"Chapter 21: The Peerless Archery of the Xue Family"

Soft petals fluttered down like scattered blossoms.

The young maiden wore white silk stockings, her ankles hidden beneath them, yet Li Guanyi could still feel the cool, jade-like sensation at his fingertips. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he let go of her foot. Xue Shuangtao retreated like lightning, and when her seized right foot touched the ground, it was as if she'd been electrocuted. She stumbled backward several steps, struggling to keep her balance.

Her body swayed sideways, and she had to use the war bow in her hand to support herself, barely managing to stand steady.

Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with panic, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

Seeing her younger brother and the awkwardly handsome young man in front of her, Xue Shuangtao took a deep breath, pretending to remain calm as she said:

"...Mr. Li?"

"You're already here."

That sudden kick had come too fast. Li Guanyi, who had never studied footwork or martial arts, could only react instinctively to stop it, leaving the situation rather awkward. He explained, "Just fooling around with the young master."

At that moment, Xue Changqing, who had been stunned by his elder sister's earlier reprimand, suddenly snapped back to his senses.

He realized that he had walked straight into a trap.

Like a spring-loaded mechanism, he bounced to his feet and shouted:

"Y-You—you're that teacher?!"

"You don't even look that much older than me!"

The youth pressed both hands firmly on his shoulders.

Just as Li Guanyi had anticipated, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and in the face of the child's terrified expression, he spoke gently, "That's right. I'm the one you've been trying to avoid—the newly hired numerology teacher."

"Come on, class is starting."

Xue Shuangtao watched as Li Guanyi, half-holding her younger brother, guided him toward the pavilion. She took several short, quick breaths to steady herself, restoring her usual gentle and gracious appearance. Ignoring the bewildered, 'Who are you? You're not my sister!' look in her younger brother's eyes, she invited Li Guanyi to sit with them under the pavilion.

"This is Listening Wind Pavilion."

"The younger generation of the Xue family often comes here to enjoy the scenery. My elder brother, younger brother, and I usually gather here during the Mid-Autumn Festival to eat osmanthus cakes and admire the moon. No one will disturb us here. Sir, please start teaching Changqing the basics. Changqing, greet your teacher."

"I don't want to!"

The gentle light in Xue Shuangtao's eyes dimmed slightly.

Xue Changqing obediently bowed. "Changqing greets Teacher."

Growing up together, Xue Shuangtao held absolute authority over her younger brother.

Her voice was soft and composed. "Please excuse me for a moment, sir. I need to change clothes. Wearing martial attire is hardly fitting for quiet study."

She nodded lightly, turned gracefully, and walked away at a steady pace. But once she passed behind a thicket of shrubs, her steps quickened, and finally, she dashed into her private courtyard.

Once inside her chambers, she tossed her war bow onto the couch, removed her boots, and yanked off the silk stocking from her right foot, revealing a delicate, jade-like sole. With a flick of her wrist, she threw the stocking aside like a handful of snow.

Her face burned with humiliation and frustration.

Did I just run into a scoundrel?!

He might have some skills, but he's still a scoundrel!

But the kick had been her doing.

Judging by his posture, that teacher had no training in martial footwork at all. Sitting cross-legged, he had nowhere to dodge. Xue Shuangtao felt both embarrassed and helpless.

She shouted, "Ruyun! Xuemei!"

Two maids in their twenties responded quickly.

"I want to bathe!" the young lady declared.

Having one's ankle touched was enough to make any noble young lady embarrassed. Yet she couldn't beat the teacher up, nor could she hurt herself, so after a pause, she sulked, "B-burn this stocking!"

The two beautiful maids exchanged glances. Though they didn't understand what had happened, they still smiled and obeyed.

Soon, everything for the bath was prepared. As the cherished eldest daughter of the Xue family, she used a large jian — a bronze bathing tub measuring seven feet long, three feet wide, and just over a foot tall, adorned with carvings of tigers and beasts and fitted with large rings for lifting. The maids filled it with water of the perfect temperature, infused with medicinal herbs to ease the muscles.

Xue Shuangtao sat in the tub, thinking not just about that awkward incident—

—but also about how that young teacher had seen her interacting informally with her younger brother, breaking the dignified and gentle facade she usually showed to outsiders. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. Yet, after considering it for a long while, she couldn't come up with any good solution.

Finally, she gave up. Hugging her knees, she sank into the water.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

Xuemei chuckled. "Miss is sulking again."

"The last time was when that pet finch she raised flew away because she forgot to trim its tail feathers."

Ruyun laughed. "It's nothing. A good bath will lift her spirits again."

...

Meanwhile, Li Guanyi and Xue Changqing were staring at each other.

Moments earlier, maids had brought over refreshments—six kinds of dried fruits, six kinds of fresh fruits, six types of pastries, and a pot of freshly brewed fine tea. After taking a sip, Li Guanyi asked, "Why don't you like numerology?"

"Because it's useless!" Xue Changqing said bluntly.

Seeing that his sister wasn't around, he pouted, acting his age again. "Look, I'll tell you straight—I don't need numerology. And you don't need to teach me. Just take your pay like normal, alright? We can just sit here chatting, nibbling on pastries. An hour will pass soon enough."

Get paid for slacking off?

Had it not been for the bronze cauldron, Li Guanyi might've gone along with it.

