The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 407 Divine Sword Manual (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Zhao Ti stood there, rubbing his temples, a slightly confused look on his face.

Although it was said that the severed hand was an evil deed, it still offended the other party. Why was he not angry, but instead said that he would help me find a way to get rid of the demon hand?
Shouldn't we have drawn our swords in a fit of rage and killed that lecherous scoundrel?

He would kill someone if he even glanced at their face, let alone touch a woman's body!
No, this is the second time I've seen Zhuge Qingqing's face. This time it lasted much longer than the last time, and I even made advances on her while she was in full view of him. I don't think she should let me off so easily.

Killing him wouldn't be enough to vent my anger, would it? Even if I didn't kill him, I should at least have injured him, right? Even if I didn't injure him, I should at least have given him a good beating.

Zhao Ti was puzzled and fell into deep thought.

"What are you thinking about, my dear brother?" A crow landed down from the sky and perched on his shoulder.

"I... I did all that just now, why didn't Miss Zhuge make a move?" Zhao Ti asked, frowning.

"What's there to think about? I saw and heard everything in the air just now. This girl must have fallen for you. Otherwise, let alone if you made a move, even if you just glanced at her face a couple of times, you would probably be bleeding on the spot," the crow said in a knowing tone.

"What? You've fallen for me?" Zhao Ti's eyes widened, a strange expression appearing on his face.

"That's right, there's only one explanation. Although I don't know many humans, I've seen quite a lot of things about you humans. Leaving aside ordinary marriages, if we're talking about extraordinary and wonderful matches, most of them involve wandering scholars and gentle ladies, chivalrous women and scholars."

"A playboy and a lady? A chivalrous woman and a scholar?" Zhao Ti's lips twitched, wondering what kind of logic this was.
However, upon further reflection, he realized that Zhuge Qingqing was actually quite good. Although she had kidnapped him, she was not an unreasonable person. Moreover, she was stunningly beautiful and skilled in both literature and martial arts. Since he had been involved with her, he should take responsibility.

“Brother, if you want to marry that girl, it’s probably not possible right now. After all, she is the legitimate daughter of a noble family. You would need to pass the imperial examination with flying colors to barely qualify,” Crow said with a smile, observing Zhao Ti’s expression.

"Although many extraordinary romances in the world involve prodigal sons and virtuous ladies, or chivalrous women and scholars, few have a good ending. Let's not use the excuse of matching social status, as that is a low-class approach. We should always remind ourselves that a man should be self-reliant and strive to improve ourselves."

"I understand..." Zhao Ti nodded. He naturally understood the reasoning behind it. He was neither a bookworm who only knew how to study and was ignorant of the ways of the world, nor a refined scoundrel who ruined people's reputation. He knew how to do things perfectly and beautifully.

"It's good that you know, my dear brother." Crow nodded: "With your talent, passing the imperial examination will be no problem. In the human race, those who want to rise in rank and gain power often need background and foundation as a supplement. If you can get on the Zhuge family's big ship, your future will be limitless."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti said awkwardly, "Brother Ya, what are you saying? Not only is it still far from being established, but also, how can a man rely on a woman to make a name for himself in this world? Let alone a woman's family. I would never do that. I can only rely on myself. I refuse to believe that I cannot make a name for myself."

"That's your own business, brother. You can decide for yourself how to think it through and what to do," the crow chuckled. "The young lady has already gone far away. Aren't you going home, brother?"

"Go home, go home." Zhao Ti nodded. "I'm so tired, I need to rest early tonight. By the way, Brother Ya, about this left hand..."

He looked at his left arm and said helplessly, "I can't control this hand. I've already caused trouble today. Fortunately, Miss Zhuge is understanding and won't hold it against me. But what if I cause trouble again in the future?"

The crow ruffled its neck feathers with its wings and said in a strange voice, "That little girl from the Zhuge family also said that it was your idea that first influenced the demonic hand, which is why the demonic hand suddenly made that... move. It was just an extension of your thoughts. As long as you don't overthink things, this hand shouldn't act recklessly."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Ya mentioned this to me before. It was my own life force that affected the severed hand. Therefore, my thoughts and actions might stimulate and extend to the severed hand, causing it to act on its own. But has Brother Ya forgotten that I was dragged to the corner to dig soil in my sleep this morning? I feel that there is still a lot of demonic energy left in this hand. In addition to being affected by me, it may also trigger some inexplicable behaviors on its own."

The crow pondered for a moment: "What you say is quite true, my brother. What happened this morning does seem a bit illogical, as if there really is no reason for it. If you still have concerns, I think it would be better if..."

"How about we do it?" Zhao Ti asked.

"Why not tie up this left hand when sleeping or when there are many people around? Anyway, my brother isn't left-handed, so it won't affect him too much," Crow pondered.

