Chapter 98: The Correct Way to Interpret Xiao Wuxiang Gong

Fang Han once again returned to the Langhuan Jade Cave, carefully searching through everything inside.

Two hours later.

Fang Han looked at the few booklets in his hand, each marked with the characters jia, yi, bing, ding (A, B, C, D).

Opening one, he saw records such as how much pig liver was bought today, and how many taels it cost—seemingly nothing more than a simple account book.

Fang Han had seen these account books before, but had not paid them much attention. Yet after searching high and low without success, he could not help but turn his attention to even the smallest clues.

Why would something like an account book be stored inside the Langhuan Jade Cave?

If it were truly nothing more than that, then fine.

The key was, after careful scrutiny, Fang Han realized that the prices recorded within deviated greatly from reality.

In the first round of his life simulation, during the early years when he was saving money, he had done bookkeeping work. He was no stranger to such matters. Moreover, having traveled extensively, he had gained much worldly experience. With a keener eye, he found the mistakes in these so-called account books glaringly obvious.

Something wasn’t right!

“Could it be the material?”

He flipped through the pages, rubbing them carefully.

But no—it was nothing more than the most ordinary paper. No hidden trick there.

Fang Han read through them again, this time faintly sensing something unusual. “These entries—pig heart, pig liver, pig spleen, pig kidney, and so on—or else numbers like how many taels, how many ounces. There seems to be a pattern.”

And more than that—Scattered throughout were strange, tongue-twisting passages. Taken apart, the words were already difficult to recognize; strung together, they became even stranger, utterly incomprehensible.

Fang Han furrowed his brows for a long time. He still couldn’t make full sense of it, but he was certain: these account books definitely held a hidden secret.

There was no doubt about it.

He slipped the booklets into his robe.

The next day.

🍃

Fang Han once again paid a visit to Madam Wang’s residence.

Though “paid a visit” was perhaps too polite a term—he hadn’t bothered to announce himself.

For he knew, even if he did, she would not agree to meet him. So he might as well go directly.

Knock knock!

“You! How utterly rude you are!”

Madam Wang stormed out in fury. Without even needing to look, she knew the only one who would dare knock on her door like this was him!

Fang Han ignored her anger and drew out one of the account books.

Madam Wang had been about to scold him further, but when she saw the book in his hand, her face instantly changed. “Xiao Wuxiang Gong! How did you know!?”

Fang Han chuckled softly. “So I guessed correctly.”

Realizing her slip, Madam Wang immediately fell silent.

She turned her head aside, coldly saying, “If you have nothing important, don’t disturb me again!”

Fang Han glanced at her. Does this woman think I’m easy to deal with, that’s why she dares act so arrogant?

Then again, it was true—by his temperament, as long as others did not provoke him first, he usually wouldn’t act against them.

The ones he had killed before were either enemies from his previous life (in the simulation), whom he killed to vent his own resentment, or else scoundrels like Yun Zhonghe and Ye Erniang, who had come with ill intent. Their sins only made it all the easier to kill them.

But this Madam Wang…

Hmm. She wasn’t exactly a good person.

Yet, she hadn’t provoked him first either. It was he who had taken the initiative to come.

So although Fang Han wouldn’t treat her with courtesy, neither would he truly harm her.

After thinking it over, he ignored the sharp tone in her voice and said in a calm, negotiating manner: “How about this—you and I make a trade?”

Ah, the advantage of knowing the plot really was like cheating.

Madam Wang gave no reply, her dislike for Fang Han evident. Inwardly, she was seething.

Fang Han only laughed, tucking the account book back into his robe. “Even if you don’t tell me, I can still unravel its secrets sooner or later. I had thought of trading with you, perhaps exchanging for some news about the Prince of Zhen’nan of Dali. But since you’re unwilling, then forget it!”

Madam Wang’s expression instantly shifted. She looked at Fang Han with both fear and dread, her body going weak.

