Chapter 409: Xie family

Xie Fu, north side of the Grand View Garden.

One must take a boat across the lake and pass through a bamboo forest that is dripping with green before one can see that small, exquisite courtyard.

On the courtyard gate hangs an ancient plaque with the three words "Dengchun Tower" written on it, the brushwork vigorous, revealing a bit of elegant spirit.

Although it is early spring and the cold air has not yet dissipated, the bamboo forest is still as thick as ink, and the curling white mist drifting from the lake lingers among them, making the courtyard appear even more elegant and quiet.

This is the residence of Xie Hong, the master of the second courtyard; ordinary people are not allowed to approach it on weekdays, and servants come to clean it every day to maintain the cleanliness and tranquility of the courtyard.

Now Xie Hong has gone to the Academy, and this place has been left vacant, with only the bamboo leaves rustling and the wind passing through the hall.

Today, the courtyard gate is gently pushed open.

A beautiful woman in golden clothes walks in, followed respectfully by a young man.

The beautiful woman is wearing a Zhaojun suit of autumn-board sable, her hands folded at her waist, a bright green bracelet on her wrist, and her temperament is graceful.

She is the mistress of the Xie family's second courtyard, Xie Hong's legal wife—Madam Zhao.

Although she has given birth to two sons and is over thirty, her face is still as beautiful as a young girl of twenty. Today, she is even more carefully dressed, her black hair coiled into a Lingyun bun, appearing dignified and elegant.

Madam Zhao steps into the courtyard, her gaze slowly sweeping over every plant and tree, walking in and fiddling with a pot of spring chrysanthemums, her eyes carrying a bit of pity.

She sighs softly: "This courtyard hasn't been visited for a long time. These are the chrysanthemums the Master likes the most."

The young man behind her says in a low voice: "Madam, although the Master is not here, this place is still the same, all thanks to Madam."

Madam Zhao has a bitter smile on her face, her onion-white fingertips gently brushing the desk in the courtyard.

She looks up at the bamboo forest behind the building and says in a low voice: "However, I have served the Master for many years and given birth to two children for the Master... in the Master's heart, I am not as good as these plants."

The bamboo forest rustles, and the white mist lingers, as if testifying to her words.

Madam Zhao moves her lotus steps lightly and steps into Xie Hong's bedroom.

The young man follows closely, his footsteps so light they are almost silent, fearing to disturb this quiet atmosphere.

The bedroom is simply furnished, with only a simple bed and books neatly stacked on the carved wooden cabinet by the bed, the pages folded meticulously.

Madam Zhao turns around, her beautiful eyes looking at the young man.

Facing her gaze, the young man dares not look up, only lowering his eyelids, looking at Madam Zhao's small, delicate shoes on the ground.

"Look up."

The young man only then dares to look up, revealing a face similar to Xie Hong's.

Madam Zhao reaches out, her fingertips gently brushing the young man's face, her tone carrying a bit of obsession: "Like, your nose, eyebrows are like him, and your lips are also like... only a few points of resemblance, yet so handsome."

The young man's eyes are burning and fearful; the whole person is tense, his hands in his sleeves tightly clenched into fists, his knuckles white.

"Slap—"

Madam Zhao slaps the young man's face hard; the force is so great that his head tilts to one side, and his cheek instantly turns red and swollen.

Madam Zhao furrows her brows slightly, her tone cold: "Who let you show such a spineless appearance? You filthy, cheap thing..."

Her voice is as cold as ice, making the young man shudder.

"The Master's eyes have always been cold and high above; how could you be so timid?"

The young man is so scared he almost kneels to the ground, his voice trembling: "Madam, forgive me! This little one... this little one knows he was wrong."

Madam Zhao snorts coldly, withdraws her hand, turns to look at the bamboo forest outside the window, her tone carrying a bit of disdain and disappointment: "Get out, go back to where you came from tomorrow... don't be in the Xie family."

The young man is scared out of his wits, his whole body trembling. He was originally the son of a lowly horse slave in the Xie Fu, with a red seal on his deed of sale, and for generations, they have been slaves of the Xie family, without even the qualifications to redeem himself. Even if the mistress beat him to death, it would be a common occurrence.

He lived in the horse shed since he was a child, accompanied by horse manure, until he was spotted by Madam Zhao a year ago and raised in the second courtyard like a canary.

Fine clothes and food, silk and satin, as if the days of darkness finally saw light. He both respected and feared this beautiful mistress, and in his heart, he had long regarded her as a god.

For a year, he only saw Madam Zhao a few times; every meeting made him both expectant and fearful.

He naturally knew that he had this honor because his appearance resembled that Master Hong, and he had deliberately imitated the tone and habits of this Second Master for a year.

Now hearing that Madam Zhao wants him to return to the horse shed, he is terrified to the extreme, as if falling from the clouds into the abyss.

He hurriedly kneels and kowtows, his forehead hitting the ground heavily, making a dull sound.

