บท 11: Shameless Little Thief
บรรณาธิการ: Atlas Studios
Creak, creak…
In the small courtyard built in the remote alley, there was still the sound of old wood shaking.
Ye Jingtang racked his brains and said some flirtatious words that he felt were shameless.
The cold and elegant heroine was still biting her lower lip. Her teary eyes stared at Ye Jingtang, unwilling to let outsiders hear her moaning.
Fortunately, Ye Jingtang's acting skills were on point. The constables outside finally let down their guard and whispered.
"Looks are so deceiving, and that glib tongue of his… Tsk tsk."
"It doesn't matter. There's nothing to hear. Let's go."
…
Tread, tread!
After two light sounds of climbing over the wall, the courtyard fell completely silent.
In the room…
Ye Jingtang heaved a soft sigh of relief. He tilted his head to look out the window and listened carefully.
The woman's originally cold expression was long gone. Her face was rosy and watery. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, and her peach blossom beautiful eyes were crystal clear.
Her face had regained its color. At this moment, she looked even more breathtakingly beautiful. She looked like a fairy from the Heavenly Palace who had been tortured.
The woman looked at the handsome side profile inches away from her. Perhaps it was because she had been ashamed and resentful for too long, but at this moment, she was a little 'angry'. The poison had clearly subsided by more than half, but she couldn't exert much strength compared to before.
After the constables left, the woman was about to question him when she found that the young thief had moved his hand. "You—Ah~"
Just now, he had no choice but to put on an act. This was still explainable, but this time, it was real!
She hurriedly covered her mouth, and killing intent appeared in her eyes as she glared at the man above. "You…"
Ye Jingtang turned around and said inexplicably, "You can't let go? Then I'll…"
The woman was not a pushover. She suddenly unsheathed the soft sword at her waist, bringing with it a cold glint.
Ye Jingtang reacted extremely quickly. He jumped out and landed on the floor, holding the hilt of his saber. "What do you want to do? Kill me after I've outlived my usefulness?"
The woman pointed her soft sword at Ye Jingtang, her eyes filled with indignation. "Shameless little thief…"
"Heroine, don't you know who's the thief between us?" Ye Jingtang looked at her tear-stained face. Even her anger had a different kind of beauty.
"If I didn't do that, how could we guarantee that the constables wouldn't come over to check on your appearance and injuries? You clearly knew that a calamity was imminent, but you still refused to make a sound. Were you trying to make me anxious to death?"
The woman's eyes were cold, but she couldn't suppress the helplessness in the depths of her eyes. "I know that you were just putting on an act, but you… you really did it! Taking advantage of people in danger…"
Ye Jingtang retorted, "You didn't even cooperate with me when I put on the act. Couldn't you cooperate well? Don't you have a daughter? Don't you know how to do it? Or have you always turned your head and closed your eyes without making a sound when you were doing it before?"
In the face of such 'obscenities', the woman's eyes became even more embarrassed and angry. "You are shameless!"
Ye Jingtang looked dissatisfied. "Just now, you asked me to cover for you, and I took the risk to help you. But after the constables left, you call me shameless? If you had stayed calm and cooperated with me in the face of danger, would I have touched you?"
"…"
The woman glared at Ye Jingtang, but she understood that he was telling the truth. After gritting her teeth for a long time, she slowly put down the soft sword. "On account of you upholding justice and helping me, I… I'll let you off this time…"
Only then was Ye Jingtang satisfied. He came to the bed. "You said you would teach me martial arts. Teach me."
?
The woman raised her eyes, her face full of anger. "I'm not holding it against you for being so frivolous to me, but you still…"
"Frivolous? Do you think I wanted to? I haven't said that you took advantage of me."
Seeing that she wanted to go back on her word, Ye Jingtang was unhappy. He picked up a small mirror from the bed and shone their faces on it. "Look for yourself. Who's better looking between the two of us? Is it worthwhile for me to risk my life for you?"
?
Perhaps the woman had never been belittled for her beauty, but when she heard this, she found it ridiculous. She turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.
She had been 'ravaged' just now. Her hair was messy, and her face was covered in tears. She was also angry. No matter how good her foundation was, she was not half as stunning as usual.
As for the little thief beside her, he had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. From his facial features to his temperament, he was perfect to the point of being impeccable…
The bird, who had been hiding under the bed, came out to be the referee. It stood between the two of them and sized them up for a long time before pointing its wings at the young woman.
"Chirp." The meaning was that Sister Little Watermelons looked better.
?
Ye Jingtang was speechless when he saw that the stupid bird was undermining him.
The woman understood what the bird meant, and a hint of pride flashed across her eyes. But with this interruption, she couldn't say that this handsome little thief had coveted her beauty and taken advantage of her. She was a little lacking in confidence, so she said coldly, "This matter… I'll pretend that it never happened. You're not allowed to tell anyone. Otherwise, even the gods won't be able to protect you."
Seeing that the young woman was no longer being unreasonable, Ye Jingtang threw the mirror aside and tidied up his clothes.
The woman averted her gaze, wrapped herself in the thin blanket, and quietly tidied up her ruffled clothes…
Ye Jingtang saw that the young woman's face was flushed red, and her eyes were sometimes angry and sometimes ashamed. Naturally, he understood what was going on. She can be like this even when we just put on an act…
If he said this, she would definitely not let it rest until he died. He didn't say anything else. He buttoned his robe and asked, "Now that everything is fine, shouldn't you make things clear? Who are you? What did you do?"
