Chapter 18: Training

The next morning, just as Ling Xiao stepped out of his room, he saw Ning Rongrong approaching with several attendants carrying tools in their hands.

Ling Xiao was somewhat surprised; he had thought Ning Rongrong would be sleeping in.

“You naughty one, you’re up! I thought you’d be such a lazy pig that someone would have to come wake you up!” Ning Rongrong said with a sideways glance as she crossed her arms.

Ling Xiao realized that Ning Rongrong had gotten up early to check if he was still asleep; if he was, she would come to disturb him. He could tell from the tools the attendants carried behind her.

“Training starts today. I hope you can keep it up,” Ling Xiao said without paying much attention.

“Fine, let’s start. Who’s afraid?” Ning Rongrong pouted defiantly.

“Then let’s try that building over there,” Ling Xiao said, pointing to a nearby structure.

“Alright, let’s go,” Ning Rongrong said with a slight pout, strolling lazily toward the target.

Ling Xiao approached one of the attendants, took out several packets of medicine, and said, “Go boil water and put all these packets in. Later, bring her to soak in the medicinal bath. She should wake up in about an hour and a half, and she’ll probably be hungry then.”

“Yes, Young Master,” the attendant replied and walked off in another direction.

Ling Xiao headed toward the building, soon overtaking the leisurely Ning Rongrong.

“Hey, why are you walking so fast?” Ning Rongrong called out from behind.

“The training has started, so keep up with me!” Ling Xiao said, entering the stairwell.

“It’s just climbing stairs. I thought it would be harder,” Ning Rongrong murmured as she followed.

“Be careful!” Ling Xiao said before running up the stairs. His pace was moderate, making it easy for Ning Rongrong to keep up. However, upon reaching the rooftop, Ning Rongrong was panting, as climbing five floors was still a challenge for a child just over five years old.

“What, training is this easy?” Ning Rongrong scoffed, hands on her hips.

“This is just the beginning. Climbing is tiring, but going down will be easier. You can keep up, right?” Ling Xiao began running down.

“Of course!” Ning Rongrong smiled confidently.

Descending was indeed easier, but running down was dangerous — one wrong step could cause a serious fall.

Sure enough, while her speed didn’t change much, Ning Rongrong grew nervous; running made her body unsteady and prone to falling.

Though scared, seeing Ling Xiao’s relaxed figure ahead stirred her stubborn spirit. She gritted her teeth and continued, but suddenly her feet tripped.

“Ah!” Ning Rongrong screamed as she lunged forward and lost her balance, about to fall.

She closed her eyes in fear, bracing for pain.

Yet, after a moment, nothing happened. Opening her eyes, she found Ling Xiao beside her, grabbing her arm just in time to prevent the fall.

“Alright? Let’s keep going. Be more careful next time!” Ling Xiao helped her upright, released her, and resumed running.

“You big bully! Don’t run so fast!” Ning Rongrong hurried to catch up, though she slowed down. Soon, they were back downstairs.

“Do you want to rest now?” Ling Xiao asked, turning around.

“No need. That kind of training can’t beat me!” Ning Rongrong said, still panting.

“Good. Then we’ll repeat this three more times,” Ling Tian said without any encouragement.

Ning Rongrong’s face stiffened. She was already tired, and the near fall frightened her. But seeing Ling Xiao start running again, she could only follow.

After another round, Ning Rongrong had no accidents but was more out of breath, needing to support her knees with her hands upon finishing.

Before she could rest properly, Ling Xiao ran upstairs again, ignoring her protests.

“Hey! Stop running, I’m tired!”

“Are you giving up?” Ling Xiao called down from the stairs, watching Ning Rongrong sit on the ground.

“Hmph! I’m not running anymore; I want to play!” Ning Rongrong refused to get up.

“Fine, then go play!” Ling Xiao said and continued running upstairs.

Ning Rongrong looked at him strangely but felt a surge of happiness. Training wasn’t fun at all—playing games was much better.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly noticed the emptiness around her and recalled the conversation with Ling Xiao yesterday.

Could it be that she was truly a spoiled brat? No! She was determined to win!

With a resolute bite of her teeth, Ning Rongrong stood up and resumed training. Halfway through, she saw Ling Xiao had already come down.

He didn’t glance at her, and she didn’t care. Relying on sheer stubbornness, she pushed on, running slower but refusing to stop.

At some point, Ling Xiao’s figure disappeared. Nearby, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo stood watching Ning Rongrong.

“Fengzhi, what is the Holy Son trying to do? Look at Rongrong — she’s exhausted on just the first day. Won’t it be worse later?” Bone Douluo said, worriedly eyeing the pale Ning Rongrong.

“Yes, Fengzhi, the Holy Son’s training is too harsh for Rongrong, especially since she’s a support-type Spirit Master with weaker constitution,” Sword Douluo shook his head.

“Sigh! Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, I know you care about Rongrong, but the Holy Son should know his limits,” Ning Fengzhi said, lowering his head with a sigh.

“If he knew limits, he wouldn’t push Rongrong like this. Support-type Spirit Masters are naturally frail, yet he trains her so hard!” Bone Douluo retorted.

