Chen Duan circled around to the door, pushed it open a crack, and slipped inside.
He came to Ah Huang's side.
Under normal circumstances, Ah Huang should have noticed his arrival long ago.
But at that moment, Ah Huang showed no reaction to the Chen Duan before him, utterly unconcerned with everything outside.
His eyes were fixed on the book, his pupils unfocused, his breathing deep and slow. His whole body seemed like that of an old monk deep in meditation.
Looking at Ah Huang's state, Chen Duan was seized by a strange sense of familiarity.
It felt just like...
Visualization?
Chen Duan did not make a sound to disturb him. He sat down in a chair nearby.
Time trickled by, while the lamp occasionally crackled.
More than an hour passed.
Only then did Ah Huang slowly awaken. His body trembled as he returned to reality from that wondrous state.
The copy of The Sage Says slipped from his fingers.
A hand caught the book in midair.
Only then did Ah Huang fully come to his senses. He looked up, saw Chen Duan, and jolted in fright, scrambling to stand.
Chen Duan raised a hand and pressed down lightly.
"Nothing to worry about."
Looking at The Sage Says in his hand, Chen Duan asked,
"What happened to you just now?"
Hearing this, Ah Huang looked around, found some paper and a brush, and truthfully wrote down what had happened to him.
Chen Duan's gaze swept over the words, and his brow furrowed slightly.
"A dream?"
Ah Huang nodded vigorously, then described the scene in his dream.
In essence, he had been in the depths of the mountains, sitting on a meditation cushion, with a group of children seated below him. He had been like an old tutor, teaching them to read.
"Could you have been visualizing?"
Ah Huang tilted his head, his eyes blank and bewildered. Clearly, he could not understand the martial arts concept of "visualization."
He had never systematically studied Martial Arts.
"Did you feel that any part of your body became more unobstructed?" Chen Duan changed his approach.
Ah Huang looked thoughtful. After a while, he pointed to his own head.
"Your mind became clear, and your spiritual sense felt refreshed?"
Ah Huang immediately nodded.
Chen Duan asked several more detailed questions in succession, and a conjecture gradually took shape in his mind.
Holding The Sage Says, he tried desperately to see through every character, yet still could not make out anything unusual.
Although Ah Huang could not explain exactly what had happened, based on those scattered clues, Chen Duan still deduced that this object was very likely a Visualization Diagram.
"If it's a Visualization Diagram, then there should logically be a corresponding technique for visualizing it..."
He looked toward Ah Huang, who still wore a bewildered expression.
Ah Huang naturally knew nothing about cultivation techniques, and entering that state was entirely random.
During the days he had spent at Chen Duan's home, he had looked at it every night, but tonight was the first time he had entered that state.
All at once, Chen Duan remembered his own "Enlighten the Great Sage."
He was a man of action. At once, he circulated his "Righteous Qi," sending it straight into his spiritual platform.
Then he gathered his mind and began visualizing what was on The Sage Says.
As his consciousness focused.
Very soon.
A dark haze filled Chen Duan's vision.
Immediately afterward, dizziness swept over him.
Heaven and earth spun upside down.
His body lurched, his stance becoming unsteady. Seeing this, Ah Huang hurried forward to support him.
Chen Duan steadied his mind, immediately withdrew his "Righteous Qi," and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Only after quite some time did the dizzying sensation of heaven and earth spinning finally recede.
Yet instead of feeling dejected, a flicker of delight crossed his eyes.
There had been a reaction!
Though it was an adverse reaction.
That nevertheless proved that the Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique and The Sage Says truly shared some kind of connection.
They were absolutely not unrelated!
After asking Ah Huang a few more questions, Chen Duan began analyzing the matter.
"The method of visualization usually requires a Martial Master to reach the Fourth Level before it can be attempted. My Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique is only at the First Level, after all. Forcing the visualization naturally caused some backlash...
"But when my Fuhu Fist was at the Third Level, I also redirected my inner force to visualize. Although I failed to enter the artistic conception, it never caused such an uncomfortable reaction...
