Chapter Eleven: Training

Yu Qi observed their reactions and, knowing they would object, explained his reasons for wanting to teach Xiao Lian martial arts.

Upon hearing Yu Qi out, a flash of anger crossed Li Changchu’s face. He slammed his palm onto the table and exclaimed, "That scum Huang Huai! He spends his days bullying the weak in town, all because he relies on that old codger Huang Kui’s influence."

It was clear that Li Changchu was well-acquainted with this local tyrant; it seemed the man had committed many misdeeds.

For this reason, after some careful consideration, the couple—who had initially been somewhat opposed—agreed. After all, Yu Qi was right: he could not stay here forever, and teaching Xiao Lian martial arts would provide them with the means to protect themselves.

Once they had agreed, Yu Qi took Xiao Lian to a relatively secluded spot by the river.

Seeing the excitement on her face, he said quietly, "Xiao Lian, learning martial arts is arduous and exhausting, but you must persist, do you understand? When I am no longer here, you will need to rely on yourself to protect Uncle Li and Aunt Li."

Xiao Lian was stunned by his words. "Brother Yu, are you leaving?"

Yu Qi nodded, offering her a faint smile. "Brother Yu has very important things to do and cannot stay by your side forever. You must learn to protect yourself and your family."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Xiao Lian's eyes upon hearing he would leave, but she replied firmly, "Brother Yu, I understand. I will work very hard."

Yu Qi nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then let us begin."

"To practice martial arts, you must have a strong physique. From now on, I will set a training goal for you every day. If you don't complete it, don't even think about eating." Yu Qi’s tone grew stern; after all, martial arts was no child's play and had to be approached with the utmost seriousness.

Seeing the sudden change in Yu Qi, Xiao Lian felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness. But the thought of being able to protect her family gave her eyes a resolute glow. "Brother Yu, don't worry. I will do my best."

"Very well. Now, run along the riverbank until you reach one thousand meters, then return here." Yu Qi set the target.

These were the same training methods established by the Yu family when he first began his own martial arts journey. Now, in order to teach Xiao Lian swordsmanship, he had to apply the same regimen to her.

Xiao Lian looked daunted by the goal, but under Yu Qi’s watchful gaze, she set off running.

At one hundred meters, she was already panting, yet she persisted. By five hundred meters, her legs were beginning to tremble.

At eight hundred meters, her legs felt as if they were no longer her own, and her steady run slowed to a labored shuffle.

Yu Qi followed behind her, watching her pace slow, and sighed inwardly, "Is she reaching her limit?"

He knew that Xiao Lian’s family was poor, meaning her diet was lacking and her stamina was weak—her physical conditioning was nowhere near his own. This was why he had bought beef at the market; his goal was to bolster her constitution. Furthermore, if she were to undergo such strenuous exercise daily without replenishing her energy, it would cause lasting harm to her body.

Sure enough, after a few more steps, Xiao Lian collapsed to the ground. Her face was flushed deep red from the intense exertion, and she gasped for air. "Brother Yu, I... I can't run anymore."

Yu Qi nodded and sat down on a nearby rock. "Rest for a moment. Once you regain your strength, continue running."

"Ah? I have to continue?" Xiao Lian looked pained. She had only run a little over a third of the distance and was already this exhausted; if she had to finish the loop, she felt she might die of fatigue.

"If you want to learn martial arts, you must have a strong physique as your foundation. Your body is too weak; you must undergo a period of training before you can begin your studies," Yu Qi said, remaining seated on the rock.

Looking at Xiao Lian, his mind wandered to his own early days of training. His father had once said these same words to him, and he had been just like Xiao Lian then.

"Father, I will surely execute our enemies and avenge the spirits of the Yu family," Yu Qi whispered, his hand tightening into a fist. After a moment, he stood up and said to the prone girl, "Alright, let's continue."

Xiao Lian stood up reluctantly and resumed her run.

Yu Qi stayed behind her, watching her progress with a faint smile on his lips. Once upon a time, his father had followed him just like this.

As the day wore on, Xiao Lian’s rest breaks became more frequent. It was not until evening that she finally completed the goal set by Yu Qi.

The moment she finished, she collapsed onto the ground, her chest heaving. She felt as though her legs had no strength left. "Fi... finally... finished."

Yu Qi stood nearby and said with a smile, "Not bad. Let's stop here for today. Get some rest tonight, and we will continue tomorrow."

"Ah, we have to keep doing this tomorrow?" Xiao Lian looked miserable.

"When you can run two thousand meters without resting, you will be one step closer to studying swordsmanship. Get up, let’s go back and have some beef." Yu Qi looked toward Aunt Li, who was waving at them from outside the house, and began to walk toward her.

Hearing that it was time to eat, Xiao Lian jumped up instantly. After an afternoon of training, she was breathless and her stomach was growling. She trotted toward the house.

"Didn't you say you couldn't run anymore?" Yu Qi asked with a laugh.

Xiao Lian turned back and made a face at him. "That wasn't me running, that was my stomach running! Brother Yu, come and catch me!"

"Run fast! If I catch you, you won't get any meat!" Yu Qi spread his arms and jogged after her.

Xiao Lian dodged to the side. "Can't catch me, can't catch me! Meat, here I come!"

The two of them returned to the house, laughing and chasing each other all the way.

Perhaps due to the exhaustion of her training, Xiao Lian ate a great deal that night.

Seeing how tired she was, Li Changchu and his wife felt a pang of heartache. They wanted to ask her to give up, but Xiao Lian shook her head firmly. Helpless, the couple gave up on trying to persuade her.

Exhausted, Xiao Lian cleaned up after dinner and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Yu Qi went outside and leaped onto the roof once more.

He pondered the stinging pain he had been feeling. Previously, the pain was triggered because he had absorbed all the evil energy into his body to fuel the Casting Heaven Technique. While in the small town, he had absorbed most of the evil energy out of fear of harming the innocent, which was why he hadn't experienced any agonizing pain.

If this were true, it meant he could no longer use all the evil energy to power the technique, which in turn meant he could not fight at full strength—he would be limited to eighty percent of his power.

"According to the records of the Seven Clans Demon Seed, there don't seem to be any drawbacks. Why is this happening to me?" Yu Qi wondered, unable to find an answer.

Suddenly, he recalled how the inner energy of the Whisper Sword had intervened when the demon seed was first forming in his body. "Could it be that because the Whisper Sword and the demon seed merged, the originally demonic Seven Clans Demon Seed was corrupted by evil, leading to this situation?"

If that were the case, he could never unleash his full power again. If he ever used all his strength, the stinging pain radiating from within his body would be enough to temporarily incapacitate him, leaving him as helpless as a fish on a chopping block for others to slaughter.