Chapter 126

Si Huaruo said reluctantly, "My birthday is in three days, you must remember it, please don't forget."

Si Ming, "Don't worry, I'll write the date on my forehead so that others will see it and remind me."

Si Huaruo thought about the scenario for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle, "That would be too ostentatious. You might not feel embarrassed, but I do. Besides, I don't want too many people to know about this."

"Okay, then I'll just have to write it on the back of my hand."

Si Ming feigned regret, then jumped off the boat, waving and saying, "Uncle Gu, Huaruo, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye to the two people on the boat, Si Ming walked for about ten minutes and arrived at a courtyard house. He took out his key, opened the door, and entered. This was the villa, which also belonged to the Si Clan and was where he usually rested and stayed.

"Young Master Ming, you're back. I'll go cook dinner now."

The speaker was a middle-aged woman sweeping the yard with a broom.

Si Ming nodded, without exchanging any pleasantries, and went straight to his bedroom.

Besides him, the only other people living in this villa were an old woman who took care of his daily chores and a maid who looked after him. However, he was not close to either of them because he suspected that they were spies planted by his grandmother.

Upon entering the bedroom and confirming that no one was watching him from outside, Si Ming adopted a martial arts stance. His movements were as nimble as a swallow, his steps as swaying as willow branches, and his hand movements were unpredictable. His moves were quite bizarre, seemingly deceptive yet real. What appeared to be a killing move was actually a feint, and what appeared to be a grappling move actually contained a deadly attack. His various physical changes defied the common sense of martial arts.

If someone tries to predict his movements by staring at his muscles, they'll likely fall for his trick immediately.

At the beginning of the practice, Si Ming was still quite unfamiliar with the moves. There were inevitably pauses in the transitions between moves, and his flaws were obvious. However, after he finished the first round of practice, his moves became extremely smooth, and his various changes were all well-behaved, just like someone who had been practicing this martial art for two or three years.

When Si Ming entered the third round, his movements became fluid and effortless. He no longer followed the original routines, but rather used his own strengths and weaknesses to his advantage. As soon as an opening appeared in the previous move, the next move would immediately follow, achieving a state of "no moves are better than moves". Clearly, he had mastered this martial art to perfection. Ordinary people could not reach such a level without ten years of hard training.

If Uncle Gu and Si Huaruo were here, they would immediately recognize that Si Ming is practicing "The Cup Bow Snake Shadow Dance"!

He had only casually listened to Si Huaruo explain it once on the yacht, and immediately learned the martial art. This was the secret that Si Ming really wanted to hide!

Chapter III The Caged Bird

Any martial Cultivation Method, as long as the theory is correct, Si Ming can learn it immediately and master it in a very short time. Even though he knows nothing about the martial arts world of the Sea Continent, he still understands how terrifying such a talent for martial arts is.

In his previous life Si Ming was a typical person who was incapable of practical application. Even when conducting a chemistry experiment, his hands would tremble for half a day. He did not believe that he could gain supreme martial arts comprehension after reincarnation. After thinking about it, he could only attribute it to the special bloodline of the Si Clan. The most compelling evidence was that he did not need to consciously think when practicing martial arts. His body would move naturally, as if it were instinct.

If an ordinary child possessed such outstanding talent, he would surely be unable to resist showing it off to others, hoping to gain the approval of adults. However, Si Ming knew the danger of standing out from the crowd, and he also vaguely sensed the Si Clan's wariness of him. Naturally, he had to keep his sword sheathed and never reveal his sharpness. For this reason, a year ago, he deliberately pretended to be very stupid in martial arts, and each time he barely kept up with the progress of others' learning.

It wasn't until he discovered that the Si Clan hadn't relaxed their surveillance on him at all that he realized how clumsy his disguise was. The reason he hadn't been seen through was simply because he was a child, which naturally made him easy to underestimate. Probably no one would have thought that a child under eight years old would have such cunning.

So he changed his method of concealment. He began to tell stories and create captivating novels, making people mistakenly believe that he had extraordinary literary talent. At the same time, while studying at the clan's private school, he displayed the academic prowess of his previous life, getting full marks in every subject.

