Human Body Weaknesses

Hearing her Master's voice, Yu Ye froze as well. Hardly daring to believe it, she turned her head and, sure enough, saw that handsome face smiling warmly.

"M-Master, you're back."

Crazy Night: Damn it, you still remembered to come back, huh~

"Mm. First, explain to your Master what it means to seek truth from facts."

"Uh, this disciple merely felt... felt that he hadn't praised the right points."

Seeing Yu Ye's delighted yet somewhat flustered attempt at an explanation, Ji Qinglin naturally did not expose her in front of outsiders. He merely lifted the brim of her baseball cap slightly and scraped her nose with a finger.

"You, honestly~"

Coal Boss was quite good at picking its moments too. It leaped straight onto Yu Ye's shoulder, rubbing against her smooth cheek and sniffing the familiar fragrance of the Lost Bird it had not smelled in many days.

Caw caw—

Ji Qinglin then looked toward Ji Congliang and asked in the tone of a senior, "Congliang, is seducing fellow disciples and insulting one's elders also part of the curriculum?"

Ji Congliang had originally intended to praise Ji Qinglin a little, then let both sides give each other a way out and put the matter behind them. He had not expected Ji Qinglin to actually press the issue. Doesn't this brat know his own weight?

But Ji Qinglin was, after all, an elder of the Chamber of Commerce and on good terms with its president. Ji Congliang did not wish to truly tear his face from theirs, so he could only brush it off.

"Elder, I meant no harm. I merely thought—"

Whoosh—

Before Ji Congliang could finish, he saw Ji Qinglin's body drift forward in a hazy blur, trails of ghostly shadows dragging behind him. In the instant he wondered whether he was seeing things, Ji Qinglin had already silently arrived before him.

Terrified, Ji Congliang staggered back several steps and slammed into the wall again.

"E-Elder, you—"

Ji Qinglin's smile vanished. He stared heavily at Ji Congliang and said, each word measured, "Not wanting to make a move and being unable to make a move are two different things. Don't wait until you're dead to blame this elder for not warning you. Otherwise, the next one to act won't be Yu Ye."

Looking into those icy eyes—eyes he had only ever seen on death-row prisoners while behind bars—Ji Congliang shook his head hard, confirming that this was no illusion, and gradually recovered from his shock.

That bizarre movement technique was something not even Yu Ji Zi could accomplish, let alone him. He suddenly understood why the man before him could become an elder at such a young age, and why the president had hastily rebuked him after he had made only one offensive remark at the dinner table.

He had long heard rumors that the Chamber of Commerce needed both face and substance. Aside from the Double Flower Red Pole who settled disputes in the open, there also had to be guardians in the shadows who silently dealt with threats to the Chamber. Could it be...? The more it fit, the more terrified he became. Ji Congliang hurriedly bowed. "It was I who spoke improperly. I beg the elder's forgiveness!"

Ji Qinglin had even opened the Big Dipper Map, thinking that if this fellow made a move, he could dodge and counterattack. He had not expected him to yield so quickly. Though he did not understand it, he did not pursue the matter further. Turning away, he said calmly, "So be it. Purple Dragon Peak need not trouble itself with passing on techniques. My disciple and I still have important matters to discuss, so I won't keep you for dinner."

Ji Congliang thought that it was enough as long as Ji Qinglin did not silence him forever. Nodding repeatedly in agreement, he turned and hurriedly fled the alley.

Yu Ye had long had some estimate of her Master's strength, so her reaction was not as dramatic as Ji Congliang's. Still, that ghostlike movement technique secretly startled her.

Yu Ye: We've seen quite a few advanced movement techniques. Moving like a gale, walking without a sound, and even trailing ghostly shadows behind you—do you know what that was?

Crazy Night: You don't even know that? That move is called: the person runs ahead while the soul chases from behind.

Ignoring Crazy Night's nonsense, Yu Ye stepped forward and asked, "Master, is it really alright to reveal your strength before such petty people? Haven't you always preferred to keep it hidden?"

"It's fine. Even if he told others, they wouldn't believe him. How about it, Yu Ye? Have you been diligently practicing the basic cultivation techniques at home?"

