Su Majestad - Capítulo 6
The childish voice still echoes in my ears; the words spoken back then have become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Now that you have the formula for the poison, why haven't you refined the Heavenly Fragrance?"
"I thought you were incredibly intelligent, so you must have mastered the Flower Rain Needle technique! Whether or not the fragrance of that flower is there doesn't matter." Tang Qiefang sat down beside him, looking at his uncombed hair hanging down beside his cheeks, making his originally gentle face appear even more delicate. Suddenly she said, "Congrong, hurry up and get married."
"Hmm?"
"Have a daughter and adopt her."
"My daughter is your great-granddaughter, how can I give her to you as an adopted daughter?"
"That doesn't matter, as long as I like it."
His expression was unusually gentle as he spoke—he was indeed a very loving father, and would surely be a good father in the future. Tang Congrong sighed slightly, “You don’t need to be bound by social status. There may not be anyone of suitable seniority in the martial arts world, but there are people from the imperial court, or farmers and merchants. As long as you like them, you can marry them.”
Tang Qiefang smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that. If I see something I like, will I stand on ceremony?"
The proposal to recruit a Qingcheng disciple into the Thirteen Riders of Kun was, as expected, met with immediate opposition from the elders. Although Tang Qiefang tried to mediate, it was to no avail. Tang Yuchang, in charge of passing on the skills, slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Tang Clan martial arts are passed down only within the family, not to outsiders, and only to daughters-in-law, not daughters. Even the direct descendants of the Tang Clan cannot practice our hidden weapons and poisons. How can an outsider from the Qingcheng Sect be allowed to interfere? In the more than 150 years since our ancestors founded the sect, such a thing is unheard of and unseen. Instead of wasting your energy overturning the ancestral rules, the patriarch should spend more time mastering the Flower Rain Needle technique, so as to comfort the spirits of our ancestors in heaven!"
Chapter Fourteen
These words were stern, and they reflected the thoughts of most of the elders.
Tang Congrong sat at the head of the table, holding a purple-gold hand warmer. The lotus tattoo on his left hand was vibrant and beautiful. He shifted his gaze from Tang Yuchang, looked around, and asked indifferently, "Is there anyone else who means the same thing?"
“Patriarch, let’s postpone this matter for now.” The speaker was Tang Yuzhe, Tang Congrong’s close uncle. “Right now, Patriarch’s most important task is to practice the Flower Rain Needle technique. Other matters can be handled by the Elders’ Council. Patriarch, please reconsider.”
This is a very tactful way of saying it, but the meaning remains the same.
Tang Qiefang frowned slightly, knowing that continuing this matter would probably not yield any results.
Tang Congrong began, "You are all my uncles and elders, and you naturally know the rules of our ancestors better than I do. What is the twenty-third rule of the Tang Clan?"
Article 23 of the Tang Clan's rules states that when there is a conflict between the Clan Head's order and the Elders' Council's order, the Clan Head's order takes precedence. Tang Qiefang secretly gave him a wink, thinking, "You're confused, kid. You're not even the official Clan Head yet, how can you be qualified to issue the Clan Head's order?"
As expected, Tang Yuchang stood up and asked, "Then may I ask if the patriarch has shot down the Snow Screen Crane?"
The so-called "Snow Screen Crane" refers to a snow-white screen embroidered with twenty-eight white cranes. The screen is white, and the cranes are white; even when the screen is right in front of you, it's difficult to clearly see the cranes' features, and from a distance, they appear as a pure white expanse. Only by piercing the eyes of all twenty-eight white cranes with twenty "Flower Rain Needles" from ten zhang away can one truly master the Tang Clan's supreme martial art and officially assume the position of clan head, leading the entire Tang Clan.
Tang Congrong was an only child, and he was young when he took over the position. He had not yet mastered the Flowery Rain Needle technique, nor had he ever shot a Snow Screen Crane. No one had been demanding about this, and this was the first time it had been brought up face-to-face like today.
