The Martial Arts Tournament at Xiao Ling's Home (5)

Because the battle between Crimson Snow and Carlotta had caused changes to the environment of the martial arts tournament venue, everyone had to wait for a while before continuing the next round of matches.

And the contestant who will be appearing this time is...

"Little Ai, come on stage!"

After watching the wonderful performances of the previous pairs of contestants, Aemeath was already itching to take the stage and show her skills.

Although it's a pity that she can't summon the Tacet Discord Armament and can't have a dual form like Cart Qingxiao, it doesn't stop her from doing something called "Powerful Brick Flying".

However, even though Aemeath had been forced to ban one of her accounts, none of the people present immediately considered challenging her to a duel.

"Lynae, why don't you go up and have a showdown with Little Ai?" Xiao Ling stared at Lynae with a mischievous grin, gesturing towards Little Ai on the stage.

"... Are you serious?" Lynae's delicate face immediately fell.

Although Lynae was immediately turned into a comedic character in the next storyline after her own story ended and has been remembered ever since, her mercenary instincts have never dulled.

Although she and Little Ai were both friends and rivals, most of the time they were just joking around. If they really went to fight, Lynae felt she had no chance of winning. Even if her optical camouflage could hide for a while, it wouldn't last forever. As long as Little Ai seized the opportunity, she would have to put on a show like "Yellow Hair Flying".

"Speaking of which, didn't you teach Little Ai how to use her sword? Why didn't you go up there?"

"Please don't project this plot onto reality. I'm only a novice in martial arts right now, and even if I went up there and fought, I might not come out on top," Xiao Ling immediately shook her head and said, "However, since you brought this up..."

The two seemed to be on the same wavelength, their gazes simultaneously locking onto Hajipiao, who was sitting not far away.

"...?" The Rover's golden eyes met theirs with a blank look, and then, for some reason, he suddenly understood their intentions.

Ha... Are these two really looking forward to a solo match between her and Little Ai?

(Who wouldn't want to watch a mother-daughter scene?)

"A-Piao!"

Upon hearing the call of the beloved goose, the Rover suddenly turned her head to look at the stage and found Aemeath looking at her with expectant eyes, looking eager to try.

Well... since my daughter wants to play, I'll play along.

"Hey!"

The Rover leaped from the spot and instantly arrived on the training ground, where he met the smiling Aemeath.

"Master, what are your chances of Little Ai defeating this girl?" Before the battle began, Heartfox leaned over and asked softly.

"If there were a betting pool here right now, I'd definitely bet everything on my other one," Xiao Ling said without hesitation.

Why do you say that?

"Although Little Ai's swordsmanship and Qingxiao's swordsmanship are quite different, they are essentially two variations evolved from the same swordsmanship, and the owner of this swordsmanship is now standing opposite Little Ai."

"I understand, the master-disciple relationship?"

"It's actually a mother-daughter conflict, so logically and emotionally, I don't think Little Ai can easily defeat Piaozi."

"I see... This is what they mean by 'the son can't beat the father'?"

"You adapted to local customs really quickly..."

Meanwhile, on the training ground...

The Rover's golden eyes were filled with affection as he looked at Aemeath she had learned during her growth. He couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

In her memory, the two things Aemeath disliked the most were doing homework and practicing swordsmanship.

Children can't settle down. If you tell them to go east, they'll go west. If you tell them to sit still, they'll run around and get themselves all dirty. Getting them to calm down and do something seriously is like climbing Mount Everest.

The Rover was truly troubled by this, after all, he could not stay with her forever. If something happened to Aemeath after she left, the Rover would probably resent him for the rest of his life.

Therefore, she never leaves room for compromise on such matters. The homework that needs to be done must be done, and the sword practice that needs to be done must be done. As long as the important matters are completed, the Rover will be happy to play a game of two-player games with Aemeath.

"I wonder how much of the swordsmanship I taught her actually she learned..."

"A-Piao!" Just then, Aemeath's sweet voice, tinged with laughter, rang out, "Are you ready?"

Pulled back to reality from his memories, the Rover looked at Aemeath's smiling face, smiled slightly, and then assumed a fighting stance, ready to meet the attack.

"Come on, let me see how much you've grown."

"Then you'd better watch out!"

Aemeath's sword swept across the ground. The first strike was slow, even a bit clumsy, as if a certain action had been forcibly pulled out from the depths of memory.

The Rover did not retreat.

