Chapter 65

"Are you going to be away for a month?" Chu Li was in a difficult position.

In the Duke's Mansion, he truly couldn't be away for a month. Not to mention the Heavenly Spirit Tree, even the spirit herbs he planted couldn't be left unattended. If anything went wrong, the consequences would be severe.

"What's wrong, don't you agree?" Xiao Yueling glanced at him indifferently and smiled, "This is a deal, you don't have to agree if you don't want to."

Chu Li gritted his teeth, "Yes!... I am a guard in the Duke's Mansion, I can't leave easily. I need to report to Miss first!"

Xiao Yueling spoke lightly, seemingly carefree, but he knew that if he didn't agree, he wouldn't be able to obtain the secret of Zhi Chi Tian Ya (a martial arts technique).

Xiao Yueling smiled and nodded in approval, "That's rare!"

Chu Li was an extremely intelligent person. Such people often have great ambitions and are inevitably selfish, prioritizing their own interests. Yet, Chu Li could remember his duties in the face of such a great temptation, not immediately agreeing and not forgetting to report to Xiao Qi first, which made her very satisfied.

Xiao Qi had brought him to meet Xiao Yueling to have her evaluate whether he was worth cultivating and reusing.

If Xiao Yueling had rejected Chu Li at the time, there would have been no subsequent events, and no matter how talented he was, he wouldn't have been responsible for cultivating the spirit soil.

Chu Li possessed the Great Mirror Wisdom, his mind was always clear. Xiao Qi was now his main support. To obtain opportunities for training, to experience the realm of intention, and to advance to the realm of Heaven Beyond Heaven, he needed Xiao Qi's help. The training opportunities in the Duke's Mansion were extremely rare and precious, and he needed to continuously earn points for himself.

Moreover, he liked power. He was far from having power now, and the source of power was Xiao Qi. To gain power, he needed Xiao Qi's trust and reappointment, becoming her right-hand man and confidant.

His thoughts were as swift as lightning. It seemed like an instinctive reaction, but in fact, he had already turned many corners and thought a lot, making a well-considered response and choice, even deceiving Xiao Yueling.

A-shu brought up an old, yellowed book and handed it to him casually.

Chu Li took it, glanced through it, and looked up, surprised, at Xiao Yueling.

Xiao Yueling glanced at him sideways, "What, can't practice it?"

Chu Li shook his head, "It's a very strange technique!"

"It wouldn't be the best if it weren't strange," Xiao Yueling said, "It depends on your ability."

Chu Li nodded thoughtfully and immersed himself in the technique of Zhi Chi Tian Ya.

The technique of Zhi Chi Tian Ya was completely different from the current martial arts techniques, belonging to a completely different martial arts system.

The current martial arts techniques involve the circulation of internal energy along the meridians, while Zhi Chi Tian Ya focuses on acupoints, the acupoints within acupoints.

According to the theory of Zhi Chi Tian Ya, there is a great void within the human body, which is integrated with the void of heaven and earth, achieving true unity of heaven and man.

If one can break through the void within the body, they can also break through the void outside the body.

The theory is strange, and the implementation is even more difficult.

There is an invisible membrane between the human body and the void of heaven and earth, called the "heaven and earth membrane" in the Zhi Chi Tian Ya manual. It is formless but substantial, as thin as gossamer and as tough as steel, condensed by the power of heaven and earth. To break it, one needs a vast and pure internal energy, condensed into a needle by a special technique, to have a glimmer of hope.

People often seek in the meridians and flesh, but the greatest treasure is the void, which contains infinite power. It all depends on whether one can open the treasure and obtain the power.

After reading it, Chu Li felt a sudden enlightenment. This was not just a manual of lightness technique but also a surprising martial arts theory, vastly different from the current martial arts.

He pondered for a moment and looked at Xiao Yueling, "This theory..."

Xiao Yueling shook her head, "I haven't practiced it. The theory sounds profound, but..."

She smiled, "This manual was obtained from an ancient relic. There is no such theory now, so it must have been eliminated by time. Don't take it too seriously, just try it out."

Chu Li nodded thoughtfully.

Xiao Yueling said, "Xiao Qi told me that your meditation skills are very deep."

Chu Li smiled. Since he had practiced the Great Wisdom Source Sutra, once he entered meditation, his杂念 quickly dissipated, and his mind became calm.

Xiao Yueling said, "Practicing Zhi Chi Tian Ya requires very deep meditation skills."

"It is a Daoist martial art," Chu Li said.

Zhi Chi Tian Ya has two major challenges: one is the need for vast and unpredictable internal energy, and the other is finding the acupoint within an acupoint. This acupoint is like the Daoist "gate of mystery," present in the body but not within it, existing in a state of being and non-being. It requires a subtle and precise control of the mind to find it, like searching for a needle in the dark, where the mind is the hand, and if it is not sensitive enough, even touching the needle would go unnoticed.

Compared to the vast consumption of internal energy, finding the acupoint within an acupoint is even more difficult. Without finding this acupoint, even the most profound internal energy is useless.

"It is a Daoist martial art, but you have deep Buddhist cultivation. Perhaps the wisdom from another mountain can help," Xiao Yueling smiled.

Chu Li smiled, "I'll give it a try... Who should I protect?"

"Chen Siyu," Xiao Yueling said, "You don't need to do much, just protect her for a month. I'll inform the Duke's Mansion, and Xiao Qi won't refuse."

"Yes," Chu Li agreed readily.

