Spirit in the Wind, The Qin

As the top "three good student" on Old Factory Street, the model child in the eyes of the neighbors, Qin Shi doubted himself for the first time, thinking he might be illiterate.

When Old Liang took out the ancient booklet and opened it, all he saw were all sorts of crooked, twisted, and chaotic strange symbols.

The arrangement and layout followed no discernible pattern, resembling primitive yet complex pictographs, imbued with complex and varied semantic properties, making them difficult to understand.

"It's not meant to be seen with the eyes."

Old Liang finally smiled. No matter how talented a prodigy was, they would be confused the first time they faced this hurdle.

"You have to feel it from your heart."

Is he trying to be cryptic with me now?

Qin Shi could tell that Old Liang had been shocked by him repeatedly.

Having once had his Dao heart wounded as a genius, he now wanted to regain his standing.

"The waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves before! Old Liang, Old Liang, today I'll show you what a new generation Heavenly Prodigy is!"

He smiled faintly. With his superior comprehension and unparalleled state of mind, could he really not grasp the basics of Spirit Cultivation?

What a joke!

Forty minutes later.

"This is so hard!"

Qin Shi's head was spinning, his eyelids drooping as if weighted down by shot puts.

"I really, truly! can't understand a single word! It makes no sense; my language class grades at New No. 1 Middle School are always above 100!"

Keep in mind, mastering more than five widely used languages is a graduation requirement for any university in Dongxia.

From the Four Great National Universities to Qiguang Hengda University, and even top institutions like Keda University, all offer mandatory language courses.

This is a clear regulation from the Ministry of Education.

This was also the reason for Qin Shi's confidence; he had never faltered in his language class exams.

Dongxia's five major autonomous regions, such as Tianzhu, Yingzhou, Yamo, Baro, and Qindao, each have their own language systems.

Qin Shi could basically communicate fluently in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

He assumed the strange symbols in the ancient booklet were merely pictographs like those found in oracle bone script or Sumerian cuneiform.

Even if the learning difficulty was high, as long as he could find common features between the characters, he could infer their general meaning.

"I can't understand it, I absolutely can't understand it! How can you 'feel' words with your heart? If I close my eyes, I won't see anything at all..."

Qin Shi was deeply perplexed and felt disheartened.

Old Liang, sitting opposite him, sipped his now-cool tea, watching the scene unfold like a spectator.

The inheritance of Old Martial Arts has always been plagued by numerous outdated customs and bad habits.

Such as "passing it down to sons but not daughters," "teaching a disciple until you starve yourself," and "always holding something back."

Under the prevalence of such unhealthy practices, it's easy for sects to decline and face sudden generational gaps.

"People in Old Martial Arts often place extreme importance on 'techniques,' even preferring to let them die out rather than fall into the hands of outsiders.

This has led to the development of a systematic set of 'secret codes.' These codes are modeled after the ancient Buddhist and Daoist character forms, pieced together from 'Sanskrit' and 'Cloud Seal' scripts."

Old Liang thought to himself:

"Without a master to guide you, even the most heaven-blessed prodigy will struggle to comprehend it."

The correct procedure is for the master to teach the disciple how to decipher the secret code, and then have the disciple memorize each word and sentence thoroughly.

They must achieve perfect recall, clarity, and be able to replicate it exactly even with their eyes closed.

Finally, they must study it day and night, extracting the "essence" from it.

"He Lanchán meditated rigidly for two days in his grandmaster's dojo before receiving guidance and finally getting started.

He was too young back then, too arrogant, too confident in his own talent."

Old Liang mused that in another ten minutes, he would follow his grandmaster's example and offer a few casual pointers, allowing Qin Shi to suddenly see the light.

This would establish his authority as a master!

"Can I take a nap? [Deep Sleep] can only restore the energy bar, it can't increase intelligence.

The brain doesn't have muscle tissue, so relying on [Muscle Memory] probably won't work either."

Qin Shi hadn't given up yet. He activated the Monument panel on his retina, contemplating a solution.

