Chapter 59: The Declining Morals of the World Makes It Difficult to Those Who Stay Conscientious

Took a day off yesterday. My apology in the delay. Here is your chapter.

In the empty room, sun light shines through the dust flowing in the air and lightens the dark corners.

There is no servant left in the mansion, as they have all been dismissed.

“Creak…” Gu Nan pushes open the door, behind which wearily sits Bai Qi on a cushion at the center of the room.

“Master, the way I see it… this management looks spooking…” Gu Nan purses her lips into a reluctant smirk. “If you are still not well, just stay in bed. I can practice chi myself.”

“I would rather do just that.” Bai Qi rolls his eyes at Gu Nan, soon followed by a few coughs.

After his breathes return to normal, Bai Qi slowly continues: “but you have already passed the best age to acquire chi, and so even if you do it starting now, there is only so much you can achieve on your own.”

“If I cannot get good at chi, it is still not a big deal to me.” Gu Nan falls to the couch in front of Bai Qi. “After all, I still have you around.”

Bai Qi laughs at Gu Nan, pointing his finger toward her: “I thought that you would know things better after a battle or two. Well, looks like you are still sloppy like usual.”

Gu Nan spreads her hands: “there is no help to that, I am just a sloppy person through and through.”

Gu Nan’s attitude gets Bai Qi stuck midsentence. It takes him a while to pick up the conversation again. “Whatever, it cannot be helped that you are my only student.” As if exerting all his strength, Bai Qi struggles out of his seat: “as your master, I will just have to pass chi to you.”

Pass chi to me?

Gu Nan furrows her brows: “we can wait until you get better.”

Bai Qi does not answer her, instead, a flow of invisible energy swirls in his hand and floods into Gu Nan.

The fierce and violent chi that rams into Gu Nan shakes her up. Before she comes back to her senses, some warm currents drive through her whole body and then converge to her abdomen as if some barricade has been torn down.  

“Master, this is…”

“Stop talking. Hold your breath and focus your mind. Try to mass up the chi that flows in your body, and remember the acupoint that you run the chi through.” Bai Qi’s eyes are shut, and his face swells into flush.

Gu Nan does not dare to trifle this time, and closes her eyes.

One flow of chi after another plunge into her, as she strains her every nerve to direct them all to her abdomen area.

Bai Qi is delivering his chi to Gu Nan. His clothes flutter while a strong airstream connects him to Gu Nan.

Then he frowns out of bewilderment.

Out of his expectation, Gu Nan’s meridians and collaterals are not jammed up as any untrained person’s would be, in which case Bai Qi will have to exert more of his chi to forcefully unplug the meridians.

Instead, he feels that his chi is flowing freely inside Gu Nan’s meridians and collaterals, as if she was born with unobstructed meridians.

Was she born with them?

Gu Nan did not have any chi running in her in the first place; otherwise, Bai Qi would doubt that she had never practiced chi behind his back.

My disciple is superior to others. That’s good. As my disciple, she is ought to be so.

A smile climbs onto Bai Qi’s expression. He had been worrying if his gift to Gu Nan can be delivered, but it appears now that there is no problem at all.

“Fu!”

Violent currents ram across her limbs, but it only comforts Gu Nan like water to a thirsty person. Her muscles and meridians are all relaxed and eagerly soak up the chi from outside.

When completely full, Gu Nan can feel the chi freely flows within her. Her senses become heightened by multiple times which allow her to catch the tiny bug buzzes outside the window.

Under more careful examination, she can sense that there is a small whirlpool of chi at her abdomen area spinning slowly. It expands almost unnoticeably every past moment.

After Bai Qi has ceased passing over his chi, Gu Nan remains motionless with shut eyes for a long while until she finally opens them.

Bai Qi coughs roughly, his breathes ravaged.

“Master.” Seeing so, Gu Nan understands what just happened. Although she never understood the nature of chi, she at least read some wuxia novels in her previous life and henceforth knows what passing one’s chi to another implies. She had never imagined that such a thing could actually happen to her.

It is an act that passes all one’s possession to another.

She can now sense that she possesses far more profound chi than Meng Wu who she sparred with does.

Gu Nan lets out a bitter laugher. “You are forcing it on me.”

“Cough, cough. You just got all the benefits and yet you want to blame me for it?” Bai Qi makes a faint voice.

Gu Nan quietly stays on the cushion, her sights fixed on the old man in front of her. “For this gift I receive, how can I repay you?”

Bai Qi holds himself together, and barely remains sat. “This is only from my duty as your master. Do not say anything excessive about it.”

