Intelligence Ultime

Chapitre 26

"Smack!"

This time, I got slapped on the hand.

Feng Xuese coldly said, "Let go of my clothes!"

"What's the big deal about grabbing it? We're all just mudskippers now anyway," Zhu Huihui muttered, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear, Part Two: Chapter 8 (4)

A gust of cold wind swept by, chilling him to the bone. Zhu Huihui huddled up, hugging his shoulders, his teeth chattering. He noticed the rain had stopped and wondered if it had stopped, but then he realized he was probably in a cave.

In the darkness, Feng Xuese's faint voice came: "This cave is cold and damp. If you don't want to fall seriously ill tomorrow, hurry up and dry your clothes."

"It's nothing, I... I'm strong!" Zhu Huihui replied, but inwardly he was cursing. Damn it! Do you think I'm the sun, able to dry my clothes in an instant?!

The rustling sound I heard seemed to be Feng Xuese wringing out the water from her clothes.

Zhu Huihui also felt very uncomfortable. Wearing such wet clothes was no different from taking a bath. If he stayed in such a wet state for too long, his skin would definitely become swollen. He hated taking baths the most! His mother had said that taking too many baths would damage his vital energy. If his vital energy was damaged too much, he would end up like that lecherous man in the next town who had married six wives. He would be as thin as a skeleton, unable to walk, and would cough as if he were about to die.

Thinking of that lecherous scoundrel, he immediately stopped hesitating, took off his coat, wrung it out with both hands, then shook it in the wind, wiped it haphazardly on his face, and put the damp clothes back on.

Just as he finished tidying up, he heard a soft "click" and a flame ignited in his snow-white palm, making his fair hands appear as transparent jade.

In the darkness and dampness, this tiny flame brightened Zhu Huihui's heart, and he blinked with a hint of admiration.

Look at them! What is a seasoned veteran? A seasoned veteran is someone who, no matter where they go or what the weather, can always pull out a long-range fire starter! Someone like me, a naive newbie standing outside the gates of this world, at most carries—well! I remember having a few candies left in my pocket…

Zhu Huihui reached into the bag and rummaged around for a while, but only found two big holes at the bottom. He couldn't help but yell "Bad luck!"

Feng Xuese twisted the flame of his Thousand-Mile Fire to make it larger. His Thousand-Mile Fire was specially made, with a high flame, strong light, and long-lasting flame. He usually kept it in a waterproof leather bag along with his silver notes, so even though he was soaked by the rain, the contents of the bag remained unharmed.

The flames rose more than half a foot high, emitting a bright and warm glow.

Zhu Huihui felt terribly cold and subconsciously leaned forward, reaching out to dab at the flames before quickly withdrawing her hand. Oh no, she almost forgot she couldn't get too close to the old man!

Feng Xuese looked up at him, her eyes momentarily unfocused, and absentmindedly murmured an "Mmm".

Zhu Huihui didn't understand. She scratched her still-dripping hair, wiped the water droplets from her face, and blankly replied with a meaningless "Ah".

After a moment of surprise, Feng Xuese looked away, her expression returning to calm. She took the Thousand Mile Fire and looked around. Zhu Huihui, with her wet hair in her hands, followed behind Feng Xuese.

This is a karst cave, and the rocks inside are strangely shaped, rugged, and varied, making it quite interesting.

Zhu Huihui kept marveling as she looked around: "This cave is winding and deep, I wonder where it leads..."

Annoyed by his noise, Feng Xuese placed the Thousand Mile Fire on a rock, found a dry and flat spot, sat down cross-legged, and said, "We'll continue our journey after the rain stops at dawn. Whether you rest or not is up to you." She closed her eyes and stopped looking at him.

Zhu Huihui really wanted to take the Thousand-Mile Fire deeper into the cave, but she didn't dare disobey the grumpy old man, so she just said "Oh" and found a suitable place to sit down against the stone wall.

