Chapter 459: Day 24 into the Farming Story

Chapter 459: The Twenty-Fourth Day Inside a Farming Story

An Yi's gaze swept over his face, which, though lively, still showed clear signs of a long and arduous journey. He suddenly asked, "This time, you came back two days later than you'd planned."

Di Qingji's smile flickered almost imperceptibly, and his hands paused slightly as he arranged the books.

Then, acting like nothing was wrong, he continued taking the books out of the box one by one, placing them on the table to air them out. He chuckled lightly and said in a relaxed tone, "Ah, on the way back... ran into a little trouble. A few reckless bandits tried to hold up the convoy, which cost us some time. But it was no big deal—handled it quickly, no trouble."

He played it off like it was nothing.

But An Yi could sense the tension carefully hidden beneath that casual tone.

For an escort agency, encountering bandits on the road was common. But for something to delay them by two full days, and for the man to return looking so exhausted and worn out, it couldn't have been just "a little trouble" or "a few bandits" like he said.

Those two days must have involved dangerous maneuvering, standoffs, and fighting.

One wrong move, and it could've meant death.

Still, An Yi's sharp eyes scanned Di Qingji from head to toe.

Fortunately, his breathing was steady, his movements were normal, and there were no signs of bandaging or hidden bloodstains beneath his clothes. He was clearly uninjured. The important thing was that he'd made it back safe.

An Yi didn't push for details. He just nodded and said softly, "As long as you're safe, that's all that matters."

Di Qingji's heart warmed—An Yi really cared about him.

An Yi thought for a moment, then suddenly turned and walked toward the backyard.

Di Qingji was confused but followed right away.

A neat pile of firewood sat in the corner of the backyard.

An Yi walked over, looked it over, bent down, and pulled out a piece of hardwood about three feet long and as thick as a thumb.

He weighed it in his hand—it felt decent.

Di Qingji followed behind him, watching him with a confused look. "You need a fire? Let me do it."

He moved to take the wood from him.

But An Yi shook his head, instead of handing it over, he turned to face Di Qingji and pointed the tip of the stick at him. "Draw your saber."

Di Qingji: "...What?"

He was totally stunned, having no idea what An Yi was up to.

An Yi looked at his bewildered expression and patiently repeated himself, then added, "Come, let's spar a little."

Spar? With this... piece of firewood?

Di Qingji finally realized he hadn't heard wrong.

He looked at An Yi's calm eyes, then at the unremarkable stick, and was filled with disbelief and confusion.

An Yi... a bookshop owner who looked as delicate as a feather, with a cool, almost otherworldly air, wanted to spar with him—a bodyguard who'd been trained in martial arts since he was a kid and had seen real combat? And with a piece of firewood? This... this has to be a joke, right?

He was afraid that if he used even a little of his strength, he might hurt An Yi.

An Yi was his sweetheart!

"An Yi, this..." Di Qingji hesitated, wanting to decline. "I just got back from the road, I might be too rough. What if..."

He was afraid he might not be able to hold back.

"It's fine." An Yi interrupted him, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly. "We'll stop at first touch. Or does Young Chief Di think I'm not even worth making you draw your blade?" There was a faint hint of provocation in his tone.

Di Qingji shook his head immediately. "Of course not!"

How could he ever look down on An Yi? It was just... he just couldn't picture An Yi as someone who knew martial arts.

But seeing the determined, calm look in An Yi's eyes, Di Qingji knew he wasn't joking.

After An Yi turned down his offer to take the firewood, he took a deep breath, set aside his doubts, and slowly gripped the hilt of the saber at his waist.

He'd be careful.

His saber had a long, slightly curved blade—not a legendary weapon, but it had seen blood.

"An Yi, be careful," Di Qingji said in a low voice, slowly drawing his saber.

He took a standard starting stance, his eyes sharpening with focus.

An Yi just stood there casually, the stick pointing diagonally at the ground, his posture relaxed, almost... full of openings.

Di Qingji frowned, thinking this was too dangerous.

He'd have to be even more careful.

If An Yi wanted to learn martial arts, he could teach him. First... he'd carve a wooden sword for An Yi himself.

He struck, the blade flashing like a streak of light.

Just as the blade was about to touch the stick, An Yi moved.

His movement didn't look fast—almost leisurely.

But that was just how it looked.

With a barely noticeable flick of his wrist, the stick that had been pointing at the ground traced an arc so clean it was almost mystical, landing right on the inside of Di Qingji's sword-wielding wrist.

Di Qingji felt his wrist go numb as a strange force shot through that one spot, disrupting the flow of power in his arm and throwing off his strike.

The force he'd channeled into the blade dissipated, and the descending blade veered slightly off course, sliding past the stick.

Meanwhile, An Yi's stick, after hitting his wrist, looped around and, a moment later, came to rest lightly against Di Qingji's throat.

The cool, hard tip of the stick pressed against the most vulnerable spot just below his Adam's apple.

Di Qingji froze in place, still frozen in his missed strike pose, eyes wide, pupils constricted, filled with shock, confusion, and disbelief.

He hadn't even seen An Yi move!

His strike had been broken by a piece of firewood in one effortless move? He hadn't even felt how much force An Yi had used!

This... how is this possible?!

An Yi slowly withdrew the stick from his throat, giving it a casual twirl. He looked at Di Qingji's expression—like he'd seen a ghost—and a faint hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.

"An Yi, you..." Di Qingji finally found his voice. "You... you can fight?!"

More than just skilled! This is... practically master-tier stuff! He'd traveled far and wide and seen plenty of experts, but never had he witnessed such effortless mastery—so smooth it left you no time to react before you were utterly defeated.

An Yi didn't answer, just raised the firewood again with that same relaxed stance: "Again."

Di Qingji snapped back to reality, shock quickly giving way to an indescribable feeling—a blend of wild joy, excitement, and a trembling thrill.

An Yi! The An Yi he loved had such insane martial skills!

It was like a huge treasure had just dropped out of the sky, leaving him dizzy but over the moon.

An Yi was truly... way too amazing!

He adored An Yi!