Zhao Rong was overjoyed, with his heart pounding in his chest.
Sang brought over the tea, which he downed in one go, quite boldly.
The lights were on in the tea shop, which was quite empty at this time. They were seated towards the side of the shop, undisturbed by others.
He took a thread-bound book from Qu Feiyan's hands; he could tell it was made of paper mulberry upon touch, indeed produced by the Official Paper Bureau in Nanchang Prefecture, popular among high-end calligraphy and painting circles.
For example, Xu Wei said in the "Crane Painting Poem": "With paper mulberry as the foundation, the work can be enjoyed for a lifetime."
The meaning is that when paper mulberry is matched with fine ink, the resulting calligraphy and paintings can be appreciated for life.
Zhao Rong shifted the oil lamp on the table towards himself; he saw no inscription on the cover, but upon opening it, he saw elegantly small script and immediately his gaze pierced through the lamp to the smiling Qu Feiyan.
"Your handwriting."
"Of course, I wrote it down. There are stacks of Grandpa's musical scores I could find for you, but don't even think about secret scriptures. From the land under Yan Zhao to Huguang, most of Grandpa's rare scriptures were lost on the way, and he wouldn't care about those things."
"Had I known this earlier, I should have taken custody of them all."
"Grandpa has seen all these, and I've even practiced according to the methods described." Qu Feiyan gave him a reassuring look.
Zhao Rong nodded and grunted in agreement.
He didn't say much, completely absorbed by the text above.
The opening wasn't about divine skills or secret techniques, but straightforwardly recorded the knowledge of meridians.
Every time Zhao Rong practiced the Muscle-Tendon Change Scripture and the Sinew-Cleansing Scripture, he would get stuck at these parts, baffled and confused.
Without explicit annotations, he could not successfully channel Inner Strength through the complete cycle and could only forcefully practice according to Zen meditation postures.
He had also studied the meridian and acupoint charts from bookshops and martial arts schools, and even inquired with traditional physicians at medical halls, but the explanations were either conflicting or not related to his field of practice.
But now...
The book in his hand was like a shining golden key, about to unlock the bottleneck, open the gate, and officially embrace that vast new world!
"The Governing Vessel controls all the Yang channels of the body, the Conception Vessel oversees all the Yin channels, the Belt Channel confines the vertical channels, the Yin Heel and Yang Heel vessels govern the Yin and Yang of the left and right sides of the body, the Yin Link and Yang Link channels involve the interior and exterior Yin and Yang of the body..."
"The method of circulating and replenishing qi: When the qi of the twelve meridians is excessive, it is stored in the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. When the qi and blood of the twelve meridians are insufficient, they are replenished from the surplus in the Eight Extraordinary Meridians."
"..."
"When qi accumulates, strength naturally increases, when qi is abundant, strength naturally circulates. If it fails to circulate completely, and the mind races outward, dispersing to the limbs, not only will the exterior fail to be fortified, but the interior will also not be solid, thus neither will be in a good place."
"How wonderful!"
...
Zhao Rong was engrossed like a madman, immersed in this new realm.
Qu Feiyan, puzzled, stared straight at him.
"What's the matter with Rong?"
"He's only looking at the practice insights taught by Grandpa, devoid of any divine techniques. Why does he look as if he's found a treasure?"
She was even a little worried that the young man was possessed.
But without practicing the mental method, there was no reason for possession to occur.
It wasn't until Zhao Rong suddenly exhaled a breath, forcing the flame in the lamp to a point and extinguishing it on the spot.
Plunged into darkness, he could no longer see the words on the page, and only then did he come to his senses.
Qu Feiyan drew out a fire starter and lit the lamp again; Zhao Rong realized he had ignored the young lady, and looked at her with an apologetic expression.
"Rong, is this what you wanted?"
"Yes, to me, this book is like a rare treasure," Zhao Rong liked to tell the truth.
"It's not that precious." The young lady felt embarrassed by his words and waved her hands dismissively.
"Hehe, it differs from person to person," Zhao Rong said.
Filled with relief, his smile continuous, Zhao Rong's gaze towards Qu Feiyan seemed to carry a beauty filter, finding her even more adorable.
He bowed to her in thanks, "I am grateful to Feifei. Many of the perplexities that have troubled me for a long time are now mostly resolved."
"Good brother, there's no need to be so courteous," she said.
"It's just a small effort."
Qu Feiyan became curious again, "But you mentioned most of your doubts are resolved, what about the rest?"
"Mostly the specific locations of some acupoints."
"What's so difficult about that?"
