A golden sphere of light hovered silently beside Li Qiushui, slowly transforming into a lewd grin. "No wonder that naive Duan Yu blushed and felt feverish when he saw this; this is art!"
Chapter 425 Tender
This time, Hao Jiu controlled the shadow clone to spy on Li Qiushui. In the past, he would either create a shadow system and bind it to a host directly, or throw it out and let the shadow system find a host automatically. But in fact, Hao Jiu had long been able to control the shadow system for surveillance.
However, there was no need to do this before. It was much easier for Xiang Yu to monitor from another dimension, and it didn't consume any energy. Hao Jiu had no choice now. The martial arts masters in this world have keen senses. Even if Li Canghai were to infiltrate and monitor them, he might still be discovered.
Moreover, Li Canghai might not be able to control what's happening today. She knows that the jade statue is of her, not Li Qiushui, which means that the woman painted by Li Qiushui is also Li Canghai.
However, Hao Jiu knew that Li Qiushui had always believed that the jade statue was herself, even though she had suspected that it was Li Canghai and had asked Wu Yazi about it herself, since the two sisters really did look alike.
Of course, Li Qiushui didn't paint these kinds of pictures for pranks or to give away freebies; they had other uses.
After completing this artistic portrait, Li Qiushui marked some acupoints and the flow of true qi on the body of the person in the painting, as well as the detailed practice method of the Beiming Divine Skill, and then moved on to the next painting.
Li Qiushui painted a total of thirty-six paintings with different expressions and postures, which were not suitable for children, before she could completely record the cultivation method of the Beiming Divine Skill.
Next, Li Qiushui wrote the general outline of the Northern Darkness Divine Art in the blank space in front of the first painting, thus completing this massive project.
At this moment, Li Qiushui noticed that there were still some places at the end of the scroll, so she simply wrote down the footwork formula of Lingbo Weibu on it, and thoughtfully drew many small footprints and arrows.
Li Qiushui looked at her masterpiece and nodded in satisfaction. Then she rolled up the white silk and wrote a message on it, which roughly meant that since you have done as I asked and obtained this manual, you should repay the kindness by cultivating diligently and helping me kill all the disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect.
After finishing writing, Li Qiushui stuffed the entire white silk bundle into a small futon and sewed it up. Then she took out a pair of her embroidered shoes and embroidered two lines of very inconspicuous tiny characters on them.
The right shoe is embroidered with the eight characters "Kowtowing a thousand times, serving my command," while the left shoe is embroidered with the eight characters "Obeying my command, I will not regret even if I die a hundred times."
Immediately afterwards, Li Qiushui put the shoes on the jade statue's feet, but after she finished, she felt that it was a bit abrupt and the hint was too obvious, so she dressed the jade statue in a dress.
This time it looked much more natural. After confirming that there were no problems, she placed the small futon where she had hidden the secret manual in front of the jade statue, and then took a larger futon and placed it next to the small one.
Those who come later and see this scene, if they are clever enough, will kneel on the large prayer mat and kowtow to the jade statue. If they are sincere enough and have a little bit of luck, they can discover the clues on the embroidered shoes. After kowtowing a thousand times, they may break the small prayer mat in advance and reveal the secret manual inside.
The secrets of the art cannot be passed on lightly. Kowtowing a thousand times is considered equivalent to becoming a disciple. Of course, if the other party is lucky enough, they can find the secret manual without kowtowing, but Li Qiushui doesn't care at all.
She was simply using this opportunity to bid farewell to everything in Langhuan Paradise and to her identity as a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect. She was going to start a new life. How could controlling the Xiaoyao Sect compare to controlling a country?
The emperor of the Western Xia Kingdom is selecting concubines, and she wants to give it a try. Age is not a problem; if she doesn't say it, no one can tell that she is already fifty-six years old.
Li Qiushui was confident that with her beauty and figure, even if the Emperor of Western Xia had countless women, he would still fall at her feet.
However, when Li Qiushui arrived in Western Xia, she was surprised to find that she had overlooked something interesting: Li Liangzuo, the second emperor of Western Xia who had reigned for twelve years, was only thirteen years old!
