Outside Longxing County town.
Not far from the village ahead lay a peach grove. A babbling brook flowed through it, presenting a breathtakingly beautiful scene devoid of worldly dust.
Madam Su sat sideways on a large bluestone by the stream. She pulled up the hem of her skirt, revealing tender white feet that stepped lightly into the water.
A few petals floated on the clear stream, rippling the water and reflecting her exquisite face. A gentle breeze brushed her cheeks, lifting the dark hair on her forehead.
Madam Su stared blankly at her reflection. They had fled in such a hurry that she hadn’t even had time to change her dress.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
Though they had only known each other for a short seven days, she was already very familiar with the person approaching. Without turning her head, she murmured involuntarily:
“Sorry, I want to be alone for a bit.”
“Alright.”
The newcomer smiled and nodded, then reached out to embrace her from behind, sniffing lightly at her neck. “You can be alone for as long as you want.”
How was this letting her be alone? Madam Su wanted to scold him but couldn’t turn her body. Feeling the hot breath flowing across her neck, her body went soft before she could even speak.
This made her want to cry even more. How did she end up like this? She knew the man behind her caused her current predicament, yet she felt no resentment.
They had known each other for less than half a month.
Looking back, the days she spent imprisoned by Chen Haoyan in the main family’s courtyard in the capital seemed less joyful than these past seven days.
“You… you’re bullying me…”
The canary curled up, speaking weakly. “You shameless scoundrel. You harbored ulterior motives from the very beginning, didn’t you?”
“How is that possible!” Wang Ping looked entirely righteous.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t covet women.”
Wang Ping soothed the slightly struggling canary while whispering, “Madam, don’t distort the truth. Listen to your heart—was it my fault?”
Madam Su bit her red lip. Memories of that day flooded her mind, and a blush crept across her fair cheeks. She understood what happened that day; rather than him harboring ulterior motives, she simply couldn’t control her own emotions. But how could she admit such a thing?
“You forced me…” Madam Su’s voice was faint as a mosquito.
Wang Ping didn’t argue. He just smiled. “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. Please don’t blame me, Madam. I’ll make it up to you right now.”
“That’s more like it…” The canary whimpered, wanting to struggle a few more times, but the warm embrace brought her unprecedented peace, even stirring a sense of fatigue.
As long as he was there, she didn’t need to overthink.
Her family property coveted, lacking the strength to bind a chicken, suspected of assassinating the magistrate, and ultimately forced to flee the city overnight… She didn’t want to dwell on any of these things anymore.
Just like last night, when Wang Ping reached out to take her away, she agreed without a hint of hesitation.
Perhaps from that moment on, she stopped overthinking.
Her body relaxed further.
“Husband…” she murmured dreamily. “Back then… did you truly care for me and play hard to get, or was it just for those martial arts manuals?”
“For the martial arts, of course,” Wang Ping answered without hesitation. The beauty in his arms clearly displeased with this answer, immediately began to struggle, but he pressed her down more firmly.
“However, I originally intended to be irresponsible, take the martial arts, and sneak away. In the end, I couldn’t resist, which is why I now have to drag along a burden.”
“Who’s a burden?” Madam Su puffed her cheeks. Though a mature woman, she showed a bit of girlish charm. “Clearly, I’ve been dragged down by you, a jinx.”
“My fault, my fault.” Wang Ping apologized decisively. “Our best plan now is for you to find a way back to your main family in the capital. Otherwise, nowhere is safe for you alone on the outside.”
“Also, I did kill Chen Haoyan.”
This sudden sentence made Madam Su’s body stiffen. Wang Ping grunted softly but continued enunciating every word: “He deserved to die. If Madam holds a grudge…”
“Good kill!” Madam Su turned around, facing Wang Ping angrily, and bit her lower lip. “I only hate that I couldn’t slay that thief with my own hands!”
“…I see.” Wang Ping nodded, asking no more.
Instead, Madam Su’s curiosity was piqued. “You assumed I would seek revenge… If I had said I wanted to, what would you have done?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Wang Ping replied earnestly. “If Madam truly wished to take revenge, I would have no choice but to ruthlessly destroy a beautiful flower.”
Madam Su fell silent.
This man was an utterly obtuse scoundrel, speaking such blunt truths! The mood had been perfectly set, yet he hadn’t the slightest idea how to whisper sweet words to win her over.
And yet, unlike Chen Haoyan, this was exactly what she liked about him.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than her feet suddenly left the ground. The abrupt sensation made her gasp in alarm.
“Y-You… wait, wait a moment!”
Madam Su tried to protest, but the canary taking flight had already burst into song, drowning out her words and leaving her unable to utter another sound.
This wretched man… I never said I wanted revenge, so why is he already so mercilessly destroying the flower?
