Chapter 366: Sparring, Part II

“This is badminton,” said Lian Nishang. “It’s an Australian ball game. There’s a shortage of equipment, so only a few people can play.”

Zhuo Yifan watched as the players’ eyes followed the ball, running and jumping. He thought to himself that this would be an excellent way to practice his movement skills.

It was just that the players were all dressed in white, which he found strange. He often saw people in Lingao wearing white clothes and white pants, and young women all wore white socks, some even white shoes. If they were in mourning, it didn’t look like it. He didn’t know what kind of custom this was.

As he was watching, the ball was suddenly hit from below, floating gently over the net. The man on this side couldn’t reach it in time, and it fell to the ground.

“I win!” a young woman’s voice cheered from the other side of the net. Zhuo Yifan was surprised—he had seen that the person on the other side of the net had short hair and two very conspicuous bare legs running around, and since the person on this side was a man, he had assumed the other was a man as well.

The man shook his head. “I’m getting old, I’m getting old.” He tucked his racket under his arm and took off the towel from his neck to wipe his sweat. The woman on the other side bent down and came over from under the net, jogging to the table at the side of the court to get a bottle and hand it to the man. “You’re not old, Chief, you’re still young.” She then draped a large towel over the man’s shoulders.

Seeing the young woman’s two light-brown, smooth, and firm thighs swaying before him, Zhuo Yifan quickly averted his gaze, silently exclaiming, “Shameless!”

Lian Nishang didn’t seem to mind and led him down a side corridor. Unexpectedly, the young woman had sharp eyes. Seeing Lian Nishang, she waved and called out, “Lian Nishang! Lian Nishang!”

Lian Nishang stopped. “Yang Min, what are you doing here?” she called back.

The woman casually draped a large towel over herself and then walked over. “I’m accompanying the Chief to see the venue for the school’s spring cultural festival. The Chief said the court here is good and wanted to practice, so we played a game.”

Zhuo Yifan saw that she was wearing a white cotton short-sleeved shirt. It was soaked with sweat and clung to her body, and it seemed she was wearing nothing underneath. Her chest was even more magnificent—it heaved with her breathing. He felt his face flush and didn’t dare to look anymore.

“Who is this young master?” Yang Min asked, seeing Zhuo Yifan with a mischievous smile.

“His name is Zhuo Yifan, and he’s a doctor,” Lian Nishang said nonchalantly. “He knows some martial arts, so I’m going to spar with him.”

“He doesn’t look like it…”

It was unclear whether Yang Min meant he didn’t look like a “doctor” or didn’t “know some martial arts.” Fortunately, Yang Min’s attention was on the “Chief.” After a few words, she quickly ran back. Lian Nishang and Zhuo Yifan were finally able to get away.

Hearing the other person mention “Chief,” Zhuo Yifan’s heart skipped a beat. The “Notes on Pacifying the short-hairs” had said that “fake short-hairs” all addressed “true short-hairs” as “Chief.” This meant that the man playing badminton with Yang Min was a “short-hair”! What an unexpected stroke of luck! To confirm this, he deliberately asked:

“Who is this…”

“She’s my classmate from the College of Arts and Sciences,” Lian Nishang said nonchalantly. “She’s now a personal secretary to a Chief.”

“So, that gentleman playing badminton is an Australian Senator?”

“Probably,” Lian Nishang said casually. “She was lucky to be chosen by the General Office. Almost no one from our class was selected.”

Zhuo Yifan’s heart raced. According to the “Notes on Pacifying the short-hairs,” the so-called “personal secretary” was a true short-hair’s concubine or personal maid. This meant that a true short-hair would be here—this was a major discovery!

He couldn’t contain his joy and quickly glanced back at Yang Min’s side, memorizing the face of the “true short-hair” who was drinking tea with a bored expression.

Lian Nishang had no idea what was going through his mind. She led him down a corridor, took out a key from her pocket, and opened one of the doors.

Inside was a large room, covered with thick straw mats. There were two more doors on the side wall.

“First, change your clothes, then we’ll practice…”

Zhuo Yifan thought to himself, Why do I need to change clothes to practice martial arts? He said, “I don’t need to.”

“I have to change,” Lian Nishang smiled and went into one of the small doors. She came out in a short while, already changed into a white short-sleeved shirt and shorts.

Zhuo Yifan had noticed that everyone in the gymnasium wore white. Though he knew that the short-hairs did not忌 (jì - avoid/taboo) white and it was not mourning attire, he still felt very awkward and a little unlucky. Seeing Lian Nishang in another white short outfit, with a red belt around her waist, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—what a strange custom!

Lian Nishang asked, “What’s wrong, don’t I look good?”

Zhuo Yifan was startled, knowing that his expression had given him away. To try to hide it now would only make things worse. He could only say, “It’s just a little strange…”

“I know. Newcomers all think we’re wearing mourning clothes. It’s no wonder you feel uncomfortable,” Lian Nishang said. “As for mourning clothes, it’s not entirely wrong. If you think about it, which family that came from the mainland to Lingao shouldn’t be in mourning for a few years?”

