Аftеr sеvеral heavу rаins, Shadowlеss City wеlсоmеd wеаther with a sсorching sun high in the sky. Ye Yuqing sat оn thе eхeсutiоn рlаtform, wаtсhing Zhао Lin's hеad rоll to the ground, аnd а plеased smile сurled at thе cornеr оf his liрs.
"Yоur Нighnеss, thе City Gаrrisоn beаrs thе hеavу resроnsibility of dеfеnding the сity and ensuring thе safety оf its реoрle. Yet now, thе роsitions аrе vасаnt with nо onе in сhargе. We hоpe Yоur Highnеss will арpоint а nеw сommandant аnd commander soоn," an elder ministеr earnеstly аdvisеd. "Thе actions of the traitor Zhao Lin have stirred public outrage. The new appointees must be able to win the people's trust."
Ye Yuqing smiled and asked him, "Sir, do you think it is better to appoint experienced officials or give opportunities to the younger generation?"
"This... I believe appointments should be based on virtue and ability. Age is not the primary concern."
"With your words, I know what to do." Ye Yuqing nodded. "Let all generals of the third rank and above in the court each recommend one candidate. On a chosen day, they will compete at the training ground, and the two most outstanding will be selected."
This method had been used many times before. It was fair and acceptable to all parties, so the elder minister had no objections. He cupped his hands in agreement and then passed down the decree.
On this day, Feng Yue was vigorously stuffing pastries into Yin Gezhi's mouth when Guan Zhi came to report, "Master, the young masters of the An and Xu families have arrived."
Frowning, Yin Gezhi pushed Feng Yue's hand away and said, "Invite them in."
"Yes."
Feng Yue had been sitting on his lap, feeding him almond cakes as if teasing a child. He seemed to dislike them but was actually eating them quite quickly. Upon hearing this, she immediately stood properly beside him, her previously flattering expression completely gone, appearing as dignified as a young lady from a noble family who had just returned from finishing her lessons.
Glancing at her, Yin Gezhi shook his head and then looked toward the door.
"Your disciple greets the master!" The two young masters entered and bowed in unison.
"I have been busy these past few days and haven't been able to attend to you," Yin Gezhi said. "Have you been slacking off?"
"Not at all!" Xu Huaizu replied quickly, smiling. "Not only have we not slacked off, but we have also been even more diligent. Yesterday, during sparring with Shi Chong, I won against him several times."
Yin Gezhi raised an eyebrow and looked at An Shichong, whose expression was not very good. "What? Has Shi Chong been slacking off?"
"I dare not," An Shichong sighed with some frustration. "Recently, my father has been taking me around to visit and socialize with others. Amidst the busyness, I have had less time to practice."
Yin Gezhi naturally knew about this, as it was his suggestion to the Marquis of An. He hadn't expected the Marquis of An to act so quickly. It seemed his young disciple had been so occupied that he had no time to train.
"There will soon be a competition to select the commander and commandant of the City Garrison," Yin Gezhi said. "Since you are here, prepare to stay for a few days."
The two were taken aback. Xu Huaizu asked in surprise, "We came precisely for this matter, but... how did you know so quickly, Master?"
They had thought their master always stayed in his courtyard and was thus out of touch with news. They had come to inform him and, in passing, seek his guidance. Who would have thought...
"How I know is not your concern," Yin Gezhi said, standing up and brushing off his robe. He looked at them and continued, "What you need to concern yourselves with is how to secure those two positions."
What? The two young masters were dumbfounded. They exchanged glances, each seeing a bewildered novice in the other's eyes."Master," An Shichong frowned. "Both Huaizu and I are still inexperienced and young, so for this competition, we just wanted to join in the excitement and test our skills against others. As for the positions of commander and captain..."
"If you lack experience, then gain more of it." Ignoring his cautious expression, Yin Gezhi said directly, "This competition is an excellent opportunity for experience. If you participate, you must win. If my disciples lose to outsiders, I would find it deeply embarrassing."
With that, he turned and walked out.
Feng Yue blinked, lifted her skirt, and followed behind him. As she passed the two young men, she winked and whispered, "Your master defeated a renowned general of the Wei Kingdom at sixteen and became the commander of the Three Divisions. Youth and inexperience aren’t necessarily weaknesses—they can be advantages."
Because they were young, they could afford to fail and dared to take risks. Because they lacked experience, they had to strive to enrich it.
An Shichong suddenly understood. He glanced at Xu Huaizu beside him, who still seemed hesitant but followed their master out nonetheless.
In the courtyard clearing, Feng Yue hid to the side, craning her neck to watch. She saw Yin Gezhi remove his outer robe, dressed in black, break off a branch she had painstakingly trimmed to use as a weapon, first teaching An Shichong how to connect his moves fluidly, then correcting Xu Huaizu’s improper use of force. His posture truly resembled that of a grandmaster.
She had always thought that exceptionally skilled individuals often had eccentricities—they could be heroes but not good teachers. Yet Yin Gezhi was different. He taught without holding back and was incredibly patient, never once frowning, far gentler than when he dealt with her.
How could such a person exist? Feng Yue couldn’t understand. Taking advantage of his break as he came over to sit and rest, she asked, "Your Highness, aren’t you afraid that teaching your disciples everything might leave you with nothing?"
