Huang Yaoshi knew his daughter's temperament well. She appeared mischievous, cheerful, lively, and playful, but she was deeply opinionated and as stubborn and willful as he was. Otherwise, she would not have sailed away alone in a fit of anger this time. Thus, he did not wish to force her too much.
Besides, if Lu Chen really did happen to find Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng, and truly had the ability to capture them, then using Peach Blossom Island martial arts would indeed be appropriate—Huang Yaoshi's disciples, no matter how rebellious or unfilial they were, could not be defeated by the martial arts of another school.
After pondering briefly, he said slowly:
"You may teach him Falling Blossom Swordplay, but Jade Flute Swordplay is out of the question."
Falling Blossom Swordplay was a martial art Huang Yaoshi had used in his youth. It had long since been integrated with several other sword arts and transformed into Falling Blossom Divine Sword Palm. Thus, Falling Blossom Swordplay was no longer a core secret art of Peach Blossom Island, and teaching it to Lu Chen would not matter.
But Jade Flute Swordplay was different.
It was one of Huang Yaoshi's proud self-created ultimate arts. Lu Chen had yet to fulfill the wager and join Peach Blossom Island, so naturally it could not be passed on to him.
Yet Huang Rong had anticipated this outcome long ago. It was merely a strategy of retreating in order to advance. She immediately put on an unhappy expression, pouted, and said:
"Father, you're being far too harsh! The wager is already difficult enough, yet you're only allowing me to teach him one sword art... Hmph, if you won't let me teach him Jade Flute Swordplay, then I can at least teach him a Movement Technique, right?"
Seeing her look as though she would not let the matter rest unless he agreed, Huang Yaoshi pondered for a moment or two before nodding.
"Fine."
Given his temperament, the reason he was so accommodating was not only because he did not wish to clash with his daughter again. It was also because Lu Chen's peerless talent, along with the spirit displayed in that song, had truly earned some of his appreciation.
Otherwise, why would he have made a wager with Huang Rong and Lu Chen that was immensely difficult, yet still held a sliver of possibility?
Not just anyone was worthy of a promise from the Eastern Heretic.
Seeing that her scheme had succeeded, Huang Rong naturally stopped being at daggers drawn with her father. She took Huang Yaoshi's arm again and said with a grin:
"Father, have you eaten?"
"No."
"Then shall I make you a bowl of egg fried rice?"
Huang Yaoshi looked at the remnants of the lavish dinner on the stone table, then thought of how fiercely his daughter had defended Lu Chen. His heart filled with gloom once more.
She made a grand feast for that brat Lu Chen, yet her old father only got egg fried rice. Though Rong'er's egg fried rice was also unparalleled, compared to a grand feast, the very thought was enough to break one's heart...
Was he really about to lose his daughter?
While he was feeling gloomy, Huang Rong had already told Lu Chen to clear the table. Once the stone table beneath the tree had been cleaned, she went into the kitchen to make egg fried rice for Huang Yaoshi and told Lu Chen to keep her father company.
Lu Chen invited Huang Yaoshi to sit at the stone table, then brewed him a cup of clear tea.
Huang Yaoshi's face was as still as water. He took a sip of tea and, seeing Lu Chen standing respectfully to one side, said coolly:
"Wasn't that song of yours quite bold? You dared to stand on equal footing with emperors, and treated wealth and glory like passing clouds. What is it? Before me, you no longer dare to sit as an equal?"
Since Huang Yaoshi had put it that way, what else could Lu Chen say?
He immediately planted himself firmly in the chair to Huang Yaoshi's left and said:
"You are Rong'er's father, Senior. Rong'er has shown me great kindness, so of course I cannot be disrespectful toward you."
Huang Yaoshi raised an eyelid. Seeing Lu Chen sitting steady and composed, without the slightest sign of restraint or fear, he instead felt that this boy's bearing suited his own tastes fairly well. He took another sip of tea and asked indifferently:
"What was the name of that sword strike just now?"
"Sword One, White Rainbow Piercing the Sun."
"White Rainbow Piercing the Sun?" Huang Yaoshi gave Lu Chen another proper look. "Do you know the origin of 'White Rainbow Piercing the Sun'?"
Lu Chen said, "When Nie Zheng assassinated Han Kui, a white rainbow pierced the sun. When Jing Ke's white rainbow pierced the sun, the Crown Prince feared it."
Huang Yaoshi nodded. "No wonder you dared sing of standing equal to emperors. Have you studied?"
"A little."
"Do you understand poetry and verse?"
"I cannot compose poetry. I can only recite it."
"Do you understand mathematics?"
"A little."
"Astronomy and geography?"
"Somewhat."
"Can you play any musical instruments?"
"I can play a Western percussion instrument."
"..."
The Great Song Dynasty's maritime trade was flourishing. With Huang Yaoshi's breadth of knowledge, he naturally knew of the nations in the Southern Seas and even the West, but he had truly never heard of any "Western percussion instrument."
