Chapter 120: Water Knows The Answer. (6)

Chapter 120: Water Knows The Answer. (6)Tang Nanah thought it was an extremely cowardly method.

If one wanted to capture the heart of her sister-in-law, they should boldly flatter her, build friendship through aegyo, and win her over with gifts of rare treasures.

But resort to something as cowardly as Dao Techniques...

This impacted Tang Nanah even greater precisely because she had already witnessed Qing's monstrous strength, swinging people as weapons.

Hmph. If you have strength, I have poison.

Wouldn't it be enough to make Unni lose interest in you immediately?

It didn’t matter whether Tang Nanah was plotting such a terrible scheme or not. After all, Qing didn’t give a flying fuck. She was just enjoying her training after a long time.

Peng Chaolei was, strictly speaking, an experienced martial artist belonging to the previous generation.

The gap between generations of Rising Stars was ambiguous.

It was originally a phenomenon caused by the hierarchy allocation of prestigious sects.

When Rising Stars settled into positions in their sects, they would pass on the Rising Star positions to the next generation. This happened roughly when their peers did the same, as they also started to have roles in noble clans.

So the oldest current Rising Star was Daoist Changbin (Expert to the female hart, no dating experience, unmarried, 30 years old), and Peng Chaolei, who was about to turn thirty-seven, was one generation senior to the current Rising Stars, having associated with experts of the previous allocation.

With the experience of being one generation senior, along with a higher realm at the Early Stage Transcendent Realm, and superior in pure skill, almost every moment was an extension of a new Dao of the Dao.

Qing's dadao drew a full moon.

Peng Chaolei diagonally met it with an identical-looking dadao, supporting the blade with one hand, causing a hair-raising sound of scraping metal and sparks to fly as the two dadaos rubbed against each other.

The tip of Qing's dadao hit the ground.

Peng Chaolei's dadao instantly changed direction and thrust straight forward, causing Qing to stick close to the ground as if kneeling, letting it pass over her head.

And then... Now!

Qing twisted the handle of the dadao with all her might, attempting a terrifying upward slash with the blade.

However, that attempt was futile as Peng Chaolei's kick to the blade caused the weapon to tilt, twisting Qing's waist.

"An opening!"

Peng Chaolei's fist extended towards Qing's exposed side.

It was a fist imbued with the experience of having broken rocks.

But just before impact, the fist extended its index finger and poked Qing's side.

Qing jumped up with a Kyahehe, an unfinished laugh, and collapsed in giggles.

"This child. It is quite unlike you to be ticklish."

"Kuhup, can't help being ticklish."

"I'm surprised. I didn't see you that way, but you have unexpectedly feminine sides."

"...?"

Qing tilted her head.

Of course, Qing would normally be horrified at being called feminine, but hearing that she wasn't like that made her feel strange.

Rather than that, isn't my evaluation strangely ungenerous?

Why on earth?

Does everyone do this once they get a little close?

Is there something wrong with my attitude?

Qing seriously reflected on herself.

The conclusion came quickly.

I'm always truthful and sincere, though?

Maybe this is just how friendship culture is in the Central Plains.

Come to think of it, whether here or there, people usually joke around and laugh together once they get close.

"That upward slash just now wasn't a good technique. Originally, all weapons have their strengths and weaknesses, and the development of martial arts focuses on utilizing strengths. A dadao should flow from top to bottom, following such a principle, to exert its full power."

"But wouldn't that make it the very definition of an unexpected move..."

"Well, I am not so sure. Since you're also good at wrestling, it might have been better to let go of the dao or throw some dirt. By forcibly turning the blade, your arm was already twisted, so the direction wasn't straight and the power was reduced. Your body opened up with one kick, so you died once. Isn't that right?"

Unlike a certain Mr. Someone from the Namgung family, Peng Chaolei didn't pursue only the dadao.

Rather, according to Peng Chaolei, the dadao was a weapon unsuited for the times.

First of all, setting aside the inconvenience of carrying it, being a heavy weapon, it basically had to be handled with both hands, which was disadvantageous compared to other short weapons that could mix Hand Arts or Palm Techniques with the free hand.

Its advantages lay in its long reach and powerful destructive force, but as the level of martial arts rose, these aspects were supplemented through Qi, so the unique advantages of the dadao were gradually dying out.

Yet when asked why she still insisted on the dadao, Peng Chaolei's answer was simple.

‘Because it's the foundation of our family. If it could be easily replaced for convenience, it wouldn't be called a foundation.’

