Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 93 Daoist Techniques and Artifacts
Jiang Mingzhe stepped forward, grabbed the rope, channeled his inner strength, and pulled with both hands, snapping the rope.

Zhong Wanchou stopped his madness and instead showed reverence, his heart filled with awe.

He thought to himself: "Those bastards from the Wuliang Sword gang probably put human hair in the rope. I struggled for so long but couldn't break it. This guy surnamed Long is so young, yet his internal strength is so high. It seems that when he slapped my head earlier, he was actually holding back."

He then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Mr. Long, I just mistook you for someone from the Duan family and was rude and disrespectful. Please forgive me."

Jiang Mingzhe waved his hand and said, "It's alright. I am Long Aotian, and I am honored to be a retainer of the Duan family. It is not inappropriate to say that I am a member of the Duan family."

Duan Zhengchun and Duan Yu couldn't help but smile upon hearing this.

Zhong Wanchou shook his head and said, "It's different, it's different. You are surnamed Long, and he is surnamed Duan. Mr. Long, I would like to ask you for some advice on how someone with my appearance can make up for his shortcomings by taking advantage of his strengths."

Jiang Mingzhe said calmly, "To solve anything in this world, there are only four steps: Dao (the Way), Fa (the Law), Shu (the Technique), and Qi (the Tool). Dao is the fundamental principle of things; Fa is the way to realize Dao, defining the strategy and principles; Shu is the specific means of execution that conforms to the strategy and principles; and Qi is the tool to improve execution efficiency. Do you understand?"

Zhong Wanchou immediately used the move "Wild Horse Shakes Its Head".

Duan Zhengchun's eyes gleamed with delight, and he exclaimed, "Nephew, I never imagined you possessed such great talent! From the grand to the minute, from the macrocosm to the microcosm, I think you could be put to good use whether governing the country and bringing peace to the people or leading armies into battle. Nephew, if you are willing to enter officialdom, my imperial brother will certainly put you to great use."

Although Zhong Wanchou couldn't understand it, he was impressed by its meaning. Seeing Duan Zhengchun, the Prince of Zhennan, so overjoyed, he became even more convinced that Jiang Mingzhe must be a man of great talent.

He immediately exclaimed, "What's the rush for such trivial matters as governing the country and ensuring the people's well-being? The most important thing is how to make my wife love me wholeheartedly! No, if you hear such a wonderful method, how can I compete with you? Mr. Long, don't tell him."

Duan Zhengchun looked disdainful and mocked, "My nephew is a man of extraordinary talent. A few words of advice from him would be enough for you to benefit for the rest of your life. Such a good opportunity, and all you want to do is learn how to coax your wife. Isn't that like entering a treasure mountain and returning empty-handed?"

Zhong Wanchou retorted angrily, "A well-fed man doesn't know the hunger of a starving man. If no one were to steal your wife, you naturally wouldn't be worried."

As he spoke, a thought suddenly struck him: "If I were to learn Mr. Long's amazing skills, I could simply seduce Duan Zhengchun's wife and get my revenge."

Duan Zhengchun never expected this horse-faced man to be so ambitious. He shook his head disdainfully and pulled Duan Yu along, saying, "Fine, since Valley Master Zhong wants to hear your brilliant insights, my father and I will let him have them."

Unexpectedly, Duan Yu pulled his hand away, blushing, and said, "Father, I... I want to stay and listen in."

Zhong Wanchou raised an eyebrow, about to lash out, when Jiang Mingzhe preemptively said, "Old Zhong, don't be in such a hurry. My sworn brother is only nineteen years old. Even if he has learned some tricks, he won't be able to use them on your wife."

Zhong Wanchou thought it made sense, so he stopped talking and just stared at Duan Zhengchun without blinking until Duan Zhengchun walked out of the hall. Then he turned around and put on a big smile and said, "Mr. Long, if I want my wife to love me wholeheartedly, how do I use this magic?"

Duan Yu corrected him, "It is a magical artifact, not a magic spell."

Zhong Wanchou thought to himself that although this pretty boy was the son of the old man, he was also Mr. Long's sworn brother. He couldn't afford to offend him, so he swallowed his anger and said, "Yes, yes, magic and artifacts."

He eagerly pulled over a chair, helped Jiang Mingzhe sit down, and then sat cross-legged on the ground, his face full of anticipation and piety.

