"Ah... Frag, my back is so sore..." Lin Xi Chen arched her back while walking back to the activity room with Lin Qiye. She had to spend the whole time listening to Wen Qimo's lecture because her Forbidden Ruin was mostly used in combat.
"At least you didn't get more bruised... Huh... It smells so good..." He patted Lin Xi Chen's head, his gaze filled with an indescribable tenderness, even though it pained him to see her bruised face. Yet, they had to endure it, for they had willingly chosen this path.
Lin Qiye, whose whole body was in pain, staggered out of the training room. When he smelled the fragrance coming from the activity room, his lifeless eyes were rekindled.
Wen Qimo's lips curled up slightly. "Looks like that beating you got this morning wasn't for nothing..."
Lin Qiye walked straight to the activity room. As soon as he pushed the door open, four pairs of resentful eyes swept over him.
"Why is everyone glaring at me like that...?" Lin Xi Chen felt a chill run down her spine as she faced the crowd, and she immediately ducked behind Lin Qiye.
"..." Lin Qiye sensed something was off. "What's wrong...?"
"It's nothing, sit down and eat." Chen Muye glanced at him and said indifferently.
"Oh."
After Lin Qiye sat down, Hongying looked at Chen Muye with pleading eyes, looking incredibly pitiful.
"Let's eat." Finally, Chen Muye said the words that everyone had been waiting for.
The group attacked one after another, their eyes bloodshot like wolves that hadn't eaten for days.
"Sister Hongying, is the food for you Night Watchmen always this good?" Lin Qiye asked softly, looking at the table full of food.
Hongying replied irritably, "I don't want to talk to you right now."
After Hongying finished speaking, she thought for a moment and added, "I'll talk to you after I finish eating!"
Lin Qiye:...
"Lin Qiye."
"Yes, Captain."
"Did you learn anything from today's training?"
"Yes, I learned a lot."
"Hmm." Chen Muye nodded, paused, and continued, "Does it hurt?"
"Cough... Cough..." Lin Xichen coughed a few times to signal to Lin Qiye that she didn't want to answer that question! Of course it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes—boo-hoo! The Captain is so merciless!
"...A little."
"Xiao Nan, please treat him in a bit."
Si Xiaonan pouted and nodded obediently, "Okay."
Chen Muyi thought for a moment, then added, "It doesn't need to be completely cured, as long as he can still take a beating tomorrow."
Lin Qiye:...
Lin Xi Chen:... Captain! Where is your heart!! (┬┬﹏┬┬)
Clatter!
Two pairs of chopsticks collided in the bone broth, making a slight sound.
The two pairs of chopsticks were locked in a stalemate, each holding onto the same piece of meat, neither willing to give way.
Hongying and Wu Xiangnan stared at each other, locked in a stalemate, their gazes seemingly sparking a series of fires in the air.
"Wu Xiangnan, I was the one who set my sights on this piece of meat first," Hongying said, glaring at him.
Wu Xiangnan calmly said, "I got it first."
"Let go."
"I won't let go."
"Let go!"
"I won't let go!"
Screeching…
The sparks between the two grew stronger and stronger.
Just then, Leng Xuan, who had been quietly eating with barely any presence, stared at the piece of meat, then reached down and touched his waist...
He pulled out an MP5 submachine gun.It was placed on the table.
"Both of you, let go," he said calmly.
Hongying:....
Wu Xiangnan:...
Leng Xuan naturally reached out with his chopsticks, picked up the two largest piece of meat, hesitated for a moment, and then put one into Lin Xi Chen's bowl and one in Lin Qiye's bowl.
"New guys, eat more, you'll be practicing shooting later."
Leng Xuan put away his submachine gun and said coldly.
"Huh? Oh... okay." Lin Qiye didn't react for a moment, then stared blankly at Leng Xuan, who was engrossed in his food...
"Mm...?" Lin Xi Chen stared blankly at Leng Xuan after he placed a large piece of meat into her bowl. With her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, she studied the meat for a long moment—as if checking for poison—before looking up at Leng Xuan.
Goodness!
What does it mean to be ruthless and taciturn?
That's what you call ruthless and taciturn!
"Leng Xuan, try not to draw your gun at the dining table next time," Chen Muye reminded him.
"If the fire goes off... it would be a shame to waste this meal."
Leng Xuan nodded, "Okay."
Hongying and Wu Xiangnan exchanged a glance, then obediently lowered their heads to eat.
After Lin Qiye finished eating all the food in his bowl, Leng Xuan stood up, walked to his side, and said calmly:
"Are you guys full?"
"We're full." Lin Qiye glanced at his sister; seeing that she had already polished off her third bowl, he nodded.
"Let's go practice shooting."
"Okay!"
Watching the three figures gradually disappear into the corridor, Wen Qimo sighed and turned to look at Si Xiaonan.
"Xiao Nan."
"What's wrong?"
"Your status as the group's darling has been replaced."
Si Xiaonan: ￣へ￣
...
"A gun is a firearm, a product of human ingenuity."
In the shooting range, Leng Xuan stood in front of a wall neatly covered with various firearms and spoke expressionlessly.
