Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Chapter 4 Only by governing with sincerity can one achieve lasting success.

As autumn deepens, the paulownia leaves in Xianyang Palace are scattered all over the ground, rustling underfoot.

Qin Chuan is "sick".

First, I had a low-grade fever at night, and my cheeks were abnormally flushed. Then I started coughing, and the phlegm I coughed up contained traces of blood.

After examining the pulse, the imperial physician frowned and reported to Ying Zheng: "It seems that there is miasma accumulating in the young master's body, which is different from ordinary colds. The pulse is weak and floating, but there is also restlessness. I'm afraid it's... difficult to handle."

Ying Zheng gripped the imperial physician's diagnosis slip tightly, his knuckles turning white. He immediately sent for Consort Yan, his tone more urgent than ever before.

When Yan Fei arrived, Qin Chuan was curled up on the couch, his face as pale as paper, but his lips were bright red.

The Fire Marrow Crystal pendant was attached to his chest, and the red light inside had dimmed considerably, as if it were being suppressed by something.

"Your Excellency Dongjun, please take a look at Brother Chuan!"

Ying Zheng's voice tightened, and he stepped aside to make way.

Yan Fei placed her fingertips on Qin Chuan's wrist, her expression instantly turning serious.

The miasma that seeped into the Fire Marrow Crystal actually entangled with the spontaneous Fire Spiritual Energy within his body, like two fighting snakes, devouring and nourishing each other, stirring up his already weakened meridians into chaos.

But what alarmed her even more was that, amidst this chaos, the purity of the fire elemental energy was three points higher than the day before.

This is not being suppressed by miasma at all; it is clearly using poison to fight poison and taking the opportunity to temper oneself!

"How is it?" Ying Zheng pressed, his gaze fixed on her.

Yan Fei withdrew her hand, the golden light at her fingertips trembling slightly.

She looked at the "drowsy" boy on the bed. Tears still clung to his eyelashes, as if he were enduring great pain, but his tightly pursed lips concealed a faint, resolute determination that did not belong to a child.

"It's because the miasma from the Fire Marrow Crystal clashes with the young master's Fire-based talent."

Yan Fei suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and her voice deepened:

"Ordinary medicines are ineffective; only the 'Quenching Technique' in 'Initial Explanation of the Separation of Fire' can purify the Separation of Fire and expel the miasma. If this continues, it may damage the heart meridian."

This time, Ying Zheng did not hesitate. He turned to the eunuch behind him and said, "Prepare the carriage; we're going to the Prime Minister's residence."

When Lü Buwei heard that the King of Qin wanted to borrow the secret scriptures from the Yin-Yang School's Library, he initially declined, saying, "The Library is a forbidden area of ​​the Yin-Yang School; borrowing it rashly might bring disaster..."

"Prime Minister," Ying Zheng interrupted him, his eyes sharp as knives, "If anything happens to Brother Chuan, I will dismantle the Yin-Yang School's residence in Xianyang. When Donghuang Taiyi holds me accountable, I will take full responsibility."

Looking at the fierce look in the eyes of the young King of Qin, Lü Buwei suddenly understood.

This is not a request, it's a threat.

He remained silent for a moment before finally relenting: "It can be borrowed, but a disciple of the Yin-Yang School must accompany and guard it, and it can only be perused within the Xianyang Palace; it cannot be taken out of the palace."

When the news reached Qin Chuan, he was "awake" and leaning against the couch drinking medicine.

The medicine was very bitter, and he frowned, but obediently swallowed it.

Yanfei sat at the table beside him, watching him drink the medicine, and suddenly said, "The 'Initial Explanation of Li Huo' will arrive tomorrow. At that time, I will teach you the 'Quenching Technique'."

Qin Chuan looked up, her eyes sparkling: "If I learn it... it won't hurt anymore?"

"Mmm." Yan Fei responded, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the flame pattern on her cuff. "Once I learn it, it won't hurt anymore."

Looking at the boy's innocent smiling face, she felt a mix of complex emotions churning within her.

