Chapter 71 - What To Do if You’re the Villain and the Heroine Likes You

It is impossible to truly teach Fan Ziruo martial arts under the pretext of teaching her. At the age of nineteen this year, she missed the best years for martial arts training. More importantly, her constitution was average, typically that of a delicate and gentle young lady. Although her father was a general on the battlefield, she had no talent for martial arts. It seemed that all her talent was focused on literary pursuits. Even because of her long-term reading, she lacked physical exercise. Moving a few times would leave her panting and sweating. He Yunxiao didn't dare to push her too hard at first, so he started by teaching her a few graceful sword postures and then demonstrated a set of boxing techniques for her to observe. Fan Ziruo sat at the desk, holding a pen, watching He Yunxiao practice boxing in the small space of the study. She watched intently at times, and at other times, she seemed lost in thought while writing something. After finishing his practice, He Yunxiao naturally walked to the desk, standing beside Fan Ziruo. Her slender calligraphy was just as beautiful as she was. "Miss Ziruo, this part is incorrect," He Yunxiao said after observing for a while, noticing that Fan Ziruo was very meticulous, memorizing the martial arts moves quickly and accurately with almost no mistakes. He finally found an ambiguous part and could speak up to point it out to Fan Ziruo. Fan Ziruo had a good character, and even when she was corrected, she didn't show the slightest displeasure. On the contrary, she politely said, "Please teach me, sir." He Yunxiao said, "This boxing technique is used in military combat. It's not just an offensive move, but a defensive one." "A defensive move?" "Yes. In battle, those skilled with long spears won't use swords, and those skilled with swords won't use their fists. It's only when all weapons are broken and supplies exhausted that fist-fighting becomes essential." Fan Ziruo furrowed her elegantly arched eyebrows, immediately grasping He Yunxiao's meaning. "So, this move is to block an opponent's weapon." He Yunxiao smiled and said, "Miss Ziruo is very smart." Fan Ziruo shook her head, "I'm too foolish. Before, I only thought about how the moves changed and how the weapons were coordinated. But I never thought that behind each move in martial arts, there are countless untold stories." He Yunxiao said, "Exactly, that's why we need you, Miss Ziruo, to write those stories." "But..." Seeing that Fan Ziruo was about to say something, this time He Yunxiao didn't give her the chance to speak. "Miss Ziruo, it's getting late. I'll leave now. I'll come to seek your guidance again tomorrow." With the pretext of "stories behind martial arts moves," the topic had been raised. If He Yunxiao really started explaining, it would take more than a day and a night. Most importantly, He Yunxiao wanted to arouse Fan Ziruo's sense of anticipation. While she thought about martial arts moves, she would also think about him. Moreover, his previous actions had proven that the fawning approach was completely ineffective with Fan Ziruo. To deal with her, he had to carry himself with dignity and continuously present his excellence, so that she would take him seriously. Then, continuously enhance her favorability within their "common interest." Finally, after her favorability was high enough, he would make a romantic confession. With this skill set, he would definitely win over all similar literary women. He Yunxiao's actions proceeded smoothly and, despite some stumbling, he had entered the level of "common interests." He left when Fan Ziruo was most interested in seeing martial arts, rising to bid her farewell. He Yunxiao had entered the study only in the latter part of the afternoon, and after studying and practicing martial arts, it was already getting late. He couldn't stay any longer at this time. If he did, it would mean inviting him to a family banquet. What did it mean when a woman invited a man to a family banquet? No need to elaborate. Even if Fan Ziruo wanted to know more, she could only reluctantly hold back and see He Yunxiao off from the Fan residence. Before leaving, He Yunxiao said, "Miss Ziruo, do you have any finished martial arts novels?" Fan Ziruo replied, "I've written some, but they're not finished yet, and it's not suitable for outsiders to see." He Yunxiao smiled and said, "Then, I want to be the first reader." Fan Ziruo replied, "Yin Yun has read it, so I'm afraid that won't work, sir." This was almost a refusal. She didn't want He Yunxiao to see it, and He Yunxiao understood that to her, he was just an "outsider." After bidding farewell to Fan Ziruo, He Yunxiao planned to find an opportunity to ask Du Meimei what