Chapter Seven: My Sister Becomes a “Teacher”

“Brother, are you still bothered by Han Bingwu and the others? There’s no need to let them upset you,” Han Bingran spoke as they walked along, noticing Han Bingyan’s silence.

“It’s not that,” Han Bingyan shook his head. “I was just thinking about what I should plan for the next few years.”

Han Bingruo considered his words. “You’re right. We have so much more free time now. Even after accounting for future schoolwork, there’s still time left. We ought to arrange it wisely, shouldn’t we?”

Han Bingyan nodded after hearing this. “Then, what do you think we should do with our time?”

“Practice martial arts!” Han Bingran raised her hand excitedly and hopped as she spoke.

Han Bingruo said, “Little Ran isn’t wrong. Even though you and I are both considered hopeless in martial arts due to our congenital blocked meridians, we can still give it a try. Who knows what we might gain? I suppose you’ve never trained before, have you?”

He looked at Han Bingyan as he spoke.

Han Bingyan nodded. Indeed, ever since he’d been labeled a martial arts failure, he’d never touched anything related to martial cultivation. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; he simply lacked the opportunity. Even the sword technique he practiced was clumsily picked up through secretly observing others. As for systematic training—he had none. Han Bingruo’s words now opened a door of temptation, sparking a desire to try. How could he know what he might gain if he’d never tried?

“But who would be willing to teach us?” That was the crucial issue. Without a teacher, how could they learn?

“Me! Me!” Han Bingran became excited again, shouting loudly.

“You?” Han Bingruo cast a doubtful glance at Han Bingran, who looked only about five years old. Was she to be their teacher? Hardly reliable...

“Yes!” she insisted.

Han Bingyan clapped his hands suddenly, equally excited. “Letting Ran teach us works too! She’s a Level One Earth Realm expert, after all! Now the matter of a ‘teacher’ is solved—how wonderful.”

“What! Level One Earth Realm? Her?” Han Bingruo stared in disbelief at the little girl before him. He’d never heard about Han Bingran’s martial cultivation before. The revelation startled him—this world was truly astonishing.

Watching the little girl tilt her head proudly, Han Bingruo could only admire her wholeheartedly. What talent!

“Alright, it’s settled then. From now on, after school every afternoon, we’ll find a place to practice martial arts. That will be our secret base. No matter what, we need to improve ourselves before the Lingyu Festival. If we succeed, all the better. If not, at least we’ll be keeping Little Ran company in her training,” Han Bingruo declared with finality, and both Han Bingyan and Han Bingran raised their hands in agreement.

“Where should we go?” someone asked.

“Follow me!” Han Bingyan led them to a small, secluded thicket not far away. Bounded on three sides by natural rises, it formed a hidden and sheltered spot.

“How about this place? Not bad, right?” Han Bingyan said with some pride.

“It’s really nice! How did you find it, brother?” Han Bingran asked.

Han Bingyan scratched his head. “I usually wander around when I have nothing to do, and stumbled upon it. Figured it suited our secret base requirements pretty well.”

“Mm, not bad at all!” Han Bingruo nodded in agreement. “So, when do we begin?”

“Right now! The sooner we start, the more we can learn.”

“But I didn’t bring my sword!” Han Bingran blinked her innocent eyes at Bingyan.

“Use this instead!” Han Bingyan picked up a sturdy branch from the ground, swinging it a few times. It was just the right length to serve as a sword.

“How shabby!” Han Bingran took the thick branch and weighed it in her hand. Though it was quite different from her iron longsword, the weight wasn’t far off, and wielded in her hand, it did the trick.

In martial training, all roads lead to the same destination. A true beauty is not defined by jade, nor a true master by their inkstone. Likewise, a true expert’s skill does not depend on their weapon. Whether it’s an iron sword or an ordinary wooden branch, they can still display extraordinary prowess.

Though young, Han Bingran’s martial foundation was strong. As she performed a set of sword techniques, Han Bingyan and Han Bingruo watched, utterly amazed.

With her movements, threads of white light began to gather along the branch. Suddenly, as she paused, a thin beam of light shot from the “sword tip”—short and small, but undeniably real.

“So this is the release of sword energy? The ability one attains only after reaching the Earth Realm?” Han Bingruo’s voice was filled with envy.

“Did you see clearly?” Han Bingran asked, catching her breath.

The two boys snapped out of their trance, shaking their heads in unison. “It was too fast. We were so caught up watching that we forgot to observe properly.”

They felt a little embarrassed; after all, their “little teacher” was so much younger than them.

With no other choice, Han Bingran demonstrated several more times. Before they realized it, dusk was falling.

“Brother, Bingruo, let’s head back now. There’s plenty of time to continue tomorrow, right?” Han Bingran suggested, seeing her sister had grown tired from teaching.

“Alright, let’s go home for now,” Han Bingruo agreed, nodding.

On the way back, the two novice martial artists were still brimming with excitement, their minds filled with images of the little sprite gracefully wielding her sword...