"Hiss—ouch, ouch, ouch!"
"Alright, alright, bear with it. It'll be over soon."
"I kn—ahhh!!! Be gentle, be gentle! Master Yunli, are you trying to murder your own Disciple?!"
"Oh my, stop your nagging. How can you not even bear this little bit of pain?"
"Hiss—Master Yunli! You're just talking without feeling the pain. You're not the one who got beaten up!"
The battle between master and Disciple had finally come to an end.
Mo Xin's bruised and swollen face was the clearest evidence of the outcome.
Just a short while ago...
Mo Xin's sword strike carried enough force to tear through the wind. It was clearly a killing blow meant to secure victory.
Yet, at the most critical moment, the petite Yunli responded in an unbelievable way.
Maintaining her crouched stance, she suddenly bent her waist and back backward like a supple willow branch, her body nearly parallel to the ground.
The blade narrowly grazed the tip of her nose, and the fierce gust kicked up by the sword's edge slapped against her face with a snap, blowing the loose strands of hair at her temples against her cheeks.
Before Mo Xin could recover from her astonishment, Yunli, still leaning backward, used the strength of her waist and abdomen to spring upward into a beautiful backflip. Following the momentum, her feet shot out and struck Mo Xin squarely in both elbow joints.
In an instant, a numbing sensation spread through Mo Xin's arms. Her hands trembled involuntarily, and her once-firm grip on the swords loosened.
Landing lightly on her toes, Yunli gave Mo Xin no chance to recover before charging forward like an arrow released from its bow.
The numbness in Mo Xin's arms had yet to subside. She hurriedly swung her swords up to block, but her movements were panicked and uncoordinated.
Even empty-handed, Yunli's techniques flowed as naturally as water. With a flick of her wrist, the force of her strike whistled through the air.
Clang!
The long swords in Mo Xin's hands were knocked away, spinning through the air before crashing onto the ground.
The moment her weapons left her hands, the outcome of the battle was already decided.
Faced with Mo Xin's desperate last counterattack, Yunli showed no mercy.
With both sides disarmed, the still-inexperienced Mo Xin was, in Yunli's eyes, nothing more than a flustered little girl who posed no real threat.
Sure enough, the next second, the world spun around Mo Xin.
She felt her shoulder and neck caught by a swift, practiced movement.
As her vision flipped upside down, she clearly saw Master Yunli—who was a full head shorter than her—execute a crisp, textbook shoulder throw, slamming her heavily into the ground and sending dust flying everywhere.
What followed was a rapid barrage of Master Yunli's little punches.
Bang! Bang!
Mo Xin (இдஇ`): "Ughhh—"
The victor had been decided.
The sun hung high overhead as Yunli and Mo Xin, one short and one tall, walked side by side along the bustling street.
Mo Xin's back burned with pain, and when she touched her bruised, swollen face, she felt like a steamed bun that had been flattened.
With her head hanging low, her entire body radiated an aura of "I'm so miserable..."
Puffing out her cheeks, she glared resentfully at the culprit beside her, her voice soft and tinged with tears.
"Master Yunli, am I really your own Disciple? How could you be so ruthless?!"
Hearing this, Yunli rolled her eyes dramatically, stood on tiptoe, and reached out to poke Mo Xin's swollen cheek.
"Give it a rest. With your little frame, if I'd actually used my full strength, do you think you'd still be standing here arguing with me?"
"Well... couldn't you have gone just a little easier on me? Fighting like this isn't fun at all!"
"I already went super easy on you! Besides, this is combat training. Can you please take it seriously?"
Seeing Master Yunli's brows furrowing tighter and tighter, as though she were about to explode, Mo Xin immediately shrank back and frantically waved her hands.
"No, no, no, Master Yunli! I was wrong! I'll treat you to the candied hawthorn you love at the end of the street to make up for it, okay?"
Yunli pursed her lips, unable to continue scolding her.
The two continued walking side by side.
While rubbing her aching back and secretly grumbling about her master in her heart, Mo Xin was suddenly startled by Yunli's voice beside her, nearly jumping out of her skin.
"How do those two swords feel?"
"Ah? Oh! Very cool! No, no—I mean they're very comfortable to use!"
Mo Xin covered her pounding heart as the tips of her ears turned red, looking exactly like a distracted elementary school student who had suddenly been called on by the teacher.
She hurriedly took out the pair of swords she had used during the battle.
The twin blades were primarily crimson, like the glow of the evening sunset, while brilliant silver patterns flowed elegantly along their surfaces like moonlight entwined with blazing flames.
The blades were long and slender, light and perfectly balanced in the hand. At a glance, anyone could tell they had been specially forged for a woman, complementing both a woman's physique and a graceful, agile sword style.
These were the weapons Yunli had personally crafted for Mo Xin, modeled after March 7th's twin swords.
Hearing her answer, Yunli's eyes curved into crescents, though she still maintained the dignified bearing of a master, merely giving a slight nod.
"You have good taste. My efforts weren't wasted. I forged these swords with my own hands. From now on, they are your exclusive weapons."
"Oh... okay, Master Yunli... Hmm... Eh?!!"
The words left Yunli's mouth so casually that Mo Xin didn't process them immediately.
Only after they circled through her mind did she suddenly clench her fists, her mouth falling open into a perfect "O," as she stumbled backward two steps in disbelief.
The hands holding the twin swords trembled slightly.
She examined them over and over again, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the silver patterns along the blades, unable to hide the excitement welling up inside her.
Hesitantly, she turned her head and stole a glance at Yunli from the corner of her eye.
"Um... Master Yunli... did I hear that correctly? From now on... these are my exclusive swords?"
Watching her silly Disciple's eager yet nervous expression, Yunli laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.
"Swords have spirits, and only those worthy of them may wield them. Your performance today—and everything you've shown before today—has already proven that you're worthy."
She gently pushed the pair of swords toward Mo Xin, her voice firm and unwavering.
"Besides, since you've chosen to learn swordsmanship from me, then as your master, I naturally can't treat you poorly. Although it's a little late, let this pair of swords be my gift to you for becoming my Disciple."
"Not at all! Not at all! It's not late one bit!"
Listening to Master Yunli's hearty words while meeting her resolute gaze...
A warm feeling welled up in Mo Xin's heart.
She lowered her eyes, overwhelmed with excitement.
Her hands trembled slightly as her fingertips rested upon the cool blades.
That sensation spread from her fingertips all the way to her heart, making even her breathing become lighter.
At this moment, she felt as though she were floating on cloud nine.
Mo Xin (๑꒪▿꒪)*: 'Ah~ This life... was absolutely worth living!'
Watching the scene before her, Yunli shook her head helplessly, though there wasn't the slightest trace of annoyance in her eyes.
Mo Xin looked exactly like a child who had just received an authentic Bandai toy.
How could she possibly suppress the excitement in her heart?
By now, Mo Xin had completely forgotten the pain covering her body.
The burning passion in her heart made her seem to shine.
She tightly gripped the hilts, savoring the feeling of perfect harmony—where the sword's intent resonated with her mind, and wherever her heart pointed, the sword would follow.
That indescribable sense of complete unity made the corners of her eyes curve into joyful crescents.
Mo Xin ✧ ٩(ˊωˋ*)و ✧: "I absolutely love you, Master Yunli! Don't worry! Your Disciple will definitely practice swordsmanship diligently from now on and never disgrace these precious swords! One day, the name of the Mo Sword Immortal will surely echo throughout the world!"