"You little thief, take this!" the little girl shouted, brandishing a wooden stick. She dashed forward two steps and swung it towards Lin Tian's head with such speed that the stick whistled through the air.
The forceful strike from a sprightly little girl caught Lin Tian off guard; had it connected, it would have knocked out any ordinary man. But for him, it was hardly a concern. Unsure of her identity, he simply stepped back to dodge her attack, careful not to retaliate too strongly and cause unintended injury.
Having missed, the little girl lunged forward again, thrusting her wooden stick directly at Lin Tian's chest. She could have aimed for his throat, Lin Tian noted, seeing that she had held back. He continued to dodge, and as the miss and parry continued, he couldn't help but enjoy the fleeting glimpses of her vivacity.
Due to her vigorous movements, her knee-length skirt fluttered wildly, though she seemed completely oblivious to it. If Lin Tian weren't a zombie, he might have had a nosebleed by now. It suddenly dawned on her that Lin Tian was hardly focused on her attacks but was rather surveying her person.
"You bad thief, where are you looking? Careful, or I'll gouge out your eyes," the little girl said, ceasing her attack and stepping back with a fierce tone.
Yet her glaring expression was so adorable it lacked any intimidation, and her insults were nothing more than repeated "thief" and "scoundrel." Lin Tian shook his head speechlessly and asked, "Who are you? Where is Second Miss Xiao, she was the one who called me in."
"Second Miss, Second Miss..." Suddenly, Elder Han's voice came from the direction of the gate. Fearing any trouble, he had called the security to open the gate. Lin Tian realized that Elder Han was calling out to the little girl in front of him, a revelation that left him with a deadpan expression; this little girl knew how to play.
"No more playing, this is not fun at all," the little girl said, dropping her act upon being exposed by Elder Han.
"Elder Han, is she really Second Miss?" Lin Tian was under the impression that wealthy people led pampered lives. He never expected a rich young lady to possess such formidable martial skills.
"Hehe, Lin Tian, surprised, aren't you? This is indeed Second Miss, her given name is Xiao Manxuan. Miss's tutor is an Ancient Martial Artist, so Second Miss has also picked up a bit of the skill," Elder Han explained to Lin Tian.
Lin Tian had heard of Ancient Martial Artists before, as his former roommate Sun Decai had often boasted about them, but he didn't fully understand the specifics. He acknowledged with an "Oh" and then turned to Xiao Manxuan, "Second Miss Xiao, I've entered as you requested. Does this mean I've passed the test?"
"Hmph, don't be too smug. You think passing the first test is enough? There's more to come. Follow me!" scoffed Xiao Manxuan, leading the way inside.
Lin Tian looked at Elder Han for his opinion, who helplessly nodded as if to say, 'I can't do much about the Second Miss either, don't take it personally, just go along with her.' Reluctantly, Lin Tian followed Xiao Manxuan, though he pondered to himself how at only eighteen years old he was being treated like an adult.
The trio walked deeper into the compound, circumnavigating a pond and crossing several artificial hills, to reach a three-storied building. Throughout, Lin Tian kept his body covered with his tracksuit to avoid direct sunlight. Elder Han walked beside him and whispered, "This building is where the Miss and Second Miss study. Sometimes they even have a classical studies professor come over to tutor privately."
Wealthy indeed, to be able to afford private tutors for classical studies; such a subject isn't even available in regular schools outside. The ground floor of the building was spacious, furnished only with a few tables and tall bookshelves on either side.
Xiao Manxuan stopped at a table, picked up a book, and declared, "I've heard from mom that this time the bodyguard hired isn't like the others, as he needs to ensure my safety and also keep up with my studies. Since you are here to 'study' with me, you can't just be an uneducated brute. So, go ahead and translate the first ten essays of this English book."
After saying this, she looked at Lin Tian challengingly. She had received Lin Tian's information from her mother and knew he had only finished middle school, so she devised this challenge to trouble Lin Tian. If he failed to translate, she could justifiably send him packing.
"Second Miss, you sly fox, this is the homework assigned to you by your teacher for twelfth grade review, yet you've handed it to Lin Tian to do. No matter if Lin Tian translates it or not, you won't lose out, which isn't fair," Elder Han said after a close look at the book, chuckling because he was also worried Lin Tian might struggle, given his educational background.
