She gritted her teeth, stood up, and tried again! She was almost defiant, knowing full well that she couldn't do it yet, but she insisted on forcing herself.
When she tried to use the branches for leverage again, they still broke! As she fell, she gave up in frustration and just wanted to fall hard and hurt herself!
The sound of her clothes fluttering in the wind grew louder as she stumbled and fell from the branches, and at the same time, she saw a dashing white figure... It was him.
She felt a sharp pain on her scalp; her hair had gotten caught on a tree branch, but she had fallen into his arms.
She looked at his furrowed brows, his lips that had lost their smile, and... her own small reflection in his bright, deep, and beautiful eyes.
Exceptional physical attributes, unparalleled handsomeness...
His mother praised him in that way, and it was indeed true.
He gently placed her on the ground, and Yuan'er was startled to realize that she had been staring at him blankly. She turned her face away, her eyes turning cold, and it was too late to cover up her earlier lapse in composure.
Pei Junwu remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his hand and gently untying her hair from the treetop, so carefully as if afraid of hurting her.
His tenderness pierced her heart! He, his tenderness, should have been hers! Now it belonged to another woman. And that woman had deceived her! Yet he was still so kind to the one who had lied to her!
In that instant, she actually hated him!
"Xiao Yuan, martial arts cultivation can't be rushed, and you can't force it." Strands of her hair slipped smoothly from his fingers. He didn't want to look at her anymore; like Yi Chunjun, her very existence was a source of dread. But the faint bloodstains on her arm were so glaring; he... couldn't avoid them.
She remained silent, suppressing her unspeakable anger and grievances.
"You'll only hurt yourself doing this." He frowned again, almost angry with her.
She misunderstood his tone. "Yes, I can only hurt myself! I'm just that useless. Go ahead and laugh, laugh to your heart's content with your sister Juyuan!"
She was surprised when she said it.
He glared at her again, a little angry, and a little...heartbroken.
“Nonsense, who would laugh at you?” he said in the tone of a senior brother. “Your problem now is that your internal strength is not deep enough. Your foundation is not solid, yet you always aim too high.”
She turned her face away, knowing he was right, but still ignored him.
“From today onwards, what you need to do is lay a solid foundation, practice your internal strength once in the morning and once in the evening, instead of blindly practicing moves! I can’t always be there in time to save you.” He unconsciously raised his voice.
"Hmph." That was all she could say in response.
"Extend your hand," he commanded in a low voice.
She turned her face back, intending to glare at him, but unexpectedly fell into his cold, clear eyes.
He slightly raised his brow, forcing himself to look away. He grabbed her wrist, and when his fingers touched her slightly rapid pulse, his heart also began to race uncontrollably.
How is that possible! He was only ten years old and he could precisely control his heartbeat and breathing! Perhaps, this girl... is just too beautiful.
Faced with her beauty, he was just an ordinary, unremarkable young man. He gave a self-deprecating smile; perhaps he wouldn't be a normal man if he remained unmoved by such stunning beauty. His heart had only lost control because of her rare and beautiful appearance. After a few beats, he easily regained control, managing the number of beats with each breath with the same ease as a top-tier expert.
She was just a very beautiful junior sister of his, nothing more. Once he saw her more often and got used to her, it wouldn't matter.
Yuan'er panicked and shook off his hand. Had he... noticed her racing heart? She couldn't help but childishly put her hands behind her back. Why was he grabbing her hand for no reason?!
“Yuan’er,” he sighed softly, “your internal strength is really too weak.”
She was taken aback. Was he just testing her internal strength?
"Starting today, you will practice slowly with me. You must not rush things, otherwise you will only achieve half the results with twice the effort and harm yourself."
She lowered her head, but he chuckled softly.
"Xiao Yuan, call me senior brother. From now on, we are practically half-masters." He spoke again in a frank tone like an older brother.
Yes... she never called him that.
"Senior brother..." She still didn't look at him.
He was just her senior.
The Flower Smile, Chapter 14: Feigning Indifference to Capture
Yuan'er sat cross-legged on a large rock far from Pei Junwu and Xiao Juyuan. Knowing that she and Pei Junwu were going to practice internal energy together, Xiao Juyuan followed him closely. Originally, she only practiced in the morning, but now she also participated in the evening practice.
Yuan'er gently opened her eyes, and opposite her... was Pei Junwu's calm face, lost in thought. Beside him, Xiao Juyuan stared at her with wide eyes. Yuan'er's eyes narrowed slightly.
Xiao Juyuan, somewhat wary, suppressed her hostility and smiled kindly at Yuan'er.
Yuan'er looked at her with a smile. Ten years had passed, and she had changed a lot, but one thing remained unchanged: the wariness and fear always lurked in her eyes. Perhaps she was always worried that her secret would be exposed, and always afraid that she would lose everything.
"Xiao Yuan, it's only been a few days, but I already feel you've made great progress," Xiao Juyuan said.
"Well, if you start from a low point, it seems like you're progressing very quickly." She tried to chat with her calmly, but ultimately there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Why do you like learning martial arts?" Xiao Juyuan smiled wryly, revealing a cute and helpless expression. "I just don't like it. A girl should just be a good wife, why force herself?"
Yuan'er looked at her and smiled faintly.
“You like being a good wife, but I don’t. I don’t think learning martial arts is forced. I hope that one day I can have amazing skills like Senior Brother Pei and Senior Brother Yi.”
Hearing her say that, Xiao Juyuan seemed quite pleased. She pouted coquettishly and glanced at Pei Junwu, her admiration for him evident in that fleeting glance. Yuan'er looked at her with a cold smile.
"I practice martial arts entirely to be with him. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to go through all this trouble."