"Are you crazy?" Xuan asked, puzzled.

"I did not come here to drink poison," Hanbi said flatly.

Foyan rolled his eyes. "I told you my methods are different, but listen here... It’s not the type of poison that kills you. Instead, it’s poison that is focused on training."

Having said that, he uncorked one of the vials and brought them closer to Xuan.

"When you drink this, your vision will disappear for the next 12 hours. I will train your instincts and reflexes. Do you get where I’m coming from now?" Foyan grumbled. "But if you don’t want to do it, that’s fine. I’m used to ungrateful people pushing away my generosity."

Is this one of his ploys to get that technique from me? Xuan wondered, shaking his head. It’s not like I can call him out on day one though.

He didn’t want Foyan as an enemy just yet. So instead, Xuan thought about it another way.

My physique can counter Demonic Qi, so poison shouldn’t be too out of hand. Plus, if by taking a risk, I get a better reward, then it’s worth it.

With those thoughts in mind, Xuan nodded.

"You know what? Fine. I agree."

"Oh? Excellent!" Foyan burst out laughing. "Hah... What about you, lass? Are you going to join him?"

Hanbi stared at the two of them for a moment, then, with a reluctant gaze, she nodded.

"If you dare pull any tricks on us, I will make sure my father turns you into a carpet."

"Haha..." A single bead of sweat fell down Foyan’s forehead. "Angering you is the last thing on my mind. Don’t worry, I might come off as aloof, but I’m the best Head Monk when it comes to training disciples."

With a smile, he handed the uncorked vials to both Xuan and Hanbi. The two hesitated for a moment, then gulped the vials down.

In an instant, Xuan’s vision began to blur until, finally, it was completely dark.

It was an uncomfortable feeling, but he sucked it up regardless.

"I can’t see anything," Hanbi muttered. "So... We’ll do what? Practice our reflexes? When will we start?"

Despite her question, Foyan didn’t reply as an uncomfortable silence descended. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"It already started," Xuan remarked, entering a defensive stance.

He listened for any footsteps, however...

"It already started? But as an instructor, shouldn’t he announce when?" Hanbi asked, confused.

And because she spoke at that exact moment, Xuan wasn’t able to hear the attack coming as the wooden sword struck him straight in the chest, hurtling him toward the nearby wall.

"Guh!" Xuan collided into the wall as a burst of pain shot throughout his entire body.

Before he could react, another figure was sent flying toward him, crashing into him.

From the soft curves and decently large chest, Xuan knew it was Hanbi.

Despite that, she didn’t wait for even a single moment as she kicked off from him, trying her best to spot Foyan.

Xuan stood up with a pained look and did the same. However, right as his hand brushed over Hanbi’s back by accident, he felt a kick to his jaw, which, once again, sent him flying into a nearby wall.

"I think I got him," Hanbi said, a hint of pride in her voice.

Xuan groaned. "Really nice kick. You nearly broke my jaw."

"What—!"

—BOOOM!

An explosion resounded as Hanbi was buried into the ground. Then, as Xuan slowly got up, a wooden sword hit him straight in the chest, causing all the air to leave his lungs as he fell to the ground helplessly.

And that was when Foyan finally spoke amidst both Xuan and Hanbi groaning in pain.

"Okay... So I expected a little more from you two. Maybe a lot more." Foyan sighed. "No coordination. Terrible teamwork. You two suck at listening... May Buddha smite me and my ancestors down."

Xuan took a few deep breaths, calming himself. "What did you expect...? It’s not like we’ve ever done such training before."

"Yeah, I figured." Foyan stepped closer toward him. "But this is serious... I need you two to sort your teamwork out fast. I will only dedicate a single week to no-sight training. After that, I’m taking away your hearing. If you don’t get your shit sorted by then, I’m afraid I won’t be able to train you two."

No sight and no sound...? Xuan halted.

Just as he was about to speak, Foyan cleared his throat and spoke instead.

"Your one-minute break is over. I’m resuming the training, so try to evade or block one of my attacks. That’s your task for today, you two."

His breathing quickly became quiet, and a moment later, faint footsteps resounded, nearing Xuan.

He rose up from the ground and kicked forward.

But instead of Foyan, he was met with Hanbi’s delicate touch as she caught his foot right as it was about to strike her.

"My bad..." Xuan said.

Hanbi let go of his foot and walked up behind him, resting her back against his.

"My sect taught me back-to-back fighting... It works well against many enemies, so I’m not sure if it’ll work that well against only one. But it’s worth a try," Hanbi explained, her voice slightly weak.

She’s actually opting for teamwork? Xuan thought, surprised.

It seemed like she really did have many layers to her personality.

"Got it. I’ll watch my side, and you watch yours. If you hear someone coming, then pinch me or something. I’ll do the same," Xuan said quietly.

The two turned quiet, their heartbeats the only sound between them. It was steady at first, but Hanbi’s heartbeat soon began to quicken.

Whether it was anxiety, tension, or something else, he wasn’t sure. But upon noticing it, and without meaning to, his own heart matched her pace.

The two were momentarily lost in their own heartbeats, and because of that, they didn’t realize when Foyan snuck up by their side.

Foyan heaved an annoyed breath. Then, without even a single hint of hesitation, he thwacked both of them over the head, knocking them out.

***

A/N: I’ll be doing a 32 Chapter mass release on the 1st of may. Shower this book in golden tickets next month, I’ll most likely be doing mass release goals. Maybe something like Top 50 Golden Tickets = 5 Chapter mass release, Top 30 = 10 chappies, Top 20 = 15 Chappies. If we get to top 20, which is a bit unrealistic, then I’ll add goals for top 10 as well. That’s all from me, hope you guys continue enjoying the story~