Proud Sword Soaring Clouds-Chapter 33 - 32: Body Tempering

A vast sea of forest stretched out before them, filled with towering ancient trees. Their branches were so thick and their leaves so dense that they nearly blotted out the light. The ground was soft and damp, enriched by countless years of fallen leaves and branches slowly decaying into nutrient-rich soil. A refreshing, heart-cleansing scent permeated the woods.

The tall trees blotted out the sky and sun, making it difficult for even a single ray to pierce through. The few beams of sunlight that did manage to slice through the dense canopy attracted countless light-loving insects, their dance adding to the forest’s tranquil atmosphere.

Ling Xiao carried all of their supplies for the mountain trip on his back. On top of that, he had large sandbags tied to both of his legs. His forehead was beaded with sweat and he looked exhausted, but he clenched his jaw and pressed on without a single sound of complaint.

Behind him, Ye Wen Ni was so tired she didn’t even have the energy to curse Ling Xiao for being a masochist. Only a single thought echoed in her mind: ’What in the world possessed me to follow him up this mountain? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay in Vendia Town and recover properly?’

By now, Ye Wen Ni had long given up any thought of stealing the Earth-level Sword Skill back from Ling Xiao. It wasn’t that the idea hadn’t crossed her mind; it was that Ling Xiao’s senses were simply too sharp. Before she could even get close, he would wake up, open his eyes, and gaze at her with a flat, indifferent expression. He would stare until a chill ran down her spine before closing his eyes and ignoring her again. The disdain and warning in his eyes were enough to make a person die from anger.

Many things in this world were strange. It was hard to distinguish right from wrong, and often impossible to find a reason for them. Ye Wen Ni herself didn’t understand why she was following him up the mountain to suffer like this.

However, the past few days had brought one benefit: the recovery speed of Ye Wen Ni’s injuries had doubled. Now, her wounds were almost no longer a hindrance to her at all!

’Clearly, Ling Xiao isn’t just wasting his effort,’ Ye Wen Ni thought. ’He’s... probably training his body. But even so, this is a bit too much. Has he forgotten that a woman is following him? He doesn’t have an ounce of chivalry!’

Only when the sun had set and all light had fled the forest, plunging it into impending darkness, did Ling Xiao finally set his enormous backpack on the ground. The two of them gathered some dry branches, lit a fire, and sat around it. The flickering flames danced merrily, illuminating their two young faces.

"Ling Xiao, can you tell me what you’re actually looking for?" Ye Wen Ni asked, idly adding branches to the fire. She was very curious about Ling Xiao. What reason could compel a boy like him, who should be studying at a school, to venture into such a dangerous place?

Ye Wen Ni knew very well that he was not her kind of person. Looking at his hands—so soft and delicate—if she hadn’t personally seen him kill with a cold expression, she would have thought Ling Xiao didn’t even know how to use a sword. He didn’t have a single callus!

Ye Wen Ni glanced down at the calluses on her own palms. ’It’s so unfair!’

"If I tell you, will you turn around and run away immediately?" Ling Xiao joked, a rare occurrence. He turned the long-eared rabbit roasting over the fire, its juices dripping and sizzling. A rich, meaty aroma wafted out, making them both swallow hard. Great physical exertion naturally made one hungry fast.

The two of them had already been walking in this dense forest for three days. They were only half a day’s journey from the highest peak. At this point, even if Ye Wen Ni wanted to turn back, she would have to consider whether she could make it out alone.

"I don’t think so," Ye Wen Ni said with a light chuckle, her face rosy in the firelight. The past few days of exercise had also improved her stamina, making her look healthier.

"I’m looking for the Vantia Holy Fruit. Have you heard of it?" Just as Ye Wen Ni had been observing Ling Xiao, he had been observing her as well. Ling Xiao didn’t dislike this little thief who was always scheming against him. In fact, he found her quite interesting. A person’s true nature is hard to change, and Ye Wen Ni, it seemed, was a kind-hearted girl.

"Vantia Holy Fruit?" Ye Wen Ni shook her head. "Is it famous? Does it taste good?"

