Martial King’s Retired Life

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Liu Shan Men and the Three Departments - Daluo’s Stance

"Wait, wait, ow, ow, ow, Young Shiyi, stop tugging my ear!"

Young Shiyi shook her supple and smooth hand… I was cool with that - as long as my ear wasn't in her hand while she shook it. She dragged me into my room as I cried, kicked the door shut, and then inspected the room. She pulled out a piece of copper and threw it at the ground hard but no so hard she'd generate a shockwave. That was actually a display of very profound strength, since she was able to contain the sound of it hitting the ground within the confines of the room.

Young Shiyi could tell where someone hid or what they fumbled through when she silently listened to the sound emitted. The technique was taken from my shifu's Heavenly Net Sacred Records. My grandmaster possessed profound skills, while my shifu was a man of bizarre ideas. That was the reason his Heavenly Net Sacred Records contained a plethora of unorthodox moves and techniques. Whoever wanted to learn my shifu's style, required exceptional talent, or they could be stuck toiling away their entire life with nothing to show.

The technique Young Shiyi utilised was called Ultimate Listening. The method granted the user enhanced hearing within a certain range. The unique aspect was nothing would be missed within said range. Eavesdroppers, scouts and everything else could be picked up on.

My internal strength was advanced enough to hear an enemy's heartbeat if they hid in the room. Still, it wasn't fool proof. There were many unique or unbelievable individuals out there in the pugilistic world who could use their breathing to conceal their body temperature, heartbeat and breathing, allowing them to feign death. In that scenario, I couldn't hear anything from them. Ultimate Listening, however, could test for life. Hence, the user would be able to pick up on the action the feigner used to conceal their status.

Told you my shifu came up with lame techniques. Nobody but he would come up with such pointless and lame techniques. With that being said, I had yet to come across a superior scouting technique. Young Shiyi only ever used it when something major happened.

Young Shiyi cupped her ears to focus in on the surrounding sounds. She looked cute with that hand posture. She went from looking suave to serious. I couldn't find the words to describe her adorableness. She was bullying me, but look at her; she was lethally cute.

I suddenly had an irresistible urge to prank Young Shiyi. With a smile, I sneaked up to her neck and breathed in her ear.

"Don't… Mm… That tickles…"

Young Shiyi moaned as if she just woke up. She was prone to being ticklish. She never let me tickle her ever since we were kids. Every now and then, I'd get to see her blush, however. It happened again; she lividly glared at me with a tinge of shyness and raised a fist at me: "Wow, tough guy now, are you? Since you're teasing me, I presume you're itching for a beating."

"You flatter me. I merely learnt from you."

"Oh? Well, I have more lessons to teach you. You want to learn?" Young Shiyi tried to provoke me with her gaze in order to cover her own shyness. She fronted and said, "It's not easy to learn. If you think you're stupid, don't play the tough guy."

"Is there any style in existence that I can't master?" I rhetorically asked as I thumped my chest. Tone brave, I said, "Give me your best shot, Miss Demoness. If it is your order, this one shall take on anything under the sun."

Young Shiyi came on boldly, since she didn't find anyone in the room. She was always the most relaxing person to speak to. She covered her smile with her eloquent hand: "The martial arts world says that I, Demoness Ming Suwen, specialise in yin yang cultivation. I found an unusual book at my cousin's place called Revitalisation Manual, which addresses that exact topic. How about I act as your furnace for you to practice the style?"

Young Shiyi teased me with her gaze. She seemed as though she lifted her chin with her finger, inducing fear in me. Young Shiyi often teased me with bod comments, and then enjoyed my delayed reactions.

This time, Young Shiyi used yin yang cultivation, also known as dual cultivation as a joke. The idea behind the concept was that one could greatly increase their cultivation, meaning internal energy, by plundering the vital energies of their partner during sex. The cauldron was equated to a human, as the cultivator was essentially an internal alchemist, where they refined their energy using their body as a cauldron.

Her joke really got on my nerve. For whatever reason, I responded, "Sure."

"…"

The two of us froze in place, and the room fell dead silent after I blurted my response.

I would never know what I was thinking, but I didn't spend much effort thinking of a response, anyway. Maybe my jokes were bolder owing to the pressure of seniority being removed after Young Shiyi entered Liu Shan Men. That said, I really did want to find a hole to crawl into…

The atmosphere was suffocating as being locked in a room with cured meet ten years old. Actually, it was the same as being locked in a room with a pile of dry and hard… shit…

"Okay, enough with that and onto business," said Young Shiyi, trying to look stern with a pink tinge still on her cheeks. "I'll research that with you another time. There's urgent business today…"

"Wait, wait, wait! Are you being serious?! Who'd you learn it from?!! Shall I, at least, prepare myself mentally, take a bath and get a change of clothes?!" I hastily thought.

Young Shiyi took out two letters from her shirt. Voice serious, she said, "I had a pigeon deliver a letter back to Mount Daluo after Jin Wansun's act of treason. I wanted to tell them my stance henceforward. I also inquired about the text you mentioned and all the weird events that you encountered. This is the reply I just received today. One of these letters is from your grandmaster. Cousin confirmed he did leave a text carving in the imperial palace over twenty years ago. He also gave his comments on 'The Six Dragons Shall Seal the Nation' prophecy mentioning the so-called six dragons among the Princes would bring calamities to the kingdom."

'Oh, so Young Shiyi asked about our stance on the matter going forward…'

I took the letter personally written by Grandmaster. He recounted the event over two decades ago and the Shenzhou carving. He didn't explain what the 'The Six Dragons Shall Seal the Nation' meant, though. He just mentioned it was connected to the Princes.

"Six Dragons Shall Seal the Nation…" I mumbled.

I folded my arms and spun my brain cogs. The six dragons matched up with the six Princes in the dynasty. There were rumours the six of them formed their own political cliques. All of the cliques were forces to be reckoned with, so that matched up. They were a hazard to the nation.

The reigning Emperor was in his prime; however, all Emperors in history had to name a Crown Prince as a backup plan in case anything unforeseen occurred. The fight for succession always gave rise to internal turmoil. The Emperor was an astute gentleman, but he still hadn't named a Crown Prince. He didn't seem as though he had any plans to declare one anytime soon.

After reading the explanation on the prophecy, I suddenly felt the matter could be logically explained. The Emperor must've avoided instating a Crown Prince out of fear they would plunge the nation into chaos. That would also explain why the Princesses held statuses on par with his sons. There was no such precedent in history.

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