But he needed to teach this child numerology to have an excuse to meet the family patriarch later on and complete the spiritual condensation of his bronze cauldron. Calmly, he said, "No can do."

The seven- or eight-year-old glanced at him. "Is it because the pay's too low?"

"I'll give you more!"

Hidden behind the flower bushes, Xue Shuangtao had finished changing clothes. Her senses were sharp; she slowed her pace and furrowed her brows slightly. Many previous tutors had been bribed like this by Xue Changqing and were later expelled by the Xue family.

Little Xue Changqing waved his small hand with confidence, "Whatever price my sister offered you—"

"I'll give you double!"

Li Guanyi chuckled. "You couldn't afford it."

"How much?"

"Priceless."

Xue Changqing was dumbfounded. Li Guanyi said lightly, "Your sister helped me redeem a family heirloom. I owe her a favor. So, little one, stop wasting effort. You must study numerology."

From a distance, Xue Shuangtao heard every word clearly, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Such steadfastness to his promise.

She'd just secretly called him a scoundrel—had she wrongly accused him?

Circulating her inner energy, she walked slowly over. Li Guanyi finally heard her approaching footsteps, glanced sideways, and saw her now dressed in a pale yellow long gown.

Her waist was cinched with a blue sash, from which hung a jade ornament. Since she wasn't going out, her hair was adorned with fewer accessories, making her look particularly delicate and charming.

Seeing his elder sister arrive, Xue Changqing, who had just been acting rude to his new teacher, immediately sat upright and behaved himself.

Li Guanyi took the opportunity to ask, "So if you don't like numerology, what do you like?"

"Archery and horsemanship, of course! Martial arts skills!" Xue Changqing answered righteously.

Xue Shuangtao felt a headache coming on.

She couldn't help but feel helpless. Throwing a tantrum now wouldn't solve anything, and afterward, she would still need to comfort him properly. She explained to Li Guanyi, "Please don't laugh, sir. My family's martial arts, especially in archery, are unmatched. Changqing grew up seeing our elders practicing and has longed to learn it since childhood. But he's only eight. It's difficult for him to make progress yet, which is why we hoped he'd first study the Six Arts of a gentleman."

Xue Changqing crossed his arms and sulked.

Li Guanyi pondered for a moment before speaking gently, "But what if numerology could help you improve your martial arts?"

"I don't believe it!" Xue Changqing snapped.

Li Guanyi smiled. "Then let's test it at the practice range, shall we?"

"You mean it?" Xue Changqing's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Of course."

Li Guanyi glanced at Xue Shuangtao. "Miss Xue, would that be alright?"

Though puzzled, Xue Shuangtao nodded. "I'll leave everything to you, sir."

The Xue family's archery practice wasn't done in a typical open training ground but indoors, mainly to prevent injuries among inexperienced learners and to make it easier to practice in a windless environment. Naturally, as their skills advanced, there were other places to train.

Many Xue family juniors were present, curious about what was happening. Seeing Xue Changqing don his archery attire and pick up a bow, more gathered around to watch.

Li Guanyi smiled. "Give it a try. Show me your skills."

Full of confidence, Xue Changqing nocked an arrow and shot it straight ahead. As expected of a child from a prominent family, he had decent form. However, due to his young age and lack of strength, the shot lacked power and failed to hit the target. Naturally, the Xue family had many secret archery techniques, but such things wouldn't be taught to children this young.

Some of the observing juniors around them chuckled.

Li Guanyi silently counted the time it took for the arrows to land.

Someone called out the distance of the fallen arrow.

After asking about the bow's draw weight, the arrow's mass, and Xue Changqing's height, Li Guanyi had the child shoot a few more times. He quickly worked out the necessary data in his mind, running calculations twice to confirm—growing steadily more confident.

A mere problem of projectile motion. Just high school physics.

Of course, with air resistance involved, it wasn't as clean as textbook answers.

But estimating a general range and hitting the target? Completely doable. By tailoring his teaching to the child's interests, he could get him invested in numerology, paving the way for future lessons and eventually earning a meeting with the Xue family patriarch, allowing him to complete the spiritual refinement of his bronze cauldron.

Xue Changqing grew more frustrated with every missed shot. Xue Shuangtao watched Li Guanyi curiously, unsure how he would make good on his claim to use numerology to boost martial skills. Meanwhile, the surrounding juniors, having overheard the earlier exchange, were filled with curiosity and gathered closer.

Li Guanyi sat down calmly. "Bring me paper and ink."

"Then I'll show you... how it's done."

...

At the very heart of the Xue residence stood a pavilion overlooking a pond, where a massive white tiger spirit sat lazily at the water's edge. Nearby, an elderly white-haired man sat with fish food in hand, watching the koi ripple through the pond.

A steward approached briskly.

The old man smiled as he asked, "That numerology teacher Shuangtao brought in—is he here now? Can he teach that brat Changqing?"

The steward replied, "I just received word..."

"The young master has gone to the training ground."

The old man frowned slightly. "Studying numerology... at the training ground?"

"The teacher said he could improve the young master's archery through numerology."

The elder paused in mid-gesture, intrigued. "Numerology aiding martial arts?"

"Interesting."

After pondering a moment, he scattered the last of the fish food into the pond and said lightly:

"I've never heard of such a thing before. Let's go."

"I want to see it for myself."

The old man stood. The white tiger spirit yawned lazily, rose to its feet, and followed the elder toward the practice ground.

(End of Chapter)