The canteen was still filled with the smell of dried fish and wheat porridge. Luo Ge pushed his plate aside and drew the wooden sword he always carried from his waist.
"Right here?"
Isolte looked around at the disciples eating, somewhat hesitant.
"Of course not, wait a minute... let's find a secluded spot."
Isolte followed Luo Ge out of the dining hall, through the corridors, and into a secluded meadow behind the Sanctum.
Surrounded by dense bamboo groves, the wind rustles softly through the bamboo leaves, making it a truly unassuming and pleasant place.
Luo Ge stopped, drew his wooden sword, and without a word, said, "Watch closely."
He took a deep breath, lowered his wrist, and assumed a standard starting stance for the Sword God Style.
Then.
"They've arrived."
The moment he finished speaking, he slightly shifted his body, and the wooden sword swung upwards at an extremely tricky angle. The speed was so fast that Isolte could even hear the sharp whistling sound of the blade cutting through the air.
But just as the sword was about to reach its maximum speed, Luo Ge suddenly changed his move, twisted his wrist, and precisely tapped the tip of the sword lightly at a virtual "wrist" position before sheathing the sword.
The entire set of movements was fluid and clean, flowing smoothly.
"This is ' Light Reversal.' While it's not particularly powerful, it's a move specifically designed to counter the Sword of Light. If you learn this move, you can easily defeat someone like Nina."
Luo Ge turned around and continued, "The key to ' Light Reversal ' is to anticipate the opponent's sword strike animation, which is the instant their shoulder lowers. When the Sword of Light is charging up, there's an almost imperceptible shoulder movement."
"Although the Sword God Style's Touki is compressed very quickly, the exertion of human muscles has inertia."
"As long as we seize that opportunity, we can strike right there..."
He pointed with the tip of his sword to the inside of his wrist, slightly above the wrist. "The opponent's knife is now useless."
"Did you see that clearly?"
Isolte blinked.
Her gaze slowly moved from Luo Ge's fingertips to his slightly heaving chest, and then to his collar, which was damp with sweat.
Then we return to his profile, which appears particularly sharp due to his earnest explanation.
So handsome!
What did she see?
Sword techniques?
Oh right, sword techniques.
"That..."
Isolte, a slightly embarrassed blush rising on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it clearly just now... Could you try it again?"
Luo Ge glanced at her, his eyes clearly conveying the message: Are you here to learn swordsmanship or to be a joke?
But he still sighed, "Alright, you didn't learn it? Then I'll try again. This time you have to watch carefully."
"Yeah!"
"This time, it definitely will."
Isolte quickly, slapping her cheeks to clear the jumbled thoughts from her mind.
She stared at Luo Ge's hands, at his shoulders, at the trajectory of the wooden sword.
Next.
Luo Ge used it again.
Slower, clearer, with each movement paused for a half-beat so she could see it clearly.
"... And this time?"
Luo Ge sheathed his sword and asked.
Isolte her mouth.
She did see the movements: the shoulder pressing down, the angle of the blade, the timing of the strike... she understood the theoretical aspects as well.
But when she imagined herself actually doing it, she always felt there was an inexplicable barrier between them.
"Terribly sorry..."
She lowered her head and murmured softly, "I'm just not very bright; this move is really too difficult, and I find it hard to grasp."
"Um... could you... could you teach me step by step?"
Luo Ge rolled his eyes.
"I'll teach you step by step?"
"Um!"
Isolte looked up, her eyes sparkling, her tone carrying a hint of anticipation she herself didn't realize.
Luo Ge stared at her for two seconds, his lips twitching slightly. "You woman, I just can't do anything with you. Fine, considering how patiently the Water God has taught me for so long, I'm going to discipline you today."
He walked up behind Isolte, carrying his wooden sword, until the two were almost only a fist's distance apart.
Luo Ge unceremoniously reached out and grabbed her right wrist, which was holding the sword, and placed his other hand on her right shoulder blade to adjust her posture.
"Don't tense your shoulders, relax. The essence of the Light Reversal ' technique lies in the word 'reflection.' How can you 'reflect' if you're stiff?"
"Huh?"
Isolte's body stiffened for a moment.
Luo Ge's palm was warm, pressed against her wrist through his sleeve.
The hand pressing on her shoulder blade, with a force that was neither too light nor too heavy, guided her in an irresistible way, turning her whole body to the right angle.
Her cheeks visibly flushed, and her ears turned a deep red, as if they were about to bleed.
