The two of them darted out of the courtyard, using their Movement Technique to race south. Only after they had put plenty of distance between themselves and the small courtyard did Lu Chen speak.
"Rong'er, I'm not much of a swimmer. I'm afraid I won't be able to swim in a river..."
Huang Rong said with a grin:
"It's fine. I'll teach you a few water skills. Since you have Internal Energy, you'll learn them quickly."
The thrill of escaping from beneath her father's watchful eye made her seem like a bird freed from its cage. Her little face was flushed red, and her voice brimmed with lighthearted pride.
Lu Chen nodded and said nothing more. He pushed his Movement Technique to its limit and closely followed Huang Rong's pace.
"Quick, quick, quick! We only have half an hour."
Huang Rong urged him repeatedly. Seeing that Lu Chen was still slightly slower, she simply reached out, grabbed his hand, and pulled him along at a run.
Holding her bonelessly soft, cool, tender little hand and looking at her incomparably lovely face, faintly flushed with red, Lu Chen felt his heartbeat quicken and his breathing grow a little ragged. Embarrassingly, he had been single since birth in both lifetimes. The last time he had held a girl's hand was probably back in kindergarten in his previous life.
Rong'er truly was the first girl he had ever been this close to across both his lives.
Just as his thoughts began to wander, Huang Rong looked back and chided him:
"How are you running slower and slower?"
She had suddenly noticed that his body seemed to have grown heavier. Pulling him along was actually slowing her down.
Lu Chen snapped back to his senses, realizing that his wandering thoughts had disrupted the flow of his lightness technique and dragged Rong'er down. He quickly suppressed his stray thoughts, focused on circulating his true energy, and ran his Movement Technique properly. Only then did Rong'er smile in satisfaction and continue pulling him onward.
Before long, the two had left the provincial city and raced south toward the Cao'e River, reaching its banks within half an hour.
Huang Rong removed her shoes and socks, revealing a pair of dainty, crystal-white little feet. She stuffed her shoes and socks into her bundle, then said to Lu Chen:
"You're not good in the water, so don't wear too much. It'll only weigh you down."
"Alright."
Lu Chen nodded. After Huang Rong turned her back, he swiftly stripped off his clothes and shoes, leaving only a pair of boxer shorts. He was unused to this world's underwear; these shorts had come with him from the Main World. He had washed them every day for more than a month, and they were nearly worn through.
Seeing his lean, sturdy muscles, Huang Rong's face flushed slightly again. She hurriedly looked away and reminded him:
"First, splash cold water on your pulse points and chest. You're overheated from running, and if the cold water hits you suddenly, you could cramp or lose your breath."
Lu Chen did as she said, stuffed his clothes and shoes into his bundle, then bent down to scoop up river water and splash it over his pulse points and chest.
Huang Rong also stepped barefoot into the river. She first crouched down and slowly immersed herself, soaking every part of her clothing through. Once she had adapted to the river's chill, she began teaching Lu Chen how to breathe and regulate his energy in the water, and how to coordinate his limbs with that rhythm to exert force.
Lu Chen memorized everything. He practiced briefly in the shallows according to Huang Rong's instructions and found that swimming truly became much easier and less tiring.
"Alright, get in the water quickly."
As she spoke, Huang Rong took Lu Chen's bundle and longsword, hung both bundles from the sword, and held it horizontally over her head with both hands. She lightly plunged into the water and, without even using her hands, rapidly swam downstream by kicking at the river with her feet.
"Lu Chen, hurry and follow."
Lu Chen took a deep breath and dove into the water. Using both hands and feet while maintaining the rhythm of his breathing and energy regulation, he swam after Rong'er.
Holding the bundle-laden sword high above her head, Huang Rong swam swiftly ahead like a nimble mermaid. From time to time, she looked back at Lu Chen. Seeing that he was keeping close behind her, and that although his stroke was not yet effortless, it was still far better than when he could only flail about helplessly in the sea, she gave him a broad smile.
Lu Chen smiled back. Once he grew familiar with the swimming techniques Huang Rong had taught him, he gradually picked up speed and drew level with her.
The two drifted downstream for several miles until they reached a bend in the river. There, they saw a stream flowing out from the forested mountains on one side and joining the river. Huang Rong called, "Follow me!" and swam toward the mouth of the stream.
