After a good night’s sleep, Anji and Lizi recovered from the shock of yesterday’s deadly demonstration. In the morning, Wanting returned with an inner disciple who looked like a fairy with her sharp facial features and strikingly pale skin that contrasted her green eyes and black hair. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"This is Gu Ying," Wanting introduced. "She will be assisting me in the lessons from now on."
Saluting the youngest princess of the sect, Gu Ying lowered her eyes to the ground as a sign of respect. She was sixteen this year and had been an inner disciple of the Celestial Dragon Sect since she was nine. There were many rumours about Zhao Anji’s accomplishments and misfortune before, making her curious about the youngest daughter of the sect that took her in.
"I am Gu Ying," she greeted. "It’s an honour to meet you, youngest mistress!"
Unlike the other people she was used to seeing, Anji wondered why Gu Ying’s eyes were green and could not stop staring. The teaching assistant looked as pretty as a fairy!
"I am Anji," she greeted back. "Can I ask you a question?"
Wanting smiled from the back. She had a feeling she knew what her youngest daughter would ask. Unlike the other sect disciples, Gu Ying was different. She had no family to speak of and was an orphan that the sect raised after the war with the devil worshippers.
"Young princess, please speak your mind."
Pointing at her own eye, Anji asked if Gu Ying’s green eyes were also a product of cultivation. Her innocent question made Wanting laugh. There would be no racial discrimination if only everyone else were like Anji. Children were the purest beings who should be protected.
Smiling at the innocent question, Gu Ying quickly explained that she was from a different country.
"I am an orphan living under the grace of the Celestial Dragon Sect. My parents from Manchuria travelled to the central plains to sell horses we raised in the grassland. My green eyes came from them. They are not a side effect of cultivation."
Manchuria... Anji had only heard of the country before. However, she did not know if it existed because she never had the opportunity to go down the Celestial Dragon Mountain. Gu Ying was the first person she knew from a distant land. It was exciting! However, the lessons came first.
"If it isn’t too much trouble, would you like to join me for lunch after the lesson?" Anji invited eagerly. "I don’t wish to delay the lesson or intrude on your precious training. But I would like to know more about where you came from."
Blushing at the sincere attention that wasn’t a form of harassment for her origin, Gu Ying acceded.
Now that the introductions were over, Wanting continued her lesson where she left off. Anji paid close attention as her mother demonstrated different variations of movements with various footwork and hand coordination. Gu Ying participated as the attacker, pausing at intervals so Wanting could break down the counterattack patterns in slow motion for Anji to learn the key points.
Most third-rate martial schools simply taught students the basic twenty-four steps of the Taiji Fist routine without further explanation. After all, it was usual for children to learn through rote learning, similar to the Three Character Classic that was commonly taught through memorisation.
However, the Celestial Dragon Sect was different. Zhao Mingfeng believed that learning could only be fostered through curiosity and the exchange of information due to his rough childhood. Wanting also supported her husband’s ideals and made their sect the first martial school to give outer disciples free access to all basic martial arts they could explore and specialise in. Moreover, the Celestial Dragon Sect held various competitions for the inner and outer disciples to prove their talents through various methods. Hard work was always rewarded. Lizi and Gu Ying were exemplars of the sect’s efforts. Not everyone was suited for cultivation and could pay school fees. Yet, the Celestial Dragon Sect turned nobody in need away.
"... by combining a bow stance with the left feet forward and an outer block to counter the attack on the left side, I am free to use my right hand and feet to reposition myself for a follow-up attack."
Even if the movements were slowed down for Anji to see, the step sequence was still difficult to remember. However, the quick-witted girl eventually understood the concept of the Taiji Fist and what her mother meant by maintaining a constant flow of movement.
Gu Ying noticed that her mistress was overly focused on explaining without regard for Anji’s attention. The young princess had a frown as deep as a canyon, but Zhao Wanting’s enthusiasm for teaching made her blind to Anji’s struggle.
"Madam," Gu Ying whispered as they crossed fake punches. "I think the young princess has a question to ask."
Alerted by her teaching assistant’s prompt, Wanting paused mid-lecture and looked Anji’s way. With how slow they were moving, others might think they were only swatting mosquitoes instead of having a proper lecture. Was her teaching speed too fast?
As soon as Wanting stopped, Anji’s frown disappeared. If anything, she seemed surprised that the lesson was over so quickly.
"Anji, do you have any questions?" Wanting asked. "Is it too difficult to understand all the steps I’ve shown? We’re about halfway through. Do you want to rest and continue the other half tomorrow?"
Half? Anji chewed her bottom lip. Although her mother was a knowledgeable and powerful cultivator, after the second day of learning under her mother’s care, Anji finally realised that her father was a better teacher. While Zhao Wanting did her best to explain everything clearly, she often became carried away in her enthusiasm. If not for Gu Ying prompting her mother that something was up, Zhao Wanting might have continued teaching the entire set of twenty-four steps in one go, not that Anji minded. However, she had one problem.
"Sorry, mother. I can’t see the hand movements when you block because of the angle..."
Angle? Zhao Wanting blinked and looked around. What was Anji talking about? Then, it hit her.
Too embarrassed to speak for the Madam of the sect, Gu Ying remained silent as Wanting fumbled to find a better solution. Unlike the training hall, there were no mirrors to surround them in the main courtyard. Anji could only watch their backs while Wanting explained when they were locked in close-quarter combat scenarios. No wonder the young mistress looked so confused!
Seeing how flustered her mother was, Anji laughed helplessly. To save her mother’s reputation, Anji pretended not to remember any of the moves she was shown so that Wanting could show her everything again from a different angle.