Chapter 18: A Costly Debt and the Path to Ruthless Combat

Having finished lunch, Cheng Lan decisively handed Lidoa over to Qin Jinxuan, choosing to embark on his errands alone.

He knew that if he were to spend his time leisurely browsing for clothes with them, he would have long since completed all his necessary purchases.

Two hours later, Cheng Lan, laden with an assortment of shopping bags, returned efficiently to their designated meeting spot, his errands complete.

As expected, they were still engrossed in selecting clothes.

“Did you manage to buy the jacket, sweatpants, and boots we discussed earlier?” Cheng Lan inquired, his gaze falling upon Qin Jinxuan, who was meticulously sifting through garments on a clothing rack.

“I did, I did!” She affirmed, lifting the shopping bag at her feet and giving it a slight shake.

“Excellent,” Cheng Lan responded, nodding with a contented air.

“Oh, and another thing—what do you think of this dress?” Qin Jinxuan asked, holding up a black dress and posing with it against her body.

Cheng Lan’s eyes swept over it quickly. “It’s nothing special,” he remarked.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll pass,” she said, returning the dress to its hanger.

“Where is Lidoa?” Cheng Lan asked, glancing around, unable to spot her.

“She just finished trying on some outfits and is changing in the fitting room right now,” Qin Jinxuan explained, gesturing towards the cubicle.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Lidoa emerged from the fitting room, her arms laden with a stack of new clothes.

To Cheng Lan’s slight disappointment, she had already changed back into her customary sailor-style dress, denying him the chance to see her in any of the other outfits.

“Lidoa, have you finished choosing all your clothes?”

“Mm-hmm!” Lidoa nodded vigorously, her voice bright. “I learned so much from Sister Jinxuan just now. Thank you, Sister Jinxuan~!”

“Alright, I’ll go settle the bill then.”

As Cheng Lan gathered the bags and turned to depart, Qin Jinxuan gently took hold of his arm.

“There’s no need; I’ve already taken care of the payment.”

“What?” Cheng Lan spun around, his face etched with surprise. “That won’t do at all! How much was it? I’ll transfer the money to you immediately.”

“Truly, there’s no need,” Qin Jinxuan insisted, waving her hand dismissively. “Just consider it my gift to Lidoa.”

“Absolutely not!” Cheng Lan declared with unusual solemnity. “If you refuse to accept this money, I won’t take you to the World Rifts.”

“…Fine,” Qin Jinxuan conceded, biting her lip. She then rummaged through a shopping bag, retrieved the receipt, and offered it to him.

Cheng Lan took the receipt, and his pupils immediately contracted.

“Good heavens! This is ridiculously expensive!” Cheng Lan exclaimed, his heart nearly leaping from his chest at the sight of the five-digit sum on the receipt. “Are these clothes spun from gold?”

“That’s precisely why I offered to cover the bill myself.”

“No,” Cheng Lan insisted, gritting his teeth. Despite the pang of genuine reluctance, he ultimately transferred twelve thousand yuan to Qin Jinxuan.

The primary reason stemmed from his previous life, where he had incurred debts with this woman so often that he had grown utterly weary of being indebted to her.

In his previous life, driven by an urgent need to rapidly enhance his Etheric abilities, Cheng Lan had reluctantly sought loans from Qin Jinxuan.

Yet, each time he borrowed, she would inexplicably refuse repayment.

Instead, following each loan, he was obliged to fulfill a minor request of hers.

Initially, these requests were innocuous, like accompanying her on a shopping trip or to a movie, which Cheng Lan hadn’t considered a big deal. However, the nature of these favors gradually soured, escalating to holding her hand, allowing her to touch his abs, and eventually, even demanding that he spend a night with her at a hotel.

A preposterous notion!

Surely, utilizing that time for cultivation would be far more beneficial than spending it sleeping beside her?!

Thus, in this current life, Cheng Lan had firmly resolved never to owe Qin Jinxuan even a single copper coin again!

****

With their purchases secured, the trio made their way back home.

After dinner, Qin Jinxuan resumed her rigorous practice, undertaking another ten thousand repetitions.

…

In this manner, another four days elapsed.

Qin Jinxuan gripped her ice sword tightly, thrusting it forward with sudden force.

Lidoa, however, effortlessly caught the sword’s tip between just two fingers, holding it utterly motionless.

“Sigh,” Qin Jinxuan exhaled softly, retracting her ice sword to her side. She then turned her head, her gaze falling upon Cheng Lan, who sat on the sofa engrossed in his phone. “Do I truly need to continue practicing this ‘thrust’?”

