[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take":3,"chapter-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-115":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","If You Will Not Reject Me, I Wish to Bow and Take You as My Adoptive Father",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2276842,4454,"Chapter 115: Vast Righteous Qi","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-115",115,"\u003Cp>“Liu Auntie, are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu’s face showed little concern; her demeanor wasn’t as cautious as the other aunts or guards—her eyes held only curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Auntie had been slapped ten times by the government office runners using diamond-shaped tally sticks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t supposed to be just ten slaps—Liu Auntie finally submitted and offered money to redeem herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Yitao took her two hundred taels as a fine, yet still insisted on the ten slaps as minimum punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The runners still knew Liu Auntie’s strength and didn’t strike hard. Later, Hu Niang also got slapped—ten blows reddened Liu Auntie’s cheeks and swelled her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the first ten slaps directly made Hu Niang’s mouth spurt blood—the difference was stark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the injuries weren’t severe, the humiliation was no less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the beating all the way back to Qingshuiwan, Liu Auntie remained gloomy, saying not a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Qingshui Bridge, when parting from the madams, she gave no instructions, no concluding speech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even wave goodbye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The madams, too, looked embarrassed, feeling ashamed—they didn’t gather in small groups to gossip, but scattered cleanly and quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You all saw it, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Auntie sighed, looking around at the aunts and girls in the room, bitterly saying: “This is the fate of a courtesan—no matter how high you climb in this trade, you’re still a courtesan, a bottom-tier creature despised by all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I had no official rank, if I’d been just an ordinary commoner tonight, Zhu Yitao would have called me ‘Auntie Liu, the Martial Hero’ and bowed to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She meant she possessed great martial skill—the Hunyuan Wuliang internal art and the Nine Flower Sword Intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, what’s the point of saying this in Hongxiu Courtyard? We didn’t choose to be courtesans—our great-grandfather committed a crime, and our whole family was enslaved by the Jiaosifang. Our parents, siblings, and younger relatives are all courtesans and pimps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We all wish to meet a wealthy, powerful good man who could use connections and spend a fortune to redeem us—but we never do!” sighed Bi Tao, the top courtesan whose face resembled a certain celebrity from Xiao Yu’s past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Auntie muttered: “I’m not telling you to strive harder—I’m telling you to understand: courtesans mustn’t get too arrogant. Always remember your status, know when to advance and when to retreat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, but striving hard still has its use.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You just haven’t met a good man—not because none exist in this world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Many who once wandered the brothels now hold high rank and have been granted noble titles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Study hard, train your sword diligently—the stronger your ability, the more choices you’ll have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, as a courtesan, don’t be too picky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re overambitious, frivolous, and reckless, you’ll end up like me—getting slapped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, snap out of it! You’re the boss of Qingshuiwan!” Xiao Yu cried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Auntie indeed perked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been lying limp in her armchair like a dead fish, listless and utterly defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now she sprang up like an electrified black fish, pointing at Xiao Yu’s nose and yelling: “How dare you shout here? I let Zhu Yitao trample my face under his feet today—all because of you, little slut!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie’s going to bring up the brick again?” Xiao Yu whined. “I was helping you! When the Tong brothers insulted you and dared draw blades against you, the boss of Qingshuiwan, if I’d done nothing, wouldn’t I be heartless and ungrateful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Lian added: “Auntie, speak honestly—when you suffered injustice at the government office, we all felt it in our hearts, we were all pained for you—but you can’t take out your anger on us after being humiliated outside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It wasn't just Xiao Fengxian who took action.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I even threw a stool from the second floor and cracked open a runner’s skull.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Auntie planted her hands on her hips and roared at Jin Lian: “I’m the boss of Qingshuiwan! On my own turf, at my own gate, I can’t control a few runners? Do I need you to help me reclaim my dignity?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if Tong Er had drawn his blade and laid it against my throat, I’d remain calm and in full command.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu nodded rapidly: “Auntie, don’t be angry—I’m from the Northern Wastelands, new here, don’t understand the customs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time I see someone put a blade to your throat, I’ll just cheer from the sidelines—no interference.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Auntie rolled her eyes in fury. “Get out! Get out! All of you, get out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu ran out, calling back: “Auntie, don’t talk anymore—your lips are split and bleeding!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clang~~” A teacup flew across the room and smashed against the doorframe behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu returned to Xiao Jingxuan and cheerfully recounted the entire story of “Zhu Yitao Reinvestigates the Counterfeit Silver Case” to Hong Qu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Hong Qu didn’t eagerly press for details, she listened quietly to the whole tale, and a faint hint of cheer seemed to brighten her brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhu Yitao claims he’s a disciple of Confucius—what’s that about?” Xiao Yu asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t the Central Kingdom still the Great Qin? Had Confucianism already spread so far to the Western states?