129: Chapter 9 is an announcement, not a discussion.

"Then, how about we make a deal?"

"What deal?" Mei Chaofeng asked.

Meng Li replied, "Lend me The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual to copy, and I'll teach you a set of Daoist Internal Skills. How about it?"

Mei Chaofeng felt a hint of interest.

It was true that she had made progress in practicing the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, but there were some issues with her own Internal Skill.

The Internal Skill she practiced was passed down from Eastern Evil Medicine Master Huang.

In terms of talent and brilliance, Medicine Master Huang should be the highest among the Five Masters.

This was because the Martial Arts practiced by the other four of the Five Masters were mostly legacies from predecessors. For example, Western Venom Ouyang Feng's Toad Kung Fu was a Legacy of White Camel Mountain; Southern Emperor South Emperor's One-Yang Finger was the heirloom technique of the Dali royal family; and Northern Beggar Hong Qi's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms originated from the Beggars Sect.

The origin of Central Divine Ability Wang Chongyang's Innate Skill was questionable; some said it was created by the ancient sage Chisongzi, while others said Wang Chongyang created it himself.

Only Medicine Master Huang's Martial Arts were basically all self-created.

For instance, the Finger Flickering Technique, Azure Sea Rising Tide Melody, Luoying Divine Sword Palm, Bibo Palm Technique...

Together, these Martial Arts formed their own system, collectively known as Peach Blossom Island Martial Arts.

Naturally, this included Internal Skills as well.

A so-called Genius-type figure was nothing more than this.

However, because the Martial Arts were self-created, the reference model was Medicine Master Huang himself.

The problem was that although the Disciples under Medicine Master Huang's sect did not have poor Aptitude, they were far from being as brilliant as he was.

Medicine Master Huang was also not the kind of Master who taught with earnest patience.

If a Disciple's Martial Arts practice wasn't going well, he was more likely to feel their Aptitude was insufficient rather than patiently teaching them over and over again.

Therefore, due to differing talents, the Martial Arts levels of the Disciples under Medicine Master Huang varied.

Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng belonged to the lower tier.

This was also one of the reasons they stole The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual.

Because their practice of the Peach Blossom Island Martial Arts wasn't very good, they hoped to use The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual to increase their strength. As it turned out, The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual had pitfalls; not only did it contain many specialized Daoist terms, but it also lacked a complementary Internal Skill.

The Internal Skill the two of them learned from Medicine Master Huang might not have been contradictory to the Martial Arts in The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual, but the compatibility wasn't very high.

Not to mention their Internal Skill practice wasn't very good to begin with.

After discovering this, the two had also risked sneaking back to Peach Blossom Island with the intention of stealing the Nine Yin Manual - Upper Volume, but they couldn't find it, and instead unexpectedly learned that their Mistress Feng Heng had passed away.

Thus, they didn't dare to return again.

With Mistress Feng Heng there, if they were caught by Medicine Master Huang, they might still have a chance to keep their lives.

With Feng Heng gone, if they were caught, given Medicine Master Huang's temperament, the probability of surviving was infinitely close to zero.

In the end, helpless, the two could only practice according to their own understanding, resulting in their practice becoming more and more deviated.

After Chen Xuanfeng's death, Mei Chaofeng realized she couldn't continue practicing like this and began to plot for an Internal Skill. She couldn't get the Upper Volume of the Nine Yin Manual, but the Nine Yin Manual originated from the Daoist Canon. If she could practice an orthodox Daoist Internal Skill, the effect probably wouldn't be too bad.

At least compared to the Peach Blossom Island Internal Skill she practiced, it would better bring out the power of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw.

To this end, when she previously encountered "The Seven Masters of Quanzhen," she had coaxed some words out of the head of the seven, Danyangzi Ma Yu, and understood a few key Internal Skill mnemonics.

But Ma Yu reacted in time and didn't say everything.

