After leaving the Kitchen last night, Ning Rongrong had gone to find Gu Rong. The old man had readily agreed, but he had not expected her to be unable to wait even until breakfast, knocking on his door at daybreak.
"Grandpa Bone, you promised me last night."
"I never said I wouldn't go." Gu Rong opened the door and saw that she had already changed into her training clothes. Smiling, he led her outside. "Breakfast first. Shao Heng and the others aren't even up yet. If you go to the training grounds now, you'll only have wooden posts to practice with."
"They're up."
"How do you know?"
"I just saw Fang Ming running toward the Kitchen."
Gu Rong found that amusing. Fang Ming was most likely running to the Kitchen because he was thinking about breakfast. What did that have to do with being eager to train?
But since the little girl had already come knocking, it seemed no one would get to take their time over breakfast.
In the Kitchen, Chen An was heating chicken broth. The tender tofu had been cut into fine threads and soaked in clear water, spreading gently with the ripples in the bowl. Uncle Zhou passed him the prepared shiitake mushrooms and shredded bamboo shoots, and he added them to the broth along with the tofu, slowly easing them apart with his ladle to avoid breaking the threads.
When Ning Rongrong came in, her eyes went to the pot first.
"Wensi Tofu?"
"Yes. Sit down first. It'll be ready in a moment."
"I'm not hungry."
Despite saying that, she had already sat down beside the stove. When Chen An brought over the soup, she picked up her spoon and tasted it, and whatever else she had meant to say went unmentioned.
Gu Rong sat down opposite her, and Shao Heng and Fang Ming entered the courtyard as well. He had already sent word last night, asking to borrow a little of their training time this morning.
"Elder Bone, do I really have to let Shao Heng beat me up later?"
"Who said you had to take a beating? We're just testing how you receive a push," Gu Rong said. "Eat your breakfast."
Hearing that he would not be taking a beating, Fang Ming picked up his bowl with peace of mind.
At the table, Ning Rongrong drank her soup quickly. Gu Rong had only just picked up his spoon when she had already brought her bowl over to Uncle Zhou.
"A little more."
"Weren't you not hungry?" Gu Rong asked.
"I have to eat my fill before training."
Now she remembered that reasoning clearly enough.
After breakfast, Gu Rong led the others to the training grounds. Chen An first put the pork tenderloin for lunch on to marinate and handed the stove work over to Uncle Zhou before following them.
Promising Rongrong yesterday that he would prepare the meals was one thing; he also wanted to see how she intended to train.
Gu Rong had already taken his place at the edge of the grounds. He had Shao Heng and Fang Ming press their palms against each other, testing only their footwork, without using their martial souls or charging hard. The two held back most of the strength they normally used when sparring, and with Gu Rong watching beside them, he could raise a hand and stop them if anything went wrong.
Ning Rongrong had wanted to move closer, but Gu Rong pulled her half a step back behind him. From here, she could see their movements clearly, and if either of them failed to check his footing, he would not run into her. She stepped back, still watching Fang Ming's feet without overlooking even Shao Heng's shoulders opposite him.
"Who will you give it to?" Gu Rong asked.
"Fang Ming."
"Then watch for yourself."
After that, Gu Rong gave no more reminders. She had to choose the timing herself, or what would be the point of this practice today?
The two on the grounds had just taken their stances when Fang Ming tried a step forward. Ning Rongrong thought they were about to begin. The little pagoda in her palm lit up, followed by her clear soul incantation.
"Seven Treasures Have Names. First: strength."
A beam of colored light fell upon Fang Ming. His palms immediately gained strength, and he was just about to meet Shao Heng when the other man merely feinted a step and withdrew to the other side. Fang Ming's outstretched hand touched no one, leaving him no choice but to turn after him.
The two probed back and forth, never truly bringing their strength against each other. Ning Rongrong maintained her Soul Skill, at first waiting for Fang Ming to hurry forward. Only after a while did she realize that her Soul Power was flowing out, yet Fang Ming had not even touched Shao Heng's hand.
By the time he finally met Shao Heng's palm, she was already growing a little anxious. Seeing sweat on her forehead, Gu Rong told the two to stop.
"I can still keep going," Ning Rongrong said, a little unconvinced.
"I know," Gu Rong said. "But through all that just now, they hadn't even pressed palms."
Ning Rongrong did not argue further. She had seen it herself: Fang Ming had been so busy chasing Shao Heng that he had not used that strength at all. If she kept expending it like this, she might need to catch her breath before they truly matched strength.
