Chapter 21: Misty Light

"Right," Azhu pouted, "I've tried many methods, but none of them can make the fragrance last."

Seeing the soft, smooth, and lustrous skin on her face and smelling the sweet fragrance from her body, Song Qingshu truly felt that she was a sweet and beautiful young girl. He thought to himself, "Oh no, I've been influenced by the 1997 version of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils* and have always been unimpressed by Azhu's appearance. I never expected her to be so sweet and charming."

"Master?" Seeing Song Qingshu staring at her in a daze, Azhu's tender face turned red.

"Oh," Song Qingshu came back to his senses, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Miss Azhu, I have a method to make the fragrance last..." He deliberately stopped speaking, looking at her with a smile.

Azhu was also a perceptive young lady. Seeing his expression, she knew he had some request. She was alarmed, fearing he might harm Murong Fu, but her face remained smiling, "I wonder what Master would require to teach this servant girl the method."

"How about I plead with Master Murong to give you to me?" Seeing her cute appearance, Song Qingshu suddenly had a mischievous idea and deliberately teased her.

"Master, don't joke around." Azhu's smile froze.

"Ha ha, I was just teasing you," Song Qingshu laughed, "I can teach you how to preserve the fragrance, but you must teach me the art of disguise."

Azhu was taken aback. Song Qingshu thought she might refuse and regretted being too hasty, wishing he had waited until they were more familiar with each other. However, he might leave Yanziwu tomorrow, so he couldn't help but be anxious.

"Oh, I thought it was something serious," Azhu giggled, "I've always liked playing as others since I was young. The more I learned, the more realistic I became. Gradually, I developed a set of methods. It's not a rare skill. Since Master likes it, I'll tell you about it."

As she spoke, Azhu suddenly exclaimed, "Master, how did you know I could change my appearance?"

"Didn't Aibi tell you that I am the all-knowing Jianghu Bai Xiaosheng, who can predict the future?" Song Qingshu raised his eyebrows, deliberately making it mysterious.

Azhu remembered that Aibi had indeed mentioned this to her in secret, and she looked at him with a mix of belief and doubt.

"I can't let a young lady like you lose out," Song Qingshu knew that ancient people valued their promises, so he directly said, "I will teach you the method to fix the fragrance first."

"Master Song, you are truly a good person." Azhu smiled at him.

Being unexpectedly given a "good person card" by a beautiful young girl, Song Qingshu felt depressed and said, "To make the fragrance last, a fixative must be added. The fixative can be ambergris, sandalwood, musk, or iris root... Choose what is convenient for you. Different fixatives will have different effects..." As he spoke, he remembered that he had studied perfume knowledge to win over a woman in his previous life, never expecting it to be useful now.

Azhu's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Song Qingshu, "Master Song, you are truly well-versed and knowledgeable, even about these little things that women care about."

As they talked, they arrived at the room. Song Qingshu stopped and asked, "When will Miss Azhu teach me the art of disguise?"

"Tomorrow, okay?" Azhu was a bit embarrassed, "It's already late today..."

"But I'm leaving Yanziwu tomorrow..." Song Qingshu's meaning was clear.

Azhu thought that since he had been so straightforward and taught her the method first, she shouldn't let him down. She bit her lip and pulled Song Qingshu into the room, "Master, it's not convenient outside. If the family sees us, it won't be good. Let's go inside and talk."

Being alone with a man at night, Azhu felt a bit uneasy and sat far away from Song Qingshu, explaining the method of disguise: "The key to disguise is in the mold and the material of the human skin mask..."

At first, Azhu kept her distance, but teaching the art of disguise required hands-on guidance. She had to take out a bottle of ointment from her pocket and demonstrate on his face.

Feeling the cool touch of Azhu's fingers on his face and smelling the sweet fragrance from her body, Song Qingshu thought about how Murong Fu had such good servants and a cousin who was a martial arts master, yet still ended up in such a sorry state.

Although he admired Murong Fu's spirit of struggle, he always found his intelligence lacking. If he were Murong Fu, wouldn't it be easy to restore the kingdom?

The Empress of Xixia was his relative and often mingled with the First-Class Hall of Xixia. With such advantageous conditions, he couldn't even win the heart of the Princess of Yinchuan, and in the end, had to participate in a public marriage contest.

