How is my talent?

"Smells so good..." Lin Qiye stumbled out of the training room, his whole body aching. The aroma wafting from the activity room reignited the dullness in his eyes.

Wen Qimo's lips curved into a slight smile. "Looks like that beating you took this morning wasn't for nothing..."

Lin Qiye walked straight to the activity room. The moment he pushed the door open, four pairs of resentful eyes swept over him in unison.

"..." Lin Qiye felt the atmosphere was a bit off. "What's... wrong?"

"Nothing, sit down and eat," Chen Muye glanced at him and said calmly.

"Oh."

After Lin Qiye sat down, Hong Ying looked at Chen Muye pleadingly, her expression incredibly pitiful.

"Let's eat," Chen Muye finally said the words everyone had been waiting for.

The group dug in, their eyes red like wolves that hadn't eaten for days.

"Sister Hong Ying, is the food for you Night Watchmen... always this good?" Lin Qiye asked quietly, looking at the feast on the table.

Hong Ying replied curtly, "I don't want to talk to you right now."

After saying that, Hong Ying thought for a moment and added, "I'll talk to you after I'm done eating!"

Lin Qiye: ...

"Lin Qiye."

"Here, Captain."

"Did you gain anything from training today?"

"Yes, I gained a lot."

"Mm," Chen Muye nodded, paused, and continued, "Does it hurt?"

"...A little."

"Xiao Nan, help him with some treatment later."

Si Xiaonan pouted and nodded obediently, "Okay."

Chen Muye thought for a moment and added, "You don't need to heal him completely, just enough so he can take another beating tomorrow."

Lin Qiye: ...

Clink!

Two pairs of chopsticks clinked together in the bone broth, making a soft sound.

The two pairs of chopsticks were locked in a stalemate, gripping the same piece of meat, neither willing to let go.

Hong Ying and Wu Xiangnan stared at each other, locked in this standoff, their gazes seeming to spark a series of fireworks in the air.

"Wu Xiangnan, I saw this piece of meat first," Hong Ying said, glaring.

Wu Xiangnan calmly replied, "I picked it up first."

"Let go."

"No."

"Let go!"

"Never!"

Sizzle sizzle sizzle...

The sparks between them intensified.

Just then, Leng Xuan, who had been silently eating with a minimal presence, stared at the piece of meat and reached for his waist...

He pulled out an MP5 submachine gun

and placed it on the table.

"Both of you, let go," he said calmly.

Hong Ying: ...

Wu Xiangnan: ...

Leng Xuan naturally extended his chopsticks, picked up the largest piece of meat, hesitated for a moment, and placed it in Lin Qiye's bowl.

"New guy, eat more. We're practicing with guns later," Leng Xuan said coldly as he put the submachine gun away.

"Huh? Oh... okay," Lin Qiye was momentarily stunned, then blankly watched Leng Xuan, who was burying his head in his food...

Good heavens,

What do they mean by 'ruthless and few words'?

This is what ruthless and few words means!

"Leng Xuan, try not to draw your gun at the dining table next time," Chen Muye reminded him.

"What if it goes off... and spoils this meal."

Leng Xuan nodded, "Oh."

Hong Ying and Wu Xiangnan exchanged a glance and obediently lowered their heads to eat.

After Lin Qiye finished every last bite in his bowl, Leng Xuan stood up and walked to his side, speaking in a low voice:

"Full?"

"Full."

"Let's go, practice shooting."

"Okay!"

Watching the backs of the two gradually disappear down the corridor, Wen Qimo sighed deeply and turned to look at Si Xiaonan.

"Xiaonan."

"What is it?"

"Your spot as the group's darling has been replaced."

Si Xiaonan: (¬_¬)

"Guns are firearms, the crystallization of human intelligence."

In the shooting range, Leng Xuan stood in front of a wall neatly adorned with various firearms and said expressionlessly.

"For mythical creatures of higher realms, their effect is minimal, but for those of lower realms, firearms are often more effective than cold weapons.

Especially for newcomers, learning to use firearms is very necessary when one doesn't possess strong close-combat skills."

