Chapter 982: Passing on Skills

When Song Qingshu and Wang Chongyang returned to the Hall of the Three Pure Ones, both sides were in a tense standoff, swords drawn. Although everyone in the Quanzhen Sect had suffered injuries to some extent, the appearance of Wang Chongyang had invigorated them, and with their numbers, they were not at a disadvantage.

Ouyang Feng and the others had already tried several times to make a move, but Song Qingshu’s shocking performance in his earlier battle with Wang Chongyang made them hesitant to provoke him, fearing his wrath.

Daiqisi, however, was not focused on the Quanzhen disciples; instead, she had attempted several times to go find Song Qingshu. Ouyang Feng and Qiu Qianren were worried about her safety and dared not let her chase after him, managing to calm her down with much persuasion.

Qiu Qianren couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Ouyang Feng, thinking to himself that just a few days ago, this woman had seemed desperate, yet now she was so devoted. The charm of Song Qingshu was truly extraordinary.

Little did he know that Daiqisi’s concern stemmed primarily from the fact that she had pinned her and her daughter’s future on Song Qingshu. If anything were to happen to him, she would be left with nothing.

Seeing Song Qingshu return, she hurried over and asked, “Are you okay?”

Song Qingshu smiled slightly, “I’m fine.” At this moment, he had already put on Tang Kuo Bian’s mask again.

“Put me down quickly,” Xiao Longnu said, twisting uncomfortably. Unfortunately, she was severely injured and unable to walk on her own. Moreover, both Song Qingshu and Wang Chongyang were pressed for time, so he had no choice but to carry her.

She could have let Wang Chongyang carry her, but as a disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect, she naturally disliked him. Compared to that, she felt closer to Song Qingshu.

However, being watched by hundreds of eyes in the Hall of the Three Pure Ones made Xiao Longnu feel extremely uneasy. Although she didn’t understand worldly customs, she vaguely knew that if this situation were to reach Yang Guo’s ears in the future, it wouldn’t be good.

Song Qingshu wouldn’t take advantage of her in front of so many people. Hearing her words, he gently placed her in Daiqisi’s arms, asking her to take good care of her.

Daiqisi secretly pouted, feeling somewhat reluctant. Unfortunately, after this period of time with Song Qingshu’s various training methods, she subconsciously dared not oppose his orders.

Song Qingshu then walked up to Pucha Qiucao and said, “Miss Qiucao, you need to go down the mountain immediately and intercept the three thousand elite soldiers coming up. Make sure they don’t damage a single blade of grass on Zhongnan Mountain.”

“But…” Pucha Qiucao, in a hurry, instinctively glanced at the Quanzhen disciples.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this handled here,” Song Qingshu said, knowing what she was concerned about, and smiled slightly.

Pucha Qiucao nodded and left to carry out the order.

It was unclear what Wang Chongyang had said to Qiu Chuji and the others, but despite their reluctance, they accepted the Imperial Edict from the Jin Dynasty.

Leaving Qiu Qianren behind to handle the related paperwork and processes, Song Qingshu eagerly approached Wang Chongyang to discuss how to save Xiao Longnu.

The Quanzhen disciples had already arranged a quiet room in the back hall. After gently placing Xiao Longnu on the bed, Song Qingshu quickly pulled Wang Chongyang aside, saying, “I say, Old Wang, what’s your method? Is it reliable?”

Wang Chongyang’s expression suddenly became quite interesting: “What did you just call me?”

“Old Wang, since we hit it off so well, why bother with formalities? It would only make us feel distant,” Song Qingshu said casually. “From now on, just call me Xiao Song.”

If it were another martial arts master, Song Qingshu wouldn’t be so disrespectful. Firstly, he had no good feelings towards Wang Chongyang, so there was no question of respect; secondly, if he called him ‘senior,’ wouldn’t that place him on the same level as Qiu Chuji and the other third-rate characters? Thirdly, Zhou Botong had made a sworn brotherhood with Guo Jing, and if he were to lower himself arbitrarily, how would he face Guo Jing and Huang Rong in the future? He certainly didn’t want to suffer that loss.

Wang Chongyang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, thinking who had hit it off with you, but recalling that he and Ouyang Feng referred to each other as brothers, and he was of the same generation as Ouyang Feng, this way of addressing did make some sense.

Moreover, considering the other party’s martial arts skills, which were not inferior to his own, Wang Chongyang felt much more balanced.

“The best internal skill for treating internal injuries in the world is the Nine Yin Scripture. Unfortunately, Xiao Longnu is currently too severely injured, and the healing section of the Nine Yin Scripture is powerless to help,” Wang Chongyang replied.

Song Qingshu was taken aback: “Old Wang, you weren’t just fooling me when you said you could help save her, were you?”

Wang Chongyang shot him an annoyed glare: “When have I, Wang Chongyang, ever deceived anyone?”

Song Qingshu silently cursed. This guy had a thick skin, having faked his death twice, yet he had the nerve to say he had never deceived anyone. Of course, now that he needed something from him, he could only say these things in his heart.

Wang Chongyang then said, “Although the Nine Yin Scripture is miraculous for treating internal injuries, it is still far inferior to Master Yideng’s One Yang Finger, which can bring the dead back to life.”

