Lucky Little Fatty

At this moment, quite a few people had gathered outside the sword room.

The arrogant young Zhao Shaohui was among them. He looked at Sun Qiang on the ground with glee, nearly laughing out loud.

Regretting it now, huh?

Zhang Dahai, who had also rushed over after hearing the commotion, clenched his fists with a grim expression, ready to step in and teach Zuo Yi a lesson at any moment.

He knew Zuo Yi was strong, but so what?

Anyone who dared provoke Senior Sister Yulin deserved to be hammered into the ground, even at the cost of his life!

Yet in the face of Shang Yulin's angry shout and all the strange looks around him, Zuo Yi remained completely calm.

He lightly nudged Sun Qiang with his foot and said flatly, "Get up."

Sun Qiang immediately sprang to his feet!

He really did spring up, as though springs had been installed beneath his butt, displaying an agility utterly at odds with his weight.

"Hall Master Shang, I'm fine!"

A broad smile bloomed across Little Qiang's honest-looking face. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he said cheerfully, "Teacher Zuo is really amazing. I want to keep learning from him!"

"Hall Master Shang, may I ask if you can add Teacher Zuo's private lessons for me?"

Huh?

What was this? This was completely wrong!

In everyone's eyes, Sun Qiang had just been "tortured" so badly. Once he got up, he should have complained and protested, right? Even if he was timid, he should at least have asked for a different instructor.

Instead, he lavishly praised Zuo Yi, looking like a shameless lackey who had latched onto a powerful patron, and even wanted private lessons?

Private lessons were one-on-one supplementary instruction, charged by the hour at no less than triple the regular rate!

Had the fatty developed Stockholm Syndrome from being abused?

Then he was seriously ill!

Zhao Shaohui looked at him with the concern one might show an idiot, utterly speechless at his intelligence.

Zhang Dahai struggled to put his dropped jaw back in place.

Shang Yulin was already mentally scrambled. "Oh, uh..."

She did not even know what to say. Her face was filled with capital-letter awkwardness—so she had gotten it wrong?

Sun Qiang turned around and respectfully bowed to Zuo Yi. "Teacher Zuo, please guide me more in the future!"

Zhao Shaohui thought he was foolish, but inwardly, he mercilessly mocked Zhao Shaohui instead.

Little Qiang might have an honest-looking face and a rather weak personality, but he was absolutely no fool.

The methods Zuo Yi had displayed just now were things Sun Qiang had never heard of, yet he had personally experienced their benefits.

After that intense, agonizing soreness came an unprecedented feeling of lightness. He felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from him and he had taken a thoroughly satisfying hot bath. Every inch of his body felt comfortable, so refreshed that he nearly felt like flying.

Sun Qiang realized that Zuo Yi possessed extraordinary abilities. He had stumbled upon a lucky opportunity!

What was there to think about? Of course, he had to hurry up, immediately, right now, and cling to him!

Zuo Yi could not help but laugh. He reached out and patted the clever little fatty. "You're very lucky."

If Sun Qiang had been brainless, what he would have lost was the chance to become stronger and perhaps even change the course of his life. Zuo Yi, at most, would have merely lost this insignificant job.

Sun Qiang grinned foolishly.

The onlookers were utterly baffled.

Shang Yulin waved weakly and said timidly, "Then... then you two continue practicing. Everyone else, stop crowding around."

She looked at Zuo Yi, shame and confusion both in her eyes, because she realized that she could no longer see through the current Zuo Yi at all.

Actually, she had wanted to apologize, but this was not a suitable time.

The spectators dispersed, each carrying their own doubts and confusion.

"Ah!"

Only a short while later, another heart-wrenching scream rang out from inside the sword room.

But this time, no one made a fuss.

A few new students learning basic sword forms from Shang Yulin, however, were uneasy, constantly muttering to themselves inwardly.

The morning passed quickly.

Inside the sword room, Zuo Yi asked Sun Qiang, who was lying completely paralyzed on the floor, "Have you memorized it?"

Sun Qiang could no longer speak. He could only nod desperately.

He had practiced the same movement over and over more than a hundred times. He now looked as though he had just been pulled from the water, his training uniform completely soaked through with sweat.

At first, Zuo Yi had needed to control him to complete the strange movement. Then, after muscle memory formed, he could barely perform it independently. Only after more than a hundred repetitions did he truly become familiar with it.

"Very good..."

Zuo Yi clapped his hands and said, "That's enough for today. Practice this over the next few days until I'm satisfied."

