As Anna's face flushed, a wave of sorrow washed over her.
It would be understandable to abandon such a fool! Also, was this how I looked in the eyes of Lady Cecilia and the clan elders back in the family?
An image of herself, with the same expression as Chen Tianwu, drooling and babbling "aba aba" in front of her "friends and family," had already appeared in Anna's mind.
...
Hah, maybe it's better if this world just gets destroyed.
Anna was the first to turn into a deathly gray. Already feeling abandoned by the world, she now finally understood why she had been abandoned, and began to despise herself along with the world.
Just then, a cold figure quietly appeared at the corner of the corridor.
Cheng Lixue stopped, her gaze falling on Anna and Chen Tianwu.
She recognized them at a glance as the people accompanying her senior martial sister, Fu Hua.
And at this moment, what Cheng Lixue was more concerned about was the majestic... sword intent? that she had just sensed from the direction of the martial arts school, which was extremely suppressed but still made her heart tremble.
She understood it as some special kind of "qi," and the source of that "qi" seemed to be the deputy headmaster, Fu Hua, who had just returned.
Out of absolute trust in the deputy headmaster and the constraints of the sect's rules, as well as the orders from Lin Chaoyu and the others, she couldn't go and ask directly, but the worry and curiosity in her heart lingered.
Coincidentally, she ran into these two.
"Please wait a moment," Cheng Lixue said, her voice as calm as water.
Anna stopped her explanation and responded alertly but politely, "May I ask who you are?"
"Cheng Lixue, a disciple of the Taixu Martial Arts School," she nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over Chen Tianwu and finally settling on Anna's face. "Forgive my intrusion. I just sensed some... unusual movements in the direction of the martial arts school, which seems to be related to Martial Ancestor Fu Hua.
"I'm a little concerned. I wonder if Senior Martial Sister is alright?" Her words were tactful, not mentioning the specific content she had sensed, but her concern was palpable.
Anna was puzzled for a moment, then immediately understood. Senior Fu Hua must have used a powerful force before.
Is this to be expected of Senior Fu Hua?
Her expression remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "So it's Miss Cheng. Lady Fu Hua is fine. She's just handling some necessary 'matters'.
"As for the commotion, it must be the inevitable aftershocks of the process. Please don't worry." Her answer was vague, both appeasing the other party and avoiding leaking any information.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Lixue's slender eyebrows moved almost imperceptibly.
She could naturally see that Anna was holding back, but she didn't point it out. Instead, she turned the topic to Chen Tianwu. "This gentleman's aura is calm, and his steps are heavy. He doesn't seem to be a cultivator. With the outside world in turmoil, are you two going out?"
Chen Tianwu's eyebrows twitched, his mind filled with unspoken complaints.
Sorry for my shuffling walk, not every step I take blooms a lotus.
"Yes," Anna took the opportunity to say, "I'm taking him for some basic physical and reaction training, just in case."
Cheng Lixue nodded, a hint of consideration flashing in her cold eyes. "Building a solid foundation is indeed the right thing to do.
"If you don't mind my crude skills, I can accompany you and observe. I might be able to offer a suggestion or two. Taixu Mountain also has some simple methods for strengthening the body and calming the mind, which might be helpful to him."
She proposed to join them, partly out of a sense of camaraderie, but more to take this opportunity to learn about Martial Ancestor Fu Hua's situation from these two, as well as the "matters" they were preparing for, which seemed to be related to the "unusual commotion."
Perhaps out of some instinct, Cheng Lixue always had a premonition that Mount Tai was about to collapse, especially after Fu Hua had drawn that trace of Honkai energy. She could no longer remain calm.
Anna thought for a moment. Cheng Lixue had an extraordinary aura and was a member of the Taixu Mountain sect. She and Senior Fu Hua shared the same origin. Perhaps she could be a great help in the Honkai.
Moreover, having an expert to guide them and help share the pressure would be beneficial for both Chen Tianwu and herself.
She immediately nodded in agreement. "Then we'll have to trouble Miss Cheng."
"Wait..." as the two of them nodded to each other, Chen Tianwu finally had a chance to speak. He first nodded to Cheng Lixue, then turned to look at the person who was probably the "closest" to him here.
"You're just handing me over like that?" Chen Tianwu pointed at himself, looking very much like a modern "Kong Rong" trying to claim both pears for himself.
Anna pondered for a moment. The next moment, a clear look of disgust appeared on her beautiful face from the Schariac family, which was famous for its "smiling poker face."
Everything had already been said without words.
Chen Tianwu followed in Anna's footsteps and turned into a pile of burnt-out ash.
So, the three of them went together to a relatively quiet and suitable place for training.
Anna still didn't give up, wanting to teach Chen Tianwu practical dodging, blocking, and power exertion techniques.
And Chen Tianwu, with 120% seriousness, showed Anna what it meant to be "rotten wood that cannot be carved, a fool that cannot be taught." But then—this guy, on a purely theoretical basis, was actually able to spout a few points after receiving her teachings.
Although the essence of these "points" was just a soul-questioning kind of nitpicking of the principles Anna had taught.
"You have to dodge when facing an attack."
"How do I dodge if the other person has a Gatling gun?"
"Have you read yourself stupid?" Anna finally found the blind spot. "You can't expect me to explain every single case to you, can you?"
Cheng Lixue, on the other hand, observed quietly from the side. She could see that Anna had some foundation, but not much, and Chen Tianwu was a complete novice. Not to mention a foundation, Cheng Lixue estimated that his physical condition was sub-healthy after a period of decadence.
He probably had some minor ailments like back pain and sore eyes, the kind that could make him faint if he stood up too quickly.
What could a half-baked person teach a complete novice?
So, Cheng Lixue stepped in.
She took over the guidance of Chen Tianwu and taught him a few simple, versatile, and quick-to-learn routines.
Chen Tianwu understood this time, and Anna's face turned even redder.
He ignored Anna's "tomato-ization" and tried his best to learn and imitate. Although he didn't quite understand what Anna was saying, he could still feel that although their teaching methods were different, their goals were the same.
At the same time, he was considering another matter in his mind.
Cheng Lixue's seemingly casual comments and occasional questions about their previous actions and Fu Hua all carried an imperceptible sense of inquiry.
A very clear purpose... although her intention is probably just concern.
This training, conducted under the backdrop of a false "Honkai" warning, had quietly turned into a subtle stage with the addition of Cheng Lixue.
At this time, the time was one in the afternoon. There were only—
four hours left until the Honkai outbreak.