Chapter 65 065 "How could someone who's truly incompetent be in Qing Shi Town..."
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The next day.
A small massage parlor.
As dawn broke, the streets were still deserted, save for the chirping of birds and insects. From the depths of the quiet street, the familiar sounds emanated from the half-open doors of shops.
Before dawn, Jiang Ling'er had already begun her daily morning exercises.
In front of her was a row of freshly brewed, steaming tea, and beside her was Uncle Shui, who was propping his head up with one hand, dozing off in a daze.
Uncle Shui said he was old and not very energetic, and he couldn't teach anyone. Every morning, he relied on a cup of hot tea to wake him up. If she could shake the lid off the cup with one hand without disturbing the water inside, that would be considered a success.
Whether we can have this cup of hot tea today depends on her.
It's easier said than done. This isn't like chopping wood, where you can just use brute force. She needs to be completely focused and precise. The Thunder Palm technique emphasizes speed and overwhelming momentum, but she needs to mobilize all her internal energy to retain only the momentum, striking like the wind, shaking open a cup lid without moving the person... What exquisite skill this is!
She had failed several times in the past few days, either breaking teacups all over the floor or getting hot water splashed all over herself. However, after many sleepless nights and days, including controlling her internal energy through breathing exercises, she was confident that she would succeed today!
She said the same thing to Uncle Shui yesterday, and even made a promise to him! She had hoped to get a good night's sleep and show off her skills to Uncle Shui today, but unexpectedly, the little poisoner went crazy all night...
Sweat beaded on her skin like hot wax, and seemingly displeased with her turning her head away, a large, slender hand gripped her chin, pulling her face back until their sweaty foreheads met. Dark eyes locked onto her, and a hoarse voice murmured:
Do you know who's inside you right now?
The tea lid trembled with a hum, splashing out half a cup of tea!
Uncle Shui was halfway through a nap when he was startled awake.
Jiang Ling'er shuddered, abruptly withdrawing her inner force from her palms. Instead, she patted her face with both hands, trying to clear her mind. "Jiang Ling'er, I can't think about this anymore!!!"
Jiang Ling'er could feel her cheeks slightly flushed... thankfully, Uncle Shui couldn't see! She took a deep breath, trying her best to ignore the soreness and numbness all over her body, especially in her waist and chest, and slowly exhaled. She then made a graceful gesture with both hands, channeling her energy into her palms towards the half-closed teacup on the table—
At the same time, Uncle Shui's gentle, admonishing voice rang in my ears:
"The highest good is like water, which benefits all things without striving. It changes shape and adapts easily, overcoming the strong with the weak. Remember, what you should learn is not me, but water..."
A nasty, hoarse laugh suddenly exploded in my mind.
[…So much water.]
Jiang Ling'er's palm trembled slightly, and a gust of wind was sent out.
A piercingly sharp, minute cracking sound rang out.
The teacup suddenly shattered!
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Jiang Ling'er remained frozen in place for a long while, still in the posture of striking out, and then... she almost burst into tears:
"Uncle Shui, I'm sure I'll succeed tomorrow..."
"good."
Jiang Ling'er paused, then looked up abruptly, wondering if she had misheard. She watched as Uncle Shui picked up the tea lid with one hand, and the lid turned to dust in mid-air, while the tea itself, though covered in cracks, remained intact.
Jiang Ling'er stared blankly as Uncle Shui picked up the tea and drank it all in one gulp. Only when he saw the teacup placed back on the table intact did he breathe a sigh of relief.
After taking a sip of hot tea, he felt completely refreshed. Uncle Shui rubbed his back, yawned lazily, and slowly strolled back to the inner room. As he brushed past Jiang Ling'er, he suddenly said:
"You can leave when the plum blossoms bloom at the end of the month."
Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned around: "Uncle Shui... are you trying to get rid of me? Today... today was an accident! I promise I won't slack off tomorrow..."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Shui smiled and shook his head: "You don't owe me anything."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er's long eyelashes trembled, the words she hadn't finished catching in her throat, and she stood silently in place.
