Chapter 425 - Chapter 425: Dumdum’s Personal Teaching (3)

Chapter 425: Dumdum’s Personal Teaching (3)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Late at night, there were no pleasure boats on the Clear River. Only a few merchant ships laden with goods came and went with the river wind.

Clear Water Villa was brightly lit. Palace maids and eunuchs had hung up the red palace lanterns that the empress liked in the villa halfway up the mountain. From afar, it was beautiful and gorgeous, like a heavenly palace under the moon.

On the white stone path at the foot of the mountain, there were already imperial guards dressed in qilin armor standing guard. There were also obstacles, ballistas, and other objects by the roadside. The remaining imperial guards and constables formed groups of five and started to investigate inch by inch from 2 kilometers around Clear Water Villa. There were even people checking the bottom of the river to ensure that nothing unexpected appeared in the empress’s sight.

The secret guards who came served as sentries at their respective garrison locations. There was also an assessment. The assessment content was that secret guards wearing night clothes would sneak in from an uncertain direction at an uncertain time.

If the secret guards were discovered, they would be fined a month’s salary, and the sentries who found them would be rewarded heavily. If they were not discovered, the sentries would be fined three months’ salary and transferred out of the core area, and the secret guards would be rewarded heavily.

This method was rather cruel, but it wasn’t the first time. It was the same in the Imperial City. Ye Jingtang had been discovered as soon as he approached the empress dowager’s resting palace due to rewards and punishments. Otherwise, with no trouble in the Imperial City for ten years, even the most cautious secret guards would be negligent and relax.

At the back of the villa, a bright yellow lampstand had been lit in the huge Dragon Cleansing Pool.

Dongfang Liren had taken off all her clothes and was leaning in the center of the pool. There were eight palace maids beside her holding trays with fruit platters, wine, and other items, ready to serve at any time. It was extremely extravagant.

But Dongfang Liren was not here to enjoy the hot spring. Instead, she was experiencing the water temperature, comfort, the ability of the palace maids to serve, and so on to ensure the best experience for her sister.

Ye Jingtang was busy for half the night. From patrolling the surroundings to arranging the garrisons, he did everything personally with Dumdum. But when it came to the segment of ‘soaking in the hot spring with palace maids serving’, he was actually not allowed to do it personally and was even kicked out of the Dragon Cleansing Pool!

Regarding Dumdum’s clearly unfair arrangement, Ye Jingtang couldn’t say anything. He just stood in the garden outside the Dragon Cleansing Pool and slowly practiced his swordsmanship. The bird was in a dining room not far away, serving as a food taster and testing the skills of the imperial chefs. It was working overtime seriously to the point where it couldn’t take its eyes off the food.

The authentic Dragon Qi Sword was quite different from Sun Wuji’s sword technique just now, but it could still be seen that they were of the same origin. They both emphasized hiding like a ghost and releasing like thunder.

The Dragon Qi Sword’s characteristic was that it was unpredictable, and it was extremely difficult for opponents to determine the intention of the sword. When the sword came out, it was unparalleled in speed and ferocity. It had the same effects as the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade. Although it was not as fast as the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade, it was not as extreme as the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade. It was a martial arts technique that could advance and retreat freely, attack and defend.

But after seeing something better, practicing the Dragon Qi Sword was always a bit boring. Ye Jingtang chatted during the practice. “The Dragon Qi Sword is indeed a good sword technique, but compared to Old Sword Saint Sun’s sword strike just now, it’s the difference between an immortal and a mortal. It’s on a completely different level.”

Dongfang Liren had a towel on her forehead and was leaning comfortably in the bathing pool. The fat-headed dragon even surfaced in the water. She replied, “Of course. Didn’t Old Sword Saint Sun say that his sword has no move? What he taught you was moves. You still have a lot to learn. Tomorrow, I’ll bring all the martial arts manuals I have collected. Whether they’re useful or not, you have to learn them and master them…”

“Thanks.”

“Why are you thanking me? You’re skilled in martial arts, and you’re working for me… By the way, the sword in Old Sword Saint Sun’s hand should be the famous sword ‘Blue Grace’. It has only lost to Zhou Chiyang once in its life, and it’s very famous. If you want to practice the sword, you have to have a good sword. Do you want me to give you one?”

The sword in Ye Jingtang’s hand was found in the supplies carried by the imperial guards. It was only used for ceremonial purposes. He said, “Your Highness has a good sword in your collection?”

“I have two good swords, and their quality is not inferior to the ten famous swords. It’s just that they don’t have a reputation. Take them and use them. When you don’t need them anymore, return them to me, and I’ll put them in Jasper Pavilion for collection.”

Ye Jingtang felt that Dumdum treated him as a heartless reputation-making machine, but he had no objections to this. He thought for a moment and said, “It’s a pity that 1 showed off too much at Jun Mountain Terrace and inserted the Jun Mountain Saber into the stage. Otherwise, it would definitely be a treasure of Jasper Pavilion.”

“You still know this?” Dongfang Liren’s heart ached a little at the mention of this, and she didn’t want to speak anymore.

After soaking in the bathing pool for a while and feeling that there was no problem, she got up, left the pool, opened her arms, and let a palace maid put on her nightgown. “Have you figured out the qi circulation methods of the Dragon Qi Sword? Old Sword Saint Sun gave you this sword technique. He shouldn’t mind me learning it secretly. I won’t use it…”

Ye Jingtang knew that Dumdum had such an idea. He thought for a moment and said, “It’s a school’s martial arts technique after all. Let me ask first. I don’t think Old Sword Saint Sun will reject it.”

Dongfang Liren thought about it and agreed, so she didn’t force him. She walked out of the Dragon Cleansing Pool in a luxurious and loose white nightgown. “You are the successor of the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade. I don’t need you to teach me your ultimate moves. The ordinary Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade can already be considered outer sect moves. Do you mind giving me some pointers?”

Ye Jingtang was about to speak when he turned around and stopped.

There were also lanterns hanging outside the bathing pool, and the light in the garden was excellent.

Dongfang Liren was like a lotus flower emerging from the water. There was still a faint watery glow on her face. Her gorgeous nightgown was draped over her slender figure. Because it was relatively loose, Ye Jingtang couldn’t see her waistline. But the chest of her robe, which was embroidered with a dragon, was propped up by two towering balls, and the middle was sunken into a ravine.. It was obvious that she wasn’t wearing an undergarment…