Yet he had always been proud, and naturally would not expose his ignorance before a junior. He immediately passed over the matter and asked again:
"Agriculture and irrigation, military strategy, mechanisms and formations... do you understand them?"
"Well... just a tiny bit."
After all, he had grown up in the age of information technology in both his lives, and in his previous life he had even graduated from a top-tier university. Though it was impossible for him to know everything or master every field, the breadth of his knowledge was still beyond anything ancient people could imagine.
But Huang Yaoshi would not take Lu Chen's empty words at face value. Without revealing anything, he began testing him, throwing out topic after topic—from literature to music theory, astronomy to military affairs, agriculture and irrigation to the art of mechanisms. Lu Chen's answers left him feeling quite conflicted.
From Lu Chen's manner of speech, he did not seem to come from a scholarly family.
When Huang Yaoshi spoke in the manner of a literati official and casually quoted a few classics, Lu Chen only half understood. Nor did his phrasing possess the elegance of a cultivated scholar. Yet he truly knew many poems and verses. Even if he could not compose them, he could recite them, and he could even explain the historical backgrounds and allusions behind many of them.
As for other fields such as mathematics, astronomy, military affairs, and even agriculture, irrigation, metallurgy, and ironmaking, Lu Chen had surprisingly dabbled in all of them. Although he generally lacked depth, even Huang Yaoshi could not help secretly nodding at the breadth of his knowledge.
There were also some novel ideas that even Huang Yaoshi had never heard before. At first listen, they seemed absurd and fantastical, but upon reflection, they appeared to contain profound truths and gave one much to ponder.
This made Huang Yaoshi feel very strange.
Though the Great Song Dynasty was flourishing in civilization, knowledge, no matter how advanced the civilization, was still held by only a small minority.
Especially such broad knowledge—unless one came from a scholarly family with an immense collection of books and a long inheritance, it was basically impossible to have the opportunity to encounter it.
Some of those thought-provoking new ideas might not even be known to anyone in the current age. Only because Huang Yaoshi was clever enough, knowledgeable enough, and capable of keeping up in comprehension could he understand them. Ordinary scholar-officials would likely not even comprehend what they heard, and would only dismiss it as wild fantasy and heretical nonsense.
If Lu Chen had accumulated it all through the years, then he was far too young.
So where exactly had this freak of a boy come from?
How did he know so much?
Huang Yaoshi still wanted to test him for a while longer, but Huang Rong had finished the egg fried rice. Accompanied by two seasonal side dishes, she carried it over on a tray.
He had not eaten food cooked by his daughter for a month. Though it was only a simple bowl of egg fried rice, far inferior to the grand feast she had made for Lu Chen, when Huang Yaoshi saw the golden grains of rice and smelled the mouthwatering fragrance, he quickly cast aside that slight grievance. Picking up his chopsticks, he began eating with elegant composure.
Huang Rong sat beside Huang Yaoshi, propping her rosy cheek in one hand as she watched her father eat with a grin. Seeing that he was eating with relish, she pulled Lu Chen into an open space in the courtyard, eager to seize the time and teach him martial arts.
"Not counting tonight, in ten days, you will have to roam the martial world alone."
Huang Rong sounded especially reluctant, as though she had already accepted this fact. She even cast her father a resentful, aggrieved glance. Huang Yaoshi pretended not to see it and simply continued eating with elegance.
Huang Rong gave a soft snort and continued speaking to Lu Chen:
"So now I will teach you your first lesson for traveling the martial world. Lu Chen, what do you think is the most important thing when roaming the martial world?"
The first thing that popped into Lu Chen's mind was: The martial world isn't about fighting and killing. It's about social connections and worldly affairs.
But he still said, "Having high martial arts and being able to fight?"
"It's running fast!"
Huang Rong clasped her hands behind her back and spoke with utmost seriousness:
"Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, retreat is the best. If you cannot win, run. If you can win but might pay a terrible price, run too. If you are surrounded by many enemies, you must run even more. First lead them around in circles and split them apart, then seize the chance to defeat them one by one. In short... as long as you run fast enough, danger cannot catch you."
Lu Chen nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. When roaming the martial world, safety comes first. Running fast is what matters most."
Though Huang Yaoshi gave a light snort upon hearing this, he did not voice any objection. After his martial arts reached great mastery, he naturally no longer needed to run. But who had never been weak? When he had first entered the martial world in his youth, he had survived the same way.
Indeed, Huang Rong's words had been taught by him. After all, no father wished to see his daughter constantly risking her life against others. Naturally, he had taught her to flee at once whenever she could not win.
Huang Rong continued:
"So, I will teach you a Movement Technique now. First, I'll teach you the Leaping Technique, which will make it easier to climb trees, vault walls, and soar high above. First, bend your knees slightly and draw your breath into your dantian. When you feel your true qi rising, relax your muscles and bones, focus your mind on the Jade Pillow Acupoint, then leap upward..."
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