Gu Moran placed the food box on the other side of the stone table.
"None of those."
He patted the food box.
"I recognize roads and people; I'm not going to mistake the name 'Iron Plum Courtyard ' for something else."
Lin Qingdai did not look up.
"Get to the point."
"My beloved consort is so straightforward, saving me the trouble of laying the groundwork."
"You should sleep less; it's tiring to listen to."
Gu Moran opened the lid of the food box.
Steam rose, carrying the aroma of soy sauce, and the skin of the braised pork knuckle glistened. Two small dishes of side dishes were placed beside it to cut through the richness.
Zitang paused for a moment while holding the whetstone.
Lin Qingdai slowed down her movements as she wiped her sword.
Gu Moran handed over the chopsticks.
"Try it."
Lin Qingdai looked up, her gaze shifting from his elbow to his face.
" Gu Moran, are you going to stuff meat in my mouth?"
"It can't be stopped."
Gu Moran moved the chopsticks forward another half inch.
"So, first, block the stomach."
Zitang lowered her head, suppressing a laugh.
Lin Qingdai placed the sword across her lap.
"Speak."
"I want to learn some skills that can save my life."
Who taught you?
"You."
Who learns?
"I."
Lin Qingdai looked at him but didn't take the chopsticks.
"Did Your Highness drink too much last night?"
"I didn't drink it."
Did you take the wrong medicine for breakfast?
" Shen Ling'er is cautious, and she's taking the medicine well."
That's asking for a beating.
Gu Moran sat down on the stone bench, half an arm's length away from her sword.
Too close seems like a provocation, too far seems like a guilty conscience.
This distance is just right.
Lin Qingdai's hand rested on the sword sheath.
Do you know how much hardship one has to endure to practice martial arts?
"I know a little."
"You do not know."
Lin Qingdai pushed the sword onto the table, and the scabbard made a short sound as it hit the stone surface.
Do you know the sandpit at the Grand Commandant's Residence's drill ground?
"I've seen it."
"Seeing it doesn't count."
She pointed to the wooden stake in the yard.
"When someone falls in, their mouth is full of sand, and if they're slow to crawl out, they'll be beaten with military sticks."
Gu Moran looked at the wooden stake. Old knife marks remained on the wood, and the wind carried the smell of wood shavings.
"That sounds painful."
"Go back if you're afraid of the pain."
"I'm afraid."
Lin Qingdai stared at him.
"Then why aren't you leaving?"
Gu Moran placed her palms on her knees, not letting her qi and blood flow outwards.
"But my husband is more afraid that one day he will be lying on the ground and unable to get up, and then my beloved concubine will have to suffer."
The sound of sharpening knives in the yard stopped.
Zitang looked up, then lowered her head again.
Lin Qingdai looked at him for a while, then reached out and picked up her chopsticks.
She didn't pick up the elbow; instead, the tip of her chopsticks pointed at Gu Moran's wrist bone.
Gu Moran went through it in his mind.
Avoiding it makes one seem guilty.
If we stubbornly resist, we might expose our weaknesses.
He rested his wrist on the edge of the table, letting the steam from the hot tea rise up the back of his hand.
Lin Qingdai asked, "Really not going to dodge?"
Gu Moran replied, "If you hide, will you still teach me?"
The tip of the chopstick fell, not heavily.
The next moment, Lin Qingdai pressed her wrist down, the thin tip pushing into the crevice between the tendons.
A sour sensation shot up my forearm.
Gu Moran clenched his teeth, but didn't pull his hand away.
[Host has been detected actively engaging in martial arts training.]
[ Sixth Rank Qi and Blood Formation Initially Completed, Martial Arts Techniques Missing.]
[Training protection compensation activated.]
[Gained passive reward: Essence-Fortifying Hard Shirt.]
[Effect: Reduces pain from blunt force blows and punches/kicks by 99%, and decreases damage from external shockwaves.]
[Note: It cannot withstand piercing attacks from swords or blades, or cutting attacks from sharp objects.]
Gu Moran glanced at the panel, and the pressure on his chest eased a little.
It can take a beating.
I can't get cut.
That's enough.
Lin Qingdai looked at his wrist.
Does it hurt?
Gu Moran withdrew his hand and shook it off.
"Pain."
Lin Qingdai raised an eyebrow.
"Still studying?"
"Study."
"Why?"
Gu Moran glanced at the chopsticks in her hand.
"At least it proves that Madam Lin's chopsticks are more powerful than the mouths of those old men in the Censorate."
Zitang laughed out loud.
Lin Qingdai turned to look at her.
Zitang immediately lowered her head and began sharpening the knife, working even harder than before.
Lin Qingdai put away her chopsticks and pressed her fingertips together.
That last movement wasn't right.
Gu Moran's wrists had no visible support, yet there was a pressing force beneath the bones.
This body wasn't conditioned by restaurants and pleasure boats.
He hid something.
But she didn't ask.
Asking won't help.
This person can wrap the truth in nonsense, and then reverse it so that no one can tell the difference.
Then let's fight.
Hit him until he exposes himself.
"I really want to learn, one hour every day."
Gu Moran pushed the elbow towards her.
"Make a deal."
I haven't finished speaking.
"Please speak, my beloved consort."
Lin Qingdai twitched slightly.
"Greasy."
She held up one finger.
"First, Uncle Fu is not allowed to come in and stop us during practice."
"Can."
"Secondly, you're not allowed to howl if it hurts."
"I'll try to call you that nicely."
Lin Qingdai put her chopsticks on the table.
Gu Moran immediately changed her tune.
"Then I won't call you that, my beloved concubine will."
"Can you stop talking nonsense? Third, you're not allowed to take advantage of practicing martial arts."
Fourth, don't ask me where I learned these tricks.
Gu Moran at her.
Lin Qingdai's hand landed on the sword sheath, her fingertips pressing against the old mark.
The daughter of the Grand Commandant's Residence —can't I ask her where she learned what she knows? Isn't it all in the family genealogy?
"OK."
Fifth, you are not allowed to use your status as a prince to pressure me.
"Then I'll elbow you?"
Gu Moran.
"Okay, no pressure."
Lin Qingdai picked up her chopsticks and finally managed to pick up a piece of pork knuckle skin.
The aroma of the soy sauce entered her mouth, and her brow relaxed slightly, but she quickly suppressed it again.
Gu Moran saw this and mentally credited Uncle Fu for his service.
The props for visiting Iron Plum Courtyard are: the braised pork knuckle is number one.
Lin Qingdai swallowed the pork knuckle, got up and walked towards the weapons rack.
" Zitang, get the wooden stick."
Zitang picked out a short stick and handed it to her.
Lin Qingdai weighed it in her hand.
"Too light."
Zitang switched to a thicker one.
Lin Qingdai took the stick, twirled it halfway in her palm, and stopped it cleanly.
Gu Moran looked at the wooden stick, stood up, and patted the hem of his clothes.
"My lady, you seem to prefer thicker sticks. I'll show you something better later."
[Special thanks to Ah Zhong Doesn't Eat Fish and user 39454818 for pointing out that chapters 48-49 are missing; it's my fault for not checking carefully.]
[Thanks to Wukong for the role summon, and to Suisui for the flowers.]
[Thank you again for all the great reviews and little gifts! Please remember to leave a comment and show your support when you have time!]