Leng Xuan took a handgun from the wall behind him and placed it in front of Lin Qiye.

"I'll only teach you two things: shooting techniques and the principles of firearm composition. If you don't plan to specialize in firearms later, this will be enough for you."

Lin Qiye nodded repeatedly.

"Now, take this gun and go to the shooting range. Let me see your talent," Leng Xuan pointed to the target not far away.

Lin Qiye nodded, picked up the handgun, and stood firm at the shooting platform.

Deep breath, Mimicking the actions seen on television, Raise the gun, Aim, Shoot!

Bang—!

A gunshot, and two faces immediately darkened.

He missed the target...

Leng Xuan walked to the target and confirmed multiple times that there were no bullet holes. His expression seemed to turn ugly, "Missed a 30-meter target? This..."

Lin Qiye put down the gun and coughed twice, "Um... how's my talent?"

Leng Xuan glanced at him and closed his eyes in despair.

"You? You have absolutely no talent."

Lin Qiye: ...

Back at Hong Ying's large villa, Lin Qiye collapsed powerlessly onto the sofa, rubbing his tired eyes.

The day's training had been a double torment for both body and mind. First, he was brutally defeated by the captain, then riddled with rubber bullets.

The firearms class in the evening, though not physically tiring, had repeatedly ground his self-esteem into the dirt...

He truly had no talent for guns.

After the training session that night, as he walked out of the training room, Lin Qiye could clearly feel that Leng Xuan was more exhausted than him. Most importantly, the light in his eyes... was gone.

In the end, Leng Xuan even comforted him, saying that it wasn't too abnormal for a novice and that he should work hard in the future.

But as they talked, it turned into Lin Qiye comforting him.

"Don't worry, I think my lack of talent now is temporary. I'll get better with more practice."

"You need to have faith in me, and in yourself. Your marksmanship is so good, there's no reason you can't teach me, right?"

"Time, time is the most important thing... you need patience..."

"Be optimistic, at least within twenty meters, I can still hit the target. I'm not a lost cause!"

"..."

Just as Lin Qiye was feeling dejected, a graceful figure quietly walked up to him.

"Little brother Qiye, are you very tired?" Hong Ying, wearing a fluffy pajama set, handed Lin Qiye a cup of tea with a smile.

Lin Qiye forced a smile and took the tea. "Thanks."

"It's actually okay. Although I'm tired, it's very fulfilling." Lin Qiye took a sip of tea and looked around. "Where's Xiaonan?"

"She seems a little upset that you've taken her spot as the team's favorite. She went back to her room."

"No wonder. When she was healing me earlier, she kept pinching me. I thought it was part of the normal procedure." Lin Qiye touched the bruises on his arm, his eyes widening in realization.

Hong Ying chuckled.

"Actually, the captain is strict with everyone. When I first got here, even though I'm a girl, he didn't hold back at all. He beat me until I cried." Hong Ying looked up at the window, as if recalling something, a smile appearing on her lips.

"A bit harsh."

"Not harsh, not harsh at all." Hong Ying shook her head. "The decrease in the death rate of Cangnan City's Night Watchmen is basically all thanks to the captain. One reason is his own strength, and the other is... his responsibility towards his team members.

The harder he hits you, the more he makes you remember the pain and grow quickly.

He'd rather have his team members hate him than die on the battlefield due to insufficient strength... do you understand?"

Lin Qiye was silent for a long time. He seemed to recall Chen Muye's sharp gaze from that morning and slowly nodded.

"I understand."

Hong Ying's lips curved slightly upwards. Like an older sister, she patted Lin Qiye's hair and said softly, "Alright, if you're tired, go get some rest. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Lin Qiye said goodbye to Hong Ying and returned to his room. Dragging his exhausted body, he lay on the bed, staring blankly at the empty ceiling.

After a while, he slowly got out of bed again...

He drew the straight saber from its sheath, Holding the saber in one hand and the sheath in the other, He closed his eyes, recalling every move of the saber techniques Chen Muye had used today.

Under the hazy moonlight, He swung his saber, again and again!