Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Silent all night.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Xie Lingyun's voice came from outside the courtyard: "Xie Mo, come out and practice your sword."

Xie Xiaoyi rubbed his eyes, pushed open the door, and casually asked, "Auntie, where are we practicing?"

"seaside."

......

Upon reaching the beach, the morning waves crashed against the rocks, splashing water everywhere. Xie Xiaoyi stood on the shore, holding the Guan Canghai watchful watch, and looked up to ask:

"Auntie, what sword technique do you want to teach me today?"

Xie Lingyun stood on a giant rock overlooking the water, long sword in hand, his black robes fluttering in the sea breeze, and said calmly:

"The most basic techniques are chopping, slashing, stabbing, and thrusting. Master these four techniques first."

Xie Xiaoyi immediately raised an eyebrow, shook the Guan Canghai sword in his hand, and said nonchalantly, "I've known this for a long time, I can play it anytime!"

"My teaching method is different from what you learned." Xie Lingyun glanced at the churning sea, his tone calm. "Go into the sea."

Xie Xiaoyi was taken aback: "The sea? Auntie, you don't mean you want me to fight against the waves, do you?"

Xie Lingyun hummed in agreement and nodded slightly.

"When the waves come, use your sword to catch them. Split the waves, cut the water's force, pierce the wave's momentum, and deflect the remaining force. Follow the waves with these four techniques. If you can't catch them, you'll be hit. That's how you practice."

"Auntie, your way of practicing swordsmanship is really novel!"

"What, scared?"

"Scared?!" Xie Xiaoyi pointed to himself. "Auntie, do you know my nickname in the martial arts world?"

"have no idea!"

"My nickname is 'I can traverse three mountains, command four seas, and ride waves without fear of ghosts.'"

"It's all flashy and sounds fake."

"Auntie, you're so beautiful, but you're too serious. Can you smile at me? Maybe I can help you conquer the four seas."

"I...I've forgotten how to laugh."

"Auntie, did you mean eggplant or Panax notoginseng?"

Xie Lingyun paused slightly, lowered his eyes and remained silent for a moment, then actually followed his words and softly uttered two words: "Eggplant."

As soon as she finished speaking, she was stunned. She raised her hand to touch the corner of her lips—the smile that had been forgotten for so many years actually lifted up.

He thought to himself, "He's still the same as before; he always has a way of doing things."

"It's done!" Xie Xiaoyi's eyes lit up, and he gripped Guan Canghai tightly, shouting, "Auntie, you can smile!"

It's beautiful! I told you, if you smile, I'll help you conquer the four seas!

Having said that, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his Vajra Saintly Realm physique burst forth with brute power, leaping into the seawater.

With a loud "bang," a spray of water several meters high erupted, causing the waves in the nearshore waters to pause.

Xie Xiaoyi planted himself on the shallows, gripped the sword tightly, and faced the surging waves. He then slashed out with his sword.

"Sword Seven, Piercing the Sun!"

With a "whoosh," the wave was split in two, and water sprayed to both sides.

The waves kept coming, and he swung his sword again and again, slashing, hacking, thrusting, and parrying in turn.

Relying on his Vajra Saintly Body, Lang Lai cleaved Lang Lai in two with a single sword strike, clearing a waveless space in front of him.

Xie Lingyun stood atop the giant rock, his black robes billowing in the sea breeze, his gaze fixed on Xie Xiaoyi, his heart filled with admiration—

This realm is exactly the same as his back then, having entered the Ninth Grade Vajra Saint Realm at a young age.

Such talent is beyond the reach of others even if they spend their entire lives trying to achieve it, yet he possesses it with ease. Even the tenacity in his sword-wielding is strikingly similar to that person from back then.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the sword, and a hint of warmth flickered in her cool eyes: In this second life, it's my turn to protect him.

......

Although Xie Xiaoyi was at the ninth rank, he had not yet reached the upper fifth rank of Sunrise and Profound Realm, and his inner strength would eventually run out.

