noveldepot Chapter 28 Suspicion
Chapter 28 Suspicion
Yao Rongrong slept very soundly.
She didn't know why she was sleeping so soundly.
Even though the storyteller wasn't particularly skilled and the donkey was unreliable, and the two of them had to rely entirely on themselves when things went wrong, why did I feel so at ease?
"This storyteller..."
When Yao Rongrong woke up, she couldn't help but mutter something, feeling quite annoyed. Even the midday sunlight streaming in and the post-rain breeze made her feel a little uncomfortable.
She threw off the covers, got up, and walked out of the cave. She saw the donkey munching on grass at the entrance and the storyteller slowly practicing his boxing.
This stupid donkey can be quite clever sometimes. It nibbles on the grass here and there, and after nibbling for who knows how long, its belly is bulging out, but the grass on the ground is still quite even, not nibbled off in large patches. If someone passes by, they can see the clue from a distance.
I really don't know how this donkey was born...
Yao Rongrong was filled with curiosity.
She had never seen such a human-like, yet so cheeky and thieving donkey.
Actually, to be honest, compared to the storyteller's fantastical tales, this strange donkey was more intriguing to her.
Moreover, such a clever donkey with powerful hooves would certainly be of great use if it were traveling with her. That's why she decided to travel with the storyteller.
Back in Mengzhou City, she had tested the donkey and found it to be somewhat capable, but still far inferior to herself. She could easily handle them.
Therefore, she didn't mind giving the man and the donkey some benefits and teaching the storyteller some cultivation skills.
Having learned to breathe and walk properly, I won't get blisters on my feet or feel sore and tired after walking north for two days.
The problem is, Yao Rongrong doesn't remember ever teaching a storyteller such slow, strange movements...
Yao Rongrong shifted her gaze from Brother Donkey to Lin Xiu and saw the storyteller spread his legs apart and bent them, then thrust them downwards, pushing his hands out and pulling them back, making strange and inexplicable circles here and there.
"Sir, what are you doing?"
Yao Rongrong asked a question.
Lin Xiu didn't stop, continuing to gesture with his hands in a slow, frustrating manner, neither like a fight nor a dance, while saying as he gestured:
"Practice Tai Chi to strengthen your body and improve your health; it's a Taoist martial art that helps you cultivate your character and temperament."
Yao Rongrong was slightly taken aback: "Is it the martial arts manual you mentioned in your storybooks, sir?"
Lin Xiu said, "It is mentioned in storybooks. It is said to be a skill that uses the opponent's strength to deflect their force and overcomes the opponent's strength with softness. It is called Tai Chi. There are also two famous lines of mantra: 'Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain; let him be fierce, the bright moon still shines on the great river.'"
But that's just something from a storybook. I can only do a couple of casual poses; I doubt it's even enough to improve my health.
I was just practicing casually, trying to see if I could integrate the techniques you taught me, but it seems to have been useless.
This is actually the mantra of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, but if I don't say it, who will know? Yao Rongrong doesn't understand it either.
The interpretation is in my own hands, so let Lin Xiu say whatever he wants.
After he finished speaking, he stood up straight with his legs together, raised and pressed his hands together, and that was it, he was done.
This attempt proved useless; I might as well have walked a few more steps and hummed a few more songs.
But Yao Rongrong seemed unconvinced, murmuring softly, "Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain; let him be arrogant, the bright moon still shines over the great river..."
Judging from his expression, he seemed to be trying to figure out something from this mnemonic.
Lin Xiu found it amusing and said, "Don't overthink it, it's useless. Fighting is all about power and force. Miss Yao, you have more strength, you draw your sword faster, and you create more dazzling swordplay with that slender sword, so aren't you even more powerful?"
What I've said is all just from martial arts stories, something I made up on the spot, don't take it seriously.
Yao Rongrong glanced at Lin Xiu, then suddenly laughed, squinting her eyes as she said, "Sir, you're not deliberately stringing me along or trying to fool me, are you?"
