Chapter 45: The Military Dragon Dance Manual

Chu Feng had truly not expected that this young Miss Li, despite her tender age, possessed such a shrewd mind.

On the surface, Li seemed a little dazed, as if she were devoid of any cunning. Yet in reality, this girl was adept at scheming precisely where others least expected it.

"Li, you were quite convincing just now! The tears came so suddenly—I genuinely thought that thing was lost. I never imagined you were testing me!"

Chu Feng was both amused and exasperated. He walked over to Li’s side to help her dig at the ground.

"Uncle, you mustn’t be angry with me over this! The world is full of treacherous hearts; some old, cunning fellows won’t reveal their true colors until the very last moment! I couldn’t be sure you weren’t a hypocrite, so I had to put you to the test."

Li’s words were remarkably frank.

"Hmm, I understand your predicament. I don’t blame you," Chu Feng said with a nod.

The two of them crouched beside a nondescript patch of earth near the big tree and dug about two feet deep. Suddenly, Chu Feng’s fingers touched something.

"Uncle, I’ve found it!"

Li was instantly elated. She gave a pull, and out from the muddy ground came a bamboo tube, about as thick as a teacup.

"What’s this?" Chu Feng asked.

"The item is inside this bamboo tube!" Li said excitedly as she pulled hard to remove the sealed stopper.

As soon as the stopper was removed, Chu Feng noticed a faint pink glow emanating from the mouth of the bamboo, tinting the entire green tube a rosy hue.

The next moment, Li poured out the contents of the tube, and a pink light bloomed before their eyes, like a small pink umbrella unfurling, bathing the surroundings in rosy color.

The source of this pink glow was, astonishingly, a book in Li’s hand.

"Uncle, look! This is the priceless technique I mentioned—take it," Li said, brimming with excitement.

Chu Feng took it at once.

The book’s cover was not particularly large, about the size of an ordinary martial manual, but it was quite thick—nearly as thick as a thumb. Strangely, there were no words written on the cover, only a pink radiance that marked it as no ordinary object.

"Li, what technique is this? Why does it have a layer of pink light?" Chu Feng asked, opening to the first page. There, he saw an illustration of a woman with a graceful figure, wrapped in long pink gauze, dancing with peculiar steps.

Turning to the second and third pages, he found more images of women dancing.

"This is no ordinary technique. It is the treasured manual of the Dance and Song Pavilion, the foremost sect in Northern Yue Water City of the Great Yue Dynasty: 'Military Dragon Dance Manual'!" Li introduced it solemnly. "As for why it glows, it’s because the materials used to craft it are extraordinary."

"So it’s a dance manual—a secret book teaching martial artists to dance?" Chu Feng asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Yes! But these dances are far from ordinary—they can kill! If you master some of the steps, not only will your movement become unfathomable, swift as the wind, but you’ll also be able to kill invisibly. In short, your strength will soar!" Li explained.

"Li, these dance poses by female martial artists are truly bizarre! You expect me to imitate these moves and perform such strange dances? Haha, I’m afraid I can’t manage that," Chu Feng said, shaking his head with a wry smile and handing the manual back to Li. "I appreciate your kindness, but as for finding a place to settle, I naturally—"

"Uncle, are you dissatisfied with this manual? Even advanced cultivators and major sects crave it!" Li grew anxious seeing Chu Feng unimpressed. "The manual doesn’t only contain dances for women; there are steps for men as well! Turn it upside down and you’ll see—the rest is all for male martial artists!"

"Oh? It can be read upside down?" Chu Feng’s curiosity was piqued. He flipped the manual over, and instantly, the pink glow shifted to a blue-violet hue. The cover now seemed to crackle with countless lightning bolts, illuminating the surroundings like a stormy night.

On the first page, Chu Feng saw an illustration of a muscular male martial artist, stepping in a strange pattern—neither wholly dance nor walk—seeming almost to float, intriguing to behold.

"Hmm? Gale Step?"

Reading the illustration and text, Chu Feng suddenly felt his muscles stir. Unable to help himself, he began to mimic the posture and movements depicted.