The young lady extended a finger like a sword in front of his eyes, "Just learn one Internal Acupoint skill, and you'll be able to identify the acupoints accurately."
Zhao Rong quickly flipped through the book.
Unfortunately, he could not find any Acupoint skills.
Qu Feiyan saw his disappointment and her eyes crinkled with amusement.
In front of the dimly-lit lamp, her clear and pleasant voice rang out:
"The principle is clear in the Midday-Midnight Flow, the Ling Gui Ba Fa determines the time division."
"Sixty-six fatal acupoints are precisely fixed, Yin and Yang jointly work, and their changes are ingenious."
"..."
"My grandfather taught me the most about the Acupoint Skill, but unfortunately, it needs to be combined with Inner Strength. Feifei's Inner Strength is weak, but I know all the basic principles and essential points of the Internal Acupoint Skill,"
The little girl was quite dissatisfied with the skeptical look Zhao Rong gave her, and immediately recited the "Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian Acupoint Skill" and the "Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian Acupoint Skill" in front of him.
She stood beside Zhao Rong, exclaimed "Excuse me," and then pointed her sword fingers to various points on his body.
"Zhongfu, Yunmen, Tianfu!"
"Xiabai, Cize, Kongzui exist, Lieque, Jingqu, Taiyuan step."
"Yuji, Shaoshang like a leek leaf."
In the blink of an eye, Qu Feiyan pointed at eleven acupoints on Zhao Rong's Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.
Zhao Rong was taken aback.
He only felt a series of feeble forces striking his acupoints, but they were blocked by the mighty Inner Strength within him, leaving only a tickling sensation.
The Acupoint Technique not only requires recognizing acupoints but also finding the precise locations.
Qu Feiyan acted continuously, hitting all eleven acupoints precisely.
She was only ten years old.
Is this what a genius is?
…
While he was still amazed, he didn't see Qu Feiyan on the side, rubbing her right fingertips with her left hand, looking at Zhao Rong with an equally astonished gaze.
Ouch, that hurts.
Those from the martial arts school said Rong was new to training, so how could he possess such fierce Inner Strength, to scatter all of my inner breath.
He was only fifteen years old.
Is this the genius Grandpa spoke of?
Despite being young, Qu Feiyan felt a closeness to Zhao Rong, but she couldn't help having a competitive spirit.
After pointing out the eleven acupoints, she had many reflections.
…
The two talents, one older and one younger, sat opposite each other in front of the teahouse's oil lamp. Qu Feiyan, without holding back, shared all her knowledge about the Acupoint Technique.
But the content was ample, starting from the basics, it was extremely time-consuming.
Zhao Rong thought the little girl was exceptionally brilliant. Such complex knowledge of meridians and acupoints flowed from her without any hesitation.
Qu Feiyan, meanwhile, thought Zhao Rong learned extremely fast, wondering what his brain was made of.
The teahouse owner, Sang, had sent away several groups of customers, yet the two of them were still there.
If it weren't for Zhao Rong saying he'd buy his shop, Sang would have closed up and sent him away long ago.
It was deep into the time of Hai.
A slightly aged yet very gentle voice came from outside the teahouse.
"Feifei."
Qu Feiyan murmured, "Grandpa's here."
She immediately covered her mouth with her little hand and whispered in secret, "Rong, Grandpa worries about implicating you, so he won't meet you for now. Don't misunderstand."
"Understood."
"Over time, there will be a chance."
"Mhm."
The lesson on the Acupoint Technique wasn't finished, and they agreed to continue next time.
Zhao Rong rushed to the doorway in time to see a lean figure in black, leading Qu Feiyan into a building along the side of the street.
Although he was from the Demon Cult, immersed in music and seeking high mountains and flowing waters, his identity was now awkward, ensnared by the mundane world, rejected by both the righteous and the wicked.
But this is the way of the martial world.
"Mundane affairs are like tides and people like water, only to sigh how few return to the Jianghu."
Wanting to leave, it's never that simple.
Zhao Rong shook his head slightly, aware that he was now entangled with this grandfather and granddaughter.
As for the so-called views of sects and the division of good and evil, he never had a sense of reverence.
Feeling the booklets the little girl had left in his pocket, he felt even more confident.
"Sang, thanks for your trouble. Here's the deposit,"
Sang, who had been sleepy-eyed, perked up a bit when he saw the silver ingot Zhao Rong left behind.
Watching Zhao Rong's brisk steps as he left,
Sang leaned on the teahouse table and snuffed out the lamp outside.
In the dimness, a murmuring voice passed through:
"Flowers may bloom again, but people never regain their youth."
…