Chapter 121
Chapter 121
Inside the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
Shen Lang had opened the door to a new world. His X-ray vision could not only see inside the body to perform surgery but also perceive the dantian and the amount of internal energy accumulated. He recalled a brazen line from a drama based on the tales of the Liaozhai scholar.
"I would pluck out my eyes and leave them in the lady's chamber pot."
Just like that, Shen Lang's eyes were glued to the area below his wife's lower abdomen. Then, he slowly moved his gaze upward, stopping again at her heart. His face was so close it was practically pressed against Mulan's chest. Mulan could no longer bear it. She grabbed Shen Lang's face and pulled it away from her chest. With a face full of suspicion, Mulan asked.
"Husband, is this really how you observe internal energy?"
"My lady, what's the rush? Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu practiced their martial arts naked. Aren't we being conservative enough in comparison?"
"Husband, are you certain this is part of the process of making me the greatest martial artist in the world?"
"Of course."
Shen Lang nodded. Shen Lang hadn't been acting lewdly just now; he was using his X-ray vision to observe the true energy within Mulan's body. In truth, he could see just fine from a foot or two away, but to get a more precise view, Shen Lang had decided to get up close. With his X-ray vision, he saw Mulan's dantian, her bones and meridians, and the flow of internal energy throughout her entire body.
"My lady, you've injured your right arm and left leg before. And your left breast as well..."
Before he could finish, Shen Lang suddenly exploded.
"Who was it? Who injured your left breast? And it wasn't a sword, but a palm strike. I'll kill them. I'll crush them. That place is for my hands only!"
Mulan was startled. Her husband wasn't being lewd; he could actually see her internal energy. Just as Shen Lang had said, she had been injured in those three places. But how did he know? The external wounds had all healed, so it should have been impossible to tell.
"The one who injured my chest was a woman."
"Ah, well, that makes me feel a little better."
"What?"
Mulan frowned. Then, Shen Lang spoke again, his voice filled with murderous intent.
"Who is she? I'll crush her."
But his acting was far too obvious.
"She is a member of the Zhong clan, from the Marquis of Zhenxi's Estate!"
The Marquis of Zhenxi's estate? They were the second-ranked of the ancient noble houses in the State of Yue. If the power of other nobles was child's play, then they were true warlords. The Zhong Clan commanded a hundred-thousand-strong army in the west, serving as the main force defending against the State of Chu. They were a family that had produced countless famous generals. They were one of the two great families in the State of Yue that even the king would defer to.
"Why did that wicked woman from the Zhong clan injure you?"
"During a martial arts duel!"
"The three places you were injured have healed on the surface, but the internal meridians are damaged. When your internal energy passes through those damaged areas, it slows down and dissipates. If left untreated, it will affect your martial arts practice."
Mulan was astonished.
"That's exactly right. Husband, you can tell that too?"
"Wait until I've prepared my tools. I will completely repair your damaged meridians, restoring the smooth flow of internal energy throughout your body. That should increase your combat power by about five percent."
"My lady, do you know why your true internal energy is purple?"
Mulan looked on in disbelief, completely bewildered.
"Husband, you can see that as well?"
"I can. Do you know where this purple true energy comes from?"
"It's inherent in my bloodline from birth. Martial talent is innate, after all. Though acquired effort is also very important."
"So what does purple true energy signify? Is it exceptional?"
"It means my true energy is of a very high grade. It's suitable for cultivating both swordsmanship and battlefield martial arts simultaneously, and it's an extremely rare bloodline."
His wife was truly remarkable.
"But purple bloodlines and a few others are invisible to the naked eye; they're merely descriptive terms. How is it that you can see it, husband?"
Mulan watched her husband's talent with admiration, but she couldn't understand it at all. But... perhaps her husband was just someone who possessed such strange talents. However, this was an unexpected development even for Shen Lang. To think his X-ray vision was powerful enough to see bloodlines and true energy.
"Then what's the highest grade, the best bloodline?"
"Golden-yellow, of course. That signifies a natural talent for martial arts of the absolute highest caliber."
"Who's that amazing? Who possesses a golden-yellow bloodline?"
"They are exceedingly rare. Even my master, Zhong Chuke, said he had never seen anyone with a golden-yellow bloodline in his entire life."