At that moment, a maid approached, bowing respectfully to Ning Fengzhi and the others.

“Greetings, Sect Leader, greetings to the two Elders!”

“What is your business?” Ning Fengzhi asked politely.

“I’ve come at the Young Master’s request to escort the little princess,” the maid reported.

“Is there a reason the Young Master wants to take Rongrong?” Ning Fengzhi inquired.

“Yes, the Young Master said the little princess is fatigued from training, so he prepared a medicinal bath to help relieve her exhaustion.”

The three exchanged glances just as Ning Rongrong stopped running. Sword Douluo instantly appeared before her, catching her as she nearly collapsed.

“Take us to see it!”

“Yes!” The maid agreed without hesitation.

They entered the room, seeing a large tub filled with a slightly milky liquid emitting a peculiar scent.

“Fengzhi, can you identify what’s in this?” Sword Douluo frowned, concerned about potential dangers.

“Not entirely sure. I see Purple Water Lily and Evergreen Leaf—one is medicinal, the other ornamental. I don’t know why these are here,” Ning Fengzhi said, puzzled.

“He said it’s a medicinal bath. Could it truly be effective?” Bone Douluo asked.

“It should be,” Ning Fengzhi’s eyes brightened.

“But Fengzhi, this is risky. What if something goes wrong?” Sword Douluo cautioned.

Ning Fengzhi hesitated but then exhaled and looked determined.

“Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, I believe the Young Master wouldn’t do anything dangerous. He’s not that kind of person.”

“But…” Sword Douluo started to object, but Ning Fengzhi waved him off.

“Put Rongrong in the bath. We’ll wait outside.”

With that, Ning Fengzhi left. Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo sighed and followed, hoping Ling Xiao harbored no ill intentions.

Outside, they waited tensely for nearly half an hour until the maid emerged. They hurriedly asked about Rongrong’s condition, and upon hearing she was fine, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

They rushed into the room and found Ning Rongrong sound asleep. Sword Douluo grasped her hand, using spirit power to check her condition. Finding nothing wrong, he shook his head, pulled the blanket over her, and the three quietly left.

“It seems the medicinal bath is indeed safe. We need not worry.”

“Also, when I examined Rongrong, her body was normal—no sign of exhaustion. Yet we saw her collapse earlier.”

“So the Holy Son’s medicinal bath truly benefits Rongrong. I’m looking forward to her future progress!” Ning Fengzhi smiled softly.

Ling Xiao returned to his room, thinking, “This exhaustion, combined with the medicinal bath, should strengthen Ning Rongrong’s physique. Though not obvious yet, after ten sessions, her strongest punch should reach two hundred pounds of force.”

“That kind of power could seriously injure a weaker Great Spirit Master. I wonder how strong she’ll be after awakening her martial spirit! Could she take on a Spirit Sovereign?”

After more than an hour, Ning Rongrong finally woke.

“How did I fall asleep?” She rubbed her eyes with her small hands.

“Oh right, I was running and got so tired I dozed off. Who brought me back?”

After thinking for a moment, Ning Rongrong called out, “Someone!”

“The little princess, you’re awake!” The maid entered.

“How did I get back?”

“The Elders and Sect Leader brought you back.”

“Really? Where’s that naughty one?”

“The Young Master left a while ago.”

“Hmph, that big bully doesn’t care about me at all, leaving on his own!”

“No, little princess. The Young Master gave me a medicine packet to give you a bath. It’s good for your body,” the maid explained.

“Huh?” Ning Rongrong moved a bit and felt no fatigue—she felt even stronger!

“So that means the big bully really cares about me?”

“Of course. You’re the little princess of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and he’s the Young Master. You’re basically family, so it’s natural to look after each other.”

“Fine! I’ll forgive him for not being nice to me!” Ning Rongrong huffed proudly, though hunger soon struck.

“I’m hungry! Make me food quickly!”

“Yes, little princess, the food is ready and waiting for you!”

“That fast?”

“The Young Master said you’d wake after the medicinal bath in about an hour and a half, so we prepared ahead.”

“Oh!” Ning Rongrong quickly dressed and went to eat.

After eating her fill, Ning Rongrong met Ling Xiao on the road. She rushed up to him and said:

“Big bully, why did you leave without waiting for me?”

“Because Ning Sect Leader and the others arrived. They can take care of you. How do you feel now?” Ling Xiao asked.

“The big bully’s medicinal bath was pretty good. I feel full of energy!” Ning Rongrong patted her chest.

“With that much energy, training can continue this afternoon!”

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong’s face immediately fell.

“More training? We just finished this morning!”

“Aren’t you full of strength now? It’s perfect for training.”

“Fine…” Ning Rongrong resigned herself, hanging her head.

“What’s next, more running?”

“No, next is weight training.”

“What’s that?”

“Running builds endurance; weight training strengthens your muscles by tying on heavy objects.”

Ling Xiao pulled out several small sandbags. “One for each leg and each arm. Start light.”

“Oh!” Ning Rongrong took the sandbags, instantly feeling their weight. Her heart sank.

If I have to wear these, can I even run?