Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

The Zhenguo General's Mansion, in front of the vermilion gate.

Four armored guards stood tall and proud.

A petite figure tiptoed into the gate, and the four people immediately bowed and spoke.

"Miss, you're back!"

"Shh... don't let my dad hear us."

Qing Shuang quickly raised her hand to her lips, signaling them to keep their voices down.

She tilted her head and looked into the vermilion gate.

Her father was very strict with her. Yesterday, he found out she had been drinking and confined her to her quarters for three days. She sneaked out today.

A guard explained, "Miss, the General and the Young General, along with the imperial envoys, have already headed to the Yan Kingdom's territory outside Yanmen Pass to take back the cities that Yan Kingdom has surrendered to us."

Upon learning that her father was not there, Qing Shuang breathed a sigh of relief. She abandoned her usual cautious steps and strode into the mansion, heading straight for the back garden.

The back garden of the General's Mansion.

Under the grapevines, an elderly man with gray hair leaned back in a chair.

His arms hung limply at his sides, his body looked loose and powerless, but a sharp glint shone deep within his cloudy eyes.

Several mosquitoes buzzed and hovered around his ears.

The old man casually waved his hand, and the mosquitoes flew away temporarily, but soon flew back.

He raised his hand again, but his arm fell limply down halfway through the air.

The old man sighed deeply and said slowly, "When you get old, you really become useless. I, Xiao Zhenyue, have spent half my life on the battlefield, killing countless enemies, but I never imagined that in my old age, I couldn't even defeat a mere mosquito..."

Footsteps sounded behind her. Qing Shuang walked to the old man's side and casually swatted a few mosquitoes to death.

Seeing General Xiao's dejected appearance, Qing Shuang asked with heartache, "Grandpa, are you alright?"

General Xiao slowly raised his arm, revealing a red and swollen mosquito bite. He sighed deeply and said, "My health is beyond repair. I can't even raise my hand to scratch an itch, let alone swat away mosquitoes..."

Qing Shuang suddenly remembered something and immediately took out the bottle of floral water that Chen Chang'an had given her. She gently applied it to the mosquito bites on General Xiao's arm, then asked expectantly, "Grandpa, is it still itchy?"

General Xiao looked down at the red and swollen area on his arm, paused for a moment, and then murmured, "Hmm, it seems to be itch-free now..."

He looked at the porcelain bottle in Qing Shuang's hand in surprise and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

"This is called floral water."

Qing Shuang blushed slightly, feeling a little embarrassed to say the name Qing Shuang Lu.

General Xiao's expression turned even more surprised, and he asked, "Floral water... how come I've never heard of it before?"

Qing Shuang said with a grin, "Grandpa, this is a new gadget. Of course you haven't heard of it before. It can repel mosquitoes and relieve itching, and it can also refresh your mind. I brought it back especially to show my respect to you..."

After saying that, she looked around and asked, "Grandpa, where are the servants and imperial physicians in the manor?"

General Xiao waved his hand gently, his eyes dim, and said, "This old man's body is only waiting to die; he doesn't need anyone to take care of him."

Qing Shuang grabbed General Xiao's hand, frowning as she said, "Grandpa, how can you think like that? The current state of Da Ning was built by you. What happened to your ambition from your youth?"

General Xiao gently patted Qing Shuang's hand and shook his head, saying, "Girl, you should go now. Grandpa wants to be alone for a while..."

"grandfather……"

Looking at General Xiao's dejected face, Qing Shuang sighed, lowered her head and remained silent for a moment before turning around and walking out.

……

A small courtyard in the south of the city.

Chen Chang'an sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding a brush, and scribbled on the plain white paper in front of him.

There were several simple line drawings on the paper, with a line of text next to each drawing.

"Repels mosquitoes and relieves itching, cleanses the skin and relieves stuffiness, refreshes the mind and relieves fatigue..."

With just a few strokes, he depicted the sight of mosquitoes swarming around and the refreshed look of guests after applying medicine.

