Me and countless me.

Chapter 512 The Northern Darkness Manual: A Blend of Art and Practicality
Li Ke did not believe that he was Duan Zhengchun's son. Although he felt a sense of kinship with the other man, it was more of a kinship of kindred spirits.

Although I don't know why I feel that familial affection for Duan Yu, I definitely don't feel that way about Duan Zhengchun!

Therefore, Li Ke unceremoniously revealed the official seal in his possession, letting Duan Zhengchun see his identity as a Hanlin scholar, before speaking to dissuade Duan Zhengchun from his idea.

“Lord Duan, I don’t know if you know this, but my mother is a princess and I am the son of the Duke of Li. I suppose you should know my birth date and time.”

Duan Zhengchun was taken aback.

"Duke Li... could you be Li Ke, the Silver Water Kirin, or the young Duke Li?"

Upon hearing the titles "Silver Water Qilin" and "Little Duke," Li Ke's lips twitched; he truly did not want to acknowledge these titles.

The Silver Water Qilin was initially referred to as the Drinking Water Qilin, a title given to him by a random fortune teller when his father was trying to promote him.

The reason he became known as the Silver Water Qilin is because when he organized a business event, he minted silver into silver coins and silver flowers, and filled a pool with them, letting the silver flow in the pool. Thus, he became known as the Silver Water Qilin, which means that he can bring everyone enough wealth.

This made him regret not using gold instead, since gold leaf wouldn't have cost much.

Alternatively, melting gold and pouring it in front of many adults would also be just as impressive, persuading them to invest their money in his business.

But there was no point in regretting it now, so he could only bow slightly and give an awkward yet polite smile.

"It's down."

After speaking, Li Ke gave a very formal bow, and Duan Zhengchun hurriedly responded with an official explanation, immediately assuming the identity of Prince Duan and the next crown prince, and spoke with a bit of nervousness.

"I wonder what brings you here today, Your Excellency?"

Duke Li came from a military family, while Xiao Guogong, though a merchant and scholar despised by the literati, was still one of the Emperor's own men. Therefore, he worried that the Emperor of Song might be planning something against Dali.

However, he couldn't help but wonder if he had inadvertently caused a huge disaster. After all, his closeness to Li Ke was undeniable, and the bloodline of the Duan family would not be mistaken.

However, he was also certain that he had no past relationship with the princess, but he had indeed spent time with quite a few young ladies from prominent families who concealed their identities.

"Could it be that she also concealed her true identity back then? It can't be that Yu'er and I were mistaken, right? There's never been such a thing about the Duan family's bloodline!"

Duan Zhengchun was genuinely confused. He was filled with doubts and didn't know how to face Li Ke. However, looking at Li Ke's displeased expression, he vaguely guessed why Li Ke was speaking to him like that.

"Yes, if the young duke is really my child, it would be a huge scandal for both Song and Li. Even if he really is my child, it would be best not to acknowledge him. Besides, even if the young duke really is my child, can I still give him a better life?"

Duan Zhengchun sighed softly, but he did wonder if he had made a mistake, or if the late emperor of the Song Dynasty had fathered Li Ke's mother with a woman of Duan blood. So he wanted to go back and look through the family genealogy to dispel his doubts.

Upon realizing this, Duan Zhengchun immediately cupped his hands in invitation.

"Since the young duke has finally come to Dali, we hope that he can allow us to fulfill our duties as hosts. Moreover, the young duke has also killed the four villains who were wreaking havoc in our territory. It is only right and proper that we fulfill our duties as hosts."

At this point, Zhong Ling returned to Li Ke's side, looking at him expectantly and tugging at his sleeve reluctantly, because she had a feeling that if she didn't do this, Li Ke might leave directly.

Therefore, Zhong Ling's eyes darted around, and then she spoke in a pitiful tone.

"Brother Li, can you take me home?"

At this moment, Zhong Ling's eyes seemed to be filled with tears, and her handsome face was full of reluctance and a look of impending tears. Li Ke couldn't help but grab Zhong Ling's hand and gently stroke her hair.

Such an intimate gesture made Zhong Ling and Duan Zhengchun's hearts skip a beat at the same time, but Zhong Ling felt joy and shyness, while Duan Zhengchun felt pure fear and astonishment.

He looked at Li Ke, wanting to say something but not daring to. However, if he didn't speak, looking into Zhong Ling's affectionate eyes, he knew very well what kind of feelings were in Zhong Ling's heart.

