Unconventional Secrets

Upon returning to the orphanage, Mù Qīngyǔ did not immediately hand the newly purchased secret manual to Xǔ Tiānlí.

Instead, she found a secluded spot and began to flip through its pages herself.

While the very first page suggested it wasn’t a particularly ‘proper’ item, it was only after a quick scan of the entire book that she realized her initial imagination had been far too optimistic.

This manual, she mused, could no longer be simply described as ‘improper.’

The manual wasn’t thick, yet every single page taught the same core concept: how to gather all of one’s strength and unleash it in a single, devastating saber strike.

And then, that was it.

True to its title, ‘Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation,’ this item genuinely taught only that one strike.

What was one supposed to do after it?

Run, of course!

‘This… have I been swindled?’

Mù Qīngyǔ closed the manual, her gaze falling upon the signature on the cover.

‘No wonder it’s attributed to ‘Nameless.’’

‘Which drunkard wrote this nonsense after too many drinks?’

If one truly mastered this ‘Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation,’ facing an equally matched or weaker enemy would be fine; the battle would be resolved cleanly and swiftly.

However, if one encountered a stronger foe, or an enemy skilled in defense, and the strike failed to kill them, wouldn’t they be left completely exhausted, without even the strength to flee?

‘Should I really teach Xǔ Tiānlí something like this?’

The manual’s introduction was indeed simple enough for even the children at the orphanage to understand.

It would be sufficient to placate Xǔ Tiānlí, but merely placating him was far from enough.

Ever since the Wolf Fang Gang’s downfall, Mù Qīngyǔ had spent considerable time, whenever she was idle, researching the mysterious palace.

She had finally grasped its true purpose: the more Xǔ Tiānlí learned, the more books would appear within the mysterious palace.

Mù Qīngyǔ could even modify Xǔ Tiānlí’s learned techniques in peculiar ways within the palace, patching their flaws and, in doing so, growing stronger herself.

While this sounded incredibly convenient, sitting alone in the vast, quiet palace, Mù Qīngyǔ couldn’t help but let her mind wander.

‘Though this is undoubtedly a sort of ‘cheat’ ability of mine, it doesn’t take a genius to realize it must have an extraordinary origin.’

‘Could it be that I’ve forgotten some crucial plot point, and Mù Qīngyǔ actually possesses another hidden identity?’

‘Or perhaps, my transmigration itself caused a shift in the worldline, leading to numerous anomalies?’

Indeed, too many events had already deviated from Mù Qīngyǔ’s expectations.

The mysterious master who should have appeared but remained unseen, Xǔ Tiānlí’s growth speed far exceeding the original plot, and the inexplicable power-up of the Wolf Fang Gang’s leader.

Mù Qīngyǔ lowered her head, a troubled sigh escaping her lips.

‘The plot has completely gone off track.’

“Master?”

Just then, Xǔ Tiānlí’s voice drifted in from outside.

She quickly composed herself, then allowed him to enter.

“Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, Master.”

“I just wanted to ask when we would begin.”

Faced with Xǔ Tiānlí’s eyes, brimming with expectation yet hesitant to fully reveal it, Mù Qīngyǔ inwardly clicked her tongue.

“You’ve come at a perfect time.”

“We can begin right now.”

“Alright!”

Mù Qīngyǔ rose and followed him out of the room, heading to the orphanage’s front courtyard.

Mù Qīngyǔ tossed the manual to Xǔ Tiānlí, instructing him to look through it first.

As expected, he displayed the exact same expression as his master.

“Sister Qín, this…?”

“Does it seem like I’m playing a trick on you?”

“I wouldn’t dare doubt Master’s sincerity.”

“I’m just concerned, Master, have you perhaps been conned?”

‘Perhaps I was conned.’ Recalling the woman who called herself Qiao Yíng now, Mù Qīngyǔ increasingly felt she was not a straightforward person.

“I’ll go to the martial arts hall and complain right away.”

“Master is a Diamond VIP, after all; how could they sell something like this…”

“Wait.” Mù Qīngyǔ quickly stopped him.

“I have not been conned.”

“Ah?”

“As I said before, this is precisely what suits you best.”

