451: Chapter 451 Touching the Head and Bestowing the Dharma

"Completely resolve Zhou Fangfei's problem?"

Han Jingyang shook his head. "Old Wang, that request of yours... is a bit absurd. Back then, I gave her two choices. She was the one who chose to stay in Quancheng and keep everything as it was. [Now you want to] completely eliminate the hidden dangers? Then why wouldn't she have chosen the second option [back then]?"

Wang Zhiwei was silent for a moment. "Not even a chance?"

"That's not the case, but it's a different path. It might not be a good thing for her, and it's definitely not a good thing for you. Are you willing to let her do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I can bring her into the fold, teach her orthodox cultivation methods, and let her become a true cultivator. But once she chooses this path, she is destined to be inseparable from the storms of the martial world, completely cut off from the life of an ordinary person. And you... it will be very difficult for you to keep her. After all, given your situation... you don't really think a cultivator who could easily crush you to death would willingly be your mistress, do you?"

Wang Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all? Cultivation, cultivation... it's not safe now anyway, so it's better for her to have more self-protection. As for me..."

Wang Zhiwei chuckled. "Heh, little brother, that's where you're young. Feelings have nothing to do with strength. The relationship between us won't be affected by any of that messy stuff."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure!"

"What does she say?"

"My thoughts are her thoughts."

"Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent sure!"

Han Jingyang thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, leave it to me."

Wang Zhiwei was overjoyed. "Heh, I knew you'd have a way, little brother. How much?"

"How much do you think is appropriate?"

"Twenty million!"

"Then twenty million it is."

Han Jingyang nodded indifferently. "Call her over; I'll give her the empowerment right now."

"Em, empowerment?" Wang Zhiwei suddenly felt a bit nervous. "Little brother, it's not, it's not one of those messy kinds of empowerment, is it?"

"What do you think?"

"Heh, I was just asking, just joking around. I'll go call her over."

Wang Zhiwei left the room.

Han Jingyang sighed.

Damn.

Rich bastard.

So fucking rich.

Twenty million, tossed out just like that. And it's the mistress's money! Using the mistress's money to do things for the mistress, and in the end, the mistress still has to be grateful for it.

To be a kept man to this level... there's really no one else like him.

This Old Wang is truly a role model for men.

Awesome!

But that's fine; I'll just treat it as making some extra cash.

Wait, this could be a way to get rich. Twenty million for a single empowerment slot... there must be plenty of people in the country who can afford twenty million and have an interest in cultivation.

Maybe I can work on this in the future.

Use it on my own people?

No need.

Empowerment is quick, but the ceiling is also high, and the foundation isn't solid enough; it's a fast-track method, so it's not very suitable.

Of course, more importantly, most of the empowerment-type skills he currently possesses are not of high grade. The empowerment effects and the content are all very mediocre; using them on his own people would be hindering them.

But selling to outsiders? That doesn't matter.

A fast-track yet powerful cultivation path isn't something that can be achieved with a mere few tens of millions anyway.

Twenty million to buy an entry into cultivation is quite a bargain.

A moment later.

Wang Zhiwei returned with Zhou Fangfei. As soon as he entered, he chuckled, "Little brother, I talked to Doudou. She's willing, very willing."

Han Jingyang nodded slightly. "Then let's begin."

"Ahem, is there any danger?"

"One hundred percent safe with no toxic side effects."

"Should I step out?"

"If you want to watch, then watch," Han Jingyang said, pulling out a bamboo slip.

What is a bamboo slip?

It's actually just a piece of bamboo.

During the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, and Han periods, people used these things to write. They would split bamboo into strips about the width of a thumb, scrape off the green outer skin, and carve characters with a knife or write with a brush. They were gradually phased out only after the invention of papermaking.

However, they weren't completely eliminated; they just no longer served a practical function and evolved into art objects, which is what we now commonly call bamboo carving.

The bamboo slip Han Jingyang took out was a typical piece of bamboo carving art.

The bamboo slip was thick and used the "retaining the green" (Liuqing) carving technique, which involves keeping a portion of the green skin to form patterns or characters and scraping away the skin outside the patterns. It's somewhat similar to bas-relief and also somewhat similar to the Zhuwen (red character) style in seal carving.

A newly carved pattern is still green, the same color as the bamboo skin. But after the passage of time, the pattern will gradually fade to a pale yellow, pale red, or yellowish-brown. However, it will be different from the color of the bamboo flesh without the green skin, creating a certain color contrast. That naturally formed contrast creates an extremely beautiful atmosphere.

The bamboo slip in Han Jingyang's hand was just like that. After being washed by over two hundred years of time, it presented a texture similar to yellow jade. The surface was smooth and delicate, warm and soft to the touch, with an excellent feel.

Under the light, the bamboo slip was almost translucent, revealing a hazy red halo. The fibers inside the bamboo slip were clear and distinct, with excellent visual effects—it was extremely beautiful.

However, there wasn't much content carved on this bamboo slip, just two lines of poetry.

"An immortal pats my head, bestowing eternal life upon my hair."

A poem by Li Bai.

One look and you understand what it means.

This bamboo slip was from the Daoguang period.

Appraised as Grade 6.

The attribute is Literature +4, a bit of a chicken rib.

But the skill was top-tier—Head-Patting and Bestowing Method.

Although it wasn't the legendary "empowerment" (Bodhi initiation), it was close.

Moreover, "empowerment" is Buddhist-style, while this Head-Patting and Bestowing Method is clearly Taoist-style.

This skill could be used twice. Selling it once for twenty million meant starting at forty million for two uses. It was very profitable.

After all, there was almost no cost; it was war loot he had seized.

Whatever he sold it for was pure profit.

Han Jingyang pointed to the meditation cushion. "Sit down, we're starting right away."

Zhou Fangfei hurriedly sat down, assuming the "five hearts facing the sky" posture, and closed her eyes. Her series of movements were very practiced.

Wang Zhiwei, watching from the side, had his eyes fixed on her, his gaze shining as it wandered over Zhou Fangfei's dignified and focused face. He was clearly thinking of some delightful scenes.

Han Jingyang, however, looked straight ahead. He held the bamboo slip high with both hands, raised it above Zhou Fangfei's head, and softly shouted, "Head-Patting and Bestowing Method!"

The next second.

The blue Qi inside the bamboo slip condensed into the shape of a Taoist priest wearing a white long robe. The priest held a long sword in his right hand and a wine gourd in his left. He walked toward Zhou Fangfei, swaying as he went, tilting his head back to drink wine, his posture extremely carefree.

When the priest reached Zhou Fangfei's side, he casually tossed the wine gourd aside.

The wine gourd turned into a ball of blue Qi in mid-air. Just as it was about to dissipate, the priest waved his hand and grabbed it, pulling the blue Qi into his palm and refining it into a ball of blue flame.

Then, the priest backhanded the ball of blue flame onto the top of Zhou Fangfei's head, gently stroked it three times, and let go. He stepped back two paces, but another wine gourd appeared in his hand. He took a swig, and then, with a boom, he scattered and vanished without a trace.

Zhou Fangfei, who was in the "five hearts facing the sky" posture, was no longer as tranquil as before. Her expression was slightly pained, and her body trembled slightly, but she didn't make a sound, toughing it out.

Wang Zhiwei no longer had that lecherous look; he stared nervously at the slightly trembling Zhou Fangfei. "Little brother, it didn't... fail, did it?"