Many modern scholars analyze that Li Qiushui married Li Yuanhao, the founding emperor of Western Xia, but in fact, Li Yuanhao had already died when Li Qiushui and Ding Chunqiu broke up.
The reason why those people believe that Li Qiushui was Li Yuanhao's imperial concubine is because they have overlooked some important clues. For example, the Xiaoyao Sect has the art of immortality. Furthermore, by working backward from the ages of Wang Yuyan and Li Qingluo, the only reasonable explanation is that Li Qiushui had the art of preserving her youth and married into Xixia at a very old age.
There are women who give birth at sixty in modern times, boys who become fathers at twelve, and four little beasts who dragged a thirteen-year-old girl into the toilet and raped her when they were eleven or twelve. These stories are constantly challenging people's values and understanding.
So the age conflict that was originally considered a bug in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is actually not a problem. It's just an old cow eating young grass. Li Qiushui was fifty-six years old when she married Li Liangzuo, who was thirteen years old.
Faced with this incredibly young emperor, Li Qiushui was old enough to be his grandmother, but so what?
As expected, Li Liangzuo was captivated by Li Qiushui at first sight and immediately decided to make her an imperial concubine. They married that day and consummated their marriage that very night, he was so eager to get married.
Then, the original empresses and concubines were never favored by the young emperor again. They still regarded Li Qiushui as an innocent girl who didn't understand human affairs, and used all sorts of despicable tricks to compete for favor in the harem. As a result, Li Qiushui defeated them all with her superb martial arts skills and they all disappeared.
Under the tireless efforts of the young emperor, Li Qiushui soon became pregnant. Even while pregnant, she still easily defeated all the experts of Western Xia, and all dissenting voices disappeared, helping Li Liangzuo to suppress the powerful ministers and truly control the Western Xia Kingdom.
Just as Li Qiushui was stirring up trouble in the Western Xia Kingdom, a great joyous event occurred in the Liao Kingdom in the north: Xiao Yuanshan, the chief instructor of the Liao army, became a father, and Xiao Feng, the number one hero in the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, was born!
Hao Jiu bound Xiao Feng to a shadow system the moment he was born. In fact, Xiao Feng was the chief martial arts instructor of the three armies that Hao Jiu chose for the Chu-Han world.
Hao Jiu's biggest fear was that the target system would bind to Xiao Feng first, so Xiang Yu and Hao Jiu were greatly relieved that they were able to successfully bind to Xiao Feng using the shadow system.
As for why he was able to time it so precisely, it's because Hao Jiu had already won over Xiao Feng's father, Xiao Yuanshan.
Xiao Yuanshan is one of the Four Great Masters of Tianlong, so Hao Jiu naturally wouldn't let go of this excellent host. However, he wasn't famous when he was young, so it was hard to find him. It wasn't until Xiao Yuanshan suddenly appeared and became the chief instructor of the Liao Kingdom's Shan Army that Hao Jiu was able to find him.
Xiao Yuanshan was already an adult at this time, and he was not easy to fool. The other party either refused to bind, or they were unwilling to be a guinea pig after binding.
But none of this bothered Hao Jiu. He used a series of persuasive words and promises of benefits to Xiao Yuanshan, agreeing to give him whatever he wanted. He first tricked Xiao Yuanshan into binding with him, and then stopped contacting him altogether, and blocked all functions of the Shadow System.
After binding, no matter how Xiao Yuanshan called, Hao Jiu would not respond. Of all the benefits promised when she tricked Xiao Yuanshan into binding, apart from having a son, none of them were fulfilled. In fact, Xiao Yuanshan never even brought up the system shop interface.
Therefore, Xiao Yuanshan would feel that he had been deceived, that the so-called binding system was just a dream, or a prank by some extremely powerful master.
The advantage of doing this is that even if the shadow host has the system, he will not use it, which is equivalent to not having a system. Without a system, there is no interference, and his life trajectory will still be as it should be, such as the birth of Xiao Feng, or the tragedy at Yanmen Pass.