Now, hearing Meng Li say he could teach her a Daoist Internal Skill, Mei Chaofeng immediately felt interested.

However, in the next second, she suppressed that interest.

Exchanging The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual for just one Internal Skill was too much of a loss!

More importantly, the medium for The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual on her person was not ordinary paper, but the human skin of her husband, Chen Xuanfeng.

This was the only memento he had left her in the world, and it could not be lost.

Therefore, Mei Chaofeng quickly chose to refuse: "I appreciate Your Excellency's kind intentions, but I will not make this deal."

After saying that, she oriented herself and was about to leave.

But before she could move, a powerful finger force struck from a distance.

Mei Chaofeng didn't even have time to dodge before her acupoints were struck, freezing her in place, unable to move.

Then, she heard Meng Li say faintly, "You don't seem to understand the situation. This talk of a deal is an announcement, not a negotiation."

Mei Chaofeng was immediately shocked and furious: "Your Excellency took advantage of my lack of preparation to sneak attack and bully a blind old woman like me. Aren't you afraid that if word gets out, the people of the Jianghu will laugh at you?"

Hearing this, Meng Li couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Then, he said, "Have you forgotten? To practice your skills, you and Chen Xuanfeng used living people for practice; quite a few innocent people have died at your hands. With your reputation, let alone bullying you, even if I killed you and word got out, people would only cheer."

"Moreover, this area is sparsely populated. Even if I kill you, as long as I clean up the traces, who would know it was me?"

Mei Chaofeng's expression froze, unable to refute.

Actually, she knew all this, but having been suddenly restrained just now, she had spoken those childish "threats" in a moment of desperation.

Seeing Meng Li being so blunt, Mei Chaofeng could only steel her heart: "Do as you wish, whether you want to kill me or cut me up."

Meng Li didn't respond but observed for a moment, flashed to Mei Chaofeng's side, and reached into her bosom.

Mei Chaofeng's face changed slightly, and she said in shame and anger, "You..."

Just as she uttered the word 'you', Meng Li pulled his hand back.

In his hand, he now held the human skin inscribed with the contents of The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual, along with the dagger belonging to Guo Jing wrapped inside it.

Mei Chaofeng then realized that Meng Li's reach wasn't to take liberties with her, but to take The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual.

She instinctively wanted to shout a stop, but then immediately thought of her current situation of being controlled by another, with her life and death in Meng Li's hands. She had no ability to stop him, so she could only turn to pleading: "Your Excellency may transcribe the contents of the manual yourself. But that human skin belongs to my 'Bandit' husband; I hope Your Excellency can return it to me afterward."

"Mei Chaofeng will be eternally grateful!"

Meng Li replied, "Don't worry, what I'm interested in is The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual; this human skin is useless to me."

Mei Chaofeng immediately breathed a long sigh of relief and said gratefully, "Thank you!"

However, despite saying that, she didn't pin all her hopes on Meng Li. Instead, she secretly tried to use her Internal Energy to break through her acupoints, only to find it very difficult.

Firstly, the finger force Meng Li used on her acupoints was powerful, and secondly, she hadn't learned any specialized Internal Energy techniques for unblocking acupoints.

Meng Li was unaware of this. Seeing that everything was settled, he turned and went back to his room, lit a candle, and began transcribing the contents of The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual from the human skin.

Mei Chaofeng heard the movement and was secretly surprised.

She remembered that no one lived around here. Now, not only had she encountered Meng Li, but she could also clearly hear that there was indeed a house here. It was truly strange.

But no matter how strange she felt, Mei Chaofeng didn't ask; instead, she took the opportunity to try and unblock her acupoints.

Meng Li used a Quill Pen he had researched in his previous life. The writing speed was faster than a brush, so the transcription was completed in a short time.

Afterward, he checked it twice to ensure there were no errors before putting the transcribed content into his Portable Space.

With the task finished, Meng Li looked at the human skin and dagger on the side...