"Winter meant time to stay indoors and live off the foodstuff you stockpiled for most of the year, or at least that's how it was for most people. Some places never experience the winter seasons, while others… simply went on with their business unbothered. Paradise is an example of the latter case, which made sense, when one considered how they kept their city under the umbrella of a massive enchantment that warmed the grounds and air in wintertime." - Ebner Blasy, Economic journalist from Levain.

Cal pulled no punches in her efforts to train Ying Xiao as best she could. She gave very intense training for the young girl, and since her students were around, made good use of their presence as motivation. She also figured interaction with others nearer her age would be a good thing for Ying Xiao, considering the experiences the girl suffered.

Even her students, who had gone through the brutal training of the gauntlet back at Sev-Galas, cringed when they saw how much training Cal subjected the small girl to. They were even more surprised at how the small girl stoically endured the harsh training and gave her utmost until she literally collapsed from exhaustion, without even a single complaint.

Another thing Cal focused on was to have the girl supplied with copious amounts of highly nutritious food. Money was of no concern, as Xain had handed Layla a budget she passed to Cal, to be used for Ying Xiao's needs. Of more concern to Cal instead, was how much damage could be undone.

Ying Xiao's growth was rather stunted for her age, due to abuse and malnutrition. Although the good treatment she had under Xain's care had put some meat back on her bones, she still needed more if she were to finish her growth properly, much less build some muscles.

So one of the things Cal made certain of was that the girl ate her fill every day on a regular basis. Heavy training often drove a blood mage's appetite up as well, which was something she made good use of, since the girl was so used to surviving off meager rations. Once Cal worked her up good, she certainly had enough appetite to finish everything laid out before her.

She had to hand it to Ying Xiao though, that the girl had the drive needed to succeed. Every moment the girl was awake, she spent with either heavy training, or in her rest periods, either in the dining hall, or in a spar. Cal asked for Shi-Huang and Aideen's assistance for spars with Ying Xiao, in order to vary the opponent she faced.

It was during those spars that they quickly realized something they had not noticed before. Ying Xiao was left handed, and had hid it or rather, been made to forget from childhood. There were still some old stigmas in Al-Shan about left-handed people, and apparently the people who raised her still believed in those.

Once Cal ensured her that it was perfectly fine and had the girl switch her stance to a left handed one, she improved quickly.

Another change they made was when both Ying Xiao herself, and those she sparred with felt that the dagger she chose for use in her off-hand was ineffectual. Shi-Huang was the one who gave the girl an option she liked, in the form of a one handed mace with a ball-shaped macehead. It was a much more impactful weapon in the hands of a blood mage.

After a couple weeks of practice, Cal had made certain that Ying Xiao had taken to her weapons well. After a consultation with the girl, she placed an order of those same weapons, made of high purity adamant steel, to the same unliving dwarven blacksmith who did the weapons for her other students.

Armor she held off for now, since the girl would still grow some more. She did have her trained to wear heavy armor of the sort cavalrymen would wear however, to allow the girl to get used to it. She had the girl train, spar, eat, and even sleep in armor, until it felt like an extension to her body.

The beginning of the twelfth month gave Cal a pleasant surprise, as her students came to Paradise for their winter break. She was all too happy to have them help out with Ying Xiao. That was a task her students agreed to enthusiastically, especially after Cal told them of her past and how she expected prolonged contact with people her own age would hopefully have a positive influence on the girl.

In her spare time Cal gave pointers to Fheeri in melee combat. The girl was far ahead of her in other fields, which would probably just improve even more after she took classes in the Institute. Her enrollment for the next year's class was already processed, and to some slight surprise Fyodor also enrolled, albeit in a class that focused on metalworking.

Then again, even someone like Cal noticed the occasional tender glances the big man threw Fheeri's way when she wasn't looking, and those two had grown quite close and friendly in their journey together.

Ying Xiao's condition also improved, as she had started to open up to friends close to her age, instead of how she used to be utterly stiff and formal all the time. Probably the most difficult thing Cal succeeded in was how she finally talked the girl into dropping most formalities with her.

The girl still insisted on addressing her as "Shīfù (Teacher/Master)" though.

Layla and Xain came to check on the girl's progress around the middle of the month. They were very happy to see that the girl had opened up and made friends, and encouraged her to keep up the good work when they met. Xain also discussed with Cal and agreed that the girl should probably stay and train in Paradise for another two or three years at least before they bring her back to Al-Shan.

For the rest of the winter months, Cal stayed and guided Ying Xiao. She had grown fond of the girl quickly, since her sheer stubbornness and refusal to quit on anything she put her mind to reminded her a lot of her younger self. By the thirteenth month the weapons she ordered for Ying Xiao were finished, and she had her switch weapons, to get used to her new weapons faster.

After a few more weeks of sparring with the girl and her other students, Cal went to the blacksmith herself. One reason was to order a set of items - two melee weapons, two throwing knives, and a bag of sling projectiles - for Fheeri. Another was to fix her own halberd.

Mithril was very sturdy, but after many clashes with high purity adamant steel, there were still small damages that had begun to form on her halberd. The shaft was ironically in better shape, since elven ebony heartwood was prized not just for its sturdiness, but also for its ability to repair damages when supplied with mana.

After some thought, Cal splurged another portion of her savings and placed an order for the head of her halberd to be coated with a fine, paper-thin layer of pure adamant.