THE VILLAIN's APPRENTICE ✔

14 🗡 Spring Sunset

Da Xia had forgotten how extremely difficult their life in the mountain was until she experienced it again. Back in the village, after their training sessions, they could at least rest in the house. But in the mountain, their rest consisted of walking while carrying their belongings plus more training on how to pass the sword to each other. And they had to do this routine for months!

It would've taken them a shorter time to arrive at City of Lanterns if they purchased a horse carriage and took the flat road, but no. The warrior wanted them to traverse the forest – by foot!

Aside from her aching muscles, the afternoon spring sun was already frying her brain. If she had powers, she would undoubtedly shoot the sun down. Her train of thoughts was obviously swinging toward the psycho lane, but insanity would probably where she'd be at if this kind of hell continued.

She completely understood that her master needed this kind of environment to train for his imperial military exam. She understood, but it didn't mean she liked it! She was so exhausted that she was already imagining a bright light shining down from the sky and angels slowly descending from the heavens while singing to fetch her.

After swinging the sword and successfully throwing it to her master, Da Xia suddenly slumped on the ground. "I can't walk anymore," she lamented. Her feet were already hurting and she felt like the skin at the back of her feet was scraped by her shoes.

"Do you want another flick on your forehead?" the warrior threatened while striding toward her, but the little maiden refused to move and just stared at him somberly.

Seeing the girl's expression, Yong Jie hastily crouched down in worry. "Where does it hurt?"

"My legs and my feet," she answered. "Master, if you want, you can go ahead. I'll just follow you after resting. Just go straight so I can find you."

The warrior shook his head in response. "In the mountains, we can't be separated. Have you forgotten how we lived before we settled in the village?"

"I miss Plum Mist village," she murmured while pulling a grass and throwing it away.

Yong Jie's eyes became solemn as he stared intently at the girl. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sensing that the warrior felt bad because of their situation, she instantly adjusted her expression and smiled at him. "Don't mind me, master. I'll get used to the mountains again."

Without uttering a word, he scooped her up and lifted her in his arms. Da Xia instantly wrapped her arms on the guy and clasped her hands on his nape. If they were in the village and her master did this, all the villagers would probably be scandalized. The thought of Jingyi and Jin Mu's stunned faces had her giggling. Those two would probably bicker again about what kind of relationship she had with her master. If only they were born in the modern parallel world, they would understand that men and women could be close friends and could even hug each other.

"Why are you laughing?" Yong Jie tilted his head and glanced at her.

"Nothing," she replied cheerfully and rested her cheek on his shoulder while staring at him. Thinking back at the time when she first met the guy, a lot of things had changed between them. He already got used to her forthright manner of speech and her unreserved actions. And she also grew accustomed to his seemingly cold demeanor and to his rather excessive affinity for martial arts training. Being with each other every day gave them a complete understanding of each other's personality and dissipated the distance between them even though they were of different social status in Chun Empire.

"Were you just deceiving me when you said your legs and feet hurt?" He shot her a suspicious glare when he saw that she was smiling mysteriously as he carried her. "If I find out that you were lying, I will throw you off a cliff."