After rinsing off the ointnt completely, Min Ming hurriedly took the dicine. She regained a bit of strength, leaning against the bed fra as she struggled to stand. Her body trembled as if she might collapse at any mont.
Chen Yi, after washing his hands at the water vat, pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the bedroom.
Seeing his handso face, Min Ming's delicately powdered visage grew even paler.
Chen Yi's expression turned cold, his gaze piercing as he stared directly at her,
"You wish to be my chambermaid, yet you're placing poison? What tricks are you playing on ?"
As his words fell, Min Ming's body went limp, and she dropped onto the bed.
The bedfra quivered slightly.
Exposed—all of it had been exposed... it was over...
"No, don't! Please... I beg you, spare . It was Wuyong Building—it was them who forced ... Please spare , grant a path to life..."
Min Ming's eyes reddened, appearing as frightened as a startled fawn.
"Spare you? You poisoned —you nearly killed ! It was all Wuyong Building's fault, and you bear no bla?"
Chen Yi spoke as he stepped forward, his tone cold and deliberate. Min Ming avoided his gaze, her hands and feet faintly trembling.
"Master Chen, I... I was wrong. It was Wuyong Building that coerced , I didn't want to... Yet I was still at fault. Sob... I was supposed to beco your chambermaid, and you promised not to harm Min Ning, but, but... Master Chen, it's all my fault..."
Min Ming's face was streaked with tears by now.
Chen Yi continued to approach step by step, his gaze coldly savoring her panic. He reached out and lifted her chin,
"All of this—you should have agreed to in the first place..."
Suddenly, as if grasping for so kind of initiative, so form of self-protection, Min Ming unexpectedly leaned forward.
Trembling, she took the initiative to embrace him, pressing herself directly against his chest.
"I'll do as you ask... It was my mistake; I shouldn't have... but I had no other choice. It wasn't what I wanted, sob... I... I'll redeem myself. I'll be your chambermaid, your servant girl, all right? Would that be all right? Sob... Master Chen, I was wrong..."
Her voice carried within it sobs and pleas as she pressed herself against his chest. It was less an ignorant act of flinging herself into his arms and more an act of calculated surrender—seeking leniency through submission. This active stance reminded Chen Yi suddenly of Min Ning.
The two sisters—so utterly different in temperant—yet so strikingly alike at tis.
Chen Yi could feel her tears soaking through his robes onto his skin.
She had succeeded.
His heart softened for a mont as he gently held her trembling shoulders. He wanted to say sothing, but the words felt stuck in his throat. A part of him knew his lenience could be exploited by this calculating courtesan; thus, he held back, remaining silent.
Min Ming, anwhile, could only sense the terrifying silence.
"I... I will make it up to you, Master Chen... Please... please... comb my hair..."
The courtesan's voice faltered, her face flushed with unbearable sha as she struggled to utter those words—words no courtesan would say lightly. Yet, biting her lip, she finally forced them out,
"Comb my hair for !"
Chen Yi imdiately suppressed the glint of pity in his eyes, his gaze growing icier by the second.
No matter what...
She still had to suffer a bit to learn her lesson...
"Master..."
A voice called out from sowhere.
Startled, Chen Yi turned toward the bed.
Yin Tingxue, clutching the blanket tightly, stared at him directly, her voice faint and airy,
"...I'm sick."
There was a tremor in her whispered tone.
Chen Yi paused in surprise.
Her words, "I'm sick," were not ant to remind him of her condition but to serve as reasoning, as a shield to protect a woman she barely knew. Perhaps it was an act of kindness, or perhaps it stemd from the shared suffering between won—or maybe both.
Chen Yi understood that, even if she wanted to intervene, Yin Tingxue was in no state to stop him if he chose to act.
Yet, even so—
Forget it.
Chen Yi sighed lightly, brushing his hand over Yin Tingxue's forehead. Then, with a cold glare, he glanced at Min Ming and, quite unexpectedly, placed a kiss on her lips.
A fleeting touch, quick and epheral, like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface. It was less a punishnt and more a playful reprimand ignited by inexplicable feelings.
Min Ming's ears turned red again, her face blank with disbelief as she stared at Chen Yi.
After everything, she couldn't understand why the punishnt she received was so light.
"Go ho, rest well. Don't let Min Ning worry about you."
Chen Yi's tone turned gentle, and at the end, he added,
"This matter... I won't take it to heart."
..................
The following morning arrived with the second crow of the rooster.
