Chapter 066: If You Dare to Do It, Why Not Have the Guts to Admit It?!

After lunch, Liu Ying went to take her midday nap, so Jin'er waited outside in the courtyard. She stood for a while, then, bored, sat down on a stone bench and massaged her legs to relax. Soon, the events of the morning replayed in her mind.

After pondering for a moment, she walked over to a crabapple tree, gently broke off a branch, and wielded it like a sword, moving through the motions from memory. Though her movements were clumsy, she was able to replicate all the techniques that Chu Yifan had taught Liu Ying earlier, one by one.

When she finished, Jin'er was exhilarated. She had only been trying to remember, not expecting her mind to be so sharp.

To be honest, back in the twenty-first century, she’d never thought herself out of the ordinary. Her grades were decent, but nowhere near the genius level she seemed to possess now.

Could it be that the immense pressure of her previous life-and-death situation had unlocked her potential? Or was it simply that this new body was far superior?

Well—whatever the reason, she’d take full advantage of it! She had finally become a prodigy, and she wasn’t about to waste such an opportunity.

She needed to find Mo Yan, to rid herself of the poison in her body, and in this world where coldness far outweighed warmth, she wanted to live with autonomy—to go wherever she pleased, to do whatever she wished!

But for all that, she needed to master martial arts as her foundation. So, Jin’er, for the sake of your bright and beautiful future, keep striving, keep striving, keep striving!

Perhaps spurred by Chu Yifan’s provocation that morning, Liu Ying didn’t go to the music room that afternoon but returned once more to the training grounds.

She practiced from memory, but only made it halfway before she could recall no more of the sequence.

Just as frustration was about to boil over, Jin’er approached, took the sword from her hand, and smiled. “Watch me.” With that, she began to demonstrate the remainder of the moves, one by one.

“My goodness! Jin’er, how did you do that? Did he teach you?” Liu Ying asked in astonishment.

“No, I was just watching from the side this morning. Maybe I just have a slightly better memory, that’s all.”

At her words, Liu Ying was even more amazed. She had memorized everything from merely standing by and watching once?

Heavens, was she truly the slowest of them all? Liu Ying’s head drooped in dejection, her entire body deflating like a punctured ball.

Jin’er noticed her mood and quickly went over to pat her arm. “Don’t be upset. Isn’t this actually a good thing? I’ve memorized everything Master Qin taught you. You can just learn from me, and the next time he visits, you’ll have mastered it all. He’ll surely see you in a new light.”

At this, Liu Ying blinked and thought it over. That’s right, why hadn’t she thought of that?

Her spirits instantly revived. Smiling, she said, “You’re right! Teach me, quickly!”

“Alright.”

The afternoon passed quickly and meaningfully. Though both girls were drenched in sweat from their practice, their hearts overflowed with joy.

At dinner, Jin’er sat at the same table as Liu Ying as usual, and she gradually stopped feeling awkward about it. Liu Ying, for her part, served Jin’er food and chatted and laughed with her, as if they were the closest of sisters—a sight that filled the other maids with envy.

After the meal, the two of them took branches in hand and sparred in the courtyard. At first, they went through the motions with some seriousness, but soon their bout dissolved into a game of tag, chasing and laughing.

Moonlight bathed the courtyard, and the night breeze carried their silver-bell laughter, echoing above Firefly Pavilion and infusing the cool night with a rare warmth.

At the entrance, Granny Lin, who had come early to wait for Jin’er, watched the two girls chase each other. The deep wrinkles on her face softened into a look of profound contentment.

In the back courtyard of the Imperial Medical Hall, Mo Yan stood in Jin’er’s old room, his brow furrowed, eyes restless as he gazed at the empty chamber. An ominous feeling gnawed at his heart.

Where was she? It was so late—where could she have gone?

His hand brushed the tabletop by accident. He paused, looked down, and slowly reached out to touch it again, finding a thin layer of dust had settled. Clearly, the room hadn’t been cleaned in days.

Alarmed, Mo Yan realized something was wrong. Jin’er used to read here every night; how could there be so much dust? At this thought, his expression turned grave. He spun around and, with a leap, flew up to the second floor.

“Brother, why are you still drinking? Stop!” Qin’er rushed over, trying to wrest the wine jar from Xiao Jiu’s grasp, but he dodged her hand.

“Leave me alone! Just let me be!” Xiao Jiu snapped in irritation, then tipped his head back and drank again.

During the day, work kept him occupied and his mind distracted, but at night? The moment he entered the back courtyard, images of Jin’er filled his thoughts—her laughing dimples, her pensive frown, her sorrowful eyes, her cold indifference towards him… He couldn’t forget, no matter how hard he tried.

“Brother, look at yourself! You claim you only see her as a sister, but how am I supposed to believe you when you’re like this? A day or two, fine—but it’s been so many days! How long are you going to torment yourself?” Qin’er’s voice rose, nearly hysterical.

She was unwilling, so unwilling! Jin’er was gone, yet her brother had not returned to his former self; on the contrary, he was colder to her than ever, drowning his sorrows in drink each night. She simply couldn’t bear to watch it any longer.

“Give me the wine! I won’t let you drink anymore!” Seeing him still drinking, Qin’er lunged at him. In their struggle, the wine jar smashed to the floor with a loud crack, the rich scent of alcohol instantly filling the air.

Xiao Jiu stood there frozen, his previously vacant eyes slowly coming into focus. He raised his gaze to Qin’er, pain and helplessness overflowing in his eyes.

“What do you want from me?” he murmured. “What more do you want from me?” His sudden outburst made Qin’er blanch, stumbling back two steps in fright.

“You’ve already driven her away—are you still not satisfied?” Xiao Jiu glared at her, shouting in anger.

“Brother, I…” Qin’er began, but he cut her off sharply.

“Those two vipers—you set them loose, didn’t you? And you deliberately destroyed her antidote, didn’t you? You have the nerve to do such things, but not the courage to admit it! She was just a helpless girl—how could you be so cruel?” Xiao Jiu’s body trembled with rage and anguish.

Qin’er was stunned by his accusation, her mouth agape, unable to speak for a long moment.

“Cruel? In your eyes, the Qin’er you once cherished has become cruel? If that’s true, then you forced me to it!” Qin’er shouted back, her voice quivering with emotion.