Chapter 341

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, he almost caused his own meridians to explode; that old coot is basically Xiang Zhuang brandishing his sword. After a while, Hu Xiaotian had calmed down; having wandered around the Gates of Hell and still able to remain so composed, such composure is already rare among the younger generation. Hu Xiaotian said: "It sounds wonderful, only a pity that I don't understand music, causing Lord Li to play to a cow."

Li Yuncong smiled and said: "You are from a prestigious family, with deep family learning; how could you not understand music? If you didn't hear anything from it, then it must be because of Zajia—my huqin playing isn't good enough, failing to convey the spirit and charm of this piece. How about this: Zajia will play another piece for you..."

Hu Xiaotian, frightened, quickly waved his hands; just now he almost lost his life; if Li Yuncong played another piece, he feared he would not escape disaster.

Li Yuncong, seeing Hu Xiaotian's expression, couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, and deliberately said: "You must dislike Zajia's huqin playing as unpleasant, not even giving me a chance to perform."

Hu Xiaotian had already seen that Li Yuncong was deliberately teasing him; it seemed he did not truly intend to harm his life, otherwise he would not have let him off at the critical moment, not using hands or feet to launch any attack, relying solely on the melody to kill invisibly; this Senior Eunuch's martial arts are truly astonishing and shocking to the world. Hu Xiaotian said: "To be frank, when Lord Li played the huqin just now, I unconsciously became immersed in the music, as if I had experienced an extremely perilous battle; my mind filled with a scene of bloody wind and rain, my heart pounded uncontrollably, feeling as if all the blood vessels in my body were about to burst with the music." Plain speech, no hidden words; don't force me to listen to you play the huqin again. I speak plainly. If you play again, I'll fight you to the death.

Li Yuncong said: "Zajia's huqin piece is called 'Great Desert Wind and Sand'; the reason Zajia just took your pulse was because I noticed your expression and demeanor were somewhat off."

"What's wrong?"

Li Yuncong said: "Although Zajia couldn't be certain just now, from the frequency of your breathing and the rhythm of your pulse, I can tell that there likely exists a strong foreign true qi within your body."

Quan De'an's act of injecting ten years of cultivation into his own body—Hu Xiaotian had never mentioned this to Li Yuncong, yet with a single word he laid bare the truth; Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but secretly admire. He hesitated a moment, then finally extended his left hand slowly, laying it flat on the small table.

Li Yuncong's pulse-taking was strange in the usual way—he merely placed his middle finger on Hu Xiaotian's pulse point as a support, while the rest of his fingers floated in the air.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I have heard before that someone could take a pulse with just one finger; today I finally see it for the first time."

Li Yuncong said: "Whether one finger or ten, there's really no difference; even if you let a numb person place both hands and feet on it, even if you let him feel it for a lifetime, he would still discover nothing."

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "I've never even seen someone take a pulse with both hands and feet." He kept cracking jokes, intending to disturb Li Yuncong's attention.

Li Yuncong merely placed his finger on Hu Xiaotian's pulse point for a short time, then withdrew, saying softly: "You probably never knew martial arts before."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Nobody is born knowing martial arts."

Li Yuncong gave a hehe smile, his expression looking very sly, lazily yawned and said: "You should understand my meaning; Zajia still has some insight in pulse diagnosis. From your pulse condition, it's quite abnormal."

Hu Xiaotian naturally knew his own situation; he knew Li Yuncong must have discovered something while taking his pulse, but since he still didn't understand Li Yuncong's intention, Hu Xiaotian continued to beat around the bush, deliberately furrowing his brow and saying: "Oh? What's abnormal?"

Li Yuncong said: "It seems you don't realize that your days are numbered."

Although Hu Xiaotian knew that the foreign true qi within him would bring disaster, and Quan De'an had previously told him he faced the danger of deviation—long term three years, short term three months—now hearing it from a third party still gave Hu Xiaotian a jolt of fright; Li Yuncong's cultivation level should not be inferior to Quan De'an's, judging from his remarks. He must have already sensed Hu Xiaotian's secret.