Ning Rongrong withdrew her martial soul and stood at the edge of the grounds, thinking for a while.
The student holding the little flag at the academy yesterday had not sent his Soul Skill over the moment he saw someone lift a foot. He had first watched where his companion needed to defend, as well as where the opponent was pressing. She had been so worried about being late that she had skipped that entire stretch. Just now, she had watched only Fang Ming and had nearly missed when Shao Heng withdrew and when he exerted himself.
Seeing her remain silent, Chen An passed her some water.
"It's not as though you're only allowed to practice once."
"I know." Ning Rongrong took the water and drank a couple of mouthfuls. "I won't rush next time."
Though she said she would not rush, when she returned to Gu Rong's side, she watched more intently than anyone.
Shao Heng and Fang Ming went through it again. They first circled a few steps apart. Fang Ming did not hurry forward, and Ning Rongrong did not move either. When Shao Heng moved left, she almost raised her pagoda again, but seeing that he was only drawing Fang Ming into turning, she held back. After a while, Shao Heng suddenly changed direction, sinking his shoulder as he pushed his palm toward Fang Ming.
This time, Fang Ming met the force, but his heel slid back a short distance. If he retreated any farther, he would have to yield the open space behind him.
It was at that moment that Ning Rongrong recited her soul incantation. This time, she saw Shao Heng's shoulder pressing down, and she saw the foot Fang Ming was about to give ground with. At last, she had a clear sense of it.
As the colored light fell, Fang Ming's palm suddenly steadied. His heel, which had already begun to shift, planted firmly on the ground, and he used the motion to guide Shao Heng's hand aside. Shao Heng did not force against it. He stepped back and withdrew his hand, and both men came to a stop.
Ning Rongrong put away her pagoda and looked at Gu Rong first. The old man was smiling, but all he said was, "You judged it right once. Practice a few more times. Don't get ahead of Shao Heng again next time."
"I won't."
She certainly answered quickly. Gu Rong did not undermine her confidence. He let the two men catch their breath, then had them change directions several more times. She did not get it right every time afterward, but at least Ning Rongrong no longer released her Soul Skill the moment someone took a step. She began paying attention to when Fang Ming truly needed to meet that push. Sometimes, by holding back, she saved a stretch of Soul Power that would otherwise have been spent for nothing.
Watching her take it seriously, Chen An felt happy for her too. She really had remembered something from watching that match at the academy yesterday after returning to the sect.
As for him, it was time to go back and check the stove. The tenderloin was still waiting in the Kitchen. If lunch ran late, these people on the grounds would be the first to come settle accounts with him.
By the time practice ended, the sweet and sour sauce in the wok had reduced to just the right thickness. Chen An tipped the twice-fried tenderloin back into the wok and tossed it quickly to coat it evenly. The glossy red sauce covered the strips of meat, and the sweet, tangy aroma wafted out of the cookhouse at once.
Fang Ming smelled it as soon as he entered the courtyard. He had just been saying he was not tired at all, and now his feet were moving faster than anyone's.
"Slow down." Uncle Zhou set the dish on the table. "Don't come looking for me if you burn yourself."
Beneath the thin, crisp coating, the meat was still tender. Ning Rongrong had spent a long time practicing with her pagoda held up that morning, and only after sitting down did she feel some soreness in her shoulders and arms. As she ate, that soreness gradually eased. Seeing Gu Rong beside her, she immediately recounted the moment during practice when she had judged the timing right. Even though the old man had been right there watching with his own eyes, she still insisted on telling him about it.
"I know, I know." Gu Rong placed a piece of meat in her bowl. "Finish eating first. This afternoon, think over the parts that didn't go smoothly this morning."
Fang Ming was busy eating and did not try to cut in. The lingering ache and heaviness in his shoulders and back after practice gradually dissipated with the hot meal, and he picked up food with increasingly brisk movements.
Halfway through the meal, Shao Heng finally brought up tomorrow's arrangements. They would still be training in the morning, and he wanted to agree on a time with Chen An beforehand to see whether they could get another bowl of popcorn.
Hearing this, Fang Ming also asked on behalf of the other group of fellow disciples who trained in the afternoon.
"The afternoon group wants some too. Could you make another batch then?"
Chen An had just put down his chopsticks. At that, he looked over at him.
"You want me making it morning and afternoon? Do you think I have nothing to do besides tend a pot?"
Only then did Fang Ming remember that Chen An also needed to cultivate. Holding his bowl, he did not press him any further. But the two times Shao Heng had given really were not something Chen An could handle simply by lumping them together.
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