Changling sitting up so suddenly without warning truly startled the master and disciple in the room, their bodies shaking.

Jiagu was speechless. “Martial Niece, when did you wake up?”

“Just now.” Changling moved her neck with difficulty, then rose to survey the thatched cottage that was as messy as a dog’s den. Ye Qi hurriedly pulled her to sit down. “Don’t rush to get out of bed. How do you feel now?”

“Fine. I slept for a bit and feel much more energetic.”

“You slept?” Jiagu was stunned. “Then what we were just saying, from which part did you start listening?”

Changling said indifferently: “From the part about not needing to burn paper offerings for me every year.”

Jiagu: “…”

“When I sleep, I usually keep part of my awareness listening to movements around me,” Changling glanced at them calmly. “Originally I planned to sleep until dawn, but hearing Martial Uncle mention that the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual could save lives, I thought about it and, mm, decided to wake up first.”

Jiagu calmly turned to Ye Qi and said: “Did you hear that? Never try that trick of ‘pouring your heart out while she’s asleep’ in front of my martial niece. She won’t give you face—she’ll sit up at any moment.”

Ye Qi nodded deeply in agreement. Seeing Changling glare at him, he broke into a smile: “What’s there to pour out? If Second Young Master is interested, I’ll cut it out for you to play with.”

Changling couldn’t be bothered with him and looked directly at Jiagu. Jiagu raised his hand, signaling her to remain calm. “The location of the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual is a bit special. You can’t see it at night. I’ll take you to look once dawn breaks… But what I’m more curious about now is, how did you come back to life? Also… where did the birthmark on your face go?”

In this regard, Changling was unwilling to elaborate: “It’s a long story. When we have time later, I can explain slowly…”

Jiagu moved a chair to sit in front of her. “We have time, we have time. The night is long—you can tell it from beginning to end, in detail.”

Changling: “…”

Seeing her completely unable to handle Jiagu, Ye Qi couldn’t help covering his mouth with a fist to suppress a smile. “Alright, Master, Changling is still injured. Don’t make things difficult for her… Now, there are some things I don’t understand. For instance, you’ve lived in this village so long—don’t the villagers know?”

Jiagu: “They know.”

“Then you dug up their ancestor’s grave and they’re just indifferent?” Ye Qi said in amazement. “Even if they turn green-eyed at night, during the day they’re all normal people. How could they let you keep living in the mountains?”

Jiagu hesitated. “Well…”

Changling raised an eyebrow and answered for him: “Presumably during the day, Martial Uncle puts the tombstone back exactly where it was.”

Ye Qi: “…”

Jiagu chuckled. “Our little Ling understands me best. I’ve said it all along—you should have studied under me back then…”

Before he could finish spinning his tale, Changling asked again: “But if those villagers lose their minds when their eyes turn green, how can they recognize the tombstone?”

“Rather than saying they lose their minds, I think it’s more accurate to say they become another version of themselves.” Jiagu rubbed his forehead. “Actually, those green eyes aren’t completely without thought. Look—every time they gather to tear someone apart, they can still rush back to their own homes before dawn, worried that their daytime selves will discover the irregularities…”

Ye Qi caught the implication: “Master means the green eyes can have their own memories, and to some extent are also independent individuals?”

“Should be.” Jiagu wasn’t very certain. “Or, they have a tiny bit of memory and instinctively feel I am Senior He himself…”

“Then why would they fear Senior He?” Changling asked. “Seeing one’s own ancestor—isn’t that something to be happy about?”

Jiagu and Ye Qi turned their heads in unison, both with somewhat indescribable expressions. Ye Qi coughed: “Not everyone can develop a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall like you… Of course, I guess the biggest reason they fear Great-Uncle He is perhaps because they know Great-Uncle He intended to eliminate them.”

Jiagu sighed. “All this is unknowable now… But turning into ghost-beasts at night, unable to control themselves from tearing people apart for pleasure—once they leave these mountain forests, they’d be a calamity to humanity. Great-Uncle He’s impulsive suicide with his sword back then wasn’t a wise move. The more guilt-stricken and remorseful he felt, the more he should have mastered the divine technique to save his clansmen, only then would he not betray Monk Shenle’s sacrifice. Now what remains is an incomplete manual. Even having someone of my extraordinary, transcendent caliber of a generation’s grandmaster ponder it, there are still confusing parts.”

Changling automatically ignored the words “generation’s grandmaster” and said directly: “Mm, since I’m here, naturally I’ll assist Martial Uncle.”

