Chapter 81: Little Formless Art

"Little Formless Art?" Li Qingluo's face changed; this was the most formidable martial art within the Langhuan Jade Cave, with no other martial arts able to compare. How did this Prince of Yan come to know of it?

"It is the Little Formless Art." Zhao Ti nodded: "Lady, fetch it."

Li Qingluo dared not hesitate; since she had already arrived here, there was no need to continue hiding. After replying "Yes," she walked toward the bookshelf at the deepest point on the left.

Just as she reached the bookshelf and reached out to take the secret manual, her face suddenly changed, and she cried out in shock: "How is it gone?"

Hearing this, Zhao Ti felt a slight stir in his heart and walked over as well, seeing that the bookshelf was indeed empty.

"Prince of Yan, it is not that this humble woman is deceiving you. Originally, the complete Little Formless Art comprised eight volumes; seven were stored here, yet all are now missing..." Li Qingluo's face was extremely ugly, her mind dazed, wondering when the Langhuan Jade Cave had been robbed.

"Eight volumes in total, seven lost?" Zhao Ti said indifferently.

"Exactly so. My father took the eighth volume a few days ago; there should still be seven secret manuals here," Li Qingluo murmured.

Zhao Ti's expressionless face remained unchanged; it was certain that Ji Mo Zhi had been here and stolen the first seven volumes. He said, "The Little Formless Art is the finest Cultivation Technique in the Langhuan Jade Cave; surely the Lady has practiced it?"

Li Qingluo said, "This humble woman practiced it since childhood, but because my aptitude was poor and my comprehension did not match the Cultivation Technique, I did not succeed..."

Zhao Ti said, "This place was already missing one volume; even if you read it, it would be incomplete. Since the Lady has practiced for many years, you must remember the content of all eight volumes. I was going to ask the Lady to recite the eighth volume anyway; now, simply tell them all to this Prince."

Li Qingluo hurriedly nodded: "Very well. These years I practiced without success, and my heart is unwilling; indeed, I have memorized everything completely. This humble woman will recite it for the Prince of Yan. Your Highness need only rest assured; this humble woman will not miss a single character."

Zhao Ti said, "This Prince learns martial arts extremely quickly; if there is any error, I will detect it immediately. Think carefully; if you err, not only will the Lady herself, but the entire Mandala Manor may cease to exist."

"This humble woman understands. Even if I had the audacity to challenge the heavens, I would not dare miss a single detail." Li Qingluo nodded, then asked in confusion: "The Prince of Yan said you learn martial arts extremely quickly; does that mean... this humble woman should recite and practice this Art simultaneously?"

Zhao Ti glanced at her askance: "What does the Lady think?"

Hearing this, Li Qingluo was startled, but immediately felt otherwise in her heart, thinking the other party was truly too arrogant.

How profound the Little Formless Art was! Ding Chunqiu had told her long ago; this was a supreme divine skill of the Xiaoyao Sect. It possessed certain special aspects; the very name "Formless" indicated that one needed not only top-tier talent in martial arts but also comprehension that aligned with this Art to practice it.

Ding Chunqiu's talent was high, but precisely because his talent and comprehension did not align sufficiently with this Art, although he entered the door, he did not master much and found it difficult to use.

As for herself, she had not even entered the door; her martial arts talent was average, and her comprehension was even worse. Not to mention the Little Formless Art, she had not mastered even a few of the other martial arts in the Langhuan Jade Cave; otherwise, she would not be guarding the treasure vault while her martial arts remained mediocre.

Moreover, she missed Duan Zhengchun at all times; traces of Dali camellias were everywhere within the manor. How could she practice with a calm and quiet mind?

Thinking of this, Li Qingluo felt hatred, believing Duan Zhengchun deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.

"What is the Lady thinking?" Zhao Ti, seeing Li Qingluo's expression shift from despair to sweetness to gritted teeth, rubbed his chin.

"Ah, Prince of Yan..." Li Qingluo's face instantly flushed red, thinking inwardly why she would recall such chaotic matters at such a tense moment: "Your Highness, there are meditation cushions placed over there; please go sit and listen to this humble woman recite the Cultivation Technique."

Zhao Ti, seeing her display a coquettish, maiden-like shyness, thought inwardly: Could she be thinking of Duan Er of Dali?

He shook his head, walked with hands behind his back, and indeed found meditation cushions waiting behind that bookshelf. He picked a large one to sit on, while Tong Guan stood upright protecting him from the front.

Seeing this, Li Qingluo felt puzzled again. Did he want her to speak sentence by sentence? Although the Little Formless Art was not a long treatise, it was not too short either. If she spoke one sentence and he pondered one, it might take three days and three nights to finish.

Zhao Ti said: "The Lady need only recite silently; there is no need for pauses or intervals."

Hearing this, Li Qingluo felt relieved, recalled for a few breaths, and began to recite.

The complete Little Formless Art comprised eight volumes, but the number of characters was not actually that great; it was finished in nearly an hour.

Then Zhao Ti pondered for a moment, suddenly smiling: "Lady, recite it silently for this Prince once more."

Li Qingluo's heart skipped a beat. This evil Prince was indeed sharp; even though she, for the sake of her reputation and life, could not possibly miss a single word or phrase of the Little Formless Art, he still wanted her to repeat it for verification. Could he possibly memorize everything just by listening and compare it?

She recited it again. Zhao Ti nodded, then suddenly asked: "Does the Lady's daughter practice martial arts?"

Li Qingluo was puzzled by this question and answered: "She does not..."

Zhao Ti smiled: "Father, mother, maternal grandparents all practiced martial arts; even the grandfather should have known martial arts. How is it that here, she does not learn?"

Hearing this, Li Qingluo's expression changed drastically. Her biological parents were a secret; almost no one knew except the parties involved. How did the other party know, or was he trying to deceive her?

"Yan'er has disliked martial arts since childhood, disliking fighting and killing, so she did not practice. However, she loves reading and writing, composing poetry and playing the zither; many martial arts secret manuals are memorized in her heart."

Zhao Ti nodded: "What a pity. Then the lineage is cut off here? Will this Langhuan Jade Cave be lost to future generations?"

Li Qingluo was stunned. What did this evil Prince mean by these words?

"Does she also remember the Little Formless Art?" Zhao Ti asked.

"No," Li Qingluo shook her head: "Originally, I always kept this Cultivation Technique with me; only last year did I place it in the Langhuan Jade Cave. I once told her that unless she herself wished to practice, she must not remember this Art, lest others learn of it and bring disaster upon herself. However, this Cultivation Technique is special; even with sufficient talent, if comprehension does not align, it cannot be practiced."

"Formless, formless; originally, it is not something ordinary people can understand." Zhao Ti smiled: "Lady, recite it once more."

Hearing this, Li Qingluo secretly hated him, thinking this evil Prince was just rambling to disturb her mind. If she were to fake it, the shock might cause her to forget; reciting again for comparison would inevitably reveal the difference. Truly cunning beyond measure.

She gently inhaled and recited the Little Formless Art silently once more. Zhao Ti closed his eyes slightly; after Li Qingluo finished reciting, he spoke no more, seeming to fall into deep thought or a light doze.

Seeing this, Li Qingluo dared not speak nor move recklessly, glancing at Zhao Ti, then glancing at Tong Guan.

Tong Guan's eyes were bright as snow at this moment; he also remembered the opening part of the Little Formless Art. Since Zhao Ti brought him here and did not order him to leave, it was clear he did not care.

He only remembered the beginning; pondering and analyzing it in his heart, an extremely strange expression involuntarily appeared on his face.