After making this series of high-profile moves, the Si Clan's surveillance of Si Ming actually weakened, because Si Jingzhi got the answer she wanted. In her opinion, Si Ming, as Si Jingyu's younger brother, did indeed possess outstanding talent, verifying her initial conjecture. However, this talent was not in the field of martial arts, but in the field of literature, so he was not worth being wary of.

No matter how brilliantly someone writes a novel, they can never overthrow Aristocratic Clan like Water Mirror Manor, nor even have the right to threaten it.

After finishing practicing "The Cup Bow Snake Shadow Dance", Si Ming rested for a while, and then practiced all the martial arts he had learned in bits and pieces from "The Water Moon Precious Mirror" again. His body naturally sorted and arranged these martial arts.

At the Water Mirror Manor, men are only allowed to practice ordinary Foundation Establishment martial arts and are forbidden from secretly learning the "Water Moon Precious Mirror." Otherwise, they will be punished with whipping at best and have their skills crippled at worst. The rules are very strict.

But no one could have imagined that Si Ming didn't need to steal the techniques at all; he could reconstruct the entire set of martial arts simply through daily conversations. This was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Therefore, on the yacht, Uncle Gu did not stop Si Huaruo from recounting her process of learning "The Cup Bow Snake Shadow Dance," as he did not consider it a leak of secrets.

Clap clap clap clap!

When the story finally ended with "The Cup Bow Snake Shadow Dance," Si Ming suddenly felt an invisible force coursing through his body, pulling at his bones, tendons, and flesh, as if a pair of hands were giving him a double massage, both inside and out. The whole process was slightly painful, but also secretly pleasurable.

It took him a while to recover from this inexplicable change, and then he carefully checked his physical condition.

"Hmm, it makes the skin firmer and improves flexibility. Is this the effect of completing the introductory chapter of the 'Water Moon Precious Mirror'? That makes sense. The Si Clan are disciples of the Shaman School. If they were ugly and lacked flexibility, they wouldn't be able to perform a dance that would please the eye. No wonder that old hag looks like a thirty-year-old woman even though she's seventy or eighty years old."

The "old witch" naturally refers to Si Jingzhi.

"Young Master Ming, dinner is ready."

The old woman's voice came from outside the door.

"Okay, I'll be right there."

Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Si Ming suppressed his excitement, quickly calmed himself down, and pretended to be nonchalant. He went to the courtyard to enjoy his ordinary meal, and casually recounted what he had seen and heard during the day to the old woman and the maid Fang Qin.

"Young Master seems to have eaten more than usual today."

Fang Qin said it casually, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Si Ming felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that his intense hunger was due to the fact that he had just been practicing the "Water Moon Precious Mirror," which had caused his body to expend more energy than usual.

But this was ultimately just a minor detail. Si Ming didn't try to hide his panic. Instead, he bit his chopsticks, feigning innocence, and recalled, "It's probably because I played with Huaruo on the boat for a while. Oh, right, she invited me to her birthday party in three days. I wonder what birthday present I should prepare?"

Although he had just promised Si Huaruo not to let too many people know about this, he had no choice but to bring it up now to divert attention. Si Ming silently apologized to Si Huaruo in his heart.

"It's Miss Ruo's birthday..." Fang Qin's attention was indeed diverted. She looked at Si Ming and advised, "Young Master Ming, it's best not to associate too closely with Miss Ruo."

"Why? She's my good friend," Si Ming asked, feigning ignorance.

"Miss Ruo is, after all, the daughter of the First Master, and the relationship between the First Master and the Second Master isn't very good."

Fang Qin almost blurted out that your mother had usurped the position of clan leader from the head of the manor. Although that was the truth, it still sounded like an act of insubordination.

"That's an adult matter, what does it have to do with us kids? Besides, I only see my mother twice a year, so her problems can't be blamed on me." Si Ming appropriately revealed his resentment.

"But adults might not think that way, so..."

The old woman interrupted Fang Qin: "Alright, alright, why are you bringing up these things while we're eating? Is it any of your business to criticize the lords? Even the head lord doesn't care, so why should you? Watch your mouth, don't say anything that might cause trouble for others."

Fang Qin had no choice but to shut up, but she couldn't help but feel resentful in her heart. Children are just children; they don't understand the filth of power. I should be the one who's afraid of being implicated.