Chapter 88: Come, Let Me Teach You Swordsmanship

"Big Brother Xiao Shou!"

As the gatehouse door opened, Su Qianqian, clutching her skirt, leaned forward slightly and sweetly called out, showing no sign of having just been in a fight.

"Oh, so you still come back to see your Xiao Shou Gege?" Xu Xiaoshou felt delighted to see the young girl in front of him, but his words were merciless: "I thought you'd forgotten all about me after entering the inner sect."

"No way!" Su Qianqian immediately looked anxious and eagerly explained, "I've always been following you, Big Brother Xiao Shou! I even went to watch the 'Wind and Cloud Battle' and saw you win the championship!"

"Alright, alright..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the little girl, who could barely reach his chest even on tiptoes, and couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle her hair. It felt just as soft as before.

The young girl's delicate eyebrows furrowed, seemingly displeased that her freshly styled hair was now messy again.

"You haven't grown taller at all..."

"What?!"

"Uh, uh, never mind. I was just saying... So, are you here to celebrate my championship win?" Xu Xiaoshou quickly changed the subject.

"Hmph!" Su Qianqian pouted, "I was, but not anymore."

Xu Xiaoshou gave an awkward smile, annoyed that he had accidentally blurted out his inner thoughts.

After all, she wasn't his little follower anymore; as a guest, he should treat the young girl properly.

He gestured, "Come in and sit down."

However, as he turned around, the blindingly bright courtyard almost stung Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, and the potholes on the ground were still very much there.

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. How the hell was he supposed to host a guest in this mess?

The main house was gone, and the guest room only had one chair. Were they supposed to sit on the bed to chat?

Actually... that might work!

But they'd need water to drink while chatting, otherwise they'd get thirsty. All the water storage here was burned down. Were they really going to drink the bathwater of the fish in the pond?

"What's wrong?"

Su Qianqian saw that Xu Xiaoshou was being polite but blocking the doorway, reluctant to enter, so she quickly stopped.

"Qianqian," Xu Xiaoshou said, "I just remembered we haven't seen each other in ages. It's boring to always stay at home. I was just thinking of going for a stroll, how about we go together!"

Without waiting for a reply, Xu Xiaoshou pulled the door shut with his backhand and ushered the young girl outside.

"Okay!" Su Qianqian, however, didn't seem to mind. She bit her finger in thought for a moment, then chirped excitedly, "Let's go to Goose Lake! We haven't been there in ages!"

Xu Xiaoshou stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

Goose Lake...

Goose Lake again!

That wretched place is a nightmare!

He had barely escaped death there last night, and the memory was still fresh. Did he really need to deepen that impression?

Su Qianqian, being pushed ahead, couldn't see Xu Xiaoshou's expression. She continued, oblivious, "I remember when Big Brother Xiao Shou used to take me there to practice swordsmanship..."

"Oh, that's right! You always said I wasn't good at the first stance of the 'White Cloud Sword Art,' but I asked my master later, and he said it was already quite good! This time, you *must* teach me the second stance!"

Su Qianqian didn't even need to look back; she just tilted her head up, her large eyes fixed on Xu Xiaoshou, looking as if she wouldn't give up.

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth twitched twice. "If only I could teach it to you!"

"But with your talent, you learned the first stance in less than an hour! I only learned one stance in three years, how am I supposed to teach you the second!"

He let out a long breath and, acting profound, said, "Let's forget about the 'White Cloud Sword Art'; it's a bit outdated... How about this, I'll teach you something more advanced."

Su Qianqian's eyes lit up. "Something more advanced? Like what?"

"Hehe!" This time, Xu Xiaoshou was confident. "Sword Control Art!"

Su Qianqian's mouth slightly opened, revealing an expression that seemed to say, "I know this one!" With a slight bow, the giant sword on her back immediately flew into the sky, soaring through the void like a dragon, perfectly obedient to her will.

"Like this?" she asked, turning her head.

Xu Xiaoshou wore a dazed expression.

Her sword control was countless times better than his! What was he supposed to teach her now?

But he couldn't let his "big brother" image falter. He simply nodded slightly, "Not bad."

"But what I want to teach you is more than just this; it's the legendary 'Sword Flight'!"

Su Qianqian's face showed sudden realization, then an expression that said, "I know this one too!" She leaped lightly onto the sword blade.

The giant sword pierced through the air, her white robes rustling, like a female sword immortal.

"How's this?" Su Qianqian excitedly asked, eager to show off the results of a year's cultivation to her Big Brother Xiao Shou.

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

Had he really been holding her back all this time?

Back then, the little girl had only learned one stance of the 'White Cloud Sword Art' after a month with him. After more than a year apart, how did she suddenly know everything?

"Very good, you've made progress," he said calmly, his eyes darting about. "But what I want to teach you isn't these simple tricks."

"Oh?" Su Qianqian jumped off the sword. "This is simple?"

She remembered it had taken her several hours to learn it.

"Then what is it?"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled mysteriously, enunciating each word: "Reverse Sword Control Art!"

"Reverse Sword Control Art?" Su Qianqian couldn't help but fall into thought. What kind of sword art was this? It sounded so powerful, and her master had never mentioned it!

"Hehe, you don't know this one, do you?" Xu Xiaoshou said, gloating.

"No, I don't."

"Want to learn? I don't just teach this to anyone..."

"Yes!"

"Good. Then what do you call me?"

"Big Brother Xiao Shou!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in satisfaction, showing an expression that suggested she was a teachable student. "Before learning 'Reverse Sword Control Art,' we first need to learn the 'Inverse Sword Stance'..."

"Hmm? What's the 'Inverse Sword Stance'?"

"Hehe, that's where the magic is."

"This was created by your Big Brother Xiao Shou himself, inspired by the 'White Clouds Drifting' stance. It's a super-powerful technique! With this one sword stance, I swept through all my opponents, unstoppable, and ultimately won the 'Wind and Cloud Battle' championship!"

"You created it yourself?" Su Qianqian's eyes widened instantly, her interest greatly piqued. She clearly noticed the emphasis in his tone.

"And... create a spirit technique?"

"Only grandmaster-level experts could possibly do that!"

"It's nothing much," Xu Xiaoshou said, nodding modestly. "Impatient? Let's begin then!"

In front of the courtyard, two figures, one tall and one short, each drew a sword and began to demonstrate.

"Come on, come on, listen to me. First, we need to reverse the sword..."

"Uh, why reverse it?"

"Of course, to devour... hmm, I won't answer such a simple question. Use your little brain and think about it properly."

"What? You can sense the sword's spirituality without reversing it?"

"No! You *must* reverse it. That's the essence of this move!"

"Don't ask; it's the essence!"

...

"Alright, I give up. Now throw it out, and call it back when it's at its farthest point... Holy moly, how can you control the direction it comes back?"

"You can't! You *must* aim for yourself!"

"Don't ask; it's the essence!"

...

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Xiaoshou gazed speechlessly at the sky. Was this the gap in talent?

He had pondered over this thing for an entire night to figure it out, but how long had the little girl just taken?

Look...

She was performing Reverse Sword Control in the sky...

Su Qianqian was having a blast. This 'Reverse Sword Control Art' truly expanded her mind, but after a moment, she started to sway a little.

"Big Brother Xiao Shou, why am I feeling a little dizzy?"

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, suppressing his bruised and battered ego, and slowly said, "Don't ask. If you ask, it's to train your will!"

"If you can't even overcome sword-induced dizziness, how will you fight battles in the sky later?"