Chu Qianli couldn't recall how many times she had fallen against the stone wall throughout the night.
At first, she hit her body every time. Although the force with which Uncle Jiu threw her was very well controlled, her body still ached with each impact.
But later, gradually, as she stepped according to the mental cultivation method and incantations taught by Uncle Jiu, her steps seemed to become more powerful with each attempt.
She realized that stepping didn't require so much force. Following the incantations, her steps could actually utilize the momentum.
From initially only being able to linger at the bottom of the cliff, she could later ascend.
With effortless steps, just by maintaining a breath of vital energy, she could soar towards the cliff top.
Each time, her height increased.
Higher and higher.
She persisted for longer and longer.
But her strength was also nearing its limit.
The moment she fell again, Chu Qianli suddenly looked back, gazing at the man below.
Uncle Jiu was like a towering, resolute tree supporting the sky.
She suddenly wished that time could freeze at this moment.
To follow Uncle Jiu, to the ends of the earth, practicing martial arts by leaping off cliffs, wouldn't that be wonderful?
Feng Dingchu caught her firmly once more.
Just as he was about to throw her again, that small hand tightly clutched his collar.
"...Uncle Jiu, this time... I really have no strength left."
With great effort, she managed to utter this sentence. Then, the girl tilted her head and fainted.
Feng Dingchu's brow furrowed slightly. He took her hand and placed his long fingers on her wrist pulse.
Her pulse was somewhat erratic and rapid, but still within normal limits.
She had truly fallen asleep from exhaustion, not fainted.
Feng Dingchu lowered his head, looking at her small, sweat-drenched face.
After toiling all night, her complexion hadn't turned paler; instead, it had gained a touch of rosy vitality.
It seemed she had truly mastered the mental cultivation method and incantations.
This girl's learning ability was truly formidable.
What ordinary people took at least a month to grasp the essence of the incantations, she had achieved in a single night.
It was just a pity that even in her sleep, those two slender, willow-leaf eyebrows remained slightly furrowed.
Unhappy.
It seemed she had been bullied quite a bit; Xiao Xuanzi's three punches were too light.
"Next time he bullies you, tell Uncle Jiu, and I'll get him back for you."
"...Mm." Chu Qianli, in her sleep, curled her slender body and nestled her face into his embrace, sleeping soundly.
The melancholy in her brows seemed to have faded considerably after his words.
She was also a little girl lacking a sense of security.
She also longed for affection.
Who wouldn't?
After all, she was only sixteen or seventeen.
Feng Dingchu sighed silently, holding the completely unconscious little thing, leaped up, and swiftly returned to the cliff top...
...
"Uncle Jiu!"
Chu Qianli sat up abruptly.
After sitting up, she opened her eyes and saw that she was alone in the room.
Instantly, she felt a sense of disappointment.
Uncle Jiu had left.
She didn't know when he would come to find her again.
She suddenly wished she could leave with Uncle Jiu, no matter where they went, as long as Uncle Jiu was by her side.
Only when he was near did she feel secure...
"Miss, you're awake?" Fu Ning knocked on her door, carrying a basin of warm water for washing.
Chu Qianli let out a breath and threw off the quilt.
As she was about to get out of bed, she suddenly felt something was not quite right with her body.
Her dantian felt scorching hot?
"Mmm..." She suddenly knitted her brows tightly, gripping the quilt beneath her.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Fu Ning was startled and hurried over, intending to help her.
However, before her hand could even touch Chu Qianli, before she could react, she was violently thrown back by a powerful force...