Xiao Manxuan's face flushed upon having her scheme exposed, but she still defiantly stared at Lin Tian, intent on exploiting the situation. Lin Tian took the book and assured Elder Han, "Please rest assured, Elder Han. I promised I would be adequate for this job, and I can translate it."
Lin Tian was also greatly relieved. If he was asked to solve a high school mathematics problem, he wouldn't know what to do, but his self-taught English was decent enough to handle some foreign clients during his time as a security guard.
Under their astonished gazes, Lin Tian picked up the pen and paper on the table and swiftly wrote the translation in Chinese on the blank paper. Lin Tian wrote quickly, finishing the translation within minutes. Xiao Manxuan picked up the paper filled with writing and examined it—although the handwriting was somewhat crude, it held a dashing aesthetic.
"It barely passes, so I guess you pass," Xiao Manxuan wanted to say the translation was incorrect, but with Elder Han, a proficient English speaker, present, she could only reluctantly announce that Lin Tian passed. Yet, she added, "Don't get cocky, there is one last test. If you pass it, then I'll accept you as my bodyguard. Follow me."
Lin Tian and Elder Han exchanged glances, wondering what whimsical idea the Second Miss had up her sleeve. They exited the building, and this time headed to the back of the courtyard, where surprisingly, Xiao Manxuan led them to the stable.
It was not strange for a wealthy family to own horses, and the two horses in the stable, one white and one black, were incredibly majestic. Even Lin Tian, clueless about horses, could tell they were fine steeds.
Could it be that Xiao Manxuan wanted to challenge him to a horse race? Lin Tian felt troubled—cycling he could manage, but he really couldn't ride a horse. It would be more accurate to say the horse would be riding him.
However, something seemed off with the horses. As soon as Lin Tian entered the stable, they became restless and nervous, especially as Lin Tian approached, becoming more agitated and their eyes showed fear.
A sudden chill ran down Lin Tian's spine—the horses seemed to sense the presence of his zombie essence. Elder Han also noticed something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint the reason. Xiao Manxuan, oblivious to the issue, patted the horses' heads to calm them down before saying, "Lin Tian, we will each ride a horse. It's a race to the main gate; whoever gets there first wins. If you lose, well…"
"I don't know how to ride a horse." Lin Tian stated bluntly, growing up poor, even having a bicycle was good enough, horse riding was quite skilled labor.
"You don't know how to ride a horse?" Xiao Manxuan feigned surprise, her eyes rolling. She then said, "Miss here is quite reasonable, so I'll give you an option, you can run with your two legs instead. Of course, you can choose to give up—I won't force you."
"Comparing two legs with four and still saying she's reasonable, Second Miss really is a saint," Lin Tian sarcastically raised his thumb, embarrassing her into a blushing face.
"Are you competing or not? If not, just give up already!" Xiao Manxuan, knowing she was in the wrong, stomped her foot and said angrily.
"Of course I'll compete, but I have one condition. If you lose this competition, the matter of the bodyguard must be completely arranged by Elder Han, without any objections. Of course, I'm also reasonable. Even if you lose and don't admit it, I won't call you a 'puppy' or anything, don't worry." Lin Tian wasn't afraid of the competition, he was more worried about her endless vexations, so he cut off any other malicious thoughts she might have had beforehand.
Elder Han secretly gave him a thumbs up, praising his cleverness. Xiao Manxuan fell right into the trap and retorted angrily, "Fine, Lin Tian, daring to mimic my speech! As if I would be scared of you. I agree to your terms. Let's start!"
No one had ever underestimated her, yet today she was continuously embarrassed in front of Lin Tian. Xiao Manxuan wasted no more words, she led the white horse out, fitted it with a saddle, swung up onto it with a fluid, stylish movement.
"Are you ready then? I'll be the starter. Ready—go!"
As soon as Elder Han finished speaking, an eager Xiao Manxuan loosened the reins and the white horse dashed forward like an arrow. She glanced back at Lin Tian and saw that he was still stunned in place, likely shocked by the white horse's speed.
In a blink, Xiao Manxuan disappeared from sight, and Elder Han said to Lin Tian, "Xiao Tian, don't let the Second Miss lose too badly. She's still a young girl."
"I'll try my best," Lin Tian replied, then he too was out of the stable, vanishing in the blink of an eye.