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Chapter 86: Perfect Qi Circulation
With this remark, Xue Lingxue began to regard Lord Xia with admiration.
Initially, she thought he was just a debauched and frivolous young noble, but her impression of him changed after these two interactions. It seemed that his temper was surprisingly good. In the midst of the imperial family and nobility, maintaining such composure was indeed no easy feat.
Of course, Chu Liang was well aware of the situation. He also understood that Lord Xia's temper would likely change shortly. So, he took advantage of this uncharacteristic moment of calmness and quickly asked another question.
"Lord Xia, I have something I'd like to ask," Chu Liang stated.
"What is it?" Xia An replied.
He was unusually approachable at the moment.
"I happened to encounter a young lady earlier. She mentioned that her elder sister went missing near the Li Family Estate, and the servants in the Li Family Estate claimed to have seen you talking to the missing girl the last time you visited. Do you recall this?" Chu Liang inquired.
Unaware of the House of the Mountain-Subjugating Marquess's illicit activities, Chu Liang assumed Xia An's interaction with Liu Xiaoyu'er's sister was a normal encounter and asked about it without reservation.
Lin Bei was supposed to inquire about this the previous night. However, upon his return, he mentioned that he bumped into Lord Xia discussing secretive matters in the pavilion, making it inconvenient for him to approach at that time.
With no other choice, Chu Liang decided to ask the question himself.
Although Lord Xia couldn't get angry due to the lingering effects of the Evil-Dispelling Spell, he could maintain his rationality. Upon hearing Chu Liang's question, he tensed up.
If this question had been asked earlier, he might have simply handed over Liu Xiaoyu, allowing her to return home with her little sister. After all, his current target was Xue Lingxue.
However, it was currently unknown as to whether the fish demon was still alive. Furthermore, she had gained knowledge of the crucial secrets of the House of the Mountain-Subjugating Marquess.
How could Xia An disclose her whereabouts?
Maintaining an unchanged expression, he feigned contemplation for a moment before responding, "Throughout my time in this estate, I've engaged in numerous social interactions and encountered countless individuals. Remembering every detail is quite challenging. Let me go back and ask my entourage's servants to see if they have any information."
"Very well," Chu Liang acknowledged. "I appreciate your assistance."
Xia An then bade farewell to Xue Lingxue and left the premises calmly.
Observing his departing figure, Xue Lingxue felt somewhat perplexed and chuckled lightly. "I thought he was about to cause a scene earlier. Surprisingly, he's a very approachable person."
Chu Liang nodded. "Indeed."
...
Chu Liang then looked at Xue Lingxue and asked, "Miss Xue, have you made up your mind about what I asked you yesterday?"
Chu Liang came to see Xue Lingxue today with a specific purpose.
During his collaboration on stage the previous day, Xue Lingxue's performance of the "Morale-Boosting Melody: The Rise of the Azure Waves" had triggered the flawless execution of the Nine Heavens Profound Heart Technique. The musical piece had elicited a remarkable display of the Heavenly Qi-Circulation Phenomenon.
While this alone was impressive, the pivotal revelation was that the Large-Headed Doll inside the White Pagoda within his body had also been affected by the melody. Its speed of qi circulation had increased several-fold, attaining a state of perfection.
After the performance came to a sudden stop, the qi circulation naturally returned to its normal pace. Without the accompaniment of the musical piece, his current level wasn't high enough to achieve a Perfect Qi Circulation.
But...
To his astonishment, he soon discovered that the big-headed puppet inside his body continued to maintain the Perfect Qi Circulation. In other words, it persisted in sustaining a cultivation speed several times faster than before.
This revelation pleasantly surprised him.
After a moment of contemplation, Chu Liang guessed the reason behind it.
The Qi-Circulation Puppet had utilized the same speed and meridian channels as his own body, akin to copying a template. Therefore, its prior cultivation speed mirrored his normal cultivation.
However, upon achieving the Perfect Qi Circulation, the cultivation speed surpassed previous occurrences significantly, despite the identical meridian channels. The puppet seemed to have a mechanism where, if a faster cultivation template existed, it would overwrite the previous one, selecting the optimal cultivation template.
