Chapter 99: Truth or Falsehood!

Seeing her agreement, Fang Han wasted no time and immediately began asking questions.

Madam Wang’s face remained expressionless as she read aloud, line by line.

Some passages in Wu Nong soft speech slipped from her lips—though the meaning was unclear, they carried a peculiar rhythm. With her cold expression, those tones somehow carried a hint of coquetry, producing a subtle and strange contrast.

Fang Han pondered silently, then tried repeating after her, following the rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, gradually sensing its flow.

Hearing his somewhat clumsy and awkward pronunciation, Madam Wang’s lips curved slightly, a laugh almost escaping her.

After a while…Fang Han furrowed his brows and fell silent, suddenly turning his gaze toward Madam Wang.

Her heart jumped in alarm. Did he notice something? But I haven’t even started yet.

No matter what schemes she had in mind, she didn’t dare reveal them right away. At the very least, she needed to wait a few days, until his guard was lowered, before making her move.

Thus, the passages she taught now were indeed correct.

Fang Han’s eyes darkened as he asked in a clear voice:

“I have one question I’d like to ask Madam. Since you understand the training method of Xiao Wuxiang Gong, why have you never practiced it yourself?”

As he followed the breathing method, his inner strength faintly condensed—he could feel the technique was correct.

But this gave rise to another question.

Since Madam Wang truly knew the training method, why didn’t she practice it herself?

If she had mastered Xiao Wuxiang Gong, she could simulate all martial skills under heaven. Coupled with the countless secret manuals stored in the Langhuan Jade Cavern, her martial arts might not only reach the pinnacle of the world but even surpass it!

Yet, as the daughter of Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui, her martial arts could not be called mediocre, but they were far from outstanding.

With such background and such resources, for her martial achievements to be so limited was truly disappointing.

Hearing his words, Madam Wang grew irritated, furrowing her brows with a cold snort:

“Xiao Wuxiang Gong is a skill of the utmost depth and refinement! Even if one knows its training method, without a master who has already mastered this art pointing out its secrets, attempting to practice it lightly is nothing but a delusional dream. I…”

Was it because I didn’t want to learn? Nonsense! It’s because no one ever guided me properly!

Many martial arts she had indeed seen, and she knew the general method of practice. But without understanding the key subtleties, and with her inner strength insufficient, progress had always been slow.

And the path of martial cultivation—how profound and intricate it is! Training even one art demands immense time and energy. She already considered her martial ability to be decent enough.

It was just… far inferior to him!

Fang Han looked down at the booklet in his hand and fell into silence.

In truth, he vaguely felt that the most critical reason was that Madam Wang did not have true passion for the martial path. She lacked enthusiasm, perhaps too accustomed to a life of luxury, unwilling to endure the hardships of day-and-night cultivation…

But he said nothing of this, simply nodding lightly:

“Continue.”

Madam Wang had no choice but to comply, teaching him the pronunciations one by one.

After half an hour, she grew impatient and snapped irritably:

“I’m tired! I don’t want to teach anymore today!”

Her throat was dry, and with nightfall approaching, her mood had soured even further.

Fang Han, however, seemed not to hear. Staring at the characters on the booklet, he silently compared them in his heart, line by line, then nodded slightly.

In truth, he had already quickly learned the correct pronunciations. But knowing Madam Wang would not yield so easily, likely scheming to play tricks, he calmly verified and cross-checked, occasionally asking her to repeat pronunciations, sometimes pointing out a single character and asking its tone.

Now, with a clear mind and sharp memory, after repeated comparisons and secret verification, he was largely certain she had spoken consistently, with no contradictions—she had not deceived him.

Still, I cannot let down my guard. She may not dare act rashly now, but in the future, who knows? Better to remain cautious.

Seeing him not respond, Madam Wang grew uneasy. Her tone softened:

“There are so many booklets. How could I possibly teach them all in a single day? And besides, could you even remember that much all at once?”

Fang Han gave her a sidelong glance, mulling for a long while. Under his gaze, the beautiful woman’s eyes wavered, unable to meet him. Only then did he smile:

“Since Madam is willing to teach me the method of practice, I am indebted to you. As the saying goes, ‘It is rude not to reciprocate.’ I shall assist you as well.”

With that, he gently shook the secret manual in his hand:

“Follow it and practice.”

He flipped back to the first page, indicating that she should follow along.

At his words, Madam Wang’s heart gave a sudden jolt. How could she not realize he distrusted her? A strange sense of relief welled within her.

Fortunately, I didn’t dare pull any tricks just now. Otherwise, being forced to practice recklessly, even if nothing came of it, at best it would be useless, at worst I could easily cripple myself through deviation…

Her expression turned slightly unnatural, but she did not dare refuse. She took the manual, glanced through it several times, then looked at Fang Han once more before closing her eyes, breathing slowly as she read aloud.

First she recited it straight, then reversed it, her pace quickening with each repetition.

After several rounds, her breath grew unsteady. Her energy scattered, and she suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Her full, curving form trembled lightly as she leaned against the table, laughing uncontrollably.

Fang Han: “…”

We’re practicing martial arts here—what in the world are you laughing at…

Soon, Madam Wang broke into a fit of coughing, her face flushed red. Seeing Fang Han’s strange expression, shame and anger mixed within her:

“This… this is only because my breath lost rhythm! Didn’t I tell you? Without the secret key, I can never practice it properly.”

Fang Han thought for a moment, then reached out and grasped her wrist—smooth, delicate, as if carved from icy jade.

Madam Wang was startled, her face paling, instinctively pulling back:

“You! What are you doing!?”

Fang Han’s expression remained calm:

“Practice it again.”

Madam Wang bit her lip, glaring at him.

After a moment, she seemed to realize something.

There was nothing she could do but comply.

Once more, she read aloud several times. Her breathing grew increasingly erratic, the faintly condensed energy about to dissipate again.

Suddenly, she felt a vast surge of inner strength flood from her wrist into her body.

Her mind shook—her earlier suffocation and discomfort vanished completely.

It felt as if…

She could finally continue reciting and cultivating!

Joy and shock filled her.

She had always been stuck at this very point when practicing Xiao Wuxiang Gong, unable to progress at all.

But now—if she could take this opportunity to gather energy and condense a wisp of Xiao Wuxiang inner strength, though far from true mastery, it would still mark her first step across the threshold.

The transition from nothing to something!

How could she not rejoice?

Yet amidst her joy, terror surged as well.

She had known this man’s martial arts were powerful, but she had never imagined his inner strength to be so boundless—vast, inexhaustible!

Compared to him, her own was not even a trickling stream.

A mix of shock and dread seized her heart.

At this moment, his inner strength had invaded her body. If he harbored even a shred of malice, she would die instantly without any hope of survival!

Just as her thoughts turned chaotic, she heard a crisp command:

“Focus your mind! Guard your spirit! Breathe and circulate!”

Madam Wang’s heart jolted, her thoughts snapping back into place. She followed his words obediently.

Half an hour later, a wisp of exquisite inner strength was born from her gathered qi.

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FOOTNOTES

* * * * Wu Nong soft speech (吴侬软语, Wu Nong ruǎn yǔ):A famously gentle and melodious dialect from the Jiangnan region, often described as sounding soft and musical.

* * * * Xiao Wuxiang Gong (小无相功):A unique martial art from Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Tian Long Ba Bu), allowing the practitioner to imitate other martial techniques. Mastery requires deep understanding and correct breathing methods.

* * * * Langhuan Jade Cavern (琅嬛玉洞, Lánghuán Yù Dòng):A legendary cave filled with countless secret martial manuals.