“Then,” the young family head said calmly after being provoked, “set up the snow screen.”
Tang Qiefang suddenly raised an eyebrow, feeling an urge to shove those words back into Tang Congrong's mouth. A month ago, he had suffered a qi deviation, and with his hands that had lost all feeling, he couldn't control the corresponding direction and force at all.
"You're crazy!" Tang Qiefang said in a low voice.
Tang Congrong smiled faintly, and a moment later, the snow screen was placed in the courtyard of the Sigong Room.
The courtyard was extremely spacious, serving as the training ground for the Tang Clan disciples. The snow screen, placed ten zhang away, appeared to anyone as nothing more than a vast expanse of white. To find twenty-eight crane eyes within this blank space and pierce them with twenty needles—it sounded like a miracle.
Tang Congrong's hands hung tucked into his sleeves. Under the early spring sun, he was still wearing a fox fur coat. The wind blew the soft fox fur gently, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the snow-white screen.
Countless eyes were fixed on his hands.
His hands were fair and slender, beautiful like ice crystals, and the tattoo on them was even more exquisite.
Could such hands unleash the mythical Flower Rain Needle?
Tang Qiefang suddenly felt the sunlight was too dazzling and couldn't bear to look any longer. For the sake of the Cloud Barrier, for the true power of the family head, Tang Congrong had staked everything. This was almost a losing gamble. How could someone who had gone mad with demonic possession possibly hit the Snow Screen Crane?
A glint seemed to flash in the corner of her eye. Tang Qiefang was surprised to see that Tang Congrong's left hand, which was hanging in her sleeve, emitted a layer of ice crystal-like light. This light made the tattoo seem to come alive and fluctuate for a moment before disappearing again.
Chapter 15
Just then, twenty Flower Rain Needles were unleashed.
The needle-like points of the ice crystals looked like a light drizzle.
The room was completely silent under the sun. Twenty long needles were driven into the fabric of the screen, making a soft "hissing" sound.
Eight of the most senior elders from the council stepped forward to check, and Tang Qiefang was naturally among them. He stepped forward with a feeling of trepidation, when suddenly his eyes lit up.
A needle is stuck in the crane's eye!
Two needles were pinned to the crane's eye!
Three needles were pinned to the crane's eye!
Four needles were pinned to the crane's eye!
...
Twenty needles were all driven into the crane's eyes!
The eight elders exchanged glances and used twelve times their eyesight to search for the remaining eight crane eyes.
The twenty needles are merely the surface; the remaining eight needles are the true killing move of the Flower Rain Needle technique—these eight needles must be condensed into a single line using internal force to pierce through the crane's eye, invisible and unpredictable, appearing and disappearing without a trace, and unstoppable.
One crane had a small hole pierced through its eye, then a second, a third... until the eighth such small hole was found. Only then did the elders breathe a sigh of relief and bow to Tang Congrong, saying, "Congratulations, Patriarch! Congratulations, Patriarch! The Snow Screen Crane has been broken. Patriarch, you are a genius. You have accomplished a great feat."
The surrounding disciples all bowed in admiration, saying, "Master is a man of extraordinary talent; the mission is accomplished."
"You did it?!" Tang Qiefang grabbed Tang Congrong's shoulders in disbelief, shaking him excitedly. "Kid, you did it! My God, are you doing magic? You actually mastered it?!"
The violent shaking made Tang Congrong close his eyes slightly. Being so close, Tang Qiefang could clearly see his face—his complexion was terrible, his skin almost the color of ice crystals, like the back of a hand. Once his eyes closed, it was as if he had no strength left to open them again. "Help me," Tang Congrong uttered softly.
Tang Qiefang's heart skipped a beat. She placed the hand on his shoulder onto his back, and a stream of internal energy flowed into his body. Wherever the true energy moved, it felt like a wad of cotton wool, without any point of contact. Tang Qiefang was greatly surprised; Tang Congrong's body seemed to be completely empty!