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墨書 Inktalez
What would happen if you hung a coin from a branch and stared intently at the hole in it?
Of course, it would be incredibly boring.
In "Liezi," there is a story called "Ji Chang Learns Archery," which is included in middle school textbooks. It tells of Ji Chang learning archery from Fei Wei, who had him hang a hair from a louse and stare at it. After three years, in Ji Chang's eyes, the louse appeared as large as a wheel. Having practiced this way, he could shoot an arrow straight through the louse's heart while the hair remained intact! (Sigh, who are we kidding… the arrowhead alone would be a hundred times larger than the louse…)
I know this is impossible because I have practiced shooting. If you focus on the target, you'll find that it doesn't actually get bigger; at most, your concentration and sense of aim will improve. Of course, I'm just a student and don't have many opportunities to practice shooting, but everything is interconnected. Even my limited practice has made me look like a martial arts prodigy.
I have been lying down, sitting up, and reclining while staring at the coin hanging from the hair for three months. Now, I can finally try to stab the hole in the center of that coin with my sword tip.
In my hand is a short sword about one foot long, named "Cai You." It's incredibly sharp; the first time I held it, it cut my finger and made me cry out in pain. However, my master Nie Qiuyuan told me that when a treasured sword meets its owner for the first time and draws a bit of their blood, it's not a bad omen. This belief sounds quite superstitious.
Nie Qiuyuan chose a slender short sword for me instead of the three-foot-long blade favored by Korean consorts because he believed I was agile, quick-witted, observant, and adept at finding an enemy's weak points. Someone like me is more suited for stealth attacks; the shorter the weapon, the quicker the strike and the greater the element of surprise.
So, with agility, I took a bow stance, formed a sword gesture with my left hand, and swiftly raised my right wrist to stab at the center of the coin three times in quick succession. With three ringing sounds of "ding ding," all three stabs hit the hole in the center of the coin. The branch holding the coin trembled slightly as light pink begonia petals fell around us. The warm breeze intoxicated my senses.
It was already early spring in March; grass was growing and birds were flying. My training over these past three months had begun to show results; my senses had sharpened significantly. Just then, as a gentle breeze brushed against my back, my sixth sense accurately categorized it as "danger." I swiftly twisted my body and slashed upward with my sword, cutting through my assailant's weapon with a soft sound.
The weapon had come down from behind me but broke into two pieces upon hitting my short sword, sending a flurry of red petals flying around us both.
The assailant wore a long black robe with long hair flowing elegantly; he was strikingly handsome. A smile played on his lips as he held half of a crabapple blossom branch—the very weapon he had just used to attack me.
Nie Qiuyuan lightly brushed off some crabapple blossom petals from his robe and praised me: "Very good."
Three months had passed since the incident at Snowfall Villa. I had recuperated for over a month at Bai Qianfan's residence in Chang'an before being escorted back to Yichuan County for further rest. Yichuan County felt like home to me now; I had grown accustomed to it to such an extent that seeing Lin Jiu and Wang Jinzhi felt incredibly familiar and comforting.
As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal from an injury. Only now do I feel that I am almost completely recovered and can finally practice outdoors with real determination.
In fact, many things have happened over the past three months.
First, I obtained the consent of Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun to join Bai Qianfan's White Path detective group, the Jade Balance Bureau. I still don't know who came up with such a peculiar name. "Jade Balance" refers to Beidou V, which is the star at the junction of the spoon handle and the spoon head in the Big Dipper constellation.
Whenever I mention the Jade Balance Bureau, it evokes images of a Taoist temple, making us seem like a group of Taoists. However, I think "Balance" refers to an ancient measuring instrument, so they might have chosen this word to imply that our group's purpose is to uphold justice and peace.
When Nie Qiuyuan and Luo Dachun heard about this, they showed no signs of surprise. They had clearly already recognized my exceptional investigative skills. I truly admire their acting; they managed to appear completely unaware.
As for where my investigative skills came from, Luo Dachun later asked me once, but I brushed it off with a simple "I don't know." They actually believed me, which is quite unbelievable.
However, the Jade Balance Bureau is an unequivocal underground organization. Although it was commissioned by the emperor for establishment, it has no official status whatsoever. Currently, only its members are aware of its existence.
In addition to the three of us, Han Meilan and Lin Jiu have also joined this organization. It seems our collaboration will continue.
Over these three months, I have revealed my true nature as anything but a traditional virtuous woman. Yet strangely enough, Nie Qiuyuan has not distanced himself from me because of this; on the contrary, he has become even friendlier.
So friendly that it makes me a bit uneasy.
Uneasy about what? Wasn't I here for him? But… sigh, my thoughts are all jumbled up; I don’t want to dwell on these feelings anymore.
If it weren't for some strange occurrences, this life could truly be considered leisurely, warm, and comfortable.
However, during this time, I had been hiding something from them: some inexplicable changes were slowly occurring within me.
I had been learning the internal cultivation methods from Nie Qiuyuan for over two months. At first, it was just some simple breathing techniques, but later I began to try circulating my energy. I learned quite quickly and could clearly feel that these practices were greatly benefiting my body. However, ever since I started practicing internal energy, I began to notice some strange things.
Every time I practiced breathing and circulating my energy, I felt a reaction in my body, as if there was some instinctive resistance. After practicing for a while, I discovered that several acupoints on my body, such as the Shanzhong and Qihai, were painfully sensitive. Later, Nie Qiuyuan checked my pulse and was surprised to find that I showed signs of going astray in my practice.
He used his own internal energy to clear the blockages in my meridians. His internal energy was so hot that it nearly burned me alive. After the meridians were cleared, I felt refreshed; however, after practicing for a while again, the same situation occurred.
"Are you really following the instructions to practice?" Night Phantom once sealed my acupoints in time one night to prevent me from going berserk.
I was absolutely following the Mind Method taught by Nie Qiuyuan; my comprehension was exceptional—how could I be mistaken? However, Night Phantom often came to accompany me at night, which made me feel very reassured. Ever since I started cultivating, the frequency of my nightmares had noticeably increased.
The protagonist of these nightmares was always the same: Ye Liuhui.
Yes, she was the original owner of this body. With her hair disheveled and a sorrowful expression, she looked at me from a very dark place, mumbling a vague phrase: "I only have this one wish..."
Oh my god, it felt like a horror movie; every time I woke up drenched in sweat. If you suddenly sit up in shock and find someone you trust beside you, your heart would instantly settle back down.
I hadn’t told them that I suspected the strange occurrences in my body might be due to this original owner quietly causing trouble.
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