Mo Xi knew that Tang Huan had just returned to the Tang Clan and must have some important matters to attend to, so he would definitely not have time to pay attention to him. Without saying a word of politeness, he went with Luan Su.
As soon as her figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, Tang Huan turned around and saw Tang De looking at him with a half-smile. He coughed lightly and stepped into the hall first.
Third
( ) The next day. Chongyao Terrace. The sun rises.
Mo Xi opened the window and gazed into the distance. The first rays of the sunrise shone on the bronze window shade, making it radiate golden light. In the distance, the distant river meandered away like a silver chain.
Hearing the noise inside, Luan Su knocked on the door and asked, "Miss Mu, are you awake? Do you need to wash up?"
As Mo Xi let Luan Su in, he changed into a dark blue training uniform. After a quick wash, he asked, "Miss Luan Su, do you know where it is convenient to practice swordsmanship here?"
Luan Su thought for a moment and then said, "Miss Mu can go to Lingbo Pond, which is right below this platform."
Mo Xi thanked her and flew out the window like a swallow returning to its nest. Luan Su was surprised by her actions and stared at the window for a while before leaving.
Strangely enough, Lingbo Pond only shines its name at sunrise, with golden light floating on its vast expanse of water. At other times, the sunlight is blocked by the Chongyao Terrace built on top of it.
In the past, Mo Xi's progress in martial arts mostly came from constant killing; the insights gained in a single moment of combat were often equivalent to countless hours of practice. After learning the Flowing Frost Sword, her sword aura became much sharper, but she still felt it was insufficient in real combat and often couldn't fully integrate and execute it at will.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her. She leaped into the crystal-clear Lingbo Pool, where fish could be seen swimming beneath the surface, using the resistance of the water as her opponent and applying the principles of fluid dynamics to practice swordsmanship underwater. However, she remained extremely cautious throughout, avoiding contact with the pool walls and bottom. She thought to herself, "Thank goodness this place is different from modern times; there are no infrared beams or anything like that, otherwise this would have been far too risky." Holding her breath had always been her weakness, and she could only leap out of the water after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, but she had benefited greatly from the experience.
Looking up, I saw Tang Huan standing at the end of the pool, her expression hidden in the increasingly intense morning light due to the backlight.
Seeing her emerge from the pool, soaking wet and disheveled, Tang Huan's smile deepened.
"Miss Mu hasn't had breakfast yet, how about we have one?"
Mo Xi nodded. Because her clothes were wet and she was heavy, her lightness skill was greatly reduced, so this time she could only climb Chongyao Terrace step by step in a proper manner. Tang Huan found her disheveled appearance, with each step dripping with water, even more amusing, but Mo Xi didn't care at all and showed no embarrassment.
After Mo Xi finished washing up in the side hall, Luan Su led her to Qinghui Pavilion, the main hall of Chongyao Terrace, Tang Huan's residence.
Mo Xi noticed that Tang Huan's eyes were slightly bloodshot, but her expression was cheerful, so she figured that the matter of the Tang Clan had been settled overnight. This was also a good thing for her, since everyone in the Tang Clan now thought she was a guest invited by Tang Huan, and she didn't want to be an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
Unbeknownst to Mo Xi, news arrived last night that Tang Li had died on his way home. Although this battle was won by a smaller force, it was by no means a narrow victory. Lü Yun and A Hen had merely taken control of the post station first, giving all the cavalry horses a good drink. In this way, the cavalry became infantry, and then, hiding in the shadows, they used feints and diversions to annihilate the enemy forces, slowly wearing them down.
When the news arrived, even the die-hards in the Elder Council were at a loss. Tang Huan's succession as sect leader had been fully approved and was a done deal.
"This young lady has lived in Jiangnan for a long time, and I never expected her to also love spicy food."
"I don't like it." Mo Xi shook her head, picked up another mouthful of Mianyang rice noodles, put it in her mouth, and chewed slowly. She has always had a light diet, partly due to the influence of her previous life's taste, and partly because she has always felt that strong flavors would affect her sense of taste, smell, and physical sensitivity.
Tang Huan put down her jade chopsticks and asked, puzzled, "Then why didn't you stop eating?"
Tang Huan saw Mo Xi look up at him, smile slightly, but not answer. He couldn't help but think to himself: When they first met, she seemed to know all the famous dishes of Jinling like the back of her hand, so he assumed she only accepted the finest delicacies. Later, during their journey, he noticed she never hesitated to eat wild game or vegetables, and now, although she didn't like spicy food, she remained unfazed by a table full of incredibly spicy snacks. Could it be that she had experienced too many perilous situations, often not knowing when or where her next meal would come from, thus developing a habit of accepting any food offered, in order to conserve her energy…
When Mo Xi saw Tang Huan's gaze turn complicated for a moment, she knew he understood, so she didn't say anything and continued eating in silence.
After the meal, a maid came in and cleared away the leftover food and dishes.
Tang Huan took Mo Xi to the study.
A rather large bronze square zun with four rams was placed by the window. As the saying goes, "The most important affairs of the state are sacrifice and war." The main function of ancient bronzes was for sacrifice and warfare, and such an arrangement immediately exudes grandeur.
Tang Huan gestured for Mo Xi to sit down at the table, then turned around and took out a roll of plain paper from a hidden compartment, handing it to her.
"Please speak freely, young lady. I would be extremely grateful."
Mo Xi unfolded the scroll and read it; it was indeed a sketch of "a shower of flowers".