The four sentences you mentioned seem to make some sense. Combined with what you just said about leveraging and deflecting force, and using softness to overcome hardness, one can vaguely sense some underlying principles.
"You've received so many benefits from me, you've taken quite a few Qi-boosting and spirit-nourishing pills, and you've even learned cultivation methods. It's not very proper for you to be a guest like this, or I'll get angry..."
Lin Xiu rolled his eyes and said, "I have plenty of martial arts manuals in my novels."
The Nine Yin Manual states that the Way of Heaven diminishes the excess and replenishes the deficiency; therefore, emptiness overcomes fullness, and deficiency overcomes excess. The Dugu Nine Swords states that having no moves overcomes having moves. The Evil-Repelling Sword Manual and the Sunflower Manual state that to practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself. Think about them and see if you can figure out the tricks of the trade.
Yao Rongrong was taken aback for a moment, and her gaze unconsciously shifted downwards.
"I'm gone."
Lin Xiu said something, then returned to the cave, packed his bedding, and put it on the donkey cart.
The donkey was still grazing outside when Lin Xiu called out again, "Brother donkey, have you had enough to eat? Come and pull the cart."
"Mmm~ Pfft pfft pfft~"
The donkey brayed in annoyance, but still took a big bite of grass and followed the donkey into the cave while chewing.
Yao Rongrong's gaze involuntarily shifted downwards again.
"To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself? How can there be such a strange and bizarre martial art?"
Yao Rongrong was puzzled. There was something else that surprised her: "It turns out Brother Donkey is actually a female donkey. I hadn't noticed before..."
Or perhaps it practiced those "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" and "Sunflower Manual"?
She felt that after following the storyteller for two days and listening to his stories for two days, her thoughts were wandering and had gone a bit too far.
What donkey in the world knows martial arts?
What a joke...
The problem is, I've never seen any martial arts techniques that storytellers talk about!
Moreover, Brother Donkey is clearly not a normal donkey.
Compared to a normal donkey, it is indeed too smart and too powerful.
By layering these elements together, using something unfamiliar to explain something beyond comprehension makes it seem unusual and thus makes sense.
Furthermore, if it's like a rootless duckweed, how did Lin Xiu, this storyteller, come up with all this stuff that no one has ever heard of before and put it into his storybook?
It sounds like there are so many intricacies involved, and it all seems quite plausible...
She glanced into the cave and saw Lin Xiu helping her tidy her bedding. She said, "Thank you, sir."
Lin Xiu had already harnessed the donkey to the cart and packed everything. He and the donkey, now pulling the cart, emerged from the cave and asked, "Which way are we going? We don't know if anyone's still on the mountain behind Liangjia Village. Should we go up and check?"
Yao Rongrong said, "This place occupied by bandits is not a good place. Although they said last night that they had mobilized all their forces, some people have escaped. If there are still some left on the mountain, plus those who escaped, it will be difficult to deal with them."
"And what if they have some sentry posts or outposts on the mountain? If we run up there, wouldn't we be cutting off our own escape route?"
Lin Xiu nodded and said, "You're right, shall we continue heading north?"
Yao Rongrong nodded slightly and said, "Mm."
The two men and their donkey set off again, continuing their journey north.
Yao Rongrong trailed behind Lin Xiu and Brother Donkey. The more she looked at Brother Donkey, the more she felt that he had practiced the "Evil-Repelling Sword Manual" or the "Sunflower Manual." She couldn't help but wonder what kind of magic the martial arts manual was that could make Brother Donkey so intelligent and powerful.
And... has Lin Xiu practiced it?
It would be more interesting if you actually practiced it.
Yao Rongrong's lips involuntarily curled into a teasing yet expectant smile.
There are various breathing and walking techniques and methods in the world. Based on these, it's not impossible to improve upon them and create some strange things, or even change their names.
There has never been any martial arts manual in the world. Could it be that this storyteller created some martial arts manuals himself and told them in his stories to help with the deduction?
Has he been hiding his strength all this time?