, the wind rustles the bamboo forest, creating a green landscape with the moon, bamboo and cypress trees, and red carp wagging their tails in the pond. It is like heaven on earth, a fairyland in a painting. The masters practice swordplay here, waiting for the world to change, and will come out when there is chaos.

He Yan was quite happy practicing, apart from her poor swordsmanship.

I accidentally cut off a corner of my clothes, I accidentally got hit on the head by the scabbard, I accidentally tripped, I accidentally...

She heard a chuckle.

In the darkness of the night, this chuckle came out of nowhere. He Yan got up nervously. Could it be that he saw a ghost?

She saw a man sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard. He was wearing a white robe and golden boots, with bright eyes and brows. It was the proud son of heaven who was favored by God, Xiao Jue.

Xiao Jue looked down at her. She put her hands behind her back and rubbed the stain on her clothes vigorously. She said calmly, "What are you doing here?"

"Watching you practice swordplay." The boy replied lazily.

"Yes, what's so good about it?" She answered with courage. She never liked talking to the boys in Xianchang Hall. They didn't like her and always bullied her.

Xiao Jue looked at her for a while, then suddenly stood up. Before she could react, the boy was already in front of her. She was a girl, and was not as tall as a boy, so she could only reach the boy's chest. She raised her head and could see the other's clear jawline and the beautiful, gentle and cool eyes like autumn water.

"I was just surprised..." The young man curled his lips slightly. He was born handsome and handsome. His smile made the cool night in the courtyard look better than the moonlight. However, his words were full of mockery, "Someone tried so hard, but he is still a weakling."

He Yan: “…”

She pushed Xiao Jue, picked up her sword and ran away, feeling angry. God was fair. He gave this young man beauty, talent and family background, but he didn't give him a good heart.

This person is so annoying!

After that, He Yan still sneaked into the yard every night to practice swordplay. She thought simply that diligence can make up for lack of talent, and working hard is always better than not working hard.

But what made her angry was that from that day on, Xiao Jue followed her out every night. When she practiced swordplay, he would sit on a stone bench, reading and drinking tea by candlelight. She fell and got bruised and her clothes were torn, and he watched her make a fool of herself in the bright moonlight and breeze, with an elegant posture and leisurely manner.

She was still trying hard to maintain her sprint from the last to the third from the last, but he was effortless and at the top of everything.

The hard work is still hard, the easy work is still easy, spring goes and autumn comes, winter comes and summer goes, the boy has grown into a young man, the girl has changed her face. The white clouds are changing, the sea and the land have changed, the only thing that remains unchanged is the night in Xianchang Hall and the crescent moon on the bamboo branches in the backyard at midnight.

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Uncle’s impression of Yanyan in his past and present life: a very hard-working man (woman).