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After experiencing failure in her last attempt to burn down West-Resisting City’s grain and fodder, the assassin has been lying low in the city.

Although I don’t know where she specifically stays, it’s very obvious that she doesn’t have a desire to do things anytime soon.

Thanks to her, I have had time to help Aleya complete her special training throughout these few days.

Even though it’s quite inhumane to strike her with rocks, it’s a truly effective method. After three days’ time, Aleya’s hit rate rose up to about 50%. The price she paid was to be bound by bandages all over as well as have a gauze stuck on her right cheek. But I do have a sense of severity when it comes to my actions. While it may hurt like hell, it won’t leave a scar behind.

But after the three days, regardless of how she trained, her hit rate could only be maintained at about 50%.

Continuing to train like this will yield very little results, so I pulled over Heji to be Aleya’s training partner. The two used bamboo swords while Aleya was to be blindfolded. The rule was, if she’s able to block Heji’s sword, then she gains a point; conversely, if she gets struck by Heji, then she loses a point. For Heji, there’s no need to suppress his realm, but he does have to control his strength so as to not use a heavy hand.

The reason for making him not suppress his realm is so that his swordsmanship will be even more vague and hard to fathom. The reason for making him not use a heavy hand is because I’m afraid I’ll be unable to bear beating the **** out of him.

After Heji harped on for half a day about “it’ll be a one-sided fight like this”, he did pick up the sword in the end and became quite earnest doing so.

He’s always been earnest when it comes to the Sword Path.

Aleya used both her hands to grip the sword while her eyebrows were creased and she concentrated all her attention on identifying sounds.

Then, Heji beat her into a sorry state. If you think about it carefully, there isn’t much Aleya can do about it since Heji’s already attained Level 6 in the Sword Path at greater perfection realm. Even if she were to use all her strength, she wouldn’t be able to defeat him. Now that she’s also blindfolded herself, it’s the same as having a broken arm. It would be strange if the situation wasn’t one-sided.

But I think that this kind of training is very meaningful.

Because regardless of whether it’s Heji or Aleya, weren’t they also standing on the weak side and resisting the assassin when they faced her? It’s impossible for a person to always be on the dominating side for a lifetime. One needs to learn how to cope when one’s on the weaker side; one can’t just surrender upon seeing that the opponent is better than oneself. A person like that will never see the scenery at the apex for their entire lifetime.

There is a huge gap between the current Aleya and Heji, but I hope she’ll remember this feeling.

Throughout the afternoon, Aleya lost several thousand points and was only able to hit Heji’s sword three times.

When it was nighttime, I couldn’t bear watching anymore, so I stepped forward and said:

“Aleya, forget it, forget it.”

It would’ve been fine if I didn’t move. Heji swung his sword and then Aleya dodged it, but the result of that was Heji’s sword making a perfectly straight beeline for my head.

“****.”

I called out.

Just as I was in the middle of deciding on whether or not I wanted to block the attack, a bamboo sword suddenly thrust out from the side. Aleya’s unexpected move hindered Heji’s bamboo sword, causing the two swords to bump into each other and countless cracks appeared on the bamboo.

This was Aleya’s fourth time keeping off Heji’s sword today.

In that instant, I felt like there were countless cosmic planets revolving behind me, the images of the evolution of mankind and DNA spinning around in my mind. Eventually, all of the scenes turned into a lightning strike across the sky. That’s right, I had obtained a moment of enlightenment.

I pointed to my head and told Heji:

“Come.”

Heji clearly wasn’t courteous towards me since he instantly swung his sword over. But this time, Aleya didn’t react, causing the sword to smash into my face and create enough pain to make my sight blacken momentarily. I spat out blood from my mouth, felt my already swelling cheek, and told Heji:

“Continue.”

Heji swung his sword over again.

In that instant, the clearly blindfolded Aleya seemed to actually be able to see through the path of Heji’s sword and acted out in advance. The two bamboo swords openly collided. Aleya’s sudden strike protected me from the front, just like a female leopard guarding her cub. The aura on her body changed in a flash, forcing Heji to step back half a step before recovering.

I didn’t say a word. Instead, I pointed at myself again.

Heji swung sword after sword at me in different directions each time. Aleya tightly gripped the sword in her hand and blocked sword after sword. When she couldn’t hold the sword anymore due to the numbness in her arm, she used her arm to block the strikes.

Altogether, Heji made a total of 10 moves. Apart from the very first move, the rest of the moves weren’t able to hit me.

Aleya panted as she stood guard before me while the onlooking Heji had a face full of stupefaction.

I clapped and said:

“You’ve done well, Aleya.”

Aleya clenched her teeth with an ill expression.

When I removed the blindfold from her eyes, Aleya first adjusted to the outside light. Then, after she had finished adjusting, she picked up the sword and went to get revenge on Heji. I hurriedly held her by the waist, carried her over to the side, and said:

“Be obedient, I told Heji to hit me, it has nothing to do with him.”

Aleya clenched her fist into a tight ball and her eyes suddenly turned red.

It was clearly her that had suffered so many injuries in these past few days, yet she maintained her staunch, expressionless face throughout all of it. But now?

Heji helplessly apologized to me:

“Sorry, I thought she would be able to block that first move.”

In my heart, I was wishing that I could kick Heji’s *** right now; how dare he create more trouble at this time?! Sure enough, Aleya felt even guiltier upon hearing his words and used one hand to clench her sword even tighter while using the other to hold onto the hem of her shirt as if she were unwilling to cry. I felt pain in my heart upon seeing it. Now that I think about it, Aleya is only 16 years-old this year. This fact made me feel even more pain, so I hastily hugged her, stroked her head, and comforted:

“It’s okay, Aleya. When you grow older, I’ll bring you to go bully Bai Huang and also make Heji feel uncomfortable.”

Only then did Aleya wipe her eyes and smile.

I asked her with deadpan earnesty:

“Do you remember that feeling of sword blows in the darkness?”

Aleya answered:

“I do, young master.”

I said:

“Good. Remembering is good, this shows your growth. Heji, practice a bit more with her.”

After I finished speaking, I carefully blindfolded Aleya again and then retreated. Heji scratched his head, let out a sigh, reluctantly picked up his sword, and stood in front of Aleya. After Aleya adjusted her sword-holding posture and shook her wrists, I asked the two in the distance:

“Ready?”

Heji nodded and Aleya supplemented:

“Ready, young master.”

I said:

“Then let’s begin.”

The instant my words fell, Heji’s sword whipped out like a storm. Aleya faced it head on and for that instant, it seemed as if there were an invisible flame flickering.

Then, Aleya was hit on the head by Heji’s sword while her own sword met empty air.

Heji sent out another move and Aleya acted again; her sword met empty air again.

Out of ten sword moves, she wasn’t able to even touch one of them. The hit rate was so “moving” that Heji had to stop due to her ending up an even sorrier figure than before.

Heji slapped his forehead and told me:

“Sir City Lord, I’ll be troubling you.”

I walked over and stood still. Heji stabbed towards my chest and this time, Aleya immediately acted out and blocked Heji’s incoming move.

Then, Heji inserted his sword into his belt and said:

“There’s already no need to practice any longer. It’s getting dark and I can’t just leave sir Bai Huang by herself in the city. I’ll be taking my leave first, I wish you two a lifetime of love.”

With his part said, he left like the wind, walking away in a rage.

Aleya took off the black cloth strip that was serving as her blindfold, held her bamboo sword as she stood before me, and vacantly asked:

“Young master……”

I stroked her head and said:

“Aleya, you can’t be like this, you’re relying on me too much.”