Chapter 2456 - 2430: Teach Us, Won’t You?

Manbao and the others weren’t aware that their families were worrying about their marriages. At this moment, they were boating on the lake, sitting in the cabin, brewing tea, and placing the snacks they had just bought from the shore on the table.

As the boat drifted to the middle of the lake, the boatman stopped rowing, letting it slowly float toward the center of the lake.

They sat comfortably in the boat, enjoying the breeze, feeling very delighted.

Mingda leaned back, watching the passing pedestrians on the shore, and said enviously, "I really envy you all; you can come here every day."

Manbao: "Not really, we’re quite busy."

Mingda laughed, "No matter how busy, coming over for a stroll after work is quite nice."

Manbao said, "Isn’t there a lake near Daming Palace too? That lake is even bigger than this one."

"How can that compare," Changyu said while picking up something to eat, "there’s no one selling things there, nor are there so many people."

Mingda nodded.

Manbao thought about it and agreed, strolling through the streets and wandering in the palace are indeed very different experiences.

Manbao comforted, "It’s okay, next year you can join us too."

Mingda and Changyu’s faces turned a little red upon hearing this.

The two princesses thoroughly enjoyed the boating and eating on the lake until it was getting late, only then were they willing to head towards Guardian of the Nation Temple.

Jiechen, who had received Zhou Man’s message yesterday and had been waiting for them:...

If it weren’t for the long time spent together and having faced life and death together, Jiechen would have suspected they were playing a joke on him.

Jiechen rose from the mat, walked over to the group of people looking for someone, and after greeting, he said, "Lord Zhou, Young Master Bai, Master is waiting in the meditation room, please follow me."

His gaze swept over Mingda and Changyu, feeling they looked familiar, like he’d seen them somewhere before.

A thought flashed, and after taking a few steps, Jiechen suddenly remembered, they seemed to be the two princesses.

Jiechen:...

However, he maintained his composure, pretended not to know, and led them to meet Master Zhi Ren.

Changyu didn’t expect they could actually meet Master Zhi Ren. She remembered he was not easy to see; usually only her father and grandmother, and occasionally her mother.

Even when her older brother the Crown Prince came, it depended on whether Master Zhi Ren wanted to see him or not.

Changyu quietly asked Manbao, "Are you and Master Zhi Ren so close?"

Manbao whispered, "We’re actually closer to Jiechen."

Jiechen:... Nonsense, when did they become close? Clearly, the master talks to them more.

In Manbao and the others’ minds, they truly believed they were closer to Jiechen. Not only had they saved Jiechen, but he had also risked himself to save them. They had a bond of life and death.

With this understanding, Bai Shan asked Jiechen, "Master Jiechen, you mentioned last time you learned martial arts at Guardian of the Nation Temple. Can we learn if we register as secular disciples?"

Master Jiechen: "... You’d have to ask the abbot."

Bai Erlang rudely said, "You said that last time in the Western Regions, and you still haven’t asked for us yet?"

Since he was blunt, Jiechen responded bluntly as well, asking, "Aren’t you Taoist believers? Why do you want to become secular disciples of Buddhism?"

"What’s the problem? We can also be Taoist lay practitioners," Manbao said, "I think your martial arts are impressive."

She continued, "Taoism has a set of health-preserving exercises that can prolong life. I learned it from the Taoist priest on the mountain near our village. If you teach us martial arts, we can teach you the health exercises."

Jiechen: "... I’m not really interested in learning that."

Manbao said, "I think you’d want to learn. You know, I’ve seriously researched this. In Buddhism and Taoism, a master must live long enough, as the longer one lives, the deeper their understanding of Buddhism and Taoism becomes, and the more people will believe in them. If you want to become a master, you must live long enough."

She said, "I’ve seen your martial arts; they’re too fierce. Practicing them for a long time actually harms the body. It might not show when you don’t use them, but when you do, your body’s meridians, muscles, and bones get worn out. You may look young, but your body becomes old. This way, you won’t live long."

Jiechen’s eyebrows twitched because he knew Zhou Man was right.

He was originally a warrior monk, specifically protecting Master Zhi Ren. He was never expected to have the opportunity to learn profound Buddhism, but he started following his master at eight years old. It was the master who saw his potential and occasionally taught him some principles.

Plus, being with Master Zhi Ren for a long time allowed him to gradually learn some Buddhism.

But being a warrior monk was still his main path.

The martial arts he learned were intended to be fierce, indeed too intense, causing some harm to the body.

Manbao said, "But my Taoist martial arts are specifically for health cultivation. They’re not great for fighting, but they can adjust the limbs and bones, regulate the breath to nourish the meridians. In our family, from our teacher to my nieces and nephews, if there’s no time, they practice the Five Animals Play. If there’s time, they practice this set of exercises. It’s very useful."

She highly recommended, "I’m a doctor, my recommendation isn’t wrong."

Jiechen said, "The martial arts are from Guardian of the Nation Temple. Without the abbot’s consent, I dare not spread them. Besides..."

Jiechen looked them up and down, saying, "You’re already older, and you won’t learn much. At your age, learning well requires great perseverance and a lot of time to hone the body, but do you have the time?"

Jiechen knew that they were either still studying in the palace or about to start official duties. Not to mention Zhou Man, who had just been released from the imperial manor and was sure to be busy soon.

Bai Shan said, "We don’t need to learn to be very powerful. We just think your strength is great, and your dodging skills are amazing. We just want to learn enough so that we won’t be bullied by small thieves."

Jiechen glanced at the guards following behind, including Daji, and said, "Don’t you have guards?"

Especially that Daji, he was inseparable from them. Jiechen had seen him in action; he was well-organized and quite skilled. He was good enough to deal with average experts.

But that was Daji being cool, not them being cool.

In the past, Bai Shan and the others had seen the guards in action, and frankly, it didn’t inspire them to want to learn martial arts. At most, they wanted to be cool like Daji, leap onto the rooftop with a step on the wall.

But after seeing Jiechen in action, they were amazed at how beautiful martial arts could be.

Every move had a certain rhythm and was not only visually pleasing but also invigorating.

Even Yin Huo’s eyes shone; if his health allowed it, he would have wanted to learn along.

They all looked at Jiechen with starry eyes, pointing at the rooftop, saying, "Even if we could learn just enough to flip onto the rooftop in one turn, that would be great."

The sound of Zhi Ren’s laughter came from the front yard, "Jiechen, since these young friends want to learn, why not teach them a bit?"

Bai Shan and the others’ eyes lit up, finally realizing who the real decision-maker was. They happily bypassed Jiechen and entered the courtyard to greet Master Zhi Ren.