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu asked: “You’ve been in Shu for some time—haven’t you heard of the great name of Confucius?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe I’ve only met common folk—Confucius is too lofty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Da’s mother had once entered a martial school but never recited the Analects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu’s face once again wore her signature sneer: “I can’t fathom how the Western barbarians dare call themselves ‘Little Central Kingdom’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiao Yu, if you were in my great Lu State, you’d see Confucian scholars and academies even in the smallest border county, let alone the capital Jin Yang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu’s heart stirred—though she remembered nothing of the Central Plains maps from the Spring and Autumn period, she vaguely recalled that Confucius had been born in Lu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Confucius was from Shandong—did Shandong have Jin Yang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They say the rulers of all Western states are descendants of noble families from the Central Kingdom, and your Lu State once established the ‘Central Lu State’ in the East,” she asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu replied proudly: “Correct. The ancestors of my great Lu’s monarch and the Eight Great Clans were all descendants of the Central Kingdom’s imperial princes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides the princes of Central Lu, there were also descendants of Zhao, Chu, and other states that once contended with the tyrannical Qin for dominance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, Jin Yang was built by the ancestor of the Zhao Queen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And Confucius himself? He came from the Kong family—one of the Eight Great Clans. The Western Lu Kong family is a branch of Confucius’s direct descendants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… Li Qi Xian Kong Zan is a descendant of Confucius?” Xiao Yu felt something odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu glanced at her and avoided the sensitive topic of Kong Zan, continuing: “Back when the Central Kingdom saw a hundred schools of thought contend, Confucianism originated early in Lu—but for various reasons, it never became dominant in the Central Plains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Lu’s nobles and Kong descendants brought Confucianism to the Western wilderness, where no other schools existed, Confucianism naturally flourished and was accepted by all the regional lords.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when it comes to scholarly brilliance, ours is still the greatest!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The title ‘Little Central Kingdom’ belongs only to our great Lu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu’s voice rang firm and solemn, her young face grave and authoritative—as if delivering a sacred verdict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu felt nothing, only asked: “Can Confucianism grant immortality?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu looked at her as if she were insane: “If Confucianism could grant immortality, why would I still seek a fairy connection?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t Confucianism help scholars cultivate special true qi? Reading Daoist scriptures cultivates Dao qi—can’t reading Confucian classics cultivate even a bit of ‘Confucian qi’?” Xiao Yu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu nodded: “It’s possible—my father cultivated a deep ‘Vast Righteous Qi.’ But Confucianism is a worldly doctrine—it can only bring peace and aid the people, never guide one to transcendence and immortality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Three Thousand Great Daos, countless arts—only Golden Core is the true path; all others are side roads.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu probed: “Did your father teach you the method to cultivate Vast Righteous Qi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu gave her a sidelong glance. “You want to learn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu replied seriously: “I admire the sacred Dao of Confucianism—I wish to become a disciple of Confucius.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu sighed softly: “Even Uncle Kong is a direct descendant of Confucius—and still abandoned Confucianism to enter the mountains and cultivate strange arts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even Confucius himself merely passed away—he never ascended to immortality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When I find a fairy connection, then you can talk to me about this,” Xiao Yu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—When you can’t even afford a meal, why complain the meat’s too greasy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Qu shook her head: “I told you—my father never taught me any martial art.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even learning it without practicing affects your spirit and energy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, as usual, Xiao Yu leapt from the pool near the fourth watch (2 a.m.), dried herself, and returned to bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she lay down, Hong Qu rolled over and pinned one of her legs beneath her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu was about to kick her in the buttocks when her sole suddenly felt a faint tickle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu gasped: “Is this little brat still hungry? Is she licking my foot like a midnight sweet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she quickly realized something was wrong—the sensation on her palm was rhythmic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t move!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was three characters!