Yuè Jiāo Nú's Shock

"Young Master, you?"

Just as Duàn Yì was still immersed in practicing the forms of the Minor Capturing Hand, Yuè Jiāo Nú pushed open the door and entered, carrying a Seven-Colored Brocade Chicken and two big green fish still flapping wildly. Her expression was one of shock, as though she had witnessed something unbelievable.

"Mm, Sister Yue, what is it? Is there something wrong with me?"

Seeing Yuè Jiāo Nú's astonished expression, Duàn Yì feigned confusion. In truth, he knew perfectly well that his progress in the Minor Capturing Hand was simply too startling, which was why she was shocked. He just could not let it show.

Something wrong? Of course there was, and something was very wrong.

Yuè Jiāo Nú was a formal disciple of the Moon Worship Palace. She had practiced martial arts since childhood and received personal instruction from experts. Her theoretical foundation was solid. While her martial skills might not have been exceptionally high, her knowledge and experience were certainly not lacking.

Though her family's Minor Capturing Hand was not considered a supreme mystical art, it could still be regarded as a foundation in hand techniques. It also included the identification of human joints and acupoints, benefiting the future study of deeper palm, fist, finger, and claw arts. It was far beyond those crude, shabby moves used by country bumpkins.

For someone like Duàn Yì, who had no martial foundation whatsoever and had never even come into contact with martial arts, to memorize such a technique in just a few short hours and practice it so skillfully—judging by the realm classifications, he had surely reached the level of wielding it with ease. It had practically overturned Yuè Jiāo Nú's understanding.

There was only one explanation for such a performance: Duàn Yì was a once-in-an-age martial genius, blessed with an aptitude for martial arts even greater than that of his mother, Yán Fāngfēi.

Could Heaven finally be opening its eyes? Could the great vengeance of the Moon Worship Palace finally have hope of being avenged?

Joy surged within Yuè Jiāo Nú, and her eyes faintly moistened.

She was only a young woman in her early twenties. Having suddenly suffered such a great upheaval, she too had been at her wits' end. Now, seeing that Duàn Yì possessed such talent, she knew that as long as he mastered the Divine Light Skill entrusted by the Old Palace Master before her death, he would surely be able to personally kill the pair of sluts, Yuè Bì Nǔ and Qū Dōng Liú, and avenge the Old Palace Master and the sisters of the Moon Worship Palace who had died.

After calming herself and seeing Duàn Yì's baffled expression, Yuè Jiāo Nú assumed the youth had been frightened by her reaction. She hurriedly shook her head.

"No, no. Young Master, you did very well. Please keep practicing. I'll go make you something to eat."

With that, she carried the ingredients in her hands into Duàn Yì's kitchen.

Only after Yuè Jiāo Nú's figure disappeared did Duàn Yì let his expression fall and continue practicing, though his mind had become somewhat distracted.

"If you practice martial techniques but not internal cultivation, you'll end up with nothing when you grow old. The Minor Capturing Hand may be good, but without internal energy, it will be difficult to enter the ranks of true experts. I have to find a way to obtain an internal cultivation method."

Why did he have to practice martial arts?

Leaving aside Duàn Yì's own curiosity and yearning for martial arts.

Had he not nearly starved to death before Yuè Jiāo Nú arrived? Yet Yuè Jiāo Nú, who was equally penniless, had managed to make sure Duàn Yì ate his fill—and ate well—in such a short time. Did that not say something?

Still, Duàn Yì knew clearly that if he wanted to practice martial arts, then unless pies fell from the sky, he would have to start with Yuè Jiāo Nú.

After eating, Duàn Yì and Yuè Jiāo Nú gathered once more in the small room to discuss their next move.

According to Yuè Jiāo Nú's idea, she wanted to take Duàn Yì into the martial world to search for Blood Head Monk. Once they found him and obtained the Divine Light Skill, Duàn Yì would surely master the divine art with his talent and gain the strength to take revenge.

Duàn Yì, however, raised a different opinion.

"Sister Yue, it's not that I want to pour cold water on this, but since this Blood Head Monk appears like the Divine Dragon's head and vanishes like its tail, and hasn't set foot in the martial world for ten years, where are you going to find him in a Great Xia this vast?"

The Great Xia Dynasty of this world resembled ancient China. Its administrative regions were divided into three levels: circuits, prefectures, and counties. As for towns and villages below them, they all existed under the jurisdiction of county seats.

Great Xia had fifteen circuits, two hundred and seventy prefectures, and more than three thousand counties. Its land was vast and rich, its people outstanding and its soil blessed. It stood as the center of Shenzhou, while beyond it lay other smaller nations such as Dali, Tubo, Western Xia, and Fusang.

Searching for a Blood Head Monk without even a shadow of a trail was simply unrealistic. Duàn Yì had no intention of wasting time on something meaningless.

"Actually, we don't necessarily have to set our sights on Blood Head Monk. That's far too illusory.

"We could seek martial arts from other famous sects and great schools, or find a renowned master to take us in. Either way, there's a chance of learning profound martial arts. Sister Yue, do you have any suggestions?"

Exactly. As the saying went, if the east did not light up, the west would. Blood Head Monk was a lone man with no roots, difficult to find—but would others with families, households, or even established sects be so hard to locate?

Hearing Duàn Yì's words, Yuè Jiāo Nú did not suddenly see the light. Instead, she gave a bitter smile.

