Chapter 143 - 142: What Eyes Don’t Say
After a quick meal, Lumberling made his way toward the secluded training cave nestled in the mountains. The moon hung low, casting a cold silver light over the path, but the warmth of recent sparring still lingered in his muscles. He expected silence and solitude, but found neither.
Aurelya stood by the entrance, arms crossed. And beside her, cloaked in moonlight and shadow, sat Vaenyra.
He slowed, blinking. "Back again, huh?" he asked Aurelya, raising a brow with a hint of a smirk.
Aurelya didn’t miss a beat. "Get over yourself. Watching you suffer is practically relaxing."
He chuckled softly, but his gaze shifted toward the quiet figure next to her. "Even you, Lady Vaenyra?"
Vaenyra didn’t answer. She turned her head slightly. Her long blue hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight, and her silence spoke volumes.
Lumberling didn’t press further. He stepped into the cave, lit a torch, and began his regimen.
The Ironblood Tempering Scripture was not a gentle art. He gritted his teeth as he struck his limbs with weighted rods, each impact deepening the resonance of his bones. A shallow pool of toxin-rich herbal extract waited at the back of the cave, and he submerged his forearms, letting the slow burn seep into his skin while his qi circulated.
Aurelya leaned back against the stone wall, arms still crossed but more relaxed now.
"He’s insane," she murmured quietly to Vaenyra. "That training would kill most people."
Vaenyra didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze never left Lumberling.
"He’s not like most people," she said softly.