Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Walking out of Huang Yanchen’s practice mansion, Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and looked back. He still could not calm himself down.
In the dark, a petite, beautiful girl walked out barefoot and stood in the air 10 centimeters above the ground. She walked behind Zhang Ruochen without a sound and said, “Zhang Ruochen, are you feeling regret after you refused Sister Chen?
Zhang Ruochen seemed to know that Duanmu Xingling was nearby, and he was not surprised at all. He said, “Have you been eavesdropping?”
“No, I was just passing by, and I heard your conversation accidentally. To be honest, I never expected that Sister Chen would be so vulnerable as to express her feelings for you. And yet, you refused her cruelly! What can I say to you?”
“You don’t understand some things,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Tch! You keep on pretending! Every man wants lots of concubines and wives. With Sister Chen’s beauty, family background, and talent, how come she doesn’t deserve you? You must have another purpose. You know that Sister Chen has a strong character. The harder it is, the more she wants it. Are you playing hard to get?”
“You are thinking too much!” Zhang Ruochen said.
But Duanmu Xingling reminded Zhang Ruochen that Huang Yanchen indeed had a strong character. She would not give up easily.
More importantly, Zhang Ruochen had agreed that he would not mention breaking up again. Had he just given her hope?
Damn it.
He had said something wrong again!
Duanmu Xingling pushed out her well-developed chest and emphasized the curves of her body. She put her hands behind the back and leaned over with an enchanting smile on her face. “I really want to know who the woman is? Could she really be me?”
“Do you think it’s possible?”
Zhang Ruochen patted Duanmu Xingling’s shoulder and said coldly, “Don’t think too much. It’s not you.”
Duanmu Xingling was discouraged and disheartened. She sighed. “I knew it wasn’t me. Your standard is too high. Did you fall in love with senior sister disciple Luo?”
“Don’t speculate. If senior sister disciple Luo found out, there would be a big misunderstanding,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“I don’t even want to guess!”
Duanmu Xingling folded her arms and said coldly, “Zhang Ruochen, you are a real fool. If I were you, I would take this opportunity to get with Sister Chen. Then, what has been done cannot be undone. She will listen to you from now on. With the way she feels right now, she won’t resist. What a pity! You refused Sister Chen right at the door!”
Zhang Ruochen was speechless, and he said, “Do you think I am that kind of person?”
“It’s nothing. She is your fiancee, and she will be yours sooner or later.”
Duanmu Xingling smiled. “You have to know that Sister Chen is an ice beauty, not just a shy little girl. If you miss this chance, it will be ten times harder to get her later.”
“We don’t know if she and I will get together or not.” Zhang Ruochen did not want to keep talking about this with Duanmu Xingling, so he asked, “Is the little girl I sent here now living in your mansion?”
Quietly, Duanmu Xingling asked, “Is she your illegitimate daughter?”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “What are you thinking? She is my disciple and a martial arts prodigy with great talent.”
“I certainly know she is a martial arts genius with the Thousand-Bones Physical Quality, which has been rare in both ancient and modern times. What a stroke of luck for you to find her!” Duanmu Xingling said.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “You found out about that, too. Where is she now?”
“How should I know?” Duanmu Xingling said unpleasantly.
“How can you not know?”
Duanmu Xingling said, “Blackie took to that little girl ever since she was sent to my practice mansion. I don’t know what’s wrong with that little cat. He is obedient to her in every matter, and he loves her very much. Not long ago, Blackie left Devil Martial City with the little girl. He left a letter saying that he was going to attend a special sacrifice with the little girl to help her initiate the Sacred Mark.”
“You just stood there and watched as Han Xue was taken away by a cat?” Zhang Ruochen asked. “Senior Sister Apprentice Duanmu, I’ve always felt that you are a very thoughtful person. How can you let a cat do whatever he wants?”
“It’s my fault?”
Duanmu Xingling said testily, “You know better than I do how cunning that cat is. And, when you got back, you only cared about Sister Chen and Han Xue, but not me, your Senior Sister Apprentice.”
“Is there something the matter with you, Senior Sister Apprentice?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Duanmu Xingling sighed. “My boyfriend got engaged to my best female friend, how could I be pleased?”
Zhang Ruochen knew that Duanmu Xingling was not really angry and that she was just joking. He said, “Senior Sister Apprentice Duanmu, you are talking about Chen Ruo. It is him that makes you unhappy. Why don’t you go to my practice mansion? I received a treasure recently. You may feel better when you see it.”
“What treasure?”
“You’ll find out when you get there!”
Zhang Ruochen brought Duanmu Xingling back to his practice mansion and entered the Secret Room for refining. He took a metal tube out of the Storage Ring.
