Volume One: Roaming Freely Amidst Indistinguishable Leaves Chapter Fifty-Two: Hidden Peril

When Yang Ning heard what Duan Canghai said, he immediately realized this man had already seen through the situation. Knowing that the other had already noticed the flaw, Yang Ning understood that further concealment would only make things worse. Besides, Duan Canghai’s words hit the mark; what troubled Yang Ning the most at this moment was how to rid himself of the burning sensation within his dantian.

He knew that the searing feeling in his dantian was certainly caused by the internal energy he had absorbed. While he was quite familiar with fighting techniques and even the meridians and bones of the human body, inner force was something he had never encountered before crossing over into this world. All the energy he had absorbed was now stockpiled in his dantian, yet Yang Ning had no idea how to manipulate it.

He was a clever man, and he realized that if the energy he had absorbed continued to accumulate in his dantian without being properly utilized, it would do more harm than good. Duan Canghai was a master of martial arts and had definitely practiced inner force; now was precisely an opportunity for Yang Ning to learn from him.

However, explaining how he had mastered a technique that could absorb others’ inner energy was truly a problem. If his guess was correct, the real heir of the Jinyi household shouldn’t have been able to practice martial arts at all, let alone cultivate inner force. Now he himself possessed such a mysterious skill; there was no way Duan Canghai wouldn’t be suspicious.

“Uncle Duan, I—” Yang Ning was racking his brains, trying to come up with an explanation, when Duan Canghai had already raised his hand. “My lord, please sit first.”

Seeing Duan Canghai’s stern expression, Yang Ning did not hesitate and sat in the chair. Duan Canghai formed his hands into palms and suddenly struck out. Yang Ning was startled, wondering if Duan Canghai had detected something amiss and was about to attack him. He considered whether he should fight back, but deep down he knew that not only was he no match for Duan Canghai, but retaliating would truly arouse suspicion. If that happened, his situation would become very dangerous indeed.

Suppressing his surprise, he felt Duan Canghai’s palms strike his chest. Yang Ning’s body trembled slightly, but there was no pain at the point of impact, and he was somewhat relieved.

Duan Canghai delivered several palm strikes, all around the Tanzhong acupoint, then withdrew his hands and asked, “My lord, how do you feel now?”

Yang Ning took a deep breath and discovered, to his astonishment, that the burning in his dantian had miraculously vanished, and the surging sensation within had disappeared as well.

“Uncle Duan, I... I’m fine now!” Yang Ning was overjoyed. He hadn’t expected the thing he feared most to be resolved by Duan Canghai with just a few moves. This man truly was an expert; as soon as he acted, he struck at the heart of the problem.

Duan Canghai shook his head. “My lord, you have accumulated a great deal of inner force in your dantian. I have only temporarily eased the conflict between that energy and your body; it’s just a temporary fix, not a lasting cure.”

Yang Ning’s elation instantly faded, and he frowned. “Then... is there no way to resolve it once and for all?”

Duan Canghai explained, “If I’m not mistaken, from your pulse, I can tell you have never trained in any inner strength technique. The energy in your body was absorbed from others.”

A master indeed! Yang Ning’s opinion of Duan Canghai rose several notches. With a wry smile, he said, “Actually, I don’t know why that energy entered my body, I...”

“There’s no need to tell me the origin of your skill.” Duan Canghai cut him off. “But you haven’t practiced any internal techniques, and yet your body contains inner force at the level of a third-rank expert. This is extremely dangerous.” He went on, “Anyone with inner energy in their body starts from basic breathing exercises, building a foundation and slowly cultivating. It usually takes three to five years before one’s inner energy can circulate freely. Even with extraordinary talent, it would take at least a year to glimpse the basics of inner energy.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly, understanding that cultivating inner strength was indeed no simple thing.

“The methods for cultivation differ from person to person, so the energy produced is also unique,” Duan Canghai said solemnly. “For example, both Qi Feng and I have trained in internal strength, but our methods and even our environments differ, and thus the energies within our bodies are completely different. My energy is compatible with my own meridians, but if it were to enter Qi Feng’s body, it would do more harm than good.”

Yang Ning’s eyelid twitched; he hadn’t realized that inner energy had so many intricacies.

“However, a true master, even if they absorb different energies, can, with some adjustment, merge that foreign energy into their own and make it their own. If one has ten parts of energy, with a top-tier technique, one could retain seven or eight parts of the foreign energy after adjustment,” Duan Canghai continued. “But right now, my lord, you have at least seven or eight types of energy mixed together, all jumbled as one. If you had mastered a high-level technique, you could integrate them, but as things are... ” He shook his head with a wry smile. “As things are, the energy inside you... ”

Yang Ning broke out in a cold sweat. Only now, after Duan Canghai’s explanation, did he realize just how dangerous that energy inside him truly was.

“It’s like an ordinary person who has never studied swordplay suddenly acquiring a legendary ancient weapon. The weapon is peerlessly sharp and invincible. In the hands of a true sword expert, its power is unmatched. But someone who knows nothing of swordsmanship, even wielding such a weapon, cannot unleash its power; instead, a careless move could result in self-injury. Do you understand what I mean?” Duan Canghai explained gravely.

