Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 4 Good Sister

Azi originally thought that Jiang Mingzhe, having recognized the cruel reality of the future, would at least turn pale with fright, if not wet his pants.

To her surprise, Jiang Mingzhe remained expressionless, and even seemed eager to try, which took her quite a surprise.

Then he became somewhat indignant: This guy has quite the nerve, so how can I bully him?
His eyes darted around, and he said loudly, "Other sects have so many complicated rules, like not killing each other, upholding justice, and not committing evil deeds or taking lives lightly... In short, our sect doesn't care about any of that nonsense. As long as you're powerful enough, you can become the sect leader. So how do you become powerful? Hmph, hmph."

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled inwardly, then feigned ignorance in good faith: "Although I haven't learned martial arts, I know that no matter what skill you learn, it all comes down to eight words: diligent study and hard practice, perseverance. As long as I follow these eight words, I'll gradually become more skilled!"

"Hey, it's not that simple!"

Ah Zi got excited and her little mouth opened and closed quickly: "Study hard and persevere, hehe, which disciple in our sect is not like that? You joined the sect late and are old. Unless you cultivate much faster than others, you should be prepared to be at the bottom forever. In the future, everyone can order you around and everyone can bully you. That would be really miserable."

Jiang Mingzhe nodded slightly, thinking that the Xingxiu Sect did not care about merit or contribution, but only about immediate combat strength. Those in high positions could take whatever they wanted from those in low positions, and their lives were often in danger. It was much more cruel than the bottom-ranking elimination system in the workplace of later generations. Even though he was knowledgeable, he could not underestimate these guys who risked their lives.

"As expected of senior sister, you really see things clearly!" Jiang Mingzhe praised her first, then showed a worried look: "Sigh, if everyone works this hard, won't I really be at the bottom forever?"

Seeing that he was finally frightened, Azi was satisfied and said with a grin, "Actually, there is a way. Hmph, if you want to get ahead, hard work alone is not enough. There is a very important trick. Do you want to know?"

Jiang Mingzhe nodded repeatedly. Azi was overjoyed and jumped onto a large rock. She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him, saying proudly, "Master said that the Dharma is not easily passed on. Big Jiang, if you call me 'good sister' three times... no, three hundred times, then I will be merciful and tell you this amazing secret."

Jiang Mingzhe thought to himself, what secrets could she possibly know? Could she be trying to instigate me to help her steal the Divine Wood Cauldron?

Look, if you want to get ahead of everyone else, you have to steal Master's precious Divine Wood Cauldron. Senior Sister thinks you're a decent person, so she'll take you along. I'll take the blame, you go and die...

Jiang Mingzhe pretended to be very reluctant and bargained with him: "Calling you senior sister is of course no problem, your martial arts are definitely higher than mine. According to the rules of our sect, the one with higher martial arts is superior. But calling me good sister is not acceptable. I am twenty-five years old this year, and you... are not even fourteen yet?"

Growing up in the Xingxiu Sect, the fear of being looked down upon by others has become an instinct for Azi.

Hearing the slight disdain in Jiang Mingzhe's words, Azi immediately became anxious. She puffed out her chest, widened her eyes, and shouted, "What do you know, you big piece of ginger? I've practiced our sect's secret techniques. I may look like a young girl, but I'm actually 101 years old this year. I'd be your great-grandmother. Asking you to call me 'sister' would be too good for you, kid."

Jiang Mingzhe smiled, thinking to himself that the Everlasting Youth and Longevity Skill of the Xiaoyao Sect must have such an effect.

Given Ding Chunqiu's character, it's impossible for him to mention these top-tier divine skills, which even he himself doesn't know, to his disciples. It can only be said that A Zi's imagination is quite remarkable.

He didn't expose Azi's boasting. He pretended to hesitate for a moment, then slowly said, "...I don't know if what you're saying is true or false...At most, I'll call you once, and you tell me the key. Then I'll call you a second time. Only after I'm sure it really works will I call you a third time. Otherwise, if you're lying to me, wouldn't I be at a loss?"

He knew that Azi was the type to take advantage of kindness, and although he didn't care about such a small verbal advantage, he still had to bargain with her a bit. Otherwise, if he agreed too readily, Azi might cause some more trouble.

