The Dragon's Flower

XH 39

“Elder Sister Hua, it’s time to wake up.”

It took Si Si a few times to rouse Xiao Hua from her deep sleep. Xiao Hua had never slept this deeply before since the day she transmigrated here. The training had worn her out and completely dropped her guard, waving her straight in to greet the dream lord.

“Sorry, Si Si. I’m awake now.”

Xiao Hua winced when she tried to sit up. Her arms hurt! Her waist was not as bad since she mostly used her arm muscles and Tian Zi had her soaked in hot water last night. If she had not done so, her muscles would be even more painful.

Si Si helped her to sit up and even carried the water basin to her so that Xiao Hua does not need to walk.

“You are too nice, Si Si.” Xiao Hua sighed blissfully as Si Si wiped her face with a towel soaked in warm water.

“That’s my job.” Si Si gave her a small smile while secretly sneered at Xiao Hua’s drowsy, half-opened eyes state.

How weak! (눈_눈)

After asking around, SiSi managed to found out that Xiao Hua had been practicing knife throwing all day. To be reduced into this state from a light training, aren’t you embarrassed of yourself?

Once Xiao Hua was dressed up, she slowly dragged her feet, trying not to move her arms if possible, towards the table where the breakfast was waiting for her. Xiao Hua struggled to pick her chopstick to eat her breakfast, and the time she needed to finish her breakfast was longer than usual. Halfway through her breakfast, her mind was cleared and more alert.

Si Si wanted to roll her eyes at Xiao Hua’s ‘awake’ face. Since the day of the royalty family gathering, it was known that Xiao Hua had her eyesight recovered by a miraculous medicine given by Miss Liu Chu Chu, the Second Prince’s future Princess Consort, but her eyes were no longer as wide as before, adopting a lazy look.

To have this kind of personal maid is an embarrassment to the Third Prince!

Even if Si Si’s heart was full of dissatisfaction, she had to restrain herself and be patient. One day, Xiao Hua will make a big mistake and the Third Prince will get rid of her. Si Si would have to do well until that day and make sure to catch the Third Prince’s eyes, to make him compare her professional conduct with Xiao Hua’s clumsy manner.

Si Si was not allowed to enter the courtyard where Xiao Hua would be training, so after exchanging a friendly smile to each other, they parted ways. The training resumed and Xiao Hua’s mind was quick to turn blank from exhaustion, leaving her right arm in auto mode to continuous throwing.

It was the same routine of collecting the knives from where they had fallen once she had finished throwing every knife, before resuming the training again.

Her effort could be seen, as the width of her throw was longer than yesterday. But it was still pretty far away from the board! She emptied her mind to avoid imagining her failure and gets beaten as her punishment, and only focusing on throwing.

But when the sun had set and the moon shining brightly up the sky, she could not stop herself from getting panic. The deadline was tomorrow!

When Tian Zi and Tian Zi tried to force her to stop training when nighttime arrived, Xiao Hua refused. In the end, Da Bei was forced to knock her out with a single chop on the back of her neck. It was only tomorrow morning that she woke up with a faint ache behind her neck. Her desire to cry was dead. She ignored Da Bei when she saw him, even if she knows that it was childish but she was still angry with him for wasting her time to sleep.

She continues with her training, refused to eat to save time. It was the last day and there was not even a single knife on the board.

It’s time to up her stakes! Q(`⌒´Q)

She removed the pouch bag from her left hand and tied it to her right hand. After that, she tried to lift her right hand and it took her a great effort to lift her arm an inch upward!

“Wait, Elder Sister Hua! You will hurt your hand!” Tian Zi cried out.

“Today is the last day and I have not even had one knife on the board,” Xiao Hua answered gravely.

“But-”

Xiao Hua turned to Tian Zi with a pair of eyes that evokes great pity. “Sister Tian Zi, Xiao Hua is afraid of pain.”

Tian Zi could not bring herself to stop the younger girl anymore. Stopping her also means she was helping Xiao Hua to fail her task. Since Xiao Hua refused to eat, Tian Chi chooses to feed Xiao Hua instead.

Xiao Hua had just managed to lift her arm with double pouch bag to throw for the first time when an unfamiliar male voice said, “The Third Prince had ordered this servant to pass on a message that the dateline will be extended to one more day.”

“Sir Lau Liu!”

Tian Zi, who had been taking a break from her duties and sprawled the top of her body over the cooling jade table quickly stood up with a straight spine. Tian Chi and Da Bei quickly greeted the man in his sixties that was wearing a eunuch uniform. Xiao Hua quickly followed the greeting.

“You must be Xiao Hua, our prince’s new personal maid.”

“Yes, it is indeed this servant.”

“The prince indeed has good eyes.” Eunuch Lau Liu nodded with a wide smile and the wrinkles on his face become more noticeable.

“Sir Lau Liu, Master will return later than expected?” Tian Zi asked.

“There are some troubles and the return had to be delayed. Don’t worry; our prince is not in danger. The one that’s in trouble is, unfortunately, the Second Prince.” Eunuch Lau Liu turned to Xiao Hua. “Would you let his old man give you a bit of advice on your training?”

“This servant will be grateful to hear Sir Lau Liu’s advice!” Xiao Hua did not mind listening to his suggestion if that would help her!

“When you throw, you do not need to do any big movement. Just concentrate on your hand, and only use your energy when you flick the weapon out of your fingers.”

Flick?

Eunuch Lau Liu smiled when he saw Xiao Hua’s confused expression. “Allow this old man to demonstrate.”

He picked up a knife and holds it on the blade, with the handle facing upward. “Remember, do not hold it too tight but also not too loose, with three fingers is enough.”

With a small movement, Eunuch Lau Liu threw the knife with a speed that Xiao Hua could not keep up, and managed to land on the target without making the wooden board swings from the impact!

The effect was the same as the Third Prince’s!

“Remember to place both feet on the ground when you throw. Do not lean forward too much or you will risk back pain.”

Xiao Hua nodded. Her back did feel a little pain.

“Everyone has their own way of throwing, and their way is the best for themselves. The method that I’ve shown you are usually for beginners. After you mastered the art of throwing, you can find a throwing style that best suits you.”

“I see! Elder Sister Hua’s arm does not have much strength, and with the big movement swing, she had wasted most energy before throwing!” Tian Zi’s eyes brightened in understanding.

Xiao Hua had all the while been crudely flung her arm back at 3 o’clock point before swinging her arm forward to throw the knife. It had used most of her strength from just the swing itself as she was counting on it to build momentum on the throw. But it only builds momentum to have the knife going downwards instead of her planned straight line. 

Eunuch Lau Liu nodded. “Indeed so. But to use that method, Xiao Hua will need to be careful not to twist your wrist accidentally.”

The ‘do or die’ Xiao Hua: ‘…’

She does not have the time to be careful! After knowing the Third Prince had given her an extra day, she did not know if she was supposed to be happy or not. Will she able to land a hit with an extra day of practice?

“Xiao Hua does not need to worry much,” Eunuch Lau Liu said gently. “You just need to do your best. The prince will understand.”

Will he though?! (╥﹏╥)

Xiao Hua sighed. “Thank you for your teaching, Sir Lau Liu. Xiao Hua will remember it well!”

Eunuch Lau Liu nodded. “Then this old man will leave you to it.”

Xiao Hua immediately tried the method that the Eunuch Lau Liu had taught her. Due to her excitement to try the new technique, she forgets to take account of the double weight on her right arm, and when she tried to stop after remembering the weights, it was too late and she accidentally sprained her right wrist.

“Ahhhhhh! Pain!” Xiao Hua finally had the tears to cry!