However, he didn't have the meditative skill of others. The ground was hard, his clothes were wet, and he was cold. He couldn't stand still no matter what he did. He sat down and got up, got up and sat down, as if he had a boil on his butt. He didn't have a moment of peace. He felt that the most difficult thing he had ever experienced in his life was this moment!

Seeing Feng Xuese sitting upright like a bell, still as an abyss, calm and peaceful, breathing deeply, with wisps of white vapor rising from his head and body, could this be the legendary method of evaporating the dampness on one's body with internal energy?

Zhu Huihui jealously touched her wet clothes, and suddenly thought maliciously, if she shouted loudly at this moment, she might be able to scare him into going mad...

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear, Part Two: Chapter 8 (5)

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard Feng Xuese slowly say, "Didn't your mother teach you internal energy breathing techniques?" Although this guy's mysterious mother was crazy, it was undeniable that she seemed to be quite knowledgeable.

"Is it the breathing method you told me to use when running away? My mother taught me that, but she never said it was internal energy cultivation."

"What did you teach? Do you remember?"

Zhu Huihui frowned and thought for a long time before reluctantly saying, "I seem to... remember some!"

"Tell me about it!"

Why should I tell you?

Feng Xuese sat upright with her eyes closed, a slight smile playing on her lips. She said calmly, "If you can't remember, just admit it. You're already stupid enough, so no one will praise you for bragging!"

Zhu Huihui's thoughts were exposed, and although he was extremely thick-skinned, he felt a little ashamed. To cover up his embarrassment, he said in a gruff voice, "Who was bragging? Of course I remember!"

"My mother said, 'The abundant energy resides in heaven and earth, nourishes my heart, flows through the twelve meridians, and travels between the eight extraordinary meridians...' See, I remember it clearly, don't I!" Sigh, his mother taught him a total of 560 sentences, but he only remembers five or six now. But at least he still remembers one percent!

Maple Snow said indifferently, "That's all nonsense."

These few lines sound like the opening lines of an internal energy cultivation manual, but unfortunately, most internal energy cultivation manuals in the world begin with similar sentences. They're not entirely meaningless, but they lack any originality—presumably, someone capable of teaching the "Lingering Regret" lightness skill wouldn't pass on such ordinary internal energy techniques. Therefore, the only disappointment comes from this…this ignorant and incompetent fellow!

Zhu Huihui was naturally unconvinced, but unfortunately, he was too weak-willed to challenge Fengxuese, so he had no choice but to accept the insults.

Feng Xuese slightly opened her eyes, looked at him, and said, "Now, you sit down obediently, with your five centers facing the sky, your mind focused on your dantian, your spirit calm and still, your heart unified, your awareness transformed into qi, circulating the qi through the meridians, until the three flowers gather at the top of the head, and the five qi return to their origin... I warn you, sit still, from this moment until dawn, if you dare to move even a little, I will cut off your legs!" After saying that, she placed the sword horizontally on her knee.

Zhu Huihui groaned, "They're cutting off my legs again!" At this rate, even if he had legs all over his body, they wouldn't be enough to chop off!

While complaining, he imitated Feng Xuese's posture and sat down, closed his eyes and sullen for a moment, then asked, "Great hero, what are the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top again? And the Five Qi Converging at the Origin, and the Meridian Circulation..." The old man only forbade him to move his legs, but he didn't forbid him to speak.

"Shut up!"

"oh……"

After sitting for a while, Zhu Huihui's buttocks were hurting from the rocks, and his legs were numb. He opened one eye and peeked at Feng Xuese, only to find that she was sitting upright as before. He quietly leaned forward, preparing to stretch his legs out.

Feng Xuese seemed to have eyes on his forehead. He casually swung his sword, and with a "thud," the scabbard struck his leg.

Zhu Huihui broke out in a cold sweat and immediately became obedient, her buttocks as if welded to the ground, truly not daring to move an inch.

With a flick of his snow-white wrist, he pointed his sword at the Lingtai acupoint on the crimson vest.