Creak creak—
In the small courtyard of the secluded alley, the old wooden materials still made sounds as if they couldn't bear the weight.
Ye Jingtang was shaking the bed so much that it was almost falling apart. He racked his brains to say some vulgar words that even he thought were shameless.
The cold and beautiful heroine still bit her lower lip. Her tearful eyes stared at Ye Jingtang, and she just refused to let outsiders hear any indecent moans.
But with the double torment of foul language and physical contact, her expression obviously changed. Her face was burning hot, her breathing was unsteady, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
Outside the room, only the shaking of the old bed and Ye Jingtang's various vulgar words could be heard.
But fortunately, Ye Jingtang's acting skills were excellent. Finally, the constables outside let down their guard, and low voices came again:
"He looks decent, but his mouth is quite flowery... What does 'put a stick in the back door' mean?"
"It's an advanced spear technique for attacking from the rear. I'll show you someday. There's nothing interesting to listen to. Let's go, let's go..."
...
Tata—
After two soft sounds of climbing over the wall, the courtyard became completely quiet.
In the enclosed room.
Ye Jingtang secretly heaved a sigh of relief, turned his head to look at the window, and listened carefully.
The woman's originally icy face was long gone, replaced by a rosy and fair complexion with a glistening sheen. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, and her beautiful peach blossom eyes were crystal clear.
With a touch of color on her entire face, she looked even more stunning at this moment, like a celestial maiden in the Heavenly Palace after experiencing brilliance.
The woman looked at the handsome profile so close to her. I don't know if it was because she had been ashamed and angry for too long, but at this moment, she couldn't seem to be "angry" anymore. She just felt stuffy all over. Although most of the cold poison in her body had dissipated, she felt even more powerless than before. She gasped softly, and there was a sense of exhaustion in her eyes.
"You... Ah~..."
As soon as the officers and men left, the woman was just about to open her mouth to question him when she found that the little rascal's hand moved.
Just now, it was a last resort to act on the spot, and it could still be explained. But this time, it was real!
And there was no one outside to listen. Without the psychological defense line, the woman let out a cry, full of sobs and complaints.
She never dreamed that she could make such a "shameful" sound. She quickly covered her mouth, and a murderous intent appeared in her eyes as she stared at the man above:
"You..."
Ye Jingtang turned his head and said in confusion:
"Can't I let go? Then should I hold it again?"
The woman was not someone to be bullied. The soft sword at her waist suddenly unsheathed, bringing out a cold light.
Ye Jingtang reacted extremely quickly. He directly jumped out and landed in the room, grasping the handle of his knife:
"What do you want to do? Kill the donkey after it has done its work... Burn the bridge after crossing the river?"
The woman pointed the soft sword at Ye Jingtang, her eyes filled with indignation:
"Shameless little rascal..."
"Heroine, don't you know who the real 'thief' is between us?"
Ye Jingtang looked at her face with tears on it, which even had a special beauty when she was angry:
"If I didn't do this, how could you ensure that the officers and men wouldn't come to check your appearance and injuries? You clearly knew that you were in great danger, but you were so stubborn that you refused to make a sound. Did you want to drive me crazy?"
The woman's eyes were cold, but she couldn't hide the bewilderment and helplessness in the depths of her eyes:
"I know you were acting on the spot, but you... you took it too far! You took advantage of my situation..."
Ye Jingtang retorted, "You didn't even cooperate when I took it too far. Could you have cooperated well when it was just acting on the spot? Don't you have a daughter? Don't you know how to act in this situation? Or when you've done things before, did you just turn your head, close your eyes, and not even hum?"
Facing such "vulgar words", the woman's eyes showed even more shame and anger:
"You're so shameless!"
Ye Jingtang showed dissatisfaction on his face: "Just now you asked me to cover for you, and I took the risk to help you. But as soon as the officers and men left, you call me shameless? If you could have cooperated with me calmly in the face of danger, would I have touched you?"
"..."