“Moreover, I have owed you too much. Just think of this as an act from sting of conscience.” Bai Qi looks smiling; his smile is faint and gentle.

It is almost noon time, as the sunshine turns warm.

259 B.C., Wu An Lord’s sickness had aggravated and shown no sign of recovery for months.

In May, Han Dan went on a counterattack, Qin sent reinforcement. Yet, after losing five brigades of troopers (around forty-eight thousand in number), Wang He could not deliver any success from battles.

The king of Qin requested Bai Qi to assume command for the second time, and was rejected by Bai Qi under the excuse that he could not deliver either.

Same year September, the lord Chun Shen of Chu and the lord Xin Ling of Wei commands an army of one hundred thousand in number to rescue Zhao. Facing enemies from both the front and the back, the Qin army suffers a critical loss.

Once again, the king of Qin ordered Bai Qi to lead an army, yet Bai Qi replied that he was too ill to take off.

By the end of the year, multiple news of several defeats had been reported to the king.  

“Is lord Wu An willing to assume command now?” A sense of reminiscence drifts through his eyes. In his mind, the lord Wu An has always been his legend of war; as long as he assumes command, any enemy force will be shattered.

He cannot persuade Bai Qi, and so he sends Fan Ju to do the job.

Fan Ju returns and shakes his head to the king.

“Your highness, the lord Wu An announces himself ill, and hence cannot lead an army up north.”

“Ill…” The king of Qin laughs: “He has been ill till now! Does he treat gua as a fool!”

Lowering his head, Fan Ju pretends to not witness the king’s wrath.

Until it has finally quieted down in the palace, Fan Ju raises his hands into a salute and whispers: “your highness, Wu An lord has rejected your order multiple times. I humbly suggest that he may have the intention to resist you.”

The king of Qin supports his forehead with his hand, and waves Fan Ju off: “Mr. Fan, you may leave now.”

“Your highness…”

“GUA HAS JUST DISMISSED YOU! CAN’T YOU HEAR IT!” The king’s roar is so loud that it reverberates in the palace and can even be heard outside.

Sweat grows from Fan Ju’s forehead, as he awkwardly pays his salute.

“Yes, please excuse me.”

He steps back and takes off from the palace.

Chapter 59: The Declining Morals of the World Makes It Difficult to Those Who Stay Conscientious

Took a day off yesterday. My apology in the delay. Here is your chapter.

In the empty room, sun light shines through the dust flowing in the air and lightens the dark corners.

There is no servant left in the mansion, as they have all been dismissed.

“Creak…” Gu Nan pushes open the door, behind which wearily sits Bai Qi on a cushion at the center of the room.

“Master, the way I see it… this management looks spooking…” Gu Nan purses her lips into a reluctant smirk. “If you are still not well, just stay in bed. I can practice chi myself.”

“I would rather do just that.” Bai Qi rolls his eyes at Gu Nan, soon followed by a few coughs.

After his breathes return to normal, Bai Qi slowly continues: “but you have already passed the best age to acquire chi, and so even if you do it starting now, there is only so much you can achieve on your own.”

“If I cannot get good at chi, it is still not a big deal to me.” Gu Nan falls to the couch in front of Bai Qi. “After all, I still have you around.”

Bai Qi laughs at Gu Nan, pointing his finger toward her: “I thought that you would know things better after a battle or two. Well, looks like you are still sloppy like usual.”

Gu Nan spreads her hands: “there is no help to that, I am just a sloppy person through and through.”

Gu Nan’s attitude gets Bai Qi stuck midsentence. It takes him a while to pick up the conversation again. “Whatever, it cannot be helped that you are my only student.” As if exerting all his strength, Bai Qi struggles out of his seat: “as your master, I will just have to pass chi to you.”

Pass chi to me?

Gu Nan furrows her brows: “we can wait until you get better.”

Bai Qi does not answer her, instead, a flow of invisible energy swirls in his hand and floods into Gu Nan.

The fierce and violent chi that rams into Gu Nan shakes her up. Before she comes back to her senses, some warm currents drive through her whole body and then converge to her abdomen as if some barricade has been torn down.  

“Master, this is…”

“Stop talking. Hold your breath and focus your mind. Try to mass up the chi that flows in your body, and remember the acupoint that you run the chi through.” Bai Qi’s eyes are shut, and his face swells into flush.

Gu Nan does not dare to trifle this time, and closes her eyes.

One flow of chi after another plunge into her, as she strains her every nerve to direct them all to her abdomen area.