Song Qingshu frowned: “Where am I supposed to find Master Yideng now? Xiao Longnu is severely injured and cannot endure the fatigue of travel, and I have urgent matters to attend to, so I probably won’t have time to take her for treatment.”

Wang Chongyang smiled slightly: “There are others in the world who can perform One Yang Finger, not just Master Yideng.”

Only then did Song Qingshu remember that Wang Chongyang had exchanged his Innate Skill for One Yang Finger with Master Yideng back in the day. He had also used it several times during their earlier confrontation, and he couldn’t help but feel overjoyed: “I almost forgot that you can do it too, Old Wang.”

Calling him ‘Old Wang’ made Wang Chongyang feel extremely annoyed, and he continued, “However, there is a difficulty now. Using One Yang Finger to heal someone is extremely taxing on internal energy. After healing someone, the practitioner will suffer severe depletion of their Qi and will need at least five years to recover their internal energy.”

Wang Chongyang pondered for a moment before continuing, “I am already quite old, and after saving her, I may not live another five years. However, I still have many unresolved matters, so before I save her, you must agree to do three things for me.”

Song Qingshu frowned slightly but quickly shook his head.

Wang Chongyang looked at him in surprise: “You’re not willing to save her?” To him, using One Yang Finger to save someone was a significant sacrifice, and only this small request seemed quite fair.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to save her, but I don’t need you to save her; I’ll save her myself,” Song Qingshu replied. His current identity was complex, and he was essentially tied to many matters. He truly didn’t want to be bound by this promise, especially since what Wang Chongyang held dear would not be easy to fulfill.

“You can use One Yang Finger too?” Wang Chongyang asked in surprise.

“Don’t you know how? Just teach me! I’ll take the initiative to save her. I’m young and my body is strong; even if my Qi is injured, I can recover quickly,” Song Qingshu answered.

Wang Chongyang stared at him blankly, falling silent for a moment.

Song Qingshu felt a surge of inspiration and deliberately provoked him: “Old Wang, you wouldn’t be reluctant to teach, would you? You must know that Xiao Longnu is the disciple of your old lover, Lin Chaoying. She was injured by your incompetent disciples who ganged up on her. When you ascend to the heavens and meet Lin Chaoying again, how will you face her?”

Wang Chongyang’s face turned slightly red: “What old lover? Stop talking nonsense! My hesitation is not because I’m reluctant, but because this One Yang Finger is a secret of the Dali Duan Clan. I cannot conveniently pass it on to others without Master Yideng’s permission; moreover, even if I teach you now, it would be useless. To use One Yang Finger to save someone, one must cultivate it to a very high level. By the time you learn it, Miss Longnu may already be gone.”

Song Qingshu felt relieved: “I see, Old Wang, you can rest assured. Master Yideng is compassionate; compared to a person’s life, what does sectarianism matter? Even if Master Yideng were here, he would agree to teach One Yang Finger.”

Wang Chongyang shook his head: “Even if Master Yideng doesn’t mind, the Dali Duan Clan will mind. I can’t put Master Yideng in a difficult position and make him a historical sinner of the Dali Duan Clan.”

Song Qingshu suddenly smiled awkwardly: “Actually, I’m not really an outsider. The princess of the Dali Kingdom is… my confidante. So I can be considered a son-in-law of the Dali Duan Clan.”

In fact, it wasn’t just one princess; Zhong Ling, Mu Wanqing, and even A Zi were all his. He had almost taken all five daughters of Duan Zhengchun, but this was too shocking, and he worried that Wang Chongyang wouldn’t be able to accept it, so he deliberately left out two.

Wang Chongyang’s expression indeed turned somewhat unpleasant: “You’re a person who flirts around everywhere; you’re certainly not a good match for women.”

Song Qingshu replied impatiently: “I say, Old Wang, maybe you can impart some life experience to me in other areas, but when it comes to relationships, you’re even worse than a primary school student.”

Although he had never heard of primary school students, Wang Chongyang could guess roughly what he meant. Thinking of Lin Chaoying, his expression darkened.

“Even if you are the son-in-law of the Dali Duan Clan, it doesn’t matter. One Yang Finger has always been passed down to men, not women, let alone to a son-in-law,” Wang Chongyang quickly regained his composure.

Song Qingshu became somewhat impatient: “At worst, when I go to Dali in the future, I’ll exchange a unique skill for it. Although One Yang Finger is considered a unique skill, I’m not so desperate that I can’t offer a few comparable unique skills. Moreover, I once saved the son of Dali, so I have some favor with them; they should be willing to give me this small favor.”

Wang Chongyang still shook his head: “Favor is favor, resentment is resentment. We, people of the wulin, don’t have the mindset of seeking repayment for kindness.”

Song Qingshu was immediately furious: “Old Wang, I’m not saying you, but you’ve been dragging this out over such a small matter. No wonder you let Lin Chaoying down for a lifetime. One sentence: will you teach or not? If you don’t teach, and Lin Chaoying’s disciple dies, how will you face her in the underworld?”

Wang Chongyang fell silent, and after a long time, he sighed: “In this life, I have wronged her too much… Very well, I will teach you One Yang Finger to save her, as a way to make up for my debt to Chaoying.”

Before Song Qingshu could rejoice, Wang Chongyang immediately added: “However, you must first agree to one thing: unless it’s to save someone’s life, you cannot use One Yang Finger, and you must never let anyone know that you can perform this unique skill of the Duan Clan.”

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