Daggers are short and easy to conceal, mostly used for surprise and a fatal strike. Generally they are used at close range, of course, one could also take an unconventional approach and throw them as hidden weapons, but that kind of accuracy requires self-practice. The basic uses of a dagger amount to nine types: stab, thrust, lift, wipe, split, block, gouge, cut, and drag. What matters most in using it is being clean and decisive.
When General Ji teaches seriously, she is very stern. Mu Anqi followed Ji Huaichu back to the General's Mansion and began practicing in the training grounds of the rear courtyard. General Ji corrected her dagger movements one by one, and then had her keep practicing different ways of attacking. The moment a move was wrong, Ji Huaichu would immediately correct it and then punish her by making her repeat it twenty more times.
This made Mu Anqi recall her childhood days of practicing calligraphy. Back then, if she wrote a character wrong, she also had to copy it twenty times over. The only difference between the two was probably that writing twenty characters was effortless, but repeating twenty movements left Mu Anqi's arms aching.
Of course, that still wasn't the hardest part. The key points of the techniques General Ji taught all lay in the instant "explosion" of force. With every round of practice, Mu Anqi had to burst out again and again; if she slacked off or didn't put in enough strength, the flaw in the movement would become glaringly obvious. Even without Ji Huaichu saying anything, just a glance from her was enough for Mu Anqi to know she would have to repeat it twenty more times.
Her arms ached, and after standing so long Mu Anqi's legs were unbearably weak and sore. She even felt pain in her waist and back—just learning the dagger made her whole body uncomfortable. But General Ji, seeing this, thought it was her lack of physical training and made her practice the dagger while holding a horse stance. In the end, Mu Anqi had no strength left, collapsing onto the ground, unable to even get up.
"General, please spare me, I really can't go on…" Mu Anqi simply lay flat on the ground, looking up at the blue sky above the General's Mansion, not wanting to get up no matter what. "Learning these things should also have a gradual process." [T/N:… I have been corrupted by Baihe, I can't think of this as innocently]
Ji Huaichu looked at her little "money tree" in this state, her tone unexpectedly gentle: "That's true. After you return from this game, have you prepared everything you'll need for the next one?"
"Hm? I've prepared it." Mu Anqi replied, then asked, "General, will you be teaching me again tomorrow?"
"Of course," Ji Huaichu said. "Since I promised you, naturally I'll teach you until you master it."
The difficulty was a bit much. Mu Anqi thought back to when she had even mentioned wanting the General to teach her staff techniques—swinging a long staff was far more exhausting than wielding a dagger. Fortunately, the General seemed to have forgotten that… Thinking of this, Mu Anqi actually felt a trace of relief. Otherwise… after finishing dagger practice and then staff techniques, she, Mu Anqi, would probably have to leave her life behind in the General's Mansion.
Just as Mu Anqi was feeling relieved, Ji Huaichu's calm voice sounded: "Before the next game, you'll stay here."
"?!" Mu Anqi's eyes widened. "S-stay… stay here?! B-but I don't have a change of clothes, I haven't prepared anything—c-can players even live on the Shattered Mirror Continent?"
"Why not? You are a player I recruited," Ji Huaichu said. "Since you're staying, you don't need to worry about such things. I will prepare them for you."
Mu Anqi never expected that she had not only gained a free top-level instructor, but also free food and lodging! She even saved the points she would've spent buying clothes. "I-is this really okay? Don't I need to buy a house in Guansi?"
"You will stay in the General's Mansion," Ji Huaichu said. "From now on, you'll get up at six for morning training. Practice until eight, then eat breakfast. After resting, begin again at two in the afternoon, training until six o'clock for dinner."
"At ten in the evening, I'll have someone prepare a medicinal bath for you."
"There are guest rooms in the General's Mansion. Later, I'll have Xia Fenghua take you to see them. If you need anything, just tell her directly."
With just a few simple words, Ji Huaichu had already finalized Mu Anqi's training life from now on.
Mu Anqi was still a little dazed: get up at six every day?! Not only morning training, but also another four hours in the afternoon? She looked at General Ji, hesitating to speak, and finally, under her calm gaze, she nodded. "General, I will work hard." That was what she said.
Ji Huaichu gave a slight smile and raised her hand to pull her up.
…
Little Xia Fenghua was probably General Ji's all-purpose assistant, able to handle just about anything. After practice ended, Mu Anqi, dragging her weary body, followed behind the little girl, went around the long corridor, and arrived at the side courtyard of the General's Mansion.
"The side courtyard hasn't been lived in before, but it has all the basic furnishings," Xia Fenghua said as she led the way. "There are ghosts that clean it regularly, so the place is very tidy. As for the sheets and bedding… I'll send them to you later. Sister, what size clothes do you usually wear? Any particular styles you like? Do you need sleepwear or undergarments, traditional clothing or modern casual… hmm, anyway, just give me a list later and I'll get it all for you."