“Uncle Duan, then... what should I do?” Yang Ning grew anxious. “Is there any way to draw all the energy out of my body?”

“There’s only one way, but it’s absolutely out of the question for us,” Duan Canghai replied.

“What way?” Yang Ning asked urgently.

Duan Canghai said solemnly, “Break your meridians and destroy your dantian to disperse the inner force.”

Damn! Yang Ning broke out in another cold sweat and immediately dismissed this option. Even if he knew nothing of inner force, those words alone were enough to chill him to the bone.

“If your dantian is destroyed, you will never be able to cultivate inner strength again. So that method is absolutely forbidden.” Duan Canghai continued, “Aside from that, perhaps... perhaps only by finding another master who can absorb inner force as you do, could you have the energy drawn out of your dantian.”

Yang Ning thought to himself that the Six Harmonies Divine Art originated from the Five Poisons Palace. He didn’t know if anyone there was skilled in it. But even if someone in the Five Poisons Palace had mastered the art, he could never go to them; if they learned he had mastered the Six Harmonies Divine Art, they would likely take his inner force—and his life as well.

“My lord, you needn’t worry.” Seeing Yang Ning’s grave expression, Duan Canghai tried to comfort him. “I will do my best to find a solution, but it cannot be rushed. For now, the energy in your dantian, though considerable, is all stored there without circulating. Fortunately, the dantian is meant for storing energy; you are not in mortal danger yet. If the energy were to accumulate elsewhere, your meridians would likely have ruptured by now.”

Yang Ning grabbed Duan Canghai’s arm. “Uncle Duan, you must hurry and find a way. I don’t want to die from my own inner force exploding.”

“You need not be afraid,” Duan Canghai said gently, thinking Yang Ning was frightened. “I will find a way. Oh, and before we find a way to regulate your energy, you must not absorb any more inner force. The energy in your dantian is already astonishing; with each increase, the danger grows. Remember this—do not forget.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly. After what Duan Canghai said, he truly felt as if there was a small stone lodged in his dantian. He asked, “Uncle Duan, why not just teach me a basic method of energy regulation so I can try?”

“Absolutely not,” Duan Canghai replied sternly. “My lord, when I checked your pulse, I found that most of your meridians have never been passed through by inner energy. If you attempt to regulate or move your inner force on your own, you could easily lose control, endangering your meridians. At best, you could be paralyzed; at worst, you could die. Remember, until I find a proper method, you must not practice on your own.”

Duan Canghai’s expression was severe, and his tone left no room for argument. Yang Ning knew that Duan Canghai had his best interests at heart and nodded. “I understand.”

Duan Canghai stood up. “At dawn, we must head to the Loyal Emperor’s Tomb. It will surely be a tiring day. You should rest early, my lord. We’ll stand guard outside.” He said no more, merely rose, saluted, and left, closing the door behind him.

At the door, only Qi Feng was on watch. Seeing Duan Canghai step out, he said quietly, “Old Zhao has gone to patrol the back. Second Brother Duan, how is the young master?”

“He’s fine.” Duan Canghai glanced at the closed door, then lowered his voice. “Did you notice anything?”

Qi Feng nodded slightly and leaned close to Duan Canghai’s ear. “I checked the assassin’s pulse. He had almost no inner energy left, but the young master’s eyes were bright. If I’m not mistaken, it wasn’t the assassin who absorbed inner force, but the young master!”

“This must never be revealed to anyone,” Duan Canghai said seriously.

“I’m not that foolish,” Qi Feng replied with a faint smile, then frowned. “But Second Brother Duan, when did the young master ever practice martial arts? We’ve watched him grow up in the household all these years, and he’s never shown any skill. He couldn’t even kill a chicken before. Besides, I’ve never heard of a technique that absorbs inner force. How could such a miraculous art exist?”

“Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Duan Canghai said calmly. “There’s always a higher sky and someone better out there. There are many strange things in this world, and plenty you haven’t seen.” He glanced at Qi Feng. “From the look of it, not even the young master himself knows he’s mastered such an art. If I’m right, whoever taught him never told him the truth...”

“Taught him?” Qi Feng was stunned. “Second Brother, do you mean someone taught the young master this skill?”

“Do you think he was born knowing it?” Duan Canghai shot him a look. “Such a mysterious skill must have been secretly taught to him, and I’d wager that person told him not to breathe a word of it. That’s why we’ve all been kept in the dark.”

Qi Feng became even more confused. “Is that possible? But who would secretly teach the young master martial arts? No one in the Jinyi Marquis household has ever had such...” He stopped abruptly, his body stiffened, and his eyes widened with shock. Staring at Duan Canghai, he stammered, “Second... Second Brother, do you mean... him?”

“Perhaps it really is him!” Duan Canghai interrupted, excitement flickering in his eyes. “If he’s still alive, the Jinyi Marquis household will never fall!”