Even if he didn't take the Xixia route, being kind to Wang Yuyan would have made the martial arts of the Free and Easy Sect his.

Even if he didn't take the martial arts route, he still had Azhu, a powerful weapon. Song Qingshu thought that Azhu's art of disguise was more valuable than any martial arts. If used well, its effects would far surpass those of a mere martial artist. If Murong Fu could buy off a few ministers and eunuchs and then disguise himself as an emperor or prince, he could easily take over the throne...

Looking at the lifelike appearance of Murong Fu in the mirror, Song Qingshu exclaimed, "Miss Azhu, you are truly a master of your craft."

"Master is too kind." Azhu bowed slightly, as if facing the real Murong Fu.

"Azhu, it's so late. Why don't you warm my bed?" Song Qingshu's eyes twinkled, and he decided to tease her, speaking in the guise of Murong Fu.

"Ugh!" Azhu blushed and spat, "Since Master Song has learned enough, this servant girl will take her leave." She then fled from the room.

The next day, Murong Fu led a group to the Mantra Mountain Villa. At first, Song Qingshu was excited to see how beautiful the fairy-like lady was, but as they walked, his interest gradually waned. He thought about how he had no skills and that no matter how beautiful a woman was, it had nothing to do with him. Even if it did, he couldn't protect her. His heart gradually became calm.

"Cousin~" A heavenly voice came from afar, making Song Qingshu's heart skip a beat. No wonder a single sigh from Wang Yuyan could make Duan Yu lose his mind.

"Cousin, you came to see me... I... I'm so happy." Wang Yuyan's fair face turned a delicate shade of red, looking very charming.

Only then did Song Qingshu have the chance to observe her. She wore a light green gauze robe, with her long hair flowing down her back, held loosely by a silver ribbon. She seemed to be enveloped in a misty light, making her features indistinct.

Song Qingshu was startled. When he first met Zhao Min, she seemed to be surrounded by a radiant sun. When he first met Hu Furen, she seemed to be encased in a pure crystal. Now, seeing Wang Yuyan, she too was surrounded by a misty light. Could this be the aura of a great beauty?

After a careful observation, Wang Yuyan indeed lived up to her reputation as a stunning beauty. However, Song Qingshu, being from the modern era, had seen many beautiful women through high-definition cameras, so his immunity was naturally higher.

Was Wang Yuyan really more beautiful than Azhu and Aibi? Song Qingshu shook his head. They were all beautiful, and at a certain level, it was hard to distinguish who was more beautiful. Just like Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan, could you say who was more beautiful? Some people thought Fan Bingbing was more beautiful, while others thought Gao Yuanyuan was more goddess-like. It all came down to personal taste.

The reason people in this world generally thought Wang Yuyan was more beautiful than Azhu and Aibi was not because she was much more beautiful in appearance, but because of her ethereal and otherworldly aura, which made ordinary men feel inferior and dare not continue to scrutinize her. The impression left by that one glance would be deeply etched in their minds, processed into various beautiful images, making them think Wang Yuyan was much more beautiful than the down-to-earth girls like Azhu and Aibi.

As a modern person, Song Qingshu, after the initial shock, could quickly appreciate her beauty with a calm heart.

"Cousin, who are these people?" Wang Yuyan noticed Song Qingshu staring at her and her long eyelashes fluttered. She felt a mix of shyness and displeasure but was worried that they might be her cousin's good friends, so she didn't show her emotions.

"These two are my friends," Murong Fu supported Wang Yuyan and led her inside, "It's a long story, let's talk as we walk."

"Internal martial arts to treat meridians?" The group sat down in a nearby pavilion. Wang Yuyan listened to Murong Fu's account of Song Qingshu's condition and furrowed her beautiful brows, deep in thought.

"There are many martial arts in the world today. The best for treating internal injuries is the Nine Yin Manual, which the Five Greats of Central Plains once fought over," Wang Yuyan's words made Song Qingshu's heart sink. He thought the Nine Yin Manual indeed had miraculous effects on treating internal injuries, but with his meridians severed, he couldn't mobilize the true energy to follow the methods in the manual. Could this be the internal martial art Murong Fu referred to earlier...