'Even someone as great as a Grandmaster has never seen one? He traveled the world and fought countless masters from every corner of it. If even he hasn't seen one, it must be truly rare.'
He didn't have a golden-yellow bloodline, but since no one else did either, Shen Lang's mind was finally at ease.
***
Grandmaster Zhong Chuke had come to take Big Dummy with him. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate was facing a great crisis, but that had nothing to do with him. A Grandmaster such as him never interfered in politics. Shen Lang walked, lost in thought.
'Just how amazing is a golden-yellow bloodline? If it's something you might see once in a century, how incredible must it be? Wouldn't someone with it be able to command the world?'
Just then, a massive shadow approached Shen Lang. He looked up and instinctively examined the person with his X-ray vision.
'Damn it! Didn't they say people with golden-yellow bloodlines were rare? That you might see one once in a century? Why did I run into one the moment I stepped outside?'
Shen Lang clearly saw the true energy flowing within the person's body was golden-yellow. The incomparably magnificent golden-yellow bloodline. Its owner was Big Dummy.
"Hehe, Little Dummy. I have to go into the mountains with Master."
Big Dummy spread his arms, hugged Shen Lang, and said earnestly.
"Little Dummy, you have to work hard too."
Shen Lang was still in shock and couldn't react to Big Dummy's words.
'Wh-what is this? They said Big Dummy had an innate talent for martial arts, right? But... no one told me his talent was *this* extraordinary! A golden-yellow martial bloodline? Insanely amazing? Isn't that an exaggeration? Big Dummy isn't even the protagonist, so why is he so incredible?'
Shen Lang realized why Zhong Chuke was rushing to take Big Dummy to the mountains without getting involved in the affairs of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. He was afraid another Grandmaster would discover Big Dummy.
"Little Dummy, you have to work hard too."
Big Dummy wore a serious expression.
"Work hard on what?"
"Having babies."
"Ugh!"
Shen Lang patted Big Dummy's shoulder and said.
"After you go to the mountains, you must train hard in your martial arts."
Big Dummy nodded vigorously.
"Once you become powerful, you must share your peerless martial arts with me."
Big Dummy nodded even more enthusiastically. Jin Mucong approached, his eyes welling with tears. He was the most reluctant to see Big Dummy leave. Eating, sleeping, and beating up Jin Mucong was a daily routine in the Jin household. But Big Dummy was the only one who never picked a fight with or hit Jin Mucong. And now! The only good person was about to leave.
"Big Dummy, I'm sad to see you go. Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Jin Mucong asked. Big Dummy looked at Jin Mucong and said earnestly.
"Youngest Dummy, you have to work hard too."
"Work hard on what?"
"Work hard to get a wife. People as ugly as us usually have a hard time finding one."
Jin Mucong, as if stabbed in the heart, said indignantly.
"G-get lost."
***
Before leaving, Grandmaster Zhong Chuke revealed the truth.
"Mulan, you are no match for Tang Yan. Among the younger generation, no one can defeat him. Perhaps in five years, Big Dummy might be able to face him. Tang Yan has spent fourteen years practicing a single move, Meteor from Beyond the Heavens. There is no way to counter it."
"Master, is there not even a sliver of hope?"
"Not a sliver. Even if all the young masters of the State of Yue challenged Tang Yan, they would all lose to him."
Hearing this, Mulan's heart sank. In the Gold Mountain Island dispute, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate and the Count of Jinhai's Estate will compete three times for ownership of the island. In the first match, she and Tang Yan would face off in a martial arts duel, a particularly crucial battle. That match could even decide the entire contest, determining the life and death of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
The Meteor from Beyond the Heavens sword technique was like a treasure passed down in the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. The Sword King of the South Sea, Li Qianqiu, also practiced the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens, earning an unrivaled reputation and ascending to the rank of Grandmaster. Of course, Li Qianqiu also trained in other sword techniques and martial arts, but Tang Yan had uniquely dedicated his entire life to mastering that single move.
Shen Lang suddenly asked Zhong Chuke.
"Grandmaster, the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens is a legendary sword technique, undefeated for decades. But it must have a weakness, a way to be countered."
