Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“You…”
In the next moment, in the dark cave.
The man’s bright chest was half-hidden by the slightly-opened fabric.
The man felt the woman’s slender and fair hand trembling in front of him. Then, he grabbed the woman’s wrist.
Mu Yao looked up in surprise. “What are you doing?”
It was only then that the man finally realized what had happened. The corners of his lips curled up and there was a hint of anger in his deep voice. “What I’m doing? It’s useless to jump directly to the final step of the Hehuan Swordsmanship techniques.”
Mu Yao lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering under the faint light.
The man felt the woman’s upper body trembling slightly.
Mu Yao lowered her head.
The man could clearly see that the woman was trembling on his lap.
‘Is she crying? No way!’ The man gulped and looked at the woman worriedly. “Hey, are you okay?”
Mu Yao said nothing.
The man moved closer carefully and his voice softened. “Woman, it’s my fault. I was too fierce.”
Bang!
The man felt as if the top of his head had exploded.
As Mu Yao stared at the man, she smacked his head, and a loud sound resonated within the cave.
“If I didn’t have to leave the cave, I would have stabbed you to death! If you know that it’s useless to jump to the last step, why did you do that to me seven days ago? Besides, do you know how worried I was when I saw you not moving for the past seven days? Every day, I was afraid that you would never wake up again. If that happened, what would happen to me? What would happen to the soldiers who died for me?” Mu Yao shuddered even harder as she spoke.
Tears fell uncontrollably from her big eyes, and even her voice started to tremble. The man knew that she was crying, as her sobs echoed in the cave.
Mu Yao had no idea what was wrong with her. She felt as though she had held it in for a long time, and the grievances that she had been suppressing in her heart suddenly poured out all at once.
Over the past seven days, Mu Yao felt as if she had been forgotten by the world. What would she do if she could not get out of the cave?
The only thing she cared about was the unconscious man. But day after day, the man remained in the same position, showing no signs of waking up. That terrified her.
She even started to console herself that it would be alright, and that Xiaohuo would wake up. However, every time Mu Yao opened her eyes the next day, she would see the motionless man again.
The determination in her heart was collapsing bit by bit.
Finally, he had woken up today. That had finally caused her to break down.
The man panicked when he saw the woman sobbing. This was the first time he had seen the woman so fragile ever since he had gotten to know her.
“Don’t cry,” he tried to comfort her.
Mu Yao felt as if her acupoints had been opened and she couldn’t hold her tears back.
The man raised his hand and put it down before stretching it out again. His hands were at a loss as he looked at the woman’s trembling body.
He wanted to hug her, but didn’t dare to reach out for her.
“Please don’t cry anymore. I’m begging you. I never ever beg anyone.”
However, Mu Yao showed no signs of stopping.
Suddenly, the man gritted his teeth and pulled Mu Yao into his embrace.
It was unusually warm.
He then raised his hand to caress Mu Yao’s head.
“I’m sorry. I was wrong.” His low voice reached Mu Yao’s ears, and somehow, it had touched her heart too.
Mu Yao’s sobs gradually eased. It was really too comfortable. No one had ever patiently comforted her when she was on the verge of a breakdown.
Suddenly, Mu Yao felt the distance between her and the man. Rather, it was the lack of distance between the two of them.
She abruptly pushed him away and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes, and her expression returned to normal as she said, “Let’s begin. Let’s practice.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Because they had separated so quickly, the man could still feel the lingering warmth of the woman on his body.
…
Whoosh.
The man’s figure skillfully bent his body and turned around swiftly and the sharp sword in the man’s hand cut through the air, producing a gust of wind. The man’s sword went straight for the woman’s neck.
At the most critical moment when it seemed as though he was about to stab the woman’s neck, the sword stopped just inches away from the woman’s neck.
However, if one were to take a closer look, the sword in the man’s hand was actually nothing more than a broken branch! Yet, he had been so skillful that it seemed no different from a real sword.
The moment Mu Yao spotted the branch coming at her, she extended both her hands to her side, and raised her upper body to avoid it. Mu Yao dodged the sword skillfully and retreated a few meters.
Then, she stood up gracefully and quickly drew her silver sword from her waist. In the dark cave, the silver sword shone brightly.
A moment later, Mu Yao did a backflip and turned around, pressing the sword against the man’s chest.
If she were to move just one step closer, she would draw blood from him.
Mu Yao smirked. “How is it, Xiaohuo?”
The man snorted softly. While the woman was distracted, he walked backward.
Seeing this, the woman chased after him and shouted, “How dare you escape?”
With a swift turn, the man suddenly appeared behind the woman. With his right hand holding the branch, he casually waved his arm, holding Mu Yao down. The “sword” was pressed against Mu Yao’s slender throat as he said casually, “Woman, you are very talented. It won’t be long before you finish the Hehuan Swordsmanship techniques.”
Suddenly, Mu Yao leaned back and pressed herself against the man’s chest. Her voice carried a hint of seduction. “Likewise.”
The man couldn’t help but blush, and he subconsciously moved the branch in his hand away from Mu Yao’s neck. “You!”
At that moment, Mu Yao raised her cold eyes and smirked as she flung the man back by a few meters.
When the man cried out in pain, she pressed her silver sword against the man’s chest once again.
“Xiaohuo, you shouldn’t be distracted so easily.”
A dark glint flashed across his eyes. “Ha, you’re trying to use your beauty against me!”
Mu Yao raised an eyebrow and challenged him, “That’s just a woman’s natural advantage. It’d be a waste not to use it. How is it, Xiaohuo? Are you afraid?”
The man gave Mu Yao a dirty look and lowered his eyes. His voice carried a hint of aggression. “Afraid? Woman, let me show you a man’s natural advantage. You won’t be able to escape the Hehuan Swordsmanship’s final step!”
The man then threw down the wooden branch in his hand, took a big stride forward, and grabbed the woman’s waist.
Just like that, the two of them finally reached the final step—Dual Sword Practice..