Jiang Wan spoke with conviction, but San Lang didn't believe her at all.
Given Scholar Zhou's attitude, it would be a miracle if he even showed up. Besides, how could Wan Wan, a child, possibly cure that osmanthus tree?
If she accidentally killed Scholar Zhou's tree, Scholar Zhou would surely go mad.
Therefore, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he might as well go study elsewhere. It would only be for two years, and he could tough it out.
San Lang began packing his belongings.
Jiang Wan paid him no mind, letting him fuss about. She, on the other hand, happily went to the back mountain to replenish her "energy tree."
Yan Li saw her arrive and asked, "How did things go?"
Jiang Wan raised her chubby little hand, pinching her thumb and index finger together, "Handled!"
Yan Li raised an eyebrow. "Did you really get him to agree?"
"Not yet, but if he doesn't agree within three days, I'll kowtow to you."
She was confident about this. Turning, she went to Gu Chenzhou's side, grabbed his clothes, and then sat quietly to absorb energy.
Gu Chenzhou didn't quite understand why she always grabbed his clothes whenever they met. With her holding his hem, his movements were somewhat inconvenient.
He tried to pull his hem free, but Jiang Wan glanced at him indifferently, "A grown man like you, don't be so stingy."
Gu Chenzhou: ...
Jiang Wan didn't care what he thought or whether he was happy. After all, he wouldn't dare to get angry with her.
She would absorb the energy first!
After several days of prolonged absorption, Jiang Wan clearly felt her energy reserves had increased significantly. If her body were a bottle and that energy were water, she had accumulated almost half a bottle.
She only needed to absorb another half bottle for her ability to achieve its first upgrade.
An upgrade of her ability wasn't a simple doubling of her power.
So, she had to hurry and absorb energy, guarding against the master and disciple suddenly leaving one day.
Although she never expected her ability to reach the heights of her previous life, every level gained was a gain. Her current ability was too limited, making her hesitant and cautious in everything she did.
An upgrade would at least mean she wouldn't have to worry about her ability vanishing without warning, leaving her unable to complete even a small task.
Gu Chenzhou, seeing her self-righteous demeanor, felt helpless and made an excuse about needing to practice.
Jiang Wan reluctantly let him go and sat idly on a chair, kicking her feet.
Yan Li leaned over and coaxed, "Little girl, why don't you practice too? You have such good potential, and your age is just right. Even a little practice would be better than your second brother. A young lady should learn some self-defense skills."
Jiang Wan initially wanted to say it wasn't necessary. She had her ability, was naturally strong, and possessed combat skills from her past life. Most people couldn't handle her.
But then she remembered that she couldn't use her ability in front of others as she had in her past life, so she hesitated.
What if she encountered a truly powerful opponent?
Seeing her hesitation, Yan Li continued to tempt her, "I have some techniques here that aren't too strenuous to practice, perfect for young ladies. And there's qinggong. Don't you want to be able to come and go as you please like me?"
This struck a chord with Jiang Wan.
Right, in this ancient era with underdeveloped transportation, going out meant riding a horse or taking a carriage, which was extremely inconvenient.
Although qinggong couldn't be used for extended periods, it was no problem for short distances!
It was especially practical for escaping.
So, Jiang Wan hummed in agreement, "Since Uncle Yan is so sincere, I'll learn a couple of moves from you. But I'll say this upfront, I'm not taking you as my master."
Yan Li rolled his eyes at her unceremoniously but didn't object.
Thus, Jiang Wan joined the martial arts training group.
"The basic training for qinggong is to tie weights to your legs. As time goes on, you increase the weight. When you can tie weights equal to your own body weight, you can remove them. At that point, you'll know what it means to be as light as a swallow. Then, I'll teach you internal energy."
Yan Li explained as he found two sandbags and personally helped Jiang Wan tie them on.
"Here, try them. Are they heavy?"
Jiang Wan jumped off the chair and stomped her foot. "Uncle Yan, are these sandbags filled with cotton? Why don't they have any weight?"
Yan Li: "Are you sure?"
Jiang Wan nodded with wide eyes.
Yan Li then got two more sandbags for her. "How about now?"
Jiang Wan lifted her leg. "Still no feeling."
Yan Li didn't believe her, thinking she was faking. "These weights already total ten pounds. Chenzhou is only wearing this much now. Don't push yourself. You have to wear these sandbags all the time, except when you sleep at night. You..."
Seeing his disbelief, Jiang Wan simply took off and started running laps around the courtyard in front of him.
Yan Li watched her agile figure and fell into thought.
Jiang Wan ran several laps before stopping, her face not flushed and her breathing not heavy. "Except for being a bit of a hindrance, I feel nothing."
Yan Li thought of the girl's incredible strength and twitched the corner of his mouth. He gritted his teeth and moved several substantial bags out. "These are heavier than your own body weight. Do you want to try them?"
"Try them, I'm not afraid!"
Yan Li nimbly tied those bags to Jiang Wan's legs and asked, "How do you feel now?"
Jiang Wan hopped twice. "It feels alright, a bit of weight. But Uncle Yan, won't this warp my legs? I'm telling you, a girl's leg shape is very important. If you tie me into bowlegs, my mother will come with a knife to chop you."
Yan Li's veins bulged on his forehead.
"Do you still want to learn or not?"
"Yes, why not? But I don't think this is very meaningful for me. Didn't you say when it reaches your own weight, it's done? This already exceeds my weight, so I think this part can be skipped entirely."
Yan Li glared at her. "That's for normal people. Are you a normal person?"
Jiang Wan: ...You're not normal, your whole family isn't normal!
Yan Li's face hardened. "Don't think I don't know you're cursing me in your mind."
Jiang Wan was surprised. "Am I that obvious?"
Yan Li: "There are no shortcuts to training. You honestly tie them..."
Jiang Wan tried to negotiate. "That's not necessarily true. Why don't you teach me the internal energy cultivation method first? I'll ponder it, and perhaps I'm an ordinary martial arts prodigy. These common, clumsy methods will only limit my growth?"
Yan Li regretted it. How could he have been so foolish as to seek out trouble by letting this girl practice martial arts?
He thought, why did this perfectly fine little girl suddenly grow a mouth?
Jiang Wan, seeing his exasperated expression, couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. I'll tie them on. Who am I to be so difficult?"