At first, his swordplay was fast and fierce, but after more than half an hour, he started to pant, his sword swings slowed down, and his arms became sore and numb.

Another huge wave crashed in. Xie Xiaoyi gritted his teeth and slashed out with his sword. He managed to split the wave, but Guan Canghai almost lost his grip and staggered back two steps.

He leaned on his sword, panting heavily, sweat mingling with seawater streaming down his face, his chest heaving with exhaustion.

"Auntie, can I rest for a while now?"

"Can't!"

"But each of these waves is incredibly turbulent. Every time I strike with my sword, it feels like I'm going head-to-head with a top master. My inner energy is almost depleted!"

"Didn't you just say you'd conquer the seas for me? You're afraid of just a few waves?"

Xie Xiaoyi's flirting skills were second nature; without a second thought, he blurted out, "Auntie, you are my everything!"

The moment he finished speaking, his wrist suddenly sank, and Guan Canghai slashed down with a force that seemed to break through the wind—

With a loud bang, the towering wave crashing towards us was cleaved in two, sending water spraying everywhere.

Am I his ocean?

Does he mean he wants to conquer me?

Xie Lingyun, standing on the giant rock, felt a sudden "buzz" in her mind. These words struck her heart directly, and her usually cool face instantly turned red, even her ears burning.

Xie Xiaoyi only realized after he finished speaking that he hadn't controlled his wanton nature again, and that what he had just said was tantamount to disrespecting her!

He was stunned and wanted to say something to make amends.

At that moment, Xie Lingyun's voice came from the giant rock, his tone softer than before: "Come up and rest for a while!"

Xie Xiaoyi was filled with unease, fearing that this female grandmaster, who could manipulate the energy of heaven and earth and ascend to immortality, would turn on him.

His own Vajra Realm physique was utterly inadequate in front of her; it was as fragile as paper.

"Okay, Auntie, you're not angry about what I did just now, are you?"

Xie Lingyun glanced at him, his tone unreadable, and asked casually, "What happened just now?"

So she didn't hear me?

Xie Xiaoyi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly waved his hand with an embarrassed smile, "Ah...it's nothing!"

Gazing at that stunningly beautiful profile, his heart fluttered, and he leaped onto the boulder.

Seeing that he had settled down, Xie Lingyun slowly sat down on the stone and gently patted the spot beside him, saying, "You sit down too!"

Xie Xiaoyi smiled, narrowing his eyes, and sat down beside her, wiping the water from his face. "Auntie, is this training method for swordsmanship or for sword intent?"

Xie Lingyun looked up at the churning sea, his tone calm and his words straightforward:

"To forge the sword's intent with the tides is to cultivate the steadiness of the sword strike; to forge the sword's heart with the sea breeze is to cultivate the tranquility of a mind free of distractions."

The waves are endless, but the mind must not be disturbed. Only when the sword can follow the will of the heart, undisturbed by external things, can one be said to have entered the realm of swordsmanship.

Practicing swordsmanship in the sea?

Isn't this similar to Yang Guo's sword-training method in the novel "The Return of the Condor Heroes" before the time travel?

Xie Xiaoyi gazed at the churning sea, suddenly smiled, and turned to Xie Lingyun, saying:

"Auntie, there's a story from my hometown. One of the male protagonists practiced swordsmanship in the sea and eventually created his own 'Heartbreak Palm'."

Xie Lingyun turned his head to look at him and replied casually, "The Heart-Rending Palm? That's quite a unique name."

Xie Xiaoyi gazed at the ebb and flow of the tide in the distance, his voice softening as he spoke, word by word:

"Longing is useless, only separation remains. If the date of parting is fixed, what are a thousand kinds of torment? Do not say that the soul is broken, for there is always light at the end of the tunnel."

Xie Lingyun's body trembled violently upon hearing this, and a storm raged within his usually cold eyes—

His casually uttered words were like a knife to the heart, encapsulating her eighteen years of torment in a single sentence.