Nurturing Self Scripture

In truth, as far as Mr. Zou was concerned, he had merely felt something in his heart, a faint sense that someone was spying on him, and casually swept a glance around.

Yet as a great Confucian of his generation, how terrifying were Mr. Zou's essence, qi, and spirit?

His gaze actually gathered into two streaks of green Sword Qi that no one could see. In only an instant, they had already slashed into the gatehouse within the wall.

The sharp green swords formed from Confucian qi passed through the wall, about to pierce straight into Yang Xiao's mind.

"Grandfather, Grandfather?"

The young girl Jing Shu suddenly tugged at Mr. Zou's sleeve, her autumn-water eyes filled with puzzlement and worry.

In that instant, the two green swords of Confucian qi froze at Yang Xiao's brow and the bridge of his nose, then vanished without a trace.

"Huff!"

Yang Xiao gulped in huge breaths, his back already soaked through with cold sweat.

Inside private room Ding 527.

Seeing Jing Shu's worried expression, Mr. Zou paused slightly, then could not help laughing despite himself as he said:

"Grandfather is fine. I merely gained a sudden insight, and was lost in thought for a moment."

After saying that, Mr. Zou changed the subject and spoke in a clear voice:

"Thanks to all of you for your great kindness, coming here to listen to this old man with one foot in the grave expound the classics,"

"Then today, this old man shall speak with you all about the Nurturing Self Scripture of our Confucian school, which focuses on tempering the state of mind..."

Accompanied by Mr. Zou's sonorous, powerful words, every honored guest pricked up their ears, each of them gradually sinking into contemplation.

Yet what no one saw was that as Mr. Zou lectured, his gaze seemed, whether intentionally or not, to sweep once more across the wall to the side.

"The private rooms of Vermilion Bird Tower are all built from soundproof Mystic Black Stone. There is absolutely no possibility that outsiders could eavesdrop."

"With this old man's cultivation in the Confucian path, even if a martial grandmaster descended, it would be impossible for this old man to sense nothing at all..."

Mr. Zou no longer dwelled on it, only suspecting that he had overthought things, and continued his lecture.

Inside the gatehouse next door.

Yang Xiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, at once feeling the relief of having survived a calamity.

"Though Jing Shu is aloof, and her words are harsh and cutting, her true nature isn't bad. She even saved my life without meaning to."

"If one day winds and clouds bring us together, and under the premise that my own safety is guaranteed, should this girl fall into trouble, I will definitely repay this favor and settle this karma!"

Circulating the Azure Cloud Sect's breathing technique, Yang Xiao briefly breathed and regulated himself. After his essence, qi, and spirit recovered, he once again circulated the Cold Cicada Transformation.

With the lesson from just now, Yang Xiao was extremely cautious this time. He did not dare to "look" at Mr. Zou at all, and instead set his gaze on the other honored guests in the private room.

If he had not looked, it would have been fine.

But with this one look, Yang Xiao's eyes immediately widened, and he could not help sucking in a breath of cold air.

He saw that above the heads of every honored guest present, there had actually appeared—dazzling green light!

"Fairy Bai and Song Que are both Two-Blood experts who have undergone blood exchange twice. There should be white light above their heads, so why is it that both of them are covered in green, all of it green light?"

Yang Xiao's heart chilled, and he continued looking down.

Inside this private room Ding 527, above the head of every honored guest was actually a sheet of green light!

Even Zhang Long and Zhao Hu were no exception!

"We Confucians all nourish qi through reading."

"The Nurturing Self Scripture was written by the ancient sage of our Confucian school—Sage Xun. It speaks specifically of how to condense a mouthful of Haoran Qi within the dantian..."

Inside the private room, Mr. Zou swept a glance over the crowd sunk in contemplation. He did not stop lecturing, but continued speaking eloquently.

Yang Xiao discovered in shock that every word Mr. Zou spoke would transform into a green, radiant flower petal that continuously fell from the firmament.

"Spitting flowers from the mouth, heavenly flowers falling in wild profusion?"

Yang Xiao's mouth was dry, his eyes filled with shock.

A great Confucian of the Confucian school was an important figure who could stand shoulder to shoulder with a martial grandmaster. Originally, Yang Xiao had not quite believed that statement.

After all, no matter how learned a Confucian scholar was, they could not defy the heavens and change their fate through reading, and their lifespan was very difficult to push beyond a hundred years.

