If it weren’t for the fact that wearing a gold step shake wasn’t suitable during martial arts practice, Lin Ting might have worn it all day instead of trying it on once and then taking it off.
After all, she liked everything related to gold.Â
Lin Ting carefully touched the gold step shake, putting it on and taking it off repeatedly before reluctantly placing it back into the brocade box.
Duan Ling asked, “Do you like it?”
Lin Ting answered without hesitation, “I like it, I really like it. Thanks.”
Tao Zhu watched this and thought that Lin Ting still liked gold just as much as ever.
Every time she got new gold, she would take it all out at night to count it carefully and then fall asleep holding it.
Tonight would be no exception.
So Tao Zhu planned to go home tonight and bring out the box where Lin Ting hid her gold from under the bed, so she wouldn’t have to embarrass herself by scrambling around looking for it.
Duan Xinning saw this and felt that Lin Ting truly treasured the gift Duan Ling gave her.
“Leyun, this is for you. Happy birthday.” Duan Xinning took the gift she had prepared from her maid and handed it to Lin Ting.
Lin Ting took it and saw a string of crystal-clear glass bracelets.
Although glass was common in the modern era, in ancient times it was a rare and expensive item.
She immediately rolled up her sleeves and put the glass bracelet on her wrist.
Under the sunlight, its color became even more translucent, reflecting a bright light that cast a faint shadow on her skin.Â
Duan Xinning, worried Lin Ting might not like the glass bracelet, asked, “How do you like it?”
Lin Ting studied the light flickering within the glass, then smiled and said, “The gifts you give are always the best, and this is my favorite.”
Unable to resist the praise, Duan Xinning blushed, “You’re just flattering me to make me happy.”
Lin Ting turned her wrist to admire the bracelet, with a look that said, “I’m telling the truth, not just trying to please you.”
Duan Ling’s smile dimmed almost imperceptibly, but his tone remained gentle and even, giving nothing away.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to return before the Shen hour? It’s getting late, you should start your martial arts practice and take off the glass bracelet first. The gold step shake might fall off during practice, and the glass bracelet could get bumped and broken.”
“Okay, wait for me.” Lin Ting took off the glass bracelet and handed it along with the brocade box holding the gold step shake to Tao Zhu for safekeeping.
Lin Ting looked at them and said, “By the way, my mother asked me to bring you all back to the mansion for a meal. She didn’t make a big deal out of her birthday and didn’t invite other guests; she just closed the doors to prepare a meal to eat with Li Jingqiu and the others.”
Duan Xinning had been disappointed that she couldn’t accompany Lin Ting for the eighteenth birthday dinner, but when she heard this, she quickly agreed, “Alright.”
Duan Ling replied with a simple “Okay.”
Afterward, Tao Zhu took the items to the courtyard gate to stand watch, while Duan Xinning went to find Madam Feng, to prevent her from coming and catching them practicing martial arts.
They always helped Lin Ting keep her martial arts secret this way, dividing tasks among themselves.
Once they all left, the huge courtyard was left with only Lin Ting and Duan Ling.
Lin Ting first tied her high ponytail tight, then bent down to secure her trouser cuffs.
Since she started learning martial arts from Duan Ling, she always brought an extra pair of trousers or skirt that allowed for easier movement to the Duan residence.
She changed into them for training and switched back to her usual long skirt afterward to avoid arousing suspicion.
Duan Ling put on his wrist guards and tightened the straps.
“Are you using a saber or a sword today?”
Lin Ting glanced at him, thought for a moment, and cheekily pointed at the Spring Embroidery Dagger on the weapon rack.
“I want to use your Spring Embroidery Dagger today.”
A few years ago, Duan Ling defied Madam Feng’s objections and resolutely became an Imperial Guard.
In these short years, he had been promoted several times and now held the position of Commandant Assistant at the fourth rank.Â
At only twenty-two years old, he was one of the youngest and most promising officials in Jingcheng.
As a Commandant Assistant, he led the Imperial Guards on city patrols.
Lin Ting had recently bumped into Duan Ling while out shopping and immediately noticed the Spring Embroidery Dagger at his waist.
