Chapter 426 - 0265 Improving oneself, this matter knows no end (2-in-1)_2

It’s just that the True Essence Spiritual Power guided by Xu Chang’an was too strong, and with one swing of the sword, even Miss Yun was spun around in place by the True Qi.

"Plop."

The scabbard was flung away and clattered to the ground, while the girl, in a rather ungraceful posture, limply collapsed onto the mat.

"Miss, hold on tighter, what is this... Flying Sword?"

Xu Chang’an glanced at the longsword that had cut into the dirt in the distance, and his eye twitched: "How can your sword dance be life-threatening?"

"I-I can’t hurt you." Yun Qian muttered a sentence, then hazily closed her eyes.

Where she fell, she rested.

Looking at Yun Qian’s dazed appearance, Xu Chang’an wanted to laugh, but laughing out loud at this moment was clearly inappropriate, so he forcibly held back his laughter.

Yun Qian gathered herself, shook her head, and said, "I told you I’m not good at it."

"Using a method for picking candied fruit to wield a sword is surely not the way." Xu Chang’an laughed, then praised: "Actually, it’s fine. I find that as long as you’re holding a sword, you look beautiful, yes, beautiful."

Very much in line with the image of a woman he often fantasized about when reading novels.

Miss Yun, although physically frail, did not look timid; on the contrary, her ever-calm eyes were quite captivating.

Of course, this refers to her appearance while holding a sword, not the awkward way she stumbled when pulled by the sword, which was not the image he had imagined.

However, he didn’t deny that he was still very much fond of this version of Yun Qian.

"As long as I look good... it’s enough?" Yun Qian responded, lowering her head, with her soft dark hair slightly disheveled, resembling a curtain hanging down.

She didn’t just want to look good.

For instance... the sword, perhaps she also wanted to receive praise for it.

"So, compared to the challenging sword, the seven-stringed zither and music are more suitable for you, Miss, since they only require a nimble mind and... the strength to move your fingers." Xu Chang’an laughed, "Though playing the zither can be physically demanding in later stages, at least in the beginning, the difficulty of entry is not on the same level."

He thought Miss Yun had already seen reality clearly, so he asked outright: "Have you seen clearly?"

Xu Chang’an smiled, thinking that with reality right in front of her, even Miss Yun should put away unrealistic fantasies.

Yun Qian lifted her head, slightly parted her cherry lips, revealing a hint of her delicate porcelain teeth.

"I’ve seen it clearly."

She steadied the energy drained from the sword dance and said, "I saw clearly the liking in your eyes."

She clearly perceived Xu Chang’an’s liking for "sword-dancing women."

Xu Chang’an: "..."

His smile froze once again, and after being stunned for a while, he showed a thoughtful expression.

"Miss Aqing?" he asked,

"Yes." Yun Qian acknowledged, knowing that he would eventually figure it out.

"I thought so." Xu Chang’an covered his face with one hand.

How foolish he was, anything he couldn’t understand regarding Miss Yun, he only had to look to himself for answers.

It turns out, the root cause of everything was his offhand comment long ago, "I like Miss Aqing."

She was a woman whose combat power was unimaginably high and knew how to let go for her lover at crucial times.

After all, when Miss Yun asked which woman in the book he liked the most, he always had to choose one.

And this woman, filled with intricacy and legend, was indeed his favorite character.

And then it all started.

So far, all the girls he approached, except for some daily necessities, were ultimately all related to Yun Qian, paving the way for the girl in the future. Saying they were all "social interactions" wouldn’t be appropriate, but keeping a sense of propriety and not causing the slightest ambiguity was something he always did.

But there was one girl who was the exception.

This person, Xu Chang’an had said he liked, and it wasn’t because of Yun Qian.

This must be true love.

From that time on, "Miss Aqing" became a character in Yun Qian’s heart whom her husband genuinely liked.

