These Xingyuan either didn't know or didn't care, stemming from her inherent confidence.
However, since she had promised Bai Yulin to teach Bai Qingyue some simple exercises for strengthening her body, Xingyuan naturally couldn't go back on her word.
As dawn broke, Xingyuan went to Bai Qingyue's room to wake her up.
"Sister, you haven't forgotten, have you! From today onwards, you'll be practicing martial arts with me." Xingyuan's face was beaming with a bright smile as she stood by the bed and called out to her.
Bai Qingyue frowned, her sleep-hazy eyes opening, her face full of reluctance. Mumbling drowsily, "No, I want to sleep more."
"Get up! Practicing martial arts in the morning is the best for your health." Xingyuan's tone was gentle, her face full of patience.
Bai Qingyue covered her head with the quilt, feigning death on the bed.
Xingyuan suddenly understood how her elder sister had felt when she used to be lazy in bed. Immediately, she imitated her sister's method from before and pulled half the quilt off.
Bai Qingyue was wearing her inner garments, so pulling the quilt didn't expose anything inappropriate. However, the cool breeze made Bai Qingyue fully awake.
Bai Qingyue sat up and pulled the quilt back to cover herself. Her eyes held doubt as she asked, "Are you serious?"
"Of course!" Xingyuan smiled. Otherwise, would she be playing a joke on her?
"How good is your martial arts?"
Xingyuan answered seriously, "It's alright! At least teaching you some self-defense moves is no problem at all."
Bai Qingyue looked utterly resigned. Yesterday, she hadn't paid attention to what her father had said to her, and she felt it was just polite talk. Who knew Xingyuan had actually taken it seriously.
Bai Qingyue still wanted to struggle a bit, "Think about it, I've already come of age. My roots are already set. Even if I practice martial arts, I won't achieve much. How about we forget it?"
Xingyuan shook her head, clearly disapproving. She said sincerely, "Don't worry, sister. Although you won't reach the level of a master by starting martial arts now, if you encounter danger, you can at least hold on a little longer. At the very least, it will strengthen your body. So, it's still very necessary."
Faced with Xingyuan's well-reasoned words, Bai Qingyue, feeling she wasn't yet very familiar with her, relented.
"Alright, you go out first! I need to get dressed and ready!" Bai Qingyue looked at Xingyuan with an unhappy expression.
"Okay!" Xingyuan agreed with a nod. Her fingertips lightly brushed Bai Qingyue's fingers like feathers, her eyes filled with starlight, shining brightly as she gazed at her, her voice lingering, "Then, sister! Do you need my help?"
"No need!" Bai Qingyue hastily refused. Was it her imagination? Why did she feel like this person was constantly flirting with her!
"Really don't need it?" Xingyuan's tone carried a hint of disappointment, and the light in her eyes dimmed a little.
"Really! Really!" I can't take it anymore, how can this person be so good at this? Bai Qingyue screamed internally. What's more, this person was quite good-looking, hitting all her aesthetic points. If she weren't a woman, she would have surrendered long ago.
Xingyuan saw Bai Qingyue's blushing face, her whole body wanting to hide somewhere. She wisely backed down. Flirting occasionally to deepen their feelings was fine, but now her sister clearly couldn't accept her yet. If she pushed too hard, there was a risk of a backlash.
So, Xingyuan concealed the emotions in her eyes and obediently said, "Then I'll wait for you outside!"
As Bai Qingyue watched Xingyuan's retreating back, her eyes became dazed, and she surprisingly felt a pang of guilt. This was really strange. She hadn't done anything, yet she felt guilty for not agreeing to Xingyuan's request. What was going on!
Bai Qingyue was internally frantic, but her hands didn't slow down. She was accustomed to doing things herself. Perhaps it was because she was worried about Xingyuan waiting outside for too long, but Bai Qingyue's dressing and grooming speed was actually fifteen minutes faster than usual.
When Bai Qingyue pushed open the door and stepped out, she saw Xingyuan practicing her sword. No matter who it was, to gain rewards, one always had to put in some effort. Although Xingyuan had inherited everything from the original owner as soon as she arrived in this world, if she didn't practice more, she would eventually be replaced by others. After all, the martial world was never short of skilled fighters.
Bai Qingyue didn't understand swordplay, but she could see the focus in Xingyuan's eyes and the beauty of her sword moves as she practiced.
After Xingyuan finished a set of sword techniques, she was covered in sweat. She casually wiped herself and saw Bai Qingyue standing not far away, watching her intently.
Almost instinctively, Xingyuan walked over. "Sister, are you ready?"
Bai Qingyue's eyes sparkled as she looked at Xingyuan, which made Xingyuan a little uncomfortable.
Bai Qingyue, unlike her usual self, said somewhat shyly, "If I practice martial arts with you, will I be as powerful as you in the future?" That was so cool just now! She remembered her uncle had also said he would teach her martial arts, but something had happened later. Otherwise, perhaps she would be this powerful now.
Xingyuan didn't want to dampen her sister's rare enthusiasm, so she answered vaguely, "Perhaps."
Often, eyes could deceive. What seemed like a simple task could be much harder in reality than imagined. The original owner had taken over two years to master this sword technique.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence in her sister, but with Bai Qingyue's current delicate appearance, she would probably find it difficult to even hold a sword. Even mastering a superficial form would take effort.
Although Xingyuan didn't give a definite affirmation, Bai Qingyue remained enthusiastic. She had seen martial arts masters who could leap over eaves and walk on walls before, but this was her first time watching such a display up close.
Bai Qingyue immediately became spirited, "Okay! Where do we start practicing martial arts?"
Xingyuan coughed, "Ahem, our martial arts practice is mainly focused on strengthening the body. So, today we'll start with the horse stance."
Bai Qingyue felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her head. "Can't we start learning that move you just did?"
Xingyuan shook her head and explained, "For martial artists, a solid foundation is very important. Not to mention that you lack strength. If you start practicing these moves directly, not only will there be little progress, but you'll also be extremely prone to injury during the practice. This is why everyone hopes to start practicing martial arts from a young age."
"Alright!" Bai Qingyue nodded, half-understanding. Under Xingyuan's guidance, she began to learn the horse stance.
Bai Qingyue was indeed a noble lady from a prominent family who had never suffered hardship. After only a few minutes of practice, her body could no longer hold up and began to tremble. But she was unwilling to admit defeat and gritted her teeth to persevere.