Overall, the design is similar to that of the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Nail, which also uses spring braking. However, the steel nails have been replaced with small pieces of metal foil, and the size is slightly smaller.
Having grasped the concept, Mo Xi began to speak eloquently: "This matter presents three difficulties. The first is sourcing the materials. Since it's 'a shower of flowers,' why not rely on nature? You mentioned that metal is heavy, so why not simply use plants? Since they are flowers and trees, when used in battle, the enemy will naturally be unable to detect them. We could choose a flower or tree, utilizing its inherent advantages, soaking it in preservatives and poison, and then air-drying it. Once the skin is broken, the poison will seep into the blood, causing the poisoning. If we want something light and delicate, why not use something like a dandelion, shaped like an umbrella, that will sway in a gentle breeze? Even if it doesn't pierce the skin, as long as it makes large-area contact, it's the same. If we could combine both, it would be even more impossible to defend against." Mo Xi's knowledge of plants was limited; he was merely providing an idea and a concept. Tang Huan, who dealt with herbs daily, should be able to find a suitable material.
Tang Huan silently went over her words in his mind twice, and suddenly felt enlightened. He smiled and said, "Miss, you are exceptionally intelligent, far surpassing me." After a pause, he hurriedly asked, "And the second point?"
Mo Xi looked at him with a half-smile and said, "The conditions you proposed that day only required improvement, not necessarily great success."
Tang Huan understood that she was afraid he would go back on his word, which was why she was keeping something in reserve. She said softly, "Huan has already sent people to search for Xue Tong with all their might. Please stay here for a few days in peace, Miss."
“The second one is braking,” Mo Xi added unexpectedly. Tang Huan was slightly taken aback, but seeing the sly look on her face and the glint in her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile.
Mo Xi picked up the rhinoceros horn brush from the table. Just as Luan Su was about to step forward to serve him, Tang Huan had already taken some pine soot ink and started grinding it on a blue-and-white Duan inkstone carved with peonies. (Mo Xi was fairly satisfied with the treatment he received, considering Tang Huan was personally grinding the ink.)
Mo Xi pondered for a moment, then began to explain as he drew.
To simultaneously launch numerous tiny plants, using a spring would require transferring the spring's energy to the soft, porous plants at the same time, a technically extremely difficult task. Mo Xi's design applies the principles of an air rifle to the "rain of flowers": high-intensity compressed air instantly blows the plants out of the tube. Simply connect the storage area for the plant material to a high-pressure air chamber, where a powerful, pre-compressed spring drives a piston to release the compressed air.
After Mo Xi finished speaking, Tang Huan pondered for about half an incense stick's time. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he was completely impressed by Mo Xi. He even bowed to thank him and asked urgently, "What is the third one?"
"This third point is of utmost importance, and please forgive me for not being able to tell you easily. Once I return to Jinling unharmed, I will write a letter." Inwardly, however, she thought: "I haven't even thought of the third point yet. Even if I just made up these first two to lure you in, I've already lost countless brain cells." Mo Xi was being completely open about this, but she feared that mentioning only one point wouldn't be enough of a lure. Tang Huan had a plan; being on someone else's turf, killing her would be incredibly easy and impossible to defend against.
Tang Huan smiled slightly, a hint of bitterness in his smile. He took out the jade bottle from his bosom and handed her a crystal-clear pill that emitted a faint, cool fragrance. He then took a purple clay teapot and poured tea for her while she took the medicine.
Divine Physician Xue Tong
( ) These past few days, Mo Xi has been living a very leisurely life. He practices his sword at Lingbo Pond in the morning and watches the sunset at Chongyao Peak.
That day, as usual, she leaped out of the pool, intending to go to the palace to change her clothes, but saw Tang De greet her with a beaming smile: "Miss Mu, Physician Xue has arrived. The Fourth Young Master sent this old servant to invite you to come." Mo Xi immediately felt much better.
As soon as Mo Xi stepped into the study, he smelled a faint herbal fragrance. Turning behind the screen with its carved sandalwood cloud pattern and inlaid jade base, he saw a short, withered old man with white hair and beard sitting on the open window, a stark contrast to the large bronze square zun next to him.
Tang Huan smiled slightly when she saw her arrive.
When the old man saw Mo Xi and Tang De enter, he jumped off the windowsill and circled Mo Xi three times, scrutinizing her from head to toe. Mo Xi stood quietly to the side, letting him examine her.
Legend has it that Xue Tong, who treats the dead without charging a penny, had a peculiar habit before treating patients: he absolutely refused to treat those he didn't like. It's said that doctors have the heart of parents, and people in the martial arts world said his actions violated medical ethics. Xue Tong, however, refuted this with righteous indignation: "Isn't it redundant to treat first and then kill?" Alas, encountering such a doctor who disregards human life is a nightmare for martial arts practitioners. Strangely enough, before Xue Tong's debut, which renowned doctor in the martial arts world wasn't a master of martial arts? Yet Xue Tong himself knew absolutely no martial arts, relying entirely on his domineering medical skills to roam the martial arts world. He was arrogant and eccentric, yet no one dared to provoke him. Firstly, life is unpredictable; if someone had a headache or fever, their life would be in his hands. Secondly, although he offended many, he saved even more, including many figures ranked high on Mu Yanzhai's list of powerful figures.
"How strange, how bizarre..." Xue Tong fiercely grabbed two handfuls of his whiskers, wincing in pain while grinning maliciously, and suddenly reached out to pry Mo Xi's pulse.
Mo Xi had already sensed that he didn't know martial arts, so she let him take her pulse.