Chapter 197: No rush, who’s begging whom?
Even Zhao mama had the tact to retreat, leaving no one else in the courtyard besides the two of them. It was very quiet.
Long Feiye sat picking out various needles and concealed weaponry while Han Yunxi stood on one side, stealing peeks at his face. There was no mistake about it, he looked extremely calm. It seemed that yesterday’s events hadn’t affected him in the least.
But that was her first kiss!
What about him?
Yesterday’s kiss had been too sudden and short. She was too inexperienced to tell whether he had experience kissing or not. In any case, he’d left her the impression of being a forceful type! As she kept thinking, yesterday’s scene rose in her mind again. Han Yunxi’s face immediately turned red－just as Long Feiye suddenly raised his head and looked over. His deep gaze stopped on her before he seemed to discern something. An awkward Han Yunxi felt like her face was on fire as she quickly turned aside in a panic. “Your Highness please wait, chenqie will carry over some tea!”
Long Feiye’s vast, dark pupils glimmered with subtle traces that were impossible to read. He didn’t stop her, but continued picking through the weapons on the stone table. Not long later, Han Yunxi really did come back with tea and snacks. Time had given her the chance to adjust her feelings and make a fair recovery. At least, she looked much more normal than before.
“Your Highness, please use the tea.” She sat down across from him and bravely met his gaze straight-on. Since this guy was so unperturbed, why should she feel uncomfortable?
Long Feiye, yesterday was an exception. Next time, this w.a.n.gfei won’t be so easily affronted.
Long Feiye calmly accepted the teacup and slowly drank a few sips. Han Yunxi copied his movements to leisurely taste the drink, both of them very quiet.
It was currently the end of Spring, so pear blossoms were falling all around the courtyard. From a distance, the scene resembled a painting, its serene background and still figures creating a beautiful era. As to whether the hearts of the people in the painting were calm, that was something only they themselves knew. Long Feiye had long made his selections from the pile of weapons to pick out five that were suitable for Han Yunxi to learn and use. They were, respectively, the Plum Blossom Needle, Pointer Needle, Acupoint Needle, Row-Array Needle, and Mouth Needle. He picked up the Plum Blossom Needle first and began to teach.
This Plum Blossom Needle ended in five tips and was larger than Han Yunxi’s usual acupuncture needles. Han Yunxi had a.s.sumed that needles like this should be very formidable, but Plum Blossom Needles were actually the most low-grade hidden weapon. It was also the easiest one to use. The user would typically hide them in her sleeves and grab a bunch to fling at the enemy when attacking. A single needle contained five sharp blades, so a handful of them would have countless edges. If caught unawares, sending out these needles would ensure a high hit rate.
“Another method is to scatter them on the ground when fleeing. They’ll stab into the pursuers’ feet and buy time for the fugitive,” Long Feiye said as he gave a Plum Blossom Needle to Han Yunxi. Then he added coldly, “Of course, your lords.h.i.+p believes you have no need to use such a method.”
If it’s time for running away, then you have to run away, Han Yunxi mumbled in her heart, but she maintained a studious expression as she nodded. “Mm, understood.” It looked like she didn’t need to practice much with the Plum Blossom Needles.
Long Feiye brought out two acupuncture needles next, whose length and width approximated that of normal acupuncture needles. Unlike acupuncture needles, however, one of them split the tip into three individual needlepoints, while the other had the a curved tip at the end.
“These two are called Acupoint Needles…” as Long Feiye spoke, he raised his eyebrows mildly towards Han Yunxi. “Guess what they’re used for.”
“To seal acupoints…” Han Yunxi picked up the two needles and gesticulated a few times. She didn’t even need to think before replying. “These are specifically made to attack vital points on the body!”
It was already called “Acupoint Needles,” so it had to be used for acupoints. For the Tang Clan to create such needles to attack acupoints really was vicious! An ordinary needle was already much more scary than a finger when touching acupoints, much less needles like these! Really, it was almost too much!
Perhaps Han Yunxi was smart; perhaps Long Feiye’s question was too simple. In any case, he didn’t praise her for her intelligence but continued to speak. “These needles can be used both long distance and short distance. At shorter distances, you must be close enough to the enemy to strike them by surprise. At longer distances, you need to rely on your eye strength and hand strength.”
Han Yunxi earnestly nodded her head. She knew that eye strength and hand strength were critical components of using hidden weapons. Long Feiye was in no rush to teach her these two things, but picked up the third type of needle. This one was uncommonly tiny, about the size of a regular doctor’s needle.
“This is a Pointer Needle.”
“Pointer Needle?” Han Yunxi didn’t understand. As she understood it, “pointer needle” referred to the minute hand of a clock. But this was something completely different!
Long Feiye silently hid the needle between his fingers before suddenly extending his hand to Han Yunxi’s face. Before he came any closer, a needle flew out from between the fingers and narrowly avoided scratching her face. A surprised Han Yunxi only realized to dodge afterwards, but by then Long Feiye had already withdrawn his hand to ask patiently, “Understand?”
Han Yunxi came to a sudden realization. So the Pointer Needle’s “point” referred to pointing the fingers! She nodded as she hid the Pointer Needle in her fingers. As an old hand with needles, such a trivial show of acrobatics didn’t cause her any difficulty. Very quickly, all eight cracks between her ten fingers were full of concealed needles.
“Take that!”
With a cry, Han Yunxi extended both hands and sent eight needles flying past Long Feiye’s face. The projectiles were half a needle’s length away from his cheeks!
So close!