Bai Qi is delivering his chi to Gu Nan. His clothes flutter while a strong airstream connects him to Gu Nan.

Then he frowns out of bewilderment.

Out of his expectation, Gu Nan’s meridians and collaterals are not jammed up as any untrained person’s would be, in which case Bai Qi will have to exert more of his chi to forcefully unplug the meridians.

Instead, he feels that his chi is flowing freely inside Gu Nan’s meridians and collaterals, as if she was born with unobstructed meridians.

Was she born with them?

Gu Nan did not have any chi running in her in the first place; otherwise, Bai Qi would doubt that she had never practiced chi behind his back.

My disciple is superior to others. That’s good. As my disciple, she is ought to be so.

A smile climbs onto Bai Qi’s expression. He had been worrying if his gift to Gu Nan can be delivered, but it appears now that there is no problem at all.

“Fu!”

Violent currents ram across her limbs, but it only comforts Gu Nan like water to a thirsty person. Her muscles and meridians are all relaxed and eagerly soak up the chi from outside.

When completely full, Gu Nan can feel the chi freely flows within her. Her senses become heightened by multiple times which allow her to catch the tiny bug buzzes outside the window.

Under more careful examination, she can sense that there is a small whirlpool of chi at her abdomen area spinning slowly. It expands almost unnoticeably every past moment.

After Bai Qi has ceased passing over his chi, Gu Nan remains motionless with shut eyes for a long while until she finally opens them.

Bai Qi coughs roughly, his breathes ravaged.

“Master.” Seeing so, Gu Nan understands what just happened. Although she never understood the nature of chi, she at least read some wuxia novels in her previous life and henceforth knows what passing one’s chi to another implies. She had never imagined that such a thing could actually happen to her.

It is an act that passes all one’s possession to another.

She can now sense that she possesses far more profound chi than Meng Wu who she sparred with does.

Gu Nan lets out a bitter laugher. “You are forcing it on me.”

“Cough, cough. You just got all the benefits and yet you want to blame me for it?” Bai Qi makes a faint voice.

Gu Nan quietly stays on the cushion, her sights fixed on the old man in front of her. “For this gift I receive, how can I repay you?”

Bai Qi holds himself together, and barely remains sat. “This is only from my duty as your master. Do not say anything excessive about it.”

“Moreover, I have owed you too much. Just think of this as an act from sting of conscience.” Bai Qi looks smiling; his smile is faint and gentle.

It is almost noon time, as the sunshine turns warm.

259 B.C., Wu An Lord’s sickness had aggravated and shown no sign of recovery for months.

In May, Han Dan went on a counterattack, Qin sent reinforcement. Yet, after losing five brigades of troopers (around forty-eight thousand in number), Wang He could not deliver any success from battles.

The king of Qin requested Bai Qi to assume command for the second time, and was rejected by Bai Qi under the excuse that he could not deliver either.

Same year September, the lord Chun Shen of Chu and the lord Xin Ling of Wei commands an army of one hundred thousand in number to rescue Zhao. Facing enemies from both the front and the back, the Qin army suffers a critical loss.

Once again, the king of Qin ordered Bai Qi to lead an army, yet Bai Qi replied that he was too ill to take off.

By the end of the year, multiple news of several defeats had been reported to the king.  

“Is lord Wu An willing to assume command now?” A sense of reminiscence drifts through his eyes. In his mind, the lord Wu An has always been his legend of war; as long as he assumes command, any enemy force will be shattered.

He cannot persuade Bai Qi, and so he sends Fan Ju to do the job.

Fan Ju returns and shakes his head to the king.

“Your highness, the lord Wu An announces himself ill, and hence cannot lead an army up north.”

“Ill…” The king of Qin laughs: “He has been ill till now! Does he treat gua as a fool!”

Lowering his head, Fan Ju pretends to not witness the king’s wrath.

Until it has finally quieted down in the palace, Fan Ju raises his hands into a salute and whispers: “your highness, Wu An lord has rejected your order multiple times. I humbly suggest that he may have the intention to resist you.”

The king of Qin supports his forehead with his hand, and waves Fan Ju off: “Mr. Fan, you may leave now.”

“Your highness…”

“GUA HAS JUST DISMISSED YOU! CAN’T YOU HEAR IT!” The king’s roar is so loud that it reverberates in the palace and can even be heard outside.

Sweat grows from Fan Ju’s forehead, as he awkwardly pays his salute.

“Yes, please excuse me.”

He steps back and takes off from the palace.