So he couldn't help pacing back and forth, and seemed somewhat anxious.

But at that moment, there was another commotion and the sound of hooves. Then a middle-aged man and a group of warriors rode up. After seeing that Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu were alright, the middle-aged man in the lead breathed a sigh of relief. Duan Zhengchun subconsciously took a step back and protected Zhong Ling behind him again.

Beside the middle-aged man, a woman in white was looking in their direction, eyeing Zhong Ling with suspicion. Li Ke also subconsciously looked at the woman's face, only to see a Taoist nun whose face was no different from that of a young girl.

When their eyes met, Li Ke thought he was seeing a princess and felt a strange sense of familiarity. The woman also had the same feeling at that moment, looking at Duan Yu and Li Ke with surprise, as well as Duan Zhengchun on the side.

Her pink lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something or shout something, but looking at Zhong Ling in Duan Zhengchun and Li Ke's arms, she ultimately couldn't say anything.

However, when she looked at Zhong Ling, her expression would always change into a complex and fierce one. But Li Ke and Duan Zhengchun could both tell that the other party's attitude towards Zhong Ling was quite complicated, and it was best not to let Zhong Ling meet her formally.

Moreover, Duan Zhengchun immediately realized that his wife, Dao Baifeng, with whom he had been separated for twenty years, had already guessed that Zhong Ling was actually his illegitimate daughter. Therefore, he couldn't care less about inviting Li Ke to Tianlong Temple to check the family genealogy, and instead hurriedly spoke in a low voice.

"Oh no, Your Excellency, please escort Zhong Ling away first! Otherwise, things will get complicated!"

The Duan clan relied heavily on Dao Baifeng's tribe to maintain their throne in Dali. Therefore, Duan Zhengchun did not want Dao Baifeng to see Zhong Ling at this moment, and thus forgot Li Ke's identity and spoke hastily.

Upon hearing this, Li Ke no longer had any doubts about why the woman's eyes were so complicated, so he grabbed Zhong Ling and left the place in a few leaps, leaving only Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu behind.

After Li Ke left, Duan Zhengchun realized what he had said, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could only sigh helplessly and carefully approach his elder brother, Duan Siming, to tell him what had happened. This made Duan Siming wonder if any of his ancestors had married into the Song Dynasty royal family.

Dao Baifeng merely checked Duan Yu for injuries, completely ignoring Duan Zhengchun. Duan Zhengchun was happy she wouldn't bother him, assuming she was simply too lazy to argue. He and his elder brother, Duan Zhengming, hurriedly went to Tianlong Temple to check the family genealogy. Li Ke, naturally, wouldn't take Zhong Ling home as Duan Zhengchun had suggested. He was now certain he had no connection to Duan Zhengchun. Although he wasn't sure why he felt a sense of familiarity with Duan Yu and the others, he assumed it was due to some aspect of Li Ke's talent, and his mindset returned to normal.

Therefore, he also remembered his most important purpose for coming here.

"Northern Darkness Divine Art".

So, Li Ke, with Zhong Ling in his arms, used his incredible lightness skill and high speed—which seemed unbelievable to people in this world—to wander through Wuliang Mountain, shuttling through the mist, like an immortal being banished to heaven.

Zhong Ling clung tightly to Li Ke, who carried her through the misty clouds, making her feel as if she were in a dream.

Especially when Li Ke lightly touched the ground with his toes, he carried her into the air, and after a few spins in mid-air, he lightly touched the air and flew over a hundred feet. She couldn't help but stare at Li Ke in a daze and asked as if in a dream.

"Brother Li, are you perhaps an immortal?"

Li Ke chuckled softly, then playfully flicked Zhong Ling's nose.

"Of course not. There should be no immortals in this world. However, if one's martial arts skills are practiced to a high level, it wouldn't be wrong to call them immortals."

As they spoke, Li Ke had already found the location of the Boundless Jade Cave. After all, it was not difficult for him. The reason why the people of the Boundless Sword Sect could not find it was because their lightness skills were not up to par. If their lightness skills were like his, allowing them to fly dozens of feet at will and to use the air for leverage, then they would definitely not have failed to find the Boundless Jade Cave.

But then again, if they had such lightness skills, they might not even look down on the Northern Darkness Divine Skill.

As he spoke, Li Ke's figure floated down into the deep valley, landing in front of the stone wall where the ancestors of the Wuliang Sword Sect had seen the immortals dancing with swords.