And now was an age of chaos. Even Mr. Zou was likewise powerless as a man without the strength to truss a chicken, with no path-protecting methods at his side.

Even if he encountered a few inner-city street loafers, if one knife stabbed down, Mr. Zou would die on the spot, with absolutely no possibility of surviving.

But now, Yang Xiao suddenly discovered that he had thought of the problem too simply.

"Mr. Zou's essence, qi, and spirit are vast as the sea. Even just a casual glance from him nearly turned me, at the Iron Skin realm, into a vegetable..."

The more Yang Xiao thought about it, the more awed he became, and he suddenly developed an interest in Confucian arts.

Of course, Yang Xiao also understood that martial arts were the foundation. If he had no martial techniques at his side, then in this chaotic age, he was nothing at all.

But while practicing martial arts, using Confucianism to temper one's essence, energy, and spirit was also a good choice.

Inside the private room.

Mr. Zou quoted classics and drew on his own insights, explaining a bitterly obscure and difficult-to-understand Nurturing Self Scripture in simple, straightforward terms, with extreme vividness.

Yang Xiao listened, entranced, as if intoxicated, as if enlightenment had been poured over his head like clarified butter.

Yet just as Yang Xiao was listening with great relish, Mr. Zou's tone suddenly paused, and he closed his eyes, no longer speaking.

"?"

Yang Xiao froze, then "swept" a glance around, and was instantly stunned.

He saw that the group of young masters all wore expressions of pain, trembling and shivering.

Huo Zhen was slightly better off, but not by much; sweat also beaded on his forehead, and his legs trembled faintly.

Even VIPs such as Fairy Bai and Song Que were, without exception, pale-faced and breathing rapidly.

Among the crowd, only the young girl Jing Shu was slightly better, but even she was parched, with cold sweat faintly appearing on her forehead.

"Mr. Zou is speaking so well, so why is everyone listening in such pain? Could it be because my comprehension is maxed out?"

Yang Xiao observed their words and expressions, faintly forming a few guesses.

In other words, although the Qi-Observing Stealing Technique could only be used once a day, that did not conflict with his maxed-out comprehension?

"After work today, I'll take a trip to the Scripture Pavilion. I'm sure there will be surprises."

Yang Xiao's heart stirred. He touched the Black Iron Martial Introduction at his waist that Uncle Liu had given him, then continued pricking up his ears to eavesdrop.

Inside the private room.

Mr. Zou sat cross-legged and breathed in and out for a moment. Only when everyone had recovered did he slowly open his eyes.

"As for how the Nurturing Self Scripture uses the method of nurturing qi through reading, this old man has already explained it clearly just now. Presumably, all of you have gained some understanding."

"Next, this old man will release Haoran Qi. Please feel it carefully, everyone. You must not make noise, and you must not disturb others."

The moment these words came out—

"Boom!"

A vast, sea-like green radiance emerged from Mr. Zou's body. Like the great sun rising into the sky, it enveloped the entire private room in an instant.

Within this blazing green radiance, everyone sat cross-legged without exception, closing their eyes to comprehend it.

And this green radiance was even more like a force smashing through rotten wood and snapping dead branches, easily penetrating the walls made of Mystic Black Stone and spreading into the gatehouse where Yang Xiao was.

Through the Cold Cicada Transformation, Yang Xiao could even "see" that even though Mr. Zou was deliberately controlling it, these green lights still, without the slightest suspense, spread in every direction, boundless as an ocean.

Fortunately, the green radiance lasted only a few brief moments before vanishing completely, as if it had never appeared at all.

Yet on every person inside the private room, a faint green radiance still remained, lighting up their entire bodies.

Everyone sank into thought, each of them frowning, suffering unbearable pain, as if they had seen something terrifying and horrifying.

Seeing this, a trace of disappointment flashed through Mr. Zou's aged eyes, and immediately he laughed bitterly at himself.

In a voice only he could hear, Mr. Zou muttered to himself:

"In these chaotic times, the martial path flourishes. The people of the world vie for strength and fight ruthlessly. How many can still devote themselves to reading and studying the Confucian laws?"

"Could it be that all this old man's learning will, in the end, have—no successor?"

Mr. Zou sighed dispiritedly, utterly unaware that in the gatehouse next door, an earth-shaking transformation was taking place...