Her clear eyes rested on the boy. "How many times have you read it?"
"...I gave it one quick read."
Ming Qitian was quiet for a moment. "Bringing it to me with questions before reading it carefully yourself shows an unsettled, impatient mind. That is taboo in sword practice."
Pei Ye's heart tightened. "...S-sorry."
"Have you not finished the General Treatise? Is that why you brought this to fob me off?"
"I-I've nearly finished."
"It has been about a month since I left." The woman fell silent briefly. "Bring me the book. I'll ask you some questions."
Pei Ye got out of bed, shoved his feet into his boots, and went to the table to pull out the General Treatise. He handed it to her with some hesitation. "Miss Ming, I've been rather busy this past month."
Ming Qitian turned a couple of pages. "Did Zhu Gaoyang make these annotations for you?"
"Yes."
Ming Qitian leafed through it. "Most of these are very good. I'll help you revise some of the parts about the Yunlang Sword afterward. 'The sword of Four Repulsions: first murk, then clarity.' What does that mean?"
Pei Ye froze. "'Four Repulsions'...is a combat technique of the White Deer Palace. 'Murk' means black earth in water-filth and sediment."
"I'm not asking you to explain the words."
"..."
"Explain the sword theory behind it. The General Treatise mentions similar sword techniques in two other places. Do you remember them?"
"There's...Qingwei Daoism's Body-Cleansing Sword, and, and...and..."
Pei Ye lowered his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Miss Ming. I haven't properly finished reading it."
Ming Qitian fell silent for a moment. Naturally, she was not angry, but she was quite serious. "Pei Ye, I've never taught anyone swordsmanship before. You're the first person I've taught. If you don't take what