203 A Showoff (2/2)

”More than you would imagine.” Bo Guozhi chuckled.

He glanced over at the running stream for a moment before looking back at An Sun.

”To be honest, I see you a little differently from before.”

”Oh? How did you see me before?”

”Well, in the beginning, I was quite impressed by your skills...but I also thought you were rather a showoff.”

An Sun nearly choked on his wine to hearing the term 'show off.' He tried his hardest to hold back the twitching of his face.

”A showoff, huh?” An Sun repeated bitterly.

Bo Guozhi just laughed and leaned forward a little bit. ”You ever wonder why the other men dislike you? It's already hard enough for them to be recruited here with little experience. To have someone so effortlessly skilled steal the spotlight before they had the chance can be frustrating. If you're not careful, rather than becoming your brothers, they'll become your worst enemies.”

An Sun's eyes widened a bit. These words, no one had ever said them to him. For the first time, he began realizing the price of having power.

Inside he felt a little bitter. Not because he was called a showoff or disliked by the other men, but rather because he used his skills against those weaker than him. Even if the other men shunned him or mocked him, it came with an understanding but immature reason.

He was no different from his brother and father preying on weak lands.

This thought brought a clouded expression across An Sun's face. Bo Guozhi saw his change in expression and sighed lightly.

”But after what you did today, assisting the men alongside you rather than competing, I think you'll start to see improvements.”

With that, Bo Guozhi walked away. An Sun stared at the bottle of wine in his hands and no longer felt the urge to drink.

An Sun sighed, leaning against the tree.

”Looks like I'm the asshole now.”

...

That following morning, An Sun woke up bright and early for training. That day, the sun had broken through the clouds. He turned his back on it and shifted his eyes to the group of men already training. He felt their eyes look at him coldly before glancing away.

For once, An Sun observed something he never saw before in their gazes.

Fear.

Inwardly, he smiled self-mockingly to himself.

When they set partners up against one another, An Sun was faced with a young man with a crooked nose and small black eyes. He's seen him fight before. He was good in comparison to the others, and he knew how to bear a sword well.

The spark in his eyes was enough to show he was going to give this fight his all – even if he lost. An Sun looked his body up and down. He pressed his lips together before he lowered his sword to speak.

”Before when you fought...I noticed you never step back when your opponent attacks. While it restricts their movements when close, it can be too easy for them to strike. You need to bring your sword forward towards your opponent. Afterward, step towards your opponent and to some extent to the right. This will prevent your opponent from attacking you. You can bring your sword in a straight line and strike your opponent. This technique makes it difficult for the rival to launch a counter-attack.”

As An Sun gave his very own opponent points, the other men guffawed. Silence fell. An Sun didn't pay any attention to their stares and raised his sword once again.

”Are you willing to test my words?”

The young man regained his focus and brought his sword up. He seemed hesitant but nodded his head a little eagerly.

A faint smile came to An Sun's face, his eyes lighting up brightly. A smile made that flawlessly handsome face look more intoxicatingly beautiful.

”Then show me what you got.”

The young man nodded and charged forward. In the distance, Bo Guozhi watched the scene from above, a smile on his face.