“You?” Jiagu waved his hand with slight mockery. “You have high martial talent, that’s true. However, even if you could master the Shimo True Scripture, you absolutely cannot master the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual…”

Changling blinked nonchalantly, quite defiantly: “There’s a technique in this world I can’t master? Now I’m really curious.”

“You don’t believe me?” Jiagu smiled with great interest. “Fine, once dawn breaks I’ll take you to see for yourselves. Then you’ll know at a glance.”

White silk descended from the sky, under the morning glow’s reflection like a red jade belt, cascading down between the cliffs.

At this mountain’s peak was a waterfall seven or eight zhang high. Water fell on stone, pearls scattering in all directions, gathering into a lake and pond, then dispersing into a clear stream that wound its way down.

Jiagu led the two to this shore and pointed at the water curtain: “The Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual is right here.”

Hearing the waterfall rushing loudly, Changling said: “Could the manual be carved in a mountain cave behind this water curtain?”

“There is indeed a mountain cave behind the water curtain, but Senior He didn’t carve the manual inside the cave, but rather…” Jiagu cleared his throat and deliberately paused, waiting for Changling to ask. Who knew Ye Qi naturally continued: “But rather carved it on the cliff wall behind this waterfall.”

His showing-off failed. Jiagu immediately puffed his beard and glared: “Master hasn’t spoken yet—who gave you permission to interrupt?”

Ye Qi casually apologized to Jiagu with a smile, then patiently explained to Changling: “Great-Uncle He’s manuscript mentioned a line: ‘Ten thousand flowers hide in flowing streams, ravines and streams cannot contain them,’ meaning he carved the mental cultivation method on this waterfall wall… When I read it, I was somewhat skeptical. Never imagined he’d actually do this.”

Changling walked forward two steps and looked up at the cascading flow. “This Senior He truly went to great pains.”

Ye Qi made a sound of acknowledgment. “Great pains?”

“He carved the mental cultivation method on this rock wall. If later descendants wanted to practice, they’d need to climb and traverse this waterfall hundreds or thousands of times. Besides tempering qinggong, anyone weak-willed would give up. Only those who persist to the end are qualified to practice this technique.” Changling’s lips curved slightly. “At the same time, to prevent outsiders from invading the mountain and stealing the manual, this method ensures long-term residence. Thus, if one cannot gain the villagers’ recognition and is expelled from Yanling Village, they cannot master it either.”

Jiagu laughed heartily in approval. “My martial niece is clever—understanding one thing leads to understanding everything…”

“But that’s only relative to ordinary people. For Martial Uncle, manually feeling out the mental cultivation on this cliff wall would take at most less than three days, right?” Changling asked. “Why has Martial Uncle stayed in Yanling Village so long?”

“Thank you, Grand-Niece, for thinking so highly of me. I did indeed spend two days roughly understanding the characters on this stone wall, and even comprehended the first level of mental cultivation in just five days,” Jiagu sighed quietly. “To speak honestly, I’ve only gotten this far. The later techniques I still haven’t managed to master. If I can’t fully comprehend the complete Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual, I can’t simultaneously control both yin and yang qi. If I can’t save the villagers, how could I casually leave the mountain?”

Changling’s heart thumped, thinking privately: If with Martial Uncle’s power it’s difficult to master after a year, won’t Ye Qi be even less able to learn it?

She asked again: “How many levels does the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual have altogether?”

“Not as many as the Shimo True Scripture’s nine levels, only three,” Jiagu said mysteriously. “However, if all three levels can be practiced, it’s no less formidable than your nine levels. Hehe, once Master Uncle masters them all, even your master probably won’t be my match.”

Changling silently looked at him sideways. “Then I can copy the manual for Master. Since it’s a martial classic of Patriarch Bodhidharma and Chan Master Baozhi, Master surely wouldn’t refuse.”

Jiagu cast her a “you’re ruthless” look. “No, no, that won’t do. I can’t let you observe, or if you learn it, I’ll lose big.”

Seeing the two squabbling endlessly, Ye Qi couldn’t help standing between them to interrupt: “Alright, Master, you’re an accomplished monk. How can you argue with us juniors? Besides, you said yesterday that Changling definitely couldn’t master the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual. Since she can’t master it, what harm is there in letting her look?”

Hearing this, Jiagu thought it made sense. Ye Qi stood with hands on his hips looking at the waterfall: “The problem now is we don’t have much time. Plus after last night’s incident, the Yanling Village villagers might soon come up the mountain again. Master, you’re not also planning to test my wall-climbing skills, are you?”

“You always like to be lazy.” Jiagu disdainfully pushed him aside. “Both of you watch clearly with wide eyes.”

