Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn

Chapter 18

I whispered, "Shh, I'm just too tired and want to take a break."

Lin Zhao laughed and smacked my head, while Shi Nan also laughed and said, "I wonder if you'll still have a way to slack off on the day of the competition."

I scratched my head and said, "Just this once."

The group continued chatting and laughing while eating, and then went back to their rooms to rest.

Lying in bed, thinking about the unexpected incident during the day, a lingering worry crossed my mind. Fortunately, Jiang Ming was that kind of person; who knows what the consequences would have been if it had been someone else? Although he wasn't entirely well-intentioned, one thing he said was true: he absolutely couldn't faint again!

We need to be extremely cautious from now on.

On New Year's Eve, we were still engaged in intense training. I could hear the noisy commotion from other corners of the palace, and I felt a pang of envy. But my current mission separated me from that joy, so I channeled my frustration into strength and desperately struck the sandbags hanging high above.

Jiang Ming said that my punches were agile but lacked power.

Perhaps it's because I'm a girl.

In order to win the fight, Jiang Ming specially arranged for me to practice with these sandbags, hoping that my punches would be heavyweight.

Relying on my previous knowledge of the human body, I begged Jiang Ming to teach us some simple and effective attack techniques.

I said, "If I throw a punch and accidentally hit someone's forehead, my hand will hurt more than the person who was hit, so I only attack places that won't hurt my hand much."

Lin Zhao looked at me with disdain, while Song Zhixuan looked at me with a hint of interest.

I added, "I not only attack the parts that don't hurt as much, but those parts also have to be the most effective. For example, it might take two or three punches to bring him down in other parts, but only one punch in that part. I don't have much strength or stamina, so I can't waste my punches."

Lin Zhao could no longer hold back and cried out, "You're so vicious!"

Song Zhixuan also said, "Lin En, although we have to compete, we will still be brothers who train together in the future."

I laughed and said, "What can you expect to achieve in just a few days? I just want to build a solid foundation as soon as possible so that I won't be unable to defeat a real enemy in the future."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "However, if we can make some progress in the next few days, we might be able to suffer less on the day of the competition. After all, we have three or four months of experience compared to their year or more."

Song Zhixuan nodded in agreement, and Lin Zhao remained silent.

So, in addition to the necessary daily practice, Jiang Ming also smiled and explained to us the acupoints and meridians of the human body.

He said, "Actually, these are things that you will be taught after you have practiced internal skills, because acupoint striking requires the assistance of internal energy. Since Lynn has thought of this now, I will teach you some in advance. Anyway, it's not like I'm teaching you acupoint striking, so it can't be considered cheating."

We chuckled as we listened.

That evening, the eighteen people, exhausted, slumped over the dining table in the dining hall; not one of them returned to their rooms. The masters had all been invited to a banquet at the front.

Although it was already night, the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion was still brightly lit, reflecting the gleam of the snow-covered ground, making it as bright as day. Occasionally, bursts of music could be heard, interspersed with laughter and chatter.

We can't see the peaceful and prosperous scene over there; we rely entirely on our imagination.

I don't need that hustle and bustle; I just want to go home and spend time with my aunt and Zinuo, cooking wine, warming ourselves by the fire, and chatting about everything under the sun.

Such a simple request is becoming more and more difficult in this place.

I remembered that fire, that inexplicable fire that destroyed our family's happiness.

What are my aunt and Zinuo doing now? Are they still waiting foolishly for me to come home like last time?

Although I knew I wouldn't be able to go back today and felt depressed, when the day actually came, it was more than just depression.

Overwhelmed with bitterness, I lowered my head.

Song Zhixuan sensed my unusual behavior and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"On festive occasions, one misses their loved ones even more." I forced a smile.

Song Zhixuan froze.

Lin Zhao, oblivious to any romantic gestures, exclaimed, "What are you doing? Acting like women!"

I smiled and shook my head.

The dining hall was crowded yet quiet, a stark contrast to the outside. A few people huddled together under the candlelight, whispering amongst themselves.

"This is so boring," Lin Zhao muttered.

"Why don't we go outside and have some fun?" I suggested, hoping that doing something might help relieve my depression.

Lin Zhao immediately agreed, and Song Zhixuan nodded in agreement. Several boys who were close to Lin Zhao also came out with us.

I told them to warm up in the snow first, then I took Song Zhixuan into the room. I found a pen and ink, wrote some small notes, folded them, put them in a jar, and carried them out.

Song Zhixuan looked at my jar and asked, "How do you play with it?"

I winked at him and said, "You'll find out soon enough."

Once we were in the snow, I called them all to stop and explained the rules of the game: "Everyone's had a snowball fight before, and today we're having one too, but it's a little different from usual. There are six of us in total. We'll have two people act as judges, and the remaining four of us will throw snowballs at each other, supervised by the judges. The first two people to be hit by a snowball have to stop and receive a punishment. After the punishment, they leave the game and the judges come up to play. The punishments are in this little jar. The person who successfully throws a snowball draws out the punishment for the person who was hit. Is that okay?"

Everyone found it interesting and readily agreed, taking some candles and lanterns to light outside.

In the first round, Song Zhixuan and Shi Nan withdrew from judging. I know Song Zhixuan is cautious and meticulous; he probably wanted to observe first.

On the field were me, Lin Zhao, Wang Wenli, and Chen Jin—all newcomers. At Song Zhixuan's signal to begin, the four of us swiftly grabbed snowballs and launched a flurry of attacks, simultaneously assaulting each other while carefully dodging the attacks of others, keeping ourselves incredibly busy. I was trying to dodge a snowball thrown by Chen Jin when suddenly I felt a sharp pain on my head. Turning around, I saw Lin Zhao smiling at me. He had hit me! I voluntarily left the field. A moment later, Wang Wenli was also hit by Lin Zhao and left the field as well.

"Lin Zhao, you're a despicable person too!" I said angrily.

"Chen Jin and I work together perfectly," Lin Zhao said with a matter-of-fact smile.

That's it. I forgot that unity is strength and was too focused on fighting my own battles. I deserve to lose.