Let's turn back time to when March 7th first began learning swordsmanship…
Yanqing said straightforwardly, "Since Miss March is already here, let us begin today's lesson, shall we?"
Yunli curved her lips into a faint smile and echoed from the side, "I'm not good at putting on a teacher's airs. Since Grandpa asked me to teach you the sword, I won't hold anything back."
"Not at all, not at all, the two masters are too polite." March 7th hurriedly waved her hands, then suddenly blinked her eyes and asked, "Eh, wait, does this mean our lessons are only now officially beginning?"
Yunli spread her hands and explained, "After all, only by observing your practice over the past few days could we judge your aptitude."
Her words instantly piqued March 7th's interest. She immediately placed her hands on her waist, her voice brimming with anticipation, "Master, master, how is my aptitude then?"
Yanqing's tone was serious and earnest, "Miss March is naturally clever, with a talent for learning the sword."
Just then, familiar footsteps were heard, the Stelle and Caelus (Fu Shi) came walking side by side, the hems of their clothes lifted into small arcs by the wind.
March 7th's voice was full of delight, "Eh, Stelle, Fu Shi, you're here. Did you hear that? Both my masters said I'm a genius at swordsmanship."
Stelle, however, reminded with a touch of helplessness in his tone, "March, be wary of a Xianzhou native's polite words."
The remark was like a bucket of cool spring water poured down, March 7th's smile instantly froze, her shoulders slumped, and she stepped back half a pace, "Ah right! Got happy for nothing."
Fu Shi crossed his arms, her eyes scanning her sword-practice uniform from top to bottom. Finding it pleasing to the eye, her brows lifted with a hint of teasing amusement, "Looking at you like this, you really do look the part, like someone learning swordsmanship."
"Hehe, even Fu Shi says so. Stelle, if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything."
March 7th scratched her cheek, her eyes bending into crescents, her smug little look impossible to hide.
As the breeze stirred, Yanqing's tone carried more gravity than usual, "The path of swordsmanship has always been one of arduous cultivation. Since Miss March has resolved to learn the sword, before true practice begins you must first find a reason that will keep you going. That reason can be big or small…"
Yanqing raised his gaze toward March 7th, his eyes sharp like a blade's edge, "Miss March, why do you wield the sword?"
Caught off guard by Yanqing's sudden seriousness, March 7th blanked for a moment, then instinctively repeated before soon voicing the answer in her heart, "Why wield the sword… I wield the sword to defeat my enemies! Isn't that the reason?"
The moment she finished, she worried she had answered wrong, staring nervously at Yanqing, her breath held shallow.
A trace of surprise flickered in Yanqing's eyes, then he slowly nodded, "I once asked a master swordswoman the same question, why wield the sword? She replied, 'To kill the enemy, nothing more.' For Miss March to give a similar reply… it seems you do indeed have talent."
"Oh?" Fu Shi's interest was immediately piqued. She leaned forward half a step and pursued with clear approval in his eyes, "Who is this master? Is she still on the Xianzhou Luofu? Can you introduce me?"
But Yanqing only shook his head lightly and said no more, it was a past that could not be spoken of in detail.
Afterwards, the group chatted idly, and somehow the topic strayed from "why wield the sword" to heroes in stage plays.
Then, Yanqing accepted March 7th's reason for learning the sword. Suddenly, March 7th clapped her hands and said, "Since both masters have acknowledged me, then I have a small request. I'd like to serve my masters a tea of apprenticeship. Masters, remember to knock your fingers on the table afterward…"
Yanqing froze in place, the tips of his ears reddening, a little at a loss, "…Serving apprenticeship tea, with a knocking salute, making the first disciple-taking so formal?"
March 7th's eyes brimmed with expectation, "Please, I've seen all the heroes in plays do this when they take a master…"
Stelle gently persuaded, "Just let her enjoy the fantasy of being a sword hero."
Fu Shi, with the air of someone experienced, crossed his arms and said, "The first time should be formal. After all, March will be the shared disciple of you two, the eldest disciple of your future students."
Yunli glanced at the expectant March 7th and compromised with a crisp tone, "Stop dawdling. After you finish, you must come back honestly to practice, understood?"
At last, Yanqing helplessly yielded, "…Very well, as you wish."
March 7th, "Great! Let's go, let's go, we're off to the Sleepless Earl!"
?
...
Just as Fu Shi and the others arrived at the Sleepless Earl, they heard inside a string of familiar, grating shouts,
"Little boss lady, this, this isn't right, is it? I've long heard that the Xianzhou has a profound tea culture and proper hospitality. Strange, isn't it? Am I not a guest? Am I a guest or not?"
Fu Shi's sharp ears caught on immediately, his brows arching, "Isn't that Scott?"
March 7th peeked inside, her face wrinkling as she confirmed, "It really is him! Throwing his weight around again!"
Inside, the foxian girl Mengming, addressed as little boss lady, clutched her clothes, her voice weak yet still polite, "Guest, you…"
"Don't call me guest. In your eyes I'm no guest at all."
Scott cut her off sharply, his tone full of contrived impatience, "I wanted tea that's 'neither too hot nor too cold, just right,' but yours is either lukewarm or scalding. Truly remarkable hospitality, Xianzhou!"
He raised his voice as if terribly wronged, "And on top of that, your tea tastes like muddy water, yet you dare charge me for it? Aren't you just bullying an honest man?!"
"You shouldn't call this place 'Sleepless Earl.' Impossible to remember. Next time I'll send you a plaque with the characters, 'Xianzhou Sewage.' You'll have to hang it up."
Hearing this, Fu Shi's brows furrowed tightly as he muttered, "He didn't come to drink tea, he came to cause trouble!"