Though she had seen Duan Ling’s dagger at the Duan residence before, it had never seemed particularly attractive.
But for some reason, that day on the street, seeing him dressed in a bright red Flying Fish robe, with the dagger at his side, she found it very beautiful.
She wanted to try holding the dagger, even wanted to master it.
Unfortunately, ordinary people couldn’t use the Spring Embroidery Dagger, nor could they commission one privately, so Lin Ting was destined never to have her own.
But she still wanted to try using it and set her sights on Duan Ling’s.
Duan Ling took down the dagger and tossed it to her.
“Why do you want to use my Spring Embroidery Dagger?”
Lin Ting caught it with a raised hand.
It was the first time she’d observed the dagger up close, stroking the beast-head handle and the hollowed lotus petals on the guard.
Her fingers finally rested in the air on the blade, which was intricately engraved with a beautiful inlaid chi dragon and cloud pattern.Â
Duan Ling’s gaze followed her hand and asked, “You think it’s pretty?”
Lin Ting tried swinging it a few times.
Listening to the dagger cut through the wind, she liked it even more.
“Yes, I think it’s the most beautiful dagger I’ve ever seen.”Â
Pretty but practical — how had she never noticed before?
Now she saw it clearly.
Duan Ling casually drew another dagger.
“You can use this one to practice from now on.”
Lin Ting glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and took advantage of his unpreparedness to launch a surprise attack.
She’d never beaten him before and wanted to see if a sneak attack would work.
Just as the Spring Embroidery Dagger neared Duan Ling’s neck, he quickly sidestepped, and her strike missed by an instant.
Immediately, Duan Ling instinctively thrust his dagger toward her heart.
The tip of the blade carried a cold, deadly intent.
Lin Ting guessed this was an Imperial Guard reflex, not personal.
She was about to dodge when Duan Ling withdrew his dagger faster than she could move.
But she didn’t want to give up, so she charged after him.
The daggers clashed fiercely with a sharp “clang,” sparks flying.
Their blades crossed, and Duan Ling unconsciously raised his eyes to look at Lin Ting.
She was looking at him too.
They saw themselves mirrored in each other’s eyes.
And their reflections gleamed on the blades.
The impact vibrated through the daggers, sending a slight numbness into Lin Ting’s palm.
She was already used to it, though.
With lightning speed, she released her left hand from the dagger’s hilt and caught it with her right hand just in time.
At that moment, Lin Ting changed her stance, hooking and pressing his blade with one hand.
The Spring Embroidery Dagger’s curved edge could hook and press an opponent’s long sword or straight blade.
The breeze rustled the courtyard trees, causing leaves to fall and drift beside them.
Duan Ling bent backward, and Lin Ting’s hooked attack missed again.
She reacted quickly, twisting her wrist to grip the dagger with both hands, and with force from her shoulders and back, swung the blade at Duan Ling.
Lin Ting used the moves Duan Ling taught her against him.
Their techniques were almost identical.
Another “clang” sounded as Duan Ling blocked her strike with his long blade.
She gripped the dagger tightly, watching him, wary of a counterattack, but still playful enough to joke, “Is this the legendary saying, ‘The disciple starves the master’?”
Duan Ling curved his lips and asked, “You mean you consider me your master?”
Lin Ting’s breath quickened, sweat dripping down her forehead and cheeks, soaking her clothes.
“You’re not my master. You’re Lord Duan. I’ve heard others call you that. Can I call you Lord Duan from now on? Lord Duan.”
He replied leisurely, “If you like calling me Lord Duan, then that’s fine.”
Lin Ting remembered Duan Ling saying that if you can attack, don’t defend or get stuck in a deadlock.
She quickly sheathed the dagger, switched back to holding the Spring Embroidery Dagger with one hand, and leaned forward to thrust.
But Duan Ling raised his hand and moved directly past the dagger aimed at him, as if unconcerned about being cut.
Lin Ting didn’t know what he was up to.
Startled, she saw the dagger tip nearly pierce his palm and hurriedly changed direction.
