Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The next day, Xie Qingling wore a long black skirt over her black skintight pants. She sat elegantly at the conference table with her legs crossed, copying the workplace rules for the tenth time.

At precisely nine in the morning, Ye Anran and Dai Xingyu were the first to push open the door and enter.

Seeing Xie Qingling’s transformation after a single day, Dai Xingyu and Ye Anran froze, their expressions quite a sight to behold.

Then Dai Xingyu’s astonished voice rang out. “Whoa – Brother Shen has taught the rookie to be such a pervert.”

Xie Qingling: “…”

“…Hurry up and shut your mouth!” Ye Anran said in a low voice.

As the only person who had truly fought beside Xie Qingling, Ye Anran understood all too well that Xie Qingling required no instruction. She was already plenty unhinged on her own.

“Good morning.” Xie Qingling greeted them. “I’ve already brewed coffee for you.”

After only two days together, Xie Qingling had more or less figured out everyone’s basic habits – such as the fact that practically every member of the Department always had coffee in hand.

This might have something to do with the high-pressure environment of living permanently on call.

The caffeine in coffee helped keep them somewhat energetic.

Ye Anran immediately smiled. “Then don’t mind if we do!”

Dai Xingyu and Ye Anran sat on the sofa, leisurely drinking coffee as they began preparing for the day’s work. In truth, remaining on duty at the Department left them with pitifully little to do. It could even be called boring.

Yu Wei arrived soon afterward.

“Good morning, everyone.” Yu Wei sat beside Xie Qingling and got straight to the point. “You went into the field with Shen Huaizhou yesterday. Did you see a ghost?”

“Mm-hm.”

Her answer drew Ye Anran and Dai Xingyu over as well, their ears practically pricking up to listen.

Yu Wei said, “It seems your talent is related to ‘seeing ghosts.’ That’s somewhat similar to Dai Xingyu.”

“There are similarities, but it isn’t quite the same.” Xie Qingling thought for a moment. Unsure how to describe her talent, she chose to remain vague.

She could hardly tell them that she was a woman who came with her own narrator, could she?

Dai Xingyu’s face immediately turned green, and he began fidgeting uneasily.

He was even gripped by the fear that he might soon lose his job and could no longer sit still.

“I’m going out on field duty today,” Dai Xingyu said. “I’ll find more ghosts. When it comes to seeing ghosts, a Groom is the professional.”

After all, “seeing ghosts” was a Groom’s talent. The rookie had stripped Dai Xingyu of his uniqueness the moment she arrived. How could he not panic?

Ye Anran reassured him. “Why are you in such a hurry? Her role is different from yours. She’s responsible for charging in, while you stay safely in the rear.”

“Is that how the Director assigned us?”

“…No. I guessed.” Ye Anran glanced at Xie Qingling, thinking that given Xie Qingling’s recklessness, it would be impossible to make her provide support from the rear even if they tried.

Generally, during elimination operations, Yu Wei was responsible for charging forward and taking the lead, while Ye Anran supported him with healing.

The Director and Shen Huaizhou took turns controlling the field, while the other assisted Yu Wei.

There was nothing wrong with this arrangement, but against certain troublesome opponents, their manpower sometimes seemed terribly inadequate and they lacked sufficient firepower.

Yu Wei was only an Acquired Spirit. No matter how strong his combat skills were, they still had a ceiling.

As for Shen Huaizhou, he was an illusionist who leaned more toward control, enhancements, and support.

The Director, meanwhile, was a gear-dependent fighter. As long as his equipment remained, so did he. Once his equipment was gone, he was nearly finished too.

That was why the Director was usually the one responsible for holding the rear and controlling the field.

Their primary damage came from Shen Huaizhou and Yu Wei.

Now, they had Xie Qingling as well.

At first, Ye Anran had assumed Xie Qingling was another control-oriented support fighter. But after fighting a battle with her, Ye Anran came to understand that this rookie, who possessed something akin to a summoning divine ability, was actually a powerful damage dealer…

The pressure on Ye Anran as their healer instantly eased considerably.

She had extremely high hopes for Xie Qingling.

Just as she thought this, Xie Qingling said, “Brother Yu, could you teach me a couple of moves when you have time?”

Yu Wei nodded. “Sure. Let’s go to the training room.”

The so-called training room was actually a converted version of the small Western-style house’s back garden.

The space was relatively large. Several wooden posts stood around its edges, along with sandbags and other training materials, as well as some exercise equipment.

Xie Qingling drew Bloodsworn, gripped one blade in each hand, and assumed a stance.

She had learned a few moves from Shen Huaizhou yesterday, so at least her stance looked convincing.

The instant Yu Wei saw Xie Qingling holding the blades in a reverse grip, his eyes lit up. “A reverse grip. Have you trained before?”

“I learned a dagger routine during military training at university. That’s how the instructor taught us.”

Yu Wei nodded and walked over to correct her posture. At the same time, he said, “In the military, knife grips can generally be divided into two types: the standard grip and the reverse grip.”

“The primary difference lies in which way the cutting edge faces. When the cutting edge faces downward, that’s a standard grip. When it faces upward, that’s a reverse grip.”

Yu Wei took Bloodsworn and demonstrated the standard grip for Xie Qingling. As he flicked, chopped, and hacked, Bloodsworn moved with vicious precision in his hand. Its bloody, baleful aura surged straight at her, utterly unlike the gentleness Yu Wei normally projected.

