Jade Dynasty: I am the master of the Burning Sword, my swordsmanship is unparalleled.

Chapter 8 Little Gray
Nearly three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

On the path leading to the back mountain, two figures were walking unhurriedly.

The girl in red from back then has now grown into a graceful young woman.

The young girl still favored a red dress, her figure was exquisite, and she had gained more feminine charm than before. However, her lively spirit not only remained undiminished, but seemed to have become even stronger.

Beside the girl, the once frail boy has now grown up.

Although the boy's face could not be described as that of a peerless beauty, it was still quite handsome. His body, which was about the same height as the girl's, was as upright as a bamboo in the forest. He walked with a steady gait. Although he looked young, he gave people a mature and reliable feeling.

What is most unforgettable about the boy is his resolute and determined eyes, and the occasional hint of melancholy between his brows always makes people feel inexplicably sorry for him.

Tian Ling'er subtly shifted her gaze away from the boy's brows. Seeing that the boy seemed not to have noticed her, she breathed a sigh of relief, but also seemed somewhat disappointed.

Immediately, Tian Ling'er composed herself, her bright eyes shifting slightly, revealing a sly glint in them, and she suddenly spoke with a hint of impatience.

"Xiao Fan, you've already completed your introductory lessons excellently. Why don't you skip these last few days?"

Although she was trying to persuade Zhang Xiaofan, Tian Ling'er had already made up her mind that if Zhang Xiaofan had any thoughts, she would go back and tell her father and mother, and then let them give him a good scolding.

hum!

Thinking of that scene, Tian Ling'er couldn't help but hum excitedly to herself.

“Senior sister, cultivation is achieved through diligence and ruined by play. Since it is a three-year course, not a single day can be missed. If you feel bored, you can go back.”

Zhang Xiaofan said in a deep voice, "Even if I had finished my three years of homework, I would still come to the back mountain every day."

Of course, back then it wasn't about cutting bamboo anymore, but about practicing swordsmanship.

Upon hearing this, Tian Ling'er couldn't help but pout, a hint of 'resentment' on her face. Why couldn't this junior brother fall for it?
This kind of thing has happened countless times in the past three years.

Ever since the first lesson, the girl seemed to be angry and embarrassed by her failed complaint, and she often thought about how to tease this junior brother who was about two years younger than her.

"Tch, I'm the senior sister, of course I have to take care of the junior brother."

Seeing that this brat junior brother was actually thinking of sending her back, Tian Ling'er was so angry that she immediately adopted the posture of her senior sister.

With that, Tian Ling'er took the lead and walked forward. Zhang Xiaofan shook his head with a smile and quickly followed.

When they arrived at the hillside, Tian Ling'er's figure was as elusive as ever. Zhang Xiaofan didn't pay any attention to it and went to the depths of the bamboo forest on his own. The black bamboo here was much thicker than the thin bamboo forest he had been in before.

After stretching his muscles a little, Zhang Xiaofan raised his woodcutter's knife, ready to chop down.

Just then, Zhang Xiaofan's ears twitched as he heard a faint sound of wind breaking. He quickly turned around, and the next moment, a black object flew past him, grazing his body.

In the nearly three years since, with the help of the blood energy in the Blood Devouring Bead, Zhang Xiaofan is now not only physically strong, but also has exceptionally keen senses.

When Zhang Xiaofan heard the noise, he thought it was Tian Ling'er hiding in the shadows again, trying to play a trick on him. Over the past three years, the girl had often tried to play tricks on him, and although she failed every time, she never tired of it.

But as he turned his head, Zhang Xiaofan's keen eyes noticed that what had just flown past was actually a dark brown pine cone, which was clearly not Tian Ling'er's doing.

Just as Zhang Xiaofan was about to look up to search, another pine cone flew over. Zhang Xiaofan swung his wood-chopping knife. "Snap!"

The blade struck the pine cone with pinpoint accuracy, cleaving it into pieces with a single stroke.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

Hearing the sound, Zhang Xiaofan looked over and saw a gray-furred monkey perched on a black bamboo stalk not far behind him, calling out. It was clearly startled by Zhang Xiaofan's knife strike.

Upon seeing Xiao Hui, Zhang Xiaofan was first taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile.

Zhang Xiaofan wasn't too surprised by Xiao Hui's appearance; he only felt a faint, warm sense of familiarity, like that of an old friend.

Of course, Zhang Xiaofan had never met Xiao Hui before, nor had he said that he had to subdue this young three-eyed spirit monkey.

The reason Zhang Xiaofan had this special feeling was because he was a rather aloof person who didn't like to talk much, so he often kept company with spirit beasts.

Prince Changqin once kept company with a small water snake by the Yao Mountain, Baili Tusu once kept company with a gyrfalcon, and even Zhang Xiaofan in his previous life had a dog as a companion.

Therefore, Zhang Xiaofan felt this way when he saw the psychic Xiao Hui.

"You monkey are quite mischievous. Fine, since you won't let me cut this bamboo, I'll find another one."

Zhang Xiaofan chuckled and said to Xiao Hui that he guessed Xiao Hui wouldn't let him cut down the bamboo because its absence might affect its ability to jump around in the bamboo forest, since the bamboo was relatively sparse around it.

"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"

Seeing Zhang Xiaofan sheathe his sword and leave, Xiao Hui thought he had successfully scared him and immediately shouted excitedly.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaofan didn't argue with Xiao Hui. Instead, he smiled, walked to another bamboo tree, and swung his knife down.

With a single stroke, a sizable gash was cut into the thick, black bamboo.

Xiao Hui was startled by Zhang Xiaofan's actions. He thought he had scared the other party away, but seeing that Zhang Xiaofan still dared to cut bamboo, he seemed to feel that he had been deceived. He grabbed a pine cone and threw it.

Although Zhang Xiaofan had his back to Xiao Hui, it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He simply turned his head to dodge the pine cone that was about to hit his head, and then swung his knife down.

"Squeak squeak squeak!!!"

Seeing that Zhang Xiaofan was still swinging his knife, and that his own pine cone slingshot had been dodged, Xiao Hui was furious and shouted.

Then, Xiao Hui grabbed the pine cones in his arms and started throwing them at Zhang Xiaofan one by one, no longer just aiming at Zhang Xiaofan's head.

However, it was as if Zhang Xiaofan had eyes all over his body. Whether he slightly tilted his head, moved his feet, or swung his knife to the side, not a single pine cone hit him.

After Xiao Hui had thrown away all the pine cones in his arms, Zhang Xiaofan was not only unharmed, but also successfully chopped down a large black bamboo.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!"

Seeing this, Xiao Hui became even angrier and shouted, but he couldn't do anything about Zhang Xiaofan.

(End of this chapter)