"Nothing," Flower Yichong regained his composure and smirked, asking, "Aren't you supposed to be going to school?"
"Once you've recovered, we'll go back to the academy together," Flower Zhao replied.
Flower Yichong nodded silently, not saying much.
"Brother, when were you ever deceived? Tell me, and Xiao Zhao will seek revenge for you!" Flower Zhao clenched her small fist tightly.
Flower Yichong was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "How could I have been deceived? You said it yourself, I was just talking nonsense. And you believed my nonsense?"
Flower Zhao thought for a moment and laughed, saying, "You're right."
Suddenly, she placed her hands on her hips in a huff and said, "That doctor in the academy is a fraud! He said your condition was incurable and that medicines were useless. He even told us to come back and make funeral arrangements for you. It scared all the clan members into rushing back with you. Little did they know, Uncle Wu only inserted a few silver needles, and you woke up. Hehe! Uncle Wu is amazing!"
The previously indignant little girl couldn't help but laugh as she spoke.
Flower Yichong smiled wryly. How could Uncle Wu be amazing? If it weren't for the intrusion of my foreign soul, this little girl's dearest brother would have long been cold and lifeless, beyond death itself.
After some thought, Flower Yichong asked Flower Zhao, "What is the situation of the other clan members after I fainted?"
Flower Zhao sighed like a little adult and said, "How could our clan's children be a match for the Ling Clan's children? Not only do they have fewer numbers, but their cultivation levels are also lower. Everyone got injured, and they all suffered setbacks."
"Besides you fainting, Big Brother Shijun fractured his left arm, which was the most severe injury. The others only had minor cuts and bruises. They're fine after applying some ointment. They're lively and energetic again."
Flower Yichong chuckled inwardly. Children will be children, isn't that how it always is? They fight, they play, and everything returns to normal.
Suddenly, Flower Zhao remembered something and ran outside while shouting, "Mother made porridge for you. She said she would feed it to you once you woke up. I was too busy talking to you and forgot about it."
Watching Flower Zhao's figure receding into the distance, Flower Yichong fell into contemplation. His current task was to adapt to his current identity and understand everything about this continent.
Not long after, Flower Zhao indeed came in with a bowl of porridge.
"Brother, you've been unconscious for several days with a high fever. Father and Mother were extremely worried. Father heard that the newly acquired 'Snow Cold Fruit' is the most effective in reducing fever, so he made arrangements with the members of the Guard Battalion to go into the mountains and collect the medicine for you. Mother has been by your side, and she was relieved when she saw your condition improving."
The Guard Battalion Flower Zhao mentioned was composed of people within the clan with high cultivation levels and strong combat abilities. They were not only an important force for defending the clan but also ventured into the mountains to hunt and kill magical beasts to obtain wealth for the clan.
With Flower Zhao's support, Flower Yichong struggled to sit up, panting heavily for a while.
The injuries were severe, and even after six or seven days had passed, his body was still weak.
Flower Yichong affectionately looked at the delicate little girl before him. If this were Earth, he could easily be her father, but now they had to address each other as siblings.
He sighed inwardly, comforting himself, "Since I'm here, I must accept it."
Flower Yichong felt a slight headache, especially at the back of his head. That spot had taken a solid blow!
After eating a bowl of rice porridge with Flower Zhao's help, Flower Yichong felt a wave of drowsiness and lay back down, falling into a light sleep.
That blow had really taken its toll!
The next day, as the sky brightened, Flower Yichong was awakened by a series of soft shouts.
Sitting up, he stretched his arms, feeling a slight fatigue in his body but no major issues.
Getting out of bed, Flower Yichong touched the back of his head and still felt some soreness, but it didn't hinder his movements.
He walked out of the room.
In Flower Yichong's mind, a familiar, three-dimensional courtyard appeared immediately: it faced north and south, with a wide street outside the courtyard walls. The walls were about a mile long and half a mile wide, occupying one-fifth of the entire street.
This was the Flower Clan's mansion, consisting of multiple small courtyard-style houses. Nearly 300 relatives with blood ties to Flower Yichong lived in this mansion.
The mansion was divided into two sections, East and West, separated by a passageway. The East section housed the main branch of the Flower family, while the West section was occupied by concubines and branch families.
Flower Yichong belonged to the main branch, with his father, Flower Shijin, being the fourth in line among the brothers.
Flower Yichong's home was located in the northeast corner of the East section, a small courtyard. Fortunately, the family of four lived in harmony, and despite the small size of the courtyard, they lived happily.
The small courtyard faced east and west. Apart from a vacant space in front of the main house, there was also a small training ground in the northern corner, measuring about three zhang in diameter, paved with bluestones. This became the family's usual practice area for martial arts.
Having lived here for fourteen years, Flower Yichong was naturally very familiar with the layout of the Flower Clan's estate.
At this moment, a slender and agile figure was moving swiftly and gracefully in the courtyard's training ground, displaying a formidable "Demon Subduing Fist" technique.
It was Flower Zhao practicing in the morning!
Flower Zhao was dressed in a white floral-patterned tight martial arts outfit. Despite her petite frame, she had a spirited demeanor, exuding a heroic aura.
When she saw Flower Yichong approaching, Flower Zhao stopped and said, "Brother, why are you out of bed? Are you feeling much better?"
"No major issues," Flower Yichong replied, walking towards the training ground.
