The Hour of the Rat

Chu Qing took a moment to feel the changes in his Internal Energy, then rose to his feet.

He could feel Internal Energy flowing through his body, circulating endlessly through his meridians.

It was worlds apart from before.

Practicing swordplay in the room clearly wasn't a good idea, so he moved the table aside and performed a set of Azure Void Palm.

But now that all his Internal Energy circulated according to the Purple Cloud Void Scripture, this palm technique was many times more powerful than before. A faint purple glow even seemed to cover his palms.

Chu Qing suddenly remembered the original description of the Purple Cloud Divine Skill and hurried to find a bronze mirror.

He checked his reflection while circulating his energy and found that, after the fusion, the Purple Cloud Void Scripture no longer made purple qi appear on his face when he used it.

But his eyes still glimmered with purple light...

"Thank goodness..."

Chu Qing breathed a little easier. If using the technique turned him into some kind of purple sweet potato monster, he wasn't sure he could accept it.

There was a saying: strength was only for a moment, but looking good lasted a lifetime.

Glowing purple eyes and a huge purple face—just from the description alone, they sounded like two entirely different species.

After performing a set of palm techniques in the room, he checked the time. The Hour of the Rat was fast approaching.

The rain outside had eased up, making it a good time to head out.

Before, he might or might not have gone to see Wu Qianhuan. But now that Er Gou was involved, he had no choice.

He changed into his night clothes, put on the mask without a single design on it, and opened the window. With a flash, he was outside. Then he tapped his foot against the ground, soared into the air, and flipped onto the roof.

The whole movement flowed seamlessly, driven entirely by Internal Energy; he hadn't used his hands at all.

With another tap of his foot, he set off for Du Hua Pavilion.

"This Internal Energy really is worlds apart from before."

As Chu Qing hurried along, he felt the changes wrought by his Internal Energy. The subtleties of his lightness skill, which he hadn't been able to bring out before, now came far more naturally with the support of his Internal Energy.

As he ran, his Internal Energy flowed without end. He barely had to exert any before he had already leaped a great distance.

He was... who knew how much faster than before.

The Star Chasing Moon Following Steps excelled at speed, letting him run as fast as a galloping horse for short bursts.

But his original Internal Energy hadn't been enough to sustain the lightness skill for long.

After every stretch, he had to stop and meditate to recover his Internal Energy.

He also couldn't use it all up; he had to keep some in reserve in case of an emergency.

Now that he had the Purple Cloud Void Scripture, with his current seventh-level skill, he could force himself to run all night without stopping.

Of course, that was only his estimate. No one could know his true limit until he reached it.

"If I'd had this much Internal Energy during the day, that girl wouldn't have caught me even on horseback."

But when he thought of how he had gained this Purple Cloud Divine Skill because of her, Chu Qing didn't dwell on the missed opportunity for long.

Still, a thought couldn't help but rise in his mind:

"If Internal Energy techniques can be fused, could lightness skills also be combined to make up for each other's shortcomings?

"But the system helped with the Internal Energy techniques, saving me a lot of effort. With lightness skills, I'll have to work it all out myself. If I could fuse them together...

"How could the Golden Goose Skill's aerial steps be limited to just thirty-seven?"

It sounded easy enough, but actually doing it would be extremely difficult.

He could mull it over while traveling, but he didn't dare experiment lightly. One slip that sent his Internal Energy into the wrong meridian, and a cramp in his leg would be the least of his worries. If he gave himself internal injuries, that would be a real disaster.

Besides, Chu Qing had mastered the Golden Goose Skill, fully grasping all its intricacies.

He had practiced the Star Chasing Moon Following Steps since childhood, but his limited talent had kept him from mastering it.

Under the circumstances, fusing the two lightness skills wouldn't be easy.

"In that case, I should focus on the Star Chasing Moon Following Steps first. Once I've mastered it completely, I'll be able to wield it like an extension of my own arm, even without improving or fusing the two."

With that, he cleared his mind. In a short while, he had reached Du Hua Pavilion.

It was raining tonight, and the streets were empty.

Inside Du Hua Pavilion, a blue lantern glowed. Beneath it sat a beautiful woman, with fine wine at her side.

She had arrived even earlier than the agreed time.

A cold wind carrying raindrops swept through, making the lantern flame waver. Wu Qianhuan's vision blurred, and suddenly someone was sitting across from her.

Her pupils contracted slightly. She couldn't help feeling that the person before her was even more inscrutable than he had been during the day.

That only made her waver all the more.

After returning home today, she had heard a few things. Thinking back on what Chu Qing had done, she couldn't reconcile him with the Chu Family Third Young Master she remembered, the one who was useless at both letters and martial arts.

Especially that sword stroke that had killed Xin Youhen... Even now, the thought of it sent a chill through her.

Had she really mistaken him for someone else?

Was this person before her someone else entirely, someone who merely had eyes like his?

But she was the Eldest Young Lady of Heavenly Dance City. Not a hint of her thoughts showed on her face.

She simply spoke softly:

"You're here."

"Eldest Young Lady, that goes without saying."

Chu Qing was a little exasperated.

"I'm sitting right here, aren't I?"

"..."

Wu Qianhuan gritted her teeth, suddenly feeling that the mood had completely shattered.

Weren't people of the martial world supposed to have at least a little aloofness about them?

Especially assassins... Couldn't they speak with a little less earthy candor?

She took a deep breath and poured him a cup of wine.

"Immortal's Drunkenness from Zhiwei Tower, aged thirty years. Have a taste."

"I don't drink."

"Why not?"

"Assassins never drink outside."

"Then would you like something to eat?"

"...Do I have to tell you I don't want to take off my mask for you to let it go?"

Chu Qing was speechless.

"You expect me to eat and drink what you've offered while wearing a mask?"

"Come to think of it, you really do have it rough."

Wu Qianhuan pursed her lips.

"I suggest getting a mask with an opening for your mouth. Otherwise, what if you got trapped somewhere with someone? There was food and drink, but no way out... Would you starve to death?"

"I could kill the other person first, then eat and drink."

"But what if that person was your closest friend, your dearest loved one, and they didn't know your real identity? You wouldn't want to reveal it to them, either, would you?"

"...I could knock them unconscious."

"You..."

Wu Qianhuan felt her temper starting to flare again.

She forced down her anger, then heard Chu Qing say:

"You've said so much, offered me drinks and food. Don't tell me you're... trying to avoid paying?"

All that for nothing!

The veins on Wu Qianhuan's forehead were practically throbbing. She pulled a Silver Note for fifteen hundred taels from her sleeve and hurled it at Chu Qing.

She looked as if she wanted to smack him in the face with it.

Chu Qing caught it casually. After inspecting it and confirming it was genuine, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Miss Wu really does keep her word...

"In that case, let's talk business."

"You have business to discuss?"

Wu Qianhuan had been successfully provoked, and her words were clearly edged with irritation.

Chu Qing smiled.

"I want a copy of Luoyu Hall's defenses."