The tests of the past few days have made it clear that he is by no means stupid.

But why would he pretend? Was it for self-preservation, or was it at the behest of the King of Qin?

What bothered her even more was that every time she looked into his eyes, she could see a deep, unsettling quality behind his innocent expression—like a starry sky she had never set foot in.

The following afternoon, a disciple of the Yin-Yang School arrived carrying a gilded box.

The box was engraved with intricate seals, and when it was opened, a pure fire elemental aura rushed out.

The bamboo slips of "Li Huo Chu Jie" lay inside, with ancient seal characters written in cinnabar on the yellowed bamboo pieces.

Yanfei took the bamboo slips and spread them out on the table.

"The 'Quenching Technique' emphasizes controlling fire with intention, first observing the form of the fire, then understanding its nature..."

As she explained, she caught a glimpse of Qin Chuan's gaze fixed on the bamboo slips. His expression was not one of bewilderment at a book written in a foreign language, but rather... scrutiny.

It was as if he was assessing whether the text on the bamboo slips met his expectations.

"Here," Qin Chuan suddenly pointed to the line "Fire needs wood to grow, but too much rigidity will easily break it," his voice sounding silly, "the wood... will burn to ashes."

This means that although the fire is intense, it needs the spiritual energy of the wood element to harmonize it in order to last.

When ordinary people first learn, they will only remember "borrowing wood to grow", but he can immediately think of "the wood will be burned" - this is questioning the limitations of the classics.

She suppressed the shock in her heart and patiently explained, "This wood is not that wood; it refers to the 'softness' of the wood element's spiritual energy, not the physical object..."

"Then what about using soil?" Qin Chuan asked again, drawing a crooked circle on the table with his finger. "Soil can contain fire, so it won't burn."

Yan Fei was completely stunned.

Enveloping the fire with earth elemental energy can prevent it from becoming too intense and allow the earth's weight to store its power.

This is the core essence of the Yin-Yang School's advanced secret technique, "Earth Fire Technique," which was casually revealed by a "foolish child."

She suddenly looked at Qin Chuan.

The boy was looking down, intently drawing circles on the table, with crumbs of pastry from the morning still on the corner of his mouth, looking completely oblivious to what he was saying.

But Yanfei felt that there must be a pair of smiling eyes hidden under those lowered eyelids.

“What you said…makes a good point.” She composed herself, her voice trembling slightly. “Perhaps we can give it a try.”

In the following days, the people of Xianyang Palace noticed that Dongjun Yanfei was spending increasingly more time in Prince Yingchuan's bedchamber.

Sometimes he would explain the bamboo slips, sometimes he would demonstrate spells, and occasionally the boy's silly giggles would be heard, or Yan Fei's low, smiling response would be heard.

Ying Zheng visited several times and saw that Qin Chuan's complexion was gradually improving and his cough was lessening, so he stopped asking questions. However, before leaving each time, he would give Yan Fei a deep look, and the vigilance in his eyes never disappeared.

That evening, the setting sun shone through the window and cast a long band of light on the table.

Yan Fei was explaining the last part of the "Quenching Technique" when she suddenly heard Qin Chuan let out a soft "Ah".

She turned her head and saw the boy staring at her fingertips—there was a bit of cinnabar on them, which she had gotten on them while flipping through the bamboo slips.

He reached out as if to wipe it off for her, but just as his fingertips were about to touch the back of her hand, he suddenly pulled back, his face turning as red as a ripe fruit.

“Dirty…” he whispered, lowering his head and not daring to look at her.

Looking at the cinnabar mark on the back of her hand and then at the boy's flushed ears, Yanfei suddenly felt that autumn in Xianyang Palace didn't seem so cold after all.

She raised her hand to wipe away the cinnabar, her voice very soft: "It's alright."

Qin Chuan didn't look up, but his fingers, which were gripping the hem of his clothes, curled up slightly.