…………
The expected pursuit didn’t arrive. This made sense; heavily injured as he was, Xu Bingzheng’s first reaction would definitely be to lock down information to avoid showing weakness.
Even if he wanted to issue a warrant and send pursuers, he would have to wait until he stabilized his injuries.
Toward evening, Liu Ye woke from his coma. Feeling the internal force wiped clean from his body, a bitter smile surfaced on his face.
“I owe a massive favor this time.”
Puppets manipulated by the 【Thrall Dragon Force】 didn’t lack self-awareness; they simply lost control of their bodies. Therefore, he remembered everything from last night.
Because of this, he understood how perilous his situation had been. It was a guaranteed death trap. Xu Bingzheng wouldn’t have left a witness like him alive. If Wang Ping hadn’t ultimately repelled Xu Bingzheng and taken him along, he definitely would have lost his old life.
Words couldn’t express his gratitude for saving his life.
Liu Ye struggled to his feet, intending to thank Wang Ping in person. He walked into the peach grove, only to see a man and a woman.
Liu Ye froze, staring closely.
He saw the man seemingly teaching the woman martial arts. He had her strike a stance, then his hands roamed all over her body, supposedly correcting her posture.
Is that… Madam Su?
Liu Ye’s mouth gaped open. As a veteran of the county yamen, he had seen Madam Su before when Chen Haoyan hosted banquets at the Su residence.
However, the Madam Su in his memory—hailing from the capital, elegant, mature, steady, and graceful—now displayed a naive, coquettish charm.
Halfway through practicing, as if tired, she simply relaxed her body and fell backward into the man’s embrace, snuggling comfortably.
Liu Ye was dumbfounded.
Was he seeing things? Was this the same Madam Su who preferred death over submitting to Chen Haoyan? How did she end up like this?
A former noble daughter of a high household… how undignified!
For a moment, Liu Ye looked at Wang Ping as if he were a god, feeling that his county-wide nickname “Great Dragon Spear” was incredibly accurate.
Wang Ping noticed Liu Ye. “You’re awake, old brother?”
Madam Su turned at his words. Seeing Liu Ye, her pretty face stiffened slightly, but she quickly regained her dignity and composure.
Liu Ye, on the other hand, was at a loss for what to do.
Wang Ping didn’t mind. “I’ve expelled all that toxic internal force for you. After three or four days of rest, you should recover.”
“But you saw what happened last night. Even though that dog official fled heavily injured, he is still a Titled Martial Master and likely has significant backing in the Imperial Court. Once he catches his breath, he will definitely issue a nationwide warrant and send endless pursuers. However, the root cause lies with me.”
Liu Ye nodded with a complex expression.
“That elixir… never mind, even if we returned it now, reconciliation is impossible. The magistrate is ruthless and will definitely want to silence us.”
“Exactly.” Wang Ping chuckled. “But don’t worry, old brother. I have the elixir, and that dog official is primarily targeting me. You are actually safe.”
“As long as you’re not with me.”
Before his voice faded, Wang Ping felt Madam Su grip his hand tightly. He turned his head to see her exquisite face filled with tension.
“Be good.” Wang Ping gently patted her hand.
Then he turned back to Liu Ye, speaking seriously: “At this point, I won’t hide it from you… the dog official is heavily injured. I plan to gamble everything.”
Liu Ye instantly understood. “You… you want to fight your way back!?”
“Yes. I’m going all out this time.” Wang Ping smiled casually. “This kills two birds with one stone. If I slay that dog official, all our troubles will vanish like smoke, and you can safely return to the county town.”
“Even if I fail and get killed by him, I’ll definitely worsen his injuries. Plus, I’ve prepared a backup plan; he won’t have an easy time afterward. At the very least, he won’t have the energy to cause trouble for you. With your skills, changing your name and living elsewhere shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“I can even point you toward wealth and honor.”
Wang Ping pointed toward the capital. “You should know of the Su family in the capital. I want you to go there and deliver a message for me.”
“Madam is a noble daughter of the Su family.”
“Although she fell into distress and left home, she still has trusted people in the capital. If you deliver the message, it will be considered a great merit, and you won’t lack wealth and honor.”
Wang Ping enunciated every word.
This clearly wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, but the most suitable plan he had conceived after careful thought, properly arranging things for both Liu Ye and Madam Su.
Of course, this alone wasn’t enough.
In fact, although Liu Ye hadn’t noticed, when Wang Ping expelled Xu Bingzheng’s 【Thrall Dragon Force】 last night, he left behind a backup.
Simply put, he converted a portion of his own internal force to replace Xu Bingzheng’s and injected it into Liu Ye’s body. This allowed him to control Liu Ye’s actions if necessary, ensuring Liu Ye followed the plan instead of harboring other intentions or selling them out.