"Teaching a disciple can starve the master, and besides, you're not my disciple. I have nothing more to teach you... Let's go." Uncle Shui, who was blind, looked in her direction, his eyes crinkling with laughter. He patted her shoulder and sighed, "Let's go."
Jiang Ling'er was completely stunned, unaware that Uncle Shui had left.
After a long, long time, he rubbed his lower back, gritted his teeth, and cursed under his breath:
"It's all that brat's fault!"
--
"Hey, you've got a really strong grip, girl! Ouch, go easy on me! You're hurting me!"
Jiang Ling'er paused, then quickly withdrew her hand, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Qin Xiangyu, who was lying prone on the couch, turned her head and glared at her coquettishly:
"What are you thinking about? Why are you so absent-minded? Could it be... you're missing some young master?"
Jiang Ling'er immediately shook her head, then remembered something and hurriedly asked about the existence of the Little Immortal Taoist.
She hadn't expected that after just a few days together, she would feel a pang of reluctance to leave Qing Shi Town. But just as Uncle Shui had said, it was time for her to go. She had stayed in Qing Shi Town for too long; she still had so many things to do, and it was time to leave.
As expected, Qin Xiangyu was unaware of the existence of the carefree little immortal Taoist priest.
Could it be... that Yang Dalang lied to her?
Otherwise, why would no one know? In this world... in this world, there is no such thing as a carefree little immortal Taoist priest!
But if it weren't for the little immortal Taoist priest, and the clues were lost, where would she go?
"By the way, why don't you ask Pei Xuan?"
Jiang Ling'er's thoughts were interrupted, and she didn't even realize who "Pei Xuan" was for a moment.
Pei Xuan is that scoundrel Taoist priest who runs a small stall opposite the massage parlor.
Qin Xiangyu rested her chin on her hand and muttered:
"Whether he's a smelly Taoist priest or a fragrant Taoist priest, he's still a Taoist priest, no matter how big or small. I just don't know which Taoist temple he's from, but besides the Lingxiao Sect... there aren't any other Taoist temples around here, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ling'er's previously dejected almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up, and she slapped her forehead:
"That's right, how come I didn't think of that!"
Pei Xuan, who was several miles away, suddenly sneezed!
However, Jiang Ling'er's happiness didn't last long, and her brows furrowed:
"But I haven't seen that stinky Taoist priest in a long time. It's like he suddenly disappeared... Strange."
Qin Xiangyu was also puzzled:
"As far as I know, Master Pei has been performing a divination every day in Qing Shi Town for three years. Except for the time he went south to Jinling to attend the old镖头's birthday banquet, he hasn't left Qing Shi Town. How come he suddenly disappeared again..."
Jiang Ling'er was stunned for a moment upon hearing this: "He went to Jinling? And... and even attended the old镖头's birthday banquet?"
"Jiang Leilong, the old head of the number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the world, invited heroes from all over the world to his birthday banquet. If I hadn't been busy arranging the funeral for my short-lived ex-husband at the time, I would have gone to join in the fun and broaden my horizons."
……Too.
My father's birthday banquet invited people from all walks of life, regardless of their social status or family background. It was not unusual for anyone to appear at the banquet.
Jiang Ling'er muttered to herself, no wonder he said he seemed to have seen her somewhere before... After all, Jinling is neither too big nor too small, she probably met her once at the World's Number One Escort, but she just forgot.
Jiang Ling'er thought for a moment, then couldn't help but ask about the incident when she first met Qin Xiangyu, and how Qin Xiangyu chased Pei Xuan with a rolling pin.
Actually, she had wanted to ask this for a long time.
