"Brother Han, could you at least tend to my wounds? If I do not receive immediate aid, I might truly die! Death is fine, of course, but to meet my demise without passing on the knowledge of my Seven Twists to someone as worthy as you would be a sorrowful crime..." Chen Ran had been tied up against a big tree, with his wounds sill exposed and seeping blood. His voice was a pitiable one, as if he was groveling a prayer before an ancient deity.
"It's okay if you fail to finish teaching me this; you do, after all, have many other family members. If you pass during our training, I will merely find someone else in your family to finish whatever you begin. Now, you better start reciting the manuscript to me. If your blood begins to dry, it'll be too late even if I wanted to save you." Han Sen was sitting opposite to the tree, his posture relaxed as he watched Chen Ran.
"Fine, fine, fine. I will tell you! But Brother Han, after I have told you, you will keep your end of the bargain and set me free, yes?" Chen Ran sought to confirm.
"If you continue to stall and delay like this, I won't be able to let you go even if I wanted to," Han Sen coldly said.
"Seek to refine the delights, from a tempered fire of your own wrath. With clarity in speech, take flight and sail the skies," Chen Ran began telling Han Sen, after gritting his teeth.
"Okay, and what comes after that?" Han Sen interrupted Chen Ran to ask, as he had just begun reciting the teachings and special incantations of Seven Twists.
"After that, the ether of your mind should feel refreshed," Chen Ran answered.
"Good. Continue." Han Sen smiled, also gesturing with his hands for Chen Ran to carry on with his recitation.
He recited for quite some time. Han Sen questioned almost every line, to try to authenticate what Chen Ran was saying and see if he could catch him in a lie.
But no matter what he asked, Chen Ran answered everything as precisely and unhesitatingly as one could. There didn't seem to be any problems.
"Brother Han, please, stop asking me so many questions. My life dangles from the mercy of your fingertips. For what reason might I possibly lie? Please, save me! If this continues, I really will die. No benefit can be yielded from my death, only trouble might be wrought. Think about it; others from the Chen family will assuredly come after you. You may not fear them, but they'd most definitely be a thorn in your side. Come, please let me go. Let me go as you would a fart. I promise I will never disrespect you or get in your way ever again!" His wounds continued to ooze blood and the color was starting to leave his face.
"Do remember you have taught me Seven Twists; is this something your family is okay with me knowing?" Han Sen stroked the silver fox's head as he spoke.
"Brother Han, why are you so stupid? I taught you Seven Twists, which is an insult and criminal deed in the face of my family's honor and heritage. If I told someone about this, I would be the one at the end of their swords. They'd kill me first, for what I have done is a treacherous act. They'd slice me up like a sushi roll of a thousand cuts. I don't want that and that is why my lips will remain sealed!" Chen Ran looked as if he was going to start crying.
"Ah, I see. Hmm, give me a moment to think your plight over." After Han Sen said that, he took a pill.
"Brother Han, there is nothing to think about. I won't tell anyone!" Chen Ran was now begging. Han Sen had his eyes closed, and it looked like he was practicing Qi Gong.
"Don't practice it yet. Help me!" When Chen Ran saw Han Sen start practicing Qi Gong, he started shouting in a panic.
Han Sen merely ignored him and continued with his practice.
Not long later, Chen Ran began to smell a pleasant fragrance. Not caring very much, he believed it to be the smell of Han Sen's pills.
Seeing Han Sen continue to ignore him, Chen Ran ground his teeth against each other and started meditating to aid his own wounds.
But after Chen Ran breathed in the pleasant scent, it followed along with his meditation as he breathed in more and more.
Chen Ran's body started to produce wooly clouds, which wandered around him. The wounds sealed up quite a bit and the bleeding slowed.
After Han Sen completed a cycle of the Dongxue Sutra, he opened his eyes to take a look at Chen Ran. He watched his meditation intently.
After a while, Han Sen's heart started laughing. He thought to himself, "This old fox really did give me a false Seven Twists. 70% was genuine and 30% was nonsense. He altered the most integral components of the skill to try to trick me!"
Not long later, Chen Ran opened his eyes to the sight of Han Sen. He shouted, "Brother Han, I gave you everything! Please help me, lest I die here on this tree!"
"It's better that you die, so you are not given the opportunity to harm innocent people in the future," Han Sen coldly told him, looking into Chen Ran's eyes.
"You seek to break your promise?" Chen Ran's face changed.
"Not yet. Let me ask you something; did Zhu Ting learn your Seven Twists?" Han Sen asked.
"Yes," Chen Ran answered.
"Then why is Zhu Ting's Seven Twists different than yours?" Han Sen squinted his eyes as he asked.
Chen Ran's face changed, and he started yelling. "That traitor. That treacherous dog! How dare he tell an outsider. I knew I should never rely on a bastard!"
"You aren't any better. You tried to fool me. And as a repercussion for your own mischief, I don't see the point of letting you go." Han Sen shrugged.
"No, no, no! Listen to me; I did not lie to you. Zhu Ting was just a bastard who was not qualified to receive the teachings of the genuine Seven Twists. You must have learnt Three Twists from him." Chen Ran was speaking faster than a bullet.
"Isn't Three Twists the first component of Seven Twists itself? Is that wrong?" Han Sen asked.
"Of course it is wrong! Seven Twists has an exclusive Qi Gong, which is the one I just told you. Without it, you cannot learn Seven Twists. Three Twists is just a lesser offspring of the original skill, and it pales in comparison."
Chen Ran continued, "You should know, Zhu Ting learnt Deadly Perfume. That isn't the exclusive Qi Gong for Seven Twists."
"I suppose it makes sense. How about you tell me about the relationship between Heavenly Go and Seven Twists? If you do that, I'll patch you up," Han Sen proposed.
The reason Han Sen wanted Seven Twists wasn't because of its individual power, but it was because of something Chen Ran once said. He had said that if Heavenly Go was in the Chen family, their Seven Twists would be unstoppable.
This must have been a lie, but there had to be some sort of relationship between the two. Otherwise, Chen Ran would have had no reason to say what he did.
Chen Ran hesitated for a while, but then said, "Heavenly Go and Seven Twists were birthed from a tome which belonged to my ancient ancestors. They are a pair. They are both used in conjunction with each other, combined to create what can only be defined as a God Power. But that faithless Huangfu family is obscene. They stole Heavenly Go from us and altered it so it would no longer be compatible with Seven Twists."
"Heavenly Go has its own Qi Gong and Seven Twists has its own Qi Gong? How can they be combined together? Do you think I was born yesterday? Do you think you can fool me again?" Han Sen coldly snapped.
"Brother Han, why would I lie to you? Heavenly Go is the first part of this combo. You need to learn Heavenly Go before you learn Seven Twists. Do that, and you will become the strongest person to tread this world. It is the mightiest skill across all recorded history. Without Heavenly Go, our family can only learn the second half. So, Seven Twists is only 70% complete. With the base of Heavenly Go, you would be shocking to all who crossed your path."