Blood flows down his forehead, staining the ground, but he is unaware, only kowtowing desperately, his voice trembling: "Madam, spare me! This little one knows he was wrong! This little one will never dare again!"

He is dizzy, his vision blurred, only able to see Madam Zhao's graceful figure with her back to him, cold and distant.

Madam Zhao speaks coldly, her tone not carrying a trace of emotion: "Get out!"

After speaking, she turns and walks toward the door, her fingertips gently rubbing the green bracelet on her wrist, as if everything just now had nothing to do with her.

The Master has gone to the Academy, and I don't know when he will return. It's all the fault of that Xie Guan in the main courtyard; he won't be proud for many more days.

His death date is coming soon!

She sneers in her heart, her steps moving lightly, just about to walk out of the bedroom.

Suddenly!

A familiar voice sounds from behind, low and dignified: "Madam, did I tell you to leave?"

Madam Zhao's body stiffens; she feels a burst of tension for no reason, her hands unconsciously folded at her waist, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She turns her head slowly, only to see the young man has stood up, his gaze burning as he looks at her, his expression actually carrying a few shadows of Xie Hong.

"Close the door." The young man's voice is calm but carries an unquestionable dignity.

Madam Zhao, listening to this voice, unconsciously swallows her saliva.

"Why, even your husband's words, you don't listen to?"

He raises his hand and slaps Madam Zhao hard on the face; the force is so great that he knocks her to the ground.

Madam Zhao's long dress spreads out like a flower; she covers her face and falls to the ground, but there is no shock or anger on her face; instead, a look of obsession appears in her eyes.

"Close the door!"

Madam Zhao hurriedly gets up to close the door.

The young man has already sat on the bed in the bedroom.

"Madam, why don't you come and serve your husband."

Madam Zhao walks over timidly, her steps carrying a bit of hesitation and struggle.

The young man hugs the fragrant body, his heart shaken; this is the mistress he has dreamed of, and he dares not apply a finger.

His face remains as cold as ever; with a "rip," he suddenly tears off Madam Zhao's outer garment.

Madam Zhao's face is suddenly panicked; before she can react, another slap lands heavily on her cheek; her chest heaves violently, and she stops struggling.

The fur coat fades away, revealing her skin like snow, delicate and boneless, like congealed fat.

She breathes like an orchid, her eyes blurred, whispering softly: "Master..."

The young man's eyes are also burning like fire; the rumors about the mistress binding her chest are indeed true.

The place that was tightly bound in the past is now bursting, turning into two giant mountains, shaking gently.

A large hand cannot hold them.

Madam Zhao raises her head slightly, her black hair scattered, her eyebrows furrowed, revealing a look of pain: "Master, please be gentle."

The young man's eyes are burning like fire, his hands exerting force: "Born with such things that don't conform to the rites... bigger than my head... and you dare to ask me to be gentle."

"Coil your hair up; I have tamed wild horses on Longxi Road... I want to see how the Madam is."

Madam Zhao obediently climbs onto the neat bed without a single wrinkle...

At this moment, the doors and windows of Dengchun Tower are tightly closed, heavy rain pours outside, hitting the lotus flowers in the lake, and the suppressed panting inside is difficult to distinguish.

A few carp jump to watch the lotus in the rain, having a unique elegant interest.

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【Days flow by, never stopping; the grass and trees in the courtyard are becoming more and more lush, with a bit of competitive spring spirit.】

【The Yellow River rebellion, with your father leading troops to Jiangnan Road to suppress the rebellion, gradually subsided in Bianjing.】

【Inside the city, the Nine Great Surnames are still singing and dancing, and the night banquet at the West Chamber Building does not disperse until dawn, as if that rebellion had never happened.】

【Another half month passed!】

【Your cultivation advances again; the realm of the fifth realm of Martial Dao, "Spring Thunder," has reached perfection, only one step away from breaking through to "Winding Fingers."】

【The realm of "Winding Fingers" is when a martial artist polishes their innate qi to the extreme, completing the thorough tempering of the body's meridians.】

【After this realm, it is the "Snow Mountain" realm of the upper three realms, needing to open up a foundation in the dantian, starting to inject true qi to add stones and sand, also known as the "Snow Mountain" realm.】

【After entering "Winding Fingers," all the acupoints of the body are opened, with no stagnation, and one can already look inside oneself.】

【Every pore and acupoint of the body can breathe, and one can breathe even when swimming at the bottom of the water; the body can be heavy or light.】

【You only need to operate the dantian qi to increase your weight by over a hundred pounds out of thin air, or be as light as a feather, following your heart's desire.】

【At this time, a martial artist has escaped the limitations of ordinary martial artists needing to change breath when fighting others; the true qi is long and continuous, with no more obscurity.】

【Ordinary Primordial Spirit cultivators or the siege of dozens of people all wait for the opportunity when the martial artist uses up a breath and moves when breathing.】

