The next day, a bright sun rose in the sky, and the city of Yun'an, after the rain, returned to its former tranquility.
In the Pei family mansion, the maids were all busy with their respective duties. Zhe Yunli, who got up early, stood by the lotus pond and slowly practiced the health-preserving boxing with her Shiniang. Sanniang, on the other hand, took the maids early in the morning and went to the area near the Pei family to deal with the matter of purchasing a new residence.
At the intersection of Tianshui Bridge Street, a black horse galloped out of the bustling streets and rushed towards Mingyu Building in the east of the city.
Yejingtang was riding on the horse. He was wearing an exquisitely textured black official robe, a belt inlaid with white jade around his waist, a silver crown on his head, and long boots on his feet. He was neatly dressed from head to toe.
The big white bird, Niaoniao, was dragged up early in the morning and hadn't woken up yet. It squatted on Yejingtang's shoulder and dozed off. Different from usual, it had a small black scarf around its neck, embroidered with patterns that shimmered, to show the special status of the "official bird".
The robe was sent by Benben early in the morning. It was the official robe of the Deputy Commander of the Black Yamen. However, the Black Yamen was not within the framework of the Six Ministries, and this official position was considered an official of the Inner Court, a close minister of the Emperor. Roughly speaking, it was equivalent to the rank of the Deputy Supervisor of the East Depot.
Because Niaoniao had also made great contributions, Dongfang Liren specially tailored a small outfit for it. It looked like a scarf, but when tied on Niaoniao, it somehow resembled a small black bellyband.
Although Dongfang Liren was very considerate, Niaoniao didn't appreciate it very much. It was drowsy and squatted on the shoulder, constantly "gugu jiji" along the way. Its meaning was probably - It's so hot, yet you still wrap a piece of cloth around Niaoniao. Are you planning to make lotus-leaf chicken?
Yejingtang understood what Niaoniao meant, but he thought it looked good, so he didn't take the scarf off Niaoniao. All the way, he galloped on the horse and came to the outside of the Black Yamen.
The sun was shining brightly, and the sky was as clear as a wash. On the street outside the Black Yamen, there were craftsmen everywhere, knocking and repairing the battle damage from the previous day.
Yejingtang dismounted in front of the door, and many chief constables of the yamen came over to offer congratulations. They called him "Lord Ye" one after another, and even some familiar chief constables jokingly called Niaoniao "Lord Niao".
Yejingtang was only around twenty years old and had directly been appointed as the second-in-command. If it were someone else, they would definitely be regarded as the Prince of Jing's kept man.
Although it was actually somewhat similar, except for the first four of the Six Fiends in the entire Black Yamen, the others were no match for him in a single fight. The respect of many chief constables was not fake either, and all the flattery almost stunned Niaoniao.
After finally finishing the greetings, Yejingtang came to Mingyu Building behind the Black Yamen.
Dongfang Liren knew that Yejingtang would come over this morning and specially waited for him in the hall of Mingyu Building.
Yejingtang entered with Niaoniao and saw the tall Princess, dressed in a form-fitting python robe, holding his Black Lin Spear and practicing spear techniques in the martial arts field.
Judging from the moves, Dongfang Liren was practicing the spear techniques from Yazhou. Because she was as tall as a man and had long and well-proportioned limbs, holding the long spear didn't look awkward at all. Instead, it added a bit of a special heroic and valiant air.
Looking at the proficiency of the moves, Dongfang Liren's spear momentum, compared with Pei Sanniang, the current successor of the Overlord Spear, couldn't be said to be evenly matched, but at least it was not something to be mentioned.
Yejingtang stood at the door, looking at Benben's focused appearance while brandishing the big spear. His eyes were filled with a complex look, and he only felt that Benben looked better when she was humming a little tune on the city tower yesterday.
"Jiji~"
Niaoniao was too afraid to get close because of the powerful spear moves of the chubby-headed dragon, so it stood on the threshold to greet them.
Dongfang Liren paused the tip of the spear, looked back, and smoothly retracted the spear and stood upright, showing the demeanor of a master:
"You look much more pleasing to the eye in this robe. Come in and practice spear techniques with this king."
Yejingtang naturally didn't refuse. He let Niaoniao go for a stroll in the garden by itself, and then entered the hall of Mingyu Building. He picked up the Minglong Spear, which was as black as jade all over, from the display rack by the wall.
After weighing it slightly, he found that the texture of the Minglong Spear was indeed extremely good. The length of the spear was about the same as Sanniang's Overlord Spear, but it only weighed eight jin. When he shook the spear slightly, he could see that the spear shaft was extremely tough, and the tip of the spear trembled slightly, making a pleasant humming sound:
Weng~~~
Dongfang Liren walked over holding the Black Lin Spear, with a rather proud look in her eyes:
"This spear was painstakingly crafted by several renowned masters at my request. It took four years just to make the spear shaft. It was glued together with silver silk threads obtained from Beiliang. It was dried layer by layer and wrapped more than a hundred layers from the inside out before the spear shaft was finally completed. Just for making this spear, I was chased and scolded by the censors for several years, saying that I was extravagant and wasteful, and causing harm to the people and wasting money..."
