What Jiagu said was at most merely the relative conditions for martial practitioners. Back then, Jiaye never expected that a young girl could cultivate the Shimo Scripture, let alone imagine she would become the first person in a hundred years to master the ninth level of the technique.

Conversely, no matter how well Ye Qi fit the criteria of having a clever mind and unwavering devotion, whether he could truly succeed remained mere boasting until he actually achieved it.

The so-called path of martial arts is largely a path of exploration. How many world-renowned divine techniques have been lost simply because no suitable martial artist could be found to inherit them.

Originally, the profound meanings inscribed on the stone wall in the Myriad Flowers Manual were so deep that even exceptional martial artists who obtained it would need to carefully study it for at least half a year before grasping its methods.

But Jiagu was one of the top martial monks in Tianzhu, whose talent in martial arts even Jiaye sincerely admired. Moreover, having resided in Yanling Village for an entire year, he had long since broken down this first level of mental cultivation into simple, easy-to-understand techniques that allowed people to grasp the entry-level secrets upon hearing them.

Even so, just the breathing technique of the first move “Flowing Wine Along Winding Waters” required seven or eight cycles—unable to fully release, unable to fully retract. Changling lost patience halfway through practice. This Myriad Flowers Manual was truly too verbose and tedious. With all this free time, she might as well properly re-practice the Shimo Scripture, lest she be led astray and become unable to perform even her own sect’s martial arts smoothly.

She deeply understood that the path of martial arts valued precision over quantity, so she no longer forced herself.

Over there, Ye Qi was wholeheartedly sitting cross-legged on the ground, practicing step by step according to Jiagu’s instructions. Changling watched as his left and right hands contested with each other yet circulated freely, and she couldn’t help but freeze. Jiagu observed his movements and expression and asked, “How do you feel now?”

Ye Qi clasped his hands together, eyes closed, and said hesitantly, “Following Master’s instructions, I guided the qi from the Ren meridian to the Shanzhong point. Now the Shanzhong area feels like it’s being scorched by fierce flames…”

“You need to disperse this energy to the Jianjing acupoint, Lingtai, Qihai, Mingmen… then let it flow through your ten fingers. You must concentrate completely,” Jiagu stood up, watching him somewhat nervously. “Then merge the water before you with the qi and blood at your fingertips into one…”

Ye Qi extended his ten fingers forward, exerting all his effort. Beads of hot sweat formed on his forehead, yet the water pool showed no movement. Jiagu anxiously scratched his head and said, “Don’t be so tense, relax. Just try to perceive—imagine this water is the thing or person you treasure most in your heart. It’s already within your heart; you don’t need to think about how to manipulate it…”

He lowered his gaze and concentrated. All the countless stray thoughts in his mind blurred away. Inexplicably, frame after frame of images appeared—beneath the moonlight, in the hot spring pool, she wore a languid expression as she glanced over; inside Dazhao Temple, she descended from the sky, pressing her palm against Yuan Hai’s palm force, saying casually, “Those who wish to die, step forward”; and at the He Manor, she came cutting through thorns and brambles, behind her the fire clouds red as blood…

Time had not blurred her appearance but instead turned her into beautiful scenery he could never renounce for the rest of his life—

Ye Qi raised both hands, and behold, extremely fine threads of water drilled out from the lake pool like tiny delicate fountains, crystal clear, spinning a beautiful arc in the air before vanishing in an instant.

Changling lowered her eyes with a faint smile.

Jiagu was even more delighted beyond measure. “You’ve only just started practicing and can already control water droplets—this is simply incredible.”

Ye Qi looked down at his hands, also finding it hard to believe. He looked at Jiagu and said, “Unfortunately it was only for that one moment…”

“You know, just this one moment took your master an entire day to achieve!” Jiagu crouched beside him, patting his shoulder. “Quick, quick, quick, tell Master what you were thinking about just now. How did you suddenly have this breakthrough?”

Feeling Changling’s gaze, Ye Qi’s ears grew hot, and he couldn’t help but slightly avert his eyes. “I just practiced according to what Master said, didn’t think too much about it…”

Jiagu said half-doubtfully, “Is that truly so?”

“Really, really,” Ye Qi quickly changed the subject. “Master, shall we continue practicing?”

“Of course we must practice. We should seize the moment while you have the feeling.” Jiagu was about to teach him the second move when suddenly his stomach gurgled. “Aiya, we haven’t eaten yet. How can we practice on an empty stomach?”

He turned his head toward Changling. She naturally stretched lazily and said, “Is there food on this mountain? I’ll go hunt some game for you both.”

“How can one who has left the household touch meat?” Jiagu waved his hand. “Besides, there’s nothing edible on this mountain except sparrows and snakes… I usually go down the mountain to borrow some corn and potatoes. There’s a large field down there—missing one or two won’t be noticed by anyone.”

Changling: “…”

So monks were allowed to steal things?

