“Whoosh!” I leaped into the air, dodging the last peanut, and landed on the ground with a smug grin. “Old man, you didn’t hit me with a single peanut this time. Does that mean I passed?”
“There’s one final test…” Long Qingyang replied calmly, smoking his pipe.
I paused, then said, “Another round? We’ve done this three times already today!”
“This time, I won’t be using peanuts. We’ll use iron pellets instead.” Long Qingyang’s gaze was unwavering, showing no hint of humor.
Iron pellets—these were the same bullets used in old hunting rifles. If Long Qingyang threw them with his strength, I’d be riddled with holes, but I had no way of refusing.
“I’ve got nine pellets here. If you dodge them all, you pass…” Long Qingyang somehow produced nine iron pellets, holding them in his palm.
Fortunately, he seemed to mean he would throw them one at a time. That was somewhat reassuring.
“Here we go!” he announced, preparing to throw the first pellet.
I started to hop around in anticipation. “Wait!”
Iron pellets weren’t peanuts. While peanuts might cause a bit of bruising, these pellets were essentially lower-powered bullets! The pressure from this alone kept me from calming down. With such tension clouding my mind, this last agility test was sure to end with me in a hospital bed.
“Shhh!” Long Qingyang let out a cold grunt and flung the pellet straight at my left shoulder.
Under the immense pressure, my senses sharpened instinctively, heightening my focus. The pellet, though swift, appeared a tad slower to me now.
After over a month of training, my reflexes had greatly improved. While they still lagged behind my mental focus, they were no longer far out of sync. I tilted slightly, allowing the pellet to whiz past me.
The iron pellet continued its trajectory, embedding itself with a sharp clang into the iron wall behind me. My forehead instantly broke out in cold sweat—if that had hit me, there would’ve been blood for sure!
I couldn’t afford to be careless and kept my attention focused on Long Qingyang’s every move. He, however, took his time lighting his pipe, seemingly unconcerned. What was he up to?
As I relaxed, Long Qingyang suddenly moved like lightning, throwing another pellet at me without warning. I barely had time to dodge, and the pellet grazed my clothes, tearing a small hole in my shirt. Swallowing hard, I quickly refocused on him, wary of another sudden assault.
“Not bad, not bad. Let’s keep going!” he said with a grin. He then used both hands to launch two pellets, but this time, instead of aiming directly at me, he threw them toward the iron pillars on either side.
I didn’t understand his intention but couldn’t afford to be distracted. I concentrated fully on tracking the trajectory of both pellets.
“Ding!” The pellets struck the iron pillars with a crisp sound and ricocheted towards me—one heading for the right side of my face and the other for my left thigh.
With my heightened awareness, the pellets didn’t seem fast. I quickly shifted my steps, bending down to dodge them both.
“Ding!” Another sharp sound rang out before I could catch my breath. Although it was only one sound, my hearing told me it was more than a single pellet.
With my focused senses and acute hearing, I could barely determine their positions by sound alone.
I tracked the trajectory of the two pellets, which, like before, came from both sides. However, a nagging sense of danger persisted. Was there a third one?
Suddenly, I felt a chill near my forehead. I quickly tilted my head and dodged the two pellets heading for my sides.
“Thunk!” A pellet brushed past the tip of my nose and embedded itself in the floor.
Feeling the heat from the near miss, I broke into a cold sweat. If I’d been even a half-step slower, that pellet would’ve struck my head!
The head was one of the most vulnerable parts of the body. Even a slight impact from an iron pellet could cause serious damage. Long Qingyang was clearly serious this time.
I was infuriated by the close brush with death, and without thinking, I strode up to him, yelling, “You’re actually trying to kill me!”
“Your enemies won’t ever hold back against you!” he replied sharply.
Here we go again. What a load of nonsense—this was just practice! Was it really necessary to go this far?
Sometimes, I felt Long Qingyang was too harsh, whether on me or those special forces trainees. But I also understood that everything he did was for my benefit. It was a complicated feeling.
“And besides, if I’m willing to go this far, it’s because I trust you! If you feel I’ve gone too far, you can ask Qin Shousheng to assign you a new teacher.” With that, Long Qingyang turned to leave.
I quickly grabbed his arm. “Master, it’s my fault. Please stay!”
“Not angry anymore?” he asked, puffing on his pipe.
My face reddened. “How could I dare be angry with you?”
“Then get back in place and continue!” he ordered. Hearing this felt like a pardon. I stood ready for the last two pellets. As long as I dodged them, I would pass.
I elevated my focus to the utmost, all senses zeroed in on Long Qingyang. Yet the old man just stood there, pipe in hand, not looking at me at all.
From previous experience, I knew he was waiting for an opening!
After a few minutes of this stalemate, he still showed no intention of moving.
“Secretary Liu is here with your meal!” he suddenly said, glancing at the doorway with a delighted expression.
Secretary Liu? Bringing food? Impossible—she’d already delivered it earlier!
No! It was a trick!
I realized I’d been had, but it was too late. Long Qingyang had already released two pellets. Like before, he didn’t aim directly at me; instead, he bounced them off the iron pillars, making it hard to tell where they’d come from.
“Ding! Ding!” The two sharp sounds echoed, yet the pellets didn’t come straight at me. Instead, they rebounded, their frequencies mismatched, one slightly behind the other. I had to split my focus to track both.
After several bounces, the pellets showed no signs of slowing. I noticed something unusual about these two—they were surrounded by a faint white mist, which resembled True Qi but was different. Long Qingyang was no ordinary man! Good thing I hadn’t shown any of my True Qi, or Mei’er’s secret might have been exposed.
One of the pellets suddenly accelerated toward my face. I quickly retreated, dodging it.
Then, a sharp pain shot through my arm. Glancing down, I saw that the second pellet had somehow struck my T-shirt sleeve, leaving a small hole. Thankfully, it didn’t break the skin, merely grazing me.
“Have I passed now?” I breathed a sigh of relief. Despite a few close calls, I had dodged all nine pellets.
“You’re still far from it!” Long Qingyang scoffed. “Your enemies won’t give you a chance to track their every move. Your reflexes are still too slow!”
“So, what’s the next step in training?” I admitted he was right. My reaction speed still had a long way to go, especially if I ever faced guns and artillery.
Long Qingyang’s eyes sparkled as he replied deliberately, word by word.