With such a combination of text and images, it is simple and straightforward, allowing people to understand the effects of Qing Shuang Lu at a glance, even ordinary people can understand it at a glance.

At one point, his vision suddenly went dark.

A beautiful figure blocked his way.

"Frost?"

Chen Chang'an was taken aback for a moment, and subconsciously asked, "Coming here so late, are you here to fulfill your promise and teach me martial arts?"

Qing Shuang's previously worried mood eased slightly, and she readily nodded, saying, "Alright, I keep my word. If I say I'll teach you, I definitely will. As for whether you can learn it, that depends on your aptitude..."

Chen Chang'an immediately put down his pen, stood up, and became focused.

He actually wanted to learn kung fu more than doing business.

Qing Shuang raised her hands, sometimes circling her arms, sometimes pushing them out, a set of palm movements flowing smoothly like clouds and water.

After demonstrating, she withdrew her palm strikes, looked at Chen Chang'an, and said leisurely, "First, memorize these basic moves. Then I will teach you a set of internal energy cultivation techniques. If you can cultivate internal energy, even the simplest moves will unleash tremendous power..."

Chen Chang'an's eyes lit up. This world still has internal energy?

He said impatiently, "Teach me quickly!"

Qing Shuang pulled a thin booklet from her bosom and casually tossed it to him.

The cover of the booklet has three powerful characters written on it.

"The Art of Breaking the Army"

Qing Shuang crossed her arms and said, "This is our Xiao family's unique internal skill, the 'Breaking Army Technique.' You can practice it slowly on your own first. If you can develop internal energy within a year, it means you have good talent, and you might be able to become a second-rate master in the future..."

Chen Chang'an looked at the booklet in his hand and said in a low voice, "Po Jun Jue, what a domineering name."

Qing Shuang rolled her eyes at him and said, "Of course, my ancestors fought alongside the founding emperor to conquer the world. This cultivation method was personally named by the founding emperor. Stop talking nonsense and start practicing..."

Chen Chang'an opened the cover, and the first page was a diagram of the human body's meridians, marked with dense lines and the names of various acupoints.

He sat cross-legged on the stone slab in the courtyard, following the posture in the booklet, with his legs crossed and his palms facing up on his knees.

Qing Shuang circled around him, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "Your posture is alright. Now close your eyes, take a deep breath, clear your mind, and feel the area three inches below your lower abdomen. That's your dantian. Try to sense a warm current and gather it..."

Chen Chang'an nodded, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to shift his attention to his lower abdomen.

One minute.

Two minutes.

five minutes.

There was no heat flow at all.

His legs were starting to go numb.

Chen Chang'an opened his eyes, looking embarrassed, and said, "There's no heat..."

Qing Shuang gave him an annoyed look and said, "Of course not. Who do you think you are? It took me a month to sense the existence of internal energy..."

She patted Chen Chang'an on the shoulder and said, "Practice diligently and don't be lazy. Practice for an hour each morning and evening, and you'll gradually get the hang of it."

Chen Chang'an took another deep breath and continued to feel.

Qing Shuang squatted beside him, her small face showing worry, and murmured, "That palm technique I just used was taught to me by my grandfather. In his early years, he fought on the battlefield and was the God of War of our Great Ning. The foreign tribes from all directions would tremble at the mention of his name. Unfortunately, he is now old and plagued by old injuries. He is depressed all day long and can't muster any spirits. Alas..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Chang'an slowly opened his eyes.

If Qing Shuang was his master on his path of martial arts, then wouldn't Qing Shuang's grandfather be his grandmaster?

Besides, Qing Shuang has helped him so much; he has to repay this favor.

He pondered for a moment, then sat up from the ground, returned to the stone bench, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write on a piece of white paper.

Qing Shuang curiously leaned closer, examining the paper. Looking at the densely packed words, she asked, "What are you writing?"

Chen Chang'an didn't stop putting things away, and said, "I have a poem here for your grandfather, hoping it will be of some help to him..."