Chapter 43 - 43 43 What's the Plan

Words : 1708 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: What’s the Plan? Chapter 43: Chapter 43: What’s the Plan? The Seventh Young Master scratched his head, “Has my mother deceived me again?” There was no hint of annoyance at being deceived on his face; rather, there was a bit of a smile. “Madam probably didn’t lie,” Zheng Fa hesitated slightly before speaking up. The Seventh Young Master and Mr. Xu were taken aback, the smile gradually fading from the Seventh Young Master’s face as he looked at Zheng Fa, seemingly reluctant to believe what Zheng Fa had just said: “Then, haven’t you mastered it?” Mr. Xu, standing beside them, also furrowed his brow, obviously harboring the same doubt. “I could master it, but most people probably can’t.” The two people before him were actually people Zheng Fa trusted greatly, but he did not reveal anything about the modern world. Yet many things cannot be concealed, and it’s clear from the words of the Seventh Young Master that Mrs. Zheng was very aware of the difficulty in mastering the “Spiritual Crane Body.” Once Zheng Fa mastered the “Spiritual Crane Body,” it would lead Mrs. Zheng to speculate that he harbored some secret. He had prepared himself mentally for this; as his strength grew, it was inevitable that this would happen. Hiding it would only raise suspicions; it’s better to act like now, without explanation, yet not concealing it. Sure enough, after exchanging looks, the Seventh Young Master and Mr. Xu seemed to have some guesses, but neither asked. Only the Seventh Young Master’s face revealed a look of dejection again: “So my mother didn’t lie to me.” He appeared as if he would rather have been thoroughly deceived. Zheng Fa turned to Mr. Xu: “So the Seventh Young Master was right, Mr. Xu, you shouldn’t doubt yourself.” Mr. Xu’s expression changed back and forth before he finally let out a long sigh, “So that’s how it is...” The Seventh Young Master spoke with a slightly low voice: “Mr. Xu, was it my mother who...” “Madam really didn’t need to go so far.” “Ah?” Mr. Xu looked at the Seventh Young Master, smiling, “You probably forgot that I am a servant born into the Zhao Family, with a servitude contract at Zhao Mansion.” The Seventh Young Master was stunned. “There’s no need for elaborate schemes if she doesn’t want to let me go; a single word from Madam would suffice. Why bother with such a ploy if not to maintain this bond of loyalty between master and servant?” Zheng Fa nodded; Mr. Xu’s reasoning did make sense. From his point of view, his life belonged to the Zhao Family, and Mrs. Zheng’s methods were relatively gentle. But Zheng Fa, with his modern experience, did not see eye to eye with such bonds of personal servitude. As for the Seventh Young Master... Zheng Fa glanced at the astounded Seventh Young Master, who was simply too naive to have thought of it. “Still, Mr. Xu, you’ve wasted twenty years...” The Seventh Young Master was still somewhat conflicted. “No one forced me; I just overvalued the ‘Spiritual Crane Body.'” Mr. Xu smiled sincerely, as if he truly harbored no resentment towards Mrs. Zheng. The Seventh Young Master’s expression gradually improved. “I have some friends who, like the young me, aspired to roam the jianghu,” Mr. Xu continued, “They rushed into it and never returned.” Zheng Fa and the Seventh Young Master quietly listened. “But here I am, having spent twenty stable years in the Zhao Family, and now I even have disciples; come to think of it, Madam may have even saved my life.” Mr. Xu patted Zheng Fa on the shoulder, “My only regret used to be the ‘Spiritual Crane Body,’ but now Zheng Fa has shown me what this martial skill is truly like, so what regrets do I have left?” The Seventh Young Master paused for a moment, then clapped his hands, “In that case, did my mother actually do a good thing? She had me anxious for so long!” Watching him laugh as if a burden had been lifted, Zheng Fa looked at Mr. Xu without saying a word. “It’s late; you two should head back,” Mr. Xu said to them. Zheng Fa and the Seventh Young Master bid farewell to Mr. Xu, who watched their receding figures with his hands clasped behind his back. In the middle of the night, when Mr. Xu’s nephew got up to relieve himself, he saw a silhouette standing under the moonlight and was frightened awake. Only after recognizing the figure did he breathe a sigh of relief, rubbing his eyes and asking: “Uncle, why aren’t you asleep yet?” “Didn’t you tell me before that you wanted to venture into the jianghu?” “Why bring this up, uncle? You didn’t agree, did you?” Hearing his nephew’s somewhat complaining voice, Mr. Xu did not turn around, but instead, gazed at the waning moon in the sky and said, “Go on, in