Stone Bridge Alley, the two courtyards with white walls and blue tiles are lit up.
A chubby black cat crouched at the doorway, wagging its tail and waiting for people to return home late at night.
Wearing a white nightgown, Luo Xuanqing paced back and forth in the study, her cool brows furrowed with a hint of worry. She considered changing her clothes several times before going out, but ultimately suppressed the thought, adopting the demeanor of an icy female boss.
After all, this brat is incredibly audacious!
Luo Xuanqing was so embarrassed by being questioned in the morning that she didn't dare to go out for a long time. She just stayed in the office like a penitent nun, wondering how she would deal with Ye Xingge running back for lunch after patrolling the streets.
And look what happened! This guy ignored his aloof female boss and went off to risk his life!
She was startled when she suddenly heard at noon that Duke Wu was searching for Ye Xingge, thinking that something had happened to Ye Xingge.
But Duke Wu immediately retorted:
"He's in trouble? You'd better go check on what's wrong with those martial arts figures. If you don't stop him, he'll wipe out the Third Rank on the Gold List..."
She went to investigate and learned that the boy had gone to see Chen Xiaobao that morning. Chen Xiaobao had even said that the assassin might have gone to Shangjin Ferry to find connections or something. Then Ye Xingge said she would come back and discuss it with her.
But when has this kid ever consulted her before doing anything, except when he's messing around with melons?
Luo Xuanqing intended to search for them, but before he could even gather his troops and leave the city, news of victory arrived.
Their remarkable achievements left the Heaven-Observing Pavilion in awe, pleased the Emperor of Yan once again, and made Great General Cao feel ashamed!
As his immediate superior, Luo Xuanqing naturally shared in the honor.
But Ye Xingge was already unharmed. If she were to make a big fuss and rush over there with a smile and all sorts of praise, that brat would definitely take advantage of her and try to steal more.
So she waited at home for the boy to come on his own. She waited all afternoon, and was just about to take a nap, when she finally heard a faint noise from the alley, followed by a meow.
"Eh? Lord Cat, what are you doing outside?"
"Meow..."
"Oh, to cool off."
"Meow?"
Luo Xuanqing glanced at the window, intending to go out and greet her, but remembering Guagua's situation, she suppressed the impulse and simply crossed her arms and leaned against the door to wait. Soon, a young man in a greyish-white robe, carrying a large black cat weighing over ten kilograms, pushed open the door and entered the courtyard. Upon seeing her, he smiled.
"Is Sister Luo getting ready for bed?"
"Hmph~"
Luo Xuanqing first scanned Ye Xingge's entire body to make sure he was unharmed before feigning seriousness:
"So you finally decided to come back? Who told you to go on that adventure without even saying goodbye?"
"Sigh, I'll just go take a look..."
"Okay."
Luo Xuanqing wasn't angry, but he was worried that the brat hadn't had enough to eat. He then turned and walked towards the tea table in the main room.
"I know the whole story. Although it was done without orders, you did a good job. Come here, I have something to tell you." Ye Xingge first put the fat cat on the cat tree in the side room, then sat down by the tea table.
What should we teach?
Luo Xuanqing leaned against the tea table, still holding his loose-fitting clothes tightly, seemingly wary of someone.
"Did Duke Zhang just give you the cultivation manual and the Mountain and Mountains and Rivers Pouch?"
"It's given."
Ye Xingge was now quite clean and tidy, taking out his self-defense sword and the pouch in his sleeve to examine them:
"Did Sister Luo help me claim the credit?"
As Ye Xingge's superior, Luo Xuanqing must have spoken well of him; otherwise, even someone of Duke Zhang's status might not have remembered, and if he did, he probably would have thought:
Is it really necessary to pack such a paltry sum into Mountains and Rivers Pouch?
After finally managing to kill the sect's prodigy, the First Rank demon opened his storage bag and found a Fate-Robbing Saber, a domineering CEO mask, and a Heaven-Obscuring Arm inside. He'd probably vomit blood on the spot...
