In the lessons that followed, the Beautiful Teacher broke down every movement in detail, from the motion of the muscles in the soles of the feet to those in the calves and thighs. She demonstrated each point exhaustively and patiently.
For students who struggled for a long time to grasp the essentials, she offered careful guidance.
Compared with the Martial Arts Teachers at school, she was clearly much more attentive in her instruction.
Unfortunately, even so, by the end of a lesson, only two or three of the ten trainees could imitate the movements to a degree of fifty or sixty percent. It had to be said that these people already had a decent foundation themselves; at the very least, they had long since crossed the threshold of swordsmanship.
After the lesson ended, he waited until the trainees had gradually said their goodbyes and left.
The Beautiful Teacher then walked over, bringing with her a waft of fragrance.
Her skin was fair, and her features were soft. Though beautiful, she gave off no sense of aggression, instead creating an impression of gentle tranquility.
Her body displayed the graceful and alluring curves of a mature woman. Chen Shouyi's heart began to beat faster, and his face flushed with embarrassment.
Compared with the young and inexperienced girls at school, this mature beauty and charm made his face flush and his heart race even more.
He hurriedly stood up and said respectfully, "Hello, Teacher!"
"My surname is Wang. You can call me Teacher Wang. I'd like to know how solid your swordsmanship foundation is." She paid no attention to the boy's awkwardness, merely covering her lips with a smile as she spoke.
"I've only learned the Forward Lunge Stab!"
The Beautiful Teacher handed over the Wooden Sword. "Could you practice it? I'd like to see your progress so I can arrange your class."
"Oh, yes, yes!" Chen Shouyi said nervously.
Yesterday, he had still been able to face his classmates confidently, but in front of this Beautiful Teacher, he seemed to have become timid again.
Chen Shouyi took the sword, drew a deep breath, and swiftly thrust it forward.
The instant he thrust, he felt somewhat vexed that he had failed to perform perfectly in front of the Beautiful Teacher.
If he had relaxed a little and not been so nervous, allowing himself more time to build momentum, he was certain he could have done better.
"That was very standard. Your strength is just a little lacking, and your step is somewhat stiff as well—not smooth enough. How long have you been practicing?" The Beautiful Teacher was slightly surprised.
"Huh?" Chen Shouyi had never expected his poor performance to earn praise. He instinctively answered modestly, "Actually, I'm still not very familiar with it. I've only practiced for a few... few months?"
He had originally wanted to say a few days, but in the end, he said a few months. After all, a few days would have been far too outrageous and clearly contrary to common sense.
"You have a good talent for swordsmanship. Since you already have a decent foundation, let's do this. There's a new Advanced Swordsmanship Class starting tomorrow afternoon at one. Come along as well." The Beautiful Teacher did not suspect anything and spoke after thinking it over.
"Thank you, Teacher Wang. By the way, how much is the fee?" Chen Shouyi remembered and asked.
"My fees are a little higher—around eight thousand per term, for twenty lessons, once a week."
Fortunately, I have enough money. Chen Shouyi secretly sighed in relief.
He had grown up under Mother Chen's strict pressure and had not developed many bad habits. Each month, aside from the money needed for food, he had plenty left over. Adding the seven thousand Mother Chen had transferred that morning, he had more than nine thousand yuan—enough to cover the tuition.
After Chen Shouyi paid, he walked out of the Youth Martial Arts Training Center. He glanced at the time. It was only ten o'clock.
Should I just go home?
The thought surfaced in his mind. He had just prepared to go to the parking area to get his bicycle when someone called out to him.
"Chen Shouyi!?"
Following the voice, he turned his head. A somewhat familiar figure came into view. She wore her clean short hair neatly, and beneath the not-too-intense morning sunlight, she looked fresh and lovely.
Beside her stood an unfamiliar, handsome young man who seemed to be her boyfriend.
Looking at the girl, he asked hesitantly, "Are you... Guo Qianqian?"
"Yeah. I didn't expect to see you here. You haven't changed at all—you still look so honest and proper." Guo Qianqian's mood became somewhat excited when she saw Chen Shouyi.
Chen Shouyi was also a little agitated.
The two of them had been classmates in elementary school and had even once shared a desk. She had been one of Chen Shouyi's few friends in elementary school. Unfortunately, after entering middle school, they had gone their separate ways. He had heard that she had gone to school elsewhere, and he had been sad about it for a long time back then. He had never expected that she had already returned.
"By the way, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Lin Feng!" Guo Qianqian said with a beaming smile.
Suppressing his complicated feelings, Chen Shouyi looked at the young man and hurriedly greeted him.
Her boyfriend was tall and thin, with ordinary clothes and an ordinary appearance. Chen Shouyi, meanwhile, looked every bit the obedient student. Lin Feng paid him no attention at all, merely nodding indifferently before scrolling through his phone.
"It really has been a long time. Are you taking a martial arts course here too?"
"No, I just signed up today."