The events of the previous night drifted away like the wind.
Gazing at the Cangshan Fist manual, Chen Yi took a deep breath.
After so deliberation, he decided to channel True Qi into it.
Mastering hand-to-hand combat ant that even without a weapon, one could still contend with opponents.
And with weapons in hand, martial arts skills beco even more formidable—especially at close range, where long blades might struggle to be effective.
[You first encountered the "Cangshan Fist" and recognized it as an extrely profound martial art. Determined, you vowed to master it.]
[Two years into training, you failed.]
Chen Yi froze in place.
Failure... It was his first ti experiencing such.
It was clear that this fist technique was no ordinary manual.
[Over five years, you repeatedly practiced its forms and stances, exhausting your body and mind, yet with minimal progress.]
[After ten years of grueling effort, you morized the manual by heart. Persistence seed to yield its fruit—you began grasping subtle insights and, during one practice session, inadvertently comprehended a sliver of its essence.]
[By the twentieth year, you dropped form-practice techniques entirely, focusing entirely on intuitive insights. These insights beca a decades-long pursuit.]
[After forty-nine years, you finally unlocked a profound understanding of the fist technique. When you executed a punch, the air faintly quivered around you.]
[Cangshan Fist (Beginner Level)]
As expected, Chen Yi was nevertheless left dumbfounded.
Forty-nine years of True Qi—had it been spent on other techniques like the Dragon-Slaying Blade or Eagle Falling Skill, they would have achieved perfection, forming entirely new martial arts systems by now. Yet Cangshan Fist remained at a beginner's level.
That said, despite his astonishnt, the fruits of his labor were undeniably satisfying.
Raising his arms, Chen Yi resud the motions of the fist technique. A surge of powerful intent coursed through him.
The boxing intent enveloped him, seemingly refining his internal strength.
His mind brimd with newfound martial arts revelations, and his breath grew long and steady.
Gradually, it seed as though the very texture of his skin grew finer, with his Qi and blood rging seamlessly.
Lowering his stance, Chen Yi inhaled deeply and smiled,
"Not bad at all."
"This punch... forty-nine years of work."
Then he wondered to himself—what grade of martial artist had he reached now?
According to "Heavenly Realm," martial artists were ranked into nine grades. Beyond the ninth grade were non-practitioners, considered below even the lowest level.
Within the nine grades, the lower three reflected fundantal mastery of Qi, capable of defeating ten foes at once. The middle three signified internal True Qi mastery, enabling one to face armored soldiers and pierce through steel. Lastly, the upper three grades represented small Grandmasters, Grandmasters, and the pinnacle of martial arts, where True Qi reached a zenith, forming personal heavens within one's ridians.
By his estimation, Chen Yi figured he was around the middle three grades.
Thanks to mastering Cangshan Fist, he might have just stepped into the sixth grade. Against a Fifth Grade master like the rising star Huang Liuqing of the White Willow Sect, although he could not engage directly, escape would still be well within his capability.
Anyone under Fifth Grade, however, would pose no issue.
After preparing lunch for Yin Tingxue, Chen Yi opened his door—not heading toward the West Factory, but the Eastern Factory instead.
Though he still held the title of West Factory Thousand Households, barging in unannounced was improper etiquette.
Smoothing acquaintances over first seed the best course of action.
The Eastern Factory wasn't too far from the West Factory. After a short walk, Chen Yi arrived at the Eastern Factory's governnt office.
The constables standing guard at the entrance imdiately called out warmly upon seeing him,
"Morning, Chen Qianhu."
Chen Yi nodded in response and explained,
"I'm here to greet the brothers at the Eastern Factory and get better acquainted."
The constable turned around and called out loudly,
"Chen Qianhu has arrived!"
The training grounds of the Eastern Factory noticeably quieted down.
Chen Yi stepped over the threshold, striding in.
Several Eastern Factory secret agents, upon noticing him, cupped their hands in salute.
Chen Yi thought to himself that, aside from those aligned with the Ding'an faction, most seed amicable enough.
Nearby, a towering wooden peg stood prominently. Wang Gu, an Eastern Factory Thousand Households officer, ceased his practice and turned toward Chen Yi with an inscrutable expression.
The mont Chen Yi caught his gaze and looked over, Wang Gu imdiately donned a smiling face and walked toward him,
"Qianhu, this way, please. Allow to show you around the Eastern Factory."
Chen Yi glanced sideways, his mind reflecting,
No good deed cos without motive, does it?
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