Chapter 129 - Stop Visiting

Afternoon training consisted of sword training. She grinned happily when she saw the weapons laid down on the table and she was about to grab one of shining blades when a wooden stick slapped the back of her hand.

She withdraw with a hiss. It was Master. "You're not going to touch a blade," he said then threw the stick in the air and caught it at the other end. He offered the hilt to Feng Xuan. "You're starting with the basics."

She resisted the urge to pout and grabbed the wooden stick. For days, she had been slashing at air. In different poses the Master probed her shoulders, elbows, knees, back, and stomach into place. She remembered most of what she had learned when she was younger. But that was not enough.

Her arms and legs burned with exhaustion that come nighttime, she was pretty she was half-dead when she closed her eyes for a few hours of sleep. She had been eating a lot of meat to develop her muscles and she was convinced that she was gaining more.

The only thing that let her peacefully sleep at night, was that she knew that the pain and the weariness only meant that her body was finally improving. She welcomed it with open arms.

Finally the two-week mark was up and Feng Xuan was pulled out by Master from her afternoon training and into a small stone gazebo with uncomfortable stone chairs. But the smell of flowers and the greenery of the place made it lovely.

Qing Chen and her father was there.

She bounded to the place and engulfed them both in quick hugs. "I smell of sweat. Better to keep your distance."

"I don't really mind," Qing Chen smiled at her and they all sat down. He was wearing a casual shirt tucked in navy blue pants.

"Are you sure you're doing your training?" she picked an apple from the snack tray they were provided and bit into it. "You look the same."

"It was because we're only working on our skills. I'm pretty much lagging behind Wuming in all fields," he said. 

"How are you, Father?"

"I'm doing fine. I'm just worried about you. Are they treating you alright?" her father's beady eyes blinked at her. 

"Yes, Master is really treating me like a student."

Being in this training ground made her realize that her old trainer, The Marshall (whom already passed away due to some chronic illness years ago), had been treating her like a princess in her years of training. She didn't have to do cleaning and cooking. It was just purely swords, guns, fists, and legs.

She turned to Qing Chen. "How's your training going?"

"We're doing fine. I get body pains all day. Wuming refused to go easy on us in sparring."

Feng Xuan felt a pang of jealousy. They were already sparring and she was still wielding a wooden stick. "Any word from The Zookeeper?"

"None at the moment," he answered. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if he would come in contact with us soon. I'll let you know as soon as I can."

Feng Xuan sighed internally. If The Zookeeper was keeping an eye on them, surely he would know she was up here in the mountains. She couldn't afford staying there for more than three months. She wanted to end this as soon as possible.

"Listen," she said to the both of the men in front of her. "I need you to stop visiting until I finish. I have to put my all into this. I need to get my bearings straight. I'm doing the best that I can but I'm following Master's program. I'll convince him to fasten it up in exchange for my visitation rights," she grinned. "Would that would be okay?"

The two exchanged a look. It was her father who spoke first. "Whatever it is that you need, child."

She knew it made Qing Chen sad but he sent her a supportive smile anyway. "I'll be home soon," she said to them when they were already saying goodbye. She hugged them in turn. "See you."

When Qing Chen hugged her, he whispered, "Do your best."

She replied, "I will."

**

Qing Lok groaned from the ring as Wuming slammed him down. "What the hell?!"

Wuming only stuck his tongue out. "You're the weakest among us three." He tackled Qing Lok and began punching with his glove covered fists. "You need to keep up if you want to keep yourself alive. Chen, get in here."

Qing Chen was on the other corner of the ring, his hands behind his head and he was staring at the gray ceiling. "She doesn't want us to visit her."

"You're being overly dramatic, Chen. Chill out. Maybe she met someone more handsome than you. Did you see her classmates?"

"I didn't. Nobody was outside when we got there."

"Ha!" he exclaimed. "She's back to herself and decided she wants an assassin as a lover." He shrugged as he continue beating down on Qing Lok who had his arms raised to protect his head. "Stop protecting your face, Lok! You're always on defense! How are you supposed to win if you're not attacking?!"

Wuming had not needed a trainer but he gladly jumped into the program. Being part of a system restored some normalcy in his life. He stood up and walked over to his younger brother. He toed his side. "Get up, I want to spar with you."

They were all shirtless and their bodies glistened with sweat. Their trainings happened in the afternoon and evenings, less the 'nanny duties' that Feng Xuan did in the training grounds.

"I'm tired," Qing Chen said. It was true. He was up early in the morning for office.

Wuming dropped next to him. "You're just sad."

Qing Chen appeared to be thinking. "Do you feel like breaking some rules?"

"Oh boy," Wuming groaned. "I'm not going to infiltrate an assassin school with you. Never."