But Luo Xuanqing didn't mention this, he just casually said:
"It's good that you've received it. You should learn the cultivation technique as soon as possible. As for the Mountains and Rivers Pouch, don't worry about not being able to afford to maintain it. For every ten places you advance, the imperial court will reward you with ten pieces of sword-nurturing material. Once you reach the Second Rank, you'll have four hundred pieces."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Xingge was truly moved!
After all, with this reward, he would get a dozen or so pieces of sword-nurturing material for killing someone, enough to earn back the rent for Old Master Zhang...
Luo Xuanqing continued:
"After you receive your reward, just go to the Armaments Bureau and find Yueyao to claim it. In addition, there will be an extra reward for every hundred places you advance. You can ask for it yourself; as long as it's not too outrageous, the court will grant it."
"Chatteration?"
Ye Xingge sat up a bit straighter, feeling that this was more like the treatment First Rank, and immediately asked:
"Does the imperial court have the ' Twelve Stances Art '? My second uncle wants to see them..."
"Ha?"
Luo Xuanqing's expression froze, and he said in disbelief:
"The imperial court has told you to name your price. You don't want beauties, famous soldiers, or noble titles; you want a second-rate martial arts technique instead?"
"..."
Ye Xingge blinked:
"Is this a second-rate technique? Then the ' Twelve Forms of the Lotus Rock ' will do too..."
Luo Xuanqing didn't know what to say, so he raised his hand to pour tea for her.
"That's a divine cultivation technique from Long Zaiye. You can only ask the Emperor of Western Shu for it; Great Yan doesn't have it."
"As for the ' Twelve Stances Art,' I'll inquire about it and give it to you in a few days."
"Furthermore, Duke Zhang instructed me to teach you how to devise martial arts techniques, such as meridian analysis and pulse selection, have you heard of that?"
Ye Xingge had heard about it.
The process involves sealing a certain acupoint and then circulating energy around that acupoint to allow the energy to circulate. The one who can achieve a simpler and more efficient method wins. This method requires a high level of talent and skill and can be used to stimulate the disciple's comprehension. Therefore, it is considered one of the usual practice exercises for disciples of the sect.
"I've heard of this before; it shouldn't need to be taught."
The Great Beauty Luo knew she didn't need to be taught, but as a pioneer, she still needed to practice with her. She raised an eyebrow slightly at this moment.
"Let's have a contest. If you lose, you'll have to go outside and stand in a horse stance as a form of self-reflection until tomorrow morning."
"Ah?"
Ye Xingge felt that this might not be appropriate.
Great Beauty Luo, Second Rank fifteenth in the second class. Her comprehension, skill, and experience are all top-notch. This was his first time playing; for him to win would be a miracle. Could it be that he's trying to settle a personal score...?
Ye Xingge thought for a moment, then nodded:
"After all, it's about learning, and it's only right to be punished if you learn slowly. But what if Sister Luo loses..."
"I lost?"
Luo Xuanqing laughed upon hearing this, raising an eyebrow:
"I know you're up to no good, young man. I'll give you a chance. If I lose, how about you take off one of your clothes?"
"Um?"
Ye Xingge was taken aback and looked at Great Beauty Luo's nightgown.
Beneath the smooth fabric lies a moist, full-bodied shape, almost certainly indicating she's not wearing a bra...
If we lose even once, then...
"Huh?"
Seeing the brat's gaze begin to wander, Luo Xuanqing immediately narrowed his eyes and pressed his collar down:
"You're getting bolder and bolder. See for yourself if you win."
"Feel sorry!"
Ye Xingge slightly raised his hand and sat up straight:
"Shall we begin now?"
Luo Xuanqing moved the small table on the couch to one side, sat cross-legged facing her, like a female master demonstrating her teaching skills:
"Come on, I won't bully you. We'll use the energy cultivation techniques from the ' Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force ' to each name an acupoint. We have two quarters of an hour." Ye Xingge also became serious, carefully recalling the methods from the " Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force ":
" Heaven-Soaring Palm, my Sealed Qi Sect."