According to Hao Jiu's knowledge of the timeline, in two years, Xiao Yuanshan's family will be ambushed by martial arts figures from the Central Plains at Yanmen. However, Xiaoyaozi's card will not be able to revert to its original form for another three years. Therefore, Xiang Yu himself cannot personally attend this grand event. He will probably have to let his divided soul and his secretary control the situation.
But this is good too. At least Hao Jiu's side is much more relaxed. Let everything that is meant to happen happen. Saving people is very troublesome and also consumes a lot of energy.
Another year passed quickly, and Li Qiushui gave birth to Li Bingchang. Li Liangzuo was overjoyed, and the child was made crown prince after the baby turned one month old.
Because of her son, Li Qiushui became the only imperial concubine favored by Li Liangzuo, who listened to her every word. From then on, Li Qiushui completely controlled the Western Xia Kingdom, and at her suggestion, the Western Xia First-Class Hall, which was half military and half martial arts, was established.
That's not all. Li Qiushui also contributed the rare poison she had secretly developed over the years with Ding Chunqiu's help—the Sorrowful Breeze!
After being poisoned, tears flow like rain, which is called "sorrow"; the whole body cannot move, which is called "spaciousness"; the poison gas is colorless and odorless, which is called "gentle breeze".
This poison is made by collecting poisonous substances from the Joyful Valley of the Great Snow Mountain in Xixia and refining them into water. It is usually stored in a bottle. When it is used, the bottle is uncorked and the poisonous water vaporizes and comes out, just like a gentle breeze. No matter how clever you are, you will not be able to detect it. By the time your eyes start to sting, the poison has already rushed into your brain. No matter how high your internal strength is, you will not be able to expel the poison with your internal strength.
Later, Murong Fu improved the formula, removing the "sorrow" effect and making the poison even more invisible and traceless.
Hao Jiu had been eyeing this poison formula for a long time, but what Hao Jiu really valued was Murong Fu's improved version of Bei Su Qing Feng. Although it lacked the tear-inducing effect, the sorrow in the heart of the poisoned person might be even greater when they were at the mercy of others.
Of course, we'll have to wait another thirty years or so to get that version of "Sad Breeze". Murong Fu hasn't been born yet; to be precise, he's still inside Murong Bo.
After acquiring the "Sad Breeze" technique, the Western Xia Yipintang quickly became one of the most powerful sects capable of rivaling the martial arts world of the Central Plains.
In the same year, Ding Chunqiu also founded the Xingxiu Sect in Xingxiu Sea, specializing in the study of poisons. Due to some overexertion in certain aspects, his hair turned white prematurely, making him look like an immortal with an ageless appearance. Hence, he was known as the Old Immortal of Xingxiu.
Coincidentally, Wu Xingyun also founded Lingjiu Palace in the same year, calling himself the Venerable Master Tianshan Tonglao. He recruited many female disciples with good aptitude and subdued some gangs within a hundred miles with swift and decisive methods.
In fact, Wu Xingyun could have succeeded as the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect, since Wu Yazi had been missing for so long. However, because she still held hope for Wu Yazi, she did not use the name of the Xiaoyao Sect, but only borrowed the palace of the Xiaoyao Sect.
The Xiaoyao Sect was now defunct in name only. Although Su Xinghe understood Wu Xingyun's reasons for establishing his power, he was unwilling to stay in Lingjiu Palace. Instead, he continued to embark on the journey to find Wuyazi alone as a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect.
In recent years, the martial arts world in the Central Plains has undergone dramatic changes. The older generation of masters have gradually faded out of the martial arts world, while a large number of new-era masters have emerged.
The Shaolin Xuan generation shone brightly, with Xuan Ci and Xuan Cheng being the most skilled in martial arts. Wang Jiantong of the Beggars' Sect was highly skilled and known as "Sword Beard." There was also Murong Bo, the head of the Murong family of Gusu, who used the opponent's own methods against them. These were all outstanding figures in the Central Plains martial arts world.
