General Lin’s Estate (3)

"This is my son. He will spar with you. Come on!" Lin Zheng pointed at Lin Jian and he stood up. He beckoned them to follow him and all of them proceeded after him without any question.

They went to the front courtyard that they had passed through before. Lin Zheng shouted at his subordinates to stop training and dispersed. "All of you cease and stop what you are doing. Make way! I need to use the yard now. You can rest or stay here. If you stay here, don't hinder the spar that's about to happen."

The soldiers understood what Lin Zheng meant. They weren't allowed to interfere or bother both parties in any way. They could only be there as spectators.

Lin Zheng turned to his son and explained to him the reason for the spar. He told him in a stern voice, "Son, Yao Ying wanted to check his martial arts level, so you have to control your strength. This is just a friendly spar."

"I understand." Lin Jian turned around and smiled at Yao Ying. "Come on! Do you want to wear armor?" He asked politely.

Yao Ying shook his head. "No need. This is just a friendly spar. I don't think it's necessary." Lin Jian nodded in agreement.

Both of them went to the middle of the yard and stood still. Yao Ling bit her lower lips, feeling worried for her husband. She didn't know any martial arts, but she also didn't know how capable her husband was. She heard the murmured voices behind her, and she felt anxious. The soldiers said that Lin Jian was the youngest lieutenant general in his generation. He was pretty accomplished at a young age.

With that capability, an idiot would know that his martial art skills level must be high. She wrung her handkerchief in distress. Lin Zheng seemed to note her anxiety, he cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry. Lin Jian knows how to hold himself back. He won't hurt Yao Ying."

Lin Zheng felt awkward because it had been a long time since the last time he tried to appease a woman. He didn't know why, but he seemed to have a soft spot for Yao Ling. He felt compassion for her; it wasn't romantic feeling whatsoever. Why? He didn't even know himself, maybe he was getting old and becoming mushy.

Yao Ling was a bit surprised with the general's words. It seemed General Lin was trying to calm her anxiety and it worked. She calmed herself down and felt grateful to the general. She knew the general wouldn't let Yao Ying get hurt.

Yao Ling continued to watch the two men. She could see how different both men were. Lin Jian looked more masculine with his tanned skin, while Yao Ying looked more scholarly with his pale white skin. They both had different kinds of handsomeness and coincidentally they both wore different colors of clothing. Lin Jian wore black and Yao Ying wore white. One looked like a devil and the other one – an angel.

They chose not to use any weapons too, just a plain fist fight. They were both standing still without moving an inch. However, the next second, they moved in a flash. The first one to attack was Lin Jian. He wanted to see Yao Ying's defense level. He pounced with his right fist, aiming his chest. Lin Jian didn't utilize his full power. He was just trying to test the water.

Yao Ying's attentiveness and agility were quite good. He could see where Lin Jian's fist would land, and he dodged it perfectly. He threw a punch and managed to land on Lin Jian's right shoulder. It surprised all the spectators and even both Lin Jian and Yao Ying.

Lin Jian couldn't believe that Yao Ying could land a blow on him. It meant Yao Ying could move faster than him and no one… no one in their generation could beat him. Maybe it was a fluke.

This time the one who attacked was Yao Ying. Yao Ying felt his body move on his own and he just went with the flow. He went all out because he really wanted to understand how he knew martial arts. Just like Lin Jian, he aimed at Lin Jian's chest.

Yao Ying could feel a sudden burst of power on his hand that he used to attack Lin Jian. He could feel something warm slowly filling up his fist and it confused him, but he couldn't stop himself. Lin Jian could feel Yao Ying's sudden burst of power, he thought to himself, 'This is bad. I need to dodge.'

Thinking that way, he quickly dodged. He was certain this Yao Ying was very powerful. If he didn't know better, he would feel Yao Ying was trying to kill him. With those amounts of power, Yao Ying certainly could hurt him. However, he could see the confusion in Yao Ying's eyes when he looked at his own fist. It made him sure that Yao Ying didn't even know how powerful he was.

After carefully dodging Yao Ying, Lin Jian stopped. "We stop here for a bit. I need to ask you some questions. Do you feel something different inside you?"

Yao Ying nodded, even though he felt unsure. "I felt something warm coming from inside my body and it suddenly filled up my fist."

Lin Zheng stopped their talk, "Come with me. We can talk about this inside my study.

Yao Ling could feel her husband's confusion and she agreed with Lin Zheng. This yard wasn't the best place to talk about her husband's condition.

---Edited by: L0v3lamb---