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu, startled and uncertain, understood Hong Qu wasn’t eating sweets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pulled the thin blanket over herself, her breath gradually steadying as if asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before I went to Feixiandu, my father transmitted the Vast Righteous Qi to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He feared he might not return, feared I’d never find a fairy connection again—he left it as my final safeguard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When Yan Feiying captured me, the Prince of Qinghe sent men to interrogate me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vast Righteous Qi cannot lead to immortality, yet it remains a coveted martial treasure of the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I claimed I knew no martial arts for the sake of my fairy connection—so just memorize the incantation, don’t ever practice it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, you still lack the conditions to practice now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To cultivate a single breath of Vast Righteous Qi, you must read ten thousand scrolls—not just Confucian texts, but master all hundred schools’ classics, forge them in your own mind’s furnace, refine them into your own Confucian Dao, and only then will a thread of true qi descend from the Baihui Palace into your limbs and meridians.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not internal qi—true qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Vast Righteous Qi doesn’t demand physical strength—it hinges on spirit and ideal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once cultivated, it becomes true qi that resonates directly with heaven and earth—not qi born from blood and veins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The incantation was long—six or seven hundred characters, many of which Xiao Yu had never seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, her memory this lifetime was extraordinary—especially after the Peng transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t read the characters, but she remembered their shapes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, when Hong Qu and Xiao Yu woke, neither showed any sign of disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only during the afternoon Dao scripture recitation did Hong Qu, quoting lines from the Dao text, explain the pronunciation and meaning of some obscure characters to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu’s heart felt warm; though she didn’t directly express thanks, her bond with Hongqu grew closer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Yu, little Fengxian, Fengxian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, around eight or nine o’clock, a faint, mournful call suddenly rose from behind the courtyard wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faint and elusive, secretive and shadowy, dim and unclear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu’s first thought was that another old ghost had come to find her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she extended her perception (not spiritual force, but the enhancement of internal energy upon the five senses and heart-sense), she sensed the breath and heartbeat of a living person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it felt familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aunt Zhang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leapt onto the wall and looked down; huddled in the dark corner was an elderly woman with streaks of white hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t that Aunt Zhang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s late at night—what are you doing here? And—oh my, what’s wrong? Your face is so pale, and you have dark circles under your eyes—are you sick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wall was three or four meters high; standing atop it, she couldn’t see clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she landed beside Aunt Zhang, Xiao Yu was startled to find that in just one day, the old woman had grown much more worn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, take this damn thing away!” Aunt Zhang shoved an object into Xiao Yu’s palm, as if shedding a burden of ten thousand jin, exhaling deeply—and her complexion improved noticeably. “Carrying this thing, I couldn’t sleep a wink last night, terrified I’d lose it or break it and fail to answer to the Xu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This morning, I simply didn’t know what to do with it—keep it at home? Afraid a thief might steal it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, our humble little household is as open as an unlocked gate before those who leap over walls and rooftops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carry it on me? I fear losing it, or bumping or knocking it and damaging this precious thing—it’s driven me mad with worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, on the West Street, Elder Hou’s birthday, the Changchun Troupe was performing a grand opera at the street corner, drums and gongs roaring, crowds thronging—I wanted to go watch and eat a couple of pastries, but I dared not leave home. It’s so painful!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu said strangely, “It’s just an inanimate object—bury it under the bricks in the corner, or shove it into the doghouse—who’d know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Zhang said, “Heaven knows, earth knows, ghosts and spirits know—but the key is I know. And once I know, I worry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re truly worried, you could find a chance to quietly return it to Xu Huier,” Xiao Yu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You decide. Once you’ve decided, quietly return it to her,” Aunt Zhang said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu sighed helplessly, “I don’t even know where the Xu family lives, and unlike you, I can’t wander around freely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Zhang fell into thought. “I think Zhu Yitao is right—gamblers can’t be trusted; you shouldn’t hand all the money over to Old Xu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jade pendant should be hidden for now. Wait until Xu Huier grows up and marries, then take it out as her dowry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re still quite shrewd, Auntie!” Xiao Yu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes. “I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That jade pendant—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a high-flying master, unafraid of thieves—keep it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—But aren’t you worried I’ll become a thief?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought passed through her mind once, then vanished. To say it aloud to Aunt Zhang would sound overly delicate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll keep it. When you feel Xu Huier needs it, come ask me for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2451,"2026-06-20T00:29:13.334Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","638a7e562db4f1bcd8be3516a5386578775bb7f14b36e14b054a6372934a475b","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-116","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-114",840,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fif-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-cover.jpg"]