An inch shorter, an inch riskier. An inch longer, an inch stronger.
The spear is four feet long, made of high-quality wood, with a diamond-shaped spearhead forged from fine iron, with a high ridge and sharp, pointed tip. The red rhino tail tassel flutters slightly in the wind.
Jiang Shaohua, not yet fully grown, holds the long spear, which when standing on the ground, reaches her brow. It fits surprisingly well in her hand; with a slight exertion, a few spear flowers bloom from its tip.
Renowned as the foremost expert of the Nanyang Prince Mansion, Song Yuan, a true master, immediately swallows his intended advice and picks up a long knife.
Jiang Shaohua smiles slightly, unceremoniously taking the first move. The long spear is like a rainbow, reaching its target in the blink of an eye.
Song Yuan does not dodge, swinging his long knife to parry.
The long spear and long knife clash in mid-air, emitting a piercing sound. Song Yuan's right hand trembles, nearly losing his grip on the long knife.
Song Yuan: "..."
Song Yuan's iron-cast face cracks, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Jiang Shaohua grips the long spear, composed and calm.
The trusted aides watching from a distance, seeing the unsuitable turn of events, are itching to rush over to witness the spectacle.
Standing in a corner, the trusted aide Qin Hu quietly shifts a few meters closer to another trusted aide: "The Commandery Princess is skilled, but after all, she is a young girl, young and weak. Given Commander Song's skill, letting the Commandery Princess have ten or twenty moves would be nothing at all. How did it end after just one move?"
Even Meng Sanbao is baffled, muttering quietly, "Isn't that so? When drilling us usually, he's as ruthless as a beast. Now standing there frozen, what is he thinking?"
The Prince Mansion trusted aides have their ranks too.
The highest-ranking are the two hundred trusted aides constantly stationed within the mansion, brought from the Capital City by Prince Nanyang back in the day. They trained in martial arts from a young age, starting duty at fifteen or sixteen.
Qin Hu and Meng Sanbao are among them. Qin Hu is sixteen, Meng Sanbao is two months younger than Qin Hu. Their grandfathers were trusted aides to the Prince Mansion; they are the third generation.
Qin Hu, youthful and eager, unable to suppress his excitement for the spectacle, nudges Meng Sanbao with his elbow, "Let's get a bit closer together."
Meng Sanbao shakes his head so vigorously it almost falls off, "No, no! If you want to go, go ahead! I don't want to get a beating!"
Thinking of the stern Commander Song, Qin Hu's heart trembles, quickly backing down, "Forget it, let's stay a bit farther. We have sharp eyesight and can see clearly from a distance."
Meng Sanbao gives Qin Hu a thumbs up, "You bet! Our eyesight is exceptionally good!"
This little episode goes unnoticed by Song Yuan.
He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself, resumes swinging his knife in silence. Jiang Shaohua neither avoids nor backs down, shaking the long spear in her hand to meet the attack.
Clang, clang, clang!
Bing, bing, bing!
In a few moments, the spear and knife clash dozens of times.
Qin Hu and Meng Sanbao are wide-eyed in amazement.
"I did not expect it, Commander Song is actually a bootlicker! Fighting evenly with a ten-year-old Commandery Princess!"
"Spit, spit, spit! Don't talk nonsense. Commander Song is just playing around with the Commandery Princess; it's not as if he's using real skill. But damn, his acting is too convincing. It's like watching a real fight."
The two of them huddle together, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
The other trusted aides cannot hold back any longer and gather in groups of three or two, either marveling at the Commandery Princess's skills or laughing at Commander Song's seemingly divine acting abilities.
Only Song Yuan himself understands the situation.
Each time the knife and spear collided, an irresistible force surged through. He barely maintained his composure, his right hand growing numb from the shock.
How does the Commandery Princess suddenly possess such divine power?
Force can defeat even the most skilled. With such divine power, no amount of skill is of use.
At the fiftieth move, Song Yuan finally could not hold on, his painful right hand loosening, the long knife clattering to the ground. Simultaneously, the Commandery Princess's long spear also happened to fall.
The trusted aides craned their necks, nearly straining them.
At that moment, the sunset had fallen, and dusk was settling. The Commandery Princess stood against the light, her face somewhat obscured, her eyes sparkling like they had been washed, gleaming and bright: "Luckily, it ended in a draw. Thank you for your concession, uncle."
Song Yuan's emotions were complex and indescribable, glancing at the composed Commandery Princess: "Commandery Princess..."
"I promised Chief Historian Chen," Jiang Shaohua said lightly, "that the divine power granted to me in a dream by my grandfather is to be kept secret."
Song Yuan: "..."
Song Yuan remained silent for a moment, nodding.
This matter was too bizarre and indeed should not be disclosed. The fewer people who knew, the better.
The pain in his right hand left it temporarily powerless.
Song Yuan glanced around and raised his voice: "Qin Hu, Meng Sanbao, come here both of you."
The two young trusted aides energetically ran over, perceptively picking up the long spear and long knife without needing Commander Song's orders, sending them to the weapon room.
The other trusted aides quickly gathered. One by one, they quietly observed Commander Song's expression.
A man in his thirties, practicing martial arts for decades, battled to a "draw" with a ten-year-old Commandery Princess. Tsk tsk! Is this the true Commander Song?
Song Yuan's lips twitched, silently bearing the blame.
Jiang Shaohua smiled wordlessly.
Song Yuan, born into a military family, practiced martial arts from a young age and, as the Personal Guard Commander of the Nanyang Prince Mansion, continued to train daily without slack. The trusted aides respected him for his fair handling of matters and his exceptional skills.
The former Jiang Shaohua, no matter how hard she tried, could not last thirty moves against Song Yuan.
Now, the divine power bestowed from above compensated for her lack of strength. Song Yuan could only hold up for fifty moves under her. This was entirely her own strength. She felt incredibly satisfied.
"It's getting late, it's hard to see clearly," Jiang Shaohua said, lively with a smile: "Let's practice archery early tomorrow morning."
Song Yuan nodded in agreement.
...
That night, Jiang Shaohua felt exceptionally good, sitting at the table with an unusually good appetite.
Yin Zhu and Tu Bai watched in amazement as the Commandery Princess gracefully cleared the dining table.
"Our Commandery Princess is really amazing," Yin Zhu proudly exclaimed, "Even her appetite is much stronger than that of ordinary noble girls."
Yin Zhu, filled with admiration for her master, was the foremost Commandery Princess enthusiast. Everything the Commandery Princess did was perfect.
Tu Bai was much more plain and honest: "The Commandery Princess is eating so much; could she get indigestion? I'll bring some hawthorn balls."
Jiang Shaohua didn't feel the slightest bit full.
With her strength suddenly increased several times over, her appetite had also grown greatly. This meal, she had eaten at least enough for three people.
Would she turn into a big eater in the future!
Jiang Shaohua pondered as she finished the small jar of hawthorn balls Tu Bai brought.
Yin Zhu looked on with respect: "Even the Commandery Princess eats more hawthorn balls than others."
Tu Bai grew even more worried: "Maybe we should invite Doctor Sun to examine the Commandery Princess."
Originally, there were two imperial physicians in the Nanyang Prince Mansion; one retired last year, leaving only Doctor Sun. Doctor Sun lived in the mansion with his wife and two children, always readily available for any summons.
Mrs. Zhang happened to enter, and upon hearing Tu Bai's words, immediately grew nervous: "What are you waiting for? Go invite Doctor Sun at once."