If Han Yunxi had used even a tiny bit more strength, or if Long Feiye had budged even an inch, his face would’ve been a goner! Ever since he was young, he’d gotten into the habit of keeping anything dangerous away from himself. He wouldn’t allow anything beyond his control to happen by his side, but Han Yunxi could’ve killed him just then as easily as turning over her palm. For a instant, a flash of killer intent flickered past Long Feiye’s eyes. Han Yunxi didn’t notice anything peculiar. She really liked these needles and happily collected them again.
“These are fun, I’m adept at them!” So speaking, she picked up more Pointer Needles and started hiding four or five of them between the same fingers without revealing a peep. She raised her hand up high for Long Feiye to see, tone c.o.c.ky. “If the first wave doesn’t hit, I’ll have reserves to catch them unawares.”
Long Feiye didn’t get to see clearly before Han Yunxi put down all the Pointer Needles on the table. She spread open her fingers for Long Feiye to see, before chuckling and carelessly placing her palm on the table. A casual swipe on the table later and she showed Long Feiye her fingers again, the s.p.a.ces between them now completely clamped together. With a mysterious smile and a twinkle in her eye, she suddenly revealed a needle between each finger. A wink later, and there were two needles between each finger. Like this, she worked through the fingers like magic until each s.p.a.ce between the fingers contained five needles.
Moreover, some of the needles had appeared from her palm, while others emerged from the back of her hand. Her fair, graceful little hands seemed possessed with the magic to keep s.h.i.+fting and changing them skillfully. Those who didn’t know any better might even think she was some hidden weapons expert. And yet, what Long Feiye saw wasn’t her hands, but her eyes. Those lively, crystal-clear pupils would suddenly brighten or dim with her movements, as if they knew how to speak. It was a mesmerizing sight. Before he knew it, the killer intent in Long Feiye’s eyes had completely disappeared. Gradually, Han Yunxi noticed something off about him and stopped, blinking as she stared at him.
“Your Highness…”
Only then did Long Feiye recover. Finally, he lost his cool and evaded her gaze. His hands picked up the two remaining needle weapons and gave them a simple introduction. “This is the Row-Array Needle, also called the Shoe Needle. Put them in the tip of your shoes, they’re used for attacking enemies when you kick them. You need leg strength for this, the stronger the better. That one is the Mouth Needle. Like its name implies, you hide it in your mouth and spit it out to injure others. You’ll need inner energy for this one.”
Actually, the usage of these five types of needles were very easy. A simple explanation and one would understand, but using them was far more difficult. When faced with an enemy, using them well and accurately wasn’t something one could master overnight. Eager to learn, Han Yunxi missed how Giant Iceberg had avoided her gaze and said, “Your Highness, teach me how to harness internal energy! And also, hand strength and eye strength!”
After Long Feiye’s introduction, she didn’t even need to think to know which poisons should be applied to these needles, and how. In both her last life and this one, she’d never thought of being some poisons user, but the situation demanded it now. There were people who saw her as a threat, so she might as well live up to her name as a menace! As a poisons doctor, she rescued others and relieved illness; as a poison user, she protected herself, punished evildoers, and eliminated traitors!
Han Yunxi was in high spirits, but Long Feiye poured ice water over all of that by getting up and saying simply, “First, thoroughly understand how to use these things. For the rest…there’s no rush.”
As before, his patience had limits, so he was ready to leave as soon as he finished speaking. Han Yunxi didn’t let him off this time, but chased after him to block his way with a sycophantic smile. “Your Highness, since you came today, you might as well teach everything at once. I’ve played with needles since I was young, so I’ll learn the techniques quickly.”
Though Long Feiye didn’t reply, he didn’t budge either. Seeing this, Han Yunxi saw hope and hurried to say, “Your Highness, chenqie will understand with one hint, so I promise I won’t take too much of your time.”
Long Feiye still persisted with two words. “No rush.”
“Your Highness, actually…”
Before Han Yunxi could continue, Long Feiye cut her off. “There’s no rush. Wait for Tang Li to come and have him teach you.”
His words left Han Yunxi speechless, freezing her words in place. Long Feiye had promised to teach her about hidden weapons, but not how to teach or to what extent. A simple explanation like today’s technically counted as fulfilling his promise, so she had nothing to refute him.
This stingy guy! Obviously, he remembers what happened when we came back to the capital last time!
Wait for Tang Li to teach her?
When will Tang Li come? Would he really?
Han Yunxi had to chuckle at the thought. Meanwhile, Long Feiye had long turned around. His ever-cold mouth seemed to have curved up slightly, as if secretly laughing.
Han Yunxi, there are many people who beg your lords.h.i.+p for favors. You’re the only exception.
—
Han Yunxi looked after Long Feiye’s back without resuming her chase. She narrowed her eyes still filled with ambition. Hmph, there’s no way I’d beg him!
Long Feiye, you’re the one who introduced me to hidden weapons. In the future, don’t think to come learn from me!
Steeling her heart, Han Yunxi began to apply poisons to a giant pile of weaponized needles that very day. She couldn’t help but think of Gu Qishao. Had he treated the poison on the back of his hand? Was his injury better?
Next time, would he dare to trespa.s.s again?
From what Zhao mama had said, both the Hibiscus Courtyard and the entire estate had doubled its number of guards. Supposedly, they were sent over from the Solitary Enclosure.
—
At this moment, Gu Qishao was actually at the Han estate. He was sitting on the roof of Han Yunxi’s empty rooms, his beautiful face hanging as he undid the layers of gauze wrapped around his hand. Fortunately, he’d made a quick escape yesterday. Otherwise, Han Yunxi really would’ve completely destroyed his hand
Disintegrating Muscle Corrosive!
This la.s.s, what was her heart made out of? How could she be so ruthless?