11: Chapter 11 Beauty Brings Trouble

[The third strike.]

[Su Wanqing pulled back seventy percent of her strength, the tip of the staff stopping an inch before your throat.]

["Your footwork is not bad, and your reactions are quick." Su Wanqing put away the wooden staff and sized you up again.]

[She pondered for two seconds: "Ten taels of silver a month, with room and board included. You will be responsible for teaching the basic fist techniques and footwork to Elementary Disciples. If you want an Innate Cultivation Technique, there will be no monthly salary. After working for one full year, I will teach you an Innate Cultivation Technique."]

[You knew clearly in your heart that this was the real reason you came.]

["Fine, I want the Innate Cultivation Technique," you said.]

[Su Wanqing did not feel surprised; she nodded and asked.]

["What is your name?"]

["Qin Shuang."]

[Su Wanqing nodded and called over a female Disciple to take you to your living quarters.]

[As you followed the female Disciple through the corridor, a woman walked toward you. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with almond-shaped eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows, a bright red silk ribbon tied around her waist. She walked with a brisk, windy stride, her chin held slightly high.]

[When she saw you, her footsteps paused.]

[Her gaze slid over your face, then looked at the brand-new instructor uniform you were wearing. The corners of her mouth curled up, but she didn't speak, walking straight past you.]

[The female Disciple leading the way whispered to you: "That is Instructor Liu, Liu Feiyan, a Post-Heaven Peak. She is the most senior instructor in the hall and the person the Hall Master values the most."]

[You nodded, not paying it any mind.]

Outside the simulation.

Lin Shuangwan watched the images in the mirror and nodded slightly.

So far, everything was within a controllable range.

Qingluan Martial Arts Hall had an Innate Cultivation Technique, the Hall Master was strong enough, and it was a place mainly for teaching women martial arts; at the very least, there would be no issues regarding the compatibility of the Cultivation Technique.

It was just that one year of time...

Lin Shuangwan frowned, feeling a bit anxious.

The images in the mirror continued to flow.

[Days passed one by one.]

[You began your life as an instructor at Qingluan Martial Arts Hall. You attended classes on time every day, starting from the most basic horse stance. You were so patient that even you were surprised by it. The students were mostly young girls of thirteen or fourteen, chirping away like a nest of sparrows.]

[But you quickly discovered a problem.]

[Your face.]

[After staying in the deep mountains for five months, your skin had darkened a bit, but your foundation was too good. After returning to a normal diet and schedule, you regained most of your fairness in less than half a month. Combined with the sweating from your daily martial arts practice and your extremely fast metabolism, in less than a month, that face of yours had recovered from "ordinarily good-looking" to the level of "making people unable to look away."]

[Trouble followed.]

[First, the students started whispering privately.]

["Instructor Qin is so beautiful..."]

["My mother says this kind of appearance is called naturally beautiful, the kind that never tans no matter how much you're in the sun."]

[Then came the people from the outside.]

[The first one to block you at the entrance of the martial arts hall was the young master of a silk shop. He was holding a box of rouge in his hand and grinning, saying he wanted to treat you to tea. You didn't even glance at him and closed the door directly.]

[The second was a young Martial Artist carrying a saber, claiming to be one of the "Three Heroes of Qinghe County." He stood at the door for two hours just to wait for you to finish class. You left through the back door.]

[The third, the fourth, the fifth...]

[You had the same attitude every time: cold, rejecting, leaving no room for discussion.]

[But this not only failed to make them retreat, it was like pouring oil on a fire.]

[The nickname "Ice Beauty" was coined by someone, and within half a month, it had spread throughout Qinghe County.]

[You had no interest in this, and were even somewhat annoyed. You came here for the Cultivation Technique, not to be some vase.]

[It was one evening two months later.]

[After class, you went to the street to buy salt. While passing by a tea stall, you heard two men chatting.]

["Hey, have you heard? That Instructor Qin from Qingluan Martial Arts Hall..."]

["The 'Ice Beauty,' right? Who doesn't know? What about her?"]