As Jiagu spoke, he approached beneath the waterfall. His legs slightly bent, his arms drew a semicircle before his chest, suddenly stopping at his chest. With a whoosh, his hands pushed outward and upward, like turning clouds beyond mountains—

In this instant, the cascading waterfall seemed to suddenly slow down. The splashing jade droplets froze in midair. The next moment, the milky-white waterfall transformed like dense smoke, becoming thousands upon thousands of cotton tufts flipping upward!

Changling and Ye Qi’s whole bodies shook, watching in disbelief as the originally plunging waterfall developed a gap—like a crystal silver curtain being parted in the middle into two strands, revealing carved characters on the broken wall—Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual.

How heart-stirring this scene was! The several hundred characters of mental cultivation carved on the stone wall seemed to carry a fierce presence, penetrating through the misty vapor, whistling forth, almost painful even to the eyes.

That mental cultivation must have been carved by long sword strokes. Each stroke and line was like flocks of swans playing in the seas, dancing cranes touring the heavens, with powdered walls several zhang high and brushstrokes like cloud and smoke.

Ye Qi’s eyes trembled deeply as he thought: Never imagined Great-Uncle He could fuse swordsmanship and calligraphy so mysteriously. No wonder his unique technique “Brush Walking Dragon Snake” could enjoy such renown in jianghu.

With a wave of his hand, Jiagu parted the cascading waterfall in two. Changling hadn’t yet recovered from this shock. Looking again at the wall’s mental cultivation with its profound language and extraordinary meaning, she marveled even more—no wonder Chan Master Baozhi could be equally renowned with Patriarch Bodhidharma. Though this Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual wasn’t as simple and profound as the Shimo True Scripture, its nimbleness seemed to surpass it.

If mastered, it might truly resolve Ye Qi’s stubborn meridian illness. In that case, they wouldn’t need to keep racking their brains searching for Wu Run’s illusory secret manual.

Thinking of this, she first silently memorized the mental cultivation, reading all the way down. Halfway through, she suddenly made a soft sound of surprise—she saw that in the latter two levels of this Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual, some places were missing several characters, some characters lacked radicals, and the last two columns were completely blurred, preserving only the final phrase “can achieve great mastery.”

No wonder Martial Uncle Jiagu could only master the first level. The latter two levels were so “incomplete”—how could they possibly be practiced?

Ye Qi also roughly scanned it once and couldn’t help saying at the end: “This really is strange. Since Great-Uncle He hoped someone could learn the manual to save the villagers, why didn’t he leave a complete copy?”

Hearing this, Jiagu withdrew his palms. In an instant, the suspended spring waterfall re-gathered and cascaded down.

“Senior He should have left it complete,” Jiagu stepped back to avoid the spray. “It’s just that with this waterfall flowing day after day, some protruding rocks have been worn smooth… I suppose he couldn’t have imagined his descendants would all be so useless that not one would climb this waterfall wall completely, so no complete copy remained in this Yanling Village.”

Changling raised an eyebrow. “How does Martial Uncle know there’s no complete copy in Yanling Village?”

“I asked the village chief…” Seeing both juniors cast questioning looks, Jiagu impatiently waved his hand. “We’ll discuss this later. You both just looked, right? Did you memorize it? Need to look again?”

“No need.” Almost in unison.

Ye Qi was born with extraordinary memory. A mere few hundred characters of mental cultivation were easy to remember after one look. And Changling, as a once-in-a-century martial arts fanatic, naturally could also remember martial arts at a glance. However, this mental cultivation was too bizarre and variable—though she saw it with her eyes, thinking it over carefully in her heart, there were thousands upon thousands of puzzling points.

She was wholeheartedly concerned that this Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual could save lives. Now witnessing this incomplete version firsthand, her heart cooled by more than half: “No wonder Martial Uncle researched for a year without figuring it out. Those missing parts are all at critical junctures—how to regulate breathing, how to circulate—the slightest error risks life… Even trying everything one by one, without three to five years, I’m afraid…”

Seeing Changling’s brow furrow, unable to conceal her disappointment, Ye Qi was about to console her when Jiagu sighed and shook his head: “This Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual is actually somewhat different from ordinary internal cultivation methods. Each level of technique is interconnected. You two really are presumptuous, thinking yourselves unparalleled geniuses? If you can’t master this first level, even if the second and third levels were intact before you, they’d still be useless.”

Seeing Changling still with a long face, Jiagu sighed again and leaned his face close: “Changling, compared to your master’s ‘Commanding the Vast,’ what did you think of my ‘Rolling Pearl Curtain’ move just now?”

