True Interpretation of Martial Arts

True Interpretation of Martial Arts The sky had yet to brighten; only a hazy blue-gray glow showed through the window paper.

Jiang Yuechu woke up.

Her eyes open, she looked at the unfamiliar roof beams and listened to the faint crowing of roosters outside the courtyard.

After a while, she finally came back to herself.

"So it wasn't a dream."

She sat up, and the quilt slipped from her shoulders, revealing her slender collarbones.

The morning chill swept over her, waking her completely.

She threw back the covers and got out of bed.

After changing clothes, she found a cloth strip and efficiently tied her long hair behind her head in a high ponytail.

She took her Horizontal Blade and pushed open the door.

With a creak.

A young maid stood in the courtyard, apparently waiting for quite some time.

Seeing her emerge, the maid hurriedly bowed. "Miss."

Before long, she brought over a basin of water.

Jiang Yuechu walked to the basin, scooped up a handful of water, and casually splashed it over her face.

The water was neither cold nor hot—just right.

The maid then handed her a willow twig and a small jar of green salt from a tray beside her.

Jiang Yuechu stared at the items and froze for a moment.

This was what ancient people used to clean their teeth.

They would chew one end until it frayed into fine bristles, dip it in salt, and use it as a toothbrush.

She took it and tried it the way she remembered.

A bitter woody taste mixed with salt spread through her mouth. It really did not feel pleasant.

"Whatever. I'll have to get used to it sooner or later."

She muttered to herself and had just tossed the willow twig back into the basin.

When footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

Chen Qingyuan stood outside and waved at the maid.

As if granted a reprieve, the maid bowed, carried away the bronze basin, and hurried out.

Only the two of them remained in the courtyard.

Chen Qingyuan stepped forward and cupped his fists. "My lady, did you rest well last night?"

"Fine."

Jiang Yuechu's answer was brief, each word worth its weight in gold.

She picked up the cloth towel beside her and wiped the droplets from her face.

Although Chen Qingyuan had not known Jiang Yuechu for long, he had more or less figured out the temperament of this Demon Suppression Bureau officer.

Her attitude was somewhat cold, but he could not hear any dissatisfaction in it, which made him secretly breathe a little easier.

"My lady, I went to the county office last night."

Jiang Yuechu paused in wiping her face, raised her eyes to him, and said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

Seeing this, Chen Qingyuan did not dare keep her in suspense. He hurriedly went on, "As for Shangpan Village, I have already reported it to the county magistrate. I only said that our Flying Eagle Sect was fortunate enough to fight the Wolf Demons to the death and wipe them out, though we lost quite a few brothers..."

He secretly glanced at Jiang Yuechu's expression. Only when he saw that her face remained utterly calm did he relax slightly.

She was cold on the outside and warm on the inside, that much was true.

But if someone really pushed their luck and thought the people of the Demon Suppression Bureau were easy to deal with, they would truly be tired of living.

Jiang Yuechu tossed the towel back into the bronze basin and silently gave Chen Qingyuan a thumbs-up.

He knew the score.

She stretched, and her joints let out a faint series of crackles.

One night of rest was enough.

She casually picked up the bundle containing the Demon Suppression Bureau uniform she had changed out of.

This was no place to linger.

Leaving aside the fact that the Jiang Family case reeked of strangeness at every turn, even her current false identity could not withstand close scrutiny.

Seeing Jiang Yuechu pick up her bundle as if she could leave at any moment, Chen Qingyuan froze.

"My lady, you're leaving already?"

Jiang Yuechu nodded. "Official duties await. I cannot delay."

She paused, remembering what had happened the night before.

"There is one more matter."

Chen Qingyuan froze, then hurriedly said, "Please speak, my lady!"

Jiang Yuechu turned around. The morning breeze lifted several loose strands of hair before her forehead.

"Do you... have any books about martial arts here?"

"...Huh?"

Chen Qingyuan was stunned.

Did this officer want the Flying Eagle Sect's martial arts manuals and secret techniques?

But the Flying Eagle Sect had secret techniques my ass!

Not to mention comparing them with the Demon Suppression Bureau's methods—even in the martial world of Longyou Circuit, they were nothing more than crude farmhand tricks.

This officer looked quite young. Could she have only recently entered the Demon Suppression Bureau and wanted to collect folk martial arts for reference?

Thoughts raced through Chen Qingyuan's mind, but he did not dare reveal even a trace of them. His manner only became more respectful.

"My lady, you jest... The crude skills of our Flying Eagle Sect are merely techniques for strengthening the body, protecting oneself, and fending off enemies. How could they possibly be worthy of your notice?"

He chose his words with extreme care, afraid that one wrong sentence might offend her.

"Our sect does have several boxing and blade manuals passed down through the generations. One is the Flying Eagle Thirteen Claws, the foundation of our sect. It emphasizes speed, precision, and ruthlessness—striking like lightning and attacking the enemy's vital points..."

"Another is the Wind-Facing Blade Technique. It is an incomplete text our founding master traded from a traveling merchant in his early years. It has only three moves, without any exquisite transformations. It relies entirely on brute force, but when fighting for one's life, it is still fairly useful."

By this point, Chen Qingyuan's old face had reddened.

Even he felt embarrassed.

What the hell were these things?

