IDWBE -Chapter 518 Transmitting the Technique

Du Yinniang really wasn’t a good person!

Was she teaching someone, or sending them to their death?

Ye Qiu was a Grandmaster. If Luo Qi ever encountered him, she probably wouldn’t even know how the word death was written before dying.

Lin Yi waved his hand from the side.

“Alright, it was a joke. Don’t take it seriously.”

He knew about the grudge between Du Yinniang and Ye Qiu, but he hadn’t expected she still remembered it so vividly.

Back then, Ye Qiu’s sword heart had been unstable, and he wanted to kill Du Yinniang to sacrifice to his sword.

For Du Yinniang, that was an enormous humiliation.

If he had kidnapped her to make her his wife, that would have been one thing—but killing her? What kind of logic was that?

Was she not beautiful enough? Or not charming enough?

In any case, Ye Qiu’s way of thinking was not something ordinary people could understand.

Then again, ordinary people couldn’t become Grandmasters either.

Luo Qi smiled awkwardly.

“Sir… I don’t quite understand what you meant.”

Lin Yi laughed. “If you ever hear the name Ye Qiu in the future, just run. If you really can’t outrun him, just report my name. If he dares trouble you, that means he doesn’t give me face. And the consequences of that are serious.”

“May I ask your name, sir?” Luo Qi asked carefully.

She was sure she had met someone extraordinary.

Lin Yi said proudly, “I am Long Aotian of the Great Liang!”

A truly overpowered protagonist.

The undefeated war god who couldn’t tolerate his daughter sleeping in a doghouse.

Perfect in intelligence, learning ability, appearance, dueling, large-scale battles, and the number of women in his harem.

A character Lin Yi both admired and could never imitate.

Pan Duo and the others saw his serious expression and struggled to suppress their laughter.

They were among the few people who had read Prince He’s novels.

Whether Long Aotian, Zhao Ritian, or Ye Liangchen, all were heroic characters who fought dragons, conquered the heavens, and traveled the seas.

Putting that name onto Prince He himself was simply too funny.

Their Prince He was hesitant and mediocre in both literature and martial arts.

He couldn’t compare at all.

But they could only complain silently in their hearts. No one dared say it aloud.

“Long Aotian…”

Luo Qi repeated the name quietly.

“What an extraordinary name. Just hearing it inspires admiration.”

She had no doubt about Lin Yi’s words.

Anyone who had experts like Pan Duo and Song Cheng as guards definitely wasn’t ordinary.

Lin Yi said proudly, “This name radiates dominance. Anyone who hears my name should respect it. If my name doesn’t work, that just means they’ve never heard of me. And if they’ve never heard of me, saying it wouldn’t help anyway.”

Du Yinniang felt that sometimes Prince He behaved like a child when he got talkative.

She smiled and said, “Luo Qi, why aren’t you kneeling to thank Young Master Long for his protection? Though Young Master Long is too modest—who in Liang doesn’t know his name?”

“Thank you for your protection, Young Master!”

Luo Qi knelt immediately.

She wasn’t stupid.

Her master was clearly teaching her how to cling to a powerful patron.

If she couldn’t understand that, she might as well smash her head against tofu.

Lin Yi rolled his eyes at Du Yinniang.

“Well, it’s nothing really. Just train hard. Once you graduate from your studies, you’ll have your own future.”

“Thank you, Young Master!”

This time Luo Qi didn’t need to be prompted. She bowed deeply again.

After the banquet ended and the guests were arranged in rooms, Luo Qi stayed by Du Yinniang’s side to serve her.

Du Yinniang sat in a chair, sipping tea. After a moment, she looked at her newly accepted disciple standing respectfully nearby.

“You have become my disciple, so naturally I will teach you everything I know.”

Luo Qi said excitedly, “Thank you, Master.”

Though she acted mature, she was still a young girl. Her emotions easily showed on her face.

Now that her master promised to teach her sincerely, she was naturally delighted.

Her family was a prominent household locally.

Her father had been a respected rural gentry.

