The Beauty Trap

"But the problem is, is the other party willing to accept your protection? After all, my official identity is your brother."

"Yes, she will. I know my aunt very well. Since I amolating the clan rules this morning to allow men to practice martial arts, her next step will be to try to win you over. Unless you clearly state that you are on my side, she will not give up as long as there is any hope."

Si Ming was silent for a moment, then suddenly realized, "With your skills, eliminating an opponent like her would be a piece of cake, yet you've tolerated her until now. Clearly, you're intentionally letting her live so that all the opposition in the clan will jump out and gather under her banner."

Si Jingyu smiled, neither confirming nor denying, and took out a secret manual from her sleeve, handing it to Si Ming.

Si Ming looked down and saw it was the Si Clan's secret technique, the "Water Moon Precious Mirror." He asked in surprise, "But I just refused you."

"But you still want to stay and protect the Si Clan, right? There are still many things that will require your help. As the saying goes, 'He who eats another's food is bound to do him a favor,' so I think it's necessary to bribe you a little, so that you'll owe us a favor and be more diligent in your work."

"You have a keen eye; you saw that I'm the kind of person who responds better to gentleness than force."

Si Ming accepted the "Water Moon Precious Mirror," hesitated for a moment, and then compromised, saying, "How about this? It's impossible for me to impersonate you to go to school, but if necessary, I can temporarily fill in as you as bait to lure the enemy out. That shouldn't be a big problem."

He certainly dislikes women's clothing, but it's not to the point of being a germaphobe who can't stand even touching it. Going from one extreme to the other often indicates a psychological problem.

Did you not see that when Zhuge Liang sent women's clothes to Sima Yi during the Northern Expeditions, Sima Yi wasn't angry at all. Instead, he happily put on the clothes and showed them off to his generals. You can't say that Sima Yi also had a fetish for women's clothing, can you?

"Thank you very much. By the way, the 'Water Moon Precious Mirror' contains a technique similar to Bone-Shrinking Art, which can temporarily change body shape, skin color, and appearance. I think you can practice it in advance."

Si Jingyu's smile held a hint of cunning, like a smug snow fox.

"... It seems you've had this in mind for a while now. I was even thinking of making it up to you."

Si Ming sighed helplessly, but he had to admit that even though he had fallen into the other party's trap, he wasn't angry at all. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Yu, look at him. You should learn from him. Why do you have to turn people into enemies? Wouldn't it be better to trick them and then have them help you count the money?"

Just then, a gentle breeze blew, causing the peach blossoms that Si Jingyu had previously placed back on the tree to fall, landing right on Si Ming's head.

Just as he was about to wave his hand to remove it, he heard Si Jingyu say, "Don't move, let me help you take it off."

"No need for such a small matter." Si Ming shrank back.

"We're supposed to be siblings; being too unfamiliar will only arouse suspicion."

Si Jingyu used a special footwork technique, her figure as hazy as a reflection in water, and after approaching Si Ming, she tiptoed to pluck the flower petals from his head.

"I think you're just trying to make fun of me. You probably planned where this peach blossom would fall all along, didn't you?"

Si Ming quickly tried to push them away, but their hands ended up touching.

"Ah!"

Si Jingyu suddenly let out a shrill cry like a girl startled, a far cry from her usual calm and composed demeanor. Then, as if electrocuted, she withdrew her hand, glanced at Si Ming with disbelief, and then turned around in a panic, leaving the scene as quickly as a gust of wind.

"Miss, Miss, what's wrong? You rascal—"

"I didn't do anything!"

Si Shuiyun glared fiercely at Si Ming, then quickly turned around and chased after him.

Chapter 281 The Beauty Trap

In the courtyard of the Water Mirror Manor, which was reserved for VIPs, Si Ming was practicing the Body Tempering Chapter of the "Water Moon Precious Mirror." Sometimes his steps were light and slow, like waves surging on a calm lake, and sometimes he was like a leaf caught in a whirlwind, spinning rapidly. If he were dressed as a woman, or dressed as a woman like in Peking Opera, he would probably give people a beautiful and breathtaking impression. Unfortunately, he was dressed as a man, so the scene looked somewhat strange.

As a unique skill of the Shaman School, the "Water Moon Precious Mirror" is cultivated through dance. It is said that in the south there is a beautiful woman, with a light and graceful green waist. At the grand banquet in late autumn, her flying sleeves brush against the clouds and rain. She is as graceful as an orchid and as elegant as a dragon in flight. The beauty of Yue has faded by the stream, and the beauty of Wu has stopped her white silk dress. Her slow movements are endless, and her intricate postures come to an end.

With Si Ming's current physical condition, the body-tempering method of the "Water Moon Precious Mirror" is not too difficult for him to cultivate. However, compared to the physical fatigue, the mental torment is the most painful. Therefore, before he begins to cultivate, he must first send away the servants, lock the door, and make sure that no one is around.