Just days ago, she had already sensed that this man seemed to know everything about her. Now, hearing him mention the Prince of Zhen’nan, she was sure he must know about her old, shameful past.

But how did he know!?

Could it truly be the power of spirits and gods?

At the same time, upon hearing mention of that faithless man, she could not ignore it, no matter how much she wanted to. Gritting her teeth, she demanded, “What… what exactly do you want?”

Fang Han lightly lifted the booklet in his hand. “Just tell me the secret within.”

He suspected these books either contained some hidden cipher, or required a special method of decoding.

Madam Wang had no desire to speak, but seeing his eyes grow darker, her heart filled with fear.

She might yell at him, yes—but deep down, she was truly terrified of his overwhelming martial skill. Her harsh tone was nothing but bravado.

Now, as his faint smile began to fade, she panicked. Her hands and feet trembled.

Biting her lip, she thought: If I refuse to tell him, and he really does stay here for the rest of his life, then I’m finished!

She had no choice but to yield.

Half an hour later.

Inside the room, having listened to Madam Wang’s reluctant explanation, Fang Han could not help but feel deeply moved.

Good heavens!

This Xiao Wuxiang Gong manual actually had so many layers of deception.

For instance, the mentions of pig heart, pig liver, and so on—those were in fact references to the human body’s five viscera, six bowels, twelve primary meridians, and eight extraordinary meridians. As for the notes about how many ounces or taels, those corresponded to the frequency of breathing exercises and the length of daily practice.

And those long, incomprehensible passages of bizarre characters—those truly had no meaning whatsoever. They were not sentences, but simply characters placed together.

Their sole purpose was to regulate inhalation and exhalation.

The sounds of those characters were extremely obscure and awkward. Reading a few together already felt strange. Reading whole passages aloud was clumsy and halting, impossible to smooth out.

But in the process of reading them aloud, one’s breath and voice naturally aligned with the methods of controlled breathing. With repeated practice, one would gradually master the technique of breath regulation and thus learn the internal cultivation method.

Fang Han was astonished by this way of encoding a martial art. He could not help but marvel.

If one did not know the underlying secret, one could spend a lifetime in ignorance.

He turned to Madam Wang. “Thank you, Madam, for telling me. But I have one more request.”

Madam Wang glared at him, thinking how brazenly this man kept pressing further. Yet she had no power to resist, and could only remain silent, tacitly allowing it.

Fang Han cupped his hands slightly, speaking gently: “I ask that Madam also teach me how to read it aloud.”

He could recognize the characters, yes—but pronouncing them was another matter entirely, requiring the use of various dialects.

For instance, Jiangnan’s soft Wu dialect and others.

He could understand them when spoken, but he couldn’t speak them himself, nor pronounce them accurately.

And it wasn’t just one dialect—there were many.

It was extraordinarily complex.

If one could not pronounce them correctly, the martial art recorded in this way was utterly incomprehensible.

Madam Wang frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse.

But then, a thought flickered in her mind.

She came up with a scheme.

And so, she put on an appearance of unwillingness, as though she had no choice but to agree.

🍃🍃🍃

FOOTNOTES

* * * * Langhuan Jade Cave (琅嬛玉洞 / Lánghuán Yùdòng): A fictional cave in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, said to contain countless martial arts manuals.

* * * * Xiao Wuxiang Gong (小无相功 / Xiǎo Wúxiàng Gōng): A powerful and mysterious inner cultivation method from the Xiaoyao Sect, disguised in unusual forms to prevent outsiders from learning it.

* * * * Prince of Zhen’nan (镇南王 / Zhènnán Wáng): Title referring to Duan Zhengchun of the Dali royal family, infamous for his romantic entanglements.

* * * * Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding (甲乙丙丁): The first four characters of the Heavenly Stems, often used for labeling sequences (like A, B, C, D).

* * * * Wu Nong Ruan Yu (吴侬软语): The “soft Wu dialect,” a poetic way of referring to the Wu Chinese dialects of Jiangnan, renowned for their gentle, melodic sound.