Ye Qi stood up and said, “I’ll go with you.”

“No need. You stay here and practice well. By the time I return, it would be best if you’ve mastered the second move as well.”

Changling left those words behind and, without sparing them another glance, headed down the mountain.

After her figure disappeared into the distance, Jiagu sighed somewhat sentimentally, “I always feel… this martial nephew’s temperament has changed quite a bit.”

Ye Qi softly made a sound of surprise. “Wasn’t this her temperament before?”

“Before?” Jiagu thoughtfully stroked his chin. “Before, she only cared about how well she practiced her own skills. How others practiced, she never asked about… Disciple, you two couldn’t possibly be…”

“It’s not what Master is thinking. It was this disciple’s one-sided feelings to begin with. I originally thought she was someone who viewed the seven emotions and six desires with indifference, but later realized she was sincere in everything—she simply hadn’t become enlightened. But now, I no longer wish for her to have this enlightenment. This way, even if I die, she can focus single-mindedly on walking her path long and far. Master, can you understand what I’m saying?”

“I don’t understand.” Jiagu smacked him on the head. “You’re young, not paralyzed, with all your parts intact. Why do you keep thinking about death instead of properly considering how to live?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to live. Every day I think about how to survive, but just in case…” Ye Qi took a deep breath and continued, “I can’t only think of myself without making plans for her.”

“Give it a rest. You talk as if you’ve already won her heart…” Jiagu glared at Ye Qi in frustration. “You yourself said she’s sincere in everything, yet you’re so calculating about everything. What if you survive but she perishes, and she never learns of your feelings before she dies—wouldn’t that be a wasted life?”

Ye Qi’s expression changed upon hearing this. “Master, why are you cursing her for no good reason?”

“See, see? I only said that much and you’re already unhappy, right?” Jiagu patted his shoulder. “There are so many people around you who care about you. Every day they hear you speak these hackneyed clichés about being half-dead and dying—have you ever considered others’ feelings?”

Ye Qi was at a loss for words. Jiagu continued, “Moreover, for people of the jianghu, disasters fall from the sky—this is nothing unusual. Your master has seen enlightened monks who merely slept in the forest, got bitten by a poisonous insect, and passed away. I’ve also seen a demon cult leader who dominated the world, on the verge of conquering the jianghu, eat sweet potato skins with black spots and also die suddenly… People have their fated lifespan, true, but within that fate there are both fixed numbers and variables. How can we mere mortals calculate Heaven’s will?”

Seeing Ye Qi staring at him in a daze, Jiagu pushed him forward. “Alright, alright, why is this master, a dignified monk, discussing such things with you? Continue practicing!”

Changling originally planned to grab a few ears of corn and pick some fruit before quickly returning to the mountain.

Using the grain stalks as cover, she passed through the fields. Coming and going, several farming villagers noticed nothing. Just as she was about to slip away, she suddenly heard someone sigh, “Last night’s evil spirits caused quite a commotion. I heard Uncle Chen and the Zhang family head’s son both had their arms broken, and even the village chief was injured…”

Another person said, “Ah, just being able to keep their lives is good enough…”

“However, I heard that the wound on Abbot Liaozhen’s chest wasn’t caused by evil spirits but by a sword,” that person said in a low voice. “Now everyone’s saying it was done by those outsiders. They still haven’t found them…”

“But weren’t those two surnamed Gao already dismembered by evil spirits?”

“Hey, maybe it’s precisely because of this that the other few harbored resentment, thinking our villagers did it, and thus took revenge recklessly… It’s just a pity that Master Liaozhen is still unconscious. Right now the village chief and the others are transferring their qi to heal him. If the old man could wake up, perhaps the truth would be known…”

Changling’s heart jumped upon hearing this—Monk Liaozhen was still alive?

True, the sword she thrust out last night had avoided his heart and vital points, but the chest cavity was no trivial matter either. In that situation, he actually didn’t bleed to death… This abbot’s physical foundation was truly remarkably solid.

She hesitated briefly, then placed the foraged food by the waterfall pool. Seeing the master and disciple practicing enthusiastically, she didn’t disturb them. Instead, she went to the thatched hut to get the herbal medicine Jiagu had prepared, then returned down the mountain.

Regardless, Abbot Liaozhen was ultimately an innocent person. If she could make amends, that would naturally be best.

The village had only one village doctor. After last night’s chaotic battle, there were at least a dozen people with broken bones and injured tendons. Even with several villagers helping to care for them, the room full of wounded patients moaned and groaned, leaving the doctor flustered and extremely busy.

Liaozhen was in another room. Including the village chief, several elders who understood internal energy were separately transferring their true qi to him. When Changling strolled to the window, they had just finished inside.