Perhaps hearing the commotion, Scott turned, his tone even more grating as his gaze locked on Yanqing and Stelle's group.
Seeing them stare, he not only failed to back down but puffed up in defiance, "Well, well, who's this hero now? You say I'm making trouble, but as a simple customer I'm only pointing out poor tea. And if even this is something the Cloud Knights must interfere with, how will any traveler in the galaxy dare drink tea on the Xianzhou again?!"
Stelle lowered her gaze in thought, then suddenly looked up and asked with a naturally serious tone, "Question, why did Scott deliberately come to the Sleepless Earl to cause trouble? Tea and 'trouble' are homophones (in Chinese), 'seek trouble' is like 'seek tea.' Rather amusing."
March 7th quickly tugged her sleeve and complained, "Stelle, now's not the time for your lame jokes!"
Meanwhile, Yunli scrutinized Scott from head to toe, her eyes full of suspicion, "With you like this, are you really a Xianzhou tourist?"
Scott immediately retorted, "Then what am I if not a tourist? A prisoner of the Xianzhou?"
"Stop this nonsense!" March 7th stepped forward, lifting her sword, "If you want to bully the boss lady in front of me, you'd better ask my sword if it agrees!"
Scott mockingly shrank back but wore a jeering smile, "Ha, ?! Oh! I'm so scared! Does the great hero want to kill me with those little iron scraps?"
"Little iron scraps?" March 7th flared instantly, holding her sword high, "This is a precious blade! I'm using it to study Xianzhou swordsmanship!"
"Oh, so you're learning swordsmanship?"
Scott deliberately swept his eyes over her attire, his tone mocking, "No wonder you're dressed like a performer. You don't even look like a Xianzhou native, so why force yourself to learn the sword? If you're insecure, I can sell you one of my company's mechs."
"Mechs?" Fu Shi scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain, "Just heaps of junk metal. Flashy but useless. In the end, true ability lies in oneself."
"Fu Shi's right!" March 7th immediately agreed, spitting twice at Scott, "Pah, pah, pah! Who'd want your useless mech?!"
Scott noticed more and more onlookers gathering, and though his arrogance dimmed, he quickly twisted his words, "As for the teahouse matter, I can let it go. But, you insulted the IPC's security ability. I can't just ignore that, not in front of so many potential clients. How could I still do business?"
Facing Scott's mocking face, March 7th's anger surged, not only for his belittling her two masters, but also for insulting Xianzhou swordsmanship.
Thus, she loudly challenged Scott, who accepted without hesitation.
Stelle spoke up in time, still in that earnest, natural tone, "Old rules, we must make a bet."
Scott glared at Stelle, his tone heated, "Don't worry, how could I forget such a thing as a wager?"
Fu Shi looked at Stelle, full of doubt, "You've dealt with him before? Why does he react so strongly at the mention of a bet?"
Stelle sighed lightly and said only, "It's a long story~"
Scott changed tack, deliberately putting on a generous face,
"I hear Miss March hasn't even formally apprenticed yet, so I won't bully you. Go home, learn sword from your masters, however you want. In fifteen days I'll deliver an invitation, sincerely asking Miss March to spar against one of our mechs."
But the next second, his true colors showed, malice clear in his tone, "If you lose, you must bark like a dog in public and loudly proclaim 'Xianzhou swordsmanship, not even dogs would learn it.' You'll stand at the entrance of Goldman Street and repeat it to every passerby."
He paused, then added another taunt, "Oh, and don't bother apprenticing. Come take me as your master, I'll teach you how to pilot a mech!"
March 7th put her hands on her hips and asked, "Then… what if I win?"
Scott hadn't expected her to ask back. He hesitated, then said perfunctorily, "I'll instead take you as my master?"
March 7th scrunched up her face, refusing flatly without hesitation, "I don't want that, I despise you."
Scott's face stiffened. Gritting his teeth, he agreed, "…Fine. Then I'll also bark like a, no, squeal like a pig, and loudly say 'IPC mechs, only pigheads want them.' I'll even stamp it on every mech in our transport fleet. How about that?"
"Changing dog to pig counts as a new storyline?" Stelle interjected dryly.
Fu Shi laughed from the side, "He actually knows so many animal languages. Impressive~"
March 7th added, "Squealing isn't enough. You must also apologize to the teahouse boss lady and to Xianzhou swordsmanship!"
"No problem." Scott pounded his chest in agreement, but quickly twisted it, "But only if you can beat me with that little scrap of iron."
He raised his voice so all around could hear, "You've all heard it! Fifteen days from now we'll meet again! Hahahaha, let's go!"
With that, Scott swaggered off with his men.
Fu Shi stared at their retreating backs, scratching his head in confusion, "He's just a normal person. How can he be so arrogant? Does he really think those lumps of iron can beat March 7th?"
Yunli curled her lip, her tone full of disdain, "If it's with swords, it's hard to say. But those IPC people just want an easy target, to sell their scrap metal. Boring."
Yanqing stepped forward half a pace, his gaze falling on March 7th, "As for that apprentice tea you mentioned earlier, let's set it aside for now. But I must ask, Miss March, regarding the wager just now, how confident are you?"
Before Yanqing finished, Stelle and Fu Shi chimed in together, "My guess is March didn't think it through at all."
"I can testify, she's panicking inside right now."
March 7th, unbothered at being exposed, scooted closer to Yanqing and Yunli, her tone carrying a mix of coquettish certainty, "I'm the protagonist. How could the protagonist ever lose? Of course I'll win, right? Masters?"
Yanqing and Yunli exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison, "What does Master Yanqing think?"
"Master Yunli knows full well."
Fu Shi, exasperated, couldn't help but add, "As expected of children, even now, you two can't stop bickering."