Chapter 429: The Sea of Learning Has No Bounds

Chapter 429: The Boundless Sea of Learning

Though they had never truly cultivated together, that conventional "treatment" of passing breath through the mouth was something everyone would subconsciously resort to.

It was of little use for Zhao Changhe's injury...

His chest had been slashed by a blade, the bone nearly severed—relying on a few kisses without medicine to heal it was clearly a pipe dream. Dual cultivation therapy was mainly for aiding internal injuries; for external wounds, it was far less effective than the Spring Restoration Technique, let alone the simplified version of kiss-based treatment.

But for Tang Wanzhuang's condition, it had always been somewhat useful. Her illness was, after all, a form of internal injury.

This time, Zhao Changhe had originally intended to continue treating her, but after sensing the state of her lung meridian, a slight complexity arose in his heart.

That lung meridian of Tang Wanzhuang's, riddled with holes, had visibly mended a great deal. Though not yet fully healed—she might still cough occasionally—it was certainly no longer the kind that would bring up blood at the slightest provocation.

In a daze, he realized he hadn't heard her cough in the past two days.

The combination of the second page of the Celestial Book and the "Mountain and River Atlas" had provided the "Transformation Lotus" and "Bodhi Fruit" for treating meridians, proving remarkably effective. This confirmed that the next step—using "Soul-Winding Grass" and "Cloud Sun Leaf" to treat the spirit—would surely work as well.

There was a lazy sense of satisfaction, as if he were personally and slowly crafting a perfect work of art.

Of course, complete restoration was still beyond reach. The root cause of her illness remained unresolved, and the meridians would still suffer from the cumulative erosion of time. Even if the meridians were healed now, they would eventually break down again. But at least it could extend her life by several years—three to five years was not a problem.

With a baseline of three to five years, that constant dread of her suddenly collapsing had greatly diminished...

Now that the Soul-Winding Grass was already in hand, only the Cloud Sun Leaf remained. Zhao Changhe didn't believe he would fail to secure it within three to five years.

It seemed that the fragile, ailing beauty who had touched his heart was about to vanish for good... He wondered what a fully energetic Tang Wanzhuang would be like—would she casually toss people into ponds again?

But for now, since the root of her illness was not yet cured and her meridians were not fully healed, he couldn't yet see a vibrant Tang Wanzhuang.

Her face still bore a sickly pallor, only slightly flushed from emotion, making her look far from healthy. Her breathing was soft, and she gently pushed his hand away, whispering, "Alright... now, besides kissing and touching, you don't know how to do anything else..."

The way she said it was almost like asking, "Haven't you eaten?" Zhao Changhe really wanted to tell her he could do other things.

Unfortunately, he truly couldn't. His chest hurt.

Helpless, he could only say something grand and righteous: "Who says I don't know how to do anything else? Just now, I laid down a line for the court within the Wang family's territory."

Tang Wanzhuang was momentarily stunned, then pleasantly surprised: "I had intended to mention it to Daoist Guichen, but our relationship isn't close enough to be presumptuous. Are you really that close with Daoist Guichen? Ah, right—you helped him repel He Lei back then."

Zhao Changhe scratched his head, having forgotten that he had done Guichen a favor. When he had brought it up to Guichen earlier, he hadn't thought about any debt of gratitude at all. He simply felt that Guichen and his disciple Xuan Chong had left a decent impression on him—not the type to curry favor—so he had just said it outright...

Now reminded, he felt he should think more carefully: "So, do you trust Guichen? Are you afraid of being set up?"

"Based on the intelligence gathered by the Demon Suppression Bureau over the years, Guichen's character is beyond reproach. He is indeed a Daoist with true cultivation. But he has no fondness for the court. It's hard to say exactly where his loyalties lie; whether he can be trusted requires deeper contact to judge... But planting this line first will always have its value."

As Tang Wanzhuang spoke, her expression was quite pleased. In truth, regardless of whether this matter proved useful, the mere fact that Zhao Changhe had done something "for the court's sake" made her very happy.

She suddenly forgot that just a few hours ago, she had been thinking that it might be better if he roamed the world...

What did Baoqin know? How could she want him to roam the world? She wanted him to become emperor!

Tang Wanzhuang happily took Zhao Changhe's hand and sat down in the stone pavilion by the courtyard, smiling warmly. "You're more used to thinking like a wanderer—relying on friendships or intuition to judge things. In the future, you should look at more intelligence reports and build your understanding of people from multiple perspectives..."

Zhao Changhe stared at her with a strange expression.

Tang Wanzhuang stopped mid-sentence, annoyed. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Baoqin's voice came from inside the house: "He's cursing you in his heart for being a know-it-all, a nagging old maid who never shuts up."

Tang Wanzhuang ground her teeth audibly.

Zhao Changhe was moved to tears. Baoqin, my voice!

But he had a feeling someone's backside was about to get a beating tonight. That girl really had a thick skull...

Come to think of it, aside from both being martial artists, they lived in completely different worlds. From Tang Wanzhuang's perspective of "raising a prince," there was far too much to teach. The curriculum in various subjects could take ten years to learn. This couldn't go on—if every romantic moment turned into a lecture, who could bear it?