"Since ghosts don't actually need to eat, the General's Mansion doesn't have a small kitchen, nor has a cook been hired." Xia Fenghua pushed open the door to the side courtyard and led Mu Anqi inside. "Whatever you'd like for your three meals a day, or anything you can't eat, just write it on the list and I'll arrange it for you. Of course, sister, you can also go eat over at Sister Xiaobai's place."
Little Xia Fenghua's voice was sweet and tender, and the way she kept calling her "sister" made Mu Anqi feel a bit embarrassed. But when she heard Xia Fenghua say that there was no kitchen in the General's Mansion, Mu Anqi was still surprised: "But doesn't the General really like sweets? And yet she hasn't hired a ghost chef?"
"…" Little Xia Fenghua looked flustered, blinking rapidly at Mu Anqi. "The General does not like sweets."
Mu Anqi: Got it. I won't expose her. The General needs to maintain her dignity.
So she nodded seriously. "I understand. Go on."
Little Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Look at this room—how do you find the layout and furnishings? If you don't like it, I'll have someone change it for you. If there's no problem, I'll go prepare the bedding and such."
"No problem." The furnishings in the General's Mansion were all in a traditional Chinese style. Looking at the wooden furniture and the intricate carvings, Mu Anqi thought that she had only ever seen such things in TV dramas during her lifetime—and even the ones in dramas weren't as exquisite as these. She never expected that she would one day actually live among them. Mu Anqi touched here and there; though she didn't know the true value of these furnishings, she felt certain… anything in General Ji's mansion wouldn't be cheap.
"Alright then, sister, sit here for a bit while I prepare the bedding and such." Xia Fenghua said, turning to leave. "In the meantime, sister, you can write me that list."
"Okay!" Mu Anqi touched the chair and sat down at the table. She took out her notebook and gel pen, tore out a page, and began writing down her clothing sizes and the sleepwear and sportswear she needed. After thinking for a moment, she even noted the colors.
She didn't need much, just some clothes to change into. Next came the menu for her three daily meals. Remembering the cake she hadn't gotten to eat last time, she wrote down "strawberry cake," followed by the dishes she liked, such as fish with pickled vegetables, mouthwatering chicken, shrimp balls in tomato sauce, and other homestyle dishes. Once she got serious about it, she couldn't stop. By the time little Xia Fenghua returned, directing the ghosts carrying sheets, quilts, pillows, and the like, Mu Anqi stared at the short list of clothing and the full page of dish names she had written and fell into deep thought.
Had she… gone overboard? She had never even thought of trying all these dishes before when she was at the food shop, yet the moment Xia Fenghua asked, she had written down so many at once.
Mu Anqi felt a bit embarrassed, but little Xia Fenghua didn't think anything of it. She accepted the list and even asked with curiosity: "Don't you need anything else? On the Shattered Mirror Continent we also have cosmetics and skincare products—those are really popular in the Underworld."
"No, no." Mu Anqi waved her hand, too embarrassed to freeload that much.
"Alright then." Little Xia Fenghua still looked a bit regretful. She carefully read through the dishes Mu Anqi had written, and couldn't help but swallow a bit of drool. The next instant, her eyes lit up as she looked at Mu Anqi: "I didn't expect sister to be such a foodie! Next time Sister Xiaobai cooks for you, can you bring me along too? I want to eat such a feast as well!"
"Ah, that… you'll have to ask Mu Xiaobai." Mu Anqi scratched her head. "If she agrees, I certainly won't object."
"Okay!" Little Xia Fenghua was overjoyed, clearly having long craved Mu Xiaobai's cooking.
Mu Anqi didn't feel right just idling, so after chatting with Xia Fenghua, she helped her spread the sheets, put on the quilt covers and pillowcases. Once everything was tidied up, the guest room finally felt lived in. Xia Fenghua even went to fetch a tin of tea leaves for Mu Anqi, telling her she could brew tea whenever she had free time.
And so, Mu Anqi ended up living in the General's Mansion.
At dinnertime, she got to eat the dishes she had written on her list. Mu Anqi happily polished off two bowls of rice, so full she could barely walk. By ten at night, little Xia Fenghua brought a wooden tub into her room, then fetched hot water and a prepared packet of herbs to put inside, letting Mu Anqi soak for a full hour.
The medicinal bath smelled of Chinese herbs, slightly bitter, but not unpleasant. Once the bathwater steeped, it turned a reddish-brown color. At first, soaking in it gave a tingling sensation, but later it made the body relax involuntarily. By the time she got out, most of the soreness from overtraining had faded, and Mu Anqi even felt her whole body brimming with energy again—as if she could do three sets of calisthenics without blushing or panting (not really).
And so, Mu Anqi began her lodging life in the General's Mansion.
Every day at six, she got up on time, washed up, and then met General Ji at the training grounds to begin a day of practice under her guidance.
At first, General Ji didn't join her for lunch. But later, when Mu Anqi mentioned that Xia Fenghua always prepared too many desserts and she couldn't finish them, General Ji began to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together with her.
Life in the General's Mansion was full and exhausting. The General was strict, but the medicinal bath at night was so effecti
ve. After just a few days living there, Mu Anqi almost forgot the Nirvana Space even existed.