What Zuo Yi had taught Sun Qiang was the Knight Body Tempering Art.

The Knight Body Tempering Art was a foundational technique used to train knights in the Sadea World. Its lineage stretched back more than four eras. It could be said to have been refined through countless trials to its very peak, so naturally its effectiveness was exceptionally powerful.

The core of the Knight Body Tempering Art lay in four words: teach according to aptitude. Everyone's body differed—gender, height, weight, talent, and so on—so targeted training was necessary to improve rapidly.

The movement Zuo Yi had made Sun Qiang practice repeatedly came from the Knight Body Tempering Art and had been adjusted specifically for his physical condition.

As long as Sun Qiang persevered, the results would naturally be immediate!

After a pause, Zuo Yi decided to give Little Qiang some motivation. "I can't promise anything else, but as long as you stick with it, I guarantee that you'll lose at least one pound of fat a day. Refund if it doesn't work!"

The Knight's Heart suddenly trembled and remembered Zuo Yi's promise—this was a testament born from Oathkeeping Faith.

"I can do it!"

Sun Qiang immediately seemed as though he had been injected with adrenaline. Brimming with motivation, he climbed to his feet and said hoarsely, "Teacher Zuo, I'll persist!"

Sun Qiang had come to the Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall to learn swordsmanship not only to pick up some self-defense skills, but also to lose some of the fat on his body.

Because of all that fat, no girls liked him at school, and he was often mocked and ridiculed.

It was not as if Sun Qiang had never tried to lose weight before. He had eaten nutritional meals and tried running and exercising, but the fat on his body kept growing anyway. He could gain three pounds just by drinking water. He truly had no solution left.

Now that he had Zuo Yi's assurance, the little fatty was simply overjoyed.

He definitely would not have believed anyone else who said that, but he believed Zuo Yi because he felt that he had already lost more than a pound today!

"Then come back tomorrow."

Zuo Yi waved his hand. "Also, I don't plan to offer private lessons for the time being. We can discuss that later."

Sun Qiang was somewhat disappointed, but he still bowed. "Thank you, Teacher!"

Zuo Yi nodded and turned to leave the sword room.

For now, Sun Qiang was his only student. Once he had finished teaching, there was no need for him to remain at the martial arts hall.

Yet the moment he stepped outside, Shang Yulin stopped him.

The long-legged, beautiful hall master bit her lip and said, "Zuo Yi, are you free now? I want to talk to you for a moment."

Zuo Yi smiled easily. "Sure."

Under Zhang Dahai's gloomy gaze, Zuo Yi and Shang Yulin left the martial arts hall together.

He really wanted to follow them out, but someone had to stay behind to watch the hall, so he could only watch helplessly as the two walked out the doors.

"Brother Hai..."

A student sidled over and said furtively, "You need to be careful. I think that pretty boy has designs on the hall master!"

Zhang Dahai had a good relationship with several students under his instruction. Everyone knew that he had always admired his senior sister, but Shang Yulin only regarded him as an ordinary junior brother.

Now that Zuo Yi had suddenly appeared and Shang Yulin seemed to view him differently, the students close to Zhang Dahai could not help standing up for their instructor.

In truth, how could Zuo Yi possibly count as a pretty boy? That was pure slander!

"Mind your own business first!"

Zhang Dahai glared at him. "Have you finished today's training? If you have, go do another thousand leg kicks!"

The student, whose flattery had landed squarely on a horse's leg, immediately pulled a bitter face and hurried off with his head lowered to practice.

But Zhang Dahai's frustration did not ease because of that. Looking at the empty martial arts hall lobby, he felt even more annoyed.

At this moment, Zuo Yi and Shang Yulin arrived at the Starbucks downstairs.

Shang Yulin bought two cups of coffee, then found a seat with Zuo Yi in a corner.

"Thank you."

Zuo Yi accepted the coffee Shang Yulin handed him and smiled. "Senior Sister, this is the first time you've bought me coffee."

The Starbucks on the ground floor of this building had been open for many years. Back when Zuo Yi had trained at the Heavenly Vast Martial Arts Hall, he often bought coffee, cake, and other things from this Starbucks as afternoon tea for his senior brothers and sisters.

Of course, the main target had been his beautiful senior sister, Shang Yulin. Yet no matter how attentive he was, Shang Yulin had never given him a favorable look.

Remembering the recklessness of his youth, Zuo Yi felt rather emotional as well.

Shang Yulin seemed to recall something too, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

But she quickly withdrew her smile and said with great sincerity, "Zuo Yi, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you just now."