Lu Chen got to taste Huang Rong's legendary cooking.
It was indeed astonishing. Across both his past and present lives, Lu Chen had never eaten seafood this delicious.
Even though the boat's cooking utensils were simple and the seasonings limited, Huang Rong had only grilled a fish and a shrimp, then stewed a pot of fish soup. Yet Lu Chen still ate until the flavors lingered on his cheeks and teeth, praising it without end.
After a satisfying meal, Huang Rong put away the tableware, swept all the piled-up catch at the bow back into the sea to give back to nature, then found a Wooden Sword in the cabin. Grinning, she said to Lu Chen:
"Since you want to learn swordsmanship, have you practiced the basics before?"
Lu Chen nodded. "I have."
He had found plenty of swordsmanship tutorial videos online in the Main World and collected many sword manuals that claimed to be ancient secret transmissions. Although he had never found any swordsmanship capable of cultivating Internal Energy, he had indeed put considerable effort into the fundamentals.
Huang Rong handed the Wooden Sword to Lu Chen.
"Then practice a little and let me see how solid your foundation is."
Lu Chen did not hesitate. Taking the Wooden Sword, he assumed a stance on the deck at the bow and began practicing basic sword movements with painstaking precision: thrusting, chopping, lifting, hanging, circling, pointing, snapping, intercepting, and so on.
Huang Rong crossed one arm over her chest and rested her chin on her other hand as she watched Lu Chen practice.
At first, she watched quite seriously, but the longer she looked, the harder it became to suppress the corners of her mouth.
She really wanted to laugh.
But she could not laugh.
Hold it in!
With supreme willpower, Huang Rong kept her little face taut and forced down her smile as she persevered through Lu Chen's entire routine.
After finishing a set of basic sword forms, Lu Chen looked at Huang Rong expectantly.
"Miss Huang, how was it?"
Huang Rong's little face turned solemn.
"Mm, I can tell that Brother Lu has put quite a bit of effort into this set of basic swordsmanship."
Lu Chen did not feign modesty and smiled.
"I've practiced it for a full three months. Every morning and evening, I train for two... one hour, rain or shine. Whenever I have free time, I practice some more."
Huang Rong nodded.
"Brother Lu's hard work over the past three months was not entirely wasted. At the very least, it must have made you tired."
"..."
Lu Chen stared at Huang Rong speechlessly.
Was that a jab?
That was definitely a jab, wasn't it?
With a puff, Huang Rong finally could not hold it in any longer and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.
"Pfft, hahahaha... Well, Brother Lu, don't blame me. I accidentally said what I was thinking!"
"..."
Lu Chen looked unconvinced.
"Miss Huang, is my basic swordsmanship really that awful to watch?"
He had trained hard for three whole months, rain or shine!
"It isn't just a matter of being awful to watch. It's more that... you were so stiff and rigid... Mm, let me show you."
Huang Rong took the Wooden Sword from Lu Chen and copied him with exaggerated precision.
Her imitation was lifelike. With her little face tense, every thrust stopping short, her mechanical sword movements looking as though they were dropping frames, she resembled a doll girl whose joints had never been oiled.
"...Was I really practicing like that?"
"Really. I wasn't lying. That's exactly how you were practicing just now. I think your basic swordsmanship might have a miraculous effect. Perhaps the enemy will find it so funny that they'll roll on the ground laughing. Then, Brother Lu, couldn't you just walk over and casually stab them to death?"
"..." Lu Chen looked at Huang Rong with a blank expression. "Excuse me, can I still be saved?"
Huang Rong quickly patted her chest and guaranteed:
"Don't worry, of course you can. Now that you've met me, how could Brother Lu possibly be beyond saving?"
If he can't be saved, won't my Immortal Realm Journey go down the drain?
For the sake of touring the Immortal Realm, I have to straighten out his crooked swordsmanship fundamentals!
"Brother Lu, your current problem... Let's not even mention how you had no footwork or breathing technique at all while practicing just now. Even the way you hold your sword is wrong."
Huang Rong held the sword in one hand and clasped the other behind her back. Her expression turned stern as she looked at Lu Chen, and all traces of teasing vanished from her voice.
