Chapter 48 – Lingering Charm

Ancient Strengthening Technique: Chapter 48 – Lingering Charm

Qing Shui had always wanted Qing Yi to unleash all her pent-up sadness and frustrations by venting out all her innermost thoughts. Only by doing that would Qing Yi be able to relax. For so many years, Qing Yi had been bearing this pain all alone, sighing helplessly every time her thoughts turned to this. A burden shared was a burden halved. Now, she would no longer have to bear this burden alone. Qing Shui was determined to be part of it, and had made a promise to Qing Yi that he would go with her to the Yan Clan in five years time.

After their conversation, Qing Shui recorded the essence of the Solitary Rapid Fist onto a piece of paper, including a diagram of the all of the meridian and acupoint positions of the human body on a paper. After all, the Solitary Rapid Fist only had a single stance. As to what degree the rest of the Qing Clan members could master the fist technique would depend on their own level of comprehension.

During this period of time, after Lan Yan`er recovered, she immediately issued a challenge to Qing Bei, wanting to wash off the shame and humiliation she had suffered at the competition. However, because of her pride, she did not come personally to issue the challenge, instead sending her servants in her place.

To Qing Shui, Qing Bei was a little devil, and beneath that vivacious exterior lay a mind full of mischievous ideas. In the end, Lan Yan`er had no choice but to come personally, because no matter how Lan Yan`er provoked or challenged Qing Bei, she would just ignore it. She would only leaving a single reply, “anyway, your loss was visibly witnessed by everyone, so you can say whatever you want as long as the people can believe it.” Lan Yan`er was infuriated to the point of puking blood when she heard that. With no other resolution, she could only counter by saying, ”good, very good… Make sure to watch out next time.”

“Next time? What next time? I would still have you flat on the ground every time we fight.” Qing Bei ruthlessly countered, without caring about shaming Lan Yan`er in public. Qing Shui could almost see the devilish horns growing out of Qing Bei’s head, as he silently smiled to himself.

Regarding the Solitary Rapid Fist technique which Qing Shui passed down, the 3rd generation clan members were all exceptionally happy about it. They would often spar with each other using the fist technique, and would compete to see who could unleash the most stances. Everyone knew that while the Solitary Rapid Fist technique only consisted only of a single stance, the higher your comprehension rose, the more stances would you be able to derive from the original stance. Thus, everyone was busily training in it, honing their arms’ agility and flexibility, and memorizing the positions of the vital acupoints in the human body.

The atmosphere between the 3rd generation members was extremely competitive. Ever since Lan Yan`er discovered that the battle technique Qing Bei had used to defeat her had originated from Qing Shui, she started to actively hate Qing Shui as well. Every time they met, she would glare hatefully at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui who had matured long ago, refused to stoop to the level of Lan Yan`er. He only felt that Lan Yan`er was incredibly childish, almost to the extent of her reminding him of Situ Bu Fan.

Qing Shui still assiduously cultivated daily. Aside from cultivating during the day, he would enter the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal every night. Despite this, there were still no signs of him breaking through to the 49th cycle of circulated qi. The recent repeated failures made Qing Shui felt a never before sense of crushing defeat.

Looking at the branches of the Energy Enhancing Tree, that had been plucked clean by Qing Shui earlier, remnants of fruit-like things had already begun growing. However, Qing Shui knew that for them to fully mature, it would require a year of time to pass outside of the realm of the Violet Jade Immortal.

Qing Shui planned to depart for Hundred Miles City after a few more days. After that, he planned to purchase common-grade seedlings, and cultivate them inside the spatial realm. “Common-grade so what? He could still make a tidy profit if he sold them as 100-year herbs a year later. With money, he could naturally buy higher grades seedlings, and could then cultivate them for his own usage.”

Qing Shui placed a lot of his hopes on spiritual herbs, he wished to master the art of concocting pills and become an alchemist. Only then, with all the knowledge of the otherworldly pill formulas unlocked in his mind, would he have an increased chance compared to others to enter the Xiantian Realm. That year, when the elders from the Yan Clan forcibly broke apart Qing Yi and Yan Zhong Yue, Qing Yi mentioned a Yan Clan elder with strength in the Xiantian realm could tear apart the entire Qing Village with a flick of his finger. Everything depended on the level of one’s power!

“Xiantian, was the vital boundary in the myriad realms of cultivation. A cultivator who had taken that initial step into the Xiantian Realm could be considered to have ascended into the heavens. However, for every cultivator which succeeded in entering the doorway of the Xiantian Realm, there were countless millions of others stuck outside of it.”