Zhong Wanchou was a powerful figure in his region, but now he was as obedient as a primary school student. Jiang Mingzhe didn't put on airs and went straight to the point: "Tao, magic, and tools, what is the basic principle of a woman's love for a man? It is reverence. Only when she reveres you will she truly love and depend on you. As I just said, women admire strength, and reverence is the concrete manifestation of admiration for strength..." He went on and on about the ancient production relations of men hunting and women gathering, and about the modern production relations of men farming and women weaving. He went on and on about the physiological structures of men and women and their different mindsets.

In conclusion, she said, "So a woman's instinct is to choose the most powerful man she can match to gain a sense of security. Power, wealth, and martial arts skills are all signs of strength. As for looks, only a very few women who are already very powerful care about appearance. For example, when Empress Wu Zetian wanted male concubines, she would choose someone like me. You, Lao Zhong, definitely have no chance."

Zhong Wanchou chuckled upon hearing this, then said anxiously, "What you say makes a lot of sense, sir. But Duan Zhengchun is powerful, rich, and skilled in martial arts. I am inferior to him in every way, so how can I compete with him?"

Jiang Mingzhe patted him sympathetically: "What I said earlier was the principle, now I'll tell you the method. If you want your wife to love you wholeheartedly, there's only one strategy—make your wife feel your strength!"

He explained carefully, “Power is actually just a feeling. Having a high official position, a lot of money, and high martial arts skills is certainly a kind of power, but ignoring him and not caring about him is also a kind of power!”

“I don’t care about her, I don’t care about her…” Zhong Wanchou muttered to himself, deep in thought: “Does the master mean that if I don’t care about my wife, she will think I’m strong?”

Jiang Mingzhe gently patted Zhong Wanchou's shoulder and smiled kindly, "Old Zhong, don't underestimate yourself! Women admire strong men, but they are also very practical. If your wife could really become the Princess of Zhennan, how could she have fallen into your hands? The fact that she was willing to marry you means that in her environment, you are already the strongest man and the best choice. Otherwise, why wouldn't she marry someone else?"

“Yes, yes! Sir, your insight is brilliant!” Zhong Wanchou’s eyes lit up with joy.

Jiang Mingzhe continued, "You're so powerful, why are you still uneasy? Because you're afraid! You're afraid she'll be taken away by the Prince of Zhennan, so you keep trying to please her, afraid that if she's even slightly unhappy, she'll dump you and go to the Prince of Zhennan, right?"

Zhong Wanchou nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, yes! Mr. Jiang, you're absolutely right. All these years, haven't I been constantly trying to please her, coax her, and afraid of making her angry?"

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head and said, "To put it bluntly, my uncle didn't marry her more than ten years ago. Do you think he would want her now that you've slept with her for more than ten years?"

Zhong Wanchou's expression turned to one of sudden realization: "...So, Duan Zhengchun actually has no intention of having a baby?"

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled: "You need to understand, it's my uncle who doesn't want her, not the other way around. You're already the best choice she could make, so why worry about her running away? The problem between you and your husband isn't with my uncle, but with how good you are to your wife. My dear brother, women and petty men are the hardest to deal with, as the saying goes."

"If you get too close, they will become disrespectful; if you keep your distance, they will resent you."

Duan Yu immediately chimed in, glancing at the somewhat bewildered Zhong Wanchou, and thoughtfully explained, "What Confucius meant was that it's difficult to maintain proper boundaries when interacting with women and servants. If you get too close, they won't be respectful; if you distance yourself too much, they'll harbor resentment."

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled mischievously, “Look at my virtuous brother, he understands this principle at such a young age, but you still don’t understand. Getting too close to someone makes them less respectful, Lao Zhong. If a tiger is incredibly docile towards you, you can kick it or beat it whenever you want, because you’ve become so used to its docility that you’ve forgotten it can actually eat people. You’re always subservient and obedient, so your wife has naturally forgotten your power. What you need to do now is remind her that you are a tiger that can eat people, and she will naturally serve you carefully and try to please you.”

"Oh dear!" Zhong Wanchou was completely convinced and his face was full of gratitude. He said repeatedly, "I, Zhong, am so unlucky. Why didn't I meet you, sir! Sir, please teach me what I should do now!"

Jiang Mingzhe chuckled: "The Dao, the Dharma, the Techniques, and the Tools are all indispensable. I've been talking about the Dao and the Dharma for a while now. The specific Techniques and Tools are even more detailed. But my senior sister has fallen into the hands of the Four Evils, and I'm secretly worried. Even if I patiently explain it to you, I'm afraid it will still be superficial."

Zhong Wanchou suddenly stood up, thumping his chest loudly: "Mr. Long, rest assured, your senior sister's safety rests entirely on my shoulders!"

(End of this chapter)