Chapter 121: A Reminder

Seeing Ling'er’s serious expression, which clearly wasn’t a joke, Jiang Xiaotian realized that this woman was dead set on making him learn this insane swordsmanship.

To save the money on a new pair of pants, Jiang Xiaotian had no choice but to go along with her.

He spent the entire afternoon in dull, repetitive practice. Despite his best efforts and intense focus, trying to slice a falling leaf with his finger without relying on spiritual energy was nothing short of a fantasy.

He hadn't succeeded even once by the time evening arrived. Seeing this, Ling'er couldn't help but feel a bit smug. "Oh? Aren't you a genius? Aren't you supposed to be invincible? How come you can't do it now?"

Her mocking expression was enough to infuriate anyone, but Jiang Xiaotian ignored her. He couldn't help but feel that this woman was intentionally picking on him by assigning him a task that was fundamentally impossible.

Fortunately, he didn't need to sleep, and given his lack of progress all afternoon, his stubborn temper flared up. He practiced through the entire night, nearly stripping the trees in the courtyard bare of their leaves. Yet, to his dismay, by the time the first rays of morning sunlight broke through, Jiang Xiaotian still hadn't succeeded.

Nursing his resentment, he dragged himself off to class at university.

He had become somewhat of a minor celebrity on campus. Whereas before he could walk down the street without anyone sparing him a second glance, now eyes followed him wherever he went.

It had to be said that since he began his cultivation, Jiang Xiaotian’s aura had undergone a complete transformation. It was a change that could redefine a person, and when combined with his already decent looks, it was only natural that he would attract the attention of the female students.

However, the sensation of being watched today felt off; he felt as though the gazes were tinged with hostility. Yet, whenever Jiang Xiaotian looked around, he couldn't spot anyone suspicious. With no other choice, he decided to ignore it.

As soon as he stepped into the classroom, his classmates swarmed around him. They fired questions at him about the previous day's duel, mentioning that Lin Yun wanted to come and thank him personally. Even those Japanese students had kept a much lower profile; they had stopped picking fights and were focusing on their studies.

Wasn't that a good thing? He figured they were just like he used to be—unaware that there were martial artists elsewhere, thinking that having a few tricks up their sleeves made them the big bosses here.

Little did they know that in China, with its thousands of years of history, martial artists had passed down their skills generation after generation. Not to mention the existence of Dragons, every one of whom could easily crush them in an instant.

That was the price of arrogance.

Zhang Wei acted like his manager, taking the initiative to answer questions for him. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, he explained that Jiang Xiaotian had learned some martial arts and had even worked as a bodyguard for several wealthy heirs, which was why his fighting skills were so formidable.

For classmates who had never encountered true martial artists, they naturally believed it without question. No one looked down on him for having been a bodyguard; on the contrary, in their eyes, that was incredibly impressive.

The simple joys of young men were just that. Many were even clamoring for Jiang Xiaotian to teach them Tai Chi.

All day long, he kept thinking about one thing: slicing leaves with his finger. Jokes aside, since Ling'er was being so firm about him learning this, it meant that this swordsmanship really did exist and was incredibly powerful; otherwise, she wouldn't be acting like this.

According to her, the subsequent training would only get harder. If he couldn't even pass the first hurdle, it wouldn't just be embarrassing—it would disappoint Ling'er.

He suddenly recalled Ling'er mentioning that the Japanese had excellent swordsmanship. That comment immediately made him think of those Japanese students, though they didn't use swordsmanship; they practiced karate.

Moreover, he had thoroughly offended them, so asking them for advice was likely out of the question.

Forget it, he decided. Better not to think about it.

Jiang Xiaotian idled away the day and planned to pick up some leaves on his way home. However, as soon as he stepped out of the school gates, that sensation of being watched returned.

This time, he was certain it wasn't some pretty girl staring at him; someone was definitely up to no good.

But here in Beihai, he knew that almost no one could kill him, so Jiang Xiaotian didn't take it to heart.

He focused on picking up leaves, and soon, he sensed someone approaching him.

He turned his head to look and couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Why is it you?"

Who else could it be but that Japanese girl, Haneda Sakura!

She was still wearing that school uniform, though she had swapped in some over-the-knee socks, making her legs look even longer. Jiang Xiaotian couldn't help but steal a couple of extra glances.

