Chapter 1565 - 1561: Sibling Showdown

"Oh."

Why did I suddenly say such a thing? Ye Zhi forgot his previous hesitation and said with a smile:

"You really have quite the attitude, huh? Want to compete against me, one of the country's top eight? And yet"

Then his expression changed.

"Is your body okay? Don't push yourself too hard."

"Hehe, I'll let you see the results of my training in that world."

Ye Qiu smiled and walked toward the inner part of the house. Ye Zhi hurriedly followed inside.

The Ye Family estate was rather large, and there was a dojo on the east side of their mother's house. According to the grandfather's wish, it hadn't been torn down, so Ye Zhi practiced there every day. All the equipment and whatnot were kept there.

The two greeted each other formally inside the dojo, then began to prepare their gear. Luckily, their grandfather's physique was almost the same as Ye Qiu's now, so the armor fit perfectly. Once their masks were on, they walked to the center of the dojo and greeted each other formally once more.

Ye Zhi slowly stood up, took hold of his beloved sword, and assumed a middle stance. Ye Qiu, on the other hand—

"Wha- what are you doing, brother."

Seeing Ye Qiu's stance, Ye Zhi murmured in confusion. Strange, you could only use such words to describe it. Ye Qiu stepped forward with half his body length with his left foot, lowered his waist, gripped the sword with his right hand, and pointed the tip of the bamboo sword downward. His left hand was also gripping the sword hilt.

"If there were a referee, they would definitely be angry."

"What's the big deal, this is my style of swordsmanship."

Ye Zhi sighed, resuming his stance. Ye Qiu widened the distance between his legs again, lowering his center of gravity.

Ye Zhi intended to use the strength of his legs to launch a powerful strike toward Ye Qiu's face. But Ye Qiu's stance left her perplexed. Although there was an opening, it felt not so easy to seize. That stance, it was like something that accumulated over years and years of practice—

But that explanation was also incorrect. Ye Qiu only learned to hold a sword during the ages of seven and eight. And he only learned the basics.

Almost as if he saw through Ye Zhi's bewilderment, Ye Qiu suddenly moved. His lowered posture glided forward as he lifted the bamboo sword from the bottom right. What surprised Ye Zhi was not just the speed but also that instantaneous flicker that sent her moving reflexively. Her foot stepped to the right.

"Hand attack!!"

Ye Qiu used his left hand to swung the bamboo sword down. The timing was perfect, but—that attack was deflected. This kind of evasion was hard to believe. Ye Qiu switched the sword from his left hand to his right, and shifted his body sideways. Can such a thing be achieved? Ye Qiu thus took advantage of the situation to strike toward Ye Zhi's face; his bamboo sword swung again with his right hand. Ye Zhi had to lower her head, desperately dodging.

Their positions kept interchanging and entwining, once again maintaining a stance where they kept a certain distance from one another. Now, Ye Zhi was entirely absorbed in the match. Her blood boiled, the tension feeling oddly pleasant. Now it was Ye Zhi's turn to strike, showing off her special technique—forearm and face attacks.

But all were beautifully dodged by Ye Qiu. He withdrew his arm, lowered his body, dodging the bamboo sword by just a paper's width. This made the other mightily speechless. Ye Zhi's rapid strikes were highly regarded even in the club, and nobody could consecutively avoid this series of attacks.

Ye Zhi, in the mode of seriousness, then grew even more aggressive. With a suffocating speed, she pressed the bamboo sword down repeatedly. Yet Ye Qiu continued to dodge and evade. The continuous movement of his eyes made it feel like he had completely captured Ye Zhi's bamboo sword's movements.

Frustrated by Ye Qiu's maneuvers, Ye Zhi forcibly closed in. Since Ye Zhi's legs and waist had been trained, it brought Ye Qiu considerable pressure, making his steps falter, body sway. No way he'd get away now; Ye Zhi carried this aura as she unleashed a deadly strike at Ye Qiu's face.

"Face attack!!"

Ah, Ye Zhi realized too late at this moment. Without lessening the force, her strike was about to hit Ye Qiu's face. Thud!! A sharp sound rang out, echoing throughout the dojo.

Ye Qiu stumbled back several steps until he finally stopped.

"A-are you alright, brother!?"

Ye Zhi asked in a panic. It's okay, Ye Qiu lightly shook his left hand.

"Ah, I lost to you huh. You really are strong, even Long Yijian would be no match."

"Are you really okay?"

"Yes. The match is over."

After saying this, Ye Qiu backed up several steps, undertaking even stranger movements. He swung the bamboo sword to the left and right and then strapped it to his back. This movement stiffened his back, as Ye Qiu raised his right hand to scratch his face. Seeing this, Ye Zhi grew more and more concerned.

"Ah, could it be because I hit his head"

"No, no!! It's a habit I've developed over time."

After exchanging greetings, Ye Qiu sat down and began to take off his armor.

The two of them then walked out of the dojo and returned to the main house to wash the sweat off their faces in the bathroom. What was initially intended as a casual drill unexpectedly became serious midway, causing their bodies to heat up.

"By the way, I was really surprised. When did you practice this, brother."

"Hmm, it's this attack style. Without that kind of physique, it's true that technique can't be displayed."

Ye Qiu once again spoke some cryptic words.

"But it was still fun. I'll try Sword Dao again."

"Really, really!?"

Ye Zhi couldn't stop asking. She beamed with a smile.

"Can you teach me?"

"Of course! We should practice together!"

"In that case, I guess I'll wait until I've got some muscle first."

Ye Qiu nodded, and Ye Zhi laughed cheerfully. The thought of practicing with her brother again made her tears of joy stream down.

"Brother, I"

It's unclear why Ye Qiu wanted to practice Sword Dao again, but she was still delighted, as Ye Zhi initially planned to tell Ye Qiu about her new hobby. But soon changed her mind and swallowed the words.

"Hmm?"

"Hmm, maybe I'll keep it a secret for now."

"Come on."

The two wiped their heads with towels and returned inside the house. Their mother, Cui, had always worked until morning, so breakfast was often prepared by Ye Zhi and Ye Qiu in turns.

"I'm going to take a bath. What's your plan for today, brother?"

"Ah, me, I'm going to the hospital today."

" "

Hearing the brother's somber response, Ye Zhi's eagerly high mood dropped again.

"I see, it's to visit, that person, right."

"Yeah, this is all I can do now."

A month ago, Ye Zhi learned from her brother that the person was the most important person to him in that world. To think that even such a brother had someone he liked.