Lu Fan's flirtatious smile made Ning Zhao's delicate face flush slightly, her chest rising and falling involuntarily… it resembled the feeling of love.
"Xiao Ni, close the door and stand guard."
Lu Fan took a deep breath, giving a command to Ni Yu to close the door. Ni Yu responded with a quick nod, jogging over to close the door, locking it, and then pressing her petite body against the door. Ning Zhao and the other maid's expressions subtly changed. Lu Fan's request for Ni Yu to close the door was an unusual gesture, leaving them perplexed.
Lu Fan's gaze once again fixed on Ning Zhao, his face gradually becoming serious, causing an unexplainable pressure to fall on the three maids.
"My father told me I can trust you."
Lu Fan lightly tapped the armrest of his wheelchair as he spoke. Ning Zhao's face shifted, and she hastily set aside the rolled-up rice paper, saying, "Master entrusted us with the care of the young master's daily life and safety. Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Ni Yu are bound to him—alive, we are his people; dead, we are his ghosts!"
Ni Yu, who was leaning against the door, had her face flushed with seriousness. Yi Yue, the fox-faced maid with a long whip at her waist, nodded continually.
Lu Fan raised an eyebrow, surprised by their intense reaction. He smiled to ease the atmosphere. He remembered that the lives of these three maids were saved by his father, Lu Chang Kong, from a pile of corpses, and they had been raised since childhood. He had no doubt about their loyalty.
"Don't be so serious. I just have some confidential news I need to share with you."
Lu Fan said, exhaling and preparing himself emotionally. He rose slowly from the wheelchair, standing upright.
Ni Yu had already known that Lu Fan's legs had healed, so she remained calm, having seen his graceful movements of toes flexing in the wind. Ning Zhao and Yi Yue, on the other hand, were stunned, just like Lu Chang Kong! No, they were even more surprised, as they had been taking care of Lu Fan's daily needs and hadn't realized that his legs had improved.
Lu Fan stood straight for a moment, but his legs gave way, and he slowly sat back in the wheelchair. He didn't attempt to walk but instead took off his exquisite boots, removing his cloth socks, revealing his bare feet, which he moved slightly. A smile lingered on his face.
Ni Yu's face flushed again—here it came, the young master's mischievous habits!
"Master… are your legs... healed?"
Ning Zhao's chest heaved as she gathered her hair into a neat bun, her eyes shimmering as if waves were flowing through them. She was genuinely happy for Lu Fan. His leg ailment had troubled him for so long, almost becoming his mental burden. On many nights, Ning Zhao had heard Lu Fan's silent sobs in his room, his pillow soaked with tears.
"This news must remain confidential. Aside from my father, you three are the only ones who know of it." Lu Fan smiled as he started putting on his socks and shoes again.
"Sister Ning, do you… know martial arts?"
Lu Fan's gaze lingered on Ning Zhao as he asked another question. Since his father could entrust Ning Zhao with his safety, it was clear that she must know martial arts.
"Martial arts?"
Ning Zhao didn't expect Lu Fan to ask that, but she still nodded. "Yes, I do know martial arts, and not a weak form either."
"Master wants to practice martial arts?" Ning Zhao asked in return, as it wasn't surprising that, now that Lu Fan's legs were healing, he might have the desire to learn martial arts. Unfortunately, Lu Fan had already missed the best age for martial arts training, making it hard for him to achieve great things in that area.
"How is martial arts divided?"
Lu Fan didn't answer directly but continued asking.
"The martial arts system in the Great Zhou Dynasty is simple. Those who aren't considered martial artists aren't counted. There are three levels: Second-rate, First-rate, and Grandmaster." Ning Zhao's lips parted slightly as she spoke.
Lu Fan listened intently. He knew that the Five Phoenixes Continent was a low martial world, but each world of martial arts had its own system.
"A martial artist starts practicing from a young age. There are two branches of practice—external and internal skills. External skills strengthen the body, and practitioners are often large and robust, with battlefield generals typically practicing external skills."
"Internal skills focus on blood circulation, strengthening the internal organs and enhancing vitality, making it long-lasting."
"There's no fundamental distinction between external and internal skills. Both have strengths and weaknesses, and either can lead to the Grandmaster level."