"Guan Yuan."
After Luo Xuanqing finished speaking, he raised his hand to press acupoints, sealing the acupoints on both of them. Then he closed his eyes and began to deduce the flow of qi. The Heaven-Soaring Palm in the Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force is an external technique. It starts at the Yongquan acupoint and passes through twenty-four acupoints, including Taixi, Huantiao, and Mingmen, with a fixed route.
With the two acupoints sealed, if they still follow the original route, the Qi cannot be transmitted to their hands, resulting in a light and weak performance with no internal strength whatsoever. What the two need to do now is to bypass the two sealed acupoints and still use the Heaven-Soaring Palm.
Those with average comprehension simply cannot come up with any other solution.
Even those with exceptional comprehension will have to navigate through many twists and turns, resulting in either a sudden decrease in power or a much slower attack.
If one can transcend the original method, it is called "innovation." All the methods of cultivation have evolved in this way until they finally become " Open Heaven Unite Heroes." However, this usually requires one generation to push forward a little, and it is impossible to comprehend it casually.
Ye Xingge had been studying martial arts manuals these past few days and had a good understanding of the Heaven-Soaring Palm. Now, with his eyes closed, he carefully deduced the most logical approach. Although Luo Xuanqing was gambling with clothes, he wasn't shameless enough to try and complete the entire time limit; in less than three minutes, he opened his eyes.
"Accumulate Qi through the Foot Taiyang Meridian, starting from Yongquan (KI1) and following the Kidney Meridian upwards to Taixi (KI3)... This method involves circulating Qi through seven points. Don't rush, take your time."
Ye Xingge hadn't even figured out a running route yet, and the pressure instantly mounted when he heard this.
On her way back, Hongyu overheard this and, wanting to show off, whispered a reminder in her ear:
"Change the route to gather Qi along the Foot Taiyin Meridian, circling around the Huantiao acupoint... This method only adds six intermediate points. How about that? Isn't it much more effective than that 'slut'?"
Hearing this, Ye Xingge felt much more at ease.
However, given the time limit of 15 minutes, he definitely needs to do his own research first to see how big the gap is between him and the top-tier Second Rank performers.
The Great Beauty Luo only gave him three minutes, but gave him ten times that time; she was already going easy on him. If he still couldn't catch up, he'd be too embarrassed to feast his eyes on her like this. Sound of rustling
The rain outside the window was falling softly and steadily.
Luo Xuanqing sat cross-legged between the curtains, Ye Xingge who was concentrating with his eyes closed, but he was not in a hurry.
Her skill level was far superior. In two quarters of an hour, it would be difficult for this boy to even figure out a working line, let alone surpass her. As time passed and she realized that he was really thinking seriously, she couldn't help but panic a little.
After waiting for half an hour, Ye Xingge opened his eyes almost at the exact moment, revealing a smile:
(←←)!
(OO)?
Luo Xuanqing's composed and relaxed expression stiffened. He sensed that the smile might be a little dangerous, so he sat up straighter and tentatively asked:
"How many steps did you take?"
Ye Xingge's eyes revealed a hint of arrogance:
"Using the Foot Shaoyang Meridian, combined with the lateral branch of the Chong Meridian to store Qi, then diagonally following the Dai Meridian to Zhangmen... This method circulates Qi in seven places, but consumes less Qi. What do you think, Sister Luo?"
Luo Xuanqing didn't even need to try it; he only needed to mentally rehearse the process once to determine which was better. His cheeks stiffened slightly, and he blinked his fox-like eyes, hesitating to speak.
Ye Xingge was quite generous, waving his hand and saying:
" Sister Luo only thought for a short while, while I thought for a full quarter of an hour. I gained an advantage, so how about a tie?"
draw?
Luo Xuanqing did not object to the suggestion and inquired:
"A draw is half the outcome?"
"Hmm... that works too."
üの"