Zhuo Yifan felt that her words were a bit extreme and didn’t quite agree. He deliberately changed the subject. “Fists or swords?”

“Let’s start with fists. I haven’t practiced swordsmanship in a long time,” Lian Nishang said.

Though Zhuo Yifan specialized in swordsmanship, he was also quite skilled in empty-handed combat. After all, once a sword was drawn, it rarely returned to its scabbard without tasting blood. It was one thing in the wilderness, but in a bustling town, whether he injured or killed an opponent, it would be a troublesome matter, even with his sect and family background, as long as he didn’t mess with the wrong people. Therefore, whether it was fists or swords, his moves were generally restrained, and he never used lethal force.

However, as soon as they started, Zhuo Yifan realized that her fighting style was very different from ordinary martial arts. Her reactions were extremely fast, almost instinctive. There were no fancy moves, all were direct and straightforward, but her movements were very clever. She could quickly evade his every attack, and her movements were extremely agile. As for her attacks, they were all ruthless and fierce, almost all aimed at disabling the opponent in one move.

Zhuo Yifan had initially been a little contemptuous, thinking that a woman, no matter how skilled her techniques, would lack strength. He had not expected her moves to be so unexpectedly swift and fierce, unlike any martial arts he had ever seen. He couldn’t help but get serious.

He fought seriously. The skills of someone who had practiced martial arts since childhood were different from those of a self-taught person. Moreover, though he was from a noble family, he was not pampered and raised by women. His strength, flexibility, and explosive power from his childhood training were not comparable to ordinary people. After a short while, he gained the upper hand, his powerful fists and kicks forcing Lian Nishang to retreat continuously. She was already at a disadvantage.

Lian Nishang’s face was flushed. She fought back desperately, trying to turn the tide, but a woman’s strength was limited. After a while, she could no longer hold on. Zhuo Yifan’s leg swept her calf, and she lost her balance and fell.

Zhuo Yifan stopped his attack. He saw that Lian Nishang immediately rolled away after falling and then got up. Her reaction was quite fast.

“You let me win, you let me win,” Zhuo Yifan said, cupping his fists.

“You’re amazing!” Lian Nishang walked over. Her hair was messy, her breathing was slightly rapid, her chest was heaving, her belt was loose, and her collar was slightly open, revealing a small patch of wheat-colored skin on her chest.

Zhuo Yifan didn’t dare to look and quickly averted his gaze. “It’s just a small trick, not worth mentioning.”

“Don’t be so modest,” Lian Nishang’s eyes were bright. “You’re very skilled.” She tucked in the hem of her clothes. “Do you know swordsmanship?”

“A little.”

“I haven’t practiced swordsmanship in a long time. Let’s try it,” Lian Nishang said, opening a nearby cabinet and taking out two swords, tossing one to him.

Zhuo Yifan caught the sword. It felt very light in his hand. The scabbard was a very ordinary wooden one. He thought that a sword placed in a training hall would not be a good one, but when he drew it, his eyes lit up. The blade was made of high-quality steel, and the pattern on the blade was the kind that could only be seen on the best Japanese swords. With a slight flick of his wrist, the blade hummed. It was both light and tough. He examined it closely and saw that it was not sharpened. He couldn’t help but feel it was a pity. Such a good blade, if it were sharpened, would be an excellent sword.

“What a good sword.”

“This is not a good sword, it’s just for practice,” Lian Nishang said nonchalantly. Zhuo Yifan looked in the cabinet again. Besides this type of sword, there were also several Japanese swords of different lengths and some strangely shaped swords—probably all from foreign lands.

“There are a lot of things here.”

“They’re all just for show, for practice,” Lian Nishang drew her sword. “Come on.”

This match was even less suspenseful. Zhuo Yifan had won the previous match with some effort, so he was fully focused from the beginning this time. He swung his sword, and sixteen sword flowers attacked directly. Unexpectedly, Lian Nishang was immediately at a loss and was defeated in an instant. It was clear that she had practiced swordsmanship, but she was not very skilled, only at the beginner’s level. She couldn’t hold on for more than two or three moves and had already been hit several times.

Zhuo Yifan quickly stopped his sword and said with concern, “I was too abrupt, miss! Are you alright?”

Though it was an unsharpened sword, being hit repeatedly was not pleasant. Lian Nishang touched her arm where she had been hit. “It’s nothing. Your swordsmanship is amazing!”

“I was taught by a master when I was young. I have some basic skills. I just haven’t let it go,” Zhuo Yifan sheathed his sword. “I’m a traveling doctor. How can I get by without some self-defense skills?”

“How’s business here?”

“I’m new here, I don’t know how to do business…” Zhuo Yifan had already heard about the “certification” from Huang Zhen, so he didn’t make a mistake here.

Lian Nishang put the sword back in the cabinet, heard his words, and turned her head to laugh. “You’re a really good liar.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not a poor doctor at all—what poor doctor dresses so exquisitely?” Lian Nishang said with a smile, pointing at his fan. “Just this fan is worth at least four or five taels of silver.”