Although the name sounded impressive, she had truly never heard of it. For all these years, her profession had been thievery, and a petty one at that; she hadn’t reached a level where she’d encounter such things. If her adoptive father were to hear what Ling Xiao said, he would immediately have her stop at nothing to steal the Vantia Holy Fruit.

Ye Wen Ni found Ling Xiao to be a very mysterious person, because even after several days in the mountains, they hadn’t encountered a single Magical Beast!

All they had run into were ordinary wild animals, most of which ended up as food for the two of them. Fresh meat was the best way to maintain their stamina.

Ye Wen Ni had never joined an Adventurer’s Guild before. Given her background, the fact that she had managed to cultivate to the level of a Tier Three Sword Master was already a remarkable achievement. Even her adoptive father had always thought so.

And her sword skill... it was only at the Lower Tier of the Human Level, the lowest of all sword skills.

This was why Ye Wen Ni was so obsessed with that Middle-tier Earth-level Sword Skill manual. Beyond the intrinsic value of a Middle-tier Earth-level Sword Skill, it was something that could make her much stronger!

’If it weren’t for this guy, I’d probably be practicing that sword skill by now, right?’ Though she thought this, Ye Wen Ni couldn’t bring herself to hate the young man. She had followed Ling Xiao up the mountain partly because she held a sliver of hope that he might return the sword skill, but also partly because she was reluctant to go back and face her adoptive father.

The consequences would be even more severe if her adoptive father found out that she had stolen an Earth-level Sword Skill manual only to lose it.

Ye Wen Ni could be considered an orphan. "Considered" because she herself wasn’t sure if she had parents. According to her adoptive father, she didn’t; he had kindly taken her in, fed her, taught her to read, taught her etiquette, taught her how to act pitiful and how to pose as a noble lady, and... taught her how to steal.

Yes, that last lesson was her adoptive father’s true purpose. A stunning beauty with endless charm, a woman who could captivate a room with a single gesture—who would ever suspect that such a woman could be a thief?

It wasn’t until Ye Wen Ni grew older and saw the thick disdain in people’s eyes whenever the word "thief" was mentioned that she finally understood. The profession she had always thought of as promising was actually one that everyone despised.

At that point, Ye Wen Ni fully understood her adoptive father’s true intentions. Unfortunately, by then, she was already completely under his control. Her adoptive father had taken in many other "orphans," and Ye Wen Ni had personally raised many of the younger ones. If she ran, the children she had raised would die—her adoptive father had told her this himself when she had shown signs of wanting to leave.

It also made Ye Wen Ni realize what a monstrous, utterly depraved man the middle-aged figure who had always appeared before her as a benevolent father truly was. Because of this, Ye Wen Ni always dreamed that if she could one day obtain a High-level Sword Skill, she would train diligently, rescue all those children, and free them from their sea of suffering so they could live normal lives.

Watching some of those children being trained as thieves like herself, some as assassins, others as intelligence gatherers, and even some of the girls being trained as prostitutes... Ye Wen Ni felt a piercing pain in her heart, as if it were being stabbed by needles.

But she had never once considered killing her adoptive father. Firstly, she couldn’t bring herself to do it; after all, he had raised her for many years. Secondly, the powerful aura emanating from the man made her tremble with fear.

It was so terrifying that she didn’t even dare to entertain the thought!

Ye Wen Ni didn’t know if her adoptive father was a Great Sword Master or a Mad Sword Master. But the pressure she felt from him was more than ten times greater than the pressure from Rock Shenke, the Great Sword Master from the Madman Mercenary Corps whom she had toyed with that day!

...

"It probably doesn’t taste as good as rabbit meat!" Ling Xiao said with a smile, shaking his head. He stretched his sore body, then took the cooked long-eared rabbit off the fire and handed it to Ye Wen Ni.

With a look of resignation, Ye Wen Ni served Eldest Young Master Ling. Frowning, she used her black dagger, which had seen its fair share of blood, to carefully slice up the long-eared rabbit’s meat and portion it out.

Then she watched Ling Xiao eat, taking large bites with none of a nobleman’s decorum.

The bonfire blazed, crackling and popping. The forest was so quiet they could hear their own heartbeats.

Suddenly, Ye Wen Ni was filled with a feeling of warmth and happiness.