Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 285 : Eight Months To Go

Chapter 285: Chapter 285 : Eight Months To Go

Ah Yan admired Xie Jianyu greatly. He also thought of Xie Jianyu as a wonderful teacher.

And what about Zhang Fengxi?

"Young Master, how good are you with your sword skills?" Ah Yan asked with eyes sparkling from excitement.

Zhang Fengxi gave his wife a side glance, but Xie Jianyu pretended to not hear anything.

Zhang Fengxi thus beamed at Ah Yan and said, "I mainly work with spears. According to my good ’friend’ here, my sword form is rather poor."

Ah Yan gaped at Zhang Fengxi, his eyes round and his mouth open in astonishment.

"No way, really? Isn’t that the most basic lesson in swordsmanship? Master said that my sword form was very good!"

Zhang Fengxi looked like he could kill someone any moment now. He then sneered in Xie Jianyu’s direction.

"Oh, really? ’Master’, you should teach me too."

"..."

Zhang Fengxi snapped a tree branch and dropped it -- no, threw it to the ground at Xie Jianyu’s feet.

Thump.

"My sword form is so poor that I don’t even know how to hold a sword. ’Master’, teach me, pretty please?" Zhang Fengxi lamented.

Xie Jianyu rolled with his eyes hard. He picked up the tree branch and smacked it against his palm impatiently.

Had there been a precedence where a master beat up his disciple with his own hands? Maybe not, but wives beat up their husbands the entire time.

"Ah Yan, continue with the last exercise," Xie Jianyu told the good disciple. He then grabbed Zhang Fengxi by his arm and hissed at him, "Will you stop making a fool out of yourself? Don’t think that I have not noticed your presence every time I teach Ah Yan how to use a sword!"

Zhang Fengxi let out a disdainful harrumph.

"Jianbao, you accused me of cheating just because I went to a tea house with Wen Xiangxiang. You yourself go into a secluded training area with Ah Yan repeatedly. What do you have to say about yourself?"

Xie Jianyu stared at Zhang Fengxi in bewilderment.

"Zhang Fengxi, are you insane? Ah Yan is just a boy!"

"And Muchen is also just a child, I get it."

"..."

"Master, look at me! Am I doing this right?"

Both of them turned to look at Ah Yan, who was energetically stabbing at an invisible opponent.

"Pay attention to your hip placement," Xie Jianyu said. He walked over to correct Ah Yan’s posture, ignoring the furious gazes that stabbed into his back.

Ah Yan was a novice in swordsmanship, so it was acceptable that his performance was far from adequate.

And yet, Zhang Fengxi beat him in that aspect.

"Oh, no," the exalted general of Heavenly Empire rolled with his eyes as he swung the tree branch around like he was hitting invisible mosquitos.

"I cannot control my movement. It must be due to my poor sword form. ’Friend’, can you please help me?"

Xie Jianyu heaved a sigh.

He walked over to Zhang Fengxi and pinched his right arm.

"Seriously, Zhang Fengxi, you are such an embarrassment," he muttered under his breath.

A smug smile crept across Zhang Fengxi’s face as he turned to look at Xie Jianyu. His wife was so adorable. Despite his initial reluctance and displeasure, he still ended up correcting Zhang Fengxi’s sword form in a serious manner.

"You should hold it like this. And your back... Like this."

Zhang Fengxi obediently followed Xie Jianyu’s instructions. He loved having the omega’s hands all over his body. Alas, Xie Jianyu’s sweet touch did not linger for long. Once his task was done, he retracted his hands and went back to Ah Yan.

"..."

Zhang Fengxi’s smug smile turned into an enraged smile. Oh, there was nothing he would like to do more than grab Xie Jianyu’s waist and carry him back home on his shoulder.

They trained together for three hours, after which they returned to Rainbell Town. As expected, Ah Yan received an earful of scolding from his mother. The incorrigible youth had the time to wink at Xie Jianyu to assure him that everything was going to be fine.

Once she was done trying to teach her son the meaning of taking responsibility for one’s task, she happily went to speak with Xie Jianyu and Zhang Fengxi.

"Young Masters, the preparation is complete. Please do not forget to come for dinner tonight."

"Un. We will come, thank you."

It was their last night in Rainbell Town. Xie Jianyu looked up at the dark blanket above his head and watched the numerous stars that studded the sky.

Next to him, Zhang Fengxi could not help but feel guilty. Xie Jianyu fought so hard to keep their baby, and what did Zhang Fengxi do?

"Jianbao, I..."

Xie Jianyu whirled around and stared at Zhang Fengxi.

"I am going to stay alive," he announced. "I will not give up on our child, whether you want him or not."

Zhang Fengxi gave him a sad smile in response.

"Keep teaching me the proper way to hold a sword," he said as he took Xie Jianyu’s right hand to his lips and pressed a kiss against his knuckles. "I will be the one to give our son his first lessons in swordsmanship."

Xie Jianyu’s eyes welled up with tears as he envisioned a futuristic scene of Zhang Fengxi and their young son practicing swordsmanship together in the courtyard. His big hands enveloping the tiny ones of their child, teaching him the art of swordsmanship with earnest care. A scene that would forever remain a wistful dream, one he could never witness with his own eyes.

The tears rolled down his cheeks, unchecked, carrying the weight of his grief and longing.

"Baby?"

Zhang Fengxi approached Xie Jianyu from behind and wrapped his arms around him protectively. The omega sighed and leaned into his chest, his head resting comfortably on Zhang Fengxi’s shoulder. Without a word, he took one of Zhang Fengxi’s hands and placed it on his belly.

Eight months to go, Xie Jianyu thought to himself, his heart heavy with conflicting emotions.