The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. He hurriedly added, "These crude and vulgar things truly... truly cannot enter the hall of elegance. If my lady does not mind, I will fetch them at once for your perusal..."

"..."

Looking at him, Jiang Yuechu felt her temples throb.

She slowly shook her head.

"I'm not asking for those."

Chen Qingyuan froze again, completely confused.

Not martial arts manuals? Then what did she want?

Jiang Yuechu only felt a headache coming on.

She did not know just how vast the gap between different realms truly was.

That was the most fatal problem.

It was like a peerless expert who possessed the skill to slay dragons, yet knew nothing of what dragons looked like or what habits they had.

But she could not say that outright.

She could hardly tell Chen Qingyuan, Brother, I'll come clean. I'm actually a rookie. Explain everything to me from the beginning, will you?

If she said that aloud.

How would it differ from directly admitting that her Demon Suppression Bureau identity was fake?

She rubbed her temples and thought for a while before saying, "Recently, I have faintly sensed that I am about to break through."

Chen Qingyuan's entire body shook, and his pupils widened.

Break through?!

This officer looked barely twenty, yet her cultivation was already unfathomably deep, and she was about to break through again?!

Was this the foundation of the Demon Suppression Bureau?

As expected, it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals like them.

Jiang Yuechu ignored his shock and continued on her own.

"It is only that my foundation was laid too quickly, and I fear there may be omissions. A towering building rises from level ground; if its foundation is unstable, the higher it rises, the faster it collapses."

She raised her eyes and looked calmly at Chen Qingyuan.

"I need some of the most basic general principles of martial arts to compare against myself and fill in any gaps. Do you understand?"

"..."

Chen Qingyuan's face was full of sudden realization.

So that was it!

This officer was actually preparing to break through!

And she was using such a method—returning to simplicity and tracing back to the source!

What ordinary martial artist would not cast aside their foundations like worn-out shoes after obtaining more profound martial arts?

Only someone truly capable of reaching the summit would place such importance on their foundation!

"I understand! I understand!"

"Please wait, my lady! I... I'll fetch it at once!"

He hurriedly apologized, turned, and ran out of the courtyard.

Jiang Yuechu was in no hurry. She simply folded her arms, leaned against a corridor pillar, and closed her eyes to rest.

Not long after.

A rush of hurried footsteps drew near again.

Chen Qingyuan returned, holding a thin booklet in his hands.

Four characters were written on it in neat regular script.

True Interpretation of Martial Arts.

Chen Qingyuan presented the booklet with both hands, his breathing still slightly uneven.

"My lady, please see... will this be of use to you?"

Jiang Yuechu opened her eyes and reached out to take it.

She did not open it immediately. She merely weighed it in her hand, her gaze falling upon Chen Qingyuan.

Chen Qingyuan quickly explained, "My lady, this book was compiled jointly by the Ministry of War and the Imperial Academy of our Great Tang. It is a primer for soldiers in the army and martial artists of the martial world."

"It explains in detail the Mortal Realm, the String-Hearing Realm, and then the Bone Resonance Realm, including the characteristics of each realm, methods for circulating qi and blood, and even some basic means of identifying demons."

"This is not anything rare. It was only that I was foolish before and did not realize this was what you needed..."

Jiang Yuechu nodded in satisfaction.

A beginner's guidebook!

And it was fucking issued by the imperial court!

"Thank you."

Chen Qingyuan hurriedly waved his hands. "You flatter me, my lady. It is our honor to be of service to you."

He hesitated for a moment, but in the end could not hold himself back. Testing the waters, he asked, "Did you come here this time because of... the matter in Jincheng County?"

Jincheng County?

What Jincheng County?

Three question marks appeared above Jiang Yuechu's head, but her face remained an iceberg that had not melted for a thousand years. She merely glanced at Chen Qingyuan and said nothing.

Yet that single look made Chen Qingyuan's heart jolt violently, cold sweat instantly seeping down his back.

He had truly lost his mind!

What was his status, that he dared inquire about a major case of the Demon Suppression Bureau?

The Demon Suppression Bureau's investigations had always been secret among secrets.

Not to mention a minor martial sect leader like him—even the magistrate of Guangwu County had to be respectful upon meeting people from the Demon Suppression Bureau and dared not ask a single extra word.

Rumor had it that when the Demon Suppression Bureau operated outside the capital, anyone who obstructed their investigations could be executed first and reported afterward.

If his question happened to offend this officer and she split him in two with a single slash, he would not even have a place to weep.

"I spoke out of turn! I spoke out of turn!"

Chen Qingyuan's face turned pale with fright. He hurriedly bent over to apologize and began explaining at a rapid pace.

"Please forgive me, my lady! I absolutely had no intention of prying! It is only... only that Jincheng County is less than a hundred li from our Guangwu County."

"Half a month ago, six villages under Jincheng County's jurisdiction were slaughtered overnight. Not even chickens or dogs were left alive! Now people from Jincheng County are fleeing in all directions, and many have escaped to Guangwu County. Inside and outside the city, everyone is panic-stricken. They have all been discussing the matter, saying that an officer of the Demon Suppression Bureau would sooner or later come to investigate."

"That is... that is why I dared ask. I meant nothing else!"

He finished in one breath. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead as he lowered his head, no longer daring to meet Jiang Yuechu's eyes.