Staring at the ancient booklet, whose lineage stretched back countless years, his eyes suddenly flashed:

[Ingredient Classification: Item]

[Quality: Low-grade]

[Edible Parts: Page 1, Page 5, Page 7]

[Edible Effect: Increases reading comprehension, grants temporary 'Enlightenment' trait, comprehends 'Swift as the Wind' stance]

"This is edible too?"

Qin Shi paused, pondering the definition of "high-nutrition, high-energy substance" for Overgrowth, finding it too broad.

In that case!

Then, apologies, Old Liang!

Monument activated!

"Master Liang..."

Qin Shi hesitated on how to begin.

"What? Can't comprehend it, find it difficult to grasp, right?"

Old Liang wished he had a long beard so he could stroke it like a wise old advisor.

"It's fine, it's fine, let me guide you..."

Qin Shi shook his head, causing the smile on Old Liang's lips to freeze once more.

He heard his young disciple ask cautiously:

"Master Liang, is this booklet extremely precious?"

"It's not exactly precious. The entire legacy of Hong Sheng has been submitted to the Martial Arts Association. If your clearance is high enough, you can view it by spending the corresponding points, and you can even download it if you spend more."

Old Liang gave a wry smile:

"This copy I have isn't even the original. It's a handwritten manuscript copied by my master's master. Unfortunately, a large portion is missing, and my master filled it in."

No wonder only the first, fifth, and seventh pages could be eaten.

It seemed Old Liang's master was far less capable than his master's master.

Qin Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked again:

"Master Liang, if, I mean, if this manuscript were to disappear, would you be heartbroken?"

What is this kid up to?

Old Liang frowned:

"Heartbroken might be too strong a word. Even if it got out, without someone from Hong Sheng to guide and analyze it, no one could understand it. As for my master's master's manuscript, I have half a box of them saved, all as mementos."

Qin Shi's heart settled slightly, and he posed his final question:

"Master Liang, have you ever used this manuscript to wipe your hands or blow your nose?"

"What nonsense are you talking about! My master's master's manuscript, I cherish it too much to do something like that... Hey, what are you doing!"

Old Liang's expression turned strange, not understanding Qin Shi's intentions.

Before he could finish speaking, he saw his young disciple pick up the ancient booklet and tear off a few pages.

Then, he crumpled them into a ball and swallowed them!

"It's over!"

Old Liang wasn't angry, just stunned by Qin Shi's madness.

"Could it be that Xiao Shi didn't understand the secret text, his Dao heart shattered, and he's having a breakdown?"

He couldn't afford to have any problems with the genius disciple he'd painstakingly found.

Qin Shi ignored Old Liang's changing expression, hastily saying, "Master Liang, I'm sorry," and chewed the pages.

[High-Quality Meal Completed (1/20)]

Clear text flashed across his retina.

"It actually met the conditions."

Qin Shi's lips twitched. If that was the case, if he learned Hannibal's skills and dismembered Lin Yunqing, that damned woman, carefully selecting parts and cooking them.

Would that also count as a "meal" or "foraging"?

"She can be considered reserve food. If I can't reach the required number of times, I'll use Teacher Lin to make do."

A playful thought crossed Qin Shi's mind.

If Lin Yunqing knew about this idea, her grand fantasy novel, Urban Noblewoman Finds Old Martial Arts Cub, Love Me Forever, would have to become the horror suspense Tender and Delicious Pretty Teacher's Tragic Romance with Murderous High Schooler: I Want You to Eat My Pancreas.

Silence hung in the single dormitory room for several minutes before Old Liang asked with concern:

"Xiao Shi, are you alright?"

"Master Liang!"

Qin Shi opened his eyes, his expression solemn.

"What's wrong? If you can't learn it, we can take our time. Don't get too agitated or extreme. It's fine if you tear up Master's master's manuscript, I won't blame you."

Old Liang tried to pacify him like a child, afraid his disciple would have another episode.

"Master Liang!"

Qin Shi spread his arms, and it seemed as if various winds roared in his ears, whistling fiercely and changing unpredictably.

As the sensation of Qi within his body circulated several times, wisps of "wind" were drawn in, coiling around the surface of his body.