Changling paused. Though Jiaye’s internal power had also reached the level of overturning clouds and rain, to casually part a waterfall like Jiagu just did…

“Naturally Martial Uncle is superior.”

“I just love how you’re unwilling yet have to tell the truth.” Jiagu smiled smugly and irritatingly. “Not hiding it from you—this ‘Rolling Pearl Curtain’ move is the first level technique of the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual.”

Both Changling and Ye Qi were shocked—that earth-shattering move relied not on Jiagu’s own cultivation?

Jiagu sat down on a large stone nearby and casually pounded his legs. “Martial Niece indeed still didn’t understand the mental cultivation above. Now you can’t refuse to submit to me anymore. How about it? Want to learn?”

Ye Qi’s expression brightened, worried Changling was too stubborn to yield. Unexpectedly, she stepped forward without burden and bowed: “I hope Martial Uncle will generously teach.”

His vanity satisfied, Jiagu happily stroked his beard and finally stopped putting on airs. He became serious: “Though this Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual has only three levels of technique, it actually encompasses the theory of the Five Elements. The Five Elements encompass the mutual generation and restraint of all things in heaven and earth, containing Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. If truly fully comprehended, in this realm of heaven and earth, it’s yours to command.”

His words sounded mystical, but hearing them made both their hearts tremble. Ye Qi looked toward the waterfall and asked: “Mastering the first level technique allows control over water flow direction, so Master easily parted the waterfall curtain without actually using much internal power?”

Jiagu looked at Ye Qi with surprise. “Correct. This first level technique emphasizes the character ‘water’…”

His words barely finished when he swept both sleeves. Behind him, the clear pool shot up a geyser, like a serpent dragon raising its head, drilling out from the pool. With a thrust gesture from Jiagu, that “water serpent dragon” flew toward a pine tree on shore. With a “bang,” the trunk broke in response.

“This water can be mighty and unstoppable, or fleetingly unpredictable, turning a hundred times, winding a thousand ways…” Jiagu stood and walked forward two steps, explaining: “Practicing this mental cultivation requires both a ‘change’ character and a ‘constancy’ character. If one cannot simultaneously possess these two heart-natures, even following the formulas word by word, ultimately one cannot succeed…”

Changling was slightly perplexed. “What change? What constancy?”

“What changes is the mind’s thought; what remains constant is the heart’s intent.” Jiagu said. “Conversely, the mental state required for cultivating the Shimo True Scripture is unchanging and impermanent, which is why I said Martial Niece cannot master the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual, just as most disciples of Shaolin Temple cannot cultivate it, because they have no distracting thoughts in their hearts and no worldly desires. May I ask—if one cannot be tender as water, how can one manipulate water?”

“…” This sounded like fallacy. Changling heard for the first time that martial artists needed to be tender as water: “So this Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual is more suitable for passionate people to practice?”

“Without passion, it won’t do. With excessive passion, even worse. Those who practice this technique must have an exquisite heart with seven apertures, nimble thoughts, and must be devoted to it specifically, unable to be fettered by other worldly desires,” Jiagu said seriously. “In other words, only those who are both mentally and physically free yet deeply devoted without regret can gain insight.”

Hearing this, Changling’s mind seemed to become clear. She unconsciously looked toward Ye Qi.

“This Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual has another name, also mentioned in Senior He’s manuscript…” Jiagu said word by word: “The Tender Homeland.”

Ye Qi’s throat moved slightly. He stared back at Changling in a daze, seeing a trace of faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

Barely perceptible, yet stunningly beautiful.

The Tender Homeland is a hero’s tomb. Perhaps this was fate.

Author’s Note:

Long-awaited mini theater:

—Ye Qi (holding the Ten Thousand Flowers Treasure Manual passed by the author in disbelief): Are-are you sure you’re giving this to me? Not to my wife?

—Author Rong: Mm.

—Ye Qi (tears streaming): Thirty-eight thousand characters in, and this is the first time I’ve gotten the male lead’s script…

—Changling (indifferent): Are you sure practicing the “Tender Homeland” counts as a male lead’s script?

→→→→→→→→→→→→

When I wrote the first chapter about the Hero’s Tomb, I was determined to write a Tender Homeland. I wrote a martial arts history’s weakest male lead, all for this day.

The Yanling Village arc is almost over. Getting closer to Wu Run’s mystery, closer to Sister Ling’s full martial power unleashed, closer to leaving the mountain to take heads.

Don’t worry. Thank you for waiting.