Thinking of the Crippling Divine Pill he possessed, Qing Shui was sorely tempted to consume it so as to aid him in breaking past the 4th heavenly layer. However, he would not lightly take the risk, he understood that once he did so, the probability of him ever entering Xiantian realm would be infinitely close to zero, and he would never be able to take revenge for Qing Yi in his lifetime.

Without any other solutions, Qing Shui could only grit his teeth and continue cultivating assiduously in the Realm of the Violet Jade Immortal. He had a very strong feeling that the moment when he broke through to the 49th cycle of circulated Qi, it would be the moment he stepped into the 4th heavenly layer of the Ancient Strengthening Technique.

——–

Today, there was a visitor to Qing Clan which filled Qing Shui with much excitement. That person was the Feng Clan judge from the annual competition. It was that charming lady that he had the hots for! Qing Shui breathed deeply, this was what we call a matured lady, as ripe as a peach, with her curvaceous figure swaying about as if she was a temptress, especially those gigantic twin peaks bobbing about in front of her chest. The body-hugging robe she wore was so tight that one would have expected her twin peaks would burst out of it at any moment. Qing Shui salivated at the thought.

Slender and willowy waist, a full round-shaped bottom, soft and creamy skin, and that pair of bewitching eyes. All of these factors combined caused Qing Shui to unable to guess at the actual age of the Feng Clan lady.

When she glanced at Qing Shui, as her beautiful eyes swept past, in that instant, Qing Shui could see how bewitching her eyes were. They seemed to be filled with a certain look of mistiness combined with a hint of enrapture that was capable of stirring the heartstrings of all but the strongest-willed men.

“Hmm, mature ladies, are indeed my favourite!” Qing Shui fantasized excitedly.

“ Qing Shui right? As expected, it is difficult even for me to see through your true strength level.” Her lovely voice was extremely pleasing to his ear. Just hearing the words she spoke gave rise to a comfortable feeling in his heart.

“Yup, I’m Qing Shui! You are?” Qing Shui decided to ask directly.

(TL Note: *You are, the word “You – 您” used was a word slightly different from the normal you. It is usually used by juniors when addressing their elders.”

“This one’s name is Feng Wuxi, from the Feng Clan, but you can call me Aunty Xi!” At this moment, the voice of Qing Luo, suffused with laughter, drifted over.

“Aunty Xi, nice to meet you!” Qing Shui obediently replied.

“Ah, Elder Qing Luo is indeed fortunate, to think that a young hero has appeared in the 3rd generation of your Qing Clan. It really engenders envy from the everyone else!”, Feng Wuxi laughed, praising the two of them with a single sentence.

Qing Luo invited Feng Wuxi into their living room, and suddenly along the way, Feng Wuxi extended her hand to grab Qing Shui’s hand and pull him along. Shocked by the sudden movement, Qing Shui could not even react as his mind went numb, blindly following as Feng Wuxi pulled him along. He did not know that Feng Wuxi found him extremely adorable, as she could see the signs of nervousness and excitement mingling on his now beet-red face.

Qing Shui could feel that the hands of Feng Wuxi were smooth and silky to the touch. Blood rushed to his head as he stole a glance at Feng Wuxi, it appeared that she was just nonchalantly leading the way.

“Urghh, She only treats me as a child!”

Qing Shui clicked his tongue being slightly annoyed, and enlarged his nostrils to breathe in the fragrance emitted by Feng Wuxi, as his heart thumped faster. Such a rare specimen of a mature woman, I wonder who she sleeps with at night.

Qing Shui felt that he was extremely evil, his mind was filled with scenes of the “Artistic Films” he watched back in his previous life. He was fantasizing about him doing it with Feng Wuxi, being the stars of the videos, trying out all the positions…

Only after they had entered the living room, did Qing Shui awaken from his fantasies.

“What a sin!” Qing Shui was caught between a rock and a hard place and was silently berating himself for his earlier thoughts.

“I’m here to discuss the matters between my clan’s Yue Ru [1] and your Qing Zi. The two of them are quite compatible with each other, so I wish to arrange a marriage between them, what do you think?”

Qing Shui knew that Yue Ru was the one who fought with Qing Zi during the annual competition. He rubbed his nose as he thought “To think that they would be married soon after today.”

[1] previously her name in the earlier annual competition was Feng Yan`fei, I think the author forgotten lol. Well whatever, her name is Feng Yue Ru now.