He had to find a way to resolve this...

Zhao Changhe's mind raced, and he smiled. "Why bother arguing with Baoqin? I don't think that way."

Tang Wanzhuang put on a stern face. "Then will you listen to the lesson?"

"Old Xia once told me..."

Tang Wanzhuang raised an eyebrow, perking up her ears.

"He said he originally wanted to teach me something, but he realized that my intentions didn't align with his. Learning his martial arts would only result in a clumsy imitation. Only the Six Harmonies Divine Art, because of its broad applicability, could still be used... In fact, due to my meridian issues, I haven't used the Six Harmonies Divine Art much either, mainly as a supplement."

Tang Wanzhuang's eyes sparkled. "He wanted to teach you..."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Seeing his constipated expression, Tang Wanzhuang chuckled. "Alright, I know what you're trying to say."

Everyone has their own characteristics; there's no need to mold someone into another person. If Zhao Changhe had fully absorbed everything from Xia Longyuan, would he still be the Zhao Changhe of today?

Even the world's greatest martial arts shouldn't be learned that way, let alone anything else.

In truth, Zhao Changhe had originally wanted to use Vermilion Bird as an example. Just two days ago, she had said that his Star Intent was best forged on his own path, not influenced by the preconceptions of the Four Symbols teachings. In that regard, Vermilion Bird was actually more magnanimous. But he hesitated and switched to Xia Longyuan instead, fearing that otherwise, not only would it have no effect, but he might also get hit.

Still, he understood Tang Wanzhuang's desire to teach him. After all, governing a country wasn't something you could just improvise. Given Xia Longyuan's current state, many noble families probably attributed it to his humble origins—a notion that likely had some traction.

Tang Wanzhuang thought for a moment, then tapped the table with a knowing smile. "Fine. I won't say much else in the future, lest you silently curse me as a nagging old maid who never shuts up."

"I have never silently cursed you!" Zhao Changhe immediately distanced himself from Baoqin, his inner voice.

Tang Wanzhuang didn't press the matter, speaking leisurely. "At least you should continue what you've already started learning, right? Medicine, and your cultural lessons."

Zhao Changhe said, "Medicine is useful. Cultural lessons... I'm already quite cultured."

"You don't think that casually strumming a few tunes makes you cultured, do you?" Tang Wanzhuang said. "You claim you can come up with a few lines of poetry... Then let me test you."

Zhao Changhe thought to himself that the chance to impress her with borrowed poems had finally arrived. He sat up straight. "Go ahead, test me."

"The gentleman says: Learning cannot cease." Tang Wanzhuang recited leisurely. "What's the next line?"

Zhao Changhe was dumbfounded.

Wasn't this script wrong?

It was from Xunzi's "Encouraging Learning"—it was in the textbook, but he hadn't been required to memorize it... What was the next line?

Oh, the next line was quite famous. He remembered: "Blue is taken from indigo, yet it is bluer than indigo; ice is made from water, yet it is colder than water."

Tang Wanzhuang pressed on. "And then?"

Zhao Changhe's face was expressionless.

Tang Wanzhuang crossed her arms.

It felt as if a crow was cawing overhead. After a few seconds, Zhao Changhe surrendered. "I forgot the rest."

"I knew you only remembered a few famous lines. Your learning is very shallow." Tang Wanzhuang tapped the table lightly. "Go inside."

"Wh-what for?"

"Copy it ten times with Baoqin. She's copying the same passage."

Zhao Changhe bolted.

Tang Wanzhuang gathered her skirt and gave chase. "Stop, you rebellious disciple!"

The two chased each other out of the courtyard gate.

Baoqin cautiously emerged from the house, holding paper and brush, not a single word copied.

Faintly, from outside the gate, came the sound of scolding: "Mmph mmph... re-rebellious disciple..."

Baoqin sat in the pavilion hugging her knees, why hasn't spring ended yet...

Looking at the situation between those two, not to mention Zhao Changhe didn't want to learn, even if he truly did, he probably wouldn't be able to learn anything.

Suddenly a turtle face poked over the wall.

Baoqin was startled, then waved: "Turtle, who are you looking for?"

San Niang: "..."

Isn't my mask fierce enough?

No, as the trusted maid of the chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau, you really don't recognize me as Xuanwu?

Forget it, too lazy to argue with a little girl. San Niang maintained a cold tone and said flatly: "Isn't Zhao Changhe here? Where is he?"

Baoqin asked cautiously: "What business do you have with him?"

"I came to teach him something."

Baoqin was silent for a moment, then pointed outside the courtyard: "Teaching, is it? Teaching and teaching, and it ends up like that."

San Niang didn't need to look; her eyes didn't see Zhao Changhe, but as she asked, she was already pricking up her ears to listen in all directions.

Before Baoqin could finish her sentence, San Niang's ears were already filled with faint panting sounds.

Baoqin was fortunate enough to see how a turtle escaped at lightning speed, faster than a rabbit.