He could sense that Yan Fei's spiritual probing was becoming less and less frequent, and instead, a more subtle kind of attention was being paid to her.

She would remember that he didn't like drinking bitter medicine, and would gently tap the bamboo slips when he was "out of focus." When explaining magic techniques, she would deliberately slow down her speech so that he could more clearly capture the flow of spiritual energy.

This game of chess seems to be gradually deviating from the initial plan.

As dusk deepened, Yan Fei put away the bamboo slips and rose to take her leave. Reaching the palace entrance, she suddenly turned back: "Tomorrow I will bring the 'Fire Lamp' to help you stabilize your spiritual energy."

Qin Chuan raised his head and met her gaze. In the halo of light, the indifference of their first meeting was gone, replaced by something indescribable, like a deep pool illuminated by firelight.

"Okay." He obediently replied, a silly smile on his face.

The smile vanished the moment the palace doors closed.

Qin Chuan walked to the table, looked at the last sentence of the "Quenching Technique" on the bamboo slip, and gently traced it with his fingertip: "The fire is extremely yang, and only by controlling it with a sincere heart can one achieve its ultimate goal."

A playful smile curved his lips.

Perhaps he should show this Dongjun what "sincerity" really means.

A few more sycamore leaves fell outside the window, swirling and drifting onto the windowsill.

As Qin Chuan gazed at the leaf, a subtle change tinged the sharpness in his eyes.

Like a tiny star thrown into a fire, it is small, yet enough to make the flames burn even more fiercely.

Chapter 5 Yin-Yang School, Hidden Dharma Pavilion

Night always comes early to Xianyang Palace, especially after the autumn rains, when the twilight, like cotton wool soaked in ink, presses heavily on the glazed tiles.

The lamps in Ying Zheng's study were still lit, the flickering light of the bronze lamps casting a long shadow of him as he reviewed the bamboo slips.

Qin Chuan's voice rang out from the doorway, carrying a hint of timidity.

He wore a thick cloak and held a hand warmer in his hand. His cheeks were flushed red from the heat—this was a method Yan Fei had taught him, using the spirit of the Li Fire to heat the hand warmer, so that it wouldn't burn him and could also keep him warm.

Ying Zheng looked up and put down his pen: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep." Qin Chuan walked to the desk and pushed the heater towards him. "Brother Zheng, I practiced the 'Quenching Technique' today, and I feel like... something is missing."

Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow: "Didn't Consort Yan teach you?"

Qin Chuan frowned, drawing crooked flames on the table with his fingers:

“She said my fire was too ‘scattered,’ like sparks blown by the wind, and that I needed to learn the ‘fire gathering technique’ to condense it. But the key to the fire gathering technique was only half a sentence written in ‘Introduction to Fire.’”

He looked up, his eyes sparkling, as if hiding two tiny sparks:

"Sister Yanfei said that the complete copy of the *Nanming Lihuo Jing* is in the Zangfa Pavilion. She said... the fire in that book can burn brighter than the sun."

"Sister Yanfei?" Ying Zheng caught the address and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, which then turned into a helpless expression.

These past few days, Chuan Di and Yan Fei have gotten along well, and it seems that he has already regarded her as someone he can be close to.

He picked up the heater, his fingertips touching the warm walls, and could feel the spiritual energy flowing inside, which was several times more refined than it had been a few days ago.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe that this was made by a "mentally challenged" teenager.

"The Library of Buddhist Scriptures is a forbidden area of ​​the Yin-Yang School," Ying Zheng said slowly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "The scriptures inside concern the very foundation of the Yin-Yang School; how can one simply enter as one pleases?"

Qin Chuan's shoulders slumped, like a sunflower wilted by the rain: "I know... but Brother Zheng, I want to become stronger."

He lowered his head, his voice muffled, tinged with grievance:

"Back in Zhao, they all called me a 'Qin dog' and threw stones at me. If I become stronger, no one will dare to bully me, and I can... I can protect Brother Zheng."

These words touched the softest spot in Ying Zheng's heart.