prynovel Chapter 19 Luo Xu's Anxiety
Chapter 19 Luo Xu's Anxiety
Sarah froze, speechless.
"Luo Xu saved you, and our whole family is grateful to him," Sarah's mother said, sitting down by the bedside.
"But he has no family, no trade, what will he do in the future?"
Sarah bit her lip, but remained silent.
"Your second brother met a businessman in the city who owns a cloth shop. He's well-off and honest. He said he wants you to meet him."
"I won't go," Sarah said, looking up without any hesitation.
"You are the daughter of a prominent figure in Lantas village, while he is just a rootless outsider. Who can be sure he truly loves you?"
"He's not," Sarah said softly, but firmly.
If Luo Xu was truly after money or something else, then he would have taken action after saving me.
But he has never uttered a single sweet word to this day.
Sarah's mother looked at Sarah, remained silent for a long while, and then let out a long sigh.
"Sarah, I don't want to see you suffer for the rest of your life because of a moment of impulse—"
"Mother," Sarah interrupted her, "what's the point of having countless riches if you can't be with the person you love?"
Sarah's mother opened her mouth, looking at her daughter leaning against the headboard, her deep green eyes unwavering.
The girl who grew up beside her is no longer the little girl who listened to her in everything.
Sarah's mother didn't say anything more. She stood up and straightened the blanket covering Sarah.
"Go to sleep."
Sarah's mother gently closed the door and stood in the hallway looking towards the guest room.
She wanted to see what this stranger could do.
……
The next morning, the cooing of a turtledove woke Luo Xu from his sleep.
He didn't stay in bed; after washing up and having breakfast, he went to the backyard to stretch his muscles.
The threat posed by the bandits to Lantas village had not been eliminated, and he always felt a sense of urgency.
Luo Xu walked briskly for a while and found that he did not feel any obvious pain in his ribs, so he tried running a few steps.
He felt a dull pain in his ribs and immediately stopped.
I haven't fully recovered yet, so I probably can't practice swordsmanship this morning. I'll go find Captain Walter this afternoon.
Luo Xu lay on the deck chair, staring at the woods outside the courtyard wall as he continued to hone his reconnaissance skills.
Sunlight shone on Luo Xu's face, and system notifications sounded intermittently.
After a while, Luo Xu stood up with a frown.
Sarah nodded and glanced in the direction of the woods, following his gaze, but saw nothing.
The view from the backyard is too narrow; there are only a few trees around, so you can't hide much.
Furthermore, animals that have already been identified cannot provide any further experience in the short term.
Luo Xu stood up and prepared to head to the village entrance.
This will not only improve reconnaissance skills, but also keep an eye on those robbers.
He told the steward that he wanted to sit at the entrance of the village, and the steward agreed.
Just as I turned the corner in the corridor, I ran into Sarah.
"Rossi," Sarah called to him, "when are you going to the sheepfold?"
"The sheepfold isn't finished yet; it's not too late to go after it's built."
Sarah nodded, then asked, "Where are you going now?"
"Let's go sit at the village entrance," Luo Xu said.
Sarah didn't ask any more questions and quietly saw him to the door.
Luo Xu gave her a deep look, then walked along the dirt road towards the south entrance of the village.
The early autumn wind carries the scent of wheat.
Three figures stood at the entrance of the south village.
A militiaman stood not far from the village entrance, his eyes sunken, with two dark bluish-black marks beneath them.
Two villagers stood at the village entrance, looking timid and talking in hushed tones.
"Those bandits are going to make their move in a few days. Do you think we can defeat them?"
"have no idea."
Upon seeing Luo Xu approach, the two immediately shut their mouths.
"What brings you here?" The militiaman stepped forward, his tone full of surprise.
"I was worried about you, so I thought I'd come and keep watch."
The militiaman paused for a moment, a hint of respect appearing in his weary eyes.
"Do you have any more bone whistles? If not, take this." He took a bone whistle out of his pocket and handed it to Luo Xu.
Luo Xu took it, nodded, and walked towards the low slope.
He stood on the low slope, scanning the surroundings as before. But this time, he couldn't concentrate for several moments.
