IDWBE -Chapter 243 The Star-Absorbing Technique

Lin Yi said, “No need to rush. The Crown Prince is a fool—I’m not afraid of him. But Qi Yong and my aunt aren’t fools. Each of them is sharper than a monkey. They’ll definitely have counter-moves. We just need to wait patiently. Sooner or later, the clouds will part, and we’ll see the moonlight clearly.”

At this moment, he felt even calmer.

He already controlled Sanhe, Hongzhou, Nanzhou, Jingzhou, and Yuezhou. There wasn’t a flood of wealth, but he had people and power—he wasn’t inferior to anyone. There was truly nothing to worry about!

The weather grew colder.

The monk still wore only a thin robe and carried iron buckets up and down the mountain every day.

Plop! The two buckets filled at the mountain stream, and lunchtime came. He took out some flatbreads from his robes and ate them while drinking from the stream.

Xie Xiaoqing jumped down from a branch of a red maple, smiling. “Monk, don’t you ever get tired of eating this every day? Why don’t we go to Jinfu Restaurant for a proper meal? My treat!”

The monk continued eating his own food, ignoring her.

Her daily presence truly vexed him. Gossip was already spreading in the temple. He was a monk—he must not break his precepts.

“Monk,” Xie Xiaoqing twirled once on the ground, lifting her skirt, smiling brightly. “Do you think this outfit looks good? I just bought it and came to show you. Say something!”

“Amitabha.”

The monk tucked his flatbreads back into his robe, hoisted the buckets, and walked off.

Xie Xiaoqing followed slowly, hands behind her back.

The blind man, holding a bamboo staff, stood atop a mountain, speaking to the little tiger below. “My divinations are getting more accurate. He really has fallen into peach blossom luck.”

The little tiger barked twice, as if it truly understood.

“The superintendent told me to learn the Star-Absorbing Technique. I only heard the incantation, and my heart trembled,” the blind man continued. “I’m not a great Taoist, but such a Heaven-violating technique—I refuse to learn it. Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”

The little tiger howled to the sky, then pounced at a bird darting from the woods.

The bird flew straight toward the cliff. The tiger missed and nearly fell, but a bamboo staff suddenly embedded in the rock stopped it. Terrified, it scrambled back up to the summit.

It howled twice more at the cliff below.

The blind man spread his fingers, and the bamboo staff returned to his hand. He kicked the tiger gently and laughed, “You’re getting naughtier—save me some worry. If you fall, you’d really die. And then I wouldn’t get any dog meat.”

The little tiger yipped, nuzzling his legs, seemingly acting cute.

Hearing footsteps behind him, the blind man turned. “Ye Qiu.”

“Ah, your hearing gets sharper every day,”

Ye Qiu sighed. “Before you, I always feel like I’m as naked as a newborn. It makes me feel blind.”

The blind man said calmly, “You’re ready. It’s time to enter seclusion.”

“The superintendent also told me to go into seclusion.”

Ye Qiu was pleased—finally, someone besides Hong Ying recognized the progress in his cultivation.

The blind man said, “Either live or die.”

Ye Qiu frowned. “Please, Master, explain.”

The blind man said, “Didn’t the superintendent tell you? Once Huiyuan Gong is fully mastered, it is both the path to life and the path to death.”

Ye Qiu still smiled. “This superintendent never told me that.”

The blind man said, “Otherwise, do you think there have ever been only a few Grandmasters in history?”

Ye Qiu proudly said, “I, Ye Qiu, have lived a wandering life. My ancestors’ inheritance is a dream. My heart belongs only to martial arts. If I do not enter the Way, I will become a demon. Life does not last a hundred years—what of a hundred years? Heroes of old have all returned to the mountains and rivers. I fear neither life nor death!”

The blind man smiled. “A steady heart perceives the Dao, tolerates others’ faults, corrects one’s own deviations. In essence, there is no self or other. Leisurely, one recognizes one’s roots. But illusions confuse and bind. Forever sinking in the sea of troubles, the Great Dao is hard to attain.”

Ye Qiu suddenly opened his eyes, bowed, and cupped his hands. “Thank you, Master, for your guidance! I understand now.”

“What do you understand?”

The blind man asked.

Ye Qiu said, “The wondrous Dao is maintained in steadfastness. From emptiness it arises, condenses into form. Amid countless calamities, the dense clouds finally clear.”

“Looks like you truly comprehend it,” the blind man nodded. “Why have you come to me?”

Ye Qiu said, “Lord Shan said too many people have come to Baiyun City recently. If some don’t leave, it will be unnecessary to stay.”

The blind man said, “Keep the people in Chunshan City; the rest are yours to handle.”

Ye Qiu said, “People have also come to Tuigu Temple.”

The blind man said, “I don’t know what Tuigu Temple is. It has nothing to do with me.”

Ye Qiu said, “Tuigu Temple is on Tuigu Mountain of the Southern Valley God Mountain. The barbarian king of the south came from there. It’s a royal temple, full of experts—not to be underestimated.”