Ning Zhao paused, noticing that Lu Fan was completely absorbed in her words. She continued:
"A second-rate martial artist can defeat five opponents, a first-rate martial artist can defeat ten, and a Grandmaster… can defeat a hundred without breaking a sweat."
Yi Yue and Ni Yu listened intently as well. Lu Fan nodded continually. Although there was no spiritual energy in this world, the martial arts system was still robust in its own way.
"Sister Ning, what is your martial strength like?" Lu Fan asked curiously.
Ning Zhao froze for a moment before lifting her chin slightly, a trace of pride on her face.
"Though I am but a humble maid, under the strict tutelage of the master, I've reached the level of a first-rate martial artist."
Her words were modest, but the tone carried no hint of humility. She was proud—and rightfully so.
Yi Yue, the fox-faced maid, bit her lip slightly, and Ni Yu gasped. "Sister Ning is a first-rate martial artist! How impressive!"
Lu Fan couldn't help but click his tongue. Ning Zhao was only around twenty-four or twenty-five, yet she had the strength of a first-rate martial artist. Such strength used for a maid—what a waste! However, this also reflected how much Lu Chang Kong cared about Lu Fan's safety, sending a first-rate martial artist to protect him.
"Master, as for Yi Yue, I'm just a second-rate martial artist." Yi Yue, with her fox-like face, bit her lip stubbornly as she spoke.
As for Ni Yu, who was still leaning against the door, she might as well have been a mascot compared to Ning Zhao and Yi Yue.
Lu Fan clapped his hands in satisfaction.
"Very good." He was pleased, and now, he wanted to test his spiritual energy release ability.
Lu Fan turned to Ning Zhao and, after a moment's thought, asked:
"Sister Ning, since you're a first-rate martial artist, have you ever heard of 'spiritual energy'?"
"Spiritual energy?" Ning Zhao paused, a strange look in her eyes.
"Master, as martial artists, we practice diligently, relying on hard work, perseverance, and talent. Spiritual energy is just a fantastical concept from ancient legends. We don't believe in it."
She chuckled and shook her head. Spiritual energy was just a joke to them.
"Oh? You don't believe?" Lu Fan raised an eyebrow. He turned to Yi Yue and asked, "Yi Yue, do you believe?"
Yi Yue smiled and shook her head. "Master, you're joking."
Clearly, she didn't believe in it either. Lu Fan smirked slightly, amused by their response. He then turned to Ni Yu, who was still leaning against the door.
"Xiao Ni, what about you? Do you believe in the existence of spiritual energy?"
Ni Yu's eyes brightened, and her face turned as red as an apple.
"If the Master says it exists, then it must!" she said seriously.
Lu Fan couldn't help but laugh, amused by her response. She was politically savvy… playing cute and avoiding trouble effortlessly.
Ning Zhao and Yi Yue were left speechless.
Suddenly, Lu Fan's smile vanished.
"Are you not curious about how my leg ailment was healed?"
Lu Fan glanced at the three of them.
Ning Zhao, Yi Yue, and Ni Yu all showed signs of curiosity. A leg ailment that had lasted for more than ten years being cured just like that? It seemed strange and mysterious.
"If you're curious, come closer," Lu Fan said.
Ning Zhao stepped forward.
"The leg ailment troubled me for seventeen years, tormenting my mind…"
"Then one day, I dreamt of wandering through the vast world, where I met an immortal. The immortal said I was destined to meet them and granted me a blessing."
"The immortal placed their hand on my head, and spiritual energy poured into my body, clearing the blocked meridians in my legs, healing them without treatment."
Lu Fan spoke calmly, his words almost unbelievable, yet his face remained unchanged as if it were nothing extraordinary. He almost convinced himself. As he spoke, he gently took Ning Zhao's delicate hand in his.
Ning Zhao's palm had calluses from years of martial arts training. As Lu Fan held her hand, her face flushed.
As for the words about "the immortal placing their hand on my head, and spiritual energy pouring into my body," she wasn't naive. She treated it as a story to entertain the young master.
But when Lu Fan glanced at the other two maids, their expressions were still full of disbelief.
In that instant, Ning Zhao's delicate features shifted slightly, as if she were about to say something, but it was too late.
Lu Fan was already lost in his thoughts.