The woman stared at Ye Jingtang, but she also understood that what he said was the truth. After clenching her silver teeth for a long time, she slowly put down the soft sword:
"For the sake of your chivalrous help, I... I'll forgive you this time..."
Only then was Ye Jingtang satisfied. He came closer to the bed:
"You said you would teach me martial arts. Teach me now."
?
The woman raised her eyes, full of anger:
"You insulted me like this, and I don't care about it. But you still..."
"Insulted you? Do you think I was willing to do it? I haven't even said that you took advantage of me."
Seeing that the other party seemed to be going back on her word, Ye Jingtang was unhappy. He picked up a small mirror from the bedside and held it so that both of their faces were reflected in it:
"Take a look for yourself. Who's better looking between us? Do I need to risk my life for you?"
?
The woman might have never been belittled for her beauty. When she heard this, she obviously thought it was extremely ridiculous. But then she looked at the reflection in the mirror:
She had been severely tormented just now. Her hairpin was scattered, there were tears on her face, and she was angry. No matter how good her foundation was, at this moment, she was not half as stunning as usual.
And the little rascal next to her had sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, and his bearing was extraordinary. From his facial features to his temperament, he was perfectly flawless...
The bird that had been hiding under the bed for a long time came out to be the judge at this moment. It stood between the two of them and looked back and forth for a while. Then it pointed at the young woman with its wing:
"Jiji."
It meant that Sister Little Melon was more beautiful.
?
Ye Jingtang found that the little silly bird was undermining him and was suddenly at a loss for words.
The woman understood what the bird meant, and a touch of pride flashed in her eyes. But with this interruption, it was a bit lacking in confidence to insist that this handsome little rascal took advantage of her because of her beauty. So she said coldly:
"I'll just pretend that this incident never happened, and you're not allowed to mention it either. Otherwise, not even the gods can save you."
Seeing that the young woman was no longer being unreasonable, Ye Jingtang threw the mirror aside and straightened his robe.
The woman turned her gaze away, wrapped herself tightly in the thin quilt, and quietly straightened her ruffled clothes. But she suddenly found that the roots of her legs seemed to be soaked in sweat...
It didn't seem to be sweat either...
Ye Jingtang saw that the young woman's face was blushing, and her eyes were sometimes angry and sometimes ashamed. He naturally understood what was going on. He thought to himself, "She can react like this even with just acting on the spot. Is she made of water..."
If he said this, it would definitely lead to a life-and-death situation. Ye Jingtang didn't say anything more. After fastening his robe, he asked:
"Now that everything is okay, you should make things clear. Who are you? What did you do?"
The young woman was a bit confused. She quietly tidied her clothes and said coldly:
"My name is Luo Ning. As for the rest, it's not good for you to know. I came to the capital this time just to rescue a friend in the martial arts world. I was investigating in the Black Yamen at noon. I accidentally triggered a trap and was poisoned by the poisonous smoke. In order to escape the pursuit of the White Impermanence, I hid here..."
When Ye Jingtang heard this, he was a bit surprised. The constables of the Black Yamen usually went out in pairs. And the six most powerful chief constables were called the "Six Fiends" by people in the martial arts world, named after the ghosts and messengers of hell. They were:
Iron-Armed Impermanence, Ghost Shadow Impermanence, Diamond Ox Head, Silver Hook Horse Face, White-Haired Diting, and Eight-Armed Dizang.
The young woman named "Luo Ning" in front of him was being chased by the White Impermanence and was able to escape, which showed that her martial arts skills were indeed not to be underestimated.
After roughly listening to the process, Ye Jingtang looked around again:
"Where's your girl?"
"She helped me lead away the pursuers and should be back soon. You... You'd better leave immediately..."
"This is my home!"
Ye Jingtang pointed to the bed sheets and quilt: "I just bought these bed sheets and quilt yesterday. They're all my belongings. You occupied my place without even saying a word and got me involved in trouble. I'm not making things difficult for you, and you still want me to leave? Do you want to go back on your word and not teach me martial arts?"
Luo Ning had suffered such a big loss and really didn't want to teach him.
