True Explanation of Martial Dao

Dawn had yet to break; only a hazy bluish-gray glow filtered through the window paper.

Jiang Yuechu woke up.

She opened her eyes, looked at the unfamiliar rafters, and listened to the faint crowing of roosters beyond the courtyard.

It took her a moment to come back to herself.

"Not a dream."

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

The morning chill washed over her, waking her completely.

She threw off the covers and got out of bed.

After changing into her clothes, she found a cloth tie and neatly gathered her long hair behind her head into a high ponytail.

She took her saber and pushed open the door.

It creaked.

A young maid stood in the courtyard, seemingly having waited for quite some time.

The moment she saw Jiang Yuechu emerge, she 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 roughly 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 them and froze for a moment.

This was how ancient people cleaned their teeth—with willow twigs.

They would chew one end until it frayed into fine bristles, dip it in salt, and use it to brush their teeth.

She accepted it and gave it a try, copying what she remembered.

A bitter woody taste mixed with salt spread through her mouth. The feeling was truly awful.

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

She muttered inwardly, just as she tossed the willow twig back into the basin.

Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

Chen Qingyuan stood beyond the gate and waved to the maid.

As if granted a great pardon, the maid bowed, picked up the copper basin, and quickly withdrew.

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, every word precious as gold.

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

Though Chen Qingyuan had not known Jiang Yuechu for long, he had more or less figured out the temperament of this Demon Suppression Office official.

Her attitude might have been cold, but he heard no dissatisfaction in her voice. That eased his heart somewhat.

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

Jiang Yuechu paused in wiping her face, lifted 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 continued, "I have reported the matter of Upper Pan Village to the county magistrate. I only said that our Flying Eagle Sect was fortunate enough to destroy that pack of wolf demons after fighting desperately, though we lost quite a few brothers..."

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

It was true that she was cold on the outside and warm within.

But if anyone really dared push their luck and thought the people of the Demon Suppression Office were easy to bully, they would truly be tired of living.

Jiang Yuechu tossed the cloth back into the copper basin and silently gave Chen Qingyuan her approval.

He knew the score.

She stretched, and a faint series of crackles ran through her bones.

A night of rest was enough.

She casually picked up the bundle containing the Demon Suppression Office clothes she had changed out of.

This was not a place to linger.

Not only was the Jiang Household case strange at every turn, but even her current false identity would not withstand close scrutiny.

Seeing Jiang Yuechu pick up her bundle as though she were ready to leave at any moment, Chen Qingyuan was startled.

"My lady, you are leaving already?"

Jiang Yuechu nodded. "Official business. I cannot delay."

She paused, recalling what had happened last night.

"There is one more thing."

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

Jiang Yuechu turned around, and the morning breeze lifted several loose strands of hair from her forehead.

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

"...Huh?"

Chen Qingyuan was dumbfounded.

Was this official asking for the Flying Eagle Sect's martial arts secrets?

But the Flying Eagle Sect had secret arts my ass!

Let alone compared to the methods of the Demon Suppression Office, even in the martial world of Longyou Circuit, they were nothing more than third-rate country tricks.

This official looked quite young. Could she have only recently joined the Demon Suppression Office and wanted to collect folk martial arts for reference?

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

"My lady, you jest... The crude skills of my Flying Eagle Sect are merely techniques for strengthening the body and defending oneself against enemies. How could they possibly catch your eye?"

He chose his words with utmost care, afraid that one wrong sentence would offend her.

"Our sect does possess several inherited manuals of fist and saber techniques. One is the Flying Eagle Thirteen Claws, which is the foundation of our sect. It emphasizes speed, precision, and ruthlessness—striking like lightning and targeting the enemy's vital points..."

"There is also the Windward Saber Art, a fragment our founding patriarch traded from a traveling merchant in his early years. It contains only three moves, without any profound variations, relying entirely on brute force. It is still fairly useful when fighting someone to the death."

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

Even he found it embarrassing.

What kind of garbage was this?

The more he thought about it, the guiltier he felt. He hurriedly added, "These vulgar things truly... truly cannot grace a refined hall. If my lady does not mind, I shall fetch them at once for your perusal..."

"..."

Looking at him like this, Jiang Yuechu felt her head ache.

She slowly shook her head.

"I do not want those."

Chen Qingyuan froze again, completely confused.

She did not want martial arts manuals? Then what did she want?

Jiang Yuechu only felt more of a headache coming on.

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

That was the most fatal thing.

It was like an unrivaled warrior wielding dragon-slaying skill, yet knowing absolutely nothing about what a dragon looked like or what habits it possessed.

But she could not say that openly.

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

If she said that aloud, how was it any different from directly admitting that her Demon Suppression Office identity was fake?

She rubbed her temples, thought for a while, then said, "Recently, I have faintly felt that I am about to break through."

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

Break through?!

This official appeared to be barely twenty, yet her cultivation was already unfathomable. She was about to break through again?!

Was this the foundation of the Demon Suppression Office?

Sure enough, it was not something ordinary mortals like them could fathom.

Jiang Yuechu ignored his shock and continued on her own.

"It is only that my foundation was built too quickly, and there may be omissions. A tower ten thousand zhang high 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 treatises on 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 official was preparing for a breakthrough!

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

What ordinary martial artist, upon obtaining more profound martial arts, did not cast aside their foundation like worn-out shoes?

Only those who truly had hope of reaching the summit would value their foundation so deeply!

"I understand! I understand!"

"Please wait a moment, my lady! I... I shall fetch it at once!"

He hurriedly excused himself, turned, and ran out of the courtyard.

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

Not long after.

A rush of hurried footsteps approached once more.

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

Four characters were written upon it in neat regular script.

True Explanation of Martial Dao.

Chen Qingyuan offered the booklet with both hands, his breathing still somewhat uneven.

"My lady, please see... will this do?"

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 on Chen Qingyuan.

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

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

"It is nothing rare. I was simply too foolish before to realize that 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 while, but ultimately could not restrain himself. Testing the waters, he asked, "My lady, did you come here this time because of... the matter in Jincheng County?"

Jincheng County?

What Jincheng County?

Three question marks seemed to appear above Jiang Yuechu's head. Her face, however, remained like an iceberg that had not melted for a thousand years. She only gave Chen Qingyuan a faint glance and said nothing.

That single glance made Chen Qingyuan's heart jolt violently, and cold sweat instantly seeped across his back.

Damn it!

He had truly lost his mind!

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

The Demon Suppression Office's cases had always been secrets among secrets.

Let alone a mere sect leader from the martial world like him—even the magistrate of Guangwu County had to be utterly respectful upon meeting someone from the Demon Suppression Office, not daring to ask half a word more.

Rumor had it that when the Demon Suppression Office encountered anyone obstructing an investigation outside the capital, they could execute first and report afterward.

If his question had offended this official and she split him in two with a single slash on the spot, he would not even have anywhere to cry.

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

Chen Qingyuan's face turned pale with fright. He hurriedly bowed to beg forgiveness, speaking at a rapid pace as he explained.

"Please forgive me, my lady! I absolutely did not mean to pry! It is only... only that Jincheng County lies less than a hundred li from Guangwu County."

"Half a month ago, six villages under Jincheng County's jurisdiction were slaughtered clean in a single night, leaving neither chickens nor dogs alive! Now, people from Jincheng County are fleeing in every direction. Many have fled to our Guangwu County. Inside and outside the city, everyone is panicking and discussing the matter, saying that an official from the Demon Suppression Office would sooner or later come to investigate."

"That... that is why I dared ask. I had no other intention!"

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