Huang Yaoshi's Test

Huang Yaoshi knew his daughter's nature well. On the surface, she seemed mischievous, giggling and lively, but inside she had a mind of her own, as stubborn and unyielding as he was—otherwise, she wouldn't have stormed off alone in a boat this time. So he didn't want to push her too hard.

Besides, if Lu Chen truly did manage to find Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng by some stroke of luck, and if he really did have the ability to capture them, then it would only be fitting to use Peach Blossom Island martial arts—Huang Yaoshi's disciples, no matter how rebellious and unfilial, could not be defeated by techniques from another school.

After a moment's thought, he spoke slowly:

"I'll allow you to teach him Falling Blossom Swordplay, but not Jade Flute Swordplay."

Falling Blossom Swordplay was a martial art Huang Yaoshi had used in his youth, long since merged with several other sword techniques into the Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm. Thus, it was no longer a core secret art of Peach Blossom Island, and teaching it to Lu Chen was no great loss.

But Jade Flute Swordplay was different.

It was one of Huang Yaoshi's proudest self-created techniques. Since Lu Chen had yet to complete the wager and formally join Peach Blossom Island, it naturally couldn't be passed on to him.

Yet this outcome was exactly what Huang Rong had anticipated—it was her strategy of retreating to advance. She immediately put on a dissatisfied expression, pouting as she said:

"Father, you're too strict! The wager is already hard enough, and you'll only let me teach him one sword technique... Hmph, if I can't teach him Jade Flute Swordplay, then at least let me teach him Movement Technique, right?"

Seeing his daughter's look that said if you don't agree, I won't let this go, Huang Yaoshi pondered for a moment, then nodded in approval:

"Fine."

Given his temperament, the reason he was so accommodating—aside from not wanting another conflict with his daughter—was that Lu Chen's extraordinary talent and the bold spirit displayed in that song had genuinely earned his admiration.

Otherwise, why would he have made this wager with Huang Rong and Lu Chen, one that, though extremely difficult, still held a sliver of possibility?

Not just anyone was worthy of receiving a promise from the Eastern Heretic.

Seeing her plan succeed, Huang Rong naturally wouldn't remain at odds with her father. She took his arm and said cheerfully:

"Father, have you eaten?"

"No."

"Then should I make you a bowl of egg-fried rice?"

Huang Yaoshi glanced at the remnants of the lavish dinner on the stone table, thought about how his daughter had gone all out to defend Lu Chen, and felt a surge of melancholy in his heart:

For that brat Lu Chen, she made a grand feast; for her old father, only egg-fried rice. Even if Rong'er's egg-fried rice was a delicacy in its own right, compared to a full banquet, it was enough to break one's heart...

Was he about to lose his daughter?

While he brooded, Huang Rong had already called Lu Chen to clear the table. Once the stone table beneath the tree was clean, she went to the kitchen to fry rice for her father, telling Lu Chen to keep him company.

Lu Chen invited Huang Yaoshi to sit at the stone table and poured him a cup of tea.

Huang Yaoshi's face was as calm as still water. He took a sip of tea, then glanced at Lu Chen standing respectfully to the side and said flatly:

"Wasn't your singing just now quite bold? Daring to stand as an equal to emperors, treating wealth and rank like drifting clouds—what's this? In front of me, you don't dare to sit as an equal?"

Since Huang Yaoshi put it that way, what else could Lu Chen say?

He plopped himself firmly into the chair to Huang Yaoshi's left and said:

"Senior is Rong'er's father, and Rong'er has shown me great kindness. Naturally, I cannot be disrespectful to you."

Huang Yaoshi raised an eyebrow. Seeing Lu Chen sitting steady and composed, without the slightest trace of nervousness or fear, he found the young man's bearing rather agreeable to his own temperament. He took another sip of tea and said calmly:

"That sword strike of yours just now—what was it called?"

"Sword One: White Rainbow Piercing the Sun."

"White Rainbow Piercing the Sun?" Huang Yaoshi gave Lu Chen another appraising look. "Do you know the origin of 'White Rainbow Piercing the Sun'?"

Lu Chen said: "Nie Zheng assassinated Han Gui, and a white rainbow pierced the sun; Jing Ke's white rainbow pierced the sun, and the Crown Prince of Yan was afraid."

Huang Yaoshi nodded. "No wonder you dared to sing of standing as an equal to emperors. Have you studied?"

"A little."

"Do you understand poetry?"

"I can't compose it, only recite it."

"Do you understand mathematics?"

"A bit."

"Astronomy and geography?"

"A little."

"Can you play any instruments?"

"I know one Western percussion instrument."

"..."

The Great Song Dynasty had thriving maritime trade, and with Huang Yaoshi's breadth of knowledge, he was certainly aware of the Southern Seas and even the Western nations. But he had never heard of any "Western percussion instrument."