The villagers' anxiety infected Luo Xu, making him unable to resist rehearsing the raid plan once again.
Although he had thought the plan through carefully, the more he thought about it, the less confident he felt.
What if the robbers already know they're about to make a move?
If the raid fails and those people storm the village, how many can he hold off by himself?
Luo Xu's mind was in turmoil, so he forced himself to stare at the distant forest.
The morning passed quickly.
My body has recovered a lot, and now I can jog for a while without feeling pain in my ribs.
Luo Xu opened the panel: "[Reconnaissance] 10, distance to next level: 15/142".
Seeing his reconnaissance skill level improved by one level, his anxiety eased slightly.
After a quick lunch at Galon's house at noon, Luo Xu immediately took the iron sword and headed to the west entrance of the village to find Captain Walter.
When they arrived at the entrance to the west village, Walter was sitting on a rock with two simple wooden swords at his feet.
He was munching on a piece of dark bread, his brows furrowed for some reason.
"Captain Walter." Luo Xu stepped forward.
"How are you feeling today?" Walter asked, standing up.
"It's not good; my ribs will hurt when I run." Luo Xu shook his head. "I won't participate in tonight's reconnaissance mission."
He glanced at the black bread in Walter's hand, hesitated for a moment, and said, "When will you teach me how to use a sword?"
"Let's begin now."
Walter stuffed the unfinished dark bread into his pocket and then stepped forward.
He first taught Luo Xu how to hold the sword, explaining the most basic two-handed and one-handed grip methods.
Then he had Luo Xu hold the sword in the same position, and then corrected the position of his fingers one by one.
"It's too tight, my wrist is stiff. Relax."
"If you do that, the sword will slip from your hand if the enemy hits you."
After several attempts, Luo Xu finally found the perfect amount of pressure.
"Alright, I'll teach you how to parry first." Walter tossed him a wooden sword.
Luo Xu put down the iron sword and picked up the wooden sword.
"The bandit's single-edged sword technique is unorthodox, and he's very strong. If you try to block it head-on, your hand will easily go numb," Walter said, emphasizing each word.
"You need to learn how to deflect the force. When he strikes, you need to catch it with the blade while simultaneously tilting it to the side. Try it."
After explaining it carefully several times, he swung his sword down. The movement was slow, but the force was immense.
Luo Xu instinctively tensed his wrist to block the attack, his arm jolted, and he staggered back a step.
"Again." He swung his sword at him again.
Luo Xu took a deep breath, and this time, as he met the opponent's blade, he controlled his wrist to tilt to the right.
"That's better." Walter stared at his wrist. "Let's try again."
After several successful parries, Luo Xu's movements gradually became more agile.
"Ding! Your one-handed experience +15."
"Not bad," Walter roared as he chopped.
"Stop!" Luo Xu suddenly stopped moving. "My ribs hurt a little."
"How about we call it a day?"
"No, I'll rest for a while before coming back."
Luo Xu held the wooden sword and continued practicing his sword-wielding posture.
Walter gave him a deep look, patted him on the shoulder, and continued eating his black bread.
Luo Xu spent the whole afternoon practicing swordsmanship at the entrance of Xicun Village. When his ribs hurt, he practiced the sword-holding posture.
Time flew by, and the sky gradually darkened.
"That's all for today." Walter sheathed his wooden sword, gave Luo Xu a thumbs-up, and said, "Very talented!"
Luo Xu wiped his sweat and carefully reviewed the afternoon's sword practice.
Captain Walter taught him very carefully, and he improved very quickly.
"team leader!"
Just then, Speedy and a lean villager walked over; they were probably on their way to scout out the bandit camp.
"Why don't you wait a bit before you set off? There's no moonlight yet," Walter said, looking up at the sky.
"Now is the perfect time." Speedy was a little excited, gesturing with his hands in front of his chest. "We've observed their shift schedule over the past two days. A pair of robbers are currently preparing to return to their hideout."
"Alright, you can set off now. Be careful."
"Yes, Captain."
Watching the two figures disappear into the night, Luo Xu clenched his fists.