Jing Rong wasn’t insisting that Ji Yunshu should practice some peerless martial arts. He worried that he could not be by her side all the time, and hoped that she would be able to learn a little self-defence so that she would have a way to escape if she met with trouble.
In order to persuade her, he gave her an example, “Learning martial arts isn’t difficult. Lord Qin began learning martial arts at an advanced age. He was shorter than you, less flexible, and many years older. However, later he became the martial arts teacher for a prince and even received a commendation from the previous emperor. So why can’t you practice martial arts?”
“I’m female.” She blurted out. This reason was indeed irrefutable.
Jing Rong’s lips twitched twice and felt slightly disappointed. He looked down at the bamboo stick that he had painstakingly scraped smooth. It represented his loving care, but this woman didn’t appreciate it at all. How sad!
Ji Yunshu realized what he was thinking. She raised her eye corners lightly, then took the bamboo stick over and brandished it lightly in the air a few times, making very rapid and loud swishes. “This thing is not bad.”
“Planning to practice martial arts now?”
She shook her head, “No.”
“Then why did you say it’s not bad?”
Hm? She gave him a sidelong glance and furrowed her beautiful eyebrows slightly, “I said it’s not bad, not that I want to practice. You’d better ask Qiao’er and Zhuang’er to learn a few strikes instead.”
Jing Rong’s face froze at that comment, but Ji Yunshu happily played with the bamboo stick in her hand. Although Jing Rong’s bamboo stick was far from elegant, she had to admit that the workmanship was exquisite. Swinging the bamboo stick around seemed like a pretty good way to kill time. While she was playing with it, Tang Si suddenly came in from the outside.
“Ah Ji, what are you doing?” She ran to Ji Yunshu curiously.
Ji Yunshu boasted to her. “Look, isn’t this bamboo stick made very delicately?”
After a look, Tang Si nodded, “Pretty good.”
“Prince Rong made it, specially to help train martial arts.” She deliberately raised the volume of her voice.
Hearing that, Tang Si took a surprised look at Jing Rong, not hiding her contempt as she laughed unabashedly. She was about to break a rib from laughing!
“This... this thing is used to practice martial arts? Even a three-year-old child won’t be fooled by that.”
Someone’s expression had turned extremely ugly! [1]
Tang Si continued laughing while saying, “In our Houliao, a three-year-old kid would hold either a knife or a whip in his hand. How can anyone learn martial arts with a bamboo stick as a weapon?”
A long peal of laughter rang crisply throughout the yard.
That someone’s expression was now not only ugly, but also extremely frigid.
Ji Yunshu also sniggered. She wasn’t laughing at the bamboo stick Jing Rong had made for her as a training weapon, but at his adorable actions. Just as cute as Wei Yi!
Suddenly, the laughter cut off.
Jing Rong had quickly snatched back the bamboo stick from Ji Yunshu’s hand and rested it on the side of Tang Si’s neck with a speed too fast to be seen.
Tang Si was stunned for a moment, but she reacted immediately. She put her hand on her waist, about to forcefully take out her whip, but Jing Rong moved faster than her. He slapped the back of her hand with the bamboo stick. Although the force was not great, she still exclaimed aloud painfully, and had to loosen her grip on the whip.
“You...” She was furious.
Jing Rong curled his cold lips smugly, “Little girl, listen up, this prince is giving you a lesson today. Sharp items are not necessarily the only ones suited to be weapons. Even the most ordinary clump of mud can also be used to beat someone to death. It would be wise for you to not underestimate this little bamboo stick, because if you made it unhappy, it may kill you at any time.”
This lesson was too expensive. Tang Si had exchanged a bout of humiliation for this valuable experience. It was not worth it!
With dissatisfaction in her eyes, she gritted her teeth and raised her chin, saying fiercely, “If you really have the ability to beat me, let me take out my whip and spar with me again.”
“I have no time for this.” Jing Rong spit out coldly and moved the bamboo stick aside. Tang Si took the opportunity and pulled out her whip at once. However, just as she was about to lift the whip, Jing Rong used the bamboo stick in his hand to hit her shoulder, forcing her to lower her raised arm.
“You… you bully!” Tang Si pointed at him.
“This prince is teaching you a lesson.”
Bah! Only you would be shameless enough to say such a thing! Tang Si clutched her beaten hand and went to Ji Yunshu and complained, “Ah Ji, look at him. He is clearly bullying me. You should help me handle him.” Bite him to death! Beat him to death!
“Me?” Ji Yunshu pointed at herself, “I can’t possibly beat him.”
If he threw her onto the bed in a rage, she would be at a great disadvantage. She wouldn’t take the risk! So there was nothing wrong about admitting her incapability when necessary.
Tang Si’s face flushed. Her anger bubbled in her chest like a mass of magma which was ready to erupt at any time.
Ji Yunshu smiled and comforted her, “Don’t be mad at him. You had also made fun of him just now, so you are even now.” What, you consider that an even exchange?
Tang Si snorted. Since she couldn’t beat that guy, what else could she do but swallow this bitterness down? She sat down and began to rub at her bruised arm and hand.
“By the way, weren’t you with Mo Ruo? What brought you here?” Ji Yunshu asked.
“Aha!” Tang Si jumped up, her eyes wide. She patted her forehead hard with her hand, “I almost forgot why I came here. Mo Ruo said that the assassin has already woken up, so he sent me to inform you.”
“He has woken up?”
“Right, he can also speak. The moment he woke up, he kept yelling for water, as if he had never drank water before in his previous life. You didn’t see his eyes. They were so dark and terrifying, and...” She wanted to continue speaking, but Jing Rong and Ji Yunshu had already walked past her, heading towards Mo Ruo’s courtyard.
“Hey hey hey, wait for me!” She yelled from behind and hurriedly followed them. In the blink of an eye, she had already forgotten all that had happened just now.
Although she was born in Hou Liao, had a slightly wilder personality than the average person, and turned angry easily at the drop of a hat, she showed her true feelings easily. She was straightforward and blunt, every word she spoke was genuine and without guile or deceit. She merely lacked tact and was rather too impulsive. A woman like that was truly a rare find!
In Mo Ruo’s courtyard, the physician had just walked away from the bed and was wiping his hands with a handkerchief.
When Jing Rong and Ji Yunshu hurried over, they saw that Mo Ruo seemed to have just completed a major operation. He was cleaning blood from his hands and was still had a forehead full of sweat. The originally pale grey bedding on the big bed behind him was covered in blood and stained an eye-watering crimson.
The scene was terrifying.
With a pale face, the man in black lying on the bed stared straight at the drape above his head, completely motionless.
[1] Oh dear, our JR can't take being teased.