Twenty minutes later, Luo Qi felt like a useless bug. Even though Andrew had gone easy on him, giving him the equivalent of a water planet's worth of leeway, every muscle in his body ached.
Andrew stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching Luo Qi with a smile. "Little Highness, can't last twenty minutes?"
Luo Qi weakly waved his hand. "No more, no more, Teacher Andrew. I'm so tired."
A few small beads of sweat dotted Luo Qi's face. As he lay on the ground, they picked up a lot of dust. His once fair little face now looked like he had just crawled out of a coal mine.
Luo Qi wiped the sweat from his face and laboriously rolled over, crawling towards the palace. He looked as if a small monster was chasing him from behind.
However, he truly had no strength left, so his crawling movements on the ground resembled a dehydrated dead fish.
Andrew, wanting to laugh, walked over to pull Luo Qi up. Just then, he saw Ye Mu get up and walk towards him, blocking Luo Qi.
Ye Mu was equally disheveled, but unlike Luo Qi, who seemed to have lost his soul, his eyes were bright. "Teacher Andrew, I've rested."
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Does classmate Ye mean you still have the strength to train with me?"
Ye Mu glanced back at Luo Qi, who was watching him with eager eyes, and said, "Yes, I'm ready!"
This "training" lasted about two hours. It was mostly Andrew guiding Ye Mu in actual combat. The time spent genuinely teaching Luo Qi added up to only half an hour.
Finally, the lesson ended. Andrew reached out and picked Luo Qi up from the ground, carrying Ye Mu by the collar of his shirt with his other hand, and walked towards the palace.
Luo Qi, completely limp in Andrew's arms, had already fallen asleep from exhaustion.
Andrew carefully placed Luo Qi on the bed. After arranging Ye Mu as well, he walked to the door of Cesi's study.
"King."
"Come in."
Andrew sat opposite Cesi and chuckled. "The little highness is tired and asleep. I've put him back in his room."
Cesi nodded. "How was it?"
Andrew's smile remained unchanged. "Very good. The little highness is very diligent and learns quickly."
Cesi paused his movements. "Tell me the truth."
Andrew's smile slowly faded. "King, do you want to hear the truth?"
Cesi remained silent, but his gaze conveyed everything.
Andrew sighed. "It's not very good. Regarding combat skills and practical experience, these can be learned later. But the little highness, his physical fitness and his ability to grasp techniques are not at the level a bug race should possess. In fact, he's not even as good as that human cub."
These words were quite blunt, but Andrew wasn't trying to belittle Luo Qi; it was simply how the bug race communicated.
Cesi, who clearly knew this, simply nodded calmly. "I know."
Andrew gave a dry laugh. "But it's nothing major. The little highness is still young. We just need to teach him slowly."
Cesi rubbed his temples. "I asked you to teach him not to learn combat."
Andrew looked confused. "Then what do you mean?"
Cesi sighed. "He's too fragile. I don't want him to learn to fight, only to learn self-preservation. Also, I hope you can help me assess that human cub."
Andrew frowned. "But he's human..."
Cesi glanced at the photo of him and Luo Qi on his desk. "The emotions of youth burn like fire. I hope that human cub doesn't disappoint me. If he dares to betray Luo Luo... I will deal with him myself."