The young woman's thoughts were a bit chaotic as she quietly tidied up her clothes and said coldly, "My name is Luo Ning. As for the rest, it won't be beneficial for you to know. I came to the capital this time to save a friend from Jianghu. In the afternoon, I was investigating in the Black Office and accidentally triggered a trap. I was poisoned and hid here to avoid the White Impermanence's pursuit…"
Hearing this, Ye Jingtang was surprised. The constables of the Black Office usually went out in pairs to do things, and the six strongest chief constables were called the Six Fiends by the people of Jianghu. They were named after ghost messengers and were called:
Iron-Armed Impermanence, Phantom Impermanence, Vajra Ox-Head, Silver-Horned Horse-Face, White-Haired Diting, and Eight-Armed Ksitigarbha
This young woman named Luo Ning was being chased by the White Impermanence, but she could still escape. This meant that her martial arts skills couldn't be underestimated.
After Ye Jingtang roughly listened to the process, he looked left and right. "Where's your girl?"
"Helping me distract the pursuers. She should be back soon. You… you'd better leave immediately…"
"This is my house!" Ye Jingtang gestured to the bed sheets and bedding. "I bought the bedding yesterday. They are all my belongings. You didn't greet me and went to my place, causing me trouble. I haven't made things difficult for you, but you still want me to leave? Are you trying to go back on your word and not teach me martial arts?"
After suffering such a huge loss, Luo Ning really didn't want to teach him.
But people in Jianghu kept their promises. She didn't want to owe this little thief a favor, so she stood up, slid away, and raised her palms. "I said that I'd only teach you one move, and this is the only time. It's your ability if you can remember and learn it. If you can't learn it, it's your bad luck. You can't say that I went back on my word."
Ye Jingtang nodded slightly as he watched Luo Ning's movements with a focused expression.
Luo Ning raised her palms and moved them rhythmically, sometimes holding the moon and sometimes raising them horizontally. Her movements were as smooth as flowing water. After demonstrating back and forth for half a day, she pushed them forward and was done. "Have you learned it?"
??
Ye Jingtang's eyes were brimming with confusion. "Are you joking with me? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child? Can this be called martial arts?"
Luo Ning was enraged. "I've already taught you the move…"
"What did you teach?"
"Chirp." The bird's eyes were also full of confusion. It even flapped its wings a few times to indicate: Who doesn't know how to wave their hands?
Luo Ning and Ye Jingtang looked at each other. When she saw that his expression didn't seem to be fake, her anger slowly subsided, and she asked doubtfully, "Have you never learned martial arts before?"
Ye Jingtang wanted to say that he had learned martial arts, but on second thought, what his foster father taught him were all fake moves… Didn't that mean that he had never learned any?
Ye Jingtang's expression softened as he asked seriously, "It's true that I have never learned real martial arts. Are you sure you were teaching me a move just now?"
Luo Ning gave Ye Jingtang a strange look. "I see that your innate ability isn't bad, and you also have internal energy. I thought you had learned martial arts… Without anyone to teach you, how did you practice to this level?"
"Every day, run fifteen kilometers with weights, lift stone chains three hundred times, do five hundred sit-ups…"
Luo Ning raised her finger slightly, indicating that there was no need to say anything else. "What you're saying should be that someone guided you to build your foundation. A proper martial artist wouldn't train like this."
"Then, am I an improper martial artist?"
"Yes." Luo Ning nodded like a bird, agreeing strongly with this statement.
Ye Jingtang opened his mouth but did not quarrel with Heroine Luo. He asked, "How do normal martial artists practice martial arts?"
"Regarding the so-called martial arts, the martial is the moves, and the arts is the internal energy. The two complement each other. With only moves but no inner strength, it will always be just the 'form'. On the other hand, with inner strength but no moves, it's equivalent to having thousands of soldiers under one's command but only knowing how to attack a city with brute force, without any strategy."
Ye Jingtang understood what she meant. "I do have this feeling. Then, am I a brainless general who only knows how to charge around? How should I practice moves?"
Luo Ning said seriously, "A move is a method of 'circulating qi', not a method of actual combat. When you have mastered a move, you'll naturally understand how to use it in actual combat. It's like a straight punch that's skillful but not effective. Others can shake the city wall, but you can't break the door. The difference lies in the 'arts' behind the punch."
Ye Jingtang seemed to understand. He raised his hands and slowly moved them. "It means that if you practice slowly like this, it is the method of circulating qi. If you really fight, there will only be the last push?"
"I see you understand." Luo Ning nodded. "This move is the first move of the Fourteen Dappling Cloud Palms. It emphasizes soft strength. If you can practice this move to the point where when your palm strikes the chest and abdomen, the organs will shatter without damaging the skin, you will be considered to have reached basic mastery. If ordinary people practice it to this level, they will need at least three… three…"
Before the young woman could finish speaking, she saw the young man in black moving his palms back and forth. His movements were exactly the same as hers just now.
"You have a good memory!" Luo Ning was slightly surprised and continued to guide him. "Think carefully about why there are so many movements. Experience the measure of each movement, the strength, and the direction of qi and blood. Carefully comprehend the hidden qi circulation meth… method…"
The words stopped.
Whoosh… Whoosh…
In the closed room, a faint breeze blew past the young woman's face, blowing the hair on her temples. Her eyes slowly turned from surprise to shock…
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