"A-shu," Xiao Yueling raised her hand.

A-shu brought a letter and handed it to Chu Li.

Chu Li took it, glanced at it, and saw it was a letter to Chen Siyu, with no name of the sender, just a thin piece of plain paper inside.

"I wrote in the letter that you should pretend to be Siyu's cousin, named Chen Li," Xiao Yueling said, "Don't reveal your identity from the Duke's Mansion. She lives in Xu Residence on Liuren Alley in Yunzhou City."

"Yes," Chu Li nodded.

"Go, if anything happens to Siyu, you won't be able to stay in the Duke's Mansion," Xiao Yueling said indifferently.

Chu Li bowed and turned to leave.

"Miss, will he do it?" A-shu, who had seen Chu Li off, returned to Xiao Yueling, worried, "If anything goes wrong..."

Xiao Yueling smiled, "If he can withstand the pursuit of Daliyin Temple, do you think he can't do it?"

A-shu said, "Xiao Qi should send someone more experienced. He's too young, and it's hard to trust him."

"This way, he won't attract attention," Xiao Yueling waved her hand, "Go do your homework, don't worry unnecessarily!"

"Yes..." A-shu pouted and ran back to her room.

---

Yunzhou City is located 200 miles west of Chongming City, a medium-sized city, half the size of Chongming City.

Chu Li stepped into Yunzhou City, and the bustling and prosperous atmosphere hit him, making him feel as if he had entered Chongming City. Although it was not as spacious, it was no less lively.

Chu Li asked for directions and quickly crossed the bustling crowd, arriving at Liuren Alley.

Liuren Alley was two streets away from the busiest main street, a quiet and good place. Chu Li estimated that Chen Siyu must be wealthy or noble, otherwise, she wouldn't live in a house in this area.

He stopped in front of the third house, looking at the fierce and imposing stone lions, and two young men in martial attire standing with knives, eyeing him warily. Chu Li narrowed his eyes; both of them had killed before.

Chu Li took out the letter and handed it to one of the young men, "I am Chen Li. Is Chen Siyu living here?"

"Do you know our young lady?" The young man in martial attire had a fierce look but was gentle in manner, his eyes very alert. The other young man in martial attire had his hand on his knife, tense and highly alert.

Chu Li smiled, "That's right. I am Chen Siyu's cousin. This is a family letter. She will know once she reads it."

The young man in martial attire took the letter, glanced at it, and bowed, "Please wait a moment."

He turned and entered the house, while the other young man in martial attire kept his knife on Chu Li.

Chu Li smiled and turned to look around. The Great Mirror Wisdom activated, and the entire mansion appeared in his mind.

The young man in martial attire entered the main gate, crossed the spacious courtyard, and headed straight for the hall.

As he stepped into the hall, four people sitting inside looked at him, their eyes like lightning.

An old man with white hair and a withered face spoke in a deep voice, "Little Du, what's the matter?"

He had a broad frame, fat and strong, sitting in the armchair like a tiger, his presence intimidating. His eyes narrowed, and a cold light shone from them.

The young man in martial attire quickly lowered his head, bowed, and said, "Hall Master, it's the young lady's cousin who has come to visit."

"Cousin?" The old man frowned, "The young lady has a cousin?"

"Hall Master, since it's addressed to the young lady, let her see it. She will know if it's real or not," a man around thirty, with a handsome appearance, sitting at the head of the table, smiled, "We can't keep it from her, can we?"

"…Alright, give it to the young lady!" The old man handed the letter back to the young man in martial attire and turned to say, "Xu Protector, these are extraordinary times, we can't be too careful!"

"I think the leader is being too cautious. It's just a Duan Yue Palm, why be so nervous?" The handsome man smiled and shook his head.

The old man snorted, "Xu Protector, you are young and may not have seen the power of the Duan Yue Palm. I have seen it with my own eyes, one palm can break a mountain, the name is well-deserved!"

"Even the most powerful expert can't resist the erosion of time," Xu Protector smiled dismissively.

The old man glared at him.

An old man with a kind and benevolent appearance waved his hand, "Ha, Hu, that's not right. Think about it, if you were Xu Protector, would you take a sixty-year-old veteran seriously?"

"Hmph!" The old man grunted in dissatisfaction.

The kind and benevolent old man smiled, "When we were young, we also didn't respect these old guys, thinking they were old and useless."

Xu Protector glanced at the two men, secretly cursing them for being old and arrogant, and looked at the person on his left.

This was a handsome middle-aged man, with a face like a jade crown, a graceful demeanor, who was now dozing off, seemingly asleep, but was another protector, Zheng Gongming.

Feeling Xu Protector's gaze, Zheng Gongming opened his eyes and smiled, "Xu, what Hu Hall Master and Lao Lan said is true. The Duan Yue Palm cannot be underestimated. We are no match for him!"

"Have you seen the Duan Yue Palm, Zheng Protector?"

"Yes, I once faced it and almost lost my life," Zheng Gongming nodded slowly, "It was three years ago, and I still feel a chill when I think about it."

Xu Protector's expression turned serious. He knew Zheng Gongming's martial arts were far superior to his own, so he was certainly no match for the Duan Yue Palm.

"Duan Yue Palm Zhao Lun…" The kind and benevolent old man sighed, "A dominant figure, it's indeed unfortunate for the young lady to have provoked him!"

The three of them fell silent.

The young lady was too beautiful, and beauty has always been a source of trouble, but which man wouldn't fight to the death for such beauty?