Night lay heavy.
The young trainees practiced diligently. Nie Yannian pulled Meng Yuan aside and began explaining the principles of lightness techniques.
"Learning lightness skills is great! I want to learn them too!" Hu Qian hurried over.
"You can only learn it once the Lower Thirty-Three Heavens are fully opened." Nie Yannian did have a daughter, after all; with a girl nearby, he reined in that mouth of his considerably. "Scholar Meng is already Eighth Rank, renowned for Poetry and Blade Dual Excellence. Can you manage that?"
"Master Nie, I truly dare not accept the title of Poetry and Blade Dual Excellence." Meng Yuan was exceedingly humble.
"So fast?" Only then did Hu Qian learn that Meng Yuan had reached Eighth Rank. She opened her mouth, then bent and cupped her hands. "Senior Brother Meng."
Then she returned to training, without another word of nonsense.
Seeing that no one remained to interrupt them, Nie Yannian clasped his hands behind his back and paced as he explained, "This technique is called the Flying Willow Technique. What is flying willow? It has nothing to rely on, drifting and swaying, moving with the wind. Use True Qi as the wind and your body as flying willow. When the wind rises fiercely, the willow fluff takes flight."
"The Flying Willow Technique is as light and nimble as flying willow, floating like drifting clouds. It is not a technique for shifting and maneuvering within a tiny space, but one for rapid sprinting. It proves especially effective in mountain forests and open wilderness."
"This is a technique for tracking enemies," Meng Yuan understood.
"It lets you advance to attack and retreat to defend! How can you think only of chasing enemies and killing them? The Flying Willow Technique can also help you run away."
Nie Yannian