Chapter 9: You Know Too Much

Editor: Atlas Studios

In the afternoon, the piercing sound of cicadas filled the air.

The sunlight, scattered like shattered gold, sparkled on the Yu State River.

“I’ve been harmed by wine and lust, turning out to be so haggard…..”

An Jing looked at his pale face in the bronze mirror, saying, “From today on, no, from this moment on, abstinence!”

“What are you talking about?”

At this moment, Zhao Qingmei walked in with a bowl of green bean soup, looking at An Jing, who was muttering to himself in front of the mirror.

“I was saying the weather is really hot, yet my wife is still working so hard…”

“This is freshly made green bean soup, still warm.”

“My dear, you really work too hard.”

An Jing happily took the green bean soup, having already forgotten what he was saying a moment ago.

“I added some of your herbal medicine in it.” Zhao Qingmei’s eyes glimmered with a hint of cunning.

“Herbal medicine?” An Jing was a bit startled.

Could it be the herbs used to soak medicinal wine?

Zhao Qingmei continued, “This is specially made for you. There’s a large pot of it outside the pharmacy, for passersby to cool off.”

An Jing thought to himself, “Not only is my wife gentle and virtuous, but she’s also kind-hearted. Truly, as Madam Wang said, marrying such a woman is fortune from eight lifetimes.”

“Dear, the most famous theater troupe from the Pear Garden is performing today.” Tan Yun came out sleepily, carrying a pot of green bean porridge.

“Theater troupe?”

An Jing was puzzled; he had never heard Zhao Qingmei mention she liked to watch operas.

Tan Yun suddenly became energetic, her big eyes looking at An Jing, she said, “Master-in-law, have you never heard operas?”

“Of course, I’ve heard them often. I can even sing a few lines, listen…..”

An Jing also became interested and cleared his throat a couple of times.

Zhao Qingmei looked over curiously.

“Master-in-law, don’t strain yourself.” Tan Yun commented.

With that, An Jing rolled up his sleeves and took measured steps forward.

“Yu Ji, do you regret it?”

His voice was melodious and lingering. As An Jing made a turn with unparalleled grace, the hem of his garment swirled in the breeze, and a glint appeared in his eyes.

“I follow the King.”

“Life or death.”

“No regrets.”

……

Once he finished, the room fell silent.

Zhao Qingmei was completely absorbed, especially moved by the last eight words. She seemed to see that sorrowful woman resolutely looking at her king, then drawing a longsword, as blood spurted from her neck.

Tan Yun also got goosebumps, deeply shaken.

“How was it? Not bad, right?”

An Jing smiled, “The folks back home loved this tune, so I learned a few lines.”

“It’s… quite good.”

Tan Yun came back to her senses, her eyes darting, she said, “Still, a bit inferior to the top performers of the Pear Garden troupe.”

At that moment, Tan Yun was puzzled, How could Master-in-law sing better than the troupe’s performers!? This shouldn’t be, this shouldn’t be!

“Husband, when I return, sing the complete version for me.”

Zhao Qingmei said tenderly.

“Alright, you two go ahead first.” An Jing replied with a smile.

Afterward, Zhao Qingmei and Tan Yun tidied up and left for the Pear Garden in the west of the city, leaving An Jing alone in the pharmacy.

“With nothing to do now, I might as well go next door to listen to some storytelling.”

An Jing grabbed his smoking pipe from the wall, picked up a small stool, and headed to the teahouse next door.

“Doctor An, today you can only have tea, there’s no storytelling.”

The teahouse helper said upon seeing An Jing.

“What happened?” An Jing asked, puzzled.

“This morning, when I went to Mr. Zhou’s house, I found him bedridden, seemingly caught a cold.” The helper responded.

“That’s really a pity.”

An Jing sighed and returned to the pharmacy.

“The Earth Book seemed to have some changes last night, I haven’t had time to check……”

Something came to his mind, and his thoughts turned to the Earth Book within his consciousness.

Cultivation: First Grade

Life Fate: Favorable Star Shining

Root Bone: Innate Talent

Martial Arts: Sword Drawing Skill, Hidden Sword Skill, Sword Control Technique, Nine-character Sword Technique, Soaring Nine Heavens Body Technique, Daluo Heart Method, Concealing Qi Technique

Prompt One: The host’s life fate has not yet taken root (one year remaining), do not let anyone know the host’s identity when performing martial arts, or it will result in a black fate.

Prompt Two: There is a person who predicts heavenly secrets in the dungeons of Yu State City, who can provide the location of the Bodhi Bead (yellow fate).

……

“Dungeon? The location of the Bodhi Bead?”

An Jing pondered deeply. According to the Earth Book, fates are ordered from lowest to highest: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. A yellow fate is already quite good.

The last time he obtained the green fate, it allowed him to condense the Human Flower directly, saving decades of hard cultivation.

Though he felt the green fate wasn’t so simple……

This time, the yellow fate concerned the Bodhi Bead, and based on past experiences, the treasures granted by a yellow fate were all top-tier.

Martial arts are divided into three classes: third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, and then the higher levels which include Earth Martial, Xuanwu, True Martial, and Heavenly Martial.

Sword Drawing Skill, Hidden Sword Skill, and Sword Control Technique together form the Unity Sword Technique of the True Martial level, and the Daluo Heart Method is also at the True Martial level.

True Martial level martial arts are already considered very high-level in the Jianghu. Their appearance always leads to turmoil.

An Jing’s Unity Sword Technique and the Daluo Heart Method were gained from a yellow fate.

This indicates that the Bodhi Bead should at least be a True Martial level treasure, possibly helping him enhance his cultivation.

An Jing picked up a feather duster on the table to clean the dust off the counter.

At that moment, a cockroach crawled out from a corner.

An Jing put down the feather duster, feeling an urge to vent his thoughts.

“With my strength, sneaking into the dungeon shouldn’t be too risky, but Han Wenxin said that a Gold Constable of the Xuanyi Guard had been spotted in Yu State City, which poses a significant threat to me.”

“The Gold Constable’s cultivation is at the Second Grade. If I accidentally kill him, it would cause a disturbance, attracting more experts from the Xuanyi Guard. Thus, during this dungeon visit, I must not reveal my identity.”

“After all, my life fate will fully take root in just a year, so I can’t afford any mistakes now.”

“To marry such a beautiful and gentle wife and live such a plain and happy life, that’s a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes.”

“No matter what, I must protect her. Therefore, I must not expose my cultivation before my life fate takes root, but enhancing my strength is still crucial.”

“There are always some secrets that can only be kept to oneself. Speaking one’s mind today has really lightened my mood.”

Since receiving the Earth Book’s instructions, he had never revealed his strength to anyone, nor had he ever disclosed his innermost thoughts.

Keeping a secret all alone is quite a burden.

An Jing sighed deeply, feeling a bit relieved, then he stepped on the cockroach on the floor.

“Sorry, Little Strong, you knew too much.”

…….