Yejingtang could see how extraordinary the craftsmanship of this spear was. The only drawback of the whole spear was its high cost. The manufacturing cost was definitely an astronomical figure. He smiled and said:
"This spear, it feels like the materials used are too solid. It seems like a loss no matter who you fight with. It's more suitable as a ceremonial weapon..."
Dongfang Liren stood with the spear in hand and said boldly: "A weapon is a weapon. Since I lent it to you, you can just use it without worry. If you really leave a few marks on it, in the future, when it's placed here, I can introduce it to others, saying that these marks were left when fighting the Xuanyuan Dynasty and dealing with Duanshengji. It's always better than having it smooth and without any story to tell."
Yejingtang was no longer polite. He held the priceless Minglong Spear and came to the center of the hall, spread his feet apart, and assumed the stance of the "Collapsing Spear and Supporting the Tripod" style:
"Your Highness, how do you want to practice the spear?"
Dongfang Liren held the spear horizontally with both hands at her sides, and her stance was as firm as a rock:
"I'm using the Yazhou Youlong Spear. This spear was created by Chu Hao, the Spear King of Beiya. After the old Spear Master passed away and before Duanshengji took over, Chu Hao once fought with the successor of the Overlord Spear. It is said that his spear skills were not inferior to those of the Overlord Spear. Hmm... Let's skip the one-on-one fight. You can first demonstrate the Overlord Spear and let me have a look."
Yejingtang nodded slightly and shook the spear vigorously with both hands:
Pa——
The spear vibrated violently, making a cracking sound.
Yejingtang's robe swelled, and a sudden gust of wind blew in the hall, instantly fluttering Dongfang Liren's robe.
Huu~
Yejingtang's eyes narrowed slightly. He held the spear with one hand and circled it behind his back until his right hand grasped the end of the spear, and the tip of the spear touched the ground, making a soft "ding~" sound.
In the next instant, Yejingtang let out a loud shout:
"He——"
The sound was like thunder, and his whole body suddenly tensed up.
A move of "Yellow Dragon Lying on the Path" that seemed to shake the mountains and destroy the city was about to rush out from in front of him and strike Dongfang Liren, who was three zhang away.
Dongfang Liren had been holding the spear and observing attentively. When she felt the overwhelming momentum coming towards her, as if he was going to demolish Mingyu Building with one spear, she didn't dare to stand right in front. With a swish, she jumped back and directly landed on the stairs at the edge of the hall.
Ta~
Yejingtang paused his ready-to-strike action and looked at the timid one who had jumped a long way:
"Your Highness?"
Dongfang Liren put one hand behind her back and still maintained the demeanor of a master. She said unhappily:
"I asked you to demonstrate. Why are you shouting so loudly? Forget it. You can directly teach me the moves, and I'll figure it out myself."
Yejingtang didn't laugh at the timid one. He began to slowly practice with the spear and teach the spear moves of the Overlord Spear.
Dongfang Liren actually had a good talent for martial arts, just that she was not on the same level as the top geniuses in the martial arts world. Standing by and observing, she remembered the moves after just one demonstration.
After Yejingtang finished teaching, he stood by and observed like an old master.
Dongfang Liren didn't think much of it at first, but after practicing for half an hour and still not figuring out the way to channel her inner energy, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the cold young master beside her, with one hand behind his back, his eyes looking complicated, and he was also subtly shaking his head.
When she saw him looking over, Yejingtang quickly put on a smiling and approving expression.
(⊙⊙)
?!
Dongfang Liren felt insulted. If she could fight him, she would definitely hit Yejingtang a few times with the spear. Her face darkened slightly:
"If you have nothing to do, go to the dungeon and interrogate the prisoners. I can practice by myself."
Yejingtang didn't mean to look down on Benben. He just thought it was a bit hard to watch.
Since he was teaching the spear techniques, he had to teach them thoroughly. After a little consideration, Yejingtang came behind Dongfang Liren, who was wearing a silver python dress, held her hands, hooked his foot around Dongfang Liren's ankle, and slowly slid to the side:
"The Overlord Spear has broad and sweeping moves. You need to take a wider stance and stick out your chest."
"?"
Dongfang Liren almost leaned against Yejingtang's arms. The man's breath came from beside her ear, and her face immediately turned a little red. However, she still followed the master's instruction, stuck out her chubby-headed dragon, and stood firmly with the spear across.
Yejingtang's right hand slid along her shoulder, feeling the situation of the muscle exertion. He touched from under her ribs to her waist side until it stuck to her flat abdomen:
"Draw in your waist and tighten it."
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes, tightened her waist and abdomen, maintained the posture of a dignified and noble Princess, and said seriously:
"Yejingtang, you... you should pay attention."
Yejingtang had a serious expression. He squeezed along Benben's arm to correct the places where the force was applied wrongly:
"Learning martial arts is not a child's play. Although Your Highness may not need to use it, you can't be careless. When I was learning martial arts, if I stood in a wrong posture, my adoptive father would directly hit me with a stick. Even if I stood correctly, he would still hit me. Only when I could stand so steadily that my legs and feet didn't even shake when a stick came down would I be considered qualified.
