Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Wanhua Building.

Atop the building, the sun was brilliant, shining on the mahogany floor, warming it slightly even in the chill of winter.

"Sister Lin!" Jiang Ning said, catching sight of Lin Qingyi in her light blue gown, a smile spreading across his face.

"My nap was interrupted by you!" Lin Qingyi patted her red lips, yawning at the corners of her mouth.

Her clothes were somewhat thin, not much different from what one would wear in summer, just an inner and outer layer, and the half section of her calf peeking from underneath the skirt was as smooth as jade, resembling a section of white lotus root.

"It's me!" Jiang Ning chuckled.

Yet, in his heart, he was somewhat speechless.

If he remembered correctly, every time he came to find Lin Qingyi, she was either sleeping or had just woken up.

Could one truly become a Grandmaster that way?

He was suddenly questioning life.

How much sweat and effort had he put in to achieve what he had today?

"Have a seat!" Lin Qingyi gestured to the chair shielded by a canopy next to Jiang Ning.

As a woman, Lin Qingyi was no exception to the desire for beauty.

Even if it was beauty admired only by herself, she cared deeply about it.

Hence, she seldom allowed herself to be directly in the sunlight on the pavilion of the loft, having moved a sunshade to the building's terrace long ago.

After gesturing for Jiang Ning to sit down first, she turned and walked towards her boudoir.

A moment later.

Lin Qingyi reemerged from her room, appearing once again before Jiang Ning.

This time, she held a pot of cool tea in one hand and an envelope in the other.

Jiang Ning's gaze was instantly drawn to the envelope in Lin Qingyi's hand.

He remembered that at noon, Lv Yi had come back and brought him a message.

Lin Qingyi had a letter to pass on to him; he needed to make a trip to retrieve it.

"A letter for me?"

"Who could it be from?" Jiang Ning was immediately filled with curiosity.

Lin Qingyi glanced at Jiang Ning, then with a tilt of her lips, sat down in another chair under the canopy.

"Pour water for yourself if you're thirsty," she said, carelessly placing the pot of tea on the table without any intention to serve him.

But it was Lin Qingyi's attitude at that moment that made Jiang Ning feel even more comfortable.

Becoming casual with each other actually signified that their interactions were not as awkward as in the beginning.

It was like when one was at home, often less well-groomed, not paying as much attention to their behavior, commonly lying down wherever they walked to.

Now, Lin Qingyi's casualness made Jiang Ning feel just that way.

He poured himself a cup of cool tea, drank it in one gulp, and moistened his throat.

Then his gaze fell back on the envelope on the coffee table.

"Curious?" Lin Qingyi caught Jiang Ning's gaze and abruptly spoke up.

"Curious, who would send me a letter?" Jiang Ning nodded affirmatively.

At his words, Lin Qingyi's lips curled into a slight smile.

"You've forgotten that you have a betrothed!"

Betrothed?

Upon hearing those three words, Jiang Ning was startled.

Then promptly, an image of a young girl surfaced in his mind.

"Your palms are so large!"

"And your hands are so warm!!"

Back in the snow, Ji Mingyue's routine had caught Jiang Ning off guard.

In his past life, he had used this same trick to fool girls and then take the opportunity to entwine fingers.

Never had he expected, in a life resembling the ancient feudal era, to be schemed by a girl younger than him.

Moreover, the scheme was so avant-garde that even now, it seemed unbelievable to him.

At the same time, he also found it somewhat ridiculous,

"Ji Mingyue?" Jiang Ning spoke up.

"Yes!" Lin Qingyi nodded, "It is indeed letter No. Seventeen sent to you."

Hearing her words, Jiang Ning then picked up the envelope on the table.

After tearing open the seal of the envelope, he pulled out a page of white paper.

My betrothed,

Seeing these five words at the start of the letter, Jiang Ning was speechless for a moment, wondering if Princess Seventeen was really taking this seriously?

Then, his eyes moved further down.

...

Seeing your words is as good as meeting you, opening your letter brings a smile to my face.

...

The handwriting on the letter was delicate and feminine, one could tell at a glance that it was a woman's script.

Jiang Ning slowly read on, the several hundred words describing everything Ji Mingyue had seen and experienced over the month, all the events big and small.

The narrative was as calm as water, the script revealing none of her personal feelings, merely a gentle, continuous narration and sharing.

At the end of the letter, Ji Mingyue simply made a small complaint about the hardships of ordinary people and also expressed the faint sense of powerlessness in her heart.

Lastly, she had written that she would try to send a letter every month.

After finishing, Jiang Ning refolded the two pages of white paper and put them back into the envelope.

"Would you like to send a reply?" Lin Qingyi inquired.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "There's nothing to say!"

"Alright!" Lin Qingyi nodded.

...

On the other side.

A girl in a goose-yellow gown rested her chin on the edge of the carriage window, watching the scenery outside, the sunlight hitting the snowy ground causing her to squint slightly.

At this moment, she was clearly lost in thought, her pupils unfocused and lacking any point of concentration.

"I wonder if the envelope has reached his hands?"

"I wonder how he felt upon reading the letter?"

"I wonder if he will send a reply?"

The girl's thoughts surfaced uncontrollably, and she couldn't help but think of the dreams she'd had over the years.

Was it him in those dreams?

It really seemed like it!

The eyebrows, the eyes, all so familiar!!"

"Little Seventeen, what are you thinking about?" Ji Minghao's gentle voice sounded in her ear.