cold clothes

“I don’t want to. She looks like she’ll be hard to teach,” Yin Jiu immediately refused.

Leng Yi glared at him angrily.

“You might find it easier to train with her. There’s a significant height difference between us, so it’s not convenient for me to train with her,” Qingyou said.

"..." This seemingly casual remark implied something about two people.

Leng Yi glanced at the top of Yin Jiu's head. The girl was precocious. Now, she and Yin Jiu were about the same height. Yin Jiu did not wear her hair in a bun, but tied her hair into a low ponytail with a white ribbon. Leng Yi, on the other hand, wore her hair in a bun, making her appear slightly taller than Yin Jiu.

Yin Jiu frowned in displeasure, his smile shifting to Leng Yi's face.

"Is this something to brag about? In a few years I'll be two heads taller than you!" Yin Jiu said unhappily, arms crossed, her eyes sharp and lips pouting, displaying the proud and unyielding spirit of a young man.

Leng Yi's smile didn't fade; instead, she grinned and retorted, "You can say whatever you want now that you have a mouth."

Yin Jiu's eyes reddened with anxiety, a lump of anger stuck in her chest, and she laughed in exasperation: "Fine, fine, you're right. I have nothing to do today, so I'll have to experience Miss Ningbi's swordsmanship."

"Hey, I learned sword dance, not for fighting, and I only learned it for one night!" Leng Yi quickly took a few steps back.

Yin Jiu reached out and pulled her forcefully into her arms: "Come on, come on, come on!"

The two of them dragged each other up to the second floor, while Qingyou and Huailou watched them.

"Young master and this young lady seem to know each other quite well." Huai Lou stroked his chin, unable to suppress the urge to smile.

Qingyou's expression softened, and she remarked with some emotion, "I never imagined that Yin could be so childish."

"Hahaha, that's more in line with your age. You're usually as gloomy as a vengeful ghost," Huai Lou said.

“But it’s not appropriate for him to play with Ningbi.” A rare hint of worry appeared in Qingyou’s eyes.

“We’re all neither human nor ghost, so who’s the right one?” Huai Lou seemed to be thinking of someone and lost in thought for a moment, then his expression darkened and he left in silence.

Once they reached the second floor, Leng Yi relaxed. She looked Yin Jiu up and down a few times and asked, "Do you really know how to wield a sword?"

Yin Jiu raised an eyebrow arrogantly, "Don't believe me? Give me the sword."

As he spoke, he snatched Leng Yi's sword.

Leng Yi smiled and stepped back to give him space, watching him draw his sword. The soft sword in his hand transformed into a straight, sharp, cold light; even just watching from the side, one could feel the blade pointing directly at his face. And he himself, like a sword drawn from its sheath, shed his frail, pale exterior and became imposing and fierce.

Pointing, thrusting, flicking, sweeping, slashing. The young man's swordplay was fluid and exhilarating.

I have to say, Leng Yi was quite amazed by her appearance.

After finishing a set of sword moves, Yin Jiu was a little out of breath, but he forced down the rise and fall of his chest and asked, "How was it?"

"Not handsome at all—it's fake!" Leng Yi mischievously dragged out the word, and before Yin Jiu could change her expression, she said with a grin, "You are good at sword dancing, but it doesn't suit me. It's too murderous."

"Why is it unsuitable? A sword is for killing."

Leng Yi was taken aback. "But I'm just performing on stage."

Yin Jiu drew his sword and walked towards her, his voice clear and cold: "A sword is a double-edged sword, it is never something to be admired. Did you not feel any desire when you held the sword?"

What do you yearn for?

"What I yearn to grasp is power, what I yearn for is a sword in my hand that can cut through everything that stands in my way."

Yin Jiu shoved the sword hilt into Leng Yi's hand, and Leng Yi grasped it, her azure eyes somewhat bewildered.

But as he gripped the sword tightly, his bewildered eyes gradually brightened like ice crystals.

Yin Jiu was delighted to see Leng Yi's gaze, even captivated by it, and whispered, "I knew it..."

Leng Yi turned to look at Yin Jiu and said coquettishly, "Hmph, you were unwilling to teach me before, but now you can't back out. You have to teach me how to kill with a sword."

Yin Jiu smiled and said, "I don't regret it. I'm happy to do it."

The boy's voice was like a devil's whisper, causing her suppressed ambition and tyranny to burst forth, and her heartbeat gradually became heavy and rapid.

—The thought of having the ability to kill filled her with immense excitement.

Is this your true self, you little madwoman?