"Brother, it's been a while since we sparred. Both of us are at the fourth level of the Martial Disciple realm. Let's give it a try today and see who's better, you or your little sister!"
The so-called "spar" referred to the practice of martial arts between two warriors, where one attacked while the other defended.
Techniques are static, while people are dynamic. People constantly dismantle and deconstruct techniques through continuous attack and defense, aiming for simplicity, clarity, speed, and power in their attacks and defenses.
Flower Yichong knew that he was at the fourth level of the Martial Disciple realm, and although Flower Zhao was two years younger, she had a higher talent and had also reached the fourth level of the Martial Disciple realm.
However, despite being able to momentarily unleash the power of the fourth level of the Martial Disciple realm, girls had weaker endurance and were not as skilled in combat as Flower Yichong.
After some thought, Flower Yichong nodded in agreement.
He also wanted to understand the true capabilities of "Flower Yichong" as he would rely on this body when traveling the martial world.
"Brother, just because you've recovered from a serious illness, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!"
Flower Zhao took a step back, reminding Flower Yichong.
Flower Yichong also stepped back. "Let's do it!"
But in his heart, he muttered, "This is the first time I'm getting into a fight since my rebirth. I hope I don't lose too embarrassingly."
Merging with the memories of "Flower Yichong," he learned that on the Jiuzhou Continent, people who practiced martial arts were collectively called martial artists.
Martial artists progressed from weak to strong, divided into nine major realms: Martial Disciple, Martial Student, Martial Warrior, Martial Master, Martial General, Martial Monarch, Martial King, Martial Emperor, and Martial Venerable.
Each major realm was further divided into nine minor realms.
Only those who reached the Martial Student realm could truly be considered martial artists.
In the academy, the martial techniques that students learned were primarily foundational. Not only were they weak in terms of attacking power, but their main purpose was to adjust the weak bodies of young individuals and cultivate their character, laying a solid foundation for entering the Martial Student realm.
The foundational mental technique Flower Yichong learned was called "Guiding Art," and the foundational martial technique was "Demon Subduing Fist." Although his talent was not as good as Flower Zhao's, after several years of practice, he had become extremely proficient in this set of "Demon Subduing Fist."
"Watch my fist!"
Flower Zhao shouted and clenched her right hand into a fist, swiftly charging towards Flower Yichong like the wind.
Flower Yichong had already prepared for defense. As he saw the fist approaching, he immediately counterattacked, imagining himself deflecting Flower Zhao's punch and retaliating in one smooth motion.
However, as soon as the thought arose, he felt a pain in his chest. Flower Zhao's punch had already struck his chest.
Although Flower Zhao's strength was not great, Flower Yichong still "stumbled back" several steps before finally stabilizing himself.
Flower Zhao stopped and looked at her own fist, then glanced at Flower Yichong's chest, a look of disbelief spreading across her face.
Reality is always crueler than imagination!
Flower Yichong used the integrated information and believed that he had full confidence in resolving this move. However, he was unfamiliar with the condition of this body and his movements were very awkward. Not only were his actions disjointed, but he was also quite clumsy.
In the previous exchange, Flower Yichong didn't execute the defensive technique properly. The distance between his left and right arms was too wide, leaving his chest exposed and providing an opportunity for Flower Zhao.
By the time he realized something was amiss and tried to change tactics, his lack of strength and timing control prevented him from reacting in time. Flower Zhao's punch landed before he could make a move.
His body couldn't keep up with the rhythm, and his control was inadequate.
"Brother, are you alright?"
It took Flower Zhao a while to react, and she quickly stepped forward to support Flower Yichong, showing great concern.
Flower Yichong waved his hand, indicating that he was fine.
It seemed that he would have to gradually adapt to this body and strive to become familiar with and control it as soon as possible. With a faint sigh, Flower Yichong felt disappointed in himself.
Flower Yichong gestured for Flower Zhao to practice alone while he stepped aside, slowly extending his fists and kicks, familiarizing himself with every move and technique of the "Demon Subduing Fist." In this process, he gradually adapted to and controlled this body.
With the merged memories, Flower Yichong meticulously practiced the "Demon Subduing Fist," tirelessly repeating each move, gradually forming a proficient set of techniques, displaying an impressive aura.
His familiarity with this body also deepened over time: a slender physique, weak strength, unstable footwork, and lacking endurance. In other words, his foundational skills were not solid.
These were merely surface observations. As for the internal energy of this body, Flower Yichong had no idea because he himself knew very little about internal energy.
Regarding this matter, Flower Yichong no longer held any expectations.
After half an hour, Flower Yichong stopped practicing and faced Flower Zhao for another exchange.
Sure enough, he easily resolved the first move, and although he struggled a bit with the second move, he managed to stop Flower Zhao's attack.
However, he was powerless against the third move. Flower Zhao's punch landed on his left shoulder, causing him to retreat continuously. His steps couldn't keep up with the speed of his retreat, and he ended up sitting on the ground.
A fourteen-year-old boy being unable to defeat a twelve-year-old girl showed a significant disparity in physique!
"Brother, you've met your match today!" Flower Zhao said excitedly, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
"Once I recover from my injuries, you won't stand a chance!"
In Flower Yichong's memories, it seemed that he had always been the one giving Flower Zhao a hard time.
"Bring it on! I'll take advantage of your illness and take your life!" Flower Zhao exclaimed excitedly.