"But even so, it shouldn't be like this. I always feel there's something different in your hammering technique." Young Miss wasn't stupid. The fact that she could comprehend things from Xiaoyao's simple movements proved this point.
She just had a relatively carefree personality, but her perception was very keen. As long as she noticed something, she wouldn't see it any more shallowly than anyone else.
"Fine, actually my hammering technique does have principles. It's a hammering method from a sword forging manual that incorporates some martial arts elements. So it's very normal that you could comprehend martial insights from it." Xiaoyao replied.
Of course there were hammering techniques. Good techniques could forge ordinary things into high-grade masterpieces, even turn decay into something miraculous.
These techniques were equivalent to martial arts manuals and wouldn't be easily learned by others, and naturally wouldn't be easily mastered either.
Some sword forging families all had their own unique hammering methods, and the Mo family had them too, but the Mo family's were relatively mediocre, far inferior to those top-tier ones.
Even so, mastering the Mo family's forging hammering techniques wasn't easy. Among so many people in the sword forging workshop, only a few had practiced to proficiency - most had only grasped them.
Therefore, those top-tier forging hammering techniques were even harder to master. This was almost like martial arts - very few people could practice to the extreme.
"What sword forging manual? Can I take a look?" Young Miss immediately asked. Since Xiaoyao's hammering technique could stimulate her comprehension, she naturally wanted to see this sword forging manual - perhaps she could comprehend even more things.
"I've forgotten which one it was, but I know where it is. It's in the Mo family's library tower. There are several sword forging manuals there, including the Mo family's own. You can go look when you have time." Xiaoyao didn't hide anything. The manuals he had read were just those few.
However, he didn't explain that his hammering technique was no longer just one of those, but rather a fusion of various hammering techniques' advantages, with some of his own insights added, plus some martial arts comprehension.
It was this last point that would likely be the main reason Young Miss could achieve comprehension, but Xiaoyao wouldn't say this, or rather, he had already said it long ago.
Martial arts could be integrated everywhere, martial arts could be comprehended everywhere.
Xiaoyao liked a Taoist saying—
Humans follow earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows Dao, Dao follows nature.
All things are Dao, all have certain patterns.
"Then I'll go look tomorrow. I'm exhausted today. Look, it's already dark." Young Miss looked at the sky outside, but she was also puzzled why she felt tired when it had just gotten dark.
During her comprehension, she was completely immersed in it, unable to feel time passing. In her perception, it had only been a short while.
"Young Miss, it's not that it's gotten dark - it's gotten light." Xiaoyao smiled, then put away the sword body in his hands, also preparing to rest.
"What? It's dawn? Impossible. Has that much time passed?" Young Miss was stunned.
Xiaoyao nodded and said calmly: "Yes, you stood there for five hours, practiced sword for two hours. Aren't you very hungry? Want to wait for me to go eat breakfast together?"
"Sure, since it's already so late..." Young Miss nodded, suddenly feeling her phrasing was wrong. Now she shouldn't say late, but early.
"Um... were you worried about me, staying here to accompany me?" Young Miss suddenly asked.
"Yes." Xiaoyao directly nodded. He indeed was.
"Good brother. I'll cover for you for life." Young Miss patted Xiaoyao's shoulder, then put her arm around his shoulder, walking toward the bathroom together.
"..., Young Miss, I need to bathe..." Xiaoyao reminded her, seeing Young Miss actually entering the bathroom together.
This Young Miss must be too excited.
"I know. I'll bathe with you." Young Miss said without concern, beginning to undress.
"..., this isn't good..." Xiaoyao said awkwardly. Seeing Young Miss had already removed her outer clothing, he could only turn around and exit.
Young Miss said carelessly: "What's not good about it? We're brothers now. Wait, what are you going out for?"
"Men and women are different."
"Don't treat me as a woman. It's just that our bodies are a bit different."
"Still, you bathe first. I'm not used to bathing with others, especially 'brothers'." Xiaoyao said helplessly. This Young Miss was actually so crazy, even ignoring this.
"Shy? Haha... Idiot, I was teasing you. Did you think I'd really bathe with you. You performed very well... haha..." Young Miss's unbridled laughter came from inside.
"..."
Xiaoyao waited by the door, sitting in meditation to circulate qi and nourish his spirit. Circulating cultivation methods was a good way to eliminate fatigue, essential medicine for staying up all night. Just one hour could make him energetic.
Xiaoyao could be certain that Young Miss would need most of half an hour inside. Women always bathed slower.
