Chapter 53: Treading on Water, Riding Waves
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
It would take at least a few months to figure out a profound saber technique like the Heaven Equaling Saber. Dongfang Liren was in no hurry. She nodded and said, “Learn well. As long as you figure out the practice method, I’ll teach you the Dragon Slaying Decree even if you don’t know how to use it. By the way, last time, you said that you wanted to learn lightness skills. You read Lu Jieyun’s lightness skills insights for a few days. What did you comprehend?”
Ye Jingtang had just started practicing lightness skills. Speaking of which, he had yet to study the insights of the Grandmaster. “I’m inexperienced in Jianghu and have never come into contact with profound martial arts. If you want me to talk about comprehension, 1 definitely won’t be able to say anything. Why don’t 1 compete with Your Highness to see my current level of lightness skills?”
Dongfang Liren found it funny, but she still put on the demeanor that an expert should have and didn’t decline. In order to let Ye Jingtang understand what ‘the immensity of heaven and earth’ meant, she tapped the grass with the tip of her toes, leaped up lightly, and landed on a willow tree on the river bank. Her figure was light and ethereal like a fairy.
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang took a step forward.
Swoosh!
He soared into the air and landed on a branch beside Dongfang Liren, causing the willow tree’s branches to sway a few times.
Creak, creak..
This scene showed who was superior. He was clearly inferior to Dongfang Liren.
But surprise flashed in Dongfang Liren’s eyes. “You know lightness skills?”
“I’ve just learned a bit. Sorry for making a fool of myself in front of Your Highness.”
Just learned? Dongfang Liren was slightly puzzled. A few days ago, she had confirmed that Ye Jingtang didn’t know lightness skills. Could it be that when she tested him last time, he was hiding his skills?
Dongfang Liren thought for a moment and jumped down from the willow tree. She landed on the clear river, touched the blue waves with her feet, and walked upstream like a dragonfly skimming the water. She was full of heroism.
Ye Jingtang hadn’t tried ‘Treading on Water, Riding Waves’ yet, but according to the principle of lightness skills, as long as there was a place to borrow strength, he could fly even on blades of grass.
Ye Jingtang pondered for a moment before jumping down and falling straight into the river. In the end…
Plop!
Water splashed everywhere. Seeing this, the bird shook its head.
Treading on Water, Riding Waves was a great test of the mastery of lightness skills. If one didn’t master them well, they would become drenched.
Dongfang Liren knew this would happen. She looked back with a teasing expression, but before she could ridicule him, her eyes turned to surprise.
After Ye Jingtang fell into the river, he quickly rushed out of the water and ran wildly on the river.
Tread, tread, tread!
Although his movements were swift and violent, causing the water to splash higher than a person, which looked very unsightly. But the ‘Powerful Flying Brick’ was extremely fast.
The moment Dongfang Liren turned around, Ye Jingtang had already overtaken her and rushed upstream like a wild horse.
??
It was the first time Dongfang Liren had seen such strange lightness skills in her life. She couldn’t help asking, “Why are you running so fast?”
Ye Jingtang’s answer was quite straightforward. “If I run slowly, I will fall into the water. What does Your Highness think of my lightness skills?”
What kind of lightness skills is this?! Dongfang Liren didn’t know what to say to Ye Jingtang. He was really fast, but his movements were like thunder. Other than escaping, what was the use?
Dongfang Liren was not a Grandmaster, but she had learned lightness skills from the White-Haired Diting. She was absolutely top-notch. She was a little dissatisfied that a half-baked person had overtaken her, so he immediately sped up and chased after him. “The key point of lightness skills is ‘lightness’. Silently fast is really fast… You!”
Dongfang Liren wanted to catch up to him and explain, but she found that this fellow in front of her didn’t know the ways of the world at all. When he noticed her chasing after him, he actually ran faster and faster, as if he wanted to shake her off.
Tread, tread, tread…
A line of ripples appeared on the clear river surface.
Two figures were flying forward, one in the front and one behind. One was like a dragonfly skimming the water, carefree and handsome, while the other was like a child kicking away water.