"Be careful and thorough!"
"Feel this angle, yes, rotate your wrist like this--"
Luo Ge guided her hand in a slow arc, his breath brushing against her ear, carrying the lingering salty scent of their sword practice by the sea.
Isolte's mind went blank for a moment, and only one thought remained: Too close.
"Hello?"
Are you listening?
"Yes, I'm listening!"
"What's going on? You're practically a human machine, and you call this listening?"
Luo Ge frowned and walked around to face her, scrutinizing Isolte face. "No, big sister, are you going to learn or not?"
Isolte suddenly snapped out of her daze, frantically waving her hands in front of her. "I want to learn! I want to learn! I'm so sorry, I'll definitely learn this time!"
Luo Ge looked at her with suspicion for a long time, but finally gave in. "... Alright."
So he stood behind her again.
I took her hand again.
An afternoon passed in this cycle of raising, straightening, swinging, and doing it again.
The shadows of the bamboo forest gradually crept from the west to the east, the sunlight turned from white to gold, and the light in the sky warmed up inch by inch.
finally.
"Whoosh!"
Isolte's sword strike landed precisely on the virtual wrist position that Luo Ge had positioned beforehand.
The angle, the timing, the force—everything was perfect.
"Great, I've learned it!"
Isolte her sword, a bright smile spreading across her face. "I can't believe I learned Light Reversal just one afternoon! I'm amazing!"
Luo Ge sheathed his wooden sword and looked at her expressionlessly. "What's there to be happy about?"
"You've only learned it; whether you can apply it correctly in real combat is still uncertain."
"And it took me an entire afternoon to learn it."
He paused, shook his head, and his eyes showed obvious disdain. He muttered, "So stupid."
These three words struck Isolte's ears, sending ripples through her heart.
In the past, if anyone dared to speak to her like that, she would have already lost her temper.
who is she?
The granddaughter of the Water God, the future Water God, and a genius female swordswoman whom the noble youths of City of Ars could only look up to with envy.
But for some reason, when those three words came out of Luo Ge's mouth, she didn't feel wronged at all; instead, she felt a strange, inexplicable... squeal joy.
In the presence of a true genius like him, even if I were a fool, wouldn't I?
"Hmm, I'm happy even after being scolded, am I crazy?"
Isolte asked herself this question silently, but she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.
"To be continued tomorrow."
Luo Ge slung the wooden sword over his shoulder, turned, and walked away in another direction. "Starting tomorrow, I'm going to give you rigorous training. Don't think you'll be all set just because you learned it in one afternoon."
"Tomorrow? Again?"
Isolte paused for a moment.
"What, you don't want to come?"
"Come on, come on! You definitely have to come!"
Luo Ge waved without turning his head and disappeared around the corner of the bamboo path.
Isolte stood there, holding the wooden sword, watching the direction where the figure had disappeared, and laughed out loud.
For the next three days, Isolte appeared before Luo Ge precisely on time each day.
On the first morning, she used the excuse that she had forgotten the feel of the Light Reversal after going back last night to have Luo Ge teach her twice more. When Luo Ge's palm was on the back of her hand, she secretly paused for a couple of breaths before pulling away.
The next day at noon, she ran to the seaside with two jugs of water, saying that she was thirsty from practicing swordsmanship and wanted to bring one jug back for Luo Ge.
As Luo Ge took the water bottle and tilted his head back to gulp it down, Isolte stared at his bobbing Adam's apple for a full five seconds before pretending nothing had happened and looking away.
On the evening of the third day, she "accidentally" tripped and fell in front of Luo Ge. Luo Ge reached out and helped her up, and she leaned into his arms, her nose brushing against his collar, smelling a faint scent of sweat and seawater.
"Why are you so unsteady on your feet today?" Luo Ge frowned as he helped her straighten up, his tone tinged with suspicion. "Is there something wrong with you?"
"No, no, I just slipped." Isolte away guiltily.
Luo Ge didn't speak, but stared at her with a scrutinizing gaze for a long time.
He did feel that Isolte been acting strangely lately; her eyes always looked odd whenever she got close to him.
I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.
But it always gave him the creeps.
But as for evidence, they do practice swordsmanship diligently every day, and their progress is clearly visible. You can't just accuse someone of having ulterior motives out of thin air, can you?
never mind.
Luo Ge shook his head, trying to clear his mind of those inexplicable thoughts.
As long as it doesn't interfere with his cultivation, let her be.