Hidden Shadow – CH 173

Chapter One-Hundred-Seventy-Three: Plum Blossom Fist

An Jiu knew firsthand the potency of Mo Sigui’s poisons. A few bottles were more effective than carrying many hidden weapons, and his healing medicines were even more miraculous.

“Divine Physician Mo,” Sun Dixian knocked on the door.

Mo Sigui was busy gathering medicine and did not even look up. “What is it?” he asked.

Sun Dixian smiled and was about to go in when he said, “Stop. Say what you have to say at the door.”

Sun Dixian laughed awkwardly twice and said, “Divine Physician, I want to ask for a bottle of protective medicine.”

“I do not have any,” Mo Sigui said indifferently.

“This mission is extremely dangerous, with a near-death experience, unlike any other. Please grant me a bottle of medicine! If I can return alive, I will repay you like a slave.” Sun Dixian was unwilling to give up easily; for the sake of a better chance of survival, she could not give up so easily.

Mo Sigui stopped what he was doing. “If I wanted to give it, I would have already done so. No need for your nonsense. Similarly, since I said I would not, you’d better leave now and not get in my way.”

Normally, Mo Sigui would probably tease Sun Dixian a bit and give her the medicine, but not now. The medicine available here was limited, and it was not convenient to go out and buy more. He did not have much to use anyway; besides giving one to An Jiu, he had another to keep for Lou Mingyue. Even if there was some left over, he could not give it to Sun Dixian. So many people were watching him; if they all came begging for medicine, would refusing them not offend even more people?

And more importantly, he was in a bad mood and did not want to talk to anyone.

Sun Dixian bit her lip, stood at the door for a moment, and finally left.

Seeing that she had been rejected, the others gave up. Rather than begging others, they decided to focus on their training before the great battle began, so they all went into seclusion to cultivate.

Although An Jiu received many medicines, she never slacked off in her cultivation.

The Eighty-One Forms of the Severing Meridian Palm technique consisted of nine levels, and An Jiu had already reached the third level. The first three levels were foundational, and she did not feel any different from before, even after reaching the third level. It did not seem particularly useful in combat. Once she could master the first three levels, she began attempting the fourth.

Meridians were the channels through which Qi and blood circulated, connecting the internal organs, the body surface, and all parts of the body, regulating bodily functions. In medicine, acupuncture was used to unblock meridians to treat illness; similarly, external force could also damage meridians, thereby hindering the flow of Qi and blood. The Severing Meridian Palm was one of the most powerful methods of this.

An Jiu practiced a few forms from the manual, and after becoming proficient, she used her full strength, striking out with a palm. She felt a slight, needle-like pain in her arm. This pain was nothing to An Jiu. However, fearing she might be going astray, she did not continue.

She opened the door and saw Mo Sigui carrying a bundle towards her.

An Jiu leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, waiting for him.

Mo Sigui sullenly entered the room and placed the bundle on the table. “Take these to her for me.”

An Jiu knew who “she” was. “I promised Lou Mingyue I would not interfere in your affairs. Take them yourself.”

Mo Sigui snapped angrily. “You ingrate! You’ve been pressuring me for three days, and I cannot even help you with this? You bastard!”

An Jiu stared at him without speaking, clearly unmoved.

“Sigh!” Mo Sigui sighed. “I know her. She’s strong-willed and a woman of her word. I’ve delivered it to her personally countless times, and she always throws it back. If I were more tactful, giving her a little excuse, she would not refuse to save her life.”

“I am a woman of my word too,” An Jiu emphasized seriously.

“Then change it,” Mo Sigui pleaded, pushing the bundle forward. “Besides, this is not really meddling; I just asked you to do something, a favor from a friend. You would not be so heartless and cruel as to refuse, would you?”

An Jiu pondered for a moment, then nodded. “That makes sense.”

Mo Sigui was delighted but did not forget to ask, “Do you know how to be tactful?”

“No,” An Jiu replied.

“Why not use your usual roundabout way of insulting people for something else?” Mo Sigui muttered, then instructed, “Just say that these things are from me and that you are giving her half out of gratitude for her care. If she refuses, say that this mission is extremely dangerous and the Lou family’s revenge is still unavenged; having more means of survival is always beneficial. If she still does not want it, then use your own background to move her, saying that you share the same fate, that you understand her suffering, and that you hope to live with her and avenge her.”

“You are really scheming,” An Jiu exclaimed. She added, “Besides, I do not want revenge.”

“That’s quite a scheme!” Mo Sigui was already desperate at his choice of words and could only pat her shoulder weakly. “You can do it, I believe in you.”

An Jiu shook her head, insisting, “How can you say such things carelessly?”

“Alright, just say the first two sentences, alright? If she does not want them, put the things down and come back.” Mo Sigui stuffed the bundle into her arms and pushed her out the door. “Go quickly.”

An Jiu, carrying the things, turned her head and said, “You wait here; I have something to ask you later.”

“No problem.” Mo Sigui unfolded his folding fan and slowly waved it.

An Jiu quickly went to Lou Mingyue’s door and knocked a few times.

Mo Sigui immediately slipped back into the room.

“Come in, the door is not locked,” Lou Mingyue said.

An Jiu pushed open the door and entered the room.

Lou Mingyue’s figure was hidden in the darkness. An Jiu could not see her face, but she could sense her sorrow. The figure stood alone, as if she were the only person left in the world.