In essence, although he briefly achieved a Perfect Qi Circulation and couldn't replicate it independently, the puppet retained the memory! Now, it could perpetually maintain this state.
Not only could the Large-Headed Doll cultivate incessantly, but it could also cultivate at a speed four or five times faster. Previously, Chu Liang's cultivation progress was constrained by his limited talent. Even with the puppet working tirelessly, there was still a gap when compared to top cultivation geniuses.
With this enhancement, he might be able to rival any genius in the pure cultivation speed of the technique in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten.
It was truly a stroke of luck.
However, there was one minor flaw with this new blueprint.
Last night, the Major Qi-Circulation Technique was not executed until the very end. The music came to an abrupt halt, and the Large-Headed Doll had only managed to replicate half of the Perfect Qi Circulation. As the circulation progressed to the middle stage, its speed reverted to the original pace.
Previously, the Large-Headed Doll resembled an old man pushing a cart—slow but not abnormal. Presently, the speed resembled having eight spirited horses pulling the cart in the first half, only to abruptly revert to the state of the old man pushing the cart in the second half, inevitably leading to a sense of disappointment.
And so, Chu Liang sought out Xue Lingxue, claiming that he had gained insights from the Qi-Circulation Phenomenon and hoped she could play the "Morale-Boosting Melody: The Rise of the Azure Waves" again to help him recover that state.
Xue Lingxue agreed and asked him to come back the next day, leading to today's meeting.
Upon hearing Chu Liang's question, Xue Lingxue smiled and replied, "Of course! It's just a musical piece. It doesn't require much effort. Even if Young Master Chu hadn't asked, I would have practiced more before the performance."
"Thank you very much, Miss Xue," Chu Liang sincerely expressed his gratitude. "It's not right to let Miss Xue play this song for nothing. If there's anything you need, please feel free to let me know."
He aimed to abide by the principles of the martial world, offering an equivalent exchange.
Xue Lingxue made it sound effortless. However, being entertained by an inner disciple of the South Melody Conservatory was no ordinary privilege. Moreover, the benefits he gained from this song far exceeded the benefits and knowledge acquired by Xue Lingxue. Naturally, he was reluctant to accept favors without offering reciprocation.
However, Xue Lingxue simply shook her head lightly and remarked, "I will take this opportunity to use your name to decline those other bothersome invitations. Let's call this an exchange."
Xue Lingxue was well aware of the situation. She had used the meeting with Chu Liang as a reason to turn down Lord Xia's invitation earlier, which would cause Chu Liang to be hated. And now, the act of agreeing to Chu Liang's minor request seemed to be a fair and reasonable form of compensation.
Chu Liang smiled slightly.
Xue Lingxue was a person who understood the ways of the world. Indeed, individuals in the martial world handled matters with meticulous care.
Without much preamble, Xue Lingxue opened the case and retrieved her own qin.
Her chosen qin was also a renowned instrument of the time, not inferior in value to the sandalwood kite-shaped guqin from the previous day. Furthermore, she was more familiar with this one, resulting in a more effective performance.
Twang! Zing!
The rapid melody of the qin flowed through the room.
Chu Liang sat upright in his original spot and started executing the Divine Nine's Profound Mental Cultivation Technique, mirroring the process from the previous night. As the Major Qi-Circulation Technique continued at full speed, the Large-Headed Doll inside his body started emanating a golden glow.
Boom!
Smoke and mist once again spewed forth.
After he transferred some of his divine consciousness into the White Pagoda, he watched as the Large-Headed Doll's body glowed with golden light, capturing every detail of the flawless execution of the Divine Nine's Profound Mental Cultivation Technique while activating the Major Qi-Circulation Technique. He couldn't help but feel extremely pleased.
Upon completion of the recording, his cultivation speed would undergo an even more significant leap—an unexpected delight he had never considered happening.
At this moment, he couldn't help but be reminded of the practice of playing music for cows on some ranches to enhance milk production.
Inviting a disciple of the South Melody Conservatory to play the qin for the Large-Headed Doll today seemed to share similarities with such practices.
It appeared that improving the well-being of employees was indeed essential to yield positive results.
On one hand, employers extended benefits, and on the other, they exerted pressure. They engaged in both practices as each held significant importance.