Lu Chen followed her into the stream at the river bend and continued upstream. Before long, the water grew shallow enough that it only reached Huang Rong's waist.
Huang Rong stood upright without going ashore and simply waded upstream through the water.
Lu Chen understood her intention. By wading through the stream, they would leave no traces on either bank. Secretly praising her meticulousness, he took the longsword and bundles she had carried all the way and walked beside her.
After following the stream upstream for several more miles, they gradually entered deeper into the forest. The water was now only calf-deep. Just then, they came upon a cave on one side of the stream bank. Huang Rong pointed at it and said with a smile:
"We'll rest there tonight. If we hide here for a few more days, the sky will be wide enough for birds to fly and the sea broad enough for fish to leap!"
Lu Chen smiled and nodded. He went ashore and inspected the cave. It was not deep, and the interior was not spacious, but it was fairly clean. He then called Huang Rong inside to change clothes.
Afterward, they took turns changing. They wrung out their wet clothes and hung them on a small tree outside the cave to dry in the breeze. They did not light a fire, instead sitting at the cave entrance beneath the moonlight and talking.
"The Black Wind Double Fiends have vanished without a trace for years. Where are we supposed to find them?"
Huang Rong propped up her cheeks with both hands, pouted her little mouth, and looked somewhat troubled.
Lu Chen thought for a moment, then said:
"Don't worry, Rong'er. I can find them."
Huang Rong asked in surprise:
"You know where they are?"
Lu Chen nodded with a smile.
"I do."
Huang Rong's lips parted slightly. She had wanted to ask how he knew, but recalling the miracle of him having "fallen from the sky," as well as his unbelievable progress in swordsmanship, she decided to trust him without question and merely asked:
"Where should we go next?"
Lu Chen answered without hesitation:
"First, to Xiangyang."
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.
Though his swordsmanship had greatly improved, his cultivation was still shallow. He had to find a way to raise his cultivation. Only by advancing both swordsmanship and cultivation together would he have the foundation to contend with a first-rate expert like Mei Chaofeng.
Having settled on their destination, Lu Chen saw Huang Rong yawn and told her to rest inside the cave while he kept watch outside.
After Huang Rong entered the cave, Lu Chen sat alone at its entrance, his sword laid across his knees. Closing his eyes, he tried to comprehend the imprint of Sword One.
He was usually exceptionally focused during training. Whether practicing swordsmanship or comprehending sword intent, he could enter the proper state in an instant.
But today was completely different.
The moment he closed his eyes, the soft, silky touch of Huang Rong holding his hand surfaced in his mind on its own. Her snow-white, crystalline little feet playfully kicking up splashes also kept appearing before his eyes.
Those dainty, adorable little feet seemed to kick and flick against his heart, leaving him restless and agitated for quite some time.
At that moment, a deep, magnetic voice from an animal documentary in his previous life even sounded in his mind. "Spring has arrived..."
Having been single for two lifetimes, his resistance had never been particularly strong. And now he was an eighteen-year-old in the prime of youth, a robust martial artist overflowing with vitality. He simply could not remain as calm and still as water.
Lu Chen sighed. Not daring to comprehend sword intent in such a state, he simply got up, walked a dozen paces from the cave, found an open patch of ground, drew his sword, and began practicing his swordsmanship.
Once his body began moving, he quickly suppressed his distracting thoughts and entered the proper state.
Yet after practicing for a while, he suddenly felt that something around him was amiss. He glanced from the corner of his eye toward the direction that had stirred his intuition, and his heart immediately jolted.
Less than ten paces away stood a tall, lean figure in azure robes, hands clasped behind his back, quietly standing amid the mottled moonlight cast through the treetops. The evening breeze occasionally stirred the hem of his robe, giving him an ethereal air, as though he might ride the wind away at any moment.
Looking at the azure-robed figure, who exuded such an elegant, ethereal presence even while standing perfectly still, Lu Chen inwardly sighed. Old ginger was still the spicier.
He sheathed his sword and cupped his hands in salute.
"Senior Huang."
There was no doubt about it. The azure-robed figure was Huang Yaoshi.
Before you continue