Despite saying this, Peng Guy1 didn't use a dadao.

"The dao is often said to be Obedient, while the sword is said to Defy Heaven, because the subtleties of these two weapons lie in different places. The dadao moves from top to bottom. It's about flowing like water without hitting the ground and then rising like clouds. It's not all about wielding it with force."

"Oing."

It seemed familiar, and suddenly a Sutra came to mind.

Qing raised her dadao again.

"Let's try again."

"Alright. Come."

Qing flew with the Zero-Gravity Flight of the Yue Maiden Footwork and dropped the dadao forward with a thud.

The dadao, which was falling in a thick stroke, suddenly wavered and collided with Peng Chaolei's, bouncing off at an angle.

At that moment, a sunset-colored Dao Qi suddenly rose up, drawing the shape of falling leaves, and with one clash, there was a loud sound of metal striking four times.

Peng Chaolei leaped back.

"Yours has more, you know?"

"I acknowledge this as righteous discrimination."

Qing immediately changed the tune of her words.

After all, decoration wasn't important.

What mattered was taste and quantity.

Qing immediately picked up a large bowl.

The finely crushed ice made a pleasant clinking sound as it shook.

Just as Qing was about to put it to her lips, she lowered the bowl at the sound of gulping.

When looking towards the source of the sound, Qing saw that Tang Nanah was staring intently at her.

"What do you want? Are you thirsty?"

"No, no, no, what are you saying? Go on, drink up. It's citron tea with rock honey. It's sweet, sour, cool, and delicious. I didn't add anything else at all."

"Ah. Citron honey tea."

Qing brightened up and downed the citron honey tea.

Having just sweated all over, it felt like her body was absorbing every drop she drank.

"Kyaaah. That's good."

Qing put down the half-finished cold tea and immediately reached for the snacks.

That's when Tang Nanah asked with an expectant look.

"How is it?"

"Hm? It's delicious. Cool and refreshing."

"And? Don't you feel anything else?"

Qing tilted her head.

What's this, is there some secret ingredient?

Qing put down the snack for a moment and took a big sip of the cold tea, rolling it around with the ice in her mouth.

Sweet, sour, and something... flowery.

"Gulp. I got it. Mint, right? My tongue might not be as accurate as Mister Changzi's, but it's pretty good, you know?"

"Eh?"

"Ah, wait, no. Is it cinnamon? The aftertaste seems a bit spicy too?"

"Eh?"

Tang Nanah looked at Qing, seemingly confused.

Then she looked at Peng Chaolei in surprise.

"Ah. Nanah, thank you. It tastes good."

Peng Chaolei raised her cup and responded with a smile in her eyes.

Tang Nanah grinned.

"Hehe, it's nothing. ...Eh?"

Then her expression was full of doubt as she looked back at Qing.

She looks somewhat stu-, no, like Senior Sister Wannabe.

She seemed quite convincing when she was acting as a doctor of traditional medicine. So why is it that she keeps looking like Crutch?

Shouldn't her base intelligence itself be in a whole different league?

"What's with you."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"This is strange. Here, let me see that."

Tang Nanah snatched Qing's cold tea and gulped it down.

And a moment later.

Suddenly, with a painful groan of Aheuk, she clutched her stomach and started sneezing.

"You, you deceived m-, achoo. Hee, ow, achoo! Ugh. Argh, my stomach, achoo!"

"What the? Are you okay?"

"My stomach hur-, ah, achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

This time it was three sneezes in a row.

For anyone who had experienced it, they would know that consecutive sneezing was quite painful.

Sure enough, her eyes turned red with tears flowing, and snot dripped from her nose.

Even if she was the Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan or whatever, there was no avoiding ugliness when she had a contorted expression and tears and snot were flowing.

It was an unavoidable human limitation, after all.

"I, my stomach, ugh, ow, achoo!"

Tang Nanah clutched her stomach and got up, leaving somewhere in an awkward, stumbling gait that was urgent yet clumsy.

"Did she eat something wrong?"

Qing muttered as she finished the rest of the cold tea.

This is really well-made.

I should ask for more.

And so, in the already darkening surroundings, only the sound of sneezing continued, gradually fading into the distance.

1. I forgot to put a footnote for this. But this actually says "Peng Ganom". However, as explained in an earlier chapter, the Ganom can mean "Guy/Bastard from that Clan". So, the nickname for Peng Daesan right now is "Peng Clan Guy".