"Punch fast, aim sharp, keep your stance steady."
"Exactly, just like that!"
"Turn quickly, don't give them an opening, defend from the side!"
"Hit harder, use your whole body's strength, don't just rely on your arms!"
"Yes! Show some spirit!"
Shi Xingwu stood with his arms crossed, his muscles well-defined beneath his Taoist robe. His skin was a shade darker than it had been recently.
With the friendship match in Finland approaching, training at the dojo needed to intensify.
Now that Xia Qingyu and Li Xiaozhong had caught up, they didn't need separate training and could join the simulated matches and regular drills with everyone else.
"Good!" Shi Xingwu clapped his hands. "That's it for now, everyone take a break."
"Ouch..." a male student who had just been kicked and fallen to the ground protested, "Is the young dojo master playing favorites a little? I was sparring with Xia Qingyu, and you kept giving her pointers, which is why I lost!"
"Have some shame! You've been coming here a year longer than Xia Qingyu, and you're half a head taller. Did you get those muscles from protein powder?" Shi Xingwu couldn't be bothered. "Don't act like you would have won even if I hadn't said anything! My dad said my goddess is a prodigy; she's just started learning later. Otherwise, humph humph humph~"
"The dojo master praised Qingyu, not you!" Someone nearby, seeing Shi Xingwu's arrogance, couldn't resist teasing him.
"Isn't that the same thing? My goddess was invited by me~" Shi Xingwu felt no embarrassment whatsoever, after all, his relationship with the goddess and her sister was no ordinary one~
"Look at you showing off." They had all known each other for so many years, and the teasing continued with laughter.
"Shi Xingwu," Xia Qingyu said, wiping her sweat. "I need to head back early today; my sister is coming back."
"Goddess sister is back." Shi Xingwu immediately replied, "Alright, then be careful on your way."
"Okay." Xia Qingyu replied, "I won't be coming tomorrow."
"I understand. Li Xiaozhong has been saying for three days that he's preparing for the competition and won't be coming for now. You must be preparing for the competition too, right?" Shi Xingwu said immediately.
"Mm." Xia Qingyu's gaze flickered. She had actually finished most of her preparations already. Li Xiaozhong also just really didn't want to get beaten again, so he used that as an excuse.
She hadn't seen Xia Qingtian for several days, and she wanted to spend more time with her sister today and tomorrow. However, Shi Xingwu had already come up with an excuse for her, so she couldn't say much more. She mumbled a vague response and left the martial arts hall.
Hurrying home, Xia Qingyu saw Aunt Liu in the living room trimming flower branches and arranging flowers as soon as she entered the door. She offered a brief greeting, "I'm back," and then hurried upstairs. After searching for a while and not finding Xia Qingtian, she rushed downstairs again and asked Aunt Liu, "Mom, where's my sister?"
"Qingtian?" Aunt Liu looked up at Xia Qingyu and replied with a blink, "Mr. Gu picked her up not long after she got back."
"!" Hearing Aunt Liu's answer, Xia Qingyu's eyes widened. That Mr. Gu!
"What's wrong?" Aunt Liu sensed Xia Qingyu's expression was a bit off and put down her pruning shears. "Are you too tired from the martial arts hall?"
"No." Xia Qingyu pouted her lips before finally speaking, "She just got back, and already she..."
"Oh, it's because of Qingtian." Aunt Liu smiled. "Didn't you go to your room just now?"
Xia Qingyu shook her head dejectedly. She had only gone to look for Xia Qingtian and hadn't even taken off her backpack.
"Go and take a look. Qingtian bought you a lot of gifts; they're all on your desk." Aunt Liu said, "It seems she had some work matters that required her to be picked up. She took the time to come back and deliver gifts for you, wanting you to see them as soon as you got home."
Hearing Aunt Liu say this, Xia Qingyu's eyes, full of disappointment, suddenly lit up again. She looked at Aunt Liu and asked, "Did she really say that?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Aunt Liu smiled. "You'll know when you go to your room to look. There are quite a few things."
Xia Qingyu's lips then curved into a smile, and she pouted again, acting proud. "She always does these useless things, wasting money, tsk... I can't even be bothered to talk about her! Well, I'm going back to my room to study then."
After saying that, she ran upstairs again.
Watching Xia Qingyu's retreating figure, Aunt Liu smiled and shook her head, her expression one of knowing but not revealing.
Qingyu seemed much happier and more joyful now than she had in the past decade.
If she could continue like this forever, being a carefree, ordinary girl, that would be quite good.
When Xia Qingyu returned to her room, she indeed found many bags of gifts placed on her desk, ranging from clothes and bags to jewelry, local snacks, and autographed books.
It was clear that Xia Qingtian had bought quite a lot.
"Compared to these gifts..." Xia Qingyu sighed slowly. "I actually wanted to see you more... You idiot..."
"Ah-choo!" Xia Qingtian rubbed her nose and muttered, "Who's thinking of me?"
"Are you catching a cold?" Gu Yaoyang shifted his gaze to Xia Qingtian's face and asked.
"Probably not," Xia Qingtian replied. "Where were we?"
"We were talking about the initial phase of the energy project nearing completion, and now it's time to enter the next stage. Starting now, we should have results by the time we return from Finland," Gu Yaoyang replied.
"That's great," Xia Qingtian said a little sheepishly. "I'm one of the people in charge, but I don't feel like I've done anything particularly reliable."
"You've already done a lot," Gu Yaoyang smiled dotingly.
Without Xia Qingtian, this project would never have progressed so smoothly.
Perhaps even Xia Qingtian didn't know how much change and opportunity her presence had brought to him and to this world.
Maybe, this time, it really could...
"Da Ya's surgery recovery is going well. She was able to get out of bed and walk today," Xia Qingtian said, looking at the photos and messages sent by Er Ya. "Only Gou Wen is still unconscious, and Tang Ruiyang is still with her."
"It's good enough that she managed to keep her life," Gu Yaoyang also knew about the surgery; he had spoken with Professor Tang before returning.
The damage to Gou Wen's central nervous system caused by the attack was irreversible, and with the delay, the optimal treatment period had been missed.
Everything would now depend on Gou Wen's own resilience.
Taking a deep breath, Xia Qingtian seemed to remember something and asked, "Isn't today Yu Linwan's first trial?"
"Yes, the verdict was handed down this morning," Gu Yaoyang replied. "Convicted of multiple crimes, sentenced to fifteen years in prison."
"Fifteen years, huh..." Xia Qingtian blinked. "But then again, she should have been arrested years ago. Letting her escape for these few years was too lenient."