On the first page, Chu Feng arranged his body and feet as shown.

On the second, he followed the instructions, stepping forward and back, turning intermittently.

On the third, after two consecutive turns, a gust of wind surged before and behind him as he stepped out. Another turn sent the force spreading, shaking the nearby tree violently.

At last, Chu Feng stepped forward with a loud burst. A powerful wind swept over a space nearly six yards wide, lifting a two-hundred-pound boulder into the air and hurling it far away!

As the boulder was flung, countless fragments of stone were swept up, and even the torrential rain pouring down was blown aside by the force.

Witnessing this whirlwind of sand and stone, Chu Feng was stunned, hardly able to believe what he saw.

Where had this powerful wind come from? Was it truly generated beneath his feet? With just a few steps as shown in the manual, could one achieve such mastery—wind at one’s feet, stones flying?

Chu Feng was elated, wondering whether the manual was simply miraculous, able to turn rot into marvels, or if he himself was a prodigy in martial arts.

"Uncle, do you now appreciate the value and power of this manual? What you just performed was the basic Gale Step, one of thousands of dance steps! By harnessing special movements, you create wind at your feet—this wind can harm others or aid your own agility!" Li explained earnestly.

"I see! This 'Military Dragon Dance Manual' is truly extraordinary!"

Chu Feng felt invigorated; to master a technique in mere moments was astonishing. He recognized the manual’s worth and suddenly asked, "Hmm? Why are there only a few pages with content? The rest is blank?"

"They’re not blank—there’s much more content, only we can’t see it! The first pages are for martial artists to learn dance steps; the rest records advanced dances and arts for cultivators. Cultivators possess spiritual awareness and can read what’s written with invisible ink, but martial artists without such awareness see nothing," Li explained in detail.

"So, this manual not only allows someone like me to learn, but once I step into the world of cultivation, I can study even more advanced arts?" Chu Feng was astounded.

After the tenth stage of body tempering, martial artists comprehend the five elements and can enter the realm of cultivation, becoming powerful cultivators. The resources, manuals, and weapons available to cultivators far surpass those of martial artists.

Generally, items useful to martial artists are worthless to cultivators, while things valuable to cultivators are rarely seen by martial artists and unusable even if obtained.

Yet the appearance of the 'Military Dragon Dance Manual' overturned Chu Feng’s understanding.

"Exactly! That’s the true value of this manual! As a martial artist, you can learn the introductory steps; as a cultivator, you can master advanced dances and arts! It’s said that once you perfect the top techniques in this manual, establishing a sect, earning the admiration of thousands, and becoming famous in the cultivation world will be as easy as playing a game!"

Li was highly excited as she described the manual’s worth.

"Haha, let’s hope it’s as amazing as you say!"

Chu Feng nodded, then frowned, "Li, I have a few questions. First, with such a remarkable manual, why not train yourself? Even mastering a few basic steps would greatly boost your strength!"

"Uncle, you think I don’t want to? Martial artists need at least the fourth stage of body tempering—strength of a rhinoceros—to wield the dance steps’ power!"

"Oh? So I’m just barely qualified to learn the basic steps now," Chu Feng nodded. "Second question: How did you acquire such a heaven-defying manual? You’re only at the second stage, yet possess something even cultivators can’t touch?"

"Uncle, this manual is tied to my origins," Li said, her expression dimming.

"Is that so? To own such a thing, you must have quite a background! Li, don’t tell me you’re a princess of some fallen minor dynasty?" Chu Feng laughed.

"No," Li shook her head. "As for my origins, I’ll tell you another time."

"Very well."

Chu Feng nodded. "My third question: you’ve entrusted me with this incredible manual, just so I’ll help you find a place to settle—that’s easy enough! But aren’t you afraid that, when you want it back in the future, I’ll refuse or simply disappear? Wouldn’t that leave you with no recourse?"

Li shook her head. "If you truly intend to do that, you might as well kill me now and spare yourself the trouble of finding me a place to live. Wouldn’t that be simpler?"

"Haha! Everything is within your calculations, isn’t it?"

Chu Feng laughed heartily.