Li Yuncong said: "A person who has never cultivated martial arts and a martial arts master differ; superficially it's just a difference in strength and technique, but internally the difference is greater. One who diligently cultivates martial arts has meridians like the mighty Yangtze River, vast and surging, capable of containing powerful internal energy that rushes and gallops; one who has never cultivated martial arts has meridians like a gentle trickling stream; such a stream, with its thin, long-lasting flow, might persist for tens of millions of years, but once a flood erupts there is danger of a breach. If we liken meridians to rivers and streams, then a person's qi sea is like oceans and lakes; an untrained person's qi sea can at most be considered a pond, and as cultivation deepens, the qi sea's capacity continually expands, capable of becoming a lake, or even a vast ocean."

Hu Xiaotian listened silently; he already understood what Li Yuncong was saying, Li Yuncong clearly knew his current situation—just by taking his pulse with one finger he had already pinpointed the crux; secretly admiring Li Yuncong's skill, he couldn't help but worry about his own condition; Quan De'an, that old coot, had ultimately trapped him; in the end he didn't insist on cleansing himself—was it because forcibly injecting internal energy into his body had shortened his lifespan, making him emotionally unable to let go, thus letting him off? Upon second thought, there's no possibility; people like Quan De'an care only about power, never about others' lives or deaths.

Li Yuncong said: "A small stream suddenly flooded with torrents; even if it barely holds up, a pond-sized qi sea cannot contain these floods, unable to contain or discharge them, so they can only surge and circulate within the meridians, never ceasing; each cycle damages the meridians a bit more, and the qi sea likewise; everything has its limit, and one day it will exceed what it can bear, then one must face severed meridians and a ruptured qi sea—that is what is commonly called deviation." Li Yuncong said this, smiling at Hu Xiaotian: "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Hu Xiaotian's back was already covered in cold sweat without him noticing; he whispered: "I understand some parts, but still not fully."

Li Yuncong said: "A small stream suddenly flooded with torrents; even if it barely holds up, a pond-sized qi sea cannot contain these floods, unable to contain or discharge them, so they can only surge and circulate within the meridians, never ceasing; each cycle damages the meridians a bit more, and the qi sea likewise; everything has its limit, and one day it will exceed what it can bear, then one must face severed meridians and a ruptured qi sea—that is what is commonly called deviation." Li Yuncong said this, smiling at Hu Xiaotian: "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Hu Xiaotian remained composed on the surface: "Lord Li, you're cursing me!" Inside, however, he understood Li Yuncong wouldn't lie; he hated Quan De'an intensely and would settle the score with him tomorrow; if this Senior Eunuch doesn't help him resolve this hidden danger, he declared he wouldn't lift a finger to help him no matter what.

Li Yuncong said: "The curse harming you is definitely not Zajia's doing but someone else's; Zajia admits that just now he deliberately used the huqin to stimulate your internal power; your racing heart, anguish, and near-death feeling are all because Zajia triggered the foreign true qi within your body—not to scare you, but soon, once you deviate, the suffering you'll endure will be a hundred times greater than just now."

Hu Xiaotian's face visibly changed, fine sweat beading on his forehead; anyone would feel fear, and he was no exception; without Li Yuncong's detailed explanation, he wouldn't have realized how great the danger of the ten years of cultivation Quan De'an forced into him was; now he finally understood—no wonder they say there's no free lunch; Quan De'an wasn't so kind as to give him ten years of cultivation for nothing, and now trying to give it back is difficult.

Li Yuncong said: "Who tampered with your body—Quan De'an or Ji Feihua?"

Hu Xiaotian was soaked in cold sweat all over, the slight intoxication in his body instantly vanished completely. He never expected Li Yuncong to be so formidable, nor that today Li Yuncong summoning him mainly aimed to lay all cards on the table. Li Yuncong already knew his secret, yet he himself knew nothing about Li Yuncong; indeed the imperial palace hides dragons and crouching tigers. Although Hu Xiaotian is resourceful, he now doesn't know how to respond, so he remains silent.

Li Yuncong said: "Although Zajia rarely leaves home, looking across the imperial palace, the only ones truly deserving the title of master are the two of them."

Hu Xiaotian raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead again: "I think you old man need to be even more brilliant." What he meant was certainly not just martial arts.

Li Yuncong said: "People like us are looked down upon by the world; no one regards us as proper folk; even if some have struggled and achieved superficial glory, who can see the hardship and bitterness behind us?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded along; actually he and they are not the same kind of people.

Li Yuncong said: "It is precisely because of our bodily deficiencies that our minds become more focused; a true martial arts master must sever the desires in his heart, for know that desire is the greatest obstacle to one's cultivation."

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