It was the first time in a long while that Chang Yuan had held Elysia's hand, and she was momentarily stunned as he pulled her along.
After snapping out of it, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Chang Yuan, we need to run faster, or they'll catch up."
"Don't worry, they won't catch us."
Feeling Elysia's hand tighten around his, Chang Yuan felt a surge of excitement.
It seemed his efforts over the years hadn't been in vain. Maybe he really had a chance.
Indeed, companionship was the longest confession. He had won, but not entirely.
Soon, they successfully shook off their pursuers and returned to the martial arts school.
"You're back so late. Don't let it happen again. I don't have time to wait for you this late."
Hua's father opened the door for Chang Yuan and Elysia, his tone stern.
But in reality, he cared deeply.
"It won't happen again. I just wanted Elysia to experience Shenzhou's local culture."
"Yeah, yeah, it was my idea to go out and explore."
"...You two are quite the pair. But don't let it happen again. Go to sleep. Hua will wake you up tomorrow."
Looking at the two, Hua's father couldn't help but think of his younger self.
The sunset that day was proof of his youth, and also its farewell.
Hearing this, the two obediently ran back to their room.
Chang Yuan took a shower first, mainly because he was quick, allowing him to wash his clothes faster.
After he finished, it was Elysia's turn.
But before Elysia came out, Chang Yuan had already fallen asleep on the bed.
"Hmm, we didn't get to hear today's story. Oh well, I'll let you have a day off."
Wearing pink pajamas, Elysia sat at the desk and used a hairdryer to dry her hair.
After drying her hair, she put the pink bracelet back on her right wrist.
"Hmm~? How much longer will our journey last? And how much longer can we travel together?"
Lying on the bed, Elysia raised her right hand and murmured.
Over time, she had gradually noticed something unusual about herself.
Despite not exercising, her stamina and strength far surpassed Chang Yuan's.
This didn't make sense, so Elysia was worried that something might happen in the future, forcing them to separate.
She had read many stories and come to her own conclusion.
If someone like her could exist, then this world might have secrets she didn't know about.
"Hmm, should I tell Chang Yuan?"
Rolling over, Elysia looked at the pink dumpling plushie on her pillow, feeling restless.
If she didn't tell Chang Yuan, she felt like she'd be betraying his trust.
But if she did, would he see her as a monster and distance himself from her?
"...Forget it. I'll find a chance to tell him later."
In the end, Elysia decided to find the right time to come clean.
She believed Chang Yuan wouldn't distance himself from her over something like this.
If her trust was misplaced, then she had misjudged him.
Having made up her mind, Elysia closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning at 6 a.m.
Knock knock knock!
Hua knocked three times but didn't barge in.
"Chang Yuan, Elysia, time to get up."
"Got it, Hua. We'll be there soon."
Woken up, Chang Yuan immediately sat up.
After responding, he quickly got dressed, brushed his teeth, and washed his face.
Hearing Chang Yuan's confirmation, Hua stopped knocking.
"Hurry up. I'll wait for you at the training ground."
With that, Hua left.
A few minutes later, Chang Yuan and Elysia arrived at the training ground.
"Since you're here, I'll start teaching you the basics. One month for the foundation, and the next month for other skills."
With that, Hua demonstrated a horse stance.
"Hold this position for 10 minutes as a warm-up. Then we'll move on to other exercises."
Hearing this, Elysia and Chang Yuan immediately copied her.
One month later...
"The foundation is set. Now you can tell me what you're interested in learning. I'll teach you. If it's something I don't know, I'll ask my father to teach you."
"I want to learn the Inch Heart Fist."
"I want to learn archery."
Hearing this, the two spoke in unison.
Chang Yuan wanted to learn the Inch Heart Fist, while Elysia wanted to learn archery.
Hua didn't refuse.
Although the Inch Heart Fist was a family martial art, it wasn't a secret. In fact, her father hoped it would spread.
After all, with the times, all martial arts had declined. Otherwise, their school wouldn't have only two students.
"Then I'll teach you the Inch Heart Fist first. I'll demonstrate it once, and you can practice. Then I'll teach Elysia archery before coming back to guide you."
With that, Hua began demonstrating the stance.
Chang Yuan immediately copied her.
He managed to mimic about 80-90% of the form, but he hadn't grasped the key points yet.
"Keep practicing. I'll go teach Elysia archery."
Arriving at the archery range, Hua handed Elysia a bow.
"Hold it. I'll guide you step by step."
Once Elysia had the bow, Hua stood behind her.
She then began teaching her.
"Aim like this. Use your left index finger as a support, pull the string with your right hand, aim, and then release."
Following Hua's instructions, Elysia quickly got the hang of it.
But her progress soon left Hua stunned.
When Hua returned after teaching Chang Yuan the key points of the Inch Heart Fist, she saw that the distant target was filled with arrows, all hitting nine or ten rings.
"Did you do all this?"
"Yeah, it feels pretty easy."
As she spoke, Elysia released another arrow.
This one, unsurprisingly, hit the bullseye on a target 30 meters away.
"..."
Seeing this, Hua couldn't help but marvel.
This was what a natural talent looked like.
It had taken her half a year to reach this level.
But Elysia? From not even knowing how to hold a bow to hitting bullseyes in less than two hours.
In just two hours, she had surpassed half a year of Hua's effort.
"You... are incredibly talented. Compared to Chang Yuan, your talent is terrifying."
Hua shook her head in disbelief.