"You are dishonorable. Why did you continue to attack after our side conceded?" Haneda Sakura asked, suppressing her anger. Her Chinese was slightly better, but it still sounded a bit strange.

Hearing that she had come for this, Jiang Xiaotian lost all interest in engaging with her and went back to picking up leaves.

Haneda Sakura, regardless of her status, was at least a stunning beauty. When had she ever been snubbed like this by a boy? Especially a foreigner! She let out a huff of indignation. She didn't say another word, simply following Jiang Xiaotian. If looks could kill, the latter would have died countless times over.

She followed him the entire way. By the time Jiang Xiaotian was almost home, Haneda Sakura was still walking behind him, slow and steady. Realizing he couldn't shake off this clingy gum, he quickly turned around and said, "Miss Sakura, I'm home. Is there anything else you need?"

Haneda Sakura froze, her face turning bright red. "No! You cannot call me Sakura! We are not close; you should call me Miss Haneda!"

Jiang Xiaotian clicked his tongue. These Japanese people were so fussy—all these rules just for a name?

But to get rid of her, fine.

"Miss Haneda, you don't need to follow me anymore. I'm home. If there's anything else, let's talk about it later, okay?" Jiang Xiaotian said in a conciliatory tone. He had heard that the Japanese valued politeness, and one shouldn't hit a person who is smiling.

Sure enough, seeing his pleasant tone and the use of honorifics, Haneda Sakura was caught off guard. "Ah? Oh! Thank you for the reminder! But you hurt my friend, which is against the rules!"

Watching her use "you" so formally, Jiang Xiaotian was nearly laughing his head off. The Japanese were quite amusing.

But on this matter, there was no room for negotiation.

"Miss Haneda, you saw it yourself. My friend had no strength left to fight back. His left hand was already broken, and yet your Mr. Ito stepped on his other hand. Don't you think that was going too far?" Jiang Xiaotian countered.

That was one of the reasons he had intervened.

Hearing this, Haneda Sakura frowned, her eyes flickering. Clearly, in her own heart, she knew that was indeed wrong.

"Mr. Ito has already reported this to his family. If you don't apologize, I'm afraid someone will come to cause you trouble very soon." Finally, Haneda Sakura relented.

Jiang Xiaotian gave her a meaningful look, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this woman to have come to warn him.

"Thanks. You followed me all this way just to say that. Regardless, there is no way I'm apologizing. Unless you get Ito to apologize to Lin Yun, then I'll apologize to him," Jiang Xiaotian said with a smile, his tone firm.

When Haneda Sakura heard this, she was furious. Getting that guy Ito to apologize? That was impossible!

He was currently crying to his family about this very incident. The Ito family was known for being fiercely protective of their own. Hearing that their son had his hand broken here, how could they tolerate it? They had immediately dispatched people to travel through the night. They would likely reach Beihai soon, and the people Jiang Xiaotian would face then would not be ordinary martial artists.

"Jiang Xiaotian! I warned you out of kindness. If you're going to be like this, I don't care anymore! The Ito family are a family of samurai; they are very powerful." Haneda Sakura felt that Jiang Xiaotian was far too arrogant, fearing nothing under the sun.

"Then which of your two families is stronger?" Jiang Xiaotian suddenly asked as he turned back.

Haneda Sakura blinked. "Of course, mine is... but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Then why don't you protect me? There's an old Chinese saying: 'See a good deed through to the end.' Since you've come all this way just to warn me, why not go the extra mile and protect me too?" Jiang Xiaotian said, rubbing his hands together with a cheeky grin.

Seeing him like this, Haneda Sakura’s anger flared up again!

She had been willing to help Jiang Xiaotian because she admired his strength and his willingness to stand up for his friend. She had genuinely appreciated him, but she hadn't expected this guy to be so shameless!

"I'm not helping you! Hmph!" She stomped her foot, turned around, and ran off.

Japanese women were truly interesting; their anger was just like acting coy. Nothing like the one at home; if she got angry, she could roast you alive!

But just as Jiang Xiaotian thought this, a chill ran down his spine. Before he could figure out why, he heard Ling'er’s icy voice from behind him.

"Oh, ho. Standing at the door and not coming in, flirting with a pretty girl instead?"