“You really are…” Du Lai looked at Fu Miaoxue, uncertain whether to admire her mental fortitude or tease her for having not a care in the world.

Days had passed with no sign of rescue, yet she didn’t seem worried in the slightest.

Fu Miaoxue assumed he was refusing to teach her. Her brow furrowed and she said unhappily, “You promised me yesterday!”

“Fine…” Du Lai casually picked up two stones, walked to the cave entrance, scanned the surroundings, and pointed toward a small rock stump not far away. “Put the leftover fruit cores from yesterday up there.”

Fu Miaoxue did as she was told, bouncing over cheerfully. When she finished, she turned around, eyes bright as she looked at Du Lai: “Then what?”

Du Lai was momentarily thrown off by her smile. A little unsettled, he cleared his throat and pointed toward a rock farther away. “Over there — put one fruit core on that one too.”

Fu Miaoxue bounced off again, then turned around to ask, “Then what?”

Du Lai said, “Then practice. Stand where I’m standing and throw stones at them. Start with the close one — when you can hit it eight out of ten times, move to the far one. Same standard: eight out of ten. Then switch back to the near one. Understand?”

“Okay.” Fu Miaoxue nodded, then asked, “And then I can go hunt birds?”

“That just trains your aim.” Du Lai said. “Once you’ve got that down, we’ll use a different method to train for power. No shortcuts — just repetition.”

Fu Miaoxue’s brow wrinkled slightly, a little disappointed. “How long will that take…”

Du Lai smiled. “It varies by person. Some pick it up in a few days, others can’t hit their target after half a year. Just try for now. I’m going to work on the roof.”

“Oh…” She agreed reluctantly.

So Du Lai went back to processing the bamboo he’d hauled in the day before, laying one piece at a time across the beams and binding them firmly with vines.

Fu Miaoxue was throwing stones not far away — clack, clack, clack.

After about twenty throws, her pebbles ran out. She ran off to collect more, back and forth, practicing with great seriousness.

Du Lai worked for a while, then rested, sipping clean water from a bamboo tube. He watched her buzz back and forth like a little bee, and somehow found himself feeling something like quiet contentment.

The corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. He patted the dust from his hands, stood, and walked over to say: “Don’t just use your wrist — engage your shoulder. If you practice the wrong form until it’s habit, it’ll be hard to correct later.”

“My shoulder wasn’t moving?” Fu Miaoxue grabbed a pebble and tried swinging her arm. “It is moving — I am using my shoulder.”

“Let me adjust your form.” Du Lai stood behind her and gently gripped her shoulder. “Try throwing again.”

Fu Miaoxue drew a slow breath, took aim at the fruit core on the rock stump, and hurled the pebble with full force!

Thud — the stone struck near the fruit core, bounced high, and disappeared into the grass.

“Look! That was so close!” Fu Miaoxue said excitedly. “Did you see that? I almost hit it!”

Du Lai smiled. “You put all the power into your shoulder just now and forgot to use your wrist. To stun a bird, that’s not enough force. Keep practicing.”

“Can’t you encourage me first?” Fu Miaoxue pouted. “It’s only my first day learning!”

“Mm, you’re doing quite well,” Du Lai said with an easy smile. “The young lady has remarkable talent — if she ever tires of being a lady, she could run away from home and join one of those criminal organizations out there.”

Fu Miaoxue was absolutely delighted, practically glowing with pride. “I’ve been smart since I was little — I pick up anything quickly. When I join an organization someday, I’ll aim for second-in-command!”

Du Lai asked, amused, “Wouldn’t second-in-command be beneath you? You should be the top boss, young lady.”

Fu Miaoxue said, “I’m not stupid~ The top boss gets assassinated all the time — none of them ever come to a good end. Didn’t your master die exactly like that?”

She sighed again. “And my grandfather — who knows, he might die someday too.”

—