"Huff... huff... ha... ha-ha..."

The heavy breathing of a little girl running around her master's backyard echoed through the air. Not only was she running, but she also carried heavy loads strapped to her back, arms, and legs. Any outsider would be astonished by the strength of this little girl.

‘It’s been a week since I started training her, and it’s still strange to see how quickly her physical abilities are improving. In just seven days, this little girl has managed to complete all the exercises I’ve given her, even with the additional heavy weights.’

Sitting on a rickety wooden chair and watching her student train, she could only marvel at how quickly her physical prowess was advancing. Even on the third day, she was able to complete her training without breaking a sweat. Worried that she might realize that the training techniques she provided were a sham, she increased the weights on her small body daily to make her believe the techniques were advanced.

‘Either that Caped Baldy’s training technique is actually effective in this world, or this little girl’s body is truly a monster. It seems it’s time for me to add new exercises for her. Punching practice should suffice, considering there’s a large rock not too far from here.’

Once her student finished her training, Vheena stood up from his chair and approached her to praise her progress. After some pleasantries, she informed her about the new training regimen.

“RuanRuan, I’ve seen how quickly you’ve progressed this week. Therefore, I’m going to give you a new exercise. Since your physique is already quite strong, I will add punching drills to further enhance your attack power. Come, follow me to see where you will be training.”

“Alright, Master!”

Leaving the backyard with his student trailing behind, Vheena headed away from his home, past the footpath, and up a hill. They arrived at a location with a large rock, about the size of a luxurious five-story house.

Approaching the large rock while pulling her awestruck student, Vheena immediately instructed her to practice punching the rock. Seeing that the rock showed no signs of damage from her punches made him smile.

‘With this, it should take her a long time to improve her monster-like body. This way, I can focus on being lazy without worrying about her training.’

Frustrated by the lack of any visible damage to the rock, Vheena could only encourage her student.

“Come on, RuanRuan! You can do it! I see a small crack there, keep going! Keep going!”

“Really, Master? I don’t see any cracks.”

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“Because you’re still an ordinary person, you can’t see them. Don’t worry, once you’re able to break the rock, it means you’ve reached the Peak level in Martial Practicing. After that, I’ll help you breakthrough to Foundation Building and provide you with new techniques.”

Hearing her master’s encouraging but misleading words, which were supposedly not suitable for a child, Ruan Xiaoyue, unaware of the deception, eagerly wanted to break the rock quickly.

“Alright, Master will leave you now. Keep training, but don’t push yourself too hard. If you get hungry, just go home, and I’ll prepare food for you.”

After leaving her student, who nodded and refocused on the rock, Vheena went back home. Yawning in his house, she went to the backyard to collect eggs from the chicken coop.

After gathering some eggs, Vheena went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. After cooking a simple meal, she ate at the dining table and left the leftovers for her student. Satisfied with his full stomach, she decided to go to his room for an afternoon nap.

“Yawn… ahh, I’ve been cooped up in the house all week without doing anything. Tomorrow, I need to try selling in the city again. Maybe my goods will sell well; I’m bored of just eating fruits, vegetables, and wild chicken that I raise. I must make some money tomorrow,” Vheena thought aloud with a sleepy face before falling asleep.

______

The next day, following his plan from last night, Vheena washed his clothes and prepared breakfast, which she had with his student. She then decided to go to the city alone. She bid farewell to her student, reminding her to maintain her training while she was away. Putting on his cloak to cover her face, she took her merchandise and left her house.

After a two-hour walk, occasionally accompanied by passing horse carriages, and seeing the Border City ahead, she joined the queue at the gate. After being checked by the gate guards, Vheena proceeded to the market. She knew that the prime spots in the market would already be occupied.

Placing her goods where she used to sell, she waited in silence for customers.

_______

“Wait, princess! Don’t go so fast, I can’t keep up with you!”

A woman in ordinary clothes, jostled by the crowd in the market, called out to a very beautiful young woman in simple attire.

“Are you foolish! Why are you calling me princess! Can’t you see all these people here?”

Hearing the call from her maid, the princess stopped and criticized her maid’s carelessness.

“Sorry! Sorry, princes— I mean, miss.”

Trying to apologize, the maid received a sharp look from her mistress and quickly corrected her speech, almost calling her “princess” again. The princess could only resign herself to the maid who had been with her for a long time.

“Let’s go back to the inn, miss. I can’t let you wander around alone.”

“I don’t want to,” the princess replied.

“At least take a bodyguard! I’m afraid something might happen to you.”

“What are you afraid of? It’s just a border city, nothing here can harm me. Besides, no cultivator would come to a border city dominated by ordinary people.”

“I just want to explore the city. It’s boring sitting around in the inn all the time,” the princess said.

“But miss, there’s nothing interesting in this poor city. It would be better if we returned to the inn and waited for the Marquis to come back from the Death Forest.”

“Be quiet! Go back there by yourself! I’m going.”

The maid could only resign herself to her mistress’s stubbornness and followed her to keep an eye on her. As they explored the market, the young miss quickly grew bored with the junk being sold. Reaching the quieter part of the market, her eyes inadvertently fell upon a merchant in tattered robes sitting lazily on a stool.

The sight of the merchant triggered her sharp intuition that there was something intriguing about him. Approaching the merchant, she saw that her goods consisted only of unusual fruits and vegetables. Intrigued by the exotic fruits, she asked about their price.

“Sir, how much are the fruits you’re selling?”

“I’m a lady, miss. The fruits are 50 bronze. Since the day is getting late, I’ll sell them for 25 bronze.”

“Alright, give me 10 pieces,” the princess replied, slightly embarrassed for mistaking the merchant’s gender.

Nodding at the princess request, the merchant wrapped up the fruits and handed them to her. After packing up and receiving the payment, the merchant gathered all her goods. Seeing this, the princess asked the merchant.

“Why are you packing up your goods? Are you done selling?”

“Yes, it’s getting late, and I don’t live in this city. It’s time for me to go home. Thank you for buying my fruits.”

The merchant nodded and thanked her. The princess nodded back and watched as the merchant left. As she watched him go, she felt a sense of having lost something significant. She shrugged off the feeling and left with her maid.

Bored with everything in the city, the princess decided to return to the inn.