"Oh, you want to talk about that?" Qin Xiangyu said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. The simple gesture was incredibly alluring. She sighed softly, "My life is so hard! Three husbands have died, and I'm looking for a fourth… I finally found one, a bit older, but tall, handsome, and from a wealthy family. He's a widower… We were about to get married, so I went to that stinky Taoist priest for a divination to bring good luck. But that stinky priest has a sharp tongue and keeps saying I'm destined to be a widow, causing me all sorts of trouble! I have to teach him a lesson!"
Qin Xiangyu spoke with a murderous look on her face, which even made Jiang Ling'er shiver. But she couldn't understand why everyone believed in this scoundrel Taoist priest, who was clearly a charlatan, greedy, lecherous, stingy, and terrible at martial arts.
This is weird.
Although Qin Xiangyu's face still held a murderous aura upon hearing this, she smiled and shook her head:
"How could someone who's truly incompetent thrive in Qing Shi Town?"
Jiang Ling'er paused upon hearing this, then curled her lip, unconvinced. She was filled with disdain, thinking, "They're being chased and beaten, yet they seem to be thriving!"
On Mount Dagu, at the Lingxiao Sect, Pei Xuan, who was mentioned, sneezed three times in a row!
yawn!
yawn!
Haa~~~~Yawn!
His phoenix eyes instantly welled up with tears. He was already tall and slender with unparalleled good looks. His sky-blue Taoist robe fluttered in the wind, giving him a truly ethereal air.
The young men standing on either side of Pei Xuan were also dressed in sky-blue Taoist robes. Unlike the young man with his bright phoenix eyes and elegant bearing, they were all handsome, one more so than the other.
The boy on the left was noticeably more composed and quickly asked, "Uncle-Master, have you caught a cold?"
He is Wen Cheng'an, the eldest disciple of one of the Seven Sons of Lingxiao.
The seven of them traveled the world, and having heard the news the day before, they had driven six horses to their deaths, but today they have all rushed back.
Pei Xuan waved his hand. He was fine until he spoke, then all his composure vanished. He seemed extremely cold, shivering as he hugged his arms and glanced at him.
"It's just a cold snap in early spring, it's nothing to worry about. Did you find the person?"
However, the boy on the right, Gan Zishi, the fourth disciple of the Seven Sons of Lingxiao, couldn't help but grit his teeth and answer first:
"That damned flower thief is so cunning and meticulous! He seems to know we're following him, and he's disguised himself multiple times... yet he still managed to escape!"
Pei Xuan didn't seem to take it to heart and chuckled lightly.
"Keep an eye on it."
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The little poisoner has started going out early and returning late again since last night.
Jiang Ling'er was tending the oil lamp, waiting for this scoundrel to return so she could settle accounts! If it weren't for his reckless behavior last night... how could she have failed in front of Uncle Shui!
But he couldn't wait any longer and fell asleep on the table.
Half-asleep, she felt the ghostly fire enveloping her, and then she was lifted up by a pair of strong arms. She knew it was the little poisoner who had returned, but she was too sleepy to open her eyes, so she had no choice but to let him go.
She tilted her head to the side and nestled in his arms, falling into a deep sleep.
The little poisoner carried Jiang Ling'er horizontally, placed her on the couch, covered her with a quilt, stroked Jiang Ling'er's face with his fingertips, and then, with swift and sharp finger techniques, pressed Jiang Ling'er's sleeping acupoint as usual.
Then, under the moonlight, he went out again.
I don't know when it started, but it started snowing outside again.
The candlelight in the room was dim. Jiang Ling'er frowned and suddenly opened her eyes.
Unbeknownst to Jiang Ling'er, after a period of guidance from Uncle Shui, she never forgot to breathe and circulate her internal energy even in her sleep. In addition, she incorporated the acupoint techniques taught by Master Lu, and thus she unknowingly broke through her acupoints.
She rubbed her hair, still a little dazed, not knowing how long she had slept. She glanced at the empty space beside her, the mattress without a single crease, clearly the little poisoner hadn't returned... No, she clearly felt him return. If he hadn't, then who had carried her to bed?
But why did you come back and then leave again?
Where can one go in the middle of the night?
