CHAPTER 73: CHAPTER 71 TEACHING

Song Xian finished speaking and continued to look at Xie Liangchen.

Xie Liangchen responded, seemingly without any emotional fluctuation, but Song Xian clearly saw her chin slightly raise, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Song Xian said, "Not convinced?"

Xie Liangchen’s voice was as usual: "I never thought of using boxing and kicking to deal with people."

Song Xian was not a talkative person; in private interactions, he rarely spoke, unless facing someone as familiar as Cheng Yanzhao.

He would, of course, reprimand people, but those were always the Hidden Guards and household generals around him; with outsiders, he would never waste words.

Right now, he most likely regarded Xie Liangchen as someone working for him, hence the advice.

Song Xian was supposed to leave the next moment, but for some reason, he hesitated, probably because he knew exactly what she was thinking.

She said one thing but thought another, truly two-faced.

Xie Liangchen also thought the debt collector would leave, but then heard a faint voice say: "Try hitting me with what you just practiced."

Xie Liangchen’s face flashed with surprise, but she quickly said calmly: "I don’t dare, how can I compare with you, General?"

The title changed from "Master" to "General," appearing more respectful and courteous.

However, Song Xian did not move his feet; instead, he put his hands behind his back. Seeing Xie Liangchen’s reluctance to approach, he said softly, "Isn’t your brother learning too? If you can’t grasp the threshold, the more you practice, the more mistakes you’ll make."

Xie Liangchen admitted that Song Xian’s words moved her. The movement technique used in the army, Song Xian was certainly more familiar than her second uncle; now, with his intention to guide her, she shouldn’t miss the opportunity. Perhaps it would truly enlighten her, and then she could teach her brother.

Song Xian saw Xie Liangchen lift her head and knew she was ready to make a move.

Song Xian stated: "As long as I move my feet, I lose."

Song Xian stood with his hands clasped behind him, clearly not intending to use his hands to fight her.

Xie Liangchen recalled the moves Chen Yongsheng had taught her; since Song Xian had said it, there was no need for her to be polite.

Thinking it over, she suddenly threw a punch towards Song Xian’s face, aiming for the soft spot, knowing a woman’s strength is less.

This punch was not light on force.

As expected, Song Xian did not move his feet, his body shifted slightly to evade.

But Xie Liangchen never intended for this punch to injure Song Xian; what she really cared about was the kick she threw next.

The kick aimed at Song Xian’s leg bone, but he neither dodged nor evaded. Suddenly, Xie Liangchen’s front-kicking foot was blocked, clearly having landed solidly on Song Xian’s leg. She felt a surge of joy and applied more force, but at that instant, a great force shook her foot away, her strength lost its leverage, and her whole body shifted off-balance.

Xie Liangchen stumbled a few steps before barely steadying herself; she recalled Song Xian’s words: her foundation is unstable, full of flaws, truly lacking in talent.

The current situation proved his words true.

A hint of contempt seemed to flash in Song Xian’s eyes; was it time to willingly agree with what he said?

Xie Liangchen was not a pushover, never one to give up easily. Even with Song Xian before her, she wiped her sweat and said, "Again."

What Chen Yongsheng taught her, what she learned in her past life, she tried them all on Song Xian, and as time went by, she got better at it.

The Song Xian before her seemed to transform into Ji Yuan from the past.

Though lacking the determination to kill him, her fighting spirit only grew fiercer through the struggle. Even though Song Xian hadn’t said much, his indifferent face, occasionally raised eyebrows, and those deep eyes all carried mockery and disdain.

Under the moonlight, Song Xian saw the sweat trickling down her forehead; it had been half an hour, yet she hadn’t given up. Despite trying every method, none could approach him, but he had to commend Xie Liangchen’s pride, her unwillingness to bow down or concede.

Yet he was not a soft-hearted person and would never go easy because of this. Moreover, he had already let her have two legs and two arms, to no avail, only proving her utterly useless.

Xie Liangchen kicked over again.

Song Xian sidestepped, letting the kick miss once more.

"Too low a kick, easily caught by others."

"Too high, unstable balance."

"Are you out of strength?"

"Place a wooden stake before you, and you still couldn’t kick it."

"What?" Song Xian’s expression was indifferent, "What you’re thinking is better said aloud."

Initially, Xie Liangchen dared not make a loud noise, fearing to wake her grandmother and brother. However, as time passed, she found her grandmother and brother slept soundly.

Without that worry, Xie Liangchen exerted all her strength, but to no avail.

The strength in Xie Liangchen’s body gradually wore off with her attacks. After one kick, she failed to pull back in time, tilted forward, and with a "thud," fell to the ground.

Song Xian looked at Xie Liangchen on the ground: "Can you still get up?"

With a calm tone, like adding fuel to the fire, it helped her get up rather quickly.

Xie Liangchen again felt the might of Song Xian, vastly different from Ji Yuan, not only excelling in boxing and kicking but being someone whose mind and spirit were as steady as a rock, with no flaw to exploit.

Facing such a person, she could only surrender, with no chance to escape.

However, if such events happened more often, she might make some progress. Perhaps in the future, when self-preservation against Song Xian is needed, it could be useful.

Sadly, legitimate opportunities to "hit him" like this were few and far between.

Song Xian withdrew the hands he had behind his back, clearly preparing to leave.

Xie Liangchen said, "Master, are you leaving?"

Song Xian lifted his eyes in inquiry.

Xie Liangchen said, "Could you let me try again?"

His foundation was very stable. She wouldn’t try to trip him, but if her kicking speed was fast enough, perhaps she could find a weakness in his otherwise airtight defense.

After another half-hour, Xie Liangchen’s clothes were thoroughly soaked, yet Song Xian before her hadn’t moved at all.

Xie Liangchen caught her breath and bowed to Song Xian: "Thank you, Master, for your guidance. I learned a lot tonight."

Lowering her eyes and appearing more pleasing than before, she realized he was intentionally teaching her.

Song Xian said, "There’s still much for you to do." For now, she was useful to him, and he didn’t want to lose an asset so quickly.

Xie Liangchen watched Song Xian’s departing figure, unsure if it was his attitude or the anger accumulated tonight, but she felt it was a good moment as he seemed to reveal an opening.

Xie Liangchen took a step forward, swinging a punch towards Song Xian.

Her fist grazed his clothing, but immediately afterward, Xie Liangchen felt a scalding heat around her wrist, gripped by someone, and then she saw the scene shift rapidly. A pain erupted in her back, and she landed solidly on the ground.