The Fledgling and purely Theoretical Techniques

At dusk, Lin Shao practically had to drag a self-conscious Hou Xingyue to the table to eat. During dinner, he laid out the pros and cons of the “Knowledge Pursues Man” cultivation method with absolute clarity. Once the sheer shock wore off, Lin Shao asked him for his final choice.

Hou Xingyue held his bowl and chopsticks, pondering in silence for a brief moment. Then, he suddenly threw his head back, shoving the remaining food into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed hard. Slamming his bowl onto the table, he stood up, his eyes burning with unwavering resolve. “I choose this method.”

Lin Shao didn’t say anything like “think about it a bit more.” He had already explained the stakes in vivid detail, and Hou Xingyue wasn’t making a reckless gamble—he had clearly prepared himself for the consequences.

When a man makes up his mind like that, why ruin the atmosphere with pointless nagging?

Without waiting for Lin Shao’s instructions, Hou Xingyue cleared the table, gathered the dishes, and took them to the small backyard to wash. Mu Li lightly tapped Lin Shao’s shoulder as a silent acknowledgment before heading toward the backyard as well.

The time had come to pass on the “Knowledge Pursues Man” technique.

Lin Shao desperately wanted to sneak over and eavesdrop, but knowing how insanely sharp Mu Li’s senses were, he knew she’d catch him immediately. If she got angry, she wouldn’t speak to him for days. Forcing down his burning curiosity, he practically nailed himself to his chair.

In less than fifteen minutes, Mu Li returned from the backyard.

Lin Shao was stunned. “That fast?”

“It’s just a few mnemonic verses. Hou Xingyue isn’t stupid; he memorized them after a few repetitions. Oh, and I told him he can’t stay here. He said it was fine, though he refused to take my money.” Mu Li casually nudged Lin Shao away from the desk and began setting up her ink, brushes, and paper. It looked like she was preparing for one of her frequent calligraphy sessions.

Left with no choice but to find a new spot, Lin Shao got to thinking. He decided to use this free time to teach Hou Xingyue some matchmaking and dating skills—specifically, the purely theoretical techniques he had read about in his past life on various online forums.

Sure, I’ve never personally tested them, but the guys who wrote those guides definitely did! That basically means these are scientifically proven strategies. I’m definitely not doing this just because I’m curious to see how a guinea pig reacts. Nope, not at all.

Walking toward Hou—The Lab Rat—Xingyue, Lin Shao mentally mapped out the best way to explain things so they’d be easy to digest. As he stepped past the corridor leading to the backyard, he was about to call out when he heard Hou Xingyue muttering something under his breath.

It was a string of sentences composed of incredibly bizarre syllables. Each sound on its own felt profoundly awkward, yet when chained together, they formed a strangely rhythmic, catchy cadence. Lin Shao only heard it once, but a significant portion of it instantly burned into his memory.

Are these the mnemonic verses for the “Knowledge Pursues Man” technique?

Lin Shao reacted quickly, a cold chill running down his spine. This activated knowledge was truly insidious; even its cultivation chant carried a psychological trap. With a rhythm that catchy and earworm-like, a cultivator would probably hum a few bars subconsciously while meditating, giving the rogue knowledge the perfect opening to invade.

Shaking his head vigorously as if trying to rattle the catchy chant out of his brain, Lin Shao spoke up, interrupting Hou Xingyue’s low recitation.

Seeing Lin Shao walk in, Hou Xingyue sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “Oh, Boss Lin! Is there something you need me to do?”

Lin Shao chuckled. “Listen to you, making it sound like I treat you like a s*ave. I saw how intensely focused you were just now. Just don’t put the cart before the horse and let cultivation make you forget about your Young Miss.”

Hou Xingyue rubbed his head and laughed awkwardly. The verses Senior Mu had taught him possessed a hypnotic rhythm; once he started chanting them, it was incredibly hard to stop. If Lin Shao hadn’t broken the spell with his shout, he didn’t know how many more times he would have repeated them.

“I’m here to drop some knowledge on you regarding how to pursue girls.” Lin Shao found a protruding ledge to sit on, looking down at Hou Xingyue, who instantly straightened up with a dead-serious expression. “This upcoming month—from today until the moment Li Zhuwen extracts the scabbard—is your absolute golden window to farm favorability points. But the waters here are deep, my friend, and you don’t know how to swim yet.”

Hou Xingyue nodded in solemn agreement. He had heard plenty of senior martial brothers say that a woman’s heart was a needle at the bottom of the sea. You might think you’re scoring points when, in reality, the girl thinks you’re being a massive creep.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison. When two people don’t fully understand each other, trying to force affection backfires spectacularly.

