pertwk Conflict occurs in Chapter 56
Conflict occurs in Chapter 56
That afternoon, Ellie, as usual, carried her homemade little broom to the outside of Rowling's courtyard.
Just as she was about to push open the familiar courtyard gate, three boys suddenly darted out from the alley next door and blocked her way.
These three boys were notorious idlers in town, two or three years older than Ellie. They usually loafed around and occasionally bullied children weaker than themselves.
The leader was named Karl; he was burly and had a malicious smile on his face.
"Hey, Ellie, I heard you've been getting a lot of benefits from the wizard lately?"
Carl crossed his arms and stood in front of Ellie, his gaze sweeping over her old but clean clothes before settling on her face, which was noticeably rosier and healthier than before.
Ellie stopped, gripped the broom tightly, and looked at them warily without answering.
"Let's see it. What good thing did the wizard reward you with?"
"I've heard there's a drug that can make people stronger?"
Another tall, thin boy took a step closer with a grin.
"no."
Ellie took a half step back, her voice not loud, but very clear.
"No?"
Karl scoffed.
"Who are you kidding? You look completely different now than the pitiful little thing you used to be."
"There's definitely something good hidden here! Hand it over, or else..."
He clenched his fist, making a soft clicking sound.
If it were the old Ellie, she would probably have just cowered in fear in this situation.
But at this moment, although her heart was racing, she did not feel panicked.
She had been practicing the "Rock Breathing Method" for some time, and the flow of Qi and blood in her body naturally made her stand more steadily and her eyes more calm.
"I work for the gentleman, please move aside."
Ellie repeated, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.
Karl was angered by her attitude and felt he had lost face in front of his companions.
"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!"
He cursed and reached out to grab Ellie's arm, intending to pull her over and search her.
Just as his hand was about to touch Ellie, Ellie subconsciously slid her foot to the side and back, her body sinking slightly, assuming the starting stance of "Stone Skin." At the same time, her right hand instinctively thrust the broom handle forward, parrying Karl's wrist.
Her movement was swift and sudden, reflecting the results of her months of practice.
Karl never expected this thin, small girl to dare to resist, let alone that she would move so quickly. His wrist was firmly parried by the broom handle, and a tingling sensation ran through him.
"You're asking for it!"
Karl, in pain and enraged, clenched his other fist and punched Ellie.
Two other teenagers also gathered around.
Ellie knew she couldn't fight head-on. Relying on her more agile footwork and the reflexes she had honed during this time, she dodged repeatedly, using her broom to block left and right. Although she was in a sorry state, she didn't let the three of them gain any real advantage for the time being.
She kept in mind Rolin's teaching that power comes from the earth, and always maintained a stable lower body as she moved. She also tried her best to maintain the rhythm of the "Rock Breathing Method" when breathing, which enabled her to unleash power and resilience that exceeded Karl and the others' expectations when dodging and blocking.
The commotion wasn't huge, but it still caught the attention of some nearby residents.
Some people peeked out, but seeing that it was Karl and his gang of rascals bullying someone, most shook their heads, not wanting to get into trouble.
When Karl first reached out, Rolin, who was in the courtyard, sensed the conflict outside with his mental power.
He had no intention of getting involved; the squabbles between ordinary children were insignificant to him.
But when Ellie subconsciously adopted the stance he had instructed her to take, and used her clearly superior physical abilities and reflexes to deal with the three of them, his gaze shifted slightly.
The girl did indeed put what she had learned into practice, and the results were even better than he had expected.
Seeing that Karl was unable to break through after a long time, he lost face and started hitting harder and harder, even picking up a fist-sized stone from the ground. Rowling put down the copper coin in his hand.
He didn't leave the courtyard; he merely stirred his mind, and a faint, almost imperceptible strand of spiritual energy, like an invisible thread, quietly extended out and precisely wrapped around Karl's raised arm and feet.
Carl suddenly felt his arm sink, as if something was pulling it. He also inexplicably tripped and lost his balance, staggering forward a few steps. The stone in his hand flew out and hit the wall next to him with a dull thud.
The other two boys were also startled by this sudden turn of events, and their movements froze.
Ellie seized the opportunity, quickly taking a few steps back to create some distance. Her breathing was a little rapid, but her eyes remained bright and alert.
Karl steadied himself and looked around in surprise and anger, but found nothing unusual.
He felt something was very strange about what had just happened, and looking at Ellie's calm eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine. The onlookers around them started pointing and whispering.
"You're lucky...you're in luck!"
Carl glared at Ellie with a fierce look, then waved sullenly at his two companions.
"Let's go!"
The three boys slunk away, pushing through the crowd.
Ellie breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that her arms and shoulders were burning with pain, from being grazed by the opponent's fist while blocking.
She straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, patted the dust off her body, took a few deep breaths, and calmed her churning blood.
Seeing that there was no excitement to be had, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.
Ellie stood there, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and pushed open the gate to Rowling's courtyard.
She felt that her fight with someone at the door might have caused trouble for her husband.
Ellie walked into the yard and saw Rowling standing at the laboratory door, looking at her calmly.
"gentlemen……"
Ellie lowered her head, looking somewhat uneasy.
"I'm sorry, I just now..."
"It's alright." Luo Lin interrupted her, his mental power having already taken in everything that had just happened.
"You handled it reasonably well."
Ellie looked up and stared at Rowling with some surprise.
Rowling's gaze lingered for a moment on her slightly reddened arm, a mark left from the earlier conflict.
"If you encounter similar situations again in the future, you don't have to tolerate them all the time, but you also need to know how to assess the situation and prioritize your own safety."
"Yes, sir." Ellie nodded earnestly, her mind at ease.
"No need to clean today."
Rowling turned and walked back to the laboratory. A moment later, he came out with the wooden box that had contained the ointment and handed it to Ellie.
"After you get home, apply this ointment to the bruises."
Ellie took the wooden box, a warm feeling welling up inside her.
"Thank you, sir."
"Hmm," Luo Lin responded, then seemed to remember something and added.
"In the future, when you practice breathing techniques and movements, if the weather is bad, you can do so under the eaves in the courtyard."
Ellie was taken aback for a moment, then realized that the master was allowing her to enter a more intimate area of the yard!
Although it's just under the eaves, compared to being limited to the area near the gate before, this is undoubtedly an improvement in recognition and trust.
"Yes! Thank you, sir!"
She bowed again, her voice filled with barely suppressed joy.
From that day on, Ellie's range of activities within Rowling's courtyard expanded.
When it's windy and rainy, she no longer has to squat at the gate waiting for the rain to stop, but can quietly stay under the eaves and continue her practice.
Occasionally, when Luo Lin came out of the lab for some fresh air, he would see her facing the rain, meticulously adjusting her breathing, or repeatedly practicing those few basic movements, her expression focused, as if everything outside was irrelevant to her.
Rowling continued his research.
He began to apply the experience he gained from the stable energy array to the optimization of the spell model for the [Weak Force Field Armor].
This process is more complex than solidifying a spell array because the spell model is dynamic and needs to be constructed and maintained instantly.
He needed to find a way to subtly embed the stable rhythm of the water elemental essence into the energy flow nodes of the force field armor.
He immersed himself in the microscopic world of energy, repeatedly building, testing, and adjusting virtual spell models.
Ellie's presence was like a quiet background sound; her regular arrival, her diligent cleaning, and her focused practice all became a constant rhythm in this monotonous research life.
He even began to get used to hearing the steady breathing in the courtyard and the occasional soft rustling of clothes in the wind during his moments of contemplation.