One must always guard against others…
Wang Ping sighed inwardly. Although based on his understanding of Liu Ye, he believed the man wouldn’t betray him, who could guarantee they would never misjudge someone?
…………
Liu Ye left.
This veteran was shrewd. After persuading Wang Ping a few times and seeing his mind was set, he said no more and headed toward the capital, traveling day and night.
Wang Ping felt quite gratified by this; at least it proved he hadn’t misjudged the man.
As soon as he left, Madam Su immediately pressed closer.
“Madam, please conduct yourself with dignity…”
Wang Ping reached out to push her away, but she uncharacteristically and forcefully pried his hands apart, then hugged him fiercely, as if trying to knead his entire being into her body.
“It’s been a whole day. Let’s eat first.”
Wang Ping felt somewhat helpless and quickly said, “It’s rare we’re in the wilderness. I’ll let you taste my family’s secret recipe for chicken rolls. My dad taught me how to make them back then…”
His voice abruptly stopped.
Wang Ping’s expression grew gloomy.
When he first transmigrated, though he missed his parents, he hadn’t felt too emotional. Yet at this precise moment, emotions suddenly surged like a tide.
He couldn’t stop them.
For a moment, Wang Ping even choked up slightly.
A while later, he adjusted his mood. He took out the jade hairpin that previously concealed the 【Heavenly Roc Capturing the Dragon Cultivation Diagram】 and actively changed the subject:
“By the way, I have some serious business to ask you… Does Madam know the exact material this hairpin is made of?”
At the same time, he didn’t forget to prepare the meal. He piled up some firewood, took out a hunted pheasant, and set up a roasting rack to tinker with.
Madam Su whispered, “It’s Clear Heart Jade.”
“Carrying this jade can clear and calm the mind. It’s not considered rare in the capital. As long as a family has produced an Extraordinary, they will more or less have a few pieces as a collection.”
“An Extraordinary?”
Hearing this term again, Wang Ping raised an eyebrow. “Like the one from the 【Wandering Spirit Temple】? Where do these Extraordinary come from?”
“They come from the 【Fangxian Dao】,” Madam Su explained. “Every year during the imperial examinations, the Imperial Court selects a group of people from the participating scholars. They aren’t given official posts, but are instead sent to the 【Fangxian Dao】.”
“Years or even over a decade later, these people reappear as Extraordinary Fangshi and are dispatched by the Imperial Court to establish branches in various places.”
“The reason they are called Extraordinary is because they all possess strange secret arts distinct from martial arts.” Speaking of this, Madam Su’s pretty face suddenly flushed red. “For example, my Su family’s Extraordinary ancestor once passed down a strange art… that can help people break through martial arts bottlenecks.”
“…Is that true?”
Wang Ping immediately sat up straight. Madam Su grunted softly and whispered, “Naturally it’s true. The clan members basically all learned that secret art.”
“Everyone learned it? It must not be difficult, then?”
Wang Ping fiddled with the roasting rack. Accelerated by internal force, the food was soon finished. He wrapped a long chicken roll and handed it to Madam Su.
“This art is called 【Knocking on the Immortal Gate】. It is indeed not difficult.”
“Simply put, it allows a martial artist to consolidate their essence, qi, and spirit, and then erupt with it all in one breath when needed.” Madam Su took the chicken roll Wang Ping handed her.
“In that instant, the martial artist’s essence, qi, and spirit reach their peak, and their comprehension drastically increases. Martial arts they couldn’t understand before can be easily mastered. The duration depends on the martial artist’s stamina, and it can be used repeatedly. If there’s any drawback, it’s that it squeezes the body too much…”
There was actually such a miraculous technique!?
Seeing Wang Ping’s astonished expression, Madam Su felt inexplicably proud. “Because of this, the women of my Su family have never had to worry about finding husbands.”
“Could Madam teach me?” Wang Ping asked with a curious face.
Hearing this, Madam Su instantly blushed and whispered, “I can, but this strange art is quite special. It’s usually passed down ‘orally’…”
Wang Ping quickly leaned in. “Please speak, Madam.”
Madam Su rolled her eyes at him, then gracefully swept the dark hair at her temples behind her head. While eating the chicken roll, she imparted the secret art to Wang Ping.
The main content roughly boiled down to a single word:
【Huh?】.
“…….Hiss!”
Wang Ping drew a sharp breath of cold air at the profundity of the secret art.
“Endure it!”
Madam Su hurriedly intensified her tone. “Cultivating this secret art is very strenuous. You need to focus your mind. Do not relax prematurely…”
Translator’s Note
Fangxian Dao (方仙道) or the way of fangxian, derives from the ancient Chinese tradition of the Fangshi, esoteric masters who sought immortality through alchemy, medicine, divination, and ritual practices.