Chapter Ten: The Nameless Book

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Old Huang trembled slightly as he looked at the shattered teacup scattered across the floor. After a moment, the smile on his face grew even more pronounced. The scar, now long healed, seemed to twist into a more menacing shape with his grin.

Chen Xiaofu continued to stare at that scar.

The scar ran from the outer edge of Old Huang’s left eyebrow, across the bridge of his nose, and all the way to his right cheek, stopping just short of blinding his left eye.

Where had he been to suffer such a grievous wound?

“Don’t worry, Young Master. Old servant… old servant’s injuries are an everyday occurrence,” Old Huang said.

“These wounds, I’ve grown accustomed to them.”

“My life is tough. Though I’m often injured, I’m still alive and well.”

“I promised to serve as your gatekeeper for life. When you marry, if you won’t abandon me, I’ll continue to serve your little master.”

“Who did you promise this to?”

Old Huang hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head slightly.

“…Your mother.”

Chen Xiaofu took a deep breath. His memories of Old Huang were limited; all he knew was that since he could remember, Old Huang had been standing guard at the South Courtyard’s gate.

Seventeen years of unwavering watch.

His former self had little affection for Old Huang—Old Huang was stern and taciturn, and his former self was withdrawn and disliked socializing.

Their conversations were few and far between, mostly trivial and forgettable.

One man had stood guard for seventeen years to honor a promise, enduring loneliness.

One had stood watch over him twelve consecutive nights after his death… His loyalty to Chen Xiaofu, or rather to his mother, was beyond doubt.

That alone was worthy of trust.

“Please, sit.”

Old Huang noticed Chen Xiaofu hesitate for three breaths.

“Thank you, Young Master.”

Old Huang sat down, and Chen Xiaofu fetched another cup, poured some tea, and handed it to him.

Old Huang seemed thirsty.

He drank the warm tea in one gulp. That cup seemed to wash away the weariness from his face, tasting better than wine.

When he looked at Chen Xiaofu again, his old eyes held a flicker of curiosity.

“On the way back, I happened to meet the Old Madam. She said you’ve changed greatly, Young Master. At first, I had some doubts, but now that I’ve seen you… your transformation is even greater than she described.”

Chen Xiaofu poured tea.

“People always change… you met Grandmother?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you meet her? Has she returned?”

Old Huang took the teacup, “Half a month ago, at a temple on Phoenix Mountain. The Old Madam hasn’t returned yet; she said she’s searching for something.”

Chen Xiaofu didn’t know where Phoenix Mountain was, nor what kind of temple was on it.

“…What is she looking for?”

Old Huang finished his tea in one sip, licked his thick lips, and smiled.

“Old servant doesn’t know, but whatever it is, it must be something valuable.”

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Chen Xiaofu was taken aback.

“How many people did Grandmother bring with her?”

“Only the Old Madam herself!”

Hearing this, Chen Xiaofu was even more astonished.

Grandmother was already past the age of sixty.

A white-haired elder, venturing alone to search for something…

“You mean to say Grandmother’s martial arts are very advanced?”

Old Huang pondered for a moment.

“To be honest with you, Young Master, the Old Madam’s martial skill is higher than a three-story building. You needn’t worry about her.”

Chen Xiaofu frowned, sensing something amiss.

“Then why hasn’t Grandmother taught me martial arts?”

“That… is not because the Old Madam is stingy with her skills. Her martial arts, especially her internal energy techniques, aren’t suited for you. If you tried to learn them, it might do more harm than good.”

“Why has no one ever told me that Grandmother knows martial arts?”

“Because you never asked.”

Chen Xiaofu was momentarily speechless.

“How skilled are you?”

Old Huang seemed a bit embarrassed. He lowered his eyes and sighed.

“Old servant’s talent is poor, only as high as a one-story building. That’s why I get hurt so often.”

Chen Xiaofu didn’t know what one-story or three-story martial arts truly meant, but three stories was certainly far superior.

That meant Grandmother’s skills far exceeded Old Huang’s.

He looked up at the tall banyan tree’s canopy.

“Can you fly up there?”

Old Huang stood up, setting aside his dark cane.

Before Chen Xiaofu’s astonished eyes, he sprang up like a bird and lightly landed on the top of the banyan tree.

Moments later, he flew back and sat down before Chen Xiaofu.

This utterly shattered Chen Xiaofu’s previous worldview.

He stared at Old Huang for five long breaths, swallowing hard.

“This is lightness skill?”

“Yes, this is lightness skill!”

“Can I learn it?”

Old Huang took a thin booklet from his bosom and handed it to Chen Xiaofu.

“You can learn it, Young Master. This is the internal energy manual I got for you when I went out.”

Chen Xiaofu eagerly took the booklet. The cover was already yellowed and bore no title.

He opened it and found a simple line drawing of a human body, outlined in black, with many red lines of varying thickness inside.

Chen Xiaofu immediately recognized it as a diagram of the body’s meridians, something he was quite familiar with.

He even recognized the small black dots on the red lines as acupuncture points from traditional medicine.

Turning the page, there was another human outline, but with only one red line marked with clear arrows indicating the direction of qi flow along the meridian.

Flipping through the rest, he found various red lines and arrows in different positions and directions.

There were only nine pages, and no words at all.

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Was this because the owner couldn’t read?

Chen Xiaofu closed the booklet and looked at Old Huang.

“What is this book called?”

Old Huang shook his head.

“No name.”

“So you don’t even know what kind of martial art this is?”

“No one knows what it’s called.”

Chen Xiaofu was stunned.

“You mean no one knows anything about it?”

Old Huang nodded confidently.

“In the martial world, no one has ever fully mastered this.”

“…”

Chen Xiaofu set the booklet down, his excitement gradually fading.

Pouring tea, he smiled bitterly.

“So if I practice it, and there are side effects, no one will understand them?”

This time Old Huang was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“But the Old Madam said it’s safe. If she says it’s safe, then it must be.”

“Where did you get it?”

“Banruo Temple in the Qi Kingdom.”

Chen Xiaofu was shocked again.

“You went to the Qi Kingdom?”

“Yes. The Daoist Leng said this technique is at Banruo Temple in Qi Kingdom.”

“…Who is Daoist Leng?”

“An old Daoist from a shabby temple.”

“So you went to the Qi Kingdom’s Banruo Temple and fought with some monks?”

“Yes,”

Old Huang’s face showed a hint of apology.

“I almost got it without being noticed, but on my way out I remembered Banruo Temple also has a pill that strengthens the body. I thought, since I was there, it’d be good to bring a jar back for you.”

“So you were discovered by a sweeping monk?”

“In the end, it was a close call but no harm done. I’ll get the pill for you another time. According to Daoist Leng, this nameless manual is the real treasure. Old servant can’t teach you; you should wait for the Old Madam to come back before you start training.”

Chen Xiaofu felt this seemed unreliable.

But looking again at the scar on Old Huang’s face, he thought this must have been bought with his life, so it had to be trustworthy.

To practice or not?

As Chen Xiaofu hesitated, Old Huang asked:

“You said you wanted to go out just now. Where do you want to go?”

“Oh, to the Lin’an Academy.”

“...What for?”

“To read, of course.”

Old Huang: “...”