Zhang Ruochen opened the canister and took out a rolled-up painting.
Duanmu Xingling waited by the side curiously and her eyes suddenly lit up as she watched Zhang Ruochen slowly unrolling the painted scroll.
A powerful martial arts aura emanated from the painted scroll. The two young warriors felt like the whole world was presented in front of them, or as if a Half-Saint was coming down from heaven.
“Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph.”
Duanmu Xingling immediately rushed up and stared at the world on the painting with her big, beautiful eyes. She said, “Authentic work! It is an authentic work! Only Half-Saint families can have the authentic Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph. Zhang Ruochen, how did you get this?”
Zhang Ruochen looked at Duanmu Xingling curiously and said, “I heard that you were sent to the School of the Martial Market by a Half-Saint. You should belong to the Half-Saint families and you have surely seen the authentic Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph. You don’t need to act so surprised.”
“How did you know that I was sent to the School of the Martial Market to practice by a Half-Saint?” Duanmu Xingling asked.
“I heard it,” Zhang Ruochen knew he had spilled the beans, so he tried to cover it casually.
Duanmu Xingling certainly was not a Half-Saint family member. Since Zhang Ruochen already thought so, she just admitted it and sighed. “The authentic Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph represents the inheritance of Martial Arts of Half-Saint. Even in Half-Saint families, it is a top level treasure. Nobody can just look at it whenever they want.”
“You are right!” Zhang Ruochen said.
Duanmu Xingling was so afraid that Zhang Ruochen would keep asking questions. She smiled strangely and said, “You got an authentic Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph, but instead of sharing it with Sister Chen, you showed it to me. What’s your purpose?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Senior Sister Apprentice Huang is a princess in Qianshui Commandery and the niece of the owner of the School of the Martial Market. If she agrees, she can view the authentic Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph at any time. But we don’t have that advantage, so we should help and support each other.”
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s words, Duanmu Xingling was moved, although she felt a little guilty, too.
Actually, Duanmu Xingling wanted to see the Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph. With her status, she could view one anytime she chose.
Zhang Ruochen, however, did not know that, so when he got Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph, he asked if she wanted to check it out. He did not hide the Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph to practice alone because of its preciousness.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen really saw her as a friend and trusted her very much.
Duanmu Xingling thought about telling Zhang Ruochen her identity, but she was afraid that he would be shocked. So, she did not reveal herself.
Zhang Ruochen saw Duanmu Xingling’s face and knew that she had something on her mind, or that she was hiding something.
I guess you are not just a junior of a Half-Saint family.
Although Zhang Ruochen was confused, he did not ask.
Duanmu Xingling must have a reason not to share her secret, just like how Zhang Ruochen did not share his secret identity as the son of Emperor Ming 800 years ago.
Everyone has had difficulties and things that they do not want to share.
Zhang Ruochen hung the Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph on the wall again.
On the scroll, a star, a moon, and a sun hung in three different directions in the sky.
A line of small words in the lower left corner read, “A Painting of the Sun and the Moon – by Brightness Half-Saint.”
The picture looked very simple, but it contained very powerful Spiritual Determination and Martial Arts mysteriousness.
Zhang Ruochen just took a casual look, and he felt like he was integrated into the world of the painting.
According to Zhang Ruochen’s analysis, by examining only the Star Picture, one’s Spiritual Power could reach the 18th level. If one examined the Moon Picture, he or she could reach the 28th level, and examining the Sun Picture could promote one’s Spiritual Power to the 38th level.
“With the help of the Painting of the Sun and the Moon, my Spiritual Power could reach the 38th level.”
Zhang Ruochen sat on the ground with his legs crossed, released his Spiritual Power, and entered the Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph.
Three days in a row, both Zhang Ruochen and Duanmu Xingling stayed in the Secret Practice Room, practicing and improving their Spiritual Power gradually.
After three days, both of them withdrew from the Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph. Each had their achievement and started to notice the differences.
Duanmu Xingling left Zhang Ruochen’s practice mansion and went back to seclude herself for refining. She seemed to realize some of the essence of Martial Arts from it.
The authentic Half-Saint’s Sacred Glyph not only contained Half-Saint’s Spiritual Determination but also Half-Saint’s Martial Arts Essence.
Zhang Ruochen also learned some Martial Arts from the Painting of the Sun and the Moon. He spent two weeks to digest the Martial Arts power, and his martial cultivation improved greatly.
Of course, since Duanmu Xingling had left, Zhang Ruochen entered the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel to practice for two weeks, while only five days passed in reality.
