Andrew looked at Polite's greatshield with a wry smile, then at the saber hilt in his hand, feeling a little regretful.
Just now, caught up in the excitement of their fight, Andrew had inadvertently shattered his own saber.
Polite gently shook his somewhat sore arms. His stern face was slightly flushed. Through their exchange, he had come to understand Andrew's strength: a Warrior of the Seventh Rank, whose control of strength was inferior to his own, but...
He's too fast. He actually pressured me so hard I could barely breathe. Terrifying! If we really fought to the death, I might not be his match!
Polite was a cautious, levelheaded warrior. He would not let personal feelings affect his judgment. Even though Andrew was younger and had a lower cultivation level, he still believed he could not defeat Andrew in actual combat.
Of course, Andrew knew none of this. His mind was filled with how Polite had defended himself and dissipated his strength...
"You should get a better saber!" the normally taciturn Polite said after their spar.
Andrew smiled wryly, picked up the broken blade fragments from the ground, and buried them.
"An elder gave me this saber. I've had it for three years. What a shame."
Back at their resting place, neither spoke again. Each found a spot and began cultivating. Polite had gained considerable insight from this fight as well. By comparison, however, Andrew had gained more.
Moving over the shortest possible distance, controlling the strength throughout his body without letting the slightest bit leak away, not wasting a single movement, wielding a two-meter-tall greatshield as though it weighed nothing... As Andrew recalled Polite's movements, his understanding grew clearer and clearer.
Strength comes from the ground and returns to the ground... As Andrew thought, his hand began moving involuntarily. He threw a light punch, and a bang rang out before him. He had actually burst the air with his fist! At the same time, a clear fist mark appeared on the stone paving beneath him.
"Wielding Heavy Weapons as Though They Were Light, Wielding Heavy Weapons as Though They Were Light..."
Andrew stared at the fist mark, muttering with a frown, clearly not very satisfied.
A little while later, he smiled again.
Although I haven't fully comprehended Wielding Heavy Weapons as Though They Were Light, I've finally found a direction. It seems that although cultivating hard alone brings quick progress, it's also very easy to hit a bottleneck. I need to interact with others more. That's the only way to learn from their strengths!
That afternoon, the six of them did not continue their journey. By unspoken agreement, they stayed there and spent the night. Early the next morning, they hurried on their way again. This time, their goal was to reach Lefen City by dusk.
After a full day's rest, everyone was in good spirits, and their pace increased. Howard initially walked with Andrew and the others, but after more than eighty li, he could no longer keep up and had to jump onto Golden Tiger's back again. Still, his effort made Bandeni and Polite see him in a new light.
At dusk, the party reached Lefen City as planned.
Standing at the city gates, Andrew felt puzzled. He kept feeling that the atmosphere in Lefen City was a little eerie, as though... it was lifeless. When he voiced this thought, Bandeni laughed.
"Andrew, look at all these people coming and going. How can you call it lifeless? I think you're getting dizzy yourself and starting to talk nonsense."
Andrew gave a self-deprecating smile, feeling a little strange himself, and soon put the thought out of his mind.
"Bandeni, where are we going?" Andrew asked, looking at Bandeni leading the way.
"Where are we going? To the city lord's manor, of course!" Bandeni said grandly.
"What are we going there for?" Because of Viscount Frey, Andrew had a very poor impression of these nobles and instinctively wanted to stay away from them.
"Don't worry, Andrew. The lord of Lefen City will certainly entertain us well!" Bandeni said proudly. "In the Yulan Empire, not just anyone can meet an instructor from our Divine Grace Academy simply because they want to."
"So you're saying you're doing the city lord a favor by visiting his manor?" Howard asked with a smile.
"Of course!"
The party walked along the broad street, and pedestrians moved aside one after another. Andrew could see fear of Golden Tiger on their faces. To him, however, this was a good thing. With Golden Tiger around, he was spared a great deal of trouble.
"Mommy, I'm hungry!" As they passed a street corner, Andrew suddenly saw a little girl of four or five tugging at a woman and calling out. Her voice, however, was very low and sounded weak.
Andrew stopped, his gaze lingering on the little girl. He seemed to see something of Ling'er in her.
"Milly, be good. Once Mommy becomes a believer in the divine faith, God will bless us! Go home now, do you hear me?"
The woman spoke sternly to the little girl, freed herself from her grasp, and hurried away.
