Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 115: A loving father and a filial son (1)

Song Hongtao was trying to salvage the relationship between the two parties, a fact he already knew from Butler Wang. He just hadn't expected Song Hongtao to produce something like this.
I'm a little disappointed.

After all, he already had a martial arts manual called the Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror, so he wasn't that eager for this so-called Vajra Arhat Skill. Besides, it sounded like a Buddhist martial art.

He glanced at the yellowed manual, which hadn't been taken out for who knows how long, then looked at Song Hongtao opposite him: "This is..."

"The secret manual that the old patriarch of the Song family cultivated back then." Song Hongtao breathed a sigh of relief, glanced furtively at the door and window, and when he found no one paying attention, he said mysteriously in a low voice, "It is said that the Song family's ancestor was a commoner."

"Because of poverty and the fact that the old man was a big eater, he was kicked out of the house. Later, he entered a temple and became a monk. He got the Vajra Arhat Kung Fu from that temple."

"It is said that when the Vajra Arhat Technique is cultivated to a high level, the body becomes as hard as Vajra and the strength as great as that of an Arhat, making it the most suitable method for charging into battle."

"It was precisely because of his exceptional skills that the old man was able to dominate the battlefield and achieve unparalleled feats."

Song Hongtao sighed again, his gaze drifting off somewhere, as if he were reminiscing about the days when his great-grandfather was a warrior.

"The old patriarch once set out a clan rule for the Song family: all male descendants of the Song family must practice the Vajra Arhat practice."

"This rule could only be enforced when the old patriarch was still alive. After the old patriarch passed away, the younger generation no longer took this clan rule seriously."

Song Yan nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.

After all, this is the family of a duke, and they have even saved the lives of the royal family. Even if they do nothing, they can still enjoy a lifetime of glory. So why bother to work hard to learn martial arts?
"Who else in the Song family is still cultivating this manual?" After taking the manual from Song Hongtao, Song Yan casually flipped through it.

Page after page, over and over again.

Although he was speaking, his eyes were fixed on the contents of the manual, his gaze highly focused, and his brain was working at full speed.

“In my generation, there is no one left to cultivate.” Song Hongtao sighed: “Song Jincheng abandoned martial arts for literature. I only casually flipped through it at the time and found it too difficult and dangerous, so I lost the desire to learn martial arts.”

"Song Jing does possess this cultivation manual."

Song Jing?
Song Yan nodded almost imperceptibly. Although he had only skimmed through it once in a short time, he could roughly understand some of it. Unlike most secret manuals, the Vajra Arhat Technique does not generate internal energy; it is merely a conduit for internal energy.

Internal energy is a mysterious and intangible thing; it cannot be seen or touched, yet it truly exists.

For most martial artists, internal energy can be as violent as a tsunami, flowing through the meridians and palms into the target's body, directly shattering their internal organs.

It can also be like a gentle stream, used to heal illnesses and injuries.

It can circulate itself to resist enemy attacks.

It can also be poured into the feet, making one as light as a swallow, able to fly over eaves and climb walls.

This is the common way martial artists use internal force, but the records in the Vajra Arhat Skill are completely different. The Vajra Arhat Skill uses internal force more like strengthening.

Use internal force to temper the body.

Song Yan's body trembled slightly, and an inexplicable restlessness welled up from the bottom of his heart, but he controlled it very well and did not show it on his face at all.

He simply turned back to the first page of the Vajra Arhat Technique and, just like before, gently stroked the yellowed pages with his fingers. It was clear that this manual was created in a very early era, when papermaking technology was still quite backward. He could clearly feel the rough texture where his fingertips touched.

Page after page...

He knew that the value of this Vajra Arhat Skill was likely even more exaggerated than that of the Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror.

The Hundred Flowers Treasure Mirror can make the cultivation of internal energy less tedious and greatly increase the speed of cultivation. However, there are countless martial arts manuals in this world that can cultivate internal energy. In fact, most martial arts manuals are about cultivating internal energy, while a small number are about techniques or lightness skills.

This was the first time Song Yan had ever encountered a secret manual like the Vajra Arhat Technique, which could use internal energy to temper the body; he had never even heard of it before.

Of course, there are also many methods for tempering the body.

In my sister-in-law's words, there are hundreds or even thousands of ways to temper the body, the only difference being the different medicines used. And there is an extremely important point: whether taken internally or applied externally, the number of times the body can be tempered is limited.

After all, the materials needed to temper the body are not without poisons. Even when used externally, some toxins will seep into the body. Martial artists may be able to expel some of the toxins through certain methods, but some will eventually remain. Over the years, the accumulated toxins will gradually reach an exaggerated level. Once it reaches the critical point, continuing to temper the body is no different from courting death.

Therefore, a martial artist's physical strength can be very strong, but there is a limit to how strong they can be.

The value of the Vajra Arhat Kung Fu lies in its ability to perfectly break through this limit.

Using internal force to temper the body eliminates any concerns about the harm caused by the accumulation of toxins, allowing for unlimited tempering. If one were to temper the body hundreds or thousands of times, the resulting physical strength would be unimaginable.