Yu Ye gave a light snort at that. The corners of her crimson lips curled up, pride filling her almond-shaped eyes. Raising a hand, she said, "Does Master want to try?"

Ji Qinglin nodded slightly. He took the remote for the positioning restraint collar from his pocket and made as if to press it. "A try it is, then."

"Hey, hey, hey! Master! Don't, don't, don't! Please be serious!"

Crazy Night: I like it when he's not serious. If you don't want him, I'll take him.

Yu Ye: Stay put and behave yourself!

Crazy Night: Tch. A closet pervert who forgets loyalty at the sight of beauty.

Ji Qinglin stopped teasing Yu Ye and asked with a smile, "By the way, Yu Ye, can you ride a vehicle? The kind with strong power."

"You mean a motorcycle?"

"Uh, more or less."

As he spoke, Ji Qinglin pushed out the old tricycle that had just been parked in the passageway, loaded to the brim with study materials.

Yu Ye: This is what you call more or less?

Crazy Night: Pfft. Does anyone even need to steal this thing? I suspect the Garbage Collector who sells goods hasn't shown up these past two days because your Master stole his tricycle.

Yu Ye: Maybe Master simply spends his money where it counts. Once I make money, I'll buy him a vehicle.

Thinking that, she moved to help her Master push the tricycle into the house, but Ji Qinglin stopped her. "There's too much on this vehicle. Push the one behind it."

"Behind it?"

Yu Ye walked back several steps and saw the Night Owl 750 at the corner of the alley. Though hidden in darkness, it still reflected specks of starlight, the entire vehicle seeming to have been carved from a single piece of obsidian.

Yu Ye: This is a Night Owl! Where did Master get this?

Crazy Night: Judging by how new it is, I'd believe you if you said he robbed a dealership.

Yu Ye pushed the Night Owl 750 into the shop with a face full of shock and suspicion. It's only been a few days, and Master said he was in seclusion. Could he have another hideout, with this vehicle stored there? "Master, is it alright if others see this vehicle?"

Hearing that Yu Ye was worried the vehicle had an improper origin, Ji Qinglin picked up a stack of books and headed upstairs. "Don't worry. Its origin is clean, so there's no need to hide it. Help your Master bring these books to the bedroom first."

After parking the vehicle, Yu Ye picked up neatly sorted stacks of books and followed behind him. The top book was called "Human Body Weaknesses." From the title, it seemed it might be an analysis of weak points in the human body, such as meridians and acupoints.

With that thought, Yu Ye casually opened to a page, only to discover that the illustrated volume contained a young woman wearing nothing but thin gauze underwear. A hand outside the picture was very gentlemanly introducing the woman's "weaknesses."

Crazy Night: Whoa, so detailed. Want to try it sometime? Yu Ye hurriedly shut the book, her face red as she hugged the books and continued upstairs. Why did Master bring back so many books like this?

Crazy Night: Since you, stupid disciple, won't take the initiative to throw yourself into his arms, he bought some books to study theoretical knowledge and relieve his boredom himself.

Yu Ye: Master isn't that kind of person. Last time, when I fainted from the medicine, he didn't even—

Crazy Night: Maybe he just thinks unconscious ones aren't interesting.

Yu Ye: Enough already! Ji Qinglin carried the books back to the bedroom and discovered that Yu Ye had already cleaned it as well. A faint fragrance lingered in the room.

Yu Ye, following behind him, feigned curiosity. "Master, what kind of books are these?"

"Pornographic books."

Crazy Night: How straightforward. I have never seen anyone so shameless.

Seeing Yu Ye's strange expression, Ji Qinglin guessed that the little girl had let her thoughts run wild again. He explained, "There may be cultivation techniques hidden in these books. I don't have time to search through every one of them, so I brought them back. When you have time, you can search through them with me. If you think something is wrong, tell me."

"So that's how it is."

Knowing that her Master had always been serious about cultivation, Yu Ye truly took several books from the pile that night and returned to the sofa bed to read and search through them, treating them as bedtime reading. After all, she also hoped she could help her Master in matters of cultivation.

But Yu Ye had not expected the books to describe matters between men and women in such detail, complete with illustrations. After only a few pages, she felt her cheeks heating up again—though someone else was reading with great relish.