"Young Master, it isn't that Jiaonu doesn't understand this reasoning. It's just that while the idea is feasible, it is still very difficult."

Only after Yuè Jiāo Nú's explanation did Duàn Yì realize that he had been thinking too simply.

Martial culture flourished in Great Xia, and martial world forces were as numerous as the hairs on an ox, beyond all count. Yet they were extremely strict—indeed, harsh—when it came to protecting their martial arts and choosing disciples.

For instance, there had been the uproar between the Beggars' Gang and Peerless City some years ago.

The Beggars' Gang was a sect of Great Xia that claimed to have the most members. Wherever there were beggars, the Beggars' Gang could be found. Its direct inherited arts, the Dragon Subduing Palm Technique and the Dog Beating Staff Technique, were both supreme skills.

The Dugu Family of Peerless City was even more illustrious, known as Great Xia's foremost swordsmanship lineage. It possessed several divine arts, including Sacred Spirit Swordplay, the Nine Swords of Dugu, the Dragon Subduing Divine Leg, and the Cape Staff Technique.

Successive family heads also inherited the position of Lord of Peerless City and held the noble title of Marquis of Peerlessness, granting them extraordinary status in Great Xia.

One was the Dragon Subduing Palm Technique, and the other was the Dragon Subduing Divine Leg. Not only did their names share the same origin, even their martial principles overlapped. That touched upon a taboo.

The Beggars' Gang called out to Peerless City: "Ah, our Beggars' Gang's Dragon Subduing Palm has a long and ancient lineage, and its force is tyrannical beyond compare. Your Dugu Family turned palms into legs and plagiarized our supreme art. Shameless to the extreme!"

The Dugu Family retorted, "Screw your grandfather! Our Dugu Family's swordsmanship is peerless, invincible beneath Heaven, and you think we'd steal the Beggars' Gang's Dragon Subduing Palm? Have you no shame?

"The Dragon Subduing Divine Leg may not be as famous as our Dugu Family's sword arts, but it was created and passed down by our ancestors. What the hell does it have to do with your Beggars' Gang? Don't even think about trying to latch onto us."

Then came a barrage of verbal attacks, dragging in several other families that also possessed Dragon Subduing Palm inheritances. The matter boiled over, several fights broke out, and the commotion became enormous. In the end, only when Dragon Guarding Manor stepped in to mediate did things finally settle down.

Oh, one more thing: Dragon Guarding Manor was an official force of Great Xia. Together with the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, Brocade-Clad Guard, and Six Gates, it was known as Great Xia's Five Sharp Swords. Experts filled its ranks like clouds, and powerful warriors fell like rain. It was aimed at the martial forces among the common people, keeping the martial world from growing too large.

Therefore, every faction and individual valued martial arts—especially divine arts and supreme skills—immensely.

The only reason Blood Head Monk might pass the divine art to Duàn Yì was because of Yán Susu, and their relationship had certainly been no shallow one. It had not the slightest thing to do with Duàn Yì.

As for taking a master, Duàn Yì was already somewhat too old. Broken Sword Hut, one of Great Xia's prestigious swordsmanship schools, had a requirement that disciples be under seven years old, so that sword bones could be molded, sword hearts condensed, and the Sword Dao attained.

Another reason was that younger children were more malleable. Ideas of loyalty to the sect could be instilled in them. To put it bluntly, they were easier to brainwash.

At fourteen, one already had a stronger sense of self. Though one could still be trained, the effort required was greater, and naturally such candidates were not favored.

Taking everything together, unless Duàn Yì had connections or was lucky enough to catch the eye of some great figure, he might have a chance to enter a major sect or even take a renowned master.

And even if he entered a sect and acknowledged a master, he might not necessarily learn profound martial arts. The stronger the martial art, the more fiercely its owner cherished it like a broom of gold. Some even concerned the sect's inheritance and could only be learned by the sect leader.

Even at Broken Sword Hut, its highest supreme art, the Innate Body-Piercing Formless Sword Qi, could only be cultivated by the Sword Master.

There was also another giant of the Sword Dao, the Divine Sword Sect. Its Myriad Swords Return to Origin could likewise only be cultivated by the sect master, passed down to only one person in each generation.

Martial arts being like cabbages for you to pick as you pleased? That simply did not exist.

To put it bluntly, if Duàn Yì had not carried the identity of Yán Fāngfēi's son, Yuè Jiāo Nú would never have taught him the Minor Capturing Hand.

Don't mistake a bean bun for worthless grain. Even within the great sects, the Minor Capturing Hand was an excellent foundational martial art.

Hearing all this, Duàn Yì's mood was not very good, but he still refused to give up.

"Then, Sister Yue, don't you have any other connections? For example, do you know some powerful expert? The kind you could introduce me to?"

In truth, Duàn Yì only asked while clinging to a slim possibility.

Thinking carefully, if Yuè Jiāo Nú truly knew such a person, would she still place her hopes on a Blood Head Monk whose whereabouts were entirely unknown?

Yet Yuè Jiāo Nú's reaction gave Xiàng Yāng a pleasant surprise.

Her eyes turned distant, as if she had remembered something. Her pretty face first reddened, then paled, and finally took on a trace of desolation. In a weak voice, she said,

"If we're talking about a true powerhouse, I really do know one. Unfortunately, he won't help us take revenge."