Chapter Thirty-Four: The Training Begins

Chu Bing swiftly returned to the temple, teleporting all the way. Her heart pounded furiously, panic still etched on her face. She didn’t notice anything amiss until she stumbled straight into someone’s arms and realized at last that she was safe.

“Miss Chu?” Li Haoran gazed worriedly at the girl in his embrace. “Where have you been? It’s the middle of the night—what if something had happened to you?” He gripped her shoulders firmly, his tone stern.

Chu Bing blinked, realizing first how awkward their posture was. She hastily pushed Li Haoran away, retreating several steps to widen the distance between them, finally standing still and letting out a breath of relief.

Li Haoran felt a sudden emptiness in his arms, a faint sense of loss he couldn’t suppress.

“What’s wrong?” Only now did he notice Chu Bing’s pallor, the sheen of sweat on her brow.

She glanced at the distant, shadowy bamboo grove, shook her head, and murmured, “I’m fine.”

“Are you really alright?” Li Haoran clearly didn’t believe her, but seeing that she had no wish to elaborate, he refrained from pressing further. Instead, he silently resolved to have the shadow guards investigate what had happened as soon as possible. How could anyone dare bully Chu Bing right under his nose?

“Why are you up so late, wandering around instead of sleeping?” Chu Bing quickly changed the subject.

Li Haoran sighed. “I just had a dream—you were covered in blood. I got so worried that I decided to come check on you, only to find you gone from your room!”

Chu Bing felt her chest tighten. What nonsense to bring up at this hour!

She curled her lips, then asked the system in her mind, “Can I hit him?”

The system replied mercilessly, “No.”

“So he’s your real favorite, isn’t he?” she grumbled inwardly. How pitiful was her role as host!

Not only did the system show her no affection, it also placed her in constant danger.

She strongly suspected that the system’s real reason for having her teach Li Haoran martial arts was simply to prevent him from being killed by his two exceptional brothers.

Yet, Chu Bing thought, even if those two brothers weren’t around, Li Haoran’s own ill-timed words would be enough to earn him plenty of enemies.

Seeing her angry, Li Haoran tried to soothe her gently. “Miss Chu, please don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t trying to curse you. I was just worried…”

She rolled her eyes at him. Of course she knew he meant no harm—if he were really cursing her, she’d have already jumped up and given him a good beating, with or without the system’s consent.

The sky was already paling in the east. At this point, it felt pointless to return to bed. Chu Bing sighed and glanced at Li Haoran.

“Go wake up your shadow guards. Training starts now!”

Li Haoran frowned slightly.

Chu Bing assumed he was reluctant and glared at him. “I’m doing this for their own good! Only those who endure the harshest trials can rise above the rest!”

It was only the second day and he was already soft-hearted—how would he handle the trainings to come?

Li Haoran shook his head with a wry smile. “You misunderstand.”

His dark eyes locked onto Chu Bing’s with a gentle expression. “I was just thinking you hadn’t slept all night. I wanted you to take a nap first.”

Chu Bing paused, an odd feeling rising in her chest. She deliberately put on a stern face. “Are you just saying nice things to placate me?”

Li Haoran was both amused and exasperated. He trailed behind Chu Bing, patiently explaining himself again and again, yet she remained unconvinced and only grew more irritated.

In truth, Chu Bing knew Li Haoran harbored no ill intent.

But she was holding back a well of frustration, perhaps from surviving so many life-and-death encounters without a single word of comfort from anyone. The resentment was hard to dispel. Now that Li Haoran had come to her of his own accord, she couldn’t help but vent her anger on him.

She glanced back at Li Haoran, who followed her closely, step for step.

Chin held high with proud defiance, she strode up to the door of the shadow guards’ quarters and knocked.

“Up! Training starts now!”

Inside, the shadow guards had only gone to bed late the night before and were deep in pleasant dreams. Hearing Chu Bing’s voice now, they groaned in misery.

Chu Bing stood at the door and sneered. “You begged me to teach you, remember? Now here I am, a young woman up at dawn, and you still have the nerve to sleep in?”

“Do you still want to train? If you’re not interested, just say so! I’ll send you home right now!”

Arms folded, she radiated an intimidating aura.

Li Haoran, standing beside her, couldn’t help but smile. Compared to the Chu Bing who had locked herself away the night before, he much preferred this vibrant, fiery girl—like a little pepper.

Soon there was movement inside. Long San was the first to rush out. Upon seeing Chu Bing and Li Haoran at the door, he straightened at once.

Chu Bing nodded slightly. Once all the shadow guards had emerged and lined up, she paced before them, finally satisfied.

“Yesterday was my mistake. I shouldn’t have forgotten to let you rest during training. Don’t worry, today I’ll keep a close eye on you and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

To everyone’s surprise, Chu Bing didn’t scold them immediately. Instead, she spoke gently and even apologized.

Even Li Haoran, standing nearby, looked astonished.

Just moments before, Chu Bing had seemed furious and unlikely to let things go.

Feeling awkward, Chu Bing pinched her nose. “Why are you all looking at me? Do you want to go without rest like yesterday?”

The shadow guards all shook their heads in unison.

Chu Bing smiled in satisfaction and continued, “To make your training more effective, I’ve revised your regimen. Starting today, each of you will wear sandbags on your hands and feet. The weight will increase daily, pushing your limits. Whoever perseveres to the end will be rewarded.”

At first, the men looked doubtful at Chu Bing’s plan. But when she mentioned a “reward,” these fierce warriors instantly perked up, as if injected with new vigor.

Chu Bing watched their excitement with satisfaction, then signaled for them to begin.

On the first lap with sandbags strapped on, everyone was full of enthusiasm.

By the second lap, some were already gasping for breath.

…

After the eighth lap, only a few still pressed on; the rest collapsed to the ground, utterly spent.

Chu Bing stroked her chin and jotted down how long each man lasted. Li Haoran, standing nearby, looked on in puzzlement and asked, “What’s the point of recording these times?”

Chu Bing replied, “That way I’ll know each person’s limits and can tailor their training accordingly.”

Li Haoran’s eyes filled with gratitude and respect. “Miss Chu, you care so much for these shadow guards. I sincerely thank you.”

His sudden thanks made Chu Bing slightly embarrassed. To cover her discomfort, she immediately put on a stern face and barked, “Why are you still here? Go run your laps!”

Li Haoran smiled, eyes crinkling. “Yes, ma’am.”