Still, he was too proud to show ignorance in front of a junior, so he simply skipped over it and asked:

"What about agriculture and irrigation, military strategy, mechanisms and formations... do you understand any of that?"

"This... just a tiny bit."

Having lived two lives in the age of information technology, and having graduated from a top-tier university in his previous life, Lu Chen might not be an expert in everything, but his breadth of knowledge was beyond what any ancient could imagine.

Huang Yaoshi, however, wasn't about to take Lu Chen's word for it. He began testing him without changing his expression, throwing out topics from literature to music theory, from astronomy to military affairs, from agriculture and irrigation to the art of mechanisms. And with each answer Lu Chen gave, Huang Yaoshi's feelings grew more complicated.

From Lu Chen's words, it was clear he did not come from a scholarly family.

When Huang Yaoshi spoke in the refined manner of a literati official, occasionally quoting classics to show off his learning, Lu Chen only half-understood, his phrasing lacking any trace of a scholar's elegance. Yet he truly knew many poems—even if he couldn't compose them, he could recite them—and could even explain the historical background and allusions behind those verses.

As for other fields—such as mathematics, astronomy, military strategy, even farmland irrigation and metallurgy—Lu Chen had dabbled in them all. Though his depth was often lacking, when it came to breadth, even Huang Yaoshi couldn't help but nod inwardly.

There were also some novel ideas that, given Huang Yaoshi's vast knowledge, he had never heard before. At first listen, they seemed absurd and outlandish, but upon closer thought, they appeared to hold hidden truths, provoking deep reflection.

This left Huang Yaoshi feeling quite perplexed.

Though the Great Song Dynasty was prosperous and civilized, knowledge was still held in the hands of a few.

Especially such broad knowledge—without being born into a family with extensive book collections and a long scholarly tradition, one would have virtually no chance to explore it.

Moreover, many of those thought-provoking novel ideas might not even be known to anyone in this era. Only someone like Huang Yaoshi, with a sharp mind, ample knowledge, and the ability to keep up, could grasp them. An ordinary scholar-official would likely fail to understand, dismissing them outright as fairy tales or heresy.

If it were a matter of accumulating knowledge over years, Lu Chen was far too young.

So where in the world did this freak come from?

How could he know so much?

Huang Yaoshi wanted to test him further, but Huang Rong had already finished frying the egg-fried rice. She paired it with two seasonal side dishes and brought it over on a tray.

It had been a month since he last ate his daughter's cooking. Though it was just a simple bowl of egg-fried rice, far inferior to the feast she had made for Lu Chen, the sight of the golden grains and the aroma that stirred his appetite quickly made Huang Yaoshi set aside that small grudge. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating with elegant poise.

Huang Rong sat beside her father, resting her cheek on her hand, watching him eat with a grin. Seeing him enjoy the meal, she pulled Lu Chen out to the open space in the courtyard, eager to make the most of the time and teach him martial arts.

"Not counting tonight, in ten days, you'll be walking the jianghu alone."

Huang Rong's tone carried a noticeable reluctance, as if she had already accepted the fact. She shot a deliberately resentful and aggrieved glance at her father. Huang Yaoshi pretended not to notice, focusing solely on eating his rice with grace.

Huang Rong gave a light snort and continued speaking to Lu Chen:

"Now I'll teach you the first lesson of walking the jianghu. Lu Chen, what do you think is the most important thing when traveling the jianghu?"

At this question, the first thing that popped into Lu Chen's mind was: The jianghu isn't about fighting and killing; the jianghu is about human connections and social graces~

But what he said was: "High martial arts skills, being able to fight?"

"It's being able to run fast!"

Huang Rong clasped her hands behind her back, speaking seriously:

"Of the thirty-six strategies, retreat is the best. If you can't win, run. If you can win but it might cost you dearly, run too. If you're surrounded by many enemies, you definitely need to know how to run—lead them in circles first, scatter them, then seize the chance to pick them off one by one. In short... as long as you run fast enough, danger can't catch up to you."

Lu Chen nodded in agreement:

"Right, traveling the jianghu, safety comes first. Running fast is the most important."

Huang Yaoshi, upon hearing this, gave a light snort but didn't argue—after his martial arts reached perfection, he never had to run again, but who hadn't been weak once? When he first set out in the jianghu as a youth, he had gone through the same.

In fact, Huang Rong's words were all taught by him. After all, no father would want to see his daughter constantly risking her life in fights, so naturally, he taught her to flee when outmatched.

Huang Rong continued:

"So now, I'm going to teach you Movement Technique. First, I'll teach you the Leaping Technique, so you can easily climb trees and scale walls, moving high and low. Try bending your knees slightly, gather your qi in your dantian, and when you feel the true qi rise, relax your muscles and bones, focus your mind on the Jade Pillow Acupoint, and leap upward..."

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