"For mythical creatures of higher realms, they can play a very small role, but for mythical creatures of lower realms, guns are often more effective than melee weapons."
"Especially for beginners, learning to use firearms is essential before they have developed strong close-combat skills."
Leng Xuan took 2 pistols from the wall behind him and placed them in front of Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen.
"I'll only teach you two things: shooting techniques and the working principles of firearms. If you don't plan to specialize in firearms in the future, that's enough for you."
Lin Qiye nodded repeatedly.
"Now, take this gun and go shoot at the target. Let me see your talent." Leng Xuan pointed to the target not far away.
As for Lin Xi Chen, she seemed to have mastered the use of ranged weapons; she picked the gun up and twirled it expertly before gripping it with both hands.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
She took direct aim at the bullseye; although a shot or two went slightly astray, the deviation was negligible. A young shooting talent had truly emerged! Lin Xi Chen always won every shooting game, leaving the men running the dart stalls in despair—and eventually banning her from playing.
Lin Qiye:...
Leng Xuan:... Is there anything else I don't know about your sister, Lin Qiye?
Lin Qiye nodded, picked up his pistol, and stood in front of the shooting platform.
Deep breath,
Mimicking the movements seen on TV,
Raise the gun,
Aim,
Shoot!
Bang—!
A gunshot rang out, and both faces immediately turned dark.
It missed the target...
"Pfft... Hahahaha, stinky brother! Your aim still suck from games to real training!" Lin Xi Chen doubled over with laughter, making Lin Qiye blush; she patted her brother's shoulder to comfort him, but she didn't stop laughing!
Leng Xuan walked to the target, checked several times to make sure there were no bullet holes, and his expression seemed rather grim. "You can miss a 30-meter target? This..."
Lin Qiye lowered his gun, coughed twice, and asked, "Um... how's my talent?"
Leng Xuan glanced at him, then closed his eyes in despair.
"You? You have absolutely no talent."
Lin Qiye:...
...
Back at Hongying's villa, Lin Qiye collapsed weakly onto the sofa, rubbing his tired eyes.
This day's training was nothing short of physical and mental torture. First, the captain brutally attacked him, then he was riddled with rubber bullets.
The evening gun lessons, though not tiring, repeatedly humiliated him...
He really has no talent for guns.
After a night of training, when Lin Qiye walked out of the training room, he could clearly feel that Leng Xuan was even more tired than him, and most importantly, the light in his eyes... was gone.
Finally, Leng Xuan comforted him, saying that it wasn't too outrageous for a beginner to act this way, and told him to work hard in the future.
But as they talked, the conversation turned around and Lin Qiye started comforting him.
"Don't worry, I think my lack of talent is temporary. It'll get better with more practice."
"You have to have confidence in me, and in yourself. Your marksmanship is so good, there's no reason you can't teach me, right?"
"Time, the most important thing is time… you have to be patient…"
"Be optimistic, at least within twenty meters, I can still hit the target. I'm still salvageable!"
"If I still can't pull it off, I still have Xiao Chen—my proudest marksman!"
"..."
Just as Lin Qiye was feeling dejected, a beautiful figure quietly walked up to him.
"Little brother Qiye, are you very tired?" Hongying, wearing fluffy pajamas, held a cup of tea in her hand and handed it to Lin Qiye with a smile.
Lin Qiye forced a smile, accepted the tea, and said, "Thank you."
"Actually, it's alright. Although I'm tired, it's very fulfilling." Lin Qiye took a sip of tea, looked around, and asked, "Where's Xiao Nan?"
"She seems a little angry that you stole her position as the group's darling, and she went back to her room."
"Even though she was sulking at Xiao Chen, your little sister is so cute and kind-hearted that Xiao Nan couldn't bear to stay mad for long."
"No wonder, she kept pinching my flesh when she was treating me. I thought it was normal procedure." Lin Qiye touched the bruises on his arm and suddenly realized.
Hongying burst out laughing.
"Actually, the captain is strict with everyone. When I first came here, even though I'm a girl, he didn't hold back at all and beat me until I cried." Hongying looked up at the window, as if recalling something, and a smile appeared on her lips.
"That's a bit harsh."
"Not ruthless, not ruthless at all." Hongying shook her head. "The decrease in the death rate of the Night Watchmen in Cangnan City is mainly due to the captain's efforts. One reason is his own strength, and the other is... he is responsible enough to the other team members."
"The harder he hits you, the more you'll remember the pain and grow up quickly."
"He'd rather his teammates hate him than see them die on the battlefield because they weren't good enough... Do you understand?"
Lin Qiye remained silent for a long time, seemingly recalling Chen Muye's sharp gaze that morning, and slowly nodded.
"I know."
Hongying smiled slightly, and like an older sister, she patted Lin Qiye's hair and said softly, "Alright, if you're tired, go and rest early. Goodnight."
"Good night."
Lin Qiye said goodbye to Hongying and returned to his room. He dragged his tired body to bed and stared blankly at the empty ceiling.
After a while, he slowly got out of bed again...
He drew the straight sword from its sheath.
One hand holds the knife, the other holds the sheath.
With his eyes closed, he recalled every sword technique Chen Muyi had used today.
Under the hazy moonlight,
He swung his sword again and again!