Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but smile bitterly and begged for mercy: "Princess, please forgive me. Can't I admit my mistake? I shouldn't have been so ignorant as to tease you."
Xiao Jinglin curled the corners of his mouth quietly: "No! You have to learn!"
"I can't even lift your stick...your gun, how can I learn?" Ren Yaoqi looked at her smug smile and protested with tears in his eyes.
Xiao Jinglin was very proud to see Ren Yaoqi like this. Ren Yaoqi had accompanied her in practicing the piano for so long that her image of being wise and brave had almost completely disappeared.
She tolerated Ren Yaoqi's teasing on a daily basis. Who could blame her for not being as skilled as others?
However, as a martial artist, Princess Xiao's master taught her a lesson early on: it doesn't matter if you lose for a while. While working hard to improve your own martial arts, you must also look for opportunities to find the enemy's weaknesses, and then get back at them elsewhere. This is what is called being able to bend and stretch.
Xiao Jinglin pretended to think for a moment, then said compassionately, "If you can't hold a gun, then practice swordplay."
Then, without waiting for Ren Yaoqi to protest, she happily ordered Hongying, "Go and get that 'Snow Robe'."
Not long after, Hongying came out holding a brocade box. When she opened it, there was a snow-white dagger about ** inches long inside.
Xiao Jinglin raised his chin towards the dagger in Hongying's hand and said, "Take it and try it."
Although Ren Yaoqi did not practice martial arts and did not understand weapons, she had an appreciation for beautiful things as a woman. This sword looked very exquisite, so she really took it from Hongying's hand.
"Huh? So light?" Ren Yaoqi took the sword in her hand and realized it weighed about the same as a bamboo sword. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised. In her impression, weapons were always very heavy. The one her father had practiced with couldn't even wield. This sword was like iron but not iron, like jade but not jade. She had no idea what material it was made of.
"This is a tribute presented to the imperial court by a small island country in the south. It is said that it is made of a special stone on their island. The emperor awarded the sword to the prince. The prince gave it to me. I tried it and it is quite sharp. If you are willing to practice sword with me, I will give it to you. How about it?" Seeing that Ren Yaoqi liked this sword that she thought was flashy and not very practical, Xiao Jinglin began to tempt her.
Ren Yaoqi hurriedly said, "Since it was given to you by the prince and it's also a tribute, how can I accept it?"
Xiao Jinglin said indifferently: "The court rewards a large number of tributes every year to show its favor. We can't offer them all, right? The prince just likes to give these exquisite things that look good but are useless. I have no use for them." His tone was extremely contemptuous.
Xiao Jinglin had never been very fond of his brother, who was far away in the capital and was powerless. He despised him for his effeminate ways and thought he was not as good as his sickly second brother.
Ren Yaoqi didn't know how to respond.
Xiao Jinglin handed the gun to Hongying, then took the dagger from Ren Yaoqi, casually swung the sword in a flower pattern, thought for a moment, and looked at Ren Yaoqi with disdain: "I know you must be afraid of practicing martial arts too roughly, and fighting and killing are not pretty. How about this, I will teach you a beautiful dance."
As he spoke, Xiao Jinglin flicked his wrist and began to dance in the courtyard.
Unlike the fierce and murderous manner in which she wielded her spear, Xiao Jinglin's movements were extremely slow, seemingly to allow Ren Yaoqi to see more clearly. Yet, they were smooth and agile, harmoniously combining swordsmanship with a woman's gentle grace, creating an indescribable elegance.
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