But their reputation only existed in Tangjia River Town.

In Phoenix City, people still treated them like country bumpkins.

When she was three years old, her father spent a great deal of money to hire a martial arts instructor.

The instructor was arrogant and never respected their family.

Even though they realized they had been cheated, they couldn’t do anything.

They didn’t dare scold him or drive him away.

The young Luo Qi tried hard to please him but only learned a common long-fist routine.

When she was nine, her father died.

The instructor became even more arrogant and stopped teaching her altogether.

Fortunately, she practiced day and night.

At twelve years old, she punched the instructor so hard that he flew into a wall.

Only then did he leave in anger.

Because of this experience, she deeply understood the importance of finding a good master.

Now the opportunity was right in front of her.

She couldn’t miss it.

Otherwise she would regret it forever.

Du Yinniang continued, “However, there are some things I must tell you clearly first. Think carefully whether you truly want to learn my martial arts.”

Luo Qi said firmly, “Whether you say it or not, you are already my master.”

As long as she could learn deeper martial arts, even an evil sect wouldn’t matter.

Du Yinniang smiled. “My father was a lay disciple of King Kong Terrace. By the time he was twenty, his body-hardening techniques made him immune to swords and spears. Later he joined the army and switched to using a sword. At thirty, he comprehended sword intent. His sword defeated nearly every opponent in Liang.”

“Grandmaster is mighty!” Luo Qi exclaimed excitedly.

She hadn’t expected her sect to be so powerful.

And it was connected to King Kong Terrace, the martial arts holy land of Liang.

Everyone knew its reputation.

Du Yinniang glanced at her.

“You have two choices. First, you can learn King Kong Terrace techniques. But my father was never officially recognized by them, so he only taught me some defensive body-hardening skills. I can only teach you the basics, and you likely won’t reach mastery. Second, you can learn my father’s Gale Sword Technique. With your talent, if you train hard, you might surpass me.”

As for the Huiyuan Technique, widely spread in Sanhe and Ankang City, the version circulating among common people was incomplete.

For ordinary people it was valuable.

But for them it was like tasteless chicken ribs—neither useful nor worth discarding.

Her father once knelt before Hong Ying for three days seeking instruction.

Though he returned empty-handed, he eventually found his own path.

He became the only Grandmaster of the seas.

Later, islanders secretly copied his style and created their own “One-Sword Style,” worshipping his memorial tablet.

“Please teach me the sword technique!”

Luo Qi knelt immediately.

If she was going to learn, she wanted the strongest method.

Du Yinniang said, “Don’t be so happy yet. My father was once an official, but he was framed by court traitors and became an outlaw, fleeing overseas to become a pirate. Although the court has since cleared his name, he still has many enemies. If you learn his sword technique, they will recognize it. And when enemies meet, their hatred will be intense. You may face endless trouble—even lose your life.”

Luo Qi said loudly, “Since I have entered this sect, our fortunes are shared. My grandmaster’s enemies are my enemies. When my martial arts are perfected, I will make those villains pay.”

Du Yinniang laughed in surprise.

“I underestimated you.”

Prince He had thought Luo Qi was just a naïve little girl.

In reality, she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Luo Qi still knelt with her head lowered.

“I only seek the martial path. Please accept me.”

Du Yinniang smiled.

“Alright, get up. I chose the right disciple. Your personality suits this sword technique.”

Her own father had once said she lacked the fearless, unstoppable spirit required for it.

Her strength was mostly superficial.

“Thank you, Master.”

Tears streamed from Luo Qi’s eyes.

“Stop crying,” Du Yinniang said gently. “You and I are both unfortunate children. Neither of us had a mother. But you’re luckier—you at least remember your mother’s face. I never even saw mine. The only thing I have better is that my father is still alive. We are only staying here one night. Whether we remain tomorrow depends on the young master. So tonight I will teach you the core formula of our sword technique. How much you learn depends on your destiny.”

She began reciting while writing on paper.

“Breath flows endlessly, yet cannot bind the law.”

“One person equals a hundred; a hundred equals ten thousand.”

