Chapter Nineteen: A Grand Display

“Which brother are you talking about?” Haotian, seeing that Ruoxi seemed unmoved and impervious, appeared to shift his target and addressed someone else.

“Are you talking to me?” Xiaoshan looked at Haotian in disbelief as he realized he was being spoken to.

“Yes! Don’t tell me you’re afraid of losing to Ruoxi, and that’s why you still haven’t made a move?” This was a simple goading tactic—an unavoidable and sometimes irresistible method.

“I can’t beat her,” Xiaoshan replied, shaking his head as though unaffected. “But in my eyes, there’s no such thing as whether I can win or lose. What matters to me is whether fighting will help my martial arts progress further.”

“So sparring with Ruoxi will help you improve? What about me?” Haotian pointed to himself, seemingly swept up by Xiaoshan’s tone.

“Forget it. I don’t even know you! And from the look of you, you don’t seem steady—you probably can’t beat me,” Xiaoshan rejected him without hesitation.

‘Not steady’ meant lacking a solid foundation, or in other words, his martial arts were too weak.

Haotian couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger at Xiaoshan’s words, but he quickly reminded himself that anger wasn’t the reason he had come.

“Ruoxi, have you changed your mind? Don’t you want to test your martial skills?” Haotian, seeing that Xiaoshan was indifferent to him, turned back to Ruoxi without losing heart.

“Is there any need to test my skills? Don’t I know my own strengths and weaknesses? I am who I am—why should I care what others think?” Ruoxi’s words at this moment carried the air of a recluse above worldly concerns.

Untroubled by the matters of the world, free from all attachments!

Just then, a gust of wind swept by, intensifying that sense of detachment.

Haotian listened to Ruoxi’s words and suddenly realized her heart was not as simple as he had imagined.

He felt a sudden sense of loss, as though something that belonged to him had slipped away, and as if his very presence only served to create awkwardness.

“You just want to see us spar, don’t you? Fine—let me show you now, so you won’t be plagued by curiosity any longer! What do you say?” Ruoxi pointed her sword at Haotian, then slowly shifted her gaze toward Xiaoshan.

“As long as you’re happy! At least you’ll stop eavesdropping on our conversations every day!” Xiaoshan, witnessing their exchange, blurted out the thought that popped into his head.

“Uh—” Haotian was at a loss for words. It was as if the duel was his doing, not their own idea.

But he really was just passing by; they made it sound as if he’d been lying in ambush for ages.

“He really was just passing by!” A voice sounded from outside the wall, echoing his words.

The garden instantly fell silent; not a word was spoken.

“You certainly have a lot of people with you! Aren’t you coming in?” Ruoxi, surprised by the voice outside, raised her voice on the last two words.

With a sudden burst, two figures leapt over the wall without pause. Upon closer look, they were the same two who had followed Haotian earlier.

“Well, things just got lively!” Ruoxi exclaimed as the three entered, each returning to their previous spots.

“He was just putting on an act, and you two really came in,” Haotian said helplessly to the pair, who looked equally resigned.

“Big brother, you know we just left home and don’t understand the ways of the world. You could’ve explained things better!” one of them complained to Haotian, clearly blaming him.

“So now it’s all my fault?” Haotian replied, exasperated.

“Aren’t you going to introduce them?” Xiaoshan asked Haotian, equally puzzled. Had these two never left home since birth, still so clueless about social customs?

Xiaoshan momentarily forgot that he, too, was inexperienced in such matters.

“Those two? They’ve been practicing martial arts at home since childhood. Only recently did they start coming out with me to gain experience. Don’t be fooled by their youth—they’re not to be underestimated.” Haotian’s tone betrayed a hint of pride.

“The one on the left is Haoyun, the one on the right is Haopo!” Haotian gave a brief introduction. There was no need to introduce Xiaoshan and Ruoxi—the others should know them by now.

“Greetings!” Haoyun and Haopo said in unison, cupping their fists in a gesture of respect.

Xiaoshan and Ruoxi nodded in return.

“With such a grand assembly, you’re not just here to watch the two of us spar, are you?” Ruoxi glanced at the trio, noting that each carried a weapon. Their appearances were completely different from how they looked in the forest—it was obvious at a glance.