a couple of days I’ll ask the lady to retrieve your deed of servitude. After today, she should grant me this favor.” “You were the one who said you wanted me to stay in the mansion to look after you in your old age...” “Remember to write to me often, tell me about the world of martial arts that I’ve never seen, what it’s actually like.” ... The “Spiritual Crane Heart Scripture” brought about some unexpected changes for Zheng Fa. When he got up early the next morning and stretched out his hand, he saw a thin layer of skin peeling off his arm, and his bed was covered with white flakes of skin. While washing his face, Zheng Fa almost failed to recognize himself in the bronze mirror. In his early years, he had always helped Mrs. Zheng with the farm work, and as a result of being exposed to the sun and wind, his skin had become dark and rough. But the face in the mirror was pale and luminously radiant, its skin delicate and smooth, so free of pores they were nearly invisible without a closer look. In the Seventh Young Master’s study. Zheng Fa noticed that Gao Yuan kept staring at him and constantly edged closer to his side. “Is there something you need?” “Zheng Fa, you... you smell so good!” Gao Yuan said, while also bringing his nose closer to Zheng Fa, as if he wanted to take a good sniff. “Stop! Sniff again and I’ll hit you!” Zheng Fa swore he had never been so afraid before. “Gao Yuan didn’t mention it, but now I realize you really do have a fragrant scent on you,” said the Seventh Young Master, raising his head from his desk and looking Zheng Fa over carefully. “Why is your face so white? Did you put on powder?” “What powder...” Zheng Fa was stunned. He touched his own face, guessing, “It must be because of the ‘Spiritual Crane Body’.” “You’re saying that after practicing the ‘Spiritual Crane Body’, your face whitened and you now also have a fragrant smell?” Gao Yuan widened his eyes, his tone filled with deep envy, “Entering the Tao through martial arts, it’s truly magical.” The Seventh Young Master seemed to recall something and said, stroking his chin, “I heard from my mother that the ‘Spiritual Crane Body’ seems to be about cultivating some kind of Taoist Body.” “Taoist Body?” Zheng Fa, recalling the strange power he had sensed after perfecting the “Spiritual Crane Body,” had an epiphany. “Zheng Fa, how did you manage to cultivate the ‘Spiritual Crane Body’? When I master the Songhe Stance, I will also ask the lady to bestow the ‘Spiritual Crane Body’ on me.” Gao Yuan was unaware of the secret to cultivating the “Spiritual Crane Body,” but hearing what the Seventh Young Master said, he was clearly interested in the martial art. More importantly, the miraculous changes that occurred after Zheng Fa practiced this martial skill excited him. The Seventh Young Master, standing by, didn’t speak, looking at Zheng Fa with eager shining eyes as if he too was very curious. “The most important part is probably visualization, visualizing various birds.” Zheng Fa saw no need to conceal this. The two nodded, appearing to think that it sounded quite formidable. The Seventh Young Master even commented, “Visualization, I’ve seen it in stories. It truly is the approach of Immortals.” Yet, Zheng Fa furrowed his brows, speaking of the doubt he had had ever since mastering the “Spiritual Crane Body”: “But why does visualization work? What exactly is visualization?” He looked up to find that the Seventh Young Master and company had not been listening to him at all, but instead were engrossed in an excited discussion that began with visualization and moved on to the storybooks they had read recently. Seeing Zheng Fa’s still furrowed brow, the Seventh Young Master looked up, puzzled, and said, “As long as visualization works, why worry about the reason?” “Is it not important?” Both shook their heads, looking at Zheng Fa with eyes full of misunderstanding. ... “Mother, why did you ask to see me?” “Zheng Fa, have you really mastered the ‘Spiritual Crane Body’?” “I did!” The Seventh Young Master said with a smile. “What are you smiling for? Do you realize what it means that he has mastered it?” The lady looked at her foolish son, speaking sharply. “What does it mean?” “It means that he must have a Nascent Soul master behind him, and perhaps there is a plot against our Zhao Family!” The Seventh Young Master was stunned, he blinked, as if he didn’t understand the words, then slowly pieced them together, “A Nascent Soul master, plotting against our family?” The lady nodded her head. “But, what would he want with us?” The Seventh Young Master asked sincerely from the bottom of his heart: “Are we even worth targeting?” “...”

Chapter 43 - 43 43 What's the Plan

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