The tradition of the Shaman School is very ancient, even predating Daoist School. In other words, the original "shaman" was not one of the Hundred Schools of Thought, but a profession.

Although modern people may think of shamans as a group of people who pretend to be gods and ghosts and represent feudal superstition, in the primitive and ignorant times, shamans were indeed among those who possessed more knowledge.

Advanced and backward are relative concepts. For primitive tribes, slave society was undoubtedly an advanced social system. The shaman in primitive society played the role of a prophet, preserving the cultural heritage.

The word "Wu" comes from "Gong" and "". The upper and lower horizontal lines of "Gong" represent heaven and earth respectively. The "" in the middle means that one can communicate with the will of heaven and issue the decrees of the earth. Adding "" means that one can communicate with heaven and earth and be in harmony with people's wishes.

The "people" in this context are not isolated individuals, but rather a plural group, representing the masses. It embodies the ancestors' dream that people could communicate with heaven and earth.

A shaman is a female who can perform rituals to invoke spirits through dance.

In this world of Divine Ability powers, shamans are not mere imposters; they can indeed communicate with spirits and gods, and mobilize their power to help people avert disasters and bring them wealth, such as by summoning spirits, making prophecies, praying for rain, and healing the sick. All the schools of thought in ancient China regarded shamans as their teachers and learned a great deal from them.

However, all of this is ancient history. As the saying goes, "Teach your apprentice and you'll starve yourself." The shaman's competitiveness was too weak. Its advanced nature was obtained by monopolizing knowledge. When it encountered the Hundred Schools of Thought, which openly exchanged knowledge and promoted their ideas all over the world, it was immediately defeated.

Confucian School learned sacrificial rites from shamans, Yin-Yang School learned communication with the divine from shamans, Medical School learned medicine from shamans, and Daoist School learned divination from shamans...

Each of them surpassed their teachers, learning all the skills of the shaman. By the time the term "shaman" became "Shaman School," the school had already declined to the point of being ranked last among the various schools of thought.

In addition, the Eternal Barrier that enveloped the Sea Continent dealt a devastating blow to the witch, effectively severing her at the waist. Within the barrier's range, all Technique Method Divine Ability were blocked, and only local deities could be summoned.

The Daoist School established Daoism, at least having their own deities to continue their lineage. However, the shamans did not establish Shaman Cult, and from then on, their ability to communicate with spirits and deities was also erased. The only skill the Shaman School could still be praised for was their dancing.

After practicing three times, Si Ming stopped and let out a long sigh, "I feel like I can't laugh at 'Dancing Fairy' anymore. If someone sees me doing that, it'll be a stain I can never erase for the rest of my life... Body training is one thing, I can hide in my room and practice secretly without being seen, but the martial arts techniques are also combined with dance. I have to be prepared to throw away my shame in order to use them in battle."

In the previous battle, Si Ming was Guan Chong with Guan Chong, so it was impossible to tell. However, if one were to fight according to proper methods, the movements would be elegant and graceful, like jade sleeves fluttering in the wind, a sight to behold.

It's one thing for a woman to use it—it might even confuse her opponent and distract them. But for a man to use it? Just imagining the scene is horrifying. At least, Si Ming finds it hard to accept. He can't help but feel sorry for the men of the Si Clan. Is being allowed to cultivate the "Water Moon Precious Mirror" a blessing or a curse for them?

Si Ming silently mourned for the men of the Si Clan for three seconds, then quickly flipped through the martial arts section of the "Water Moon Precious Mirror." Apart from the awkward fighting postures, most of the special moves in it required water-attribute or yin-attribute Internal Cultivation to be fully effective, which was exactly the opposite of Si Ming's own Cultivation Body, so he did not intend to waste time on it.

He flipped all the way to the appendix and saw one of the energy cultivation methods before his eyes lit up. "This must be the 'Nine Songs God-Sealing Art' that Master mentioned to me. It closes off the acupoints and conserves internal energy, making the True Qi in the body endlessly regenerating. Unless actively released, it will never decrease."

The "Nine Songs" here is not the Nine Songs in the "Songs of Chu," but the name of an ancient song in Huaxia mythology, which is also a kind of sacrificial song and dance, in which the image of the god is played by a shaman. The Nine Songs chapter of the "Songs of Chu" is also based on this.

When martial artists fight, they usually use their Internal Cultivation to enhance the power of their punches and kicks, as well as Movement Method speed. For example, when a punch is thrown, the True Qi surges and will leak out. The "Nine Songs God-Sealing Art" seals this True Qi in the body and transforms it into an internal circulation for repeated use. The price is that the physical body has to bear the backlash of the True Qi. However, the Method Formula also proposes corresponding dance postures that can resolve the backlash.

Of course, for Si Ming, who possesses a powerful physical body, there is no need to use magical techniques to neutralize it. It doesn't matter if the True Qi backfires, since his Internal Cultivation is mediocre and far inferior to his physical fitness. Even if he goes all out, the backfire will only be a tickle.