"Tie him up?" Zhao Ti's lips twitched. "That's one way... It seems like this is the only option. It's not elegant, but it's safer and there's no problem with it."

As he spoke, he turned and walked out of the woods. A crow perched on his shoulder, its rays reflecting off his clothes in the setting sun, making them look strangely golden.

As they entered Chunyu Street, Zhao Ti asked, "Brother Ya, Miss Zhuge said that practicing martial arts would help to heal the severed hand sooner, is that true?"

The crow nodded, and its voice entered his mind: "Martial arts can indeed help to expel or refine that severed hand. You may consider it, my brother. Since you already have family martial arts, I will not teach you. The human martial arts I know are not some great peerless techniques."

Zhao Ti said, "I understand. I'll think about it."

The two arrived at the entrance of Xinghua Lane, where a man in his thirties, dressed rather well, came out to greet them. He looked at Zhao Ti and asked in surprise, "Why is Da Lang carrying a bird?"

Zhao Ti recognized Du San as his neighbor, who usually ran a small business in a rented stall on Sihai Street. He couldn't help but laugh and say, "So it's Uncle Du San. This one flew in from out of town. It's quite intelligent and will be perfect to keep."

It was already getting dark. Du San rubbed his eyes, leaned closer to look at the crow, and immediately took a step back: "Ugh, I thought it was a hawk, how come it's this wretched thing? What's Dalang keeping this thing for?"

The crow was displeased upon hearing this. It darted its crimson eyes over the other person and let out a low "caw".

Zhao Ti hurriedly said, "Uncle Du, there's no need for so many explanations. Since we've met, it must be fate. Maybe it will fly away in a while."

Du San said, "Brother, go home. I'm going to watch the opera. As for this bird... I think we should release it as soon as possible."

Zhao Ti said, "I understand."

Du San nodded, humming a little tune, and swayed as he walked out of the alley.

Zhao Ti continued walking home, and after a moment entered the courtyard. He saw Zhao Ling'er using a bamboo pole to poke at the small, green apricots on the tree. Seeing him enter, she dropped the bamboo pole and ran into the house, shouting, "Big Pot's back! Big Pot's back..."

As Zhao Ti entered the room, his mother asked in surprise, "Why are you so late today, Ti'er?"

Zhao Ti dared not mention strolling in the grove with Zhuge Qingqing, only saying that the teacher was in a very high mood in class today and lectured until very late before dismissing the class.

Zhao's mother hurriedly called him to eat, but he only took a bite before going out to his room.

Seeing him leave, Zhao's mother whispered to Zhao's father, "Ti'er has the scent of cosmetics and orchids on him."

Upon hearing this, Zhao's father was immediately shocked: "How can there be such a girl's aura here?"

Zhao's mother said, "What's the big deal? Ti'er is all grown up now. All the other kids his age in the neighborhood are already married."

Father Zhao retorted angrily, "How can that be the same? If he didn't study and started a family early, that would be one thing. But he has only obtained the lowest degree of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) and hasn't even taken the provincial examinations yet. How can he be preoccupied with romance?" Mother Zhao said calmly, "He always looks down on the court and the aristocratic families. Why is he suddenly so concerned about academic success?"

Zhao's father was stunned for a moment: "How can that be the same thing? The court is corrupt and the aristocratic families are declining. Men should study to govern the country, save the country with their knowledge, turn the tide, and prevent the building from collapsing."

Zhao's mother rolled her eyes at him upon hearing this: "What nonsense are you talking about? Aren't you afraid that someone will overhear you and bring you to justice?"

Father Zhao's face twitched, and he chuckled, "What's there to be afraid of? I wasn't afraid back then, so I'm even less afraid now. No, I have to go ask Ti'er which family's girl he's involved with. If this continues, it's bound to interfere with his studies..."

"Don't ask," Zhao's mother shook her head. "Children are shy. If you ask, they won't tell you, but they might resent it and won't be able to study properly."

“He, that brat dares to…” Zhao’s father snorted, but ultimately did not get up: “Of all things, only studying is noble. What in the world is more important than studying!”

Looking at him, Zhao's mother suddenly smiled and said, "After all these years, you still can't forget Donghai Lingbo?"

“What, what Donghai Ling… Bo…” Zhao’s father was stunned for a moment, then lowered his voice: “What are you doing?”

Zhao's mother said leisurely, "Back then, the Fairy Lingbo of the East Sea said something that you still remember to this day. You couldn't read, so you told your son that he must study well. You even made up a lie about catching the Four Treasures of the Study during a lucky draw to deceive Ti'er. And you still dare to say that you don't remember and that you didn't do such a thing?"

