"Why haven't I seen even a glimpse of Yanran for an entire day?" Yun Yun looked around the sect today but didn't see Nalan Yanran and asked with some doubt.
"Where has that little girl gone off to? Could it be because of what happened yesterday?" Yun Yun felt something was off.
She then began searching all around the sect for any sign of Nalan.
When she reached the rear mountains of the sect, she saw a young girl sitting by the lake—it was Nalan Yanran.
She was resting her cheeks on her hands, quietly sitting at the lakeside. From behind, her expression couldn't be seen. Her body was as still as a boulder, as if she could remain sitting there for eternity.
"Yanran," Yun Yun softly called her from behind.
Nalan Yanran turned her head and stared blankly at Yun Yun. Her eyes were dull, vacant, and hollow, as if her soul had been emptied. Her lips moved instinctively but made no sound.
Seeing her in this state, Yun Yun's heart sank.
She thought to herself: As expected, losing to Lin Fan twice in a row these past two days has dealt her quite a blow.
"Why are you sitting here alone? I've been looking for you all day," Yun Yun asked gently, walking over and sitting beside her.
After a while, Nalan Yanran finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "Master… I think I can't beat that Junior Martial Uncle."
"You've only lost to him twice, and you're already this discouraged?" Yun Yun gently patted her head and continued, "That's not like the you I know."
"But he… in just one day… has already mastered combat techniques and martial skills so fluently," Nalan Yanran said in a low voice.
"That only shows he has good talent. But yours isn't bad either. Don't forget, you're the eldest daughter of the Nalan family. Your talent ranks at the top even in the entire empire." Yun Yun comforted her, "You only see how strong he is now. But maybe he's worked very hard behind the scenes."
"There's no need to belittle yourself. What you need to do is keep pushing forward."
"Besides, in both of your sparring sessions, you didn't even use your advantages. The first time you were too overconfident, and the second time you lost focus mid-battle. That's what led to your defeats."
"As long as you correct those two things, I believe you can defeat him."
After hearing Yun Yun's words, Nalan Yanran seemed to feel a little better.
She nodded quietly.
Yun Yun continued, "Adjust your mindset again. I'll personally tutor you for the next few days."
"You're already at the peak of 2-Star Dou Zhe. It's time to break through to 3-Star."
Nalan Yanran remained deep in thought for a long time as she listened to Yun Yun.
"All right!" A flicker of determination gradually returned to Nalan Yanran's eyes.
Just a little Lin Fan? I'll definitely beat him this time!
And so, the next few days became a period of special training from Yun Yun for Nalan Yanran.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan spent his days cultivating swordsmanship and movement techniques aside from checking in daily. With no interference from Nalan Yanran, life was quite peaceful.
….
It was a bright morning, and the reinvigorated Nalan Yanran had decided to challenge Lin Fan once again.
She arrived at Lin Fan's door. Her fair hand rested on the door, ready to push it open—but then she seemed to remember something.
She withdrew her hand and knocked instead.
At that moment, Lin Fan was taking a bath. Hearing the knocking, he asked with some confusion, "Who is it?"
Internally, he muttered: Don't tell me it's that little girl Nalan Yanran again…
"It's me! Nalan Yanran. I've come to spar with you!" came Nalan's voice from outside the door.
Again?
Lin Fan sighed helplessly. "I'm taking a bath. Wait a bit."
He muttered under his breath, "As expected, it's that girl again. But this time she's gotten smarter—actually learned to knock."
"But she sure has a knack for timing. Why does she always come when I'm in the bath? Can't she choose a different time?"
Outside the door, Nalan Yanran was similarly speechless.
Why is it that every time I come, you're bathing? Can't you change your bath schedule?
Lin Fan, unhurried as ever, leisurely wiped himself down and slowly got dressed.
Half an hour passed, and the waiting Nalan Yanran was clearly growing impatient.
She urged, "Can't you hurry up?!"
"Don't rush. Almost done," he replied. And a moment later, the tightly closed door finally creaked open.
Looking at the overbearing girl in front of him, he said, "Not bad this time—you didn't just barge in. You actually knocked."
"Hmph!" Nalan Yanran snorted coldly and didn't respond to Lin Fan's comment.
"What kind of man are you? So dawdling," she said with dissatisfaction.
"Heh," Lin Fan chuckled softly. "Do you finish bathing that quickly?"
"Cut the nonsense! Today I'm here to redeem myself!" Nalan Yanran declared proudly. "This time, I came prepared. I'll definitely beat you down!"
"Oh?" Lin Fan smiled faintly. "Then I'm really looking forward to it."
"Hmph! You'd better!" With that, Nalan Yanran grasped the pale green longsword at her waist.
Lin Fan did the same, assuming a defensive stance. "All right then, let's see how much progress you've made these past few days."