After chasing for a while, Dongfang Liren slowly realized that something was wrong.
Ye Jingtang’s speed of treading water kept increasing, and his speed was already beyond common sense. If it were Shang Jianli, he could probably run to a draw. But she couldn’t catch up at all!
“You!” Dongfang Liren was instantly furious, thinking that Ye Jingtang had pretended to be weak to tease her.
But after taking a closer look at Ye Jingtang’s footsteps, she realized that he was indeed a dabbler. His running was too ugly!
But this was enough for him to shake her off?
Dongfang Liren gritted her teeth and accelerated with all her might. She wanted to chase after him, but after chasing for a long time, not only did she not close the distance, but she was getting farther and farther away. Seeing that she couldn’t catch up, she could only shout, “Stop!”
Ye Jingtang was only familiarizing himself with the rhythm of treading on water and borrowing strength. As he became more and more familiar with it, he naturally became faster and faster. Only when he heard the voice did he realize that something was wrong. He quickly jumped up from the river and landed on the river bank.
Tread, tread, tread…
The blue waves rippled on the river’s surface. Dongfang Liren, dressed in her python robe, instantly chased after him and landed in front of him, her willowy eyebrows raised!
Ye Jingtang realized the problem and said awkwardly, “I just learned lightness skills and couldn’t hold back. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
Dongfang Liren’s fat-headed dragon puffed up a little. But she was not a delicate woman. After glancing at Ye Jingtang, she suppressed her anger. “You’ve just learned lightness skills, but you can run so fast. Your foundation is indeed not bad. You have to practice more in the future. Don’t just try to be fast. An expert who is good at lightness skills is difficult to see from a hundred steps. Like you, even if you run for five kilometers, the pursuers can follow the movements and catch up.”
Ye Jingtang knew the flaws of his lightness skills and nodded. “Thanks for the pointers, Your Highness. I will definitely pay attention in the future.”
Dongfang Liren originally wanted to discuss martial arts with Ye Jingtang, but after being tossed about like this, she felt that it was impossible to chat. So she caught the bird and turned around. “What you lack the most now is ‘worldly experience’. In the future, you should ask me and the experts of the Black Office for guidance. Even though you have a good foundation, you have to take the right path to achieve something.”
The two of them had chased each other and ran along the river for about three kilometers. They were already far away from the Clear Water Villa. When they arrived near the White Horse Academy in the city outskirts, the sky was already dark.
White Horse Academy was one of the four major academies in Yun Province. Ordinary wealthy merchants liked to donate a lot of money to send their children here for ‘gilding’. The eldest young master of the Pei family, Pei Luo, studied here. Ye Jingtang had heard from Chen Biao that the family had spent a lot of money to send him here.
The academy was located on the river bank. Because the students came from all over the world, they all lived in the academy. There were also a few small streets outside the academy.
However, the rules of the academy were extremely strict. Once it was dark, the students had to return to the dormitory to do their homework and get ready for bed. The small streets outside were also closed.
At this moment, Dongfang Liren was almost self-closing regarding lightness skills, so she wasn’t interested in flying back with Ye Jingtang. She placed the bird on her shoulder and walked with her hands behind her back while looking at the quiet academy. “Have you studied?”
“My family ran an escort agency and was fairly well-off. I attended a private school for a few years, but I’ve never been to such a large academy. 1 have read many books and have basically read everything on the market.”
“Oh?” Dongfang Liren had already discovered that Ye Jingtang’s talent in martial arts was a little terrifying, and his appearance was so outstanding. If he were good at both civil and martial arts, he really wouldn’t be human. “How is your literary talent?”
“My writing is decent, and 1 know some accounting, but I don’t know anything else.”
“That’s a pity. The martial arts style of Great Wei is prosperous. Men with good martial arts skills are too common, but scholars are very rare. If you knew how to recite and compose poems and showed your face at literary conferences, who knows how many families would take the initiative to come to your door and ask you to be their son-in-law.”
“Everyone has their own strengths. Poetry…” Ye Jingtang wanted to show off casually, but before he could think of it, his ears twitched slightly.. He immediately turned to look at the dark street…