As the little girl watched her mother's retreating figure, tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes. In the setting sun, her frail body cast a long shadow, filled with loneliness and helplessness.
"Andrew, what's wrong?" Bandeni asked curiously when he saw Andrew stop.
Andrew shook his head and slowly approached the little girl.
"Your name is Milly, isn't it?" he asked softly, crouching down.
The little girl instinctively drew back, but the smile on Andrew's face reassured her considerably. Wiping her tears, she nodded but said nothing.
Andrew slowly reached out and stroked the little girl's hair. She wanted to retreat, but after taking two steps back, she stopped and let his hand rest on her head.
"Milly, I'm Andrew. You can call me big brother. Was that your mother just now? Where did she go?" Andrew carefully moved closer and asked gently.
Sorrow flashed in Milly's eyes. "Mommy said she was going to sacrifice herself for God. That way, God will bless our family."
God? Andrew raised an eyebrow. As far as he knew, the Deity-level experts remaining on the Yulan Continent could be counted on one hand. Apart from Beirut, there was the Planar Overseer and the High Priest. Beirut had swept away all the other Deity-level experts, either killing them or locking them in the Planar Prison.
Could another god have remained in hiding? No, definitely not. If a Deity-level expert were hiding in the Yulan Empire, even if Beirut didn't care, the High Priest would never tolerate it! Andrew quickly became certain that this god was definitely not a Deity-level expert.
"Andrew, what exactly are you doing?" While Andrew was thinking, Bandeni grew somewhat impatient.
"Hurry up! These past few days have worn me out. Once we get to the city lord's manor, I'm going to have a proper feast!" Bandeni called.
Andrew ignored him. The feeling he had experienced upon entering the city welled up again. This city made him feel deeply uneasy.
"Milly, where exactly is this god your mother spoke of?" Andrew asked again.
Milly rubbed her head with her little hand, looking somewhat confused. Only after thinking for a long while did she say, "Oh, Milly remembers! Mommy said God is at the city lord's place."
The city lord's manor?
Andrew's unease grew stronger and stronger. When he put God and the city lord's manor together, something vaguely occurred to him.
"Bandeni, we're not going to the city lord's manor," Andrew suddenly said.
"Why?" Bandeni demanded loudly, sounding somewhat angry. "Andrew, don't you consider me a friend?"
Howard jumped down from Golden Tiger's back and said, "Bandeni, that's not what Andrew means. He must have something else in mind. Andrew, what are you thinking?"
Andrew remained silent. He truly did not know what to say. Even if he told them about his feelings, no one would believe him.
"Well..." He hesitated.
"Well, what?" Bandeni interrupted. "Come on, Andrew. You've already held us up for ages. Even if you don't need rest yourself, Ling'er does. Why don't you bring this little girl along?"
Andrew looked at Milly, who gazed at him expectantly. "Big brother, can you take me to find Mommy?"
"Ah." With a sigh, Andrew picked Milly up.
Forget it. Even if the city lord's manor really is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, I'll have to brave it. As long as the lord of Lefen City isn't a Saint-level expert, what do I have to fear? Striding forward, Andrew caught up with Golden Tiger and Bandeni ahead.
When they reached the city lord's manor, Bandeni tossed the iron token he carried to the guard at the entrance.
"Go inform the city lord immediately. Tell him Bandeni, a magic instructor from Divine Grace Academy, has arrived."
The guard took the iron token. Seeing Bandeni's arrogance, he dared not neglect him and immediately went inside. A short while later, a skeletal old man emerged from the manor, with the guard following behind.
"Which of you is Instructor Bandeni?" the old man asked weakly, sweeping his gaze over them.
Bandeni stepped forward. "I am. Where is the lord of Lefen City?"
Unexpectedly, the old man said, "I am the lord of Lefen City. I came specifically to welcome Instructor Bandeni. Are these all your friends?"
Bandeni was somewhat surprised by his words, but he quickly recovered and replied, "That's right. They're all my friends."
The city lord extended a hand in invitation. "In that case, please come inside, everyone."
Bandeni nodded slightly and walked past him into the manor with his head held high and his chest out. Polite followed close behind. After him, Howard and the other two entered along with Golden Tiger. Andrew walked last, carrying Milly.
As he passed the city lord, Andrew's gaze swept across the man's eyes, making his skin crawl. The instant their gazes met, he felt as though his heart had frozen. That chill was absolutely no illusion!
There really is something wrong with him! Andrew thought, raising his guard.