Fan Ziruo was writing. It's important to note that there are many types of martial arts novels, such as those about romantic relationships, power struggles in court, and supernatural stories. If it's the first type, He Yunxiao might offer some shameless pointers. But with the latter two types, he'd be helpless. Thinking of Fan Ziruo calmly writing about romantic relationships, He Yunxiao found it amusing. Unlike Chunfeng Pavilion, the Lu Jiao Academy didn't have a dedicated parking area, so carriages from ordinary families arrived to pick up the young masters on time. However, He Yunxiao's coachman was different; the He family only had this one young master, and the lady of the house had a different coachman when going out, while the master of the house rode his own horse. The coachman wasn't busy at all and enjoyed driving carriages and riding horses. He sat waiting outside the academy. He stared at the academy's gate for a long time, only to find that He Yunxiao had come from the other side of the street. Why didn't the young master leave from the academy gate? Was it because he didn't go to study? Did he have a sweetheart in the academy as well? He Yunxiao didn't know what the coachman was thinking. He got into the carriage and before he could say anything, the coachman asked, "Young master, will it be Chunfeng Pavilion or the riverside courtyard tonight?" "The palace." "They do this kind of thing in the palace too?" He Yunxiao: ??? "What kind of thing?" "Dealings with money." He Yunxiao slapped the coachman's head. Knowing that the coachman enjoyed driving carriages, he threatened, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll kill your horse." The coachman immediately became obedient. Thanks to the coachman's reminder, He Yunxiao remembered that he was going to see his concubine tonight and, of course, couldn't go empty-handed. He pondered for a moment and then went to the market to buy two fish. Then, he detoured to Tingfeng Pavilion and got two boxes of top-quality rouge, deliberately instructing to use standard boxes to pack them. After buying these two items, He Yunxiao instructed the coachman to go to the other side of Yinjing and bought several packs of renowned snacks from Guihua Fang. They were the preserved fruits and pastries that young girls loved to eat. With everything ready, He Yunxiao carried the fish in his left hand, the snacks in his right, and the rouge in his arms, confidently walking towards the palace. The guards responsible for guarding the palace gate were stunned to see He Yunxiao arrive in such a manner. How could this young master be so fearless when entering the palace? Even if he wasn't afraid, why did it feel like he was visiting his wife's family? Carrying big and small packs like that in the end of October, when it wasn't even close to the Lunar New Year. He Yunxiao couldn't care less about what the guards were thinking. He immediately presented the golden feather token given by the empress dowager and, ignoring the shocked gazes of the guards, brazenly entered the palace. This time, when he arrived at Linxuan Palace, He Yunxiao was familiar with the way. As he passed the lake where they had shared the fish before, He Yunxiao couldn't contain his longing for the princess dressed as the old palace maid, so he chose to run directly to Linxuan Palace. On the way, he saw several female guards suspiciously hiding not far from Linxuan Palace, apparently protecting it. They hadn't been there the last time he visited. He Yunxiao ignored them; he had exceptional lightness skills and these people wouldn't make a difference. He walked to the door of Linxuan Palace and, seeing no one around, walked in. The palace was indeed very quiet, with only necessary furnishings, lacking any other decorative elements. The palace was vast, yet empty. As He Yunxiao walked, he suddenly heard a faint singing voice. Following the singing, he soon arrived at a room. This room had a bit more decoration than elsewhere, though most were still flowers, vines, and the like. There were definitely no rare or exquisite items. He Yunxiao quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside, then crouched down to watch. He saw a girl sitting in a chair, singing. With the rhythm of the song, her head and shoulders swayed left and right. Because the chair was too high, her small feet couldn't touch the ground, so she moved them in the opposite direction to her head, following the song. He Yunxiao had not intended to disrupt this beautiful scene. That was until he saw the girl daring to sew while singing! When others sew, it's considered skillful and virtuous. But when you, Princess Lan, sew while singing, is your butt itching? [T/L:He is trying say that He should spank her for doing dangerous work carelessly]