In addition, Master Zhiguang of Tiantai Mountain, the three Tan brothers of Chongxiao Cave, the three Du brothers of Jiangxi, Wang Weiyi of Wansheng Saber, Daoist Heyun of Huangshan with Dijue Sword, Fang Daxiong of the Iron Pagoda in Datong Prefecture, Shanxi, and Shan Zheng of Shan Family Village in Tai'an, Shandong, have all made a name for themselves in the martial arts world.
However, these masters from the Central Plains paled in comparison to those from the Free and Unfettered Sect who established their own sect.
A year after Wu Xingyun founded Lingjiu Palace, she finally faced the tribulation of her second rejuvenation at the age of sixty-six. Lingjiu Palace was not strong enough, so she did not dare to stay in Lingjiu Palace to undergo the tribulation.
Li Qiushui sent the Xixia Yipintang to investigate Wu Xingyun's secluded cultivation location, but they couldn't find it. At this time, Li Qiushui was busy looking after the Crown Prince and didn't take action herself.
Ding Chunqiu was still developing his strength stealthily and didn't dare to get involved in the fight between the two elders. If he killed Wu Xingyun, that would be fine, but if he didn't, he would be the first to die once Wu Xingyun recovered his power.
Li Qiushui is now the Queen Mother of Western Xia, how could she possibly come to save him again? Besides, he is indeed getting a bit old, and Li Qiushui prefers younger women.
Another disciple of the Free and Unfettered Sect, Su Xinghe, returned to Langhuan Paradise. After searching without success, he seemed to have his eye on the Boundless Jade Wall and lingered over the waterfall for a long time.
Su Xinghe had previously sorted out the clues he had obtained over the years in his search for Wuyazi. After eliminating the incorrect and interfering information, what remained was naturally the answer closest to the truth.
The only certainty is that Wu Yazi visited Langhuan Paradise before he disappeared, and then Li Qiushui and Ding Chunqiu said that Wu Yazi was going to Shaolin after leaving Langhuan Paradise.
However, Wu Xingyun's investigation at Shaolin concluded that Wu Yazi had not gone to Shaolin at all. Since he had not even gone to Shaolin and had not returned the sect leader's ring to the Xiaoyao Sect, it was impossible for Wu Yazi to be so carefree as to follow Xiaoyaozi in cultivating immortality.
Therefore, Wu Yazi disappeared on the way from Langhuan Paradise to Shaolin. If Wu Yazi is still alive and trapped somewhere, Wuliang Mountain, where Langhuan Paradise is located, is the most likely place.
Hao Jiu estimated that Su Xinghe was very likely to find Wuyazi this time, but what did it mean that he was staring at the Wuliang Jade Wall? It wasn't a full moon night, so there were no adult films to watch.
However, Hao Jiu had no time to care about Su Xinghe right now, because an unexpected situation had occurred with Xiang Yu. According to the forecast, Xiang Yu should have had another year before he became a child again, but he had already become a child again, a little younger, and returned to the appearance he had twenty-nine years ago.
When Hao Jiu asked Xiaoyaozi, he instantly understood the answer: Xiaoyaozi, like Xiang Yu, had also become a child again!
Chapter 426 A Good Strategy
Actually, upon closer examination, since Xiang Yu is now using the Xiaoyaozi card, he is essentially half Xiaoyaozi himself, so it's not surprising that he's rejuvenated along with Xiaoyaozi.
However, when Hao Jiu first used the cards, he thought the calculation would start from the date the cards were equipped, which is why he made the corresponding plan.
According to the setting of the Longevity Technique, one's strength will be greatly reduced when rejuvenating, and one's power will return to its original state. One year's worth of power will be restored for each day of cultivation.
However, the extent of the reduction varies from person to person, and returning to one's original state does not mean returning to the state of a newborn baby.
Simply put, his martial arts skills were reduced to the level when he first started practicing the Longevity and Youth Technique. When Xiaoyaozi practiced this technique, his martial arts skills were already very high, so even if he became young again, it wouldn't have a significant impact.
For Xiang Yu, there was even less of a problem. The only difference was that the power granted by the Xiaoyaozi card was slightly reduced, but his domineering aura remained completely unaffected. This meant that Xiang Yu could use the Xiaoyaozi card to obtain the same lifespan as the Xiaoyaozi before he began cultivating immortality.