Perhaps, it can truly be as indestructible as the legendary Vajra, and as powerful as an Arhat, capable of subduing dragons and tigers.

In Song Yan's eyes, calling the Vajra Arhat Skill the number one martial art in the world would not be an exaggeration. The Song family is truly a bunch of fools. If the ancestral teachings left by Old Master Song had been passed down from generation to generation, the Duke's Mansion would have produced countless more masters and would never have fallen into such a state of decline.

His lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and the excitement on his face was barely contained.

Fortunately, Song Hongtao was leisurely sipping his tea and did not notice the change in Song Yan's expression. He was not in a hurry: "You can take your time to look at it. Of course, you can't take this manual with you. After all, it is a family heirloom of the Song family."

"It's Song Jing who comes back every now and then."

Song Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Is that so? Then has Song Jing cultivated to the ultimate level?"

“Of course not.” Song Hongtao smiled and shook his head: “Although the Vajra Arhat Technique is powerful, it is extremely difficult to cultivate. It requires the cooperation of other profound internal energy secrets. At present, Song Jing has probably not even cultivated one-fifth of it.”

As he spoke, Song Hongtao picked up the teapot, intending to pour himself another cup of tea, but the teapot was already empty. Song Hongtao shook his head. He wanted to call a maid over, but then he thought that there were some things that the maids should not know too much about, so he picked up the teapot and walked towards the door himself.

Song Yan swiftly picked up a calligraphy brush from the desk, turned to a page in the middle, and quickly changed a few words on it.

His inner strength surged from his palm, quickly drying the words. He glanced at Song Hongtao, who was still standing at the door, seemingly waiting for the maid to return the teapot.

Song Yan then turned to another page and changed a few more words. Some of the words were not difficult to change; just adding a little bit or a stroke would turn them into a new word.

When Song Hongtao returned, Song Yan had already closed the manual again, slowly exhaled, and then silently put the manual down and pushed it back in front of Song Hongtao.

He was rather curious about what Song Jing would become after practicing this modified Vajra Arhat Technique.

Could it lead to demonic possession?
I'm inexplicably looking forward to it.

It has to be said that this method is somewhat shameless.

"What's your decision?" Sitting down again, Song Hongtao frowned slightly as he looked at the manual that had been pushed in front of him.

"It's still not suitable for me. After all, I'm already sixteen years old. Starting to cultivate a secret manual from scratch would mean I've missed the best age. So, forget it." Song Yan shook his head and refused.

Song Hongtao grinned. Although he had made two preparations in advance, he still felt a little pained when the time came.

"That's fine."

Shaking his head, Song Hongtao turned around and clapped his hands again.

Heavy footsteps could be heard outside the study.

Then came a loud crash, as if something had hit the ground hard.

Curious, Song Yan got up and walked to the door, only to find dozens of boxes already placed in the courtyard outside the study. Song Hongtao also walked to Song Yan's side, his face showing a mixture of pain and pride. He gave a wink to the guards in the courtyard, and one by one the guards quickly opened the boxes.

In an instant, a bright silver light shot straight into Song Yan's eyes.

Song Yan even felt a stinging sensation in her eyes.

The area that his eyes swept over was covered in frost and white, with silver ingots neatly arranged in the box.

With so many boxes and so many silver ingots, even Song Yan could feel his breathing become extremely rapid. This must be worth tens or hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
This scene was far more shocking than the tens or hundreds of thousands of taels of silver notes, and Song Yan couldn't help but blush.

"Yan'er, I heard you're going to take up your post in Xinhou County. That place has just been looted, and you'll probably need a lot of money. Here's two hundred thousand taels of silver as a small token of my appreciation," Song Hongtao said earnestly, patting Song Yan's shoulder gently.

For some reason, Song Yan's eyes reddened, whether from the shock of the 200,000 taels of silver or from being moved, his face was full of fatherly affection.

He even bowed deeply to Song Hongtao: "Father, how could I let you spend so much money?"

"Hey." Song Hongtao's eyes were also red: "You know about Father's situation, Yan'er. Song Zhe and Song Huai are ultimately outsiders. This huge family business of the Duke's Mansion can only be handed over to you."

"Even this title of Duke is only your right to inherit, but unfortunately you have married into the Luo family and now you regret it."

"Since I can't let you inherit the title, I can only give you this vulgar silver."

"If your concubine Lin can give birth to a son, then the title of Duke should be given to him. Although it is not as much as two hundred thousand taels of silver, the Duke's salary will at least ensure that he will live a life free from worries about food and clothing. What do you think, Yan'er?"

"That would be excellent, of course." Song Yan sighed softly. Considering the 200,000 taels of silver, he felt a little embarrassed to continue ripping off Song Hongtao. However, what he thought and what he said were completely different: "I will mention it to my mother-in-law. As the eldest princess, it shouldn't be difficult for her to ask His Majesty to issue an imperial decree to confer the title of heir apparent."

Under the moonlight, amidst a scene of paternal love and filial piety, a sordid deal was struck.

(End of this chapter)