Interestingly, the Wuliang Sword Sect was originally an obscure little sect, but after seeing the shadows of the masters of this place, Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui, dancing with their swords and reflected on the stone wall, they learned a few tricks from their swordsmanship, and the entire Wuliang Sword Sect flourished from then on.

Although it is still a second- or third-rate sect, it is considered a local power in Dali.

According to the original novel, Li Ke opened the stone blocking the entrance and, together with Zhong Ling, entered the Wuliang Jade Cave, which concealed the Northern Darkness Divine Art and the Lingbo Steps. After passing through a dark cave and pushing open a large door, Li Ke and Zhong Ling finally arrived inside the Wuliang Jade Cave.

After passing a woman's bedroom, Li Ke finally saw the huge crystal embedded in the ceiling of the cave, and the sunlight refracted from the crystal!
The crystal is enormous, and thanks to the lake's currents, it's free of any dirt or seaweed. Instead, one can clearly see koi and shrimp swimming on it. The dappled light and shimmering water, refracted by the crystal, illuminate the stone chamber in a dreamlike, mesmerizing way.

This scene would be extremely destructive to modern people, let alone Zhong Ling, who has been living in Wan Jie Valley in this era.

She stared intently at everything underwater, shrinking into Li Ke's arms with a hint of fear, yet unable to resist the urge to look, and murmuring to herself.

“Brother Li, I only followed you for half a day, and I witnessed some amazing scenes that I have never seen in my entire life. This is truly…”

Zhong Ling didn't know what to say. She felt that the first half of her life had been a blur, nothing compared to the half-day she spent with Li Ke.

She especially cherished the feeling of nestling in Li Ke's arms and occasionally touching his hand.

However, Li Ke is now more interested in seeing famous scenic spots.

He went straight to the room where the jade statue was kept, and sure enough, he saw a very beautiful jade statue of a woman in palace attire. The statue was so lifelike that it was painted with a lot of paint and looked exactly like a real person.

And he did see a prayer mat at the foot of the statue. He didn't have Duan Yu's crazy idea, but just as he was about to tear the prayer mat open, he heard the sound of a machine as soon as he picked it up!
Without hesitation, Li Ke released his inner energy into the ground, instantly destroying the mechanism and stopping the activation of the device. This made Li Ke realize that Duan Yu's good fortune was indeed extraordinary.

"If anyone else came here, they would either be unable to find it or be killed by the traps."

Li Ke shook his head, tore open the prayer mat, and then opened the martial arts manual he had long wanted to see.

He only glanced at Lingbo Weibu before tossing it aside, as its use of the I Ching and Bagua was rather rudimentary and not worth reading. While the Beiming Divine Art had a good premise, it had numerous flaws. Moreover, Li Ke could tell at a glance that the manual had been tampered with. It would be invincible against others, but against the person who left it, not only would they not be able to absorb the manual's power, but their own power might even be absorbed by the other party, making them a pawn in someone else's scheme.

but……

"Who says ancient painters couldn't paint realistically?"

Looking at the various postures of walking, sitting, and lying down, Li Ke couldn't help but nod. This was because the artist who drew this manual was so skilled that it was unparalleled throughout history. Not only was it incredibly realistic, but it also gave people a feeling of exquisite beauty.

Although the woman in the manual is depicted in various martial arts movements, the numerous blank spaces and strange gestures suggest that someone must be supporting her in making these movements, and that it is quite...

Tender and lingering.

It is a work that achieves both artistic and practical success!

Therefore, when the Northern Darkness Divine Art saw Li Ke's fiery enthusiasm, it was so excited that it not only completed the Northern Darkness Divine Art that had been secretly sabotaged, but also created a powerful technique in its mind that could complement the Northern Darkness Divine Art and make up for each other's shortcomings when cultivated together, resulting in rapid progress!

With such miraculous skills and profound knowledge, Li Ke really wished he could share the secrets of the Northern Darkness with others right now!

So when he glanced at the jade statue, he thought of Li Qiushui. Madam Wang and Wang Yuyan looked extremely similar, so he couldn't help but nod.

"Hmm, it seems necessary to go see Wang Yuyan. Her Lesser Formless Skill should also be a top-notch manual..."

But at that moment, Zhong Ling spoke in a panicked and shy voice.

"Brother Li...you, you actually watch this kind of stuff!"

(End of this chapter)