The Grandmaster merely glanced at Shen Lang without saying a word. He was a Grandmaster of martial arts, and it was difficult to communicate with a layman on the subject. Furthermore, for Shen Lang, who knew nothing of martial arts, to speak of countering the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens was utterly absurd to the Grandmaster. He couldn't believe the sincerity of his words and even wondered if Shen Lang had lost his mind.
'Shen Lang, you may be a genius, but you are a genius of strategy, not martial arts. How can you speak of countering it when you don't even know the basics of martial arts? Are you talking in your sleep?'
Grandmaster Zhong Chuke said.
"Mulan, remember that the mountain where I reside will always be your final retreat."
And with that, he left with Big Dummy.
***
Mulan was under such immense pressure she was on the verge of collapsing. Every moment, she practiced her swordsmanship frantically, not stopping until her true energy was completely exhausted. At those times, Shen Lang didn't pester her but comforted her gently with all his might. When she was utterly drained, Shen Lang would give her a professional Tui Na massage. Even when his hands pressed against her groin area, he kept them centered, not moving them an inch astray.
"Husband, I... I really can't do it. I can't defeat Tang Yan. My master has never been wrong in his life. It seems there really is no way to counter the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens. I can't even beat Su Jianting, so how can I possibly defeat Tang Yan? Of the three matches against the Count of Jinhai's Estate, this one is the most important. If I lose, we'll be utterly defeated in the Gold Mountain Island dispute. I'll become a disgrace to the Jin Clan, won't I? And our Count of Xuanwu's Estate will be finished."
No one can remain steadfastly confident forever. If such a person exists, they are only pretending in front of others. Everyone has moments of weakness, and they only show that side to the person closest to them.
"My love, do you trust me?"
"I trust you, husband. In my eyes, you are someone who can do anything."
But Shen Lang knew nothing about martial arts; he barely had the strength to wring a chicken's neck. Truth be told, he didn't know anything about the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens sword technique either. He didn't even know the most basic principles of swordsmanship, so countering the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens was out of the question. Zhong Chuke had once fought Li Qianqiu, and even a Grandmaster like him could not counter that sword technique. For Shen Lang to claim he had a way to counter a sword technique that even a Grandmaster of martial arts could not, was no different from the ravings of a madman. It was like talking in his sleep.
"My lady, perhaps tonight I can uncover the way to counter the Meteor from Beyond the Heavens!"
***
"My father said that no matter what happens, our Zhang Clan will never break off the engagement."
Xu Qianqian, moved, said affectionately.
"Husband, thank you. Meeting you is the greatest fortune of my life."
"My father has successfully concluded negotiations with the Marquis of Zhenbei, the Count of Jinhai, and the Hidden Yuan Society. The King's decree will arrive soon. The destruction of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate is now imminent. All the surrounding powers are waiting, like vultures, for the estate to fall so they can tear at its corpse and take a piece of the flesh."
"You and your father will get the largest piece."
"The Xu Clan is no exception. After the Count of Xuanwu's Estate falls, their thirty thousand mu of mulberry fields will go to your family. Of course, on the surface, it will be handled as if your family purchased them with money. You can use the thirty thousand mu of mulberry fields as collateral to borrow money from the Hidden Yuan Society."
The Count of Xuanwu's Estate hadn't even fallen yet, but they had already planned out its division. Hearing Zhang Jin's words, Xu Qianqian's breath hitched. A wave of heat washed over her body. What she loved more than anything was wealth. Thirty thousand mu of mulberry fields was an astronomical fortune. With it, the Xu Clan would no longer need to buy raw silk from elsewhere; they could produce it continuously, making it a veritable money tree.
"Thank you, husband. And thank you to your father as well."
Xu Qianqian looked at Zhang Jin with burning eyes. Then, she asked a question.
"With the fall of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate so close, you must also be pursuing the position of Vice-Governor of Yanzhou, Your Excellency? That will require a great deal of money."
Zhang Jin nodded. Xu Qianqian said in an affectionate voice.
"Husband, believe in me. Although our Xu Clan's workshop burned down, if we can deliver the silk to the other merchants on time, we can protect our clan's reputation. That reputation is the Xu Clan's greatest asset. When the time comes, I will use dozens of our shops as collateral and leverage our reputation as the finest silk producers to borrow gold from the Hidden Yuan Society. I will help you secure the position of Vice-Governor of Yanzhou, Your Excellency."
"I trust you."