Xǔ Tiānlí froze for two seconds, his gaze shifting between the manual and his master’s face, clearly not comprehending her words.

“Xǔ Tiānlí, you’ve fallen into a misconception, just like all those common folk.”

Upon hearing these seemingly profound words, Xǔ Tiānlí immediately adopted a serious demeanor, silently asking his master for guidance.

Mù Qīngyǔ, or rather, her original self, had indeed interacted with other Diamond VIPs.

Their thoughts were, without exception, always the same:

Having reached the highest tier, the secret manuals they bought must be the most expensive and the most obscure.

“Precisely because of this, their eyes are only drawn to those ostensibly grand but ultimately impractical items, causing them to overlook truly valuable treasures.”

“I understand!”

“You mean we shouldn’t just look at the surface of things, right?” Xǔ Tiānlí clapped his hands forcefully.

“As expected of Master, to be able to see through appearances and grasp the essence directly!”

“Which means, this manual was deliberately written to be so ‘ridiculous’ precisely to filter out those with shallow perspectives.”

“So that’s it!”

“Is this a pearl hidden in the dust?”

“Without Master, it probably would never have encountered another who could discern its true value.”

Mù Qīngyǔ listened quietly as he eloquently analyzed, interspersing his thoughts with numerous praises for her.

‘Mm-hmm, so that’s what I was thinking.’

‘I didn’t even know myself.’

Sometimes, she genuinely felt fortunate that Xǔ Tiānlí possessed such an ‘unusual’ mind.

A seemingly profound statement was all it took for him to wildly overthink and resolve his own questions.

Given the circumstances, she decided to temporarily appease him with this manual.

At worst, once Xǔ Tiānlí learned it, she could always modify it within the mysterious palace.

‘I just hope this ‘Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation’ isn’t so utterly useless that even the mysterious palace can’t salvage it.’

“Excellent.”

“You’ve grown again.”

“It’s all thanks to Master’s excellent guidance.”

“For the foreseeable future, you are to concentrate solely on studying this manual.”

Xǔ Tiānlí’s hands trembled slightly with excitement, but then he recalled something.

“What about you, Master?”

“I naturally have my own affairs to attend to,” Mù Qīngyǔ scoffed lightly.

“However, I will periodically check your progress.”

“If you dare to slack off, there will be consequences.”

At the mere mention of ‘consequences,’ Xǔ Tiānlí dared not ponder further.

At the Heaven’s Will Bureau branch in Wufeng City, a special guest arrived today.

Without anyone stopping her, she took the elevator to the upper floors and even made her way to the Branch Chief’s office door.

She raised her hand, intending to knock, but hesitated.

“Come in.”

“Eh?”

Surprised to be discovered by Féng Yè, she simply pushed the door open, seeing him seated behind his desk, looking up at her.

“Good afternoon, Uncle Féng.”

“You’ve been running around again.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stay home?”

“Oh, home is so boring!”

“Isn’t it rare for me to travel so far?”

She lowered her hood, removing her sunglasses and mask to reveal her youthful, beautiful face.

It was none other than Qiao Yíng, whom Mù Qīngyǔ had met at the martial arts hall.

“Are you still trying to hawk that useless manual of yours?” Féng Yè asked, frowning.

“Relax, it’s already sold, and it’s not some useless manual!”

Qiao Yíng puffed out her cheeks, clearly displeased with Féng Yè’s remark.

“That was a treasure I sought out from a neighboring city!”

“It’s just a pity that as a girl, I’m not suited for wielding weapons, otherwise I would have kept it for myself.”

“Are you suggesting that dancing while firing lasers to blast interdimensional demons to smithereens is a suitable combat style for girls?”

“Of-of course not!” Qiao Yíng’s face instantly flushed crimson.

“That was just for show, what could I do in front of the cameras!”

“Heh, let’s not dwell on that.” Féng Yè put down his pen.

“Who did you sell the manual to?”

“That person called herself Qín Yuè.”

Upon hearing the name, Féng Yè paused.

Qín Yuè—wasn’t that the same name as the high-tier Spirit Wielder he had encountered recently?

If she had bought Qiao Yíng’s manual, did she have some objective?

Or could it truly be some peerless secret technique?