Glancing at her lightly, Yin Gezhi said, "I teach them everything I know so they can achieve seventy or eighty percent of what I have."
Feng Yue blinked, not immediately grasping the meaning of his words. When she finally did, the corner of her mouth twitched.
How shameless could he be? He meant that even if he taught them everything, they could only reach seventy or eighty percent of his level? Was being exceptionally talented something to boast about?
As someone who relied on hard work, Feng Yue indignantly retorted, "Diligence can compensate for shortcomings. How do you know they won’t catch up to you through sheer effort?"
With a mocking smile, Yin Gezhi leaned closer to her and whispered, "Hard work can make up for some things, like climbing a mountain. Those who climb slowly can catch up to skilled climbers over time."
"But when faced with a sheer cliff, no amount of hard work will help those who don’t know how to climb. They can only watch as the skilled climbers reach the summit and sigh in admiration."
His tone was calm, but perhaps his expression was too infuriating. Feng Yue gritted her teeth in anger, unable to resist jumping off the stone stool and stomping hard on his foot!
Narrowing his eyes, Yin Gezhi turned his head to look at her, his gaze cold.
Feng Yue laughed so hard she trembled, retracting her foot and saying with utmost sincerity, "I didn’t notice where I was stepping. Did I hurt you?"
"Eat less for dinner," Yin Gezhi said indifferently. "You’ve gained quite a bit of weight."
Feng Yue: "..."Xu Huaizu, while practicing, kept darting glances toward Yin Gezhi. With a quick step, he moved beside An Shichong and whispered, "Hey, hey, look over there."
Disturbed from his focus, An Shichong looked up with a frown and saw his master leaning against a long stone bench by the corridor, with the red-clad Miss Feng Yue hopping around beside him. Whether she was annoyed or something else, these two—one as still as a mountain, the other as lively as water—somehow seemed perfectly matched when together.
"Don’t you think Master really likes Miss Feng Yue?" Xu Huaizu winked and said, "Are we about to get a mistress?"
Withdrawing his gaze, An Shichong shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because their statuses don’t match."
Remembering his master’s status and then thinking of Miss Feng Yue’s, Xu Huaizu sighed and, for the first time, recited a line of poetry: "How I regret we did not meet before I was wed!"
The corner of his mouth twitching, An Shichong swung his sword at him, gritting his teeth. "If you don’t know the meaning of the poem, don’t recite it randomly. You’re embarrassing the Xu family!"
Blocking the move with his saber, Xu Huaizu pouted. "I thought it fit, so I said it. Why worry so much?"
Amused and exasperated, An Shichong simply drew his sword and fought him with gusto.
Thus, when the dignified Master Yin turned back after teasing the girl, his two disciples were already locked in a fierce battle.
"Wow, why so intense?" Feng Yue excitedly looked over. "Who do you think will win?"
"Want to make a bet?" Yin Gezhi said. "The loser buys groceries alone tomorrow."
"Sure, sure!" The naive Feng Yue nodded in agreement. "I’ll bet on Young Master Xu!"
"Fine." Calmly nodding, Yin Gezhi glanced over and said lightly, "Shi Chong, attack his lower body."
An Shichong reacted swiftly, turning and sweeping with a leg strike! Xu Huaizu barely dodged, staggering.
"Third move of the sword manual."
An Shichong immediately swung his sword left and right, forcing Xu Huaizu back several steps, his saber held horizontally in front of him.
"Eagle flip. Get behind him."
"Ninth move of the sword manual, aim for his vital point."
Feng Yue stared wide-eyed, not at the two sparring, but at the shameless person before her. "Your Highness?"
Yin Gezhi turned his head, looking at her with righteous confidence. "A master teaching his disciples. What’s wrong with that?"
"...Nothing’s wrong." Taking a deep breath, Feng Yue looked up bleakly at the sky and murmured, "As long as you’re happy."
Over there, An Shichong stopped just in time, winning the round, his eyes sparkling. Xu Huaizu, panting, complained with great grievance, "Master is biased!"
"She favors you, so naturally I favor Shi Chong." Yin Gezhi said with an air of righteousness, "That’s what fairness means."
Xu Huaizu: "..."
Feng Yue smiled innocently and foolishly, obediently holding her handkerchief like a vase, no longer planning to speak out of turn.
After practice, the two instructed their attendants to fetch some clean clothes. Feng Yue prepared dinner and cheerfully called them over to eat.Looking at the now much livelier courtyard, then at the warmly lit room and the table full of dishes that were a feast for the eyes and nose, Xu Huaizu couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s really better to have a young lady around!”
Yin Gezhi replied expressionlessly, “What’s so good about it?”
“When I came before, I felt Master was quite lonely,” Xu Huaizu blurted out without restraint. “But now, it feels like having a mistress here—Master seems much gentler.”
Feng Yue, who was just setting down a dish, stiffened. Yin Gezhi also frowned and sneered, repeating the two words, “Mistress?”
An Shichong stomped hard on his foot. Xu Huaizu winced in pain and said aggrievedly, “I’m just telling the truth. Miss Feng Yue really gives off the feeling of a mistress. Even if you two aren’t together in the future, seeing her would still remind me of Master.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
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