"I have such good talent, and I was beaten from the age of three to eighteen. After practicing for fifteen years, I have the current accumulation and breakthrough. Your Highness, if you practice like this, you won't be able to master real martial arts..."
The man's gentle voice blew beside her ear, and his two hands were pressing and squeezing on her body. Dongfang Liren knew that he was correcting her posture, but it was Yejingtang doing the correction...
It seemed that there was nothing to resist...
After adapting for a while, Dongfang Liren slowly suppressed the distracting thoughts in her heart and looked ahead with sharp eyes:
"This king understands the reason. Since you are teaching martial arts, you can be more relaxed. Correct me when you need to. There's no need to be拘束 because of this king's status."
Yejingtang looked at Dongfang Liren's profile:
"Your Highness is sure?"
"As long as your behavior is reasonable, when have I ever made things difficult for you?"
Dongfang Liren tried hard to assume the stance:
"Teach me well if you're going to teach."
Yejingtang was indeed a bit hesitant and reminded:
"Strength starts from the ground, first goes to the legs, then to the waist and hips, then to the chest and abdomen, and then to the arms. It should form a straight line. None of Your Highness's force application is correct. If I want to figure out the situation, I'll probably have to squeeze all the way..."
"?"
Dongfang Liren understood what Yejingtang meant. After a little consideration, she put on an earnest look of eagerness to learn:
"You... as long as you're not having improper thoughts and teach this king the spear techniques seriously, how could this king blame you? Squeeze where you need to."
Seeing this, Yejingtang passed his right hand under her ribs and placed it under the chubby-headed dragon on the right side, carefully feeling the muscle exertion in her chest.
"..."
Dongfang Liren felt that she was probably being supported. It was a bit short of being touched directly, but it wasn't that she wasn't touched at all. She could sense Yejingtang's restraint, trying his best not to make her feel embarrassed. She pursed her lips and put on a serious expression:
"You're not even putting your hand on the place where the force is exerted. How can you feel anything?"
Yejingtang blinked his eyes. Hearing what Benben said, he no longer held back. He kneaded the chubby-headed dragon upwards a bit and carefully felt the muscle exertion.
Dongfang Liren's eyelashes trembled, and she quickly stood up straight, her face blushing, and remained silent.
"Stick out your chest and raise your head. Don't hunch. Your Highness is standing even worse than before." Yejingtang calmly reminded.
Dongfang Liren gritted her teeth secretly, assumed the spear stance, and tried hard to adjust the way of exerting force. The tip of the Black Lin Spear in her hand trembled slightly in the air and then she gripped it firmly.
After persisting for a long time and finding that Yejingtang was still pressing there, Dongfang Liren frowned and asked:
"Why are you always pressing here? You only squeezed the other places once."
Yejingtang didn't mean to take advantage. He softly explained: "The fat layer is a bit thick, and the situation of the muscle exertion is not very obvious."
Dongfang Liren knew that her chubby-headed dragon was a bit plump. After thinking for a while, she gritted her teeth and said:
"Just press harder."
If Yejingtang pressed harder, it would hurt. He didn't follow her instruction but just frowned and carefully felt the details under the fat layer.
The two of them were seriously practicing the spear techniques. Before Yejingtang could figure out the force application situation, a breeze blew in from the door.
Huu~
An old woman with long hair reaching the ground landed soundlessly in front of the two of them. She was about to speak when she saw Yejingtang pressing on the Prince of Jing's clothes and paused.
Yejingtang released his right hand, stood upright, and bowed with his hands clasped:
"Lord Meng."
Dongfang Liren was secretly startled in her heart, but she didn't put away the spear stance. Instead, she seriously explained:
"He's teaching this king spear techniques. Don't misunderstand..."
As she spoke, Dongfang Liren's eyes suddenly darkened, and she asked:
"Meng Jiao, is he teaching this king spear techniques?"
The old woman with white hair had a somewhat strange look in her eyes, but that was all. Hearing the Prince of Jing's question, she slowly walked over:
"Lord Ye is indeed teaching the spear stance. This method seems to be the most intuitive. It's much more accurate than just looking. It's mostly used between close people."
Is that so... Dongfang Liren secretly let out a sigh of relief, and the blush on her face also faded a bit.
"However, Lord Ye's technique is too clumsy. If it were an ordinary woman, he could figure it out. But Your Highness has a thick foundation, and it's very difficult to figure it out with bare hands."
The old woman with white hair stretched out her palm from her sleeve and looked at Yejingtang:
"The Tianhe Saber is an internal martial art technique that can enhance a person's six senses. Its advantage lies in its comprehensiveness. The slightest movement within dozens of zhang can be clearly perceived. But being too comprehensive means it's not very precise. The most sensitive part of a person's touch is the fingertips. Liu Qiansheng's 'Wind Listening Palm' is such a martial art technique. In his prime, he could feel the footsteps several li away with his palm, which was unparalleled in the entire martial arts world. I have learned a similar method, but it's far from his level. However, it can barely be used."
Yejingtang listened carefully. Then he saw the old woman with white hair moving her hands,