She heard the village chief say, “Although the Abbot’s injury is severe, the sword originally didn’t pierce his heart. With proper care, recovery isn’t impossible… It’s just that the poison in his blood has seeped into his heart and lungs, and Doctor Fang doesn’t know how to expel poison… Alas, for now we can only temporarily use this method to keep him breathing…”

An elder snorted coldly. “It’s all the disaster caused by those people! If they hadn’t trespassed on Yanling Mountain, even though we have poison in our bodies, how would we have suffered this calamity…”

“Old Chen,” the village chief promptly cut off his words. “The internal reasons for this matter should not be revealed. If it causes panic, Yanling Village will truly face great disaster.”

Another elder spoke in a slightly gentler tone. “Those two surnamed Gao are also dead… As for the cause of death, we all know it well… This time, aside from Abbot Liaozhen, most people only suffered superficial wounds. It’s clear they already showed mercy…”

“We warned them from the start—we said they couldn’t go out at night. If they hadn’t violated this warning, would we have actively harmed them?” Elder Chen was practically fuming. “As for those remaining three, whether they’re alive or dead, if I see them, I’ll definitely pull out their tendons, skin them alive, and avenge Abbot Liaozhen!”

The gentler elder sighed again. “We originally wanted to wait until they too contracted the corpse gu, then tell them the truth, just like with Abbot Liaozhen back then… Who could have known that on just the second night, such a thing would happen…”

The several people spoke one after another. Changling crouched down and listened for a while, roughly understanding the village’s situation—these elders clearly knew about the corpse gu, but they had no solution and could only conceal it… This Abbot Liaozhen was originally an outsider too, but later, to prevent him from leaving the village, they also infected him with corpse poison. Although their original intention was to prevent outsiders from knowing of Yanling Village’s existence, this action was still too despicable. It was fortunate that Liaozhen was a monk who didn’t hold it against them, and instead became the village’s abbot.

The village chief said in a deep voice, “Enough. Since it’s already happened, saying more is useless. Right now, we must first settle the villagers and prevent them from being injured again. As for those three missing people, perhaps they’re hiding on one of the surrounding mountains. After we handle matters at hand, we’ll send people to search. If they’re willing to peacefully remain in the village from now on, we won’t make things too difficult for them.”

Elder Chen asked, “What if they refuse?”

“If they refuse…” The village chief’s eyes flashed with a sinister gleam. “We cannot let them leave alive.”

At this moment, someone came to knock on the door, saying that in the next room, another wounded patient’s condition had worsened. The village chief hurriedly led the elders out. Changling quietly slipped into the room, closed the door and windows, and walked to the bedside to examine Liaozhen’s injuries.

Both the chest and back wounds had begun to fester. The medicinal ointment on them had barely stopped the bleeding, but the pustules were dark—clearly signs of poisoning.

She helped Liaozhen up with one hand and with the other applied the Nanhua needles to let blood. In just a moment, poisoned blood broke through the sores and flowed out. Just as the color turned bright red and she was about to remove the needles and apply medicine—before she could even open the container—the door was kicked open with a “bang.”

The village chief’s gaze swept coldly over her hand gripping the needles, thinking she intended to harm Liaozhen further. He immediately drew the knife from his waist sheath and said coldly, “Release the abbot immediately, or else don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Jiagu had taught all morning. All the essential methods had been explained. What came next depended on the disciple’s own gradual exploration.

In fact, Ye Qi’s speed of comprehension had far exceeded his expectations. Not only could he understand the true and false, real and illusory aspects of the Manual with just a hint, but after learning four moves, this sickly fellow could even draw inferences, grasping things even faster than Jiagu himself had back then.

Jiagu was overjoyed. All along, he had competed with Jiaye in martial arts and Buddhist doctrine, basically coming up slightly short each time. Later, when competing over disciples, he was completely crushed. Now this youngest disciple faintly showed signs of surpassing his master—how could he not be extremely elated?

Thinking that in the future he could show off before Jiaye, Jiagu wished Ye Qi could master the first level of mental cultivation overnight. Therefore, without considering whether he could digest so much, he poured everything into his ears and ordered him to continue practicing arduously under the waterfall, not allowed to rest before dark.

However, past noon, Changling still hadn’t returned. Jiagu didn’t dare let Ye Qi become distracted, so he lied that Changling had come by, then turned around and started circling the mountain under the pretext of foraging for food.

He circled around and around, combing through the entire mountain without seeing any trace of her. Only then did he panic a bit: Could his martial nephew have been caught by those villagers?

As soon as the thought arose, he hurried toward the thatched hut, planning to pick a suitable weapon that wouldn’t harm people before going to help. But just as he burst through the door, he saw someone bound hand and foot with a cloth gag, tied up on the ground.

That person was the village chief.

Jiagu’s eyes widened. He saw Changling sitting at the shabby table, legs crossed, calmly holding up a bowl and drinking a mouthful of soup. She said, “Ah, Martial Uncle, you’ve returned at just the right time. I made a pot of corn and radish soup. Drink it while it’s hot.”