This is a trick street vendors are masters at: they ask for three hundred, you offer one hundred, and they'll look distressed and complain, "If this keeps up, I really won't make any profit at all. Oh well, fine, I'll admit you're good, one hundred it is."

Then, with tears in her eyes, she earned ninety. Ah Zi immediately cried out, "No! My word is law! If I say three hundred, then it's three hundred! Not a single one less! Once you're sure it works, you have to shout it two hundred and ninety-seven more times!"

"This girl's math isn't very good," Jiang Mingzhe chuckled inwardly. He pretended to struggle for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "Alright, if it really works, calling you 'sister' two hundred and ten times isn't out of the question. Um, dear sister, you...you tell me..."

He deliberately held his breath while speaking, and when he managed to utter the words "good sister," Jiang Mingzhe's face turned red from holding it in.

Seeing his humiliated and ashamed appearance, Azi was overjoyed. She thought to herself, "How interesting! When he finishes calling me 'I'm only thirteen' in the future, will he be so angry that he'll die?"
Thinking of Jiang Mingzhe's shocked expression after learning the truth, Azi almost burst out laughing. She pressed her two small hands tightly to her cheeks, forcibly suppressing her laughter.

He coughed, suppressing his laughter, and said, "Listen, disciples of our sect are forbidden from teaching each other martial arts. If you want to learn martial arts, you can only be taught by your master. But what martial arts your master teaches you depends entirely on his mood at the time. You should know that our sect has countless unique skills, and they are bound to be of varying levels. How can you get your master to teach you advanced martial arts?"

A look of nervousness appeared on Azi's face. Even though there was no one around, she still glanced around and whispered in a very fast voice, "The key is to find a way to affect Master's mood! For example, you should get a lot of centipedes beforehand so that he sees them when he goes out, walks, and even when he poops. That way, when he teaches you martial arts, he will most likely teach you the Three Yin Centipede Claw! If you want to learn other martial arts, it's a similar method. This is my senior sister's secret, and you must not reveal it to anyone, not even if they call you 'Big Brother'!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingzhe secretly praised it as brilliant.

It's remarkable that Azi, at such a young age, could come up with a way to influence Ding Chunqiu's subconscious. In the workplace of later generations, this would be a classic example of upward management!

To possess this ability, intelligence, courage, and a sense of proportion are all indispensable.

Ah Zi is good, she has potential!
However, Jiang Mingzhe was new to the area and had no idea which skills of the Xingxiu Sect were powerful and worth learning.
Judging from Ah Zi's shifty eyes, she was clearly waiting for him here too.

In Jiang Mingzhe's mind, the most powerful martial art in the Xingxiu Sect is the Huagong Dafa, but not to mention that Ding Chunqiu would not easily pass it on, even if Old Ding were willing to teach it, young Jiang would not be interested!

Ding Chunqiu failed to learn the Northern Darkness Divine Skill by stealing it, so he racked his brains and created the Dissolving Skill Great Method. They seemed to be equals, but Jiang Mingzhe, who had read the original work, naturally knew that the two were worlds apart.

The Beiming Divine Skill absorbs other people's internal energy and uses it for its own benefit. Whether you call it a bandit or a thief, its core principle is to harm others for personal gain and weaken the enemy to strengthen oneself. It is truly an extremely domineering divine skill.

The Great Law of Dissolving Power relies on toxins to neutralize the enemy's internal energy, but it does not benefit the user in any way, making it a lose-lose situation.

That's not all. The key is that once you get the hang of it, you can't stop. You have to keep catching poisonous insects to increase the poison in your body. If you stop for seven days, not only will your skill decline, but the poison accumulated in your body will also take effect. At that time, you will feel like you are dying, which is more terrible than any torture.

In Jiang Mingzhe's view, this kind of skill is like putting shackles on oneself for no reason. If one were to fall into an environment without poisonous insects, such as a prison, one would poison oneself to death without waiting for others to kill him, which would have endless consequences.

However, aside from the Huagong Dafa, Jiang Mingzhe really didn't know which of the other martial arts of the Xingxiu Sect were superior.

So he could only politely ask Azi, "Hehe, senior sister, which of the many unique skills of our sect should I learn to make it worthwhile?"

Like a well-fed piglet, Azi grunted happily, crossed her arms, and turned her face away, clearly trying to act tough.

(End of this chapter)