Jiang Ling'er was completely baffled. She had noticed the little poisonous creature's strange behavior recently, but she simply chose not to investigate further.
Especially noticeable was the unburied footprints on the snow that could be seen through the window frame.
As if possessed, she put on her coat and followed the footprints.
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The shoe prints stretched across a street corner and then disappeared.
But that didn't stop her from finding it—
Ghost Market.
The usually quiet and desolate town of Qing Shi, where everything was white, had completely changed.
The streetlights flickered like will-o'-the-wisps, and passersby brushed shoulders and elbows, all wearing various kinds of ghost masks. For a moment, she felt as if she had entered a bizarre and surreal world where a hundred ghosts roamed at night.
Jiang Ling'er was forced to stumble along with the crowd. She didn't know how long she had walked, and gradually she couldn't even find the way she came. Looking around, she caught a glimpse of a familiar, cold face out of the corner of her eye...
Little poison!
"Small……"
She stared intently, and just as she was about to shout, the little poisonous creature turned around and revealed a completely different, unfamiliar face. Jiang Ling'er was startled and stood frozen in place. When she looked again, the person had already disappeared behind a large number of masks of gods, ghosts, and oxen.
Suddenly, she shuddered. The instant the Netherfire was withdrawn, Jiang Ling'er snapped back to reality, thinking to herself:
Oh no! A bamboo flute!
Sure enough, the bamboo flute tucked at her waist fell to the ground amidst the crowd, rolling further and further away from her.
"My bamboo flute!"
Jiang Ling'er quickly bent down to pick it up. The bamboo flute was too important to her, and there were so many people around. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and even used the leg techniques that Master Ma had taught her. In the blink of an eye, she had trampled on the feet of all the monsters and demons around her!
A chorus of cries of pain rose and fell. By the time Jiang Ling'er got the bamboo flute, a group of demons and monsters had already surrounded her, glaring at her angrily!
"Um... I'm really sorry..."
Jiang Ling'er clutched the bamboo flute tightly and gave an embarrassed smile. As the group of demons and monsters pressed her closer, she tightened and loosened her right hand in her sleeve, gathering strength in her palm just as she was about to strike. Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist and she started running wildly!
Not only did the surrounding demons and monsters not notice, but Jiang Ling'er was also forced to run wildly before she could react. This person was obviously very familiar with the ghost market. By the time Jiang Ling'er came to her senses, she had been dragged into a dark alley and left the people behind her far behind.
The newcomer was tall and slender, a full head taller than her. He wore an ugly demon mask and looked at her quietly with his head slightly lowered.
Jiang Ling'er tensed up involuntarily, her back pressed tightly against the wall behind her, her hands clenched into fists hidden in her sleeves...
Suddenly, he blinked, staring intently at the two deep eyes on her mask.
"It's me."
A familiar voice, and a familiar—
For some reason, a pair of phoenix eyes flashed through her mind—eyes she had once carefully observed through the window frame.
Jiang Ling'er paused, stunned.
Seeing no reaction, the person in front of him hurriedly said, "It's me!" The mask was removed, revealing a familiar, fair-skinned, handsome face with a playful smile and phoenix eyes. "I am..."
"You shameless, scoundrel Taoist priest!"
Jiang Ling'er's eyes shone brightly, and she even couldn't help but jump a little.
Pei Xuan's smile froze for a moment, but seeing those unusually bright almond-shaped eyes... he gave a soft "hmm" as a response.
But I couldn't resist the urge, and my hands started itching again.
He pushed the mask up with two fingers, loosely pressing it against his forehead. He leaned down, one hand on Jiang Ling'er's cheek, pressing close to her. Strands of his hair fell onto her shoulder, tickling her. His voice carried a smug chuckle, his eyes crinkling like a fox eyeing the startled magpie before him.
"What, are you so happy to see me?"
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-03-02 21:31:38 and 2024-03-04 21:46:41!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Radio Station (20 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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