"However..." Wang Yuyan's change in tone made Song Qingshu's heart leap to his throat, "Master Song's meridians are damaged, and the Nine Yin Manual may not be suitable."

Song Qingshu was secretly impressed. Wang Yuyan, who knew no martial arts, was well-versed in the martial arts of the world and understood them thoroughly. Murong Fu, being in a treasure trove, didn't realize it. Every time Wang Yuyan gave him advice, he would get angry, showing a narrow-mindedness that would prevent him from achieving greatness.

"Does Miss Wang have any other methods?" Hu Furen asked softly from the side.

Wang Yuyan was also amazed by the beauty of this older sister and nodded slightly, continuing, "I once read in an out-of-print ancient book: The Nine Yin Manual treats the atrophy and blockage of meridians, while the Shen Zhao Manual treats the fracture of meridians and bones, one for internal and one for external. As for the real effects, since I haven't seen either book, I can't make a definitive judgment..."

Song Qingshu's whole body began to tremble uncontrollably, his heart racing.

Chapter 22: The Adorable Martial Arts Master

After a careful observation, Wang Yuyan indeed lived up to her reputation as a stunning beauty. However, Song Qingshu, being from the modern era, had seen many beautiful women through high-definition cameras, so his immunity was naturally higher.

Was Wang Yuyan really more beautiful than Azhu and Aibi? Song Qingshu shook his head. They were all beautiful, and at a certain level, it was hard to distinguish who was more beautiful. Just like Fan Bingbing and Gao Yuanyuan, could you say who was more beautiful? Some people thought Fan Bingbing was more beautiful, while others thought Gao Yuanyuan was more goddess-like. It all came down to personal taste.

The reason people in this world generally thought Wang Yuyan was more beautiful than Azhu and Aibi was not because she was much more beautiful in appearance, but because of her ethereal and otherworldly aura, which made ordinary men feel inferior and dare not continue to scrutinize her. The impression left by that one glance would be deeply etched in their minds, processed into various beautiful images, making them think Wang Yuyan was much more beautiful than the down-to-earth girls like Azhu and Aibi.

As a modern person, Song Qingshu, after the initial shock, could quickly appreciate her beauty with a calm heart.

"Cousin, who are these people?" Wang Yuyan noticed Song Qingshu staring at her and her long eyelashes fluttered. She felt a mix of shyness and displeasure but was worried that they might be her cousin's good friends, so she didn't show her emotions.

"These two are my friends," Murong Fu supported Wang Yuyan and led her inside, "It's a long story, let's talk as we walk."

"Internal martial arts to treat meridians?" The group sat down in a nearby pavilion. Wang Yuyan listened to Murong Fu's account of Song Qingshu's condition and furrowed her beautiful brows, deep in thought.

"There are many martial arts in the world today. The best for treating internal injuries is the Nine Yin Manual, which the Five Greats of Central Plains once fought over," Wang Yuyan's words made Song Qingshu's heart sink. He thought the Nine Yin Manual indeed had miraculous effects on treating internal injuries, but with his meridians severed, he couldn't mobilize the true energy to follow the methods in the manual. Could this be the internal martial art Murong Fu referred to earlier...

"However..." Wang Yuyan's change in tone made Song Qingshu's heart leap to his throat, "Master Song's meridians are damaged, and the Nine Yin Manual may not be suitable."

Song Qingshu was secretly impressed. Wang Yuyan, who knew no martial arts, was well-versed in the martial arts of the world and understood them thoroughly. Murong Fu, being in a treasure trove, didn't realize it. Every time Wang Yuyan gave him advice, he would get angry, showing a narrow-mindedness that would prevent him from achieving greatness.

"Does Miss Wang have any other methods?" Hu Furen asked softly from the side.

Wang Yuyan was also amazed by the beauty of this older sister and nodded slightly, continuing, "I once read in an out-of-print ancient book: The Nine Yin Manual treats the atrophy and blockage of meridians, while the Shen Zhao Manual treats the fracture of meridians and bones, one for internal and one for external. As for the real effects, since I haven't seen either book, I can't make a definitive judgment..."

Song Qingshu's whole body began to tremble uncontrollably, his heart racing.