Xu Buran was just about to point her toward the lighter set to one side — but before he could, Chen Baoxiang had already bent down, grasped one in each hand, and lifted both stone locks off the ground simultaneously.
“They’re quite heavy~” She gave them a gentle heft, her slender brows faintly creased. “Really is asking rather a lot of a person.”
The men waiting to test nearby: “……”
Xu Buran: “……”
Zhang Zhixu: “……”
For the standard strength test, one simply had to lift a stone lock clear of the ground and hold it for a count of three. Yet here she was — holding them both up without letting go, actually weighing them in her hands.
A man’s pride really was devastatingly fragile in her presence.
Worried she might strain herself, Xu Buran hurried over to take the stone locks from her. He looked at her with a mixture of shock and amusement. “How do you have this much strength?”
“No idea~” Chen Baoxiang turned her hands over and examined them. “Perhaps it’s simply a natural gift.”
Nodding with a thoughtful expression, Xu Buran led her directly to an empty clearing nearby, and casually shrugged off his outer robe.
“Master~” She gasped in theatrical surprise, raising both hands to cover her eyes — while peeking at him through her fingers. “What are you doing?”
Zhang Zhixu said flatly: Rein in that imagination of yours — he wants to spar with you in person.
Oh — so that’s what it is.
Chen Baoxiang was visibly disappointed. She settled into a stance with a reluctant air. “I haven’t studied any martial arts — please leave me at least half a life.”
Xu Buran clasped his hands in a gesture of invitation, signaling her to strike first.
With a great battle cry she launched herself at him.
Chen Baoxiang had not lied — she had never had the money to study under a master, and didn’t even know the basics of a proper horse stance or a straight punch. Her style was entirely self-taught from years of brawling.
But she had been fighting for territory since the age of five. Every move she made was rough and unpredictable — and Xu Buran, caught off guard by her first strike, took a solid hit on the shoulder.
The force behind it was enormous. He grimaced, then began to methodically counter.
Zhang Zhixu watched coldly from the side, judging that Xu Buran had the clear advantage overall — his dodges and counters were all precise and clean, though he was holding back his strength.
But once Chen Baoxiang got into a fight, she became like a dog gone berserk. Seven or eight strikes might all miss, but the ninth or tenth that landed — even a single one of those was more than enough for Xu Buran to bear.
Xu Buran was beginning to struggle. He steeled himself and came back with a punch.
Zhang Zhixu could actually have dodged it, but the motion required was too wide — and as it was, a golden hairpin tumbled from Chen Baoxiang’s head.
“Oh no~” She immediately reached out to catch it.
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