The night passed peacefully.
The next day, at Chen Shi (7:00-9:00 AM).
When Lian Yue woke up, it was raining again outside. She dressed, washed up, and had breakfast, but didn’t see Shao Qing, so she returned to her tent to meditate.
This world was dangerous.
If her martial prowess could be higher, perhaps she would have more assurance for her own safety.
However, after meditating for a long time, the inner force in her body couldn’t complete a full circulation. Compared to the smooth flow when Yuan Jing had guided her energy last time, her meridians seemed blocked by something, causing the inner force to move in fits and starts.
If only someone could guide her in energy cultivation.
Lian Yue sighed.
Having no talent for martial arts was so difficult, so discouraging.
While lost in self-pity, she heard footsteps approaching and stopping outside her tent.
Shao Qing said, “Moon Consort, are you available to come out and talk?”
Hearing this, Lian Yue stood up and exited the tent, discovering the rain had stopped and everything around was damp.
Today Shao Qing was still wearing his blue robe, with a sword hanging at his waist. He stood casually with arms crossed, a smiling expression on his face: “I sent a letter to Xiang City last night and just received a reply. Xuan Yao said A Quan and A Jing have both left the city to look for you. They should arrive by evening.”
Lian Yue hung her head, looking quite uncomfortable, her voice muffled: “Am I a big trouble? Always making people worry about me.”
Her hair was loose, with stray strands sticking to her cheeks, making her appear fragile and pitiful.
Shao Qing looked down and saw her ears twitching slightly, the earlobes round and full, looking very biteable.
His Adam’s apple moved as he shifted his gaze to a distant rock. Patting Lian Yue’s shoulder, he raised an eyebrow: “Indeed, you’re a big trouble.”
Lian Yue: “Huh?”
Not only did he not comfort her, but he bluntly admitted what she said, leaving her no room to continue the conversation.
Shao Qing asked: “Have you eaten?”
Lian Yue nodded: “I have.”
He said: “Good. The river isn’t far from here. Come fishing with me.”
Fishing was boring – she’d rather meditate in the tent.
Just as Lian Yue was thinking how to refuse, she stole a glance at him and suddenly changed her mind.
She had heard that Shao Qing’s divination talent was discovered when he was seven, that he was appointed State Preceptor at thirteen, and that after the previous emperor passed away and Zhang Miao seized control of the court, he resigned and left the capital to travel everywhere.
In Wan City, for some reason – perhaps something Gu Quan and Yuan Jing said to him – he had stayed to help capture the city.
He seemed quite skilled in martial arts too.
Now that she had encountered major difficulties in her training, continuing alone would definitely not work. Why not take advantage of the fishing trip to ask for his guidance, and incidentally inquire about any shortcuts in cultivation.
Ahem.
Mainly because inner force was too difficult to cultivate.
Though Lian Yue had many thoughts running through her mind, only a moment had actually passed. She immediately nodded: “Okay, okay! I’d like to talk with you more too.”
Her eyes curved into smiles as she looked up at Shao Qing with a sweet grin.
Shao Qing was taken aback. Looking down at the young woman who appeared completely unaffected, she seemed unaware that such words, spoken between a man and a woman, could easily be misunderstood.
It also made it hard to guess whether her words were intentional or unintentional.
Shao Qing asked: “Do you speak like this to everyone?”
Lian Yue looked puzzled: “What’s wrong?”
Her face showed innocence, as if she understood nothing, making it impossible to point out what was inappropriate, leaving him feeling unsettled.
How impressive.
Shao Qing curled the corner of his mouth: “It’s nothing, let’s go.”
Lian Yue showed no reaction and obediently followed behind him.
When they reached the outskirts of the camp, Shao Qing had someone bring two fishing rods and some bait, then led the way ahead.
By mid-morning, the sky had cleared after the rain. Sunlight filtered through the withered branches, falling upon both of them.
A thick layer of leaves covered the ground, soft underfoot, occasionally accompanied by the crisp snap of stepping on dry twigs.
Walking behind, Lian Yue pondered how to broach the subject. By the time she collected her thoughts, they had already reached the riverside.
Shao Qing handed her a fishing rod and bait, asking, “Can you handle this yourself?”
Lian Yue: “Mm.”
The river was wide, its surface rippled by the wind, shimmering under the sunlight.
Shao Qing cast his hook into the water, then turned to look at her curiously. “Earlier you said you still wanted to talk with me. What did you plan to say?”
Lian Yue found a rock to sit and rest on. At his question, her expression turned troubled. “The State Preceptor has vast knowledge and experience. Do you know why, when I practice my martial arts, my inner force gets stuck intermittently in my meridians? Yet when Young Master Yuan guided my inner force circulation last time, it flowed smoothly.”
Could it be, as described in those storybooks, that her meridians were actually blocked?
Shao Qing looked surprised. “You can circulate inner force on your own now?”
Lian Yue: “What’s wrong?”
Shao Qing set his fishing rod aside and walked over to stand before the young woman, looking down at her from his height.
“Give me your hand.”
“Huh?”
Before she could react, her left hand was already seized by Shao Qing. The man’s palm was exceptionally scorching, so hot that she instinctively tried to shake off his grip.
Shao Qing said coldly, “Don’t move.”
Lian Yue fell silent: “…”
Fine, she wouldn’t move. No need to be so fierce.
Shao Qing sent his inner force probing toward the young woman’s dantian and indeed found traces of weak inner force retained there.
If he remembered correctly, she had obtained the cultivation method less than a month ago. To be able to circulate inner force on her own in such a short time was simply unbelievable.
No wonder the divination indicated this woman would hold power over the world in the future.