Finally, they concentrated at the tips of his toes, condensing into an extremely faint lifting force.

"I've got it!"

Qin Shi felt one of the myriad forms, the "Swift as the Wind" momentum. His mortal body seemed to have shed its shackles and burdens, becoming suddenly much lighter.

It was as if, in the flicker of a thought, he could merge into the infinitely changing airflow, like a drop of water falling into the ocean, causing no ripple.

I am a god in the wind!

A powerful emotion seized Qin Shi's mind, giving rise to such an arrogant thought.

The night sky of the metropolitan area was a dazzling spectacle, with interwoven lights shining like an ocean.

At the Black Flame Grand Hotel, located in the central district, on the thirtieth floor, Qin Lihao, dressed in a white suit, stood with his hands in his pockets, coldly looking down at Wang Long, whom he had just dragged out.

"Brother Hao, I really didn't know that teacher was Lin Xiaohan's sister. Why would a daughter of the Lin family come to the Youth Palace..."

Qin Lihao's right leg kicked out, his shiny leather shoe striking Wang Long's chin.

With a crisp crack, bones shattered, and blood gushed!

The arrogant youth who had been wearing sunglasses and driving a convertible sports car at noon instantly rolled several times like a dead dog, crashing into the railing behind him with a loud clang.

"What a stupid pig, what else can you do besides have a dick and sleep with women?"

Qin Lihao felt his anger surge, veins throbbing on his forehead:

"You don't even recognize that crazy woman Lin Yunqing! She almost broke A'jie's leg, and you still ran to her? I put you in charge of the Righteous Fist Society with Cheng Ze's subordinate Abiao, and you're leading a bunch of posers to pick up girls at the Youth Palace?"

He strode forward and stomped down, the thick heel of his leather shoe landing on Wang Long's head again and again.

Moments later, the wails grew weaker until they disappeared, and the twitching body stilled.

"Damn it, even someone as arrogant as me knows the metropolitan area's rule: 'Chen doesn't provoke, Lin doesn't fight'! You, a stray dog with bones in your ass, dared to hit on the Lin family's young lady? You're bolder than I am!"

Qin Lihao cursed, the wind on the skyscraper's rooftop blew open his unbuttoned suit jacket, revealing a large, ferocious tattoo.

It was a ferocious eagle with wings spread in attack!

"Brother Hao."

A subordinate beside him bent down, allowing Qin Lihao to step on his back, while another used his sleeve to wipe away the bloodstains on the leather shoes.

"From now on, if there are any more stray dogs causing trouble like this, I'll kick every single one I see!"

Qin Lihao exhaled, his tall frame like a heavy mountain pressing down on everyone's hearts, making them too afraid to speak.

"A'si, choose a generous gift and deliver it to Lin Yunqing tomorrow. As for Lin Xiaohan, that smiling tiger, I'll go personally to apologize!

Oh, and I heard that idiot Wang Long brought a group of people there, and they were all taken down? The opponent was still a student?"

The subordinate who was wiping his shoes replied:

"Yes, a student working at the Youth Palace."

Qin Lihao frowned:

"A student that fierce? What's his name?"

The subordinate lowered his head:

"We didn't find out. We only know his surname is Qin..."

Qin Lihao raised his foot and kicked again:

"Useless trash! What do I keep you for! Surname Qin? There are plenty of people with the surname Qin in Hengzhou, and I'm also surnamed Qin!"

After he calmed down, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his face, letting it be swept away by the wind.

A student?

Since he was just a small fry, he couldn't be bothered.

He wouldn't even be worth the effort to pick the teeth.

"Call that stray dog A'ze and tell him to hurry up and buy more land. The approval for the Old Factory Street renovation is coming soon. Don't delay me from making big money."

Qin Lihao lit a thousand-yuan Nine Heavens Tower cigarette, and in the thick night, the small ember flickered, followed by a puff of blue smoke.

"With the accumulation of the Yancheng Qin Family over the years, if we really were to fight the Lin Family, it wouldn't be much."

He grinned, looking towards Old Factory Street like a hungry beast waiting for its meal.