The morning light was faint as two figures, one large and one small, weaved through the forest.
They stopped in a clearing, and Jiang Wan said, "This spot will do. Second Brother, climb up that tree and tie some ropes to it."
Er Lang nodded and scrambled up the tree like a monkey, tying several ropes to different branches.
Once done, he nimbly jumped down. "How was it? Has your second brother's skill improved again?"
Jiang Wan ignored his narcissism and had him pick out several stones, which she then tied to the hanging ropes.
Er Lang didn't quite understand. "Didn't you say you were going to train me? And now you've brought me to the mountains to play with rocks?"
Jiang Wan smiled slightly, grabbed one of the hanging stones, and pushed it out. The stone swung back and forth on the rope.
"These stones are to train your reaction speed, Second Brother. Are you ready?"
Er Lang looked at the rather pathetic training equipment and almost laughed. "You're training me with this? Wan Wan, do you think your brother is a three-year-old?"
Jiang Wan wasn't offended. She pointed to a spot. "Stand over there."
Er Lang, thinking he was just indulging a child, obediently stood in the designated spot.
Seeing his calm demeanor, Jiang Wan smiled, "Second Brother, the rule of the game is that you must stand still, but you have to dodge these stones and not let them hit you. Alright, let's begin."
With that, she stepped forward and pushed the stones on the ropes towards Er Lang one by one.
Er Lang dodged the first stone with no effort, and the second and third were the same.
He chuckled and teased, "Wan Wan, where did you learn these tricks to amuse children? What can this possibly train?"
Jiang Wan subtly increased the speed and force of the swinging stones.
At first, Er Lang was still handling it with ease, but soon he realized the stones were swinging faster and faster. Caught off guard, a stone hit him squarely on the back, hurting him so much he almost couldn't breathe.
As he staggered, a second stone came flying, hitting his stomach.
Injured front and back, and with several more stones following closely, Er Lang held his breath, dodging left and right, but still couldn't avoid being hit repeatedly.
After one round, Er Lang felt as though his back had been pierced through, and the pain turned his face green.
Jiang Wan grinned and asked, "Second Brother, are these children's tricks interesting?"
As she spoke, she deliberately patted Er Lang's back. The pain made Er Lang almost cry out, "Wan Wan, you're my own sister!"
Jiang Wan laughed maliciously, "Second Brother, how about it? Another round?"
Er Lang quickly waved his hands. "No more, no more! It hurts too much."
Jiang Wan looked at him with disdain. "You can't take it already? With such little tolerance, you still want to be a great general? With your reaction speed, you want to go to the battlefield? What will you be on the battlefield? A target?"
Jiang Wan's barrage of five questions made Er Lang jump up. "Who says! How can I be destined to be a target!"
He was the strongest young man in the village, and even those several years older than him respected him.
"How can it be impossible?"
Jiang Wan flicked her nails. "On the battlefield, swords and sabers have no eyes. If your reaction speed is poor, what are you if not a target? If you can't even dodge a few stones, why do you think you can dodge arrows raining down like raindrops?"
Er Lang remained unconvinced. "I don't believe anyone can dodge things like this."
Jiang Wan shook her head and walked to where Er Lang had been standing. "Come, this time you swing the ropes. I'll make you truly convinced."
Er Lang refused to move. "Do you think I'm stupid? If those stones hit you later, Mom and Dad will skin me alive when we get home."
Besides, what was his height, and what was hers?
The height at which those stones hit him was exactly at her head level.
One stone like that would surely result in a bloody head!
Seeing that he wouldn't move, Jiang Wan pushed the stones herself, making them swing, and then she flashed into the middle of the stone array, scaring Er Lang so much he almost fainted on the spot.
But the next second, Er Lang was dumbfounded.
Jiang Wan stood in the middle of the stone array, her feet seemingly rooted to the ground, holding firm. Her upper body, however, swayed back and forth, left and right, each movement perfectly avoiding the stones' attacks.
What Er Lang found most unacceptable was that Jiang Wan seemed to have eyes in the back of her head; the stones came and went, yet not even a strand of her hair was touched.
Thinking about how flustered he had been when he was hit, Er Lang felt utterly humiliated.
After the round, Jiang Wan calmly returned to Er Lang's side. "Second Brother, what do you think now?"
Er Lang was speechless. "How... how did you do that?"
Jiang Wan, to his immense frustration, put her hands behind her back. "It's innate."
Er Lang was so angry he wanted to walk away.
Jiang Wan quickly grabbed him. "Second Brother, don't get angry! Although your innate conditions aren't as good as mine, you can make up for it with hard work."
"Believe me, if you practice diligently, you can be as skilled as I am. In the future, on the battlefield, ordinary swords and sabers won't be able to harm you at all."
Er Lang was somewhat moved. "Really?"
Jiang Wan nodded emphatically. "Of course. If it weren't useful, why would I have made this? Second Brother, you want to be a general, and I support you. But think about it, if you don't have enough ability, will Mom and Dad let you go to the battlefield? If you have all the skills, are highly skilled in martial arts, and are impervious to weapons, what reason will Mom and Dad have to stop you?"
These words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly igniting Er Lang's fighting spirit. "You're right! I'll practice! I will definitely train myself to be skilled, go to the battlefield, and earn a pile of military merits for the Jiang family! Then, my brother San Lang and I, one civil and one military, will hold immense power, allowing you, Mom, and Dad to walk sideways!"
Jiang Wan's mouth twitched.
If that truly happened, their Jiang family would likely be considered a thorn in the emperor's side.
However, she couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of this chuunibyo youth.
So, she put on a very admiring expression. "Wow, Second Brother, you're amazing! Second Brother is the best! My Second Brother is number one in the world!"
After being dosed with this flattery, Er Lang was practically floating.
His body no longer hurt, and his confidence soared. He eagerly ran to the middle of the stone array and stood ready, shouting, "Come on, Wan Wan, let's continue!"
"Alright!"
Jiang Wan, suppressing a smile, started the stones swinging again.
After they finished their training for the day and returned home, Chen Yuezhi stared at Er Lang for a long time.
"You were gone for half the day, but why do I feel like Er Lang has gained a lot of weight?"
Su Shi nodded. "He does look like he's gained weight. His clothes are a bit tight."
Jiang Wan: ...Can't laugh, Second Brother has pride.
Er Lang: ...Can't cry, Wan Wan will be disappointed.
However, Jiang Wan felt quite sorry for her brother. Er Lang's body was swollen from being hit by the stones. While it looked funny, she secretly got up in the middle of the night and used her abilities to reduce his swelling and relieve the pain.
The chuunibyo Er Lang, waking up the next day to find his swelling gone and no pain, believed he had extraordinary talent and eagerly dragged Jiang Wan back up the mountain to continue training.