Backlash Part 1

Chapter 68: Using a sword is like learning to cook

Wei Wuxian stepped forward to make a small correction to Jiang Yanli's footwork as she went through the techniques he had taught her. When Jiang Yanlie asked him to teach her how to fight he was more than surprised. He thought she either wasn't interested in such things or actively disliked it. Even though he was surprised, Wei Wuxian didn't think much about it when she asked him. This was his Shijie. She wanted him to teach her. He liked teaching. Of course he would teach her.

It had been months since she first made the request, and to say he was impressed was an understatement. Wei Wuxian had taught a lot of disciples. It was part of his duties as head disciple of the YunmengJiang sect. Even though it seemed like a lifetime ago, he hadn't forgotten what he learned or what it was like to teach. He remembered enjoying teaching, but teaching Jiang Yanli brought that memory to the forefront. He didn't just like teaching. He loved it. He loved being able to help. Finding interesting ways to explain and demonstrate things to help make it easier to understand.

However the biggest surprise was how quickly Jiang Yanli learned. Wei Wuxian didn't recall ever seeing her hold a sword before. Everyone learned at a different pace so he never really put any expectations on her for how quickly she would learn something. He was floored when he saw how quickly she was picking up the techniques. Every now and then he would introduce a technique that she would struggle with. They might spend weeks working on just that technique, but eventually things would click into place.

The first time this happened Jiang Yanli had looked so disappointed with herself. Wei Wuxian couldn't bear to see that look on his Shijie's face. He suggested they take a break. Jiang Yanli refused at first. She insisted she needed to keep going until she got it. Until Wei Wuxian started pouting. Wei Wuxian gave her his best puppy eyes and whined about being too hungry to keep practicing. He didn't stop until Jiang Yanli was laughing and walking to the kitchen to make something for him. Once they finished eating he asked her about how she learned how to cook.

He was only half curious about how she learned to cook. He prodded to find out what was hard for her, and how long it took her to learn. He kept asking until he heard what he had been looking for. Not all parts of learning to cook had been easy for her, and it took her a long time to get even the easy recipes perfect. Apparently she had adjusted the seasonings in her Lotus and Pork Rib soup dozens of times. Wei Wuxian had no idea she had made so many attempts and adjustments, but it did make sense why it was so wonderful. She had put so much effort into getting the soup just right.

'Learning to use a sword and learning to cook. It's the same kind of thing. Some parts are easy, and some parts take awhile to figure out. You'll do a lot better than me. You won't burn the kitchen down during your first try.' Wei Wuxian had said with a grin. The next day they started again and after a while Jiang Yanli got the hang of it. That first technique she had struggled with took weeks for her to get right. Once she got it she had the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face. Wei Wuxian wasn't sure he had ever seen her so excited as she was that day.

Today was a little different from their usual day, because today Jiang Yanli had brought someone with her. Apparently there were no classes so Jiang Yanli brought Luo Qingyang with to her daily training. Wei Wuxian didn't have any complaints. Luo Qingyang was energetic and a bit fiery. Wei Wuxian couldn't resist teasing her a bit at the start and he swore Luo Qingyang almost bit his head off. Not that that dissuaded him. Would he still be Wei Wuxian if that was enough to make him stop teasing someone?

The normal schedule was that they would practice for an hour or two before lunch. They'd stop and eat. Then they'd continue for another couple hours in the afternoon. It depended a bit on how tired they were, or if Wei Wuxian needed to meet with Lan Xichen about something. Today there wasn't anything planned, but Lan Wangji seemed to be acting a bit different. Lan Wangji often watched Wei Wuxian train Jiang Yanli. Sometimes he would do his own practice at the same time or meditate. After the first couple of months he started trying out leaving for short periods of time.