Jingrong wasn’t insisting she master some supreme martial arts. He was simply worried that if one day he wasn’t by her side, she could at least learn a move or two, so that when the time came, she’d have a way to escape on her own.

To convince her, he gave an example, “It’s not difficult. Back in the day, Duke Qin only began learning martial arts in his later years. He was shorter than you, his bones were stiffer than yours, and he was several rounds of years older than you. Yet, he still became the martial arts instructor for the princes and received rewards from the late emperor. Why can’t you do it?”

“I’m a woman,” she blurted out.

This reason was truly irrefutable.

The corners of Jingrong’s mouth twitched slightly twice. He was somewhat disappointed. Looking at the smooth bamboo stick he had polished several times over, it was full of his thoughtfulness, yet this woman didn’t appreciate it at all.

How heartbreaking!

Ji Yunshu discerned his thoughts. Her eyes lifted slightly, and she took the bamboo stick, slicing it lightly through the air a few times, producing very rapid and loud “whoosh whoosh” sounds.

“This thing isn’t bad.”

“Planning to practice martial arts?”

She shook her head, “No.”

“Then why do you say it’s not bad?”

Hm?

She looked at him sideways, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed, “I only said this thing isn’t bad, but I didn’t say I wanted to practice. You should go find Qiao’er and Zhuang’er instead, and have them learn a move or two.”

Jingrong’s expression stiffened.

Ji Yunshu, however, happily played with the bamboo in her hand.

It had to be said that although the things Jingrong made weren’t exactly refined and elegant, the craftsmanship was quite delicate. Holding this bamboo and waving it around was decent enough for passing time.

Just as she was waving it about, Tang Si suddenly came in from outside.

“A’Ji, what are you doing?” she asked curiously as she ran over.

Ji Yunshu spoke to her in a showing-off tone, “Look, isn’t this bamboo made quite delicately?”

After looking at it, Tang Si nodded, “Not bad.”

“His Highness made it, specifically for practicing martial arts.”

Her words deliberately carried an upward lilt.

Hearing this, Tang Si looked at Jingrong in surprise, immediately revealing a look of disdain, laughing openly without restraint.

She was almost clutching her stomach!

“This… this ridiculous thing is for practicing martial arts? You couldn’t fool even a three-year-old child with this.”

A certain someone’s expression became extremely ugly!

Tang Si continued laughing, “In our Houliao, three-year-old children hold either knives or whips in their hands. Who practices martial arts with a bamboo stick as a weapon?”

A long string of laughter rang out clear and crisp throughout the entire courtyard.

A certain someone’s expression was now not only ugly but also cold to the extreme.

Ji Yunshu also secretly laughed to herself.

It wasn’t that she found it funny that Jingrong used bamboo sticks as weapons for her practice, but rather that she found him too adorable.

So adorable that he could rival Wei Yi!

Suddenly—

That laughter came to an abrupt halt!

Jingrong, at the fastest speed, took back the bamboo stick from Ji Yunshu’s hand, and with movements so rapid they were completely invisible, placed the bamboo stick against Tang Si’s neck.

In that instant, Tang Si froze.

But she immediately reacted, reaching toward her waist with her hand, about to forcefully pull out her whip, but her movement was a step slower than Jingrong’s.

That long, thin bamboo stick struck her hand with a “smack.”

Though the force wasn’t great!

It still made her cry out “Ah!” in pain.

She had no choice but to release the whip.

“You…” She was furious.

Jingrong curved his lips in a cold and triumphant smile, “Little girl, listen well. This prince will teach you a lesson today. It’s not only sharp things that are suitable as weapons. Even an inconspicuous lump of mud could kill someone. So, you must never underestimate this little bamboo stick. If you make it unhappy, it could take your life at any moment.”

This lesson was quite expensive indeed.

It was a valuable experience purchased with Tang Si’s humiliation.

Truly not worth it!

She gritted her teeth, her eyes full of unwillingness, raising her chin and saying fiercely, “If you have the guts, let me draw my whip, and we’ll compete properly.”

“Don’t have that kind of time.”

Jingrong coldly tossed out a sentence and flicked away the bamboo stick in his hand.

Tang Si seized the opportunity and immediately pulled out her whip.

But—

The whip had just been raised high when the bamboo stick in Jingrong’s hand struck her shoulder fiercely once more, forcing her to lower her raised arm.

“You… you’re bullying me,” Tang Si pointed at him.

“This prince is teaching you a lesson.”

Bah!

Only you could say such a thing with a straight face!

Tang Si clutched her struck hand and immediately shrank to Ji Yunshu’s side, complaining, “A’Ji, look at him! He’s clearly just bullying me. Help me teach him a lesson.”

Bite him to death!

Beat him to death!

“Me?” Ji Yunshu pointed at herself with her finger, “I can’t beat him.”

What if, in a fit of anger, he threw her onto a bed? Wouldn’t that be a huge loss?

Couldn’t risk it!

So when necessary, admitting defeat was perfectly fine.

Tang Si’s face turned red, and there seemed to be a mass of lava in her chest ready to erupt at any moment.

Ji Yunshu smiled and comforted her, “Don’t be angry anymore. You also laughed at him quite a bit, so just consider yourselves even.”

Are you kidding me?

Tang Si “hmph’d.” She couldn’t beat that guy, so what could she do?

She could only swallow her anger.

She plopped down and began rubbing her hand and arm, which hurt from being struck.

“By the way, weren’t you supposed to be with Muruo? Why did you come here?” Ji Yunshu asked.

“Oh no!” Tang Si jumped up with a start, her eyes widening as she slapped her forehead hard, “I almost forgot the important matter! Muruo said that person has woken up and told me to come inform you all.”

“The person woke up?”

“Yes, and he can even speak. As soon as he woke up, he kept shouting for water water water, as if he hadn’t drunk water in his previous life. You didn’t see his eyes—pitch black and truly terrifying. And also…”

She seemed about to continue, but Jingrong and Ji Yunshu had already passed her by, heading toward Muruo’s courtyard.

“Hey hey hey, wait for me!”

She shouted from behind and quickly followed, instantly casting aside what had just happened.

Such a woman, though born in Houliao with a temperament wilder than most people’s, even prone to anger at the drop of a hat, was nevertheless a person of genuine character—straightforward and honest, never playing mind games or tricks with others. Were it not for her glib tongue and slight impulsiveness, such a woman would absolutely be a rarity in this world!

In Muruo’s courtyard!

He had just stepped away from the bedside, holding a cloth in his hand to wipe his hands.

When Jingrong and Ji Yunshu hurried over, they saw Muruo looking as if he had just performed major surgery on someone, wiping the blood dripping from his hands, covered in sweat, with the large bed behind him stained with blood. The originally light gray bedding had also been dyed an especially glaring color.

Somewhat horrifying!

The man in black lying on the bed was pale, his eyes staring straight at the canopy above.

Motionless!