Chapter 56
But at this moment, upon suddenly hearing Zhong Ling’s words, Mu Wanqing was struck with the realization that the man and the Miss Cheng before her were actually husband and wife!
How could this be!?
If this had been in the past, given Mu Wanqing’s extremely simple outlook on life, and her way of handling matters with a kill-first style, there would have been no need to think too much.
Either she would kill the man who had seen her face—a vile man, who already has a wife and still dares to provoke me!?
Or she would kill his wife—without a wife, naturally he could then marry her!
But now, at this very moment, that man was her lifesaver, and this Miss Cheng was also her lifesaver.
How could she even speak of killing?
Even so, she was one who clung stubbornly to rules. In Mu Wanqing’s mind, everything froze as if her thoughts had crashed like a machine, falling into a deep bug, her logic utterly tangled.
What should I do?
Cheng Lingsu, noticing Mu Wanqing’s strange expression, knew something was amiss. Yet no matter how clever she might be, she could never guess at the venomous oath Mu Wanqing had once sworn.
Her expression calm, her manner unruffled, Cheng Lingsu said evenly:
“His surname is Fang, with the single given name Han. He is indeed my husband. Miss Mu, is there some matter you wish to ask?”
As she spoke, her hands did not stop, carefully finishing the binding.
Mu Wanqing looked at her in a daze, silently repeating in her heart the two words “Fang Han,” but spoke no more.
Zhong Ling, smiling all the while, suddenly felt something was wrong. She blinked secretly to herself.
What is this… what’s going on?
Cheng Lingsu waited quietly for a while, but hearing no response, glanced carefully at Mu Wanqing, who seemed lost in thought, her spirit absent, faintly like one bereft of her soul.
Cheng Lingsu’s heart stirred slightly—she vaguely guessed at a little, though she was not certain.
Seeming not to mind, she gave instructions about the medicine schedule, then gathered her things and left the room.
Left behind were only Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing.
At this time, Zhong Ling was the most bewildered of all—she completely did not understand the situation, racking her brains to no avail.
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Seated cross-legged within his room, Fang Han meditated with eyes closed, his complexion ruddy. Around him, faint wisps of white mist rose unceasingly!
Even the currents of air around him seemed to have become faintly stagnant.
If someone from the martial world had seen this scene, they would surely have been shocked by the depth of his internal force!
Regulating his breath, returning qi to its source, he slowly drew back his power.
Heat suffused him, warm currents flowing throughout his whole body.
Although he had not slept for two or three days, having thoroughly refined the internal energy he had absorbed, his Beiming Zhenqi surged greatly in strength!
He felt not the least bit weary—instead, his spirit was radiant, his whole being refreshed!
The measure of his internal force, compared to when he had just left Wuliang Mountain’s Langhuan Blessed Land, was now more than five times greater!
It must be known, when he had just come down the mountain, Fang Han’s internal power had been gained after first achieving success in practicing Beiming Shengong. Then, after spending three full years painstakingly cultivating, and finally consuming the Zhuha Elixir, his internal force had increased severalfold.
At that time, he had already believed his internal power to be a considerable accomplishment.
But now, in just a few short days after leaving the mountain, it had surged more than fivefold again!
And this was after the stage where consuming the Zhuha Elixir had already multiplied his power several times.
Such a rate of growth in internal strength—was utterly terrifying!
By normal standards, even if he had spent seventy or eighty years, he might not necessarily have been able to cultivate to such a level on his own.
The overbearing nature of Beiming Shengong could be seen at a glance!
The title of “Divine Skill” was truly no false name!
Fang Han could not help but marvel, his emotions complicated and difficult to describe.
How lamentable—during his first round of simulation, he had run east and west, never obtaining any exquisite internal skills. The “Health-Nurturing Skill” he had spent half a lifetime developing only had the effect of regulating blood and qi circulation.
Even after practicing day and night, before dying of old age, he had barely cultivated a trace of internal power.
Yet now, with this divine skill achieved, in merely two or three days, he possessed an incomparably abundant internal force!
It was a realm ordinary men could hardly touch in an entire lifetime!
Comparing the two, Fang Han inevitably felt both sighs and lament rise within him!
To have set Wuliang Mountain’s Langhuan Blessed Land as his first goal, and to use Beiming Shengong as his foundation, was indeed the correct choice!
Had it been another divine skill or supreme art, even if he had successfully obtained it, cultivating to this current abundance of power would have required endless painstaking years—decades at the very least.
But in practicing Beiming Shengong, he could effortlessly absorb the internal strength of others, saving countless years and effort.
Sensing the surging, unending power within him, Fang Han casually thrust out a palm, and even that carried a faint force as though rending the air.
A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and joy filled his heart.
However…
Lowering his gaze to his palm, Fang Han pondered for a long moment.
His present level of internal force, though lacking a point of direct comparison, must surely be among the rarest under heaven.
But while his inner strength was sufficient, his external skills were lacking.
For in martial arts, strong internal power alone does not make one truly formidable!
He compared himself to another character whose martial situation was most similar.
Duan Yu, after absorbing the internal force of many masters, was said in the book to have an internal strength so profound as to “shock the ages.”
Yet even though he possessed such unfathomable power, he was continually defeated—repeatedly subdued with ease by others whose internal strength was far inferior to his.
Why?
First, because he disliked learning martial arts.
Even when he obtained divine skills and supreme arts, though suddenly endowed with unmatched internal strength, he would not know how to wield it!
It was like owning a mountain of treasures but being unable to use it!
Second, his disposition was soft, disliking conflict.
When others attacked, his first thought was not to resist, but to flee. Before battle even began, he had already lost in momentum, and thus met with defeat.
With such a temperament, unless driven to the utmost brink, or provoked into a furious loss of control, he would only ever display a fraction of his ability.
Third, his willpower was weak.
All who practiced martial arts must train through harsh winters and sweltering summers!
It was the accumulation of years—not only strengthening the body, refining skills, but also tempering the will.
Duan Yu, born into the King of Zhen’nan’s princely mansion in Dali, raised in luxury, moreover disliking martial practice—how could he have endured such hardship?
Thus, even if his internal strength was high, once actually fighting, a bit of pain or injury would make him lose heart, fleeing in disarray, utterly defeated!
Finally, there was external martial technique and qinggong movement skills.
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