Just a moment ago, Lin Ting had adjusted the dagger’s direction, and in the next instant, Duan Ling grabbed her wrist.
His fingertip pressed against her skin through several layers of thin cloth, burning hot enough to make her chest tremble.
Lin Ting came to her senses, heart pounding.
“Are you crazy? If I had kept stabbing just now, your hand might have been crippled.”
Before she finished speaking, Duan Ling applied a skillful grip to her wrist, and Lin Ting immediately lost strength, involuntarily loosening her hold on the dagger, which dropped to the ground.
At the same time, his blade’s back pressed against her neck.
Duan Ling said, “You lost.”
Lin Ting rubbed her wrist, numb but not painful.
“If I hadn’t held back not to hurt you, you wouldn’t have won so easily today.”
She wasn’t willing to admit defeat.
Duan Ling retracted his blade, picked up the dagger from the ground, and handed it back to Lin Ting.
“Are you sure you’d be the first to stab me, not me to press the pressure point on your wrist and render you powerless?”
Lin Ting thought back and realized Duan Ling was still faster than her.
He probably would have pressed her wrist’s pressure point first.
Then she realized Duan Ling was planning to teach her that very move today.
Excited, she said, “Is this the new technique you want to teach me today?”
Duan Ling nodded, “Yes, that’s what I want to teach you today.”
She was eager to learn, “Great!”
He tightened the loose strap of his wrist guard from training and casually asked, “In the past year, have you self-studied other martial arts or learned from someone else?”
Lin Ting took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat dripping down her neck.
“You noticed?”
Duan Ling rubbed the patterns on the dagger’s handle and smiled, “I noticed. When we spar, you unconsciously use some other moves.”
Lin Ting thought for a long moment and confessed, “There’s something I’ve been hiding from you…”
Since he was Imperial Guard, if he wanted to investigate, he might find out.
Better to tell him directly.
“What is it?”
Lin Ting looked into his eyes, “A year ago, I saved someone from Luanzang Hill, a man from the Jianghu named Jin Anazi. His martial arts are excellent, comparable to yours. I once asked him to teach me a few moves.”
Duan Ling’s smile didn’t fade, “A year ago, and you’re only telling me now?”
“You never asked.”
He lowered his long lashes and asked, “Aren’t you worried you might have saved a fugitive?”
Lin Ting thought for a few seconds and replied, “My intuition told me he wasn’t, so I followed my heart and saved him. Over the past year, he’s never harmed me or had ill intentions. In fact, he’s been working for me to earn money.”
Duan Ling raised his eyes and asked, “You’ve only known him a year, and you trust him so much?”
She didn’t want him to think she was a naive fool.
“One day, I’ll bring you to meet Jin Anazi. Then you’ll understand why I believe he means no harm.”
Duan Ling said no more, only, “I’m free tomorrow. Shall we go meet him then?”
“Okay, okay. As you say, tomorrow we’ll meet him.” Lin Ting cheekily changed the subject and deliberately called him Lord Duan again.
“Enough of that, Lord Duan, hurry and teach me the new technique.”
Lin Ting had worried that because she learned martial arts from someone else, Duan Ling might refuse to teach her.
Fortunately, he wasn’t that petty.
Lin Ting leaned close to Duan Ling, eager to learn.
“Where do I press?”
He pointed it out for her.
Lin Ting tried pressing her own wrist, only feeling slight numbness, not losing strength.
She wasn’t sure if she was pressing correctly so she asked, “Why doesn’t it work? You try.”
Duan Ling extended his wrist, and Lin Ting pressed it without undoing his wrist guard.
In real combat, she wouldn’t have the chance to undo a guard or roll up sleeves, so learning to press pressure points had to be realistic.
She pressed the pressure point on his wrist and asked, “How does it feel? Did I get it right?”
Duan Ling didn’t answer.
Lin Ting pressed harder, “Now? I got it, right?”
Duan Ling suddenly turned his back, “Practice your dagger moves yourself first. I’ll be back soon.”
Without waiting for her reply, he left.
Lin Ting watched him go, confused.
Why did he suddenly leave in the middle of teaching?
She still hadn’t learned the new technique.
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