The blind man said, “Those who should be killed—kill them. Leaving them only causes trouble.”

“I understand.”

Ye Qiu floated down the mountain.

On the night of the New Year’s Eve, Baiyun City blazed with fireworks.

In the square, actors, storytellers, and monkey performers took turns performing. Cheers rang out in waves all night.

Lin Yi did not push into the crowd. He watched from afar, marveling that Baiyun City finally had some of Ankang City’s prosperity.

As Hong Ying said, the girls in Jingzhou playing the big drum were exceptional, distracting his thoughts.

As an old artist, he wanted to check on their well-being—were they tired, thirsty, or in need of rest? After all, they were his people! How could he not care?

Unfortunately, his old-life shame, cultivated through higher education, overruled everything.

The night passed uneventfully.

He even played Go with Mingyue and Zixia the whole night. At dawn, still unable to sleep, he updated a chapter of Arrogant War God’s extra story.

The extra mainly discussed what a war of attrition was and how to destroy the enemy’s living forces.

When Shan Qi finally held the manuscript, he exclaimed Lin Yi was wise!

By the third day of the lunar year, spring plowing hadn’t begun.

Yet, the people of Sanhe began turning the soil on the mountains, planting sweet potatoes and potatoes.

Would they survive?

No one knew.

They had no experience storing sweet potatoes. Left in the house, they sprouted or grew mold. Wasteful.

So they planted them, thinking they could transplant sprouts later.

A-Dai was getting married.

When Lin Yi heard this, he spat out his tea.

“Whose girl?” he asked hurriedly.

Ma Gui said, “My lord, she’s the younger sister of Tian Sixi’s concubine. His father-in-law, always scheming, saw that A-Dai was your man and urged Tian Sixi to act as matchmaker. A-Dai agreed without thinking. He even gave the monthly stipend to the old man.”

“Taking advantage is fine by me,” Lin Yi laughed. “The key is, how is the girl? Don’t let A-Dai be played.”

Ma Gui said, “I went to see her. She’s excellent, skilled at home and outside. Marrying her will be A-Dai’s luck. But that old man isn’t reliable—drinking, gambling, whoring. I worry A-Dai can’t handle him, which could bring trouble.”

Lin Yi said, “Can’t you find a way?”

Ma Gui hurriedly said, “My lord, don’t worry. If that old man acts out, I’ll send him to labor reform so he can experience hardship firsthand.”

“That’s better,” Lin Yi said. “I recall Tian Sixi is Ye Qiu’s disciple, right?”

“Exactly,” Ma Gui placed the teacup in Lin Yi’s hand. “He worked well in the Customs Office but was caught embezzling by Han Deqing. Out of respect for Ye Qiu, he wasn’t killed, just whipped twenty times and expelled. Unexpectedly, he had some skill. He gathered a group of craftsmen for bridge, road, and building work. He earns gold daily—no one in Sanhe surpasses him. I’ve been thinking—it’s only a matter of time before he suffers some setbacks.”

Lin Yi said, “In every trade, there are masters. As long as he follows the law and pays taxes, there’s no need to trouble him.”

“Yes,” Ma Gui quickly collected himself. “Understood.”

“Where is Ye Qiu?”

Lin Yi asked.

Ma Gui said, “The superintendent had him enter seclusion. I think he might break through to Grandmaster in one go.”

Lin Yi snorted. “Hong Ying, the Blind Man, Ye Qiu, and Wen Zhaoyi—four Grandmasters. Probably still can’t handle a single Jingyi. If we can’t win by wisdom, we’ll win by numbers. Oh, right, that old Bian Jing—he’s been hiding from me recently. What’s going on?”

Ma Gui laughed. “Since last year, Bian Jing has been working with those foreign people making cannons, testing them monthly. A few days ago, someone even died. I guess he’s too embarrassed to see you.”

Lin Yi sighed and said no more.

The sun was mild.

Xie Zan sat on a millstone in the Commander’s courtyard, holding a bowl of sweet potato porridge, kicking two dogs that came near. “By now, Du Sanhe’s big ship should be back soon, right?”

Xing Keshou nodded. “Soon. If it doesn’t come, Sanhe’s food supply won’t last.”

Shan Qi, squatting on a nearby stone, said, “Du Sanhe doesn’t dare oppose my lord now.”

Then he looked at Xie Zan. “Lord Xie, have you asked Pan Duo to search for your family in Baocheng of Yuzhou? Any news?”

Xie Zan said, “My old wife is still missing. I have no idea where she is.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks.

Wang Qingbang quickly said, “Lord Xie, there’s no need to grieve so.”

Everyone sighed deeply.

Who hasn’t suffered family losses?

Chen Desheng said, “I’m just waiting for my lord to enter Ankang City, capture He Jin, and let You Mazi flay him. Then I’ll eat his flesh.”

He Jixiang grimly laughed, “You think I don’t want that too?”

For a moment, a dark cloud of grief seemed to hang over them.