"The way you held the sword just now was like you had some deep grudge against the hilt and wanted to crush it. You were gripping far too hard! If you leave no strength in your hand and clench the hilt with all five fingers, your wrist and arm will stiffen. A sword must move with lightness and agility. With your wrist and arm stiff like that, how can you wield it lightly?"
Seeing Lu Chen listening attentively, deep in thought, Huang Rong nodded with satisfaction and continued.
"Also, when you strike, you use too much force. Every strike looks like you want to use your full strength. I know you're trying to be fast, but in martial arts, one must not exhaust one's momentum. Unless you have reached the final moment of a life-or-death struggle, when you are willing to perish alongside your enemy and spare no cost, you must not easily use all your strength. You need to retain thirty percent of your strength in every move to deal with unforeseen changes.
"Brother Lu, putting all your strength into every strike will not only make your movements stiff and expose enormous openings, it will also leave you with no reserve to handle sudden changes. Watch me..."
As she spoke, she demonstrated that set of basic swordsmanship again.
This time, she no longer imitated Lu Chen. Instead, she wielded the sword in her own way. They were clearly the same simple basic stances, yet in her hands, they flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water, brimming with effortless nimbleness.
Not only was her swordplay graceful and elegant, but when the Wooden Sword sliced through the air, it faintly carried a sharpness that was restrained rather than revealed. It made one feel that even though it was only a wooden sword, getting stabbed by it would likely result in serious injury.
After demonstrating it once for Lu Chen, Huang Rong smiled again.
"But Brother Lu, you needn't worry too much. After all, you've only practiced for three months. If you had continued practicing with this wrong method for another three years and ingrained it into your bones, then saving you really would be as difficult as climbing to heaven!"
Huang Rong's assessment was anything but polite.
But Lu Chen did not feel embarrassed merely because she was young.
Because he knew very well that Huang Rong at her current age might not yet be exceptionally strong herself—though she could certainly still defeat Lu Chen with ease—but her insight and experience were absolutely first-rate. She was more than qualified to be his swordsmanship teacher.
Thus, Huang Rong's critique instead made Lu Chen feel relieved. He said gladly:
"Thank you, Miss Huang, for pointing out these flaws. Since I can still be saved, please do not hesitate to teach me."
Huang Rong smiled sweetly, two delicate and adorable dimples appearing on her cheeks.
"I wouldn't dare call it teaching. But I can indeed help correct those flaws of yours."
She did not dare teach Peach Blossom Island's swordsmanship without her father's permission.
But teaching him the basic stances common to all swordsmanship was not a problem.
"Let's begin with how to hold the sword... Brother Lu, relax your fingers a little more. Yes, just like that. Hold the sword level. Ah, why have you clenched your fingers again..."
"Sorry, it's a habit."
"Forget that bad habit."
"I'm trying!"
"Ah, a bad habit formed through three months of hard work, rain or shine, really is troublesome... It seems I'll have to be harsh. Brother Lu, don't blame me..."
Then Huang Rong found a thin bamboo skewer that had been used for grilling fish. Whenever Lu Chen held his sword incorrectly, she smacked him with it.
Her technique was skillful, and her force neither too light nor too heavy. The strikes made the back of Lu Chen's hand sting, yet did not damage his skin, leaving at most faint red marks.
This kind of painful instruction proved remarkably effective. In less than a quarter of an hour, she had forcibly corrected the bad habits he had accumulated over three months.
Next, Huang Rong taught Lu Chen how to thrust with a sword.
She explained everything in meticulous detail: how his feet should be positioned, how every part of his body should exert force when striking, breaking down every detail and teaching him hand by hand.
Mm, for the sake of taking a trip to the Immortal Realm, Huang Rong was giving it her all.
Fortunately, although Lu Chen had practiced himself into a mess and developed a heap of bad habits, his natural talent and comprehension seemed quite good. Under her painful instruction, he could grasp a point as soon as it was made and learn as soon as he was taught. The bad habits he had developed over three months were also corrected quickly, saving Huang Rong a great deal of trouble.
The sea breeze brushed gently by, and the waves murmured softly.
The lantern swayed gently in the sea breeze.
Lu Chen lost track of time, completely immersing himself in Huang Rong's instruction beneath the swaying, dim yellow lantern light.
Before you continue