Her sword tip merely veered slightly, sliding along Aemeath's blade and dissipating the force. The sound of swords rubbing against each other was very soft, like someone turning a page in a book.

Aemeath immediately changed her move, turning her second sword into a sweeping attack. The Rover used the same move again—a deflect, a slide, a parry.

The third sword, the fourth sword.

On the fifth strike, Aemeath stopped herself, frowning. "Why didn't you parry?"

"I'm catching it," the Rover said, "But you're aiming for the same spot with every sword strike."

That's my path.

"The path is right. It's just that you were walking too fast; you took the first step before your feet were firmly planted."

There was a moment of silence in the audience. Aemeath stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, "Then walk and show me."

The Rover smiled, then returned the attack she had just made in slow motion.

The swordplay was offensively slow; logically, it should have been easy to find an opening, especially for Aemeath, who had used this move before. But after a long pause, she suddenly realized a startling fact—

She had nowhere to put her sword.

No matter which way she went—left, right, or up—the sword would always hit her precisely where she was about to land, preventing her from advancing an inch.

"Clang!" The two swords clashed, producing a heavy sound that sounded incredibly powerful.

"Is that my move?" Aemeath asked with a smile.

"A slower version," the Rover replied with a faint smile.

Aemeath's eyes lit up, and she became unreasonable, pushing the pace to its maximum in one go—slashes, spins, and sword strikes that grew increasingly unrestrained, as if she wanted to dismantle the entire training ground. The sword wind swept across the stage, Dania, still half asleep, had her face covered in stray hairs blown by the wind. She turned her head on Xiao Ling's lap and continued to sleep.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! There's no such swordsmanship at all!!" Lynae exclaimed, clutching her head in utter shock. "Xiao Ling, you damn guy, you actually wanted me to go on stage and fight her?!"

"You're just scared," Xiao Ling sneered.

"Then go up and fight her!"

"I'm not going to make things difficult for myself."

"You're just scared!"

Who isn't afraid of that?

By the end of this round, Aemeath had torn up most of the arena floor, while the Rover hadn't even had a single piece of clothing torn off under such an onslaught. Aemeath herself was even forced to the sidelines.

Aemeath refused to believe it and instead lowered her waist, gathering all her strength in one place, preparing to win in one fell swoop.

The Rover's eyes flickered.

She recognized the sword technique; it was one of the moves she had taught Aemeath twenty years ago. Even the angle of the finishing stance was perfect. It was originally taught to Amy as a trump card, but she never expected that Amy would use it on herself today.

But...

Aemeath brought her sword down with fierce momentum, as if she wanted to end the match directly.

The Rover raised his hand and stopped him.

It wasn't a direct hit. Her sword touched the inside, and with a gentle twist following the force, Aemeath's sword slid into empty space, and she was propelled forward half a step.

Half a step later, the tip of the sword stopped at the side of Aemeath's neck.

Aemeath's eyes widened in astonishment and confusion. She took a breath, steadied herself, and then asked, "How did you do that?"

"I've used that sword strike many times, and I've fought it countless times," the Rover said softly in an elder's tone. "Only in the end did I realize that this sword strike wasn't about winning, but about proving that I dared to do it."

"So now I've changed my mind; I dare to do it even without proof."

"But I still want to win." Aemeath raised her sword again.

The Rover chuckled softly, then voluntarily gave up his spot.

"You're not stopping me this time?"

"No need. At least I know you're already a guardian capable of standing on your own, though you're still far from being a savior," the Rover said with a relieved smile. "Let me see for myself the path you've chosen."

Aemeath's final round was wild and ugly—her moves were disjointed and she relied entirely on brute force to push forward, her swordplay as chaotic as a small storm.

But the Rover no longer suppressed her.

She simply parried the sword strikes, one by one, calmly and unhurriedly, as if supporting someone learning to walk.

Finally Aemeath brought her sword down with such force that the blade itself trembled. The Rover raised his hand to block it, and the two swords met, frozen in place.

Aemeath's sword still rang out, a low, persistent vibration, while the Rover's sword remained still.

"Oh dear~ I still lost after all~" Aemeath withdrew her sword, a cute smile with a hint of panting on her face.

"You didn't lose." The Rover silently sheathed his sword. "You just didn't get to the point of 'change'."

How long will it take me to walk?

"When you realize that winning isn't everything."

"Then I guess I'll never change it in my lifetime." Aemeath pursed her lips helplessly.

The Rover looked at her and chuckled softly.

"Then don't change it."