The physician was right—the wound was about to heal.

Back at the county office, Fu Tinghan applied the medicine himself, then looked at the boxes on the table. “Why don’t you go find a spear to try out?”

He added: “I’ll observe your usage habits and force points.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at his hand.

Fu Tinghan’s face darkened. “It’s fine. Just go!”

Zhao Hanzhang shrank back, chuckled, then turned and ran off to get a spear.

Zhao Hanzhang had learned spear techniques from Zhao Ju and later sparred with various squad leaders in the military, picking up different styles.

She didn’t know whether it was inherited knowledge and skills embedded in her soul or the original body’s natural talent, but her learning ability in martial arts was exceptionally strong.

She could master a complete spear technique in less than ten days, then begin to practice and refine it, adapting it to better suit herself.

Recently, Zhao Hanzhang had been learning the saber. Having fought against Zhao Ju, she felt that besides using a spear, a cavalry saber was also very effective on horseback.

Cavalry sabers were slightly longer than swords—heavy and easier for slashing—but they also required considerable strength.

Zhao Hanzhang’s strength wasn’t quite sufficient yet, so she was only learning without planning to use a cavalry saber immediately.

If fighting on horseback, she still preferred the long spear.

Zhao Hanzhang fetched a spear and was about to demonstrate in the courtyard when Fu Tinghan called out: “Wait a moment.”

Zhao Hanzhang stopped. Fu Tinghan came over with a ruler. “Do you feel this spear is just right, or is it too long or too short?”

Zhao Hanzhang considered, then replied: “I think it’s a bit short. I could use a slightly longer spear.”

Fu Tinghan nodded, measured her height, then measured the spear’s length before having her begin.

Spears differed somewhat from lances—spear shafts were more flexible and could bend to attack when moved at high speed. Zhao Ju’s spear technique emphasized grand, sweeping movements. With his excellent martial skills and great strength, his style featured powerful strikes, fierce thrusts, and forceful jabs.

When Zhao Hanzhang first learned from him, she used similar techniques.

But she quickly realized their shortcomings. In terms of strength, she couldn’t match Zhao Ju now, and who knew about the future?

So she modified some of the spear techniques according to her own situation.

After all, spear movements were what they were—it was just a matter of how you executed them, changed them, and connected them.

Using martial arts logic, when you became one with your weapon, merging yourself with the spear, you would naturally know how to block, deflect force, counterattack, and attack…

This required extensive combat experience, so whenever she had time, Zhao Hanzhang liked going to the military camp to spar with Zhao Ju. To accumulate sufficient combat experience, she’d pulled in all the squad leaders, platoon leaders, and anyone with decent martial skills in the army to practice with her.

Now, she’d achieved some results.

She simply thought more than Zhao Ju and the others, and her mind retained various fragments of miscellaneous knowledge.

In this world, many difficult problems could be solved through contemplation.

For instance, now—Fu Tinghan watched her thrust forward and quickly retract her spear, immediately drawing a circle on paper, then sketching a stick figure.

Fu’an slowly edged closer from behind, craning his neck to look at what the young master had drawn. He found it somewhat miraculous—he could actually recognize the stick figure’s pose at a glance.

Zhao Hanzhang finished practicing a complete set of her modified, unnamed spear technique, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and came forward to ask: “How was it?”

She wanted to ask if she was impressive, right?

But Fu Tinghan held up the paper covered in stick figures. “Not bad. I’ve basically identified the main issues. Let’s start from the beginning.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked down and saw more than a dozen stick figures, momentarily stunned. “These movements are…”

“All your problematic movements.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him strangely. “You know spear techniques too?”

She couldn’t tell from their daily boxing and sword practice—his movements always had a certain stiffness and weren’t particularly fluid.

Fu Tinghan said: “…Not knowing how to play piano doesn’t mean not knowing how to appreciate it. I may not know spear techniques, but I can observe the direction and application of your force. For instance, this move—you’re switching from feint to real, converting the feint to real with extreme speed…”

Zhao Hanzhang grew anxious. This was her most prized move—she’d even defeated Zhao Ju with it. “What’s wrong with this technique?”

“…There’s nothing wrong with this technique,” Fu Tinghan glanced at her. “The problem is your retraction movement.”

“Your retraction force point is incorrect, so your speed isn’t fast enough, and your lower stance isn’t stable enough,” he said. “If your opponent reacts quickly and pursues even while injured, you’ll definitely get hurt too.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked down at his stick figure drawing.

“So when you retreat, you can try placing your force point here and here, quickly pulling back to return to a familiar stance, allowing you to execute your next move or respond to your opponent more easily…”

Originally intended for making spear shafts, this turned into a discussion session about modifying spear techniques.

When Chang Ning had waited in front for a long time without seeing anyone, and even the people he sent couldn’t summon Zhao Hanzhang, he finally couldn’t bear it anymore and came to the rear courtyard himself.

Always getting lovey-dovey—what kind of behavior was that? How could a great woman accomplish great things while being so caught up in romantic affairs?

Chang Ning strode angrily toward the rear courtyard, only to see Zhao Hanzhang wielding a long spear in the yard, her body moving like a dragon, her strikes unstoppable. When a thrust came toward him, he felt genuine fear, but before he could even make out the approaching spear, she had already swiftly retracted it…

For some reason, he felt the retraction movement seemed somewhat halting.

Zhao Hanzhang practiced through the modified spear technique again. It was still somewhat unfamiliar, but both her body and mind had formed memories. With more practice, she could apply it with ease.

She could feel it herself—the modified techniques were smoother and swifter. She just wasn’t proficient enough yet, so it wasn’t apparent. Once she mastered them…

Zhao Hanzhang lowered her spear. Having practiced repeatedly for too long, her breathing was a bit labored. Seeing Chang Ning, her eyes curved in a smile as she asked cheerfully: “How did Chief Clerk Chang come to the rear courtyard? Are you finished with matters in front?”

Chang Ning looked expressionlessly at the attendant nearby.

The attendant snapped back to attention and immediately stepped forward. “Young lady, Chief Clerk Chang has business with you and has been waiting in front… oh, waiting right here.”

Chang Ning regarded him with distaste and waved dismissively. “You may go. You’re on street patrol duty today.”

The attendant responded dejectedly.

In the past, street patrol had been a cushy assignment where one could collect a bit extra. Now it was a hardship post, because Zhao Hanzhang forbade attendants from accepting anything from the people, though she’d raised their compensation from the county office internally.

But then patrol became a hardship—given a choice between assignments, who would want to go out in such cold weather and face the wind?

Fu Tinghan handed Zhao Hanzhang a cloth to wipe her sweat. Without lingering to listen in, he headed straight to his study with the data he’d just recorded.

—