“A standard grip makes your attacks more flexible and lets you withdraw the blade quickly. You can freely adjust the angle and direction of your attack, making it more concealed and highly lethal. The drawback is that you can’t perform certain horizontal slicing motions. A reverse grip, by contrast, can.”
Yu Wei’s demonstration made everything clear to Xie Qingling. She nodded. “I understand.”

“Next is the reverse grip.”

Yu Wei handed her the blade. “Try it yourself and feel how the force works with a reverse grip.”

Following Yu Wei’s instructions, Xie Qingling held the blade in a reverse grip and slashed it back and forth several times.

Yu Wei asked, “Doesn’t swinging the blade with a reverse grip feel more powerful than a standard one?”

“It’s… the biceps and triceps.” Xie Qingling’s eyes instantly lit up. “Those are the two most developed muscles in the human arm. And because the angle of exertion matches the arm’s natural curve, the body has muscle memory. The force comes faster and feels more natural.”

Yu Wei nodded approvingly. “As expected of someone trained in anatomy. Some blockheads study for ages and still can’t understand it.”

Xie Qingling remained silent. She was not curious about which blockhead – or blockheads – Yu Wei meant.

Sometimes knowing too much was not a good thing.

Yu Wei continued explaining, “A reverse grip gives you greater explosive force and more power, but it has drawbacks too. Your attack is less concealed, and if you miss, withdrawing the blade is slower. Against an opponent with extremely strong combat instincts, that tiny delay may be enough for them to launch another move against you.”

“Your body has become very strong since receiving the blessing. But against a Spirit Wielder at the same level, when it comes to raw power in close combat, female anatomy is biologically weaker than male anatomy. Don’t underestimate that slight difference. When experts clash, those tiny differences often decide life and death. However, with the correct method of exerting force and a scientific training regimen, a woman can still become an exceptional fighter – even better than a man.”

“Each grip has its advantages and disadvantages. You have two blades, so you can hold one in a standard grip and the other in reverse. That will let you attack flexibly while compensating for any lack of explosive force and increasing your power.”

Both Bloodsworn blades had now returned to Xie Qingling’s hands. This time, she quickly mastered the correct grips. Yu Wei had been right. As someone trained in anatomy, she felt a natural affinity for edged instruments. Bloodsworn seemed made for her.

“Then I’ll begin attacking.” As soon as Yu Wei finished speaking, his entire presence abruptly changed. The air of a gentle, broad-minded middle-aged man vanished, replaced by hostility and the promise of slaughter.

At that moment, he looked like a machine filled with murderous intent – or rather, that was exactly what he was.

He raised his palm-wide broadsword and brought it crashing directly down on Xie Qingling’s head.

Xie Qingling raised her blades to block, yet the impact still drove her several steps backward –

After becoming a Spirit Wielder, Xie Qingling’s strength had increased considerably, but the force still numbed the webbing between her thumb and forefinger.

Yu Wei was not showing her the slightest mercy!

Xie Qingling gritted her teeth, then attacked using her clumsy combat techniques and innate fighting instincts.

…

Clearly, Xie Qingling was nowhere near a match for a true veteran like Yu Wei, who had fought his way out of blood-soaked battlefields.

In the first round, Xie Qingling lasted only a few moves before losing.

Yu Wei’s blade tore brutally across her arm, leaving white bone visible through the wound. Bloodsworn flew from her grip.

Xie Qingling was once again left in tatters and covered in blood. The stains might not be visible, but her injuries were genuinely severe.

At the same moment, Ye Anran happened to pass by carrying coffee. She silently glanced over, sent one of her silver needles flying, and cast Rejuvenation on Xie Qingling before walking away.

Xie Qingling returned to full health.

Was this tacit understanding between teammates?

One handled the killing, the other handled the burial… No, the healing.

Xie Qingling had only just retrieved Bloodsworn when Yu Wei’s blade attacked again.

Xie Qingling: “…”

She took back her initial assessment of Yu Wei.

This was not a gentle, honest middle-aged man.

This was a murderous demon who killed without blinking!!

…

Half a month passed in this fashion.

Throughout those dozen or so days, Xie Qingling sparred with Yu Wei. She was often beaten beyond recognition, but under Yu Wei’s storm of brutal strikes and Ye Anran’s perfectly timed healing, her physical condition and combat techniques improved at a visible rate.

At first, Xie Qingling could survive only a handful of exchanges against Yu Wei. Now she could persist for quite a while and trade blows with him.

Yu Wei sent Xie Qingling flying with a powerful strike of his blade. She crashed down and rolled twice across the ground before stopping.

“Again,” Yu Wei said.

Xie Qingling did not move for a long time.

Yu Wei frowned, then walked over to examine her –

But the moment he bent down, the fluttering hem of a skirt flashed before his eyes, obscuring his vision.

Yu Wei’s sight blurred, and he immediately sensed trouble. Before he could react, Xie Qingling’s legs snapped into a scissor hold around his neck.

Then the world spun around him. Xie Qingling actually slammed him to the ground with a one-handed shoulder throw.

Yu Wei had just begun to rise when something cold pressed against his neck – Bloodsworn was resting against his throat.