Why not immortality? Because theoretically, the Everlasting Youth Technique's cycle of rejuvenation every thirty years is not infinite. Rejuvenation comes at a price: one must cultivate the Everlasting Youth Technique and accumulate a certain amount of true energy before each thirty-year rejuvenation to be used during the process. Moreover, after each rejuvenation, one needs a corresponding amount of time to recover the lost energy.
Although one day of cultivation can restore a year's worth of energy, this restoration process is equivalent to no increase in the total amount of true energy, so it cannot be considered as accumulation. The restoration time is getting longer and longer, and the time available for accumulation is getting less and less. Moreover, considering that the restoration time for rejuvenation increases by thirty days each time, the amount of true energy required for rejuvenation is also increasing.
On the surface, it appears as if one has been rejuvenated for thirty years, but in reality, the amount of true energy required is multiplied by the number of rejuvenation cycles. Like rowing against the current, one either moves forward or falls behind; if one cannot increase enough true energy within thirty years, the cycle will be broken.
Assuming that it takes fifteen years to accumulate true energy each time to meet the requirements for rejuvenation, then when the recovery time exceeds fifteen years, there will not be enough true energy for the next rejuvenation.
At this point, they will have to rely on their past strength. Wu Yazi's past strength consists of at least several decades of internal energy, but Wu Xingyun's remaining youthful energy is definitely not much. Once they reach that critical point, problems will immediately arise.
In better cases, the child might not have fully recovered during the rejuvenation process, aging a few years earlier due to the accumulated effects of the previous years' infancy; in worse cases, the entire rejuvenation process fails, causing the child to age thirty years prematurely, and after two more cycles, the person will eventually die of old age.
Of course, the above fifteen years is just a hypothetical scenario. The actual situation is much longer. If you want to live indefinitely using the Longevity Technique, you must diligently practice it.
It should be noted that the Beiming Divine Skill of the Xiaoyao Sect can absorb the internal energy of others and transform it into Beiming True Qi, but this True Qi cannot be used for rejuvenation; it must be the True Qi cultivated through the Longevity and Youth Skill.
Therefore, the cultivation methods practiced by the disciples of the Free and Unfettered Sect are different. Among the disciples, only Wu Xingyun mainly cultivates the Longevity and Immortality Technique, and even gave up the Northern Darkness Divine Art for it.
Li Qiushui and the others practiced anti-aging techniques that could delay aging, so that they could save time to cultivate other techniques such as the Northern Darkness Divine Art.
From this perspective, Xiaoyaozi's decision to dedicate all his time to cultivating immortality and abandon the cultivation of the Longevity Technique shows considerable courage, reminiscent of a do-or-die attitude.
Of course, it might take Wu Xingyun nearly thirty years to accumulate enough Rejuvenation Qi, but Xiaoyaozi used to have the Divine Wood King Cauldron to help him, which made his cultivation speed faster. Over the years, he should have accumulated a lot more Rejuvenation Qi, enough for him to squander several times.
Similarly, Xiang Yu could use the Xiaoyaozi card to successfully rejuvenate without cultivation.
In short, this incident turned out to be a false alarm, and Xiang Yu can remove the card now without waiting for its power to recover.
Furthermore, Xiang Yu is currently at the Foundation Establishment stage and has no shortage of lifespan. Even without using the Xiaoyaozi card, he will not age for another thirty years, and may even become younger as his cultivation level increases.
"Any news about Yanmen Pass?" Xiang Yu asked, switching to Bruno's card as he spoke.
"It'll be soon, the date has been set. That Murong Bo is quite shrewd; he sent spies to the Liao Kingdom a long time ago, trying to provoke a war between Liao and Song, but a major war has yet to break out."
Upon learning that Xiao Yuanshan was going to lead a group of men to visit relatives in the Central Plains, Murong Bo felt that an opportunity had come. Xiao Yuanshan was a high-ranking official in the Liao Kingdom, and if he died in the Song Kingdom, the Liao Kingdom would have a reason to attack the Song Kingdom.