“When body and spirit separate, fear is meaningless.”

Luo Qi stared intently, memorizing every word.

After writing the hundred-character formula, Du Yinniang asked,

“Do you remember it?”

Luo Qi closed her eyes, recalled everything, and nodded firmly.

“I remember it.”

“Good. This is our sect’s secret technique. If you reveal it, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth.”

Before Luo Qi could answer—

Clang!

Du Yinniang drew her sword.

With a flash, the paper she had written on shattered into pieces.

Before Luo Qi’s eyes appeared only a blur of sword shadows.

“Watch carefully. I will demonstrate it only once.”

Luo Qi widened her eyes.

Du Yinniang spoke as she moved.

“The sword moves straight and direct. Fancy tricks are meaningless.”

“Stepping patterns and wandering movements are distractions.”

“One sword decides life and death.”

“One sword returns everything to the void.”

Watching the sword while hearing these teachings, Luo Qi felt her entire understanding of martial arts collapse and rebuild.

Across the courtyard, Lin Yi stood by the window watching the two figures practicing.

“These two women seem to get along quite well.”

Song Cheng said, “Du Sanhe’s sword technique has already reached mastery. Unfortunately Miss Du lacked the talent to fully inherit it.”

Lin Yi asked, “And what about your martial arts now?”

Song Cheng was the son of Lin Yi’s wet nurse.

Lin Yi treated him like a real brother—even closer than his own royal siblings.

Song Cheng said awkwardly, “I’m ninth rank now. The Chief said I’ll likely never improve further.”

Seeing his disappointment, Lin Yi comforted him.

“Hong Ying is just a man, not a god. Hard work still matters. Fate belongs to us, not heaven. The more he looks down on you, the more you should prove him wrong.”

Song Cheng trembled and said loudly, “Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness.”

“Stop being so formal,” Lin Yi said.

Then he suddenly asked, “I heard our old lady came back?”

Song Cheng replied, “Thanks to Your Highness, she’s healthy. But the older she gets, the more she misses home. After Jizhou stabilized, I had no choice but to send her back to Xing City. She spends her days drinking tea and watching opera with old friends.”

“Your wife and child went too?” Lin Yi asked.

Song Cheng sighed.

“The old lady insisted.”

Lin Yi laughed.

“That old lady is stubborn. Xing City is in the opposite direction from where we’re going, so I won’t go. Take leave and visit your family. Bring them two boxes of hundred-year ginseng from me.”

Song Cheng was startled. “Your Highness, I’d rather stay and accompany you.”

Lin Yi snorted. “Do you think I’m stupid? The journey has been too smooth. You’ve clearly arranged plenty of hidden guards.”

Song Cheng lowered his head.

“Your Highness is wise.”

Even he didn’t know exactly how many guards there were.

Troops from the Ministry of War, the Imperial Guards, and Prince He’s own estate were all involved.

Even He Jixiang probably didn’t know the full arrangement.

Lin Yi sighed.

“Go home tomorrow morning. Your child is growing—he shouldn’t lack a father’s love.”

He knew this well.

In his previous life, he had no father.

In this life, he had one—but it made little difference.

Fatherly love simply didn’t exist.

Somewhere deep inside he knew it had shaped his personality, though he couldn’t fully explain how.

But he understood one thing clearly:

A father was indispensable in a child’s growth.

“Thank you for Your Highness’s grace.”

“Go sleep.”

Lin Yi waved him away impatiently.

Before dawn, Lin Yi woke up.

The rain had stopped.

A group of children were rolling in the muddy threshing ground.

Lin Yi frowned.

“Don’t they go to school?”

Uncle Kuan explained, “According to Phoenix City’s education policy, our village could build a school. But there aren’t enough teachers. The nearest elementary school is twenty li away in Tangjia River Town. Most families here are poor. If their children study there, they must live and eat in town. They simply can’t afford it.”

Lin Yi asked, “Is there no private academy?”

He had abolished the imperial examination system—but not private schools.

According to Liang law, they were still an important part of the national education system.