Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

After exchanging a few more trivial words, Xu Zhibao got up to say goodbye.

Shen Chu saw him to the door and watched him disappear into the alley before slowly withdrawing her gaze.

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as the sun was rising over the courtyard wall, Miss Situ arrived as promised.

She changed into a light green outfit today, which made her look more refreshing and neat than yesterday.

After entering the courtyard, Miss Situ waved to Shen Chu and Li Chengwen and said with a smile, "Let's go, Senior Sister Li is already waiting."

Shen Chu and Li Chengwen followed her out the door, through several streets and alleys, and finally arrived at the gate of the house without a plaque.

This time, Miss Situ didn't make them wait at the door. Instead, she pushed the door open and led them inside.

Passing through the screen wall and the corridor, Shen Chu noticed that the residence was unremarkable from the outside, but its interior layout was quite spacious.

The pavilions and towers are arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner, with lush flowers and trees, clearly indicating that this is not an estate that an ordinary family could own.

As he walked, he secretly observed the academy, growing increasingly curious about its background.

Miss Situ seemed to sense his confusion and explained with a smile as she walked:

"You don't know yet, do you? This place is called Qingyang Academy, a martial arts academy established with the backing of the Qingyang County government. The instructors here include retired military experts, renowned teachers invited from various places, and well-known seniors in the martial arts world. In short, none of those who can work at the academy are easy to deal with. As for the students, some are children of officials, some are descendants of wealthy merchants, and some are exceptionally talented students from poor families. As long as they can pass the academy's examination, they can be admitted."

As she said this, she turned back and winked at Shen Chu:

"So, young man Shen, are you interested in studying at the academy? With your skills, getting in shouldn't be too difficult."

Shen Chu smiled but didn't reply.

There are still many tasks to be completed, the most pressing being the task of dealing with the strange man in the green robe. If the academy can handle it, that would be good; if not...

As they pondered, the three passed through another moon gate and arrived at a spacious backyard.

Before Shen Chu could even get a clear look at the scene in the courtyard, she heard a deafening roar of shouts and cheers:

"Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull!"

He looked closely and saw a thick wooden stake standing in the center of the yard. Two hemp ropes, each as thick as a baby's arm, were tied to the stake. The other ends of the ropes were being pulled by two teams of people, who were engaged in a fierce tug-of-war.

The group on the left consisted of a dozen or so burly men, each shirtless, with bulging muscles and veins, clearly seasoned martial arts practitioners.

There's only one person in the team on the right.

a woman.

The woman was extremely tall, estimated to be at least eight feet tall, a head taller than most of the strong men present.

She was dressed in a smart, tailored outfit, her long hair tied back in a high ponytail, revealing a sharply defined, spirited face.

Her facial features appeared extremely refined.

His eyebrows were like distant mountains, his eyes like cold stars, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were clearly defined!

If we ignore her height and presence, which are comparable to a strong man's,

In terms of appearance alone, she absolutely deserves the title of "beauty".

The woman gripped the rope tightly with both hands, her feet firmly planted on the ground, her entire body as still as an iron tower.

The dozen or so burly men opposite her turned red in the face and exerted all their strength. The rope was taut and made a creaking sound, but they couldn't budge her an inch.

The woman then took a deep breath, swung her arms, lowered her waist, and exerted a sudden burst of strength.

A tremendous force traveled along the rope, and the dozen or so burly men opposite them fell to the ground with cries of alarm, rolling around in a heap, just like small boats capsized by a giant wave.

The woman loosened the rope, dusted off her hands, and a satisfied smile spread across her face. She laughed loudly, "Hahaha! That felt great! It's been so long since I've stretched my muscles!"

"Senior sister, Brother Li and the others are here!"

Seeing that the woman easily pulled more than a dozen strong men to the ground, Miss Situ smiled and greeted the woman.

Shen Chu stood at the entrance of the Moon Cave, completely stunned.

He had originally assumed that since this Miss Li was Li Chengwen's sister, she would be a gentle, dignified, and well-educated young lady from a respectable family.

She was just like the ethereal, elegant woman he had imagined.

He had even spotted a woman in the crowd who fit this image and was about to go up and greet her...

Then this eight-foot-tall, seemingly powerful Barbie with the punch to the head appeared.

He slowly turned his head to look at Li Chengwen beside him.

Li Chengwen obediently stepped forward, stood before the woman, and respectfully bowed with his hands clasped in greeting, his tone as docile as if he were seeing his own father.

No, it should be more respectful than to one's own father!

"Big sister, I'm here."

Shen Chu: "..."

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

Shen Chu suddenly understood why the three men of the Li family always spoke with a subtle sense of awe when they mentioned the eldest daughter of the Li family.

This is fucking...

Who wouldn't be afraid?!

The woman was a full head taller than Li Chengwen. She looked down at her elder brother with a mixture of scrutiny and satisfaction in her eyes.

"Brother, this business deal went well. Fifteen hundred longswords were delivered to the Ordnance Department on time and in the correct quantity. We also dealt with some of those scoundrels' ambushes along the way. We didn't bring shame to the Li family. I'm very pleased."

Li Chengwen stood before her, his hands hanging neatly at his sides, his back ramrod straight.

Hearing his sister's praise, a simple, honest smile appeared on his face, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "It's all thanks to you, sister. If you hadn't made arrangements with the Ordnance Department beforehand, how could I have gone so smoothly..."

Shen Chu stood a few steps away, watching the scene before her, and couldn't help but twitch her lips slightly.

They don't look like siblings at all.

This is clearly a tiger praising a rabbit for doing a great job.

Li Chengwen's obedient and docile demeanor was completely different from his fawning and obsequious behavior in front of Madam Hu last night.

Shen Chu couldn't help but sigh silently in her heart.

Indeed, there's always someone who can overcome something else; braising water can help set tofu.

Miss Li nodded in satisfaction, then shifted her gaze from Li Chengwen to Shen Chu.

Upon seeing Shen Chu, her eyes lit up instantly. Then, she strode over and slapped Shen Chu hard on the shoulder.

Snapped!

The force was so great that Shen Chu felt his shoulder blades let out a mournful cry.

Fortunately, he was mentally prepared. He lowered his legs slightly to steady himself and avoided being knocked off balance.

When Miss Li saw that he had caught her palm strike steadily, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, which quickly turned into even greater interest and admiration.