Chapter 110: The Master’s Special Lesson

Scarlet Saber Peak had never been a place with many disciples. Enduring Peak Master Shen Lian alone was difficult enough, and she was picky to begin with. The atmosphere there was always bleak.

Every technique taught on the peak revolved around the saber and blood. Bloodlust soaked the place like damp. For those accustomed to it, this was simply part of their daily cultivation. For those who couldn’t bear it, however, the constant exposure could drive them mad, eventually costing them their lives.

Beneath a towering crimson tree, one man swung his saber, training as he did every day.

Whether his mind was truly focused on his technique, or had wandered toward a certain woman, was another matter entirely. Only that the arc of his blade faltered, just slightly, when a figure appeared at the edge of the training ground.

Princess Wei Ruyan.

She greeted him stiffly. He answered with an enthusiasm that wasn’t stiff at all, sheathing his saber before the bloodlust around him could touch her, and quietly drawing it back in.

“I know I shouldn’t ask for more, after all the help I’ve already received from you,” Wei Ruyan began. “But the situation has become rather difficult, and I don’t know who else to turn to.”

Wei Ruyan went on for a long time. She gave too many details: the royal family, the quarrels between the surviving siblings, her own position in the sect, and the tangled aftermath of the war.

Zhou Yucheng listened calmly. He didn’t interrupt once.

At last she reached the real request. “Of the ones who remain, I think my younger brother Chang’an is the most suitable to take the throne. So… could you go and help him settle things? Calm the dispute, and see him crowned?”

His answer was simple. “Understood. I’ll go immediately.”

Wei Ruyan stared at him.

“Really? You’re actually willing to go?”

Zhou Yucheng looked at her as though her surprise were rather strange. “Of course. Leave it to me.”

For a moment, Wei Ruyan didn’t know what to say. Then she let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for a long time, and a relieved smile finally appeared on her face.

“Thank you. I won’t forget this debt.”

Zhou Yucheng merely nodded. He was already preparing to leave, apparently with no intention of delaying the matter.

Seeing this, Wei Ruyan hurriedly added, “Please take care of yourself, too. The cultivation world has been rather chaotic lately, and the demonic beasts have been behaving strangely.”

Another nod. That was all. Wei Ruyan watched him leave with a smile still lingering on her lips, the weight on her chest lighter than it had been in a long time.

—–

Back to Gu Yuan, to a room, where afternoon sunlight slanted through the window, falling across a table. He sat before it, Ji Yan on his lap.

Her weight was warm and comfortable. Her red ponytail rested against his collarbone, and with every small movement a few loose strands tickled his chin. Her nape was just below his eyes, pale and slender, close enough that he could easily lean forward and kiss it.

Gu Yuan tried to keep his attention on the lesson ahead, even as he wondered whether this was how a master was supposed to teach her disciple.

Of course, he had no intention of complaining. It was just that concentrating on talisman crafting with his beautiful wife sitting in his lap was by no means easy.

Before her lay a sheet of special talisman paper, with a small container of specially prepared ink beside it. Faint spiritual energy shimmered across the ink’s surface.

“Sit still,” Ji Yan suddenly said.

“I’m trying.”

She glanced back at him, seemingly amused by his answer, before dipping the brush into the ink. She tapped the excess against the rim of the container, then brought the brush toward the paper. The whole room seemed to hold still with it.

Then she moved her hand.

She wrote a single character. The first stroke fell left, the second right, the two meeting at the top like the roof of a house. A long, level line crossed beneath them. Then came the small, square enclosure at the bottom, completed in a few precise movements: . Hé.

Each line was drawn in a single motion. Yet in every stroke, Gu Yuan felt as if countless strokes were folded inside it, layered so intricately that he couldn’t begin to comprehend them. A heavy, quiet intent pressed outward from the ink.

His attention finally left the woman in his arms and settled completely on the talisman.

What is this? When will I be able to do something like this?

For a brief moment, he felt as though Ji Yan had shown him a realm of mastery thousands of years beyond his reach.

The talisman glowed faintly. A moment later, the light faded, leaving the character looking like ordinary ink on paper.

It was done.

Ji Yan exhaled slowly and turned her head to look at him. “What do you think?”

“Beautiful…” The word escaped Gu Yuan before he could think about his answer.

Yes, beautiful.

Not amazing. Not powerful. Beautiful.

Gu Yuan had never seen calligraphy this beautiful in his life. And to think Ji Yan had written it! That was even more astonishing.

“Do you know what it says?” she asked.

“Hé,” he read aloud. “To join. To unite. To bring things together.”

“Mm.” Her lips curved, just slightly. She said nothing more.

“What does it do?”

“Ask me later.”

Something in the way she said it made him very aware of where her hips were resting. He cleared his throat.

“I’ll keep this talisman,” he said, carefully picking it up.

“I made it for you.”

Her words were simple, but something about the way she said them made Gu Yuan pause. Had her ears turned red? Or was he only imagining it? Gu Yuan felt, strangely, as if butterflies were swimming in his stomach. His hand tightened around her waist, and he lowered his head to kiss her cheek.

Ji Yan accepted her reward with a pleased smile.

“Anyway, this one just shows me what you can do,” he said, and stored the talisman in the Orb of Creation. “I need something simple I can start practicing with.”

“Then start with the Burst Flame Talisman, the Iron Wall Talisman, and the Swift Step Talisman,” Ji Yan said. “One for attack, one for defense, one for movement.”

She swapped the special paper for something more ordinary and changed the ink as well.

“Different talismans require different materials and ink preparations,” she explained as she worked. “You can’t assume that one mixture will work for everything. The paper, ink, and spiritual energy all have to be compatible with the talisman you’re making.”

Gu Yuan watched her carefully, committing each step to memory. He silently activated his Heart of Comprehension, allowing him to absorb as much as possible from her demonstration.

“Fire for Burst Flame. Earth for Iron Wall. Wind for Swift Step…”

Her explanation continued at length; the purpose behind each movement, the points that required care, and a number of finer details. Ji Yan proved to be a clear and patient teacher. She even slowed her brushwork deliberately so he could follow every stroke.

Gu Yuan paid close attention.

Compared with the first character, these three talismans were far easier to grasp. Their patterns were more straightforward, and with enough practice he was already certain he could reproduce them.

By the time she finished demonstrating all three, the sunlight had shifted noticeably across the room. Afternoon was slipping away, though he had barely noticed its passage.

“When you can successfully make each of them nine times out of ten, we can move on to the next set,” Ji Yan said, putting down her brush.

Gu Yuan nodded. “Understood.”

He closed his eyes and began consolidating his insights, mentally retracing the movements he had just witnessed and organizing the information into something he could use during his own practice.

Ji Yan remained quietly on his lap, allowing him to concentrate without interruption.

For a while, everything was peaceful.

Then she began to feel bored.

At first, she merely shifted her position a little. When that failed to attract his attention, she leaned back against him more comfortably. Gu Yuan remained immersed in his thoughts, apparently oblivious to her efforts.

Ji Yan narrowed her eyes.

Was he really going to keep practicing when his beautiful wife was sitting right here?

Eventually, she stopped trying to be patient. She began rubbing her bottom against him, deliberately disturbing his concentration.

Gu Yuan’s breathing paused for a moment.

“How about you continue your practice later? And we do something more fun now?” Ji Yan whispered, turning her head toward him. “I haven’t shown you what the first one means.”

Gu Yuan slowly exhaled. His hands moved around her waist, drawing her closer, and he lowered his head to place a kiss against her nape.

“That’s not a bad idea…”