Even though he had said many times she was a fictional, nonexistent character, Miss Yun believed that liking was liking, regardless of whether the object of affection truly existed in this world.

Because the feelings of affection and the desires of admiration cannot be faked.

Xu Chang’an understood completely now.

Miss Aqing was famous not for her beauty, but for her magical swordsmanship.

It made sense that Miss Yun would care about swordsmanship...

He understood everything.

"Miss... you..." For a moment, Xu Chang’an really didn’t know what to say.

"Me?" Yun Qian looked up, puzzled: "You like sword-wielding women... but don’t allow me to learn the sword. I can refrain from learning it, but just being interested, is that not allowed?"

She wasn’t angry, nor was she questioning. There was no dissatisfaction, nor any confusion.

She was simply asking.

If her husband seriously told her not to be interested in the sword, she would lose interest immediately.

Though not being able to satisfy him would be regretful, at worst... she’d find a chance to conjure Miss Aqing.

"It’s not that you can’t..." Xu Chang’an looked helplessly at Miss Yun: "Miss, when I was young, I indeed had a fascination with female knights wielding swords, but that was all before meeting you."

He was an ordinary young lad, having his own preferences was too normal.

Characters he admired in novels from past lives couldn’t compare to Yun Qian in any aspect.

"Young?" Yun Qian tilted her head.

Xu Chang’an thought that was a matter from a past life. He walked over to Yun Qian, smoothing down her disheveled hair, then said, "There’s no need to learn just because I like it."

"Because you like it, I learn... that’s only natural." Yun Qian said.

"One should consider their capabilities." Xu Chang’an looked at her.

"So I’m just interested, wanting to know what is so great about the sword that makes you like it so much." Yun Qian inhaled his subtle soap fragrance and said, "The same goes for the sword and Miss Aqing."

Both the sword and the sword-wielding woman were to his liking.

Of course, Yun Qian would care.

In comparison, the seven-stringed zither?

In her husband’s mind, Miss Zhu Pingniang, who played the zither, was just a higher-ranking stranger, an accompanist to her zither, who doesn’t warrant any attention, right?

"You’re not jealous, are you?"

Xu Chang’an blinked, thinking that if it were any ordinary woman, he would think she was throwing a tantrum.

But who, in their right mind, would be jealous of a sword or a fictional character?

"I’m not jealous." Yun Qian paused momentarily: "I’m learning."

"Indeed." Xu Chang’an covered his face.

For someone like Yun Qian, her logic would make it impossible for any husband to be harsh.

Moments later... he collected his thoughts and earnestly said: "Miss, I understand now... If this is the reason, you might as well like it, since I also like the sword."

Xu Chang’an didn’t expect that after all his efforts, he’d be the one to be persuaded by the girl.

"It’s not important whether I like it or not." Yun Qian thought Xu Chang’an still hadn’t grasped the key point: "Because you like it, that’s why I like it."

"...Understood." Xu Chang’an shook his head, "I do like Miss Aqing, but that was in the past, I don’t like her as much now."

Essentially, "Miss Aqing" didn’t refer to any specific person. A woman who appeared delicate and feeble but actually had an overwhelming combat power simply couldn’t exist. It was merely his boyhood dream of what his future partner would be like, even a delusion.

Nostalgic youthful memories, indeed worth reminiscing about with a smile.

But after meeting Yun Qian, reality shattered the fantasy, and there was no longer any need to harbor fantasies about his future partner.

Such things were difficult to explain to the simple-minded Miss Yun.

"Why." Indeed, Yun Qian looked at him in puzzlement.

"Because after seeing your sword dance, I made a comparison and realized I don’t like her anymore." Xu Chang’an explained as simply as possible: "When it comes to both a sword and a girl, it’s clear who I would prefer."

Yun Qian stared at him and said: "Would you call what I did a dance?"

Xu Chang’an: "..."

At that moment, he wished Miss Yun could have a little less self-awareness.