“I, I…” Zhao’s father’s eyes widened: “I’m not talking to you anymore. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t remember those things from the past. Don’t try to get me to admit that I never even thought about them.”

With that, he stood up angrily and walked outside: "I'm going outside for some fresh air."

Zhao's mother said, "I am pleased if my son does well in his studies, but it doesn't matter if he doesn't. If he can find a good marriage and marry a good girl, his future may not be worse than passing the imperial examination."

Upon hearing this, Zhao's father froze, muttering, "A woman's view, a woman's view..."

After he finished speaking, he didn't dare wait for Zhao's mother to reply. He slipped out the door and disappeared after a few swaying motions.

Seeing this, Zhao's mother smiled slightly, pondered for a moment, and then sighed softly.

At this moment, Zhao Ti sat in the room staring at Crow. Crow said, "Do your parents often quarrel, my dear brother?"

Zhao Ti said, "It's been a regular occurrence since I was a child."

The crow tilted its head: "Why does it sound like they're flirting to me?"

Zhao Ti said awkwardly, "Brother Ya, you're joking. Not at all, there's no such thing..."

The crow laughed and said, "I really don't understand the affairs of your human race. Never mind, I'm going out now. My dear brother, you should get some rest too."

Zhao Ti nodded, and the crow flew out of the window, which then closed without any wind.

He glanced at the newly lit candle, sat at the table for a moment, and couldn't help but think of what had happened in the grove by the river. His face suddenly felt hot.

Then he closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of all distracting thoughts, but various fanciful ideas came over him, making him feel very uneasy.

Finally, he took a deep breath, stood up, and walked towards the box next to the wall.

Zhao Ti approached the box and looked at one of the openings, where two martial arts manuals left by Yang Jian were pressed at the bottom.

He wanted to take a look, even though he had never intended to open even half a page before, and planned to start studying it after he had mastered his studies. But times have changed, and now that he was under a spell, he might as well start studying it ahead of time.

He opened the box and immediately saw the small coffin on top of it.

The small coffin was crystal clear, shimmering with iridescent light under the flickering candlelight, faintly revealing the tiny, delicate body inside.

Zhao Ti thought for a moment, picked up the small coffin, turned around and placed it on the table, then went back to the box.

He kept those two manuals at the very bottom, afraid that he might see them and be tempted to read them when he looked for other books.

He reached into the bottom of the box and pulled out two books a few moments later, one golden and one dark blue.

The golden Yang Jian said it was a secret internal energy cultivation manual passed down through the Yang family, called the Four Illuminations Divine Skill; the blue one was a sword manual obtained from elsewhere, called the Peach Blossom Sword Technique.

Zhao Ti looked at the two books and couldn't help but ponder. Martial arts manuals were very valuable, and there were no manuals openly sold on the market. As for those selling manuals in the market, they were almost certainly fake.

In places like boxing gyms, secret manuals are not passed down directly; they are taught orally, for fear that they might be accidentally leaked if written down.

Therefore, apart from the common, simple boxing and sword manuals that are readily available in the world, any secret manuals are extremely rare.

Yang Jian said that the Four Illuminations Divine Skill is one of the most powerful martial arts in the world, and it is so rare that it cannot be bought with any amount of money. Even among the Yang family, not everyone can master it. It depends on both talent and temperament before the best can be selected to pass it on.

Zhao Ti was skeptical of this, since he had never heard his mother mention that anyone in the Yang family knew martial arts. Perhaps some aristocratic families did, but for a small family like the Yang family to possess a secret manual was already unthinkable, let alone a manual that was worth a fortune.

There's also the Peach Blossom Sword Manual. Yang Jianyan obtained it by exploring an ancient ruin. The sword techniques inside are extremely exquisite and would be considered top-notch in the martial arts world. Zhao Ti didn't quite believe it. How could one obtain a martial arts manual just by casually exploring some ancient ruins?
Zhao Ti examined the two books in his hands. According to Yang Jian, the Four Illuminations Divine Skill was one of the most powerful martial arts techniques in the world. Once mastered, it could form four pillars of light to protect the body, making one immune to all poisons and external forces, and granting unparalleled internal strength, allowing one to unleash almost any martial arts technique.

The other party didn't seem to be joking at the time, but could they really be that powerful? He was very skeptical; it was unlikely that the Yang family, a small and humble household, would possess such formidable martial arts.

Zhao Ti walked back to the table with the two books, then put down the blue Peach Blossom Sword Manual and held the golden Four Illuminations Divine Skill in his palm.

He thought for a few moments, then reached out and gently turned the first page of the Four Illuminations Divine Skill.

At that very moment, a mirror-like surface of water rippled before my eyes, and in an instant, the space seemed to undulate and vibrate incessantly; the scene changed completely in a flash…

(End of this chapter)