"This is probably because the secret realm is too large, and once someone has entered it, it has been closed off," Li Chongyi guessed.
"Perhaps it's due to the secret realm itself. The next time it opens, everything inside returns to its original state. That's why we can't take the box with us," Xiangli Yanran said. Her eyes widened as she spoke, showing that women are naturally very interested in gossip and guessing other people's secrets.
"We know nothing about the secret realm. Wei Liaozi didn't leave any clues except for how to open it."
"Sister Qin, over the years, how many copies of Lu Ban's Secret Manual have you obtained? If so, we'd like to exchange them," Xiangli Yanran asked.
“There are many fragments of these scrolls from the secret realm, but they cover a wide range of topics, and there are only fragments of some of them. Therefore, there are not many that are purely about one subject,” Qin Yue replied, shaking her head.
"Sigh!" Xiangli Yanran sighed in disappointment, her little head drooping down.
"Didn't Gongshu Ban lose to Mozi several times? Why do you still want to see Lu Ban's Secret Records?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
“Gongshu Ban is indeed slightly inferior to the Grand Master, but that is in comparison to the Grand Master. For us, he is still very skilled,” Xiangli Yanran said.
"Brother Qin Mu, you know quite a bit about our Mo family. These legends are known to very few outsiders except for Mo family disciples. Even among Mo family disciples, most people don't know them, since they are just legends from a long time ago." Xiangli Yanran then opened her eyes wide and asked with renewed interest.
"Hehe, I've read a lot of books, including many miscellaneous books and fragments, so I know some of the legends," Qin Mu said with a smile.
"Hehe! How much is 'not a lot'? Brother Qin Mu, you're exaggerating a bit," Li Chongyi said with a forced smile.
In his view, how many books could someone who wasn't a disciple of a major family or sect have? Therefore, he thought he had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Qin Mu wouldn't indulge him, and said confidently, "Although I can't claim to be a scholar of great learning, I have read countless books. I wonder how many books the young prince, born into one of the five noble families, has read?"
"I study military strategy, and I have no interest in reading ordinary books. Otherwise, the imperial library would have more than ten thousand volumes," Li Chongyi said arrogantly, a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh! 'Wu Zi,' 'San Lue,' 'Liu Tao,' 'Sima Fa,' and 'Yin Fu Jing,' I wonder which ones the young prince has read? 'Sun Tzu's Art of War,' 'Sun Bin's Art of War,' and how well have you studied 'Tai Gong'?" Qin Mu opened his eyes wide and asked, feigning admiration.
“These are all treasures from various families. I have some knowledge of the Six Secret Teachings and the Three Strategies, and Sun Tzu’s Art of War. I have also read a few fragments of Taigong’s and Sima’s works. Could it be that you, Young Master Qin, have read them as well?” Li Chongyi said with a cold expression.
"I'm sorry, although I haven't read the whole book, I have read what's mentioned here," Qin Mu replied confidently.
"Heh, I've read a fragment of a scroll, just a few dozen words, that counts as reading it," Li Chongyi sneered.
"I have indeed read the entire Thirty-Six Stratagems, Taigong's Golden Chest, the Plain Book, and the Woqi Classic. As for the others, I would say I have read them all, but I have read at least more than just a line or two," Qin Mu said with a faint smile.
“Impossible, you’re lying! Since you’ve read so many military books, how could you not understand the principles of military formations?” Li Chongyi said with certainty.
"Heh! I've read quite a few medical books, but does that mean I can cure diseases? I've also read quite a few agricultural books, but I don't know how to farm; I've also read the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, but I'm not knowledgeable in astronomy or geography," Qin Mu said with a mocking expression.
"I don't know if Brother Huaidao knows how to farm, but he knows a lot about agriculture," Qin Yue exclaimed.
"I'm just talking theory on paper," Qin Mu said modestly.
This is entirely thanks to the profound meanings of the ancients. Many ancient books only have a few hundred or a few thousand words, which he read quickly. However, since he was not interested in most of them, he did not study them. But as long as he thought about them, he could remember them.
Qin Mu only mentioned military books from before the Tang Dynasty; he didn't even mention the ten or so military books from after the Tang Dynasty.
"Wow! Brother Qin Mu is so amazing!" Xiangli Yanran exclaimed.
"I just skimmed through it; I only read it without really understanding it," Qin Mu said with a look of shame.
Qin Yue believed him because, according to the information, Qin Mu was self-taught and had a collection of books at home, but no teacher.
“Your brother Qin Mu is a genius. He became a Confucian scholar through self-study without any teacher to guide him.”
"Miss Qin, you flatter me. It is true that I am self-taught, but I have had many people guide me along the way. Otherwise, I would not know how to become a Confucian scholar. Take your brother, for example, he has been a great help to me," Qin Mu said sincerely.
"That's my younger brother!" Qin Yue reminded him seriously.
Knowing that the two siblings had never stopped arguing about this issue, Qin Mu smiled but didn't say anything.
"It's alright! Brother Qin Mu, you're still young. As long as you calm down and study slowly, you'll eventually understand it completely," Xiangli Yanran comforted her.
You must understand that knowledge is wealth. Many books are kept secret by each family and are even related to the family's inheritance. What is circulated in the world is only published for the purpose of spreading the teachings and cannot be considered a secret knowledge.
Li Chongyi had no way to refute Qin Mu's words, because some of the things Qin Mu said were things he had never even heard of before. Moreover, seeing how much Yanran and Qin Yue believed him, even though he was unhappy, he could only endure it because Qin Mu was furious.
Seeing Li Chongyi's sullen appearance, Qin Mu felt a sense of satisfaction. As for whether he was worried about retaliation, he didn't need to care too much. Although Li Xiaogong was a member of the imperial family, Qin Qiong was not weak either, and no one would provoke him over such a trivial matter.
That's right, it was just a small matter. In Qin Mu's eyes, Li Chongyi was nothing more than a petty, immature brat. You can't spoil brats, or they'll take advantage of you. Qin Mu understood this a long time ago and had even made a few kids cry before. Of course, he didn't necessarily pay the price with a spanking.
Seeing that Li Chongyi was unhappy, the three of them, though not particularly concerned, lost interest in chatting.
"Little girl, what's wrong?" Qin Mu asked with concern as he looked at Xiangli Yanran, who was sitting listlessly with her head down.
"I'm out of pine nuts," Xiangli Yanran said, pouting as if she was about to cry.
This answer was both funny and exasperating. They had thought there was some other reason. Qin Mu and Qin Yue exchanged a smile, and Qin Mu said, "There's nothing I can do about it. There's nothing to eat in the secret realm except for Bigu Pills."
"Yanran was kidnapped when she was little. She was taken to a place outside the Great Wall. She didn't eat for three days and almost starved to death, so she likes to eat snacks." Qin Yue said, patting Yanran's head with heartache in her eyes.
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