"What a coincidence. My boyfriend did too. He just enrolled in an Advanced Swordsmanship Class. Are you planning to take the entrance exam for the Martial Arts Academy as well?" Guo Qianqian asked enthusiastically.
Chen Shouyi gradually calmed down, no longer as excited as before. With a faint smile, he said, "How could that be possible? My physical fitness is still far too poor. I'm just taking things one step at a time."
At that moment, her boyfriend seemed to be growing impatient with the wait. He stuffed his phone into his pocket, then pretended to check his watch. "It's getting late. Stop chatting. Didn't we just say we were going to eat pizza?"
"All right. Chen Shouyi, why don't you come with us too? Lin Feng has a few discount coupons." Guo Qianqian spoke with polite courtesy, seeming rather concerned about her boyfriend.
"No need. I still have to hurry home." Noticing her boyfriend's somewhat ugly expression, Chen Shouyi smiled.
Watching Guo Qianqian and her boyfriend leave, Chen Shouyi felt somewhat hollow inside. He could not call it disappointment, nor could he call it pain. It was as if he had never possessed anything in the first place, so there was no loss to speak of.
He quickly pulled himself together, found his bicycle in the parking shed, and hurried home.
When he returned, he found that his younger sister was already gone. He was not surprised. She had always been active and involved in all sorts of things. Compared with the obscure Chen Shouyi, she was a star at school and among her classmates. On weekends, he could basically never find her.
"Did you sign up successfully? If you're hungry, go eat outside." Mother Chen placed a plate of rice topped with meat and vegetables in front of a customer and wiped her hands.
It was the weekend, and before ten-thirty, the family restaurant already had quite a few customers. They were so busy they could hardly keep up.
"I signed up. Class starts tomorrow afternoon at one." Chen Shouyi did not want to mention the extra thousand-plus yuan, lest Mother Chen start nagging again. "Then I'll go eat outside."
"Go, go, go. Just looking at you standing there is irritating." Mother Chen looked at him with disdain.
"Oh, right. Do you still have enough money?" Mother Chen called out when he was nearly at the door.
"Enough!"
After hurriedly eating lunch at a small shop outside, Chen Shouyi impatiently returned to his bedroom, locked the door, lay down on the bed, and entered the Gray Mist Space.
The Memory Leaf had already grown tender leaves today. He focused on it for a while, and his mind immediately plunged into it.
With the memory fast-forwarding, he soon arrived at the scene in the training room of the Youth Martial Arts Training Center that morning.
"Today I'm going to teach the slash in swordsmanship. Once divided more finely, the slash can be separated into the Immovable Slash, the Small Step Slash, and the Large Step Slash..."
Inside the training room, the Beautiful Teacher was explaining.
Chen Shouyi's heart stirred. His mind immediately moved close to the Beautiful Teacher who had made him blush, his heart race, and his movements flustered earlier. He boldly and carefully looked her up and down, not missing a single detail.
In this world, he was like a lofty god, with no restraints on anything he did.
Gradually, he discovered that she was actually just like that.
She had two eyes, one nose, and one mouth, no different from the other girls in the class. If there was anything different, it was that she was more mature and possessed a captivating charm.
Chen Shouyi watched for a long time, stopping only when he felt that he should be able to face her with an ordinary state of mind next time.
By then, the Beautiful Teacher's demonstration had already ended. For him, however, it was merely a matter of replaying the memory once more.
After Chen Shouyi replayed the memory image to the beginning again, he did not waste time this time. His mind swiftly entered her body.
He had to admit that being in a woman's body always made him feel uncomfortable. Not only was his chest heavy, with two extra lumps of flesh, but it also seemed as if something was missing below, leaving it strangely empty.
Fortunately, Chen Shouyi had already had quite a few such experiences, and he quickly gathered his thoughts.
The slash was somewhat more complicated than the thrust. It involved more muscles, and the range of motion was also greater. Not only did the waist have to twist through a considerable angle, but both feet and the body also underwent a powerful shift in center of gravity.
This was only the Immovable Slash. The Small Step Slash and Large Step Slash that followed were even more complicated. The Large Step Slash was especially so. That single Basic Footwork movement, which seemed to shrink the earth beneath one's feet, involved countless complex muscular motions.
Fortunately, his Forward Lunge Stab was already quite proficient, and he had crossed the threshold of swordsmanship. He also had his own understanding of controlling certain muscles. It was like how going from zero to one was the hardest, while going from one to two or even three was comparatively simple.
For the entire afternoon, he would sometimes leap off the bed, pick up the Wooden Sword, and practice for half an hour. At other times, he would enter the Memory Space and personally experience the various ways the muscles in the body exerted force. When he practiced the Large Step Slash, the bedroom was no longer large enough for him to perform it, so he went into the living room.
His feet seemed to glide through the air, sliding to the east one moment and to the west the next. By the time evening drew near, he had finally managed to grasp the sword technique known as the "slash."
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