But people in the martial arts world keep their promises. She also didn't want to owe this little rascal a favor. So she still stood up, slid her footsteps apart, and raised her hands:
"I said I would only teach you one move, and I'll only teach it once. If you can remember and learn it, it's your ability. If you can't learn it, it means you're not lucky. You can't say that I didn't keep my word."
Ye Jingtang nodded slightly and looked at Luo Ning's movements with concentration.
Luo Ning raised her hands and moved them in a very rhythmic way. Sometimes she held them like embracing the moon, sometimes she held them flat. Her movements were smooth and flowing. After demonstrating back and forth for a long time, she pushed forward, and that was it.
"Have you learned it?"
??
Ye Jingtang was completely confused: "Are you playing tricks on me? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Is this what you call martial arts?"
Luo Ning showed anger on her face: "I've already taught you the move..."
"What did you teach?"
"Jiji."
The bird was also completely confused. It waved its wings a few times, indicating—Doing the Flower Hand dance. Who can't do that?
Luo Ning looked at Ye Jingtang. Seeing that his expression didn't seem to be fake, her anger gradually subsided, and she asked in confusion:
"Have you never learned martial arts before?"
Ye Jingtang originally wanted to say that he had learned martial arts, but then he thought—All the moves taught by his adoptive father were fake... Didn't that mean he had never learned it?
Ye Jingtang's expression softened a bit, and he asked seriously:
"I really haven't learned real martial arts. Were you really teaching a move just now?"
Luo Ning gave Ye Jingtang a strange look: "I saw that your bone structure is not ordinary, and you also have inner strength. I thought you had learned martial arts... Without someone teaching you, how did you practice to this level?"
"I run thirty li with weights every day, lift the stone lock three hundred times, and do five hundred sit-ups..."
Luo Ning slightly raised her finger, indicating that there was no need to say more:
"What you're talking about, there must be someone guiding you to lay the foundation for you. A serious martial artist wouldn't practice like this."
"Then I'm not a serious martial artist?"
"Hmm."
Luo Ning nodded like a bird, quite in agreement with this statement.
Ye Jingtang opened his mouth but didn't argue with Heroine Luo. He asked:
"How do normal martial artists practice martial arts?"
"The so-called martial arts, 'wu' refers to the moves, and 'gong' refers to the inner strength. The two complement each other. Only having moves without inner strength will always be just 'looking like'; and having inner strength without moves is like having thousands of troops at your command but only knowing how to attack the city with brute force and not understanding any strategies at all."
Ye Jingtang understood the meaning: "I do have this feeling. So am I like a brainless general who can only charge blindly? How should I practice the moves?"
Luo Ning said seriously: "The moves are the method of 'channeling qi', not the routine for actual combat. When you achieve a thorough understanding and have both the spirit and the form, you will naturally understand how to use this move in actual combat. It's the same with a straightforward punch that seems simple but is actually very ingenious. Others can shake the city wall, but you can't even break down a door panel. The difference lies in the different martial arts skills behind it."
Ye Jingtang half understood. He raised his hands and moved them slowly:
"You mean that practicing like this slowly is the way to channel qi; when it comes to actual fighting, there's only this final push?"
"It seems you understand."
Luo Ning nodded: "This move is the first move of the 'Fourteen Hands of Sticking to the Clouds'. It emphasizes the soft force. If you can practice it to the point where a palm strike to the chest and abdomen can shatter the internal organs without damaging the skin, then you can be considered to have entered the door. For an ordinary person to reach this step, it takes at least three... three..."
Before the young woman could finish speaking, she saw the young man in black in front of her raise his hands and move them back and forth. The movements were exactly the same as hers just now.
"You really have a good memory!"
Luo Ning was a bit surprised and continued to guide: "Think carefully about why there are so many movements, and experience the measure, strength, and flow of qi and blood in each movement. Seriously understand the method of channeling qi hidden in it... The door..."
Her words stopped.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
In the enclosed small room, there was a faint breeze blowing, lifting the hair on the side of the young woman's temples. Her eyes gradually changed from surprise to shock...