"The Xiao Family didn’t receive an invitation to the Gambling Stone Festival? That shouldn’t be the case; surely it’s those association people messing around with those doggone messed-up things again—they really tarnish the name of jade. But it’s no big deal, I have an invitation here. I’ll give it to you when you come to Zhonghai City," Song Yanan actually swore.
However, Lin Tian found it pretty adorable to hear her swear; towards those people, not cursing simply couldn’t express the contempt they deserved.
"Then I’ll thank Sister Song in advance." With the invitation issue easily resolved, Lin Tian looked forward to his trip to the Zhonghai City Gambling Stone Festival even more.
"Young man, why thank me? I should be the one thanking you. By healing me, it’s as if you’ve saved half of my life," Song Yanan sighed, her mood complex with more joy than anything. She said, "Growing up immersed in my grandfather’s influence, I’ve been obsessed with jade carving from a young age. To give a lifeless stone a soul through carving is an indescribable feeling. If I couldn’t carve jade in the future, it’d be no different from losing half my life."
Lin Tian had deep respect for someone who loved an art form to such an extent. Whether it was Elder Zhou or Song Yanan, they both possessed a kind of charm that commanded admiration.
"Hehe, Sister Song, you should be thanking the owner of City Beauty Store. The medicinal herbs here are genuinely good stuff. So after this massage session, you won’t need any more. Just pay attention to recuperating when you go back, and once the muscles in your back are fully recovered, consider yourself healed," Lin Tian chuckled.
Just now, through his X-ray vision, he saw that all the meridians and blood vessels in Song Yanan’s waist had been unblocked. From now on, it was just a matter of recuperation.
"Lin Tian, a lot of these are wild medicinal herbs, and you added saffron, right? These authentic wild saffrons cost me quite an effort to find," Zi Yan noted, somewhat surprised that he didn’t take all the credit for himself.
The successful treatment case was huge advertising for the City Beauty Store, but thinking of Lin Tian’s unique massage technique, Zi Yan was eager to learn it. She’d have to think of a way to get him to agree.
With the therapy going so well, Wan Gaoyuan was naturally very pleased and, after hearing that Lin Tian was going to attend the Zhonghai City Gambling Stone Festival, insisted he must pick him up to show the hospitality of a local host.
After Wan Gaoyuan left with the other person, Zi Yan pulled Xiao Manxue into her office to talk, showing no intention of letting the two leave. Lin Tian knew what she was up to and said jokingly, "Boss lady, if you don’t let us go, do you want us to spend the night here? I have no problem with having two beautiful women for company."
The two women glared at him fiercely. Zi Yan knew well that despite Lin Tian’s young appearance, he was not someone easily fooled, and her heart was clear on that. So, she decided to just bring it out openly—it would appear more sincere than keeping something around she couldn’t understand.
She opened the safe and took out a scroll, which was wrapped in silk cloth. Without needing his X-ray vision, Lin Tian could guess that what was inside was the secret technique she’d mentioned. Zi Yan’s sudden generosity impressed Lin Tian with her quick decision-making. These strong women were never simple characters; they never dawdled with their actions.
"Take a look, it’ll definitely satisfy you," Zi Yan said unguardedly as she handed over the item to Lin Tian.
Whether it was fake or not, Lin Tian would know after a look; after all, she couldn’t just run away. Xiao Manxue at his side was also very curious about what kind of acupuncture skill would warrant such cautious preservation.
Under the expectant atmosphere of the few present, Lin Tian slowly unwrapped the silk cloth, revealing an antique gold-colored scroll tied up with silk ribbons in front of them.
"Eh, this is a little strange..." Lin Tian picked up the scroll, and the touch felt nothing like paper—it was somewhat cold. He exclaimed, "It’s actually made of gold leaf!"
Xiao Manxue was also extremely perplexed. She had previously thought it was just a thread-bound book; who could have imagined that the manual was made of precious golden foil?
"The first time I saw it, I was just as surprised as you. Open it and take a look," Zi Yan said.
Lin Tian hurriedly untied the ribbon and slowly unfolded the golden foil on the office desk. Rows of dense, tiny characters were revealed to the three of them, along with some exquisitely crafted images. When the foil was completely spread out, it was nearly two meters long.
"Zi Yan, are you trying to be mysterious or something? What are these characters? I can’t understand anything at all," Lin Tian said as he looked at the engraving on the golden foil, utterly dumbfounded.
"Hehe, it’s normal that you don’t understand. This is the script from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period, called Greater Seal script, also known as Bronze Script, which is usually engraved on metal objects," Zi Yan explained.
Xiao Manxue was also frowning, indicating that she didn’t understand this script either. She whispered, "If it was Lesser Seal script, I would have some knowledge of it, but this script predates Lesser Seal script, so I don’t understand it at all."
Lin Tian was still in high school; not to mention understanding it, these characters looked more like images than text to him. He shook his head and said, "I can’t understand it. Zi Yan, since you’ve taken it out, you must have already translated it into modern text, right?"
"Smart. I have indeed translated all the text on this golden foil. Bringing it out was just to make you more convinced," Zi Yan replied with a touch of pride—it really was an achievement to understand the script of that era.
As she spoke, she took a folder out of the safe. Lin Tian received it without another word and opened it immediately.
"The Five Elements and Yin Yang create heaven and earth, manipulate and navigate to define vitality. The Nine Needle Secret Technique is known as the marvel of the age, both Qimen and Ghost Valley are the true scriptures."
The first page had four lines written on it and bore a large title, Nine Needle Technique. Lin Tian’s brow furrowed as he read it; it seemed so mysterious that it was hard to believe.
"Qimen and Ghost Valley... Could it be authored by Gui Guzi?" Lin Tian mused with some confusion.
But the miss shook her head and replied, "It’s not certain. It could have been written by someone else to make it more credible, or it might be the work of a disciple of Gui Guzi. Who can clarify something that happened so long ago?"
"Yes, Manxue is right. Whether it’s Gui Guzi’s work or not, I also do not know. Don’t ask how I got this golden foil. Rest assured, it’s not a fake. Actually, you don’t need to read the text first, just take a closer look at the images on the foil. Do they feel familiar?" Zi Yan seemed to know what Lin Tian was about to ask and preemptively said that she wouldn’t reveal it.
Upon hearing this, Lin Tian simply used his X-ray vision to examine it: every detail of the figures on the golden foil was clear. He carefully scanned the foil from beginning to end, memorizing every bit of the content. This was something Zi Yan did not know; who would have thought it possible for someone to completely memorize the content on the foil after a few glances?
It could be said that even if Lin Tian reneged on teaching Zi Yan the massage technique, he would still possess what he desired. However, Lin Tian was not capable of such a contemptible act. Any means could be employed against an enemy, but Zi Yan was considered a half-friend. If he did such a thing, Lin Tian would also look down on himself.
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