194: Chapter 74 Not Easy to Foole

"What is the reason?" Old Imp asked upon hearing Meng Li's words.

Meng Li looked at him and replied, "Because you have a guilty conscience."

Medicine Master Huang's Azure Sea Rising Tide Melody is formidable for two reasons: first, it integrates Internal Energy into sound waves, covering a wide area and injuring people invisibly. Second, it uses the sound of the rising tide to stir emotions and disturb the mind, which is to some extent a mental attack.

There are two ways to avoid its influence: one is to have sufficiently powerful Internal Energy or a special Cultivation Technique, and the other is to have a clear conscience.

Meng Li and Mu Nianci belong to the former category.

Guo Jing belongs to the latter.

Originally, Old Imp, with his pure heart, also belonged to the latter, but he had once committed a sin and felt guilty in his heart. Thus, even after more than ten years of secluded cultivation, and with power no less than Medicine Master Huang's, he still found it difficult to resist the Azure Sea Rising Tide Melody.

Hearing Meng Li's pointed words, Old Imp remembered the events of that year, and his expression became unnatural.

He looked at Meng Li, his expression flickering with suspicion: "What do you know?"

Meng Li spoke softly, "Four Stanzas of the Song, mandarin ducks woven to fly together. Pity the hair turns white before one is old. Spring waves and green grass, in the depths of the morning chill..."

Old Imp's face changed drastically in an instant, and he hurriedly said, "Stop, stop! I believe you can divine and calculate."

Guo Jing and Mu Nianci were confused and looked at each other.

Meng Li said, "Then lend me the Nine Yin Manual - Upper Volume to read."

Old Imp shook his head, his eyes flickering as he said, "No."

"You saved me, and I am very grateful."

"But my Senior Brother said that the Nine Yin Manual is a curse. If you take it, it will only bring misfortune."

Meng Li smiled and said, "Most Martial Arts themselves have no attribute of good or evil. Whether it is a curse or a blessing depends on the person who obtains and uses it. I want the Nine Yin Manual - Upper Volume just to satisfy my hobby of collecting Martial Arts, and out of curiosity."

"As for the misfortune you mentioned, you probably mean that someone will come to snatch it, right?"

Old Imp nodded: "I don't know about others, but if that Old Poison Ouyang Feng knows you have the Nine Yin Manual, he will definitely find a way to make you hand it over."

Meng Li asked, "How does Ouyang Feng's Martial Arts compare to Hong Qi and Medicine Master Huang?"

Old Imp thought for a moment and replied, "About the same."

"Ouyang Feng is skilled in using poison and is obsessed with Martial Arts. He is determined to become number one in the world and practices most diligently. My Senior Brother once told me that among the Four Masters, this Old Poison is the hardest to deal with. However, his Toad Kung Fu was broken by my Senior Brother, and it won't be that easy to cultivate it back."

"Old Evil Huang and the Old Beggar—one knows too many things, and the other has too many affairs to attend to. I reckon they don't have much mind to delve deep into Martial Arts."

"And once they reach that level, it's very difficult to make significant improvements."

"So, even if Ouyang Feng cultivates his Toad Kung Fu back and practices diligently, he won't be much stronger than Old Evil Huang or the Old Beggar."

Meng Li immediately said, "Then you don't have to worry about Ouyang Feng seeking the Nine Yin Manual from me."

"Why?"

"Because he can't beat me."

Old Imp was stunned, then sized Meng Li up and down, asking, "Have you fought the Old Poison?"

"No." Meng Li shook his head and continued, "But I have sparred with Hong Qi and Medicine Master Huang."

"Truly?" Old Imp showed a look of surprise.

"Naturally it's true," Meng Li confirmed, then added, "If you don't believe it, you can ask them later."

"Who won?" Old Imp asked curiously.

Meng Li said bluntly, "The sparring was a draw, but if it were a life-and-death struggle, I would definitely win."

"Are you really that powerful?" Old Imp expressed doubt.

Meng Li smiled and said, "If you don't believe it, we can have a go."

"If I win, you give me a copy of the Nine Yin Manual - Upper Volume. If I lose, I'll teach you a fun technique."

"What technique?" Hearing the word "fun," Old Imp immediately became interested.

Meng Li replied, "Bee Mastery, which can be used to control bees you raise yourself."

Hearing this, Guo Jing was greatly surprised.

He didn't expect Meng Li to have this skill, and instantly thought of his mother, Li Ping, who could train horses through whistles and movements.

Mu Nianci was not surprised.

She knew Meng Li had this method and had even learned it.

Old Imp's interest grew even more, and he laughed, "Controlling bees? That sounds very interesting."

"However, the Nine Yin Manual - Upper Volume is a no-go. How about I bet my own Kongming Fist or the Two-Handed Fighting Technique against you?"

Meng Li thought for a moment and nodded, "Kongming Fist is fine, but forget about the Two-Handed Fighting Technique; I won't be able to learn it."

Hearing this, Old Imp was somewhat puzzled: "I haven't even taught it yet, how do you know you can't learn it?"

Meng Li pinched his fingers and replied, "The basic condition for learning the Two-Handed Fighting Technique is to have a pure and simple mind. My mind is quite cluttered, so I am not destined for it."

Old Imp: "..."

He now completely believed that Meng Li could divine and calculate.

Because the Two-Handed Fighting Technique was a martial art he created himself, and no second person knew its secrets.

Under these circumstances, for Meng Li to accurately state it, Old Imp could think of no other possibility besides being able to divine, calculate, and foresee the future