Not only did she possess a face that no man in the world could refuse, but she was also adaptable and ruthless. Even in martial arts, she displayed such remarkable talent. Now that she was willing to use her beauty to beguile others, once she matured, perhaps no one would be able to restrain her.
Seeing him gaze at her with a complex expression, Lian Yue felt a pang of anxiety. His medical skills were renowned—had he detected some hidden ailment in her?
Shao Qing said, “There’s nothing wrong with your body. It’s just that you’ve just begun cultivating, and your inner force is still weak. It’s normal that it can’t clear the meridians yet. Once your inner force strengthens, your circulation will naturally become smooth.”
The young woman breathed a sigh of relief.
She said, “State Preceptor, I have an impertinent request.”
Shao Qing nodded. “Speak.”
Lian Yue said, “Your martial arts must be exceptional. Could you, when you have time, use your inner force to guide my circulation? Each time I meditate, it takes me a whole night to barely complete one cycle. My cultivation is progressing with great difficulty.”
She continued, “But when Young Master Yuan taught me last time, it took less than a quarter of an hour for him to guide my inner force through two cycles. It was truly impressive.”
“That is indeed an impertinent request,” Shao Qing said irritably. “I need to cultivate my own inner force too. Where would I find so much time?”
Hearing this, Lian Yue bit her lip but persisted unwillingly, “Then could you use your inner force to guide me while we cultivate together?”
Before her transmigration, she worked in external relations. She never worried about whether she might be troubling others, only about whether she dared to ask.
What if the other party agreed?
Even if Shao Qing refused, it wouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t kill her over something like this—at most, it would just make him think less of her.
As the weaker party right now, it was only natural to act in her own best interests.
Shao Qing was speechless. “What do you think?”
Seeing that he hadn’t agreed, she cleared her throat and tried to salvage the situation. “Forget it, I’ll go ask Young Master Yuan instead.”
Hearing this, Shao Qing fell silent for a moment. Originally, he had only intended to watch the drama unfold, but for some reason, Lian Yue’s words today felt particularly grating.
Ask him what?
Was it simply guiding her in cultivation, or practicing together?
His gaze shifted to the river, his tone cooling. “Last time, you had no inner force and didn’t know the acupoints. That’s why A Jing guided you through the energy circulation paths. Martial arts isn’t something mastered in a day—it requires gradual accumulation. If you rely on others, how will you ever improve?”
Lian Yue pursed her lips and explained softly, “I feel like every time I complete one cycle of energy circulation, a little more inner force gathers in my dantian. I thought if someone could help guide me, I might develop self-preservation abilities faster. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking clearly and was too forward with the State Preceptor.”
Shao Qing watched as Lian Yue finished speaking, picked up her fishing rod, and turned to face the river. Her profile showed long eyelashes trembling slightly, her entire demeanor radiating a chill that kept others at a distance.
As soon as she realized there was no advantage to be gained, she didn’t even bother pretending.
He snorted coldly. “Do you know that practicing energy circulation together between two people is Dual Cultivation?”
Lian Yue couldn’t hide her surprise. “This is Dual Cultivation?”
She really must have ruined her brain reading novels and watching dramas before transmigrating. She had thought Dual Cultivation required a man and woman to engage in all the intimacies of marriage while circulating their energy.
So…
It was just this?
Shao Qing frowned. “What do you mean, ‘just’?”
The interweaving of both parties’ inner forces within the body was said to be even more intense than physical intimacy. Given their different genders, he truly didn’t know how to explain the reason to her.
It was difficult to put into words.
Lian Yue only cared about one thing. “Does Dual Cultivation, like the stories say, allow for faster growth of inner force?”
Shao Qing snorted. “Compensating for weaknesses with strengths naturally benefits the weaker party more. For someone with abundant inner force, the advantages are negligible.”
Lian Yue understood now. Given that her relationship with Shao Qing wasn’t even friendship, and he had no interest in her, of course he wouldn’t be willing to help.
As for asking Yuan Jing for help…
Even someone as unreliable as Shao Qing found it inappropriate. Someone as aloof, cold, and proud as Yuan Jing probably wouldn’t appreciate her seeking shortcuts.
Ask Gu Quan?
She needed to think about that more.
Lian Yue glanced at Shao Qing’s dantian, then looked at the fishing rod. How could she trick them into willingly helping her increase her inner force faster?
Otherwise, with her meager skills, when would she ever be able to travel the martial world independently without relying on men?
As for what Shao Qing hadn’t said, Lian Yue didn’t dwell on it. It wasn’t like they were doing that kind of thing—what could possibly be so unspeakable?
She didn’t believe it.
Shao Qing saw her focusing on fishing and not speaking anymore, as if she was upset, and said, “Having said that, if it’s just using inner force to guide your energy circulation alone, that would still be possible.”
Lian Yue immediately looked up, her eyes unusually bright. “You agree?”
Shao Qing: “…”
She really knew how to switch expressions.
He let out a light, mocking laugh, seeming to see right through her. “Yes, I agree.”
Lian Yue was also surprised that Shao Qing had agreed to her request. Upon hearing his words, she immediately set down her fishing rod, rose to stand beside him, and smiled sweetly: “Then can we try it now?”
To test whether it would work.
Shao Qing lowered his gaze to the maiden’s lovely face, then let his eyes drift downward to her shoulders. Instantly, the glaring white from that rainy night flashed through his mind.
After a moment of silence.
He cleared his throat: “No need to rush, we’re still fishing.”
Lian Yue asked again in a soft, pleading voice: “After you catch a fish later, can we try it then?”
She was so eager to improve.