Actually, this place originally had separate male and female bathrooms. There were female workers here too. Jobs like polishing and decoration could be handled by women, and they even did better than men.
It's just that women generally didn't do physical labor. They didn't need to bathe immediately and often used other public bathrooms or their own rooms. The Mo family didn't have just one bathroom - every courtyard and workshop had them.
The male bathroom at the sword forging workshop was always "in short supply," so they simply merged them.
After half an hour passed, Young Miss inside suddenly let out a startled cry, making Xiaoyao immediately get up and prepare to rush in. Of course, he stopped in the end. He felt he should first clarify the situation, otherwise if he rashly barged in while Young Miss wasn't dressed, Young Miss would instantly kill him.
Soon, facts proved Xiaoyao's thinking was correct.
"Xiaoyao, I didn't bring clothes." Young Miss's voice came out after a moment.
"So it's just no clothes. I thought you were ambushed." Xiaoyao replied irritably. "Why yell so loudly..."
"Damn. Can't I yell? If I don't yell, can you hear me. Hurry up, go get my clothes."
Xiaoyao didn't comply, just saying: "Troublesome. I'll teach you a trick - use the soft energy of Mo family boxing to wash your clothes."
"Damn, when I tell you to get them, just get them. I can't and don't want to wash clothes." Young Miss's voice had some anger.
"Sister, you're a woman." Xiaoyao said irritably.
"So what if I am? I just won't wash clothes." Young Miss's anger increased a bit.
"Sister, I mean it's inconvenient for me to get your clothes. Think about it - I'm a man. If it's outer clothes that's fine, but those undergarments..." Xiaoyao said very helplessly.
"Brother, I know what you want to say, but even if I wash my clothes, they'll be wet. How can I wear them." Young Miss also learned Xiaoyao's tone.
"You should have said so earlier. I have a solution for this. I'll teach you a little trick to dry clothes quickly. In the future when you encounter unavoidable situations, you'll have another way to cope." Xiaoyao said with a smile.
"Tell me..."
"Wash the clothes, then wring them dry, put them on..." Xiaoyao said unhurriedly.
"Damn. What kind of method is that." Young Miss was angry. Is this guy playing with me?
Xiaoyao continued slowly: "Listen to me, it's not finished yet. Next is the key point - use internal energy to dry the clothes. As for how, I believe you'll comprehend it."
Internal energy was a good thing - it could ward off cold, dispel heat, and dry clothes...
"..."
Young Miss made no sound, and Xiaoyao continued sitting in meditation with closed eyes.
After about a quarter hour, Young Miss came out from inside. The clothes on her body had been washed and were dry. This kind of small trick, once pointed out, she could master.
"Xiaoyao, this method works. Where did you learn it?" Young Miss asked Xiaoyao.
Xiaoyao got up and dusted off his clothes, walking inside while replying: "This is what martial artists often use in the wilderness. You, Young Miss, haven't experienced it, so you don't know."
"I see. Then how do you know it? Have you been to the wilderness?" Young Miss asked very curiously.
Xiaoyao paused, then said: "I don't want to hang and collect clothes. When bathing, I wash them at the same time, then dry them. Very convenient."
"..."
Actually, Xiaoyao didn't really learn it because of this. He understood after reading some books, and he indeed had the trouble of not wanting to collect and hang clothes. This wasn't laziness, but sometimes he'd hang clothes here but already be working somewhere else, requiring running back and forth.
Xiaoyao bathed very quickly, at most ten minutes. While Young Miss was still savoring the sword techniques she had comprehended, just when she felt it had only been a moment, he had already come out.
"Come on, let's eat breakfast. My treat." Xiaoyao shouldered his bundle and walked ahead.
"Great, I want xiaolongbao..." Young Miss thought and said.
"No problem."
Xiaoyao agreed very readily, making people think he was generous, except—
"Damn. This is what you call treating me?" Young Miss stood in the Mo family kitchen. She really wanted to slap Xiaoyao to death.
Xiaoyao nodded and said: "Yes. There's everything here. You young masters and misses are very picky, everyone has many requirements, so there's everything."
"I don't need you to explain this. I'm giving you this opportunity to eat breakfast with me. You don't go eat outside but eat at home. Do you think you're worthy of this opportunity I'm giving you?" Young Miss pointed at Xiaoyao and asked.
"Of course I'm worthy. Young Miss, the breakfast outside definitely isn't as good as what we have here. Don't you believe it?" Xiaoyao didn't care at all, even being looked down upon by Young Miss.
(End of Chapter)