How similar Lou Mingyue was to her former self!

An Jiu’s heart trembled slightly. She suddenly realized how much she had changed.

“He sent you?” Lou Mingyue’s voice was hoarse.

“I asked him for quite a few things.” An Jiu placed the bundle on the table. “You took good care of me at the Konghe Academy. I am sharing half with you as a thank you.”

“Mm.” Lou Mingyue remained hidden in the darkness. “Thank you.”

Having achieved her goal, An Jiu had nothing more to say.

After An Jiu left, Lou Mingyue approached the table.

Her pale fingers untied the bundle. She looked at the pile of bottles and jars and wept silently. Now that she had reached the ninth level, her hearing was several times better than before. At this close range, she could hear every detail of Mo Sigui and An Jiu’s conversation.

Mo Sigui’s appearance peeled away Lou Mingyue’s hard shell, revealing her vulnerable side from time to time. She longed to rely on him, yet feared she would harm him.

With these feelings, she wanted to get close but could not. Lou Mingyue’s face was pale, her dark eyes filled with deep-seated hatred—all because of Yelu Huangwu!

Lou Mingyue vowed that one day she would kill her with her own hands!

An Jiu returned to the room, and Mo Sigui immediately rushed over. Seeing that she no longer had her bundle, he asked, “Did she take it?”

“Yes,” An Jiu replied listlessly.

Mo Sigui grinned, closed his folding fan, clapped his hands lightly, and said cheerfully, “Little Jiu, you truly lived up to my expectations!”

He sat down, lifting his robe slightly, and poured tea as he asked, “What do you want to ask me?”

An Jiu snapped out of her reverie, took out the manual, and placed it in front of him. “When I reached the fourth level, I noticed a slight stinging pain in my arm. Is this normal?”

“Perfectly normal.” Mo Sigui pushed the teacup towards her. “If you continue practicing like this relentlessly, one day you will be completely paralyzed.”

An Jiu frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The Severing Meridian Palm technique is inherently a martial art that kills a thousand enemies but injures eight hundred of your own.” Mo Sigui turned to the title page, tapped the table, and gestured for An Jiu to look. “However, our predecessors have already found a solution to most problems: tempering one’s body. Therefore, each level requires soaking in a medicinal bath to strengthen the body, and every three levels, the body must be reforged. I originally thought you would not be able to reach the second level for a year or two. Who would have thought you’d progress so rapidly?”

An Jiu also read the passage on the title page. “I did not soak in the medicinal bath, so why did I not experience any stinging pain when practicing the second and third levels?”

Mo Sigui crossed his legs. He proudly said, “Do you think this divine physician is just sitting around doing nothing? The body I reforged for you is a million times better than others’. If your foundation were not so weak, you could even practice the fourth level now without any problems.”

“I understand,” An Jiu said.

With Mo Sigui’s confidence in his medical skills, he would not nag about things he could control. However, An Jiu’s progress this time had exceeded his expectations. To avoid similar dangerous situations in the future, he said, “Actually, the drawbacks of the Severing Meridian Palm have not been completely eliminated. Using your own strength to damage the opponent’s meridians will cause a backlash on yourself while harming the opponent. Tempering your body can reduce this kind of damage, but there is no truly indestructible body in this world. Even if you reach the peak, you will still injure yourself every time you use this palm. The reason I did not remind you is that this kind of damage is nothing to me. You can make yourself recover quickly after being injured.”

Mo Sigui owed An Jiu a life, and since he owed it, he would not abandon it. Revealing the matter would only make An Jiu hesitant, so it was better to remain silent.

“That’s it!” Mo Sigui’s eyes lit up as he thought of something. “You could try to learn Plum Blossom Fist. It can help you solve the problem of the recoil from your Severing Meridian Palm.”

“Plum Blossom Fist?” An Jiu knew it was the Mei family’s ancestral martial art, said to be able to “strike through mountains,” but beyond that, she knew little. “It seems the descendants of the Mei family do not use fist techniques.”

“Because Plum Blossom Fist is inherently an external martial art. In an era where internal energy cultivation was prevalent, external cultivation was much more difficult. Therefore, the Mei family gradually began to focus on internal energy cultivation, but they never lost their ancestral methods. All Mei family disciples cultivate both internal and external techniques. Even if their internal energy is destroyed, they still have the strength to fight. This is the real reason for the Mei family’s strength.” The more Mo Sigui thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and his tone became increasingly excited. “By learning Plum Blossom Fist, you will know how to skillfully use your strength to injure your enemy without harming yourself.”

“Do you know Plum Blossom Fist?” An Jiu asked.

“Plum Blossom Fist is not passed down to outsiders. My mother secretly taught me some, but she was only released to marry because of her poor martial arts skills and dull mind,” Mo Sigui said helplessly. “What she learned was only superficial, and by the time it reached me, it was even less of a remnant.”

Mo Sigui had never put his heart into practicing martial arts, especially not his mother’s mediocre skills, which he looked down upon. He only learned a few moves out of respect for his mother. “This time when you go back to Bianjing, go find Mei Zhengjing.”

An Jiu said, “Alright.”

“And another thing!” Mo Sigui tapped the tattered book on the table with his folding fan. “This is a martial arts manual! You cannot just pull it out like that!”