"According to Ah Huang, it has no impression of the Vast Qi Nourishing Spirit Art at all. It does not even know what a cultivation technique is, yet it can enter a state of visualization. How should that be explained..."
After analyzing the matter, Chen Duan discovered that there were many logical gaps, and the clues were extremely disorganized. They could not support any stable conclusion.
In the end, he could only attribute it to the complexity and variability of the true technique. The circumstances of visualization would naturally differ as well.
Without more evidence, any conclusion was nothing more than speculation.
He rubbed his forehead. The aftereffects of this visualization were unexpectedly fiercer than Ah Huang's powder.
He returned The Sage Says to Ah Huang.
"If you enter that kind of 'dreamscape' again in the future, remember to tell me."
Ah Huang carefully accepted the book, nodding repeatedly.
Chen Duan returned to his room and fell asleep the instant his head hit the pillow.
Yuanxiang Sect.
Water Court.
"Master, I'm afraid something has gone wrong over at Shuilian Village..."
Qiao Fu stood with his head lowered, his voice cautious.
Bai Bing had been gone for so long that he had already realized something was wrong.
Although the village had covered its tracks well, certain traces were ultimately difficult to erase.
Of course, he did not dare go to Shuilian Village himself to investigate. If it truly was a perilous den, he would never return.
"Hmm..."
Zhou Shang hummed softly. The smile on his face seemed unchanged for ten thousand years, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
"There's no need to investigate further. It was most likely exposed."
"Huh? Then, then what should we do now?"
"Nothing to worry about. We can simply arrange for the village chief to be dealt with later. By the way, where is the thing I told you to retrieve?"
"Oh! It's here!"
Qiao Fu hurriedly took a sealed letter from his robes and respectfully presented it.
Zhou Shang accepted the letter and lightly swept a fingertip across it, breaking the sealing wax.
He unfolded the letter, quickly scanned it, and nodded slightly.
"How has your senior apprentice brother been lately?"
"Senior Apprentice Brother didn't seem to be in seclusion today. Someone apparently saw him going to the Wood Courtyard."
At this, a trace of thought flickered between Zhou Shang's brows, but vanished in an instant.
"Never mind. It will be over soon anyway..."
His gaze fell upon Qiao Fu.
"Qiao Fu, you've followed your master for quite a few years now, haven't you?"
"Reporting to Master, it has been twenty-one years."
"Twenty-one years. How quickly the years have flown."
Zhou Shang seemed somewhat reflective, then beckoned.
"Why are you standing so far away? Come closer and sit beside your master."
"No need, Master. This disciple is fine standing here."
For some reason, a faint unease welled up in Qiao Fu's heart at that moment.
"Heh heh heh. You've busied yourself for your master all these years. Even if you have no merit, you have certainly endured hardship. Could it be that you're afraid your master will eat you?"
"This... This disciple absolutely did not mean that! I'm simply used to standing this way. If I got too close to Master, I'm afraid I'd become nervous. I still have some urgent matters to handle, so I'll leave Master to your quiet cultivation."
As he spoke, he raised his eyelids and watched Zhou Shang's expression.
The smile was still the same, but it made Qiao Fu want to leave this place even more desperately.
"If that is the case, then so be it."
Zhou Shang seemed somewhat disappointed and waved lightly.
"You may leave."
Qiao Fu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed deeply.
"This disciple takes his leave!"
He turned around impatiently and pushed open the door.
However.
Just as he stepped over the threshold, a powerful suction force came from behind him.
Qiao Fu's eyes widened. Almost by instinct, he activated "Water Born Flowing Cloud," transforming his entire body into water in an attempt to break free.
But all of a sudden, the suction force surged several times over.
At the same time, a voice came from behind him.
"You know your master far too well. I can't afford to keep you alive."
"No!"
Accompanied by a scream.
The door closed again.
The quiet chamber returned to silence.
Before you continue