“Absolutely,” Cheng Lan replied, lifting his eyes from his phone. “Didn’t I tell you? Once you’ve honed your thrusts to the point where Lidoa needs to use her own weapon to block your attacks, then, and only then, can you advance to the next stage.”

“But…” Qin Jinxuan began, a flicker of hesitation in her voice. “Is continuously practicing in this manner truly effective?”

By this point, she had already doubled her daily practice from ten thousand to twenty thousand thrusts, performing ten thousand with each hand.

“As someone who has walked this path before, I can tell you with absolute certainty: yes, it is useful,” Cheng Lan stated, his tone unwavering.

“The ‘thrust’ is the most fundamental sword movement, and also the one with the highest killing potential. Do you recall the demonstration I gave you previously?”

A vivid image of that deep blue sword light, so swift it was almost impossible to track, flashed through Qin Jinxuan’s mind, and she nodded almost unconsciously.

“You’ve been practicing for quite some time now; where do you perceive the difference between your ‘thrust’ and mine?”

Upon hearing Cheng Lan’s question, she furrowed her brow slightly, replaying the image of that formidable sword light in her memory. “It’s not fast enough,” she finally uttered.

Compared to Cheng Lan’s, her movements were simply too sluggish—so slow, in fact, that Lidoa required no prior preparation to effortlessly parry her attacks.

Cheng Lan nodded slowly. “And what else?” he prompted.

“It’s not accurate enough.”

Qin Jinxuan then recalled her very first practice session with Lidoa, where, despite Lidoa standing perfectly still, she had repeatedly missed her target, unable to achieve even a basic strike.

“Is there anything further?”

“And…” Qin Jinxuan paused, momentarily at a loss for words.

“You’re still not ruthless enough,” Cheng Lan stated dispassionately.

“Do you recall that instance when I made you personally dispatch the spider that ambushed you?”

“I do,” she confirmed.

“Let me tell you, that last sword strike of yours—” Cheng Lan held her gaze directly, “—in my eyes, it was nothing more than a playful gesture, lacking even the ferocity you displayed when you stabbed that spider.”

“Remember this,” Cheng Lan declared, rising to his feet and speaking each word with deliberate emphasis, “when you unleash your sword, you must possess the absolute resolve to kill in a single strike.”

Qin Jinxuan closed her eyes, silently replaying and absorbing every word Cheng Lan had uttered.

A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze now calm and focused as she looked towards Lidoa.

“Lidoa, may I try once more?”

“Of course~” Lidoa replied with a smile, nodding her assent.

“Thank you,” Qin Jinxuan murmured, taking a deep breath and aligning her sword tip directly at Lidoa.

“Oh?” Cheng Lan observed, a flicker of interest in his eyes as he watched Qin Jinxuan. He could distinctly sense waves of nascent killing intent emanating from the young woman.

*Swish!

Qin Jinxuan’s sword flashed out.

The thrust was not particularly swift, yet its momentum was undeniably fierce.

Nevertheless, Lidoa once more diffused her assault with just two fingers. The ice sword remained firmly trapped between her digits, utterly immobile.

Qin Jinxuan did not succumb to discouragement. The distinct feedback from the sword hilt told her that Lidoa had not parried this particular thrust with the same effortless ease as the previous one.

“Hmph…” Qin Jinxuan exhaled, withdrawing her sword and standing at attention, her chest rising and falling subtly.

“Clap, clap!” Cheng Lan applauded twice, nodding with satisfaction. “Excellent! Remember the sensation of that last thrust. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to experience some real combat.”

“Eh? Tomorrow?” Qin Jinxuan blurted out, momentarily taken aback. “Perhaps… I could try a simulated combat session against the two of you first?”

“No need for that,” Cheng Lan dismissed with a wave of his hand.

“Firstly, there’s nowhere suitable for us to spar,” he began, pausing briefly. “Secondly, our combat experience vastly outweighs yours. If you were to spar with us, the entire rhythm would be dictated by our control, which would ultimately hinder your ability to forge your own combat instincts.”

“Alright…” Qin Jinxuan murmured, lowering her head slightly in acceptance.

“And furthermore,” Cheng Lan added, continuing his explanation, “true combat never offers an ‘adaptation period.’ As long as you can deliver a thrust like the one you just performed, you need not harbor any concerns about tomorrow’s adversaries.”