【After "Winding Fingers," every pore can breathe; why is it called "Winding Fingers"? It is because even from the fingers or even the acupoints, one can shoot out innate qi with amazing power.】

【You sit shirtless in the courtyard, feeling the flow of true qi in your body; the medicinal power of the blood marrow and Bodhi seeds still remains, and this time you are prepared to use up all these medicinal powers to impact the "Winding Fingers" realm.】

【You sit cross-legged, your essence and blood burning, Buddha light lingering on your body surface, your hands forming Buddhist hand seals, but hidden demonic energy in your body.】

【This is the strange phenomenon manifested by practicing both the "Jin Gang Indestructible Body" and the "Purple Mist Cave Demon True Scripture," Buddha and Demon intertwining, mysterious and unpredictable.】

【There is only one acupoint on your whole body that has not been opened—the "Tiantai Acupoint" located between the upper dantian and the Niwan Palace.】

【You take a deep breath, open your eyes suddenly, and shout in a low voice: "Break!"】

【Essence and blood stir, turning into a red dragon, rushing straight to the "Tiantai Acupoint."】

【The Tiantai Acupoint opens in response, as if a gate is rushed open, and the true qi surges like a river, instantly penetrating the whole body.】

【You feel the power in your body surging like a tide, every inch of meridians cheering and leaping, feeling the surging power in your body.】

【"The realm of Winding Fingers is achieved."】

【You close your eyes, feeling the flow of true qi in your body, as if every wisp of power has been tempered through a hundred battles, containing infinite vitality and potential.】

【The cultivation of Martial Dao cannot catch up with the speed of Primordial Spirit cultivation after all. You know clearly in your heart that to condense the life-bound essence, only the tenth realm of the Primordial Spirit, "Yang Spirit," and the ninth realm of Martial Dao, "Xuan Dan," can be combined to achieve it.】

【At your current progress, it won't take long before you can reach the ninth realm of the Primordial Spirit, "Ziwei Heng Realm."】

【Your speed in Primordial Spirit cultivation is truly amazing; this may be related to your cultivation of the heart from childhood to now. The clarity and resilience of your state of mind make you like a fish in water on the path of the Primordial Spirit.】

【Cultivating the life-bound essence makes one a great master of the world, which is the peak of all cultivators in the world.】

【Even the Master is in this realm. However, the life-bound essence also has strength and weakness.】

【Like the Second Teacher's life-bound essence "Slaying Immortals," it can slay karma, and even the Master fears it by three points.】

【As for what kind of life-bound essence you want to condense, it is closely related to the precious techniques you practice.】

【You stand in the courtyard, looking up at the sky; the morning sun is rising, and the rosy light is ten thousand zhang.】

【You secretly think in your heart: "The Dao of the life-bound essence concerns a lifetime of cultivation. Now practicing the 'Yin Talisman Scripture,' 'Yang Talisman Scripture,' 'Jin Gang Indestructible Body Divine Skill,' 'Purple Mist Cave Demon True Scripture,' and the Second Teacher's Nine Swords, involving the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, perhaps I can condense a unique life-bound essence."】

【You have tidied up all the matters in the courtyard and are about to focus on comprehending the Second Teacher's Eighth Sword—"Sword Master."】

【This sword and the Ninth Sword were obtained by the Second Teacher after many years of bitter thinking on his sickbed, and finally, he opened the Heavenly Gate with his sword.】

【Its realm is so high that it may have surpassed the current Master, mysterious and extraordinary, not comparable to human martial arts.】

【A month has passed since the Qunfang Banquet, but you still haven't cracked the Eighth Sword.】

【"Sword Master" has no text to carry, only a hazy human shadow left by the Second Teacher.】

【In your heart sea, that shadow stands tall, holding a long sword in his hand, vaguely looking like the Second Teacher.】

【You can consume Primordial Spirit power to project this sword-intent shadow into the small courtyard, just like the Yin spirit, virtual and real, difficult to grasp.】

【This sword intent seems to have intelligence, without your command, it can fight with you, only comparing moves, not involving Primordial Spirit or Martial Dao innate internal strength.】

【You gradually understand that if you cannot defeat this shadow with sword moves, you cannot obtain the inheritance of the Ninth Sword.】

【You have tried several times, even using all your strength, but you couldn't last ten moves in his hands, and in the end, you were always controlled by him.】

【It is shameful to say, this is the result of your diligent practice every day for a month.】

【The sword in the Second Teacher's hand is like an antelope hanging its horns, and like a celestial being flying from outside the sky, changing unpredictably; I fear it has exhausted the limits of human sword techniques.】

【However, I don't know if this sword intent was deliberately left by the Second Teacher or if it was originally like this, but it just happens to make up for your shortcomings.】

【Although your cultivation is fast, you lack someone to feed you moves in responding to moves, which is also your shortcoming.】

【Now with this sword-intent shadow, your sword technique is improving rapidly.】

【You stand in the courtyard, holding a long sword, closing your eyes and focusing, projecting the sword-intent shadow again.】

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 410 =====