Lin Shao held up a single finger. “You only have a month, so you can’t afford to waste a single day. By the way, do you have any way to contact Li Zhuwen?”

In the modern world, people had smartphones to chat across any distance instantly. In this world, long-distance communication was a massive pain. Fortunately, Hou Xingyue nodded and pulled a palm-sized token from his robes.

“After I joined the Wan Jian Pavilion, the Young Miss gave me this token. If I infuse a bit of spiritual energy to activate it, I can reach her. Though… sometimes she’s busy and doesn’t pick up.”

Perfect! It’s basically a direct phone number. Was this the inherent advantage of being childhood friends? Though, their past dynamic was more master-and-servant than standard childhood friends. Still, it worked. The “childhood friend always loses” trope could step aside today!

“Excellent,” Lin Shao said, feeling like things were tracking smoothly. “Have you used it to talk to her before?”

Hou Xingyue shook his head. “No. I always worried I’d be wasting her time, so I’ve never used it once.”

This guy is way too submissive, Lin Shao thought. She literally handed you her number, the least you could do is call her once to test the line! Lin Shao looked up at the sky, which was now painted in shades of twilight crimson. “Starting tonight, you are going to contact Li Zhuwen every single evening. Pick a time when she won’t be interrupted by anyone else.”

Hou Xingyue looked timid. “Every night…? Won’t the Young Miss find that annoying?”

“She’ll only find it annoying if you talk about boring stuff. She won’t be bored if you talk about things she actually cares about.” Lin Shao grinned. “Tonight, when you go back, tell her you’re studying under me. Don’t say you’re learning romance tips; tell her you’re learning cultivation techniques. Then, drop the bomb about ‘Knowledge Pursues Man.’ I refuse to believe a martial fanatic like her won’t be hooked by a topic that extreme.”

Hou Xingyue nodded frantically. In his memory, the Young Miss cared about almost nothing outside of cultivation. “Knowledge Pursues Man” would absolutely grab her attention.

“Using ‘Knowledge Pursues Man’ as your wedge, you’ll be cultivating in a highly dangerous, experimental way. She will naturally worry and be curious about your physical condition. That gives you a flawless excuse to contact her every single day under the guise of ‘reporting your status.’ And if you run into any cultivation roadblocks, you can ask her for guidance,” Lin Shao laid out the multi-step strategy.

Hou Xingyue’s eyes gradually lit up as the gears in his head finally started turning. “Right! The cultivation issues will be ‘too basic’ for an apex master like you, so I have to ask her instead! The Young Miss looks cold on the outside, but she’s incredibly kind-hearted. She’ll definitely guide me to make sure I don’t accidentally get crippled!”

“A teachable disciple indeed,” Lin Shao praised with a dazzling smile. “In short, start with this. Force Li Zhuwen to constantly keep you in her thoughts. Ideally, you want to condition her into a daily habit of waiting for your reports and guiding your progress. As for what comes next, we’ll cross that bridge when you return to the Wan Jian Pavilion.”

“Oh, and one crucial rule: never keep talking until the conversation completely dies out. Wrap things up while the topic is still interesting and the enthusiasm is high. Leave them wanting more. That way, she’ll never associate talking to you with being bored.”

Hou Xingyue let out a massive, enlightened “Oh!” His eyes shone with pure reverence as he nodded like a woodpecker. “Listening to your words, Boss, is like clearing away the clouds to see the sun! A total awakening!”

Lin Shao adopted a deeply profound expression, turned on his heel, waved a hand over his shoulder, and strode out of the backyard with epic main-character energy.

That night, Lin Shao had fully intended to cultivate until dawn to see if he could finally grasp the elusive trick to enter a deep meditative trance. However, for some bizarre reason, during the latter half of the night, despite not feeling tired at all, he completely blacked out into a deep sleep. By the time he woke up, the horizon was already painted with the faint light of dawn.

He got dressed, washed up, and went downstairs to open the shop doors, greeting the beautiful morning breeze. His mood was actually fantastic. Even though his grand plan to stay up cultivating had failed, during the first half of the night, he had successfully used a single drop of Nine Songs True Qi—which had taken him ten grueling days to condense—to punch straight through the fifth spiritual meridian in his body.

Stepping past the threshold, he stretched his arms over his head, preparing to head back inside. Suddenly, the hurried, frantic sound of pounding footsteps echoed down the street.

He looked up and saw Hou Xingyue running toward him at a breakneck pace first thing in the morning. The boy’s face was a chaotic mess of shock, frantic urgency, and sheer panic.

Lin Shao’s heart skipped a beat as a terrifying thought slammed into him. Hou Xingyue definitely tried the “Knowledge Pursues Man” technique the moment he got back last night. With a face like that… holy crap, did he just break himself?!