A Maiden's Fluttering Heart

"Qin Yi, where are you taking me?"

The girl was pulled along by Qin Yi out of the training grounds. Once they were outside a gate, Qin Yi released her hand and bowed respectfully with his hands clasped. "Earlier, I taught you swordsmanship, Junior Sister. Might I ask you to teach me as well?"

"Teach you?" The girl pouted. She had come out after changing into a dress to warn Qin Yi, not to teach him.

"Junior Sister Yiyi, one look is enough to tell you're an expert swordswoman. Your mastery of swordsmanship must be above that Huang Tianrong's, too. Master said he'd begin teaching me the Heavenly Secrets Sword Technique tomorrow, so before then, I'd like to ask you to take me through it a few times. With some advance study, I can avoid making mistakes tomorrow and disappointing Master."

The essence of flirting with girls was that neither the excuse nor the topic mattered. What mattered was spending time close to her.

His praise filled the girl with delight.

Most girls felt happy when they were praised.

Still, it mattered who the praise came from. Different people produced different results.

If someone she disliked praised her, it certainly wouldn't make her happy.

But Qin Yi happened to be someone who had already earned 80 affection points in her heart. Naturally, his praise left her beaming inside.

"Hmph, at least you have a good eye." She raised her head haughtily. "Dad taught me my swordsmanship himself. Of course my mastery is above Huang Tianrong's. His cultivation realm is just a little higher than mine, that's all."

"So, Junior Sister Yiyi, could you teach me the Heavenly Secrets Sword Technique a few times?"

"I could teach you, but remember, you mustn't tell anyone about what happened on Ao Head Mountain. You're not allowed to think about it yourself, either."

"Of course. I promise."

Seeing Qin Yi make such a solemn pledge, the girl finally relented. "All right, then. I'll be kind for once and teach you."

With that, she led Qin Yi down the mountain. On a patch of grass at its foot, they each picked up a wooden stick, and the girl taught him the movements, one by one.

With Qin Yi's comprehension, naturally, he mastered them after seeing them once. He also memorized the mental cultivation formula she recited after hearing it just once.

However, to create an opportunity for the two of them to spend a long time together, he certainly couldn't show that he understood everything at the slightest hint.

Within the limits of what the girl could tolerate, he acted as stupid as he could.

Even after the girl taught him the same move several times, he still failed to grasp its essence.

The girl wasn't particularly patient, either. After three attempts, she stamped her foot in anger. "You're so stupid! That's not how it goes. The essence of the Heavenly Secrets Sword Technique lies in sweeping, expansive movements, emphasizing fierce power. Horizontal cleaves and vertical slashes are its main forms of attack. Why can't you learn it?"

"How about teaching me hand over hand, Junior Sister?" Qin Yi suggested.

"Hand over hand..."

The girl blushed at first, instinctively wanting to refuse. As a girl, how could she possibly teach him hand over hand?

But then she suddenly thought of how Qin Yi had taught her hand over hand earlier. Returning a peach for a plum would only be a proper exchange of courtesies.

Then she thought of how Qin Yi was learning swordsmanship from her to please her father tomorrow and avoid disappointing him. With that thought, and the affection she felt for Qin Yi, she chose to agree. "All right, but I'll only teach you hand over hand once. If you still can't get it, I'm leaving you to it."

"All right!" Qin Yi readily agreed.

The girl then came up beside him and, from behind, wrapped one arm around his waist while supporting his wrist with her other hand.

Suddenly, the first three moves of the Heavenly Secrets Sword Technique flowed out like drifting clouds and running water, their movements synchronized and smooth.

Teaching him hand over hand also counted as intimate contact, so the girl experienced an unusual sense of pleasure during the process.

After teaching him the three moves, she caught the masculine scent so close to her, and her heart couldn't help pounding wildly, like a little deer dashing about inside her chest.

How strange. I usually hate troublesome things like teaching someone martial arts more than anything. Why am I so happy today?

She scratched her head, unable to figure out the reason.

Could it be because of this guy?

If doing the same thing with different people brought different enjoyment and experiences, then the difference certainly lay in the person.

The two of them were very close at that moment, and the girl became a little dazed as she sank into thought. Qin Yi suddenly looked at her moist lips and swiftly planted a kiss on them.

Though it was as fleeting as a dragonfly touching water, in that moment, it was as if a boulder had been pushed into the tranquil lake of the girl's heart, stirring great waves.

"You... what are you doing?"

Realizing she had been kissed, the girl hurriedly retreated two steps in embarrassment and covered her mouth.

She looked at Qin Yi reproachfully, with blame in her eyes, a little nervousness, and, at the same time, a slightly quickening heartbeat.

"Junior Sister Yiyi, you're so beautiful." Qin Yi stared straight at her.

If she became angry now, he would apologize immediately.

If she wasn't that angry, he could continue flirting with her more tenderly.

"I... I... if you do that again, I won't speak to you anymore."

The nervous girl didn't dare meet his eyes and hastily turned her back to him.

After all, her affection was at 80 points.

In her heart, the girl did like Qin Yi somewhat.

Under those circumstances, a little mischief and impulsiveness from Qin Yi could instead pluck the heartstrings of a girl just beginning to awaken to love even more effectively.

"All right, I won't do that anymore. Junior Sister Yiyi, let's continue."

Qin Yi came up beside her, his left arm slipping naturally around her waist while his right hand supported her wrist.

She was supposed to be teaching him swordsmanship, yet their current position clearly showed that the guest had become the host.

But after that kiss, the girl's heart was in turmoil.

And so, left in a passive position, her mind suddenly seemed to turn into a lump of paste.

She could only follow Qin Yi's rhythm as they practiced each move.

Qin Yi deliberately slowed the pace of the movements. Although it was a sword technique, the two of them looked as though they were dancing.

As for the girl, the more she practiced, the happier she became, waves of pleasure arriving one after another.

This also made her steal glances at the boy beside her from time to time.

For one fleeting, illusory moment, she felt that the boy before her really didn't seem inferior to Senior Brother Hua Yunfeng.

During this process, Qin Yi discovered that the affection above the girl's head had suddenly increased by another 5 points.

(The host's intimate actions have brought their flirtatious relationship closer, increasing affection by 5 points.)

That brought her affection to 85 points, very close to 90 points (likes you very much).

He immediately decided to strike again while the iron was hot.

After they finished practicing the three moves, just as they were about to withdraw their stances, he took advantage of the girl's inattention and lowered his head again, pressing his lips to her soft, moist red lips.

The girl's delicate body trembled as though struck by lightning. She instinctively wanted to push him away, but suddenly her body went limp, as though all her strength had vanished.

Her hands braced against Qin Yi's chest, without the slightest strength.

This time, Qin Yi didn't merely skim the water like a dragonfly. He kissed her deeply.

The girl went from resistance to acceptance, and a few seconds later, she revealed a woman's nature, involuntarily closing her beautiful eyes gently.