["Heh, what 'Ice Beauty,' she's actually quite loose. I heard that as long as you give her enough silver, she'll do anything. That young master of the silk shop last month, do you think he was really rejected? They had already hooked up behind the scenes."]

["Really?"]

["Why would I lie to you? People from inside the martial arts hall said so. They also said she came from a brothel, and that her martial arts were all learned in bed..."]

[Your expression immediately turned cold, but you did not lash out on the spot.]

[After returning to the martial arts hall, you spent three days finding out the source of the news.]

[Liu Feiyan.]

[The reason wasn't complicated. Before you came, she was the most high-profile female instructor at Qingluan Martial Arts Hall, with the most suitors and the most limelight. After you arrived, most of her suitors changed their attention, and even the students she taught started running over to watch you practice.]

[It was just that small matter.]

[You had originally thought you were low-key enough—not showing off, not stealing students, going to class and leaving class, following the rules.]

[But some people's malice doesn't need a reason. You were an eyesore to her, and that was enough.]

[Simulation Day 281.]

[You pushed open Liu Feiyan's door.]

[She was sitting in front of a bronze mirror combing her hair. Seeing you enter, the movement of her hand paused for a moment, then she continued combing as if nothing had happened.]

["Instructor Qin? Something up?"]

["Instructor Liu," you leaned against the doorframe, your voice very flat, "the rumors about me coming from a brothel and sleeping with anyone for money, did you say those?"]

[Liu Feiyan's hand combing her hair paused for an instant, then quickly returned to normal. She laughed: "Instructor Qin, where did you hear that? I never said any such thing."]

["Wang Xiao Cui, Aunt Liu, and Old Chen from the tea stall on South Street." You listed the names one by one. "These three were the first to spread the word. They all said the news came from inside the martial arts hall, and every time they described you, they used the phrase 'the most senior female instructor in the hall said it herself.' Instructor Liu, the most senior female instructor in the hall, who else could it be but you?"]

[Liu Feiyan put down her comb and turned around, the smile on her face fading.]

["Even if I did say it, so what?" She stood up, her chin slightly raised. "You are a wild girl of unknown origin, young and already a Post-Heaven Peak. Who knows how you practiced that martial arts skill? Saying you came from a brothel is putting it politely."]

[You looked at her, not feeling angry.]

[You just suddenly felt a bit tired. You ran here all the way from Yunjin City; the hardships you endured and the suffering you went through were not for the sake of wasting time arguing with this kind of person.]

["I won't argue with you," you said. "Three days from now, at the Martial Arts Arena, in front of the whole hall, you and I will have a duel. If you win, I leave. If I win, you get out."]

[Liu Feiyan was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud.]

["A duel? Are you sure?" She crossed her arms, her eyes full of disdain. "It took me twelve years to reach Post-Heaven Peak. You've only been here for a few days? Do you think you're amazing just because you have talent?"]

["See you in three days."]

[You turned and walked out the door.]

[Three days later, at the Martial Arts Arena.]

[Somehow the news leaked out. The entire hall, along with onlookers who heard the news from outside, packed into a small half of the courtyard, a dense crowd. Su Wanqing sat behind the railing on the second-floor corridor, holding a teacup, not stopping them.]

[Liu Feiyan was dressed in a red martial arts outfit, a long whip in her hand, looking high-spirited as she glanced around. She cupped her hands toward the surrounding crowd, earning a round of cheers.]

[You stood in the center of the arena, a common iron sword held horizontally in front of you.]

["Instructor Qin, please go easy on me." Liu Feiyan flicked the whip, creating a flourish, and said with a smile, her tone filled with provocation.]

[You didn't respond.]

["Begin!" the referee shouted.]

[Liu Feiyan's whip struck first, the sharp sound of the whip tip breaking the air exploding in the Martial Arts Arena. Her whip technique was indeed not weak; her strikes were fast and ruthless. As the whip body shook, it brought out three whip shadows, locking onto your upper, middle, and lower paths.]

[First move.]