After washing up, Li Xi was lying on the bed with her legs crossed, while Meng Zhelan and Ling'er went back to their own rooms. She took out the booklet that Old Master Sun had given her from under her pillow. The blue cover was somewhat worn, but the contents were simple and easy to understand; she finished reading it in the time it takes to drink three cups of tea—it wasn't very long. Putting the booklet down, she began practicing the exercises following the instructions.
By adjusting the frequency and depth of breathing, one can control the flow of qi and blood within the body. Sit cross-legged, straighten your body, relax your shoulders, and let your body unwind before beginning to practice the breathing technique. She quickly grasped the essentials. Although the original owner possessed internal energy, Li Xi hadn't studied systematic internal energy cultivation, so her use of internal energy was always somewhat reckless and impulsive, failing to unleash its full potential.
Next, Li Xi began meditation and introspection to deepen her understanding of her inner world. Meditation is a method to clarify thoughts; through meditation, one can better understand their inner thoughts and emotions, thereby better controlling their emotions and mindset. Introspection, on the other hand, is a method to observe the flow of Qi and blood within the body; through introspection, one can better understand the condition and reactions of their body, thereby better controlling their body.
Li Xi got up and did a set of radio calisthenics as a warm-up exercise, and then practiced a set of boxing techniques, which can enhance physical coordination and reaction ability, improve the body's immunity, and at the same time help to better control her body and emotions.
After all that, Li Xi felt completely refreshed; the fatigue from running errands that day had vanished, and she was brimming with energy. Feeling ready, Li Xi planned to sleep, but she couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning, feeling incredibly energetic. She decided to get up and go for a run.
Donning his black training clothes, Li Xi quietly opened the door and went out. A few drunkards were still causing a ruckus on the street, and a few lanterns were still dimly lit; the tavern was still brightly lit. A few people were still clinking glasses, their voices urging each other to drink. Li Xi ran towards the riverbank, where several boats adorned with colorful lanterns were moored. The ribbons and red silks made the boats flamboyant; these must be boats used for drinking and carousing in ancient times? It was unbelievable that people were drinking and carousing by the river in this freezing weather. Tsk tsk tsk, indeed, from ancient times to the present, the true nature of men has never changed.
As Li Xi ran, she kept an eye out for anything gossipy about inside the flower boats. The path along the river was brightened by the boats, preventing her from getting lost. After running back and forth for about ten miles, Li Xi was sweating. She passed the first flower boat again, where a man and a woman stood facing each other at the bow. She could vaguely make out their graceful figures. Unfortunately, they were too far away to hear what they were saying. The man's lips seemed to be slightly upturned. When Li Xi reached the front of the flower boat and saw the man on board, she was speechless for a moment.
It was Qin Xiaolin. Who would have thought this seemingly humble and polite scion of a noble family would be out enjoying himself on a pleasure boat? And look at the woman beside him—a stunning beauty, breathtakingly gorgeous. Her skin was like jade, her complexion like ice and snow, her green hair cascading down her back… truly a beauty that could topple kingdoms, the most beautiful woman of all time.
No wonder the young master of the Duke's mansion came late at night.
Tsk tsk tsk, Li Xi quickened her pace and ran away. She needed to get out of there quickly to avoid running into Qin Xiaolin; if he knew she'd stumbled upon his romantic escapades, he'd probably be furious. Time to slip away...
Running to a secluded intersection, just as she was about to detour back, she saw a man in black climb over the wall and jump into the courtyard. Climbing the wall so suspiciously late at night—he must be up to no good. Li Xi couldn't tolerate such despicable behavior. She then quietly jumped onto the wall herself. Using the darkness as cover, she saw the man in black approach a room with a candlelight, poking a hole in the window paper with something, and blowing on it. Could this be a sleeping potion? A burglary, robbery, or something else?
A short while later, the man pushed open the door and went inside, then quietly closed it behind him. Li Xi jumped down from the wall and walked towards the room, peering through the hole the man had poked in it. It really was a womanizer; the man had already removed his mask, revealing a truly ugly and smelly man.
The woman had been drugged and was lying face down on the table. The man reached out to hug her, but Li Xi could no longer bear it. She put on a special mask, kicked open the door, and startled the man in black, causing him to accidentally drop the woman to the ground.
"Who are you? How did you get in?" the man stammered in panic. "You ugly wretch with your skinny frame, trying to seduce women?" Li Xi was furious. "Seduce what? This is my wife. I haven't even said you trespassed. Get out of here right now, or I'll call the authorities." "Hmph, go ahead and call the authorities right now, you trashy dinosaur! Bah! I saw you climb over the wall the moment I saw you, using sleeping powder, shameless!" Li Xi, enraged, strode forward and slapped the man several times, instantly causing his cheeks to swell and turn red.
Enraged, the man pulled out a knife from his pocket and charged at Li Xi, yelling, "You son of a bitch, you dare interfere in my business? You're asking for death!" Before he could even get close, Li Xi kicked him against the wall, sending him howling in pain. He stammered, "You, you, you," unable to utter a word for a long time.
Li Xi took a few strips of cloth from the basket beside the woman, rolled them up, and with a pull, they became a strong rope-like binding. Li Xi knocked the man unconscious with a single blow and tied him up. He then quietly left. The woman seemed to have fallen asleep at the table, exhausted from doing handicrafts. If her family found out, they would likely harbor suspicion. In ancient times, people were conservative; if a woman was held by a man late at night, even her parents would consider her impure. Although not everyone thought this way, it was better to be cautious just in case.
Li Xi carried the unconscious man to the yamen (government office) and pounded on the door until the night watchman came out cursing. Li Xi threw the lecherous thief at the door and ran to hide. "Who is it? Can't you let me sleep at night? Can't you wait until tomorrow?" The yamen watchman, still fuming from being woken up, opened the door but saw no one. Just as he was about to unleash a torrent of abuse, he looked down and saw a man lying on the ground. He held his lantern up to the man and saw that he was bound and had a white cloth hanging over his body that read "Lecherous Thief."
The constables quickly ran inside and called two men, who then carried the lecherous thief inside. Seeing this, Li Xi left reassured. After busying herself for a while, she felt a bit smelly, especially from the dinosaur-like man. Li Xi went back and took another shower before finally lying down peacefully…
Qin Xiaolin had just seen Li Xi and found him quite interesting. In the cold winter, while everyone else was home sleeping on their heated brick beds, he was out running back and forth by the river in the middle of the night. Little did he know that Li Xi considered him a strange character as well. Why would he come here to drink and carouse in the freezing cold? Was he in such a hurry? He didn't know that Li Xi had already categorized him as a lecherous man.
At Baichuan Academy, after much deliberation, Elder Sun finally decided to take another risk. He trusted his judgment; Li Xi was a truly rare martial arts prodigy, and with proper training, he would surely achieve great things. Moreover, the boy was kind, righteous, courageous, resourceful, and quick-witted. His stagnant life seemed to regain its vitality with a new purpose. The old man beside him, seeing Elder Sun's subtle smile, smiled back…
Shen Xu lay in bed, unable to sleep most of the night, seemingly suffering from insomnia. Today, his brother Li radiated light, a constant smile on his face; perhaps he himself longed to be like him. Although he was a son of a marquis, he was only a son of a concubine. His father and mother had painstakingly educated him; his concubine had died when he was young, and his mother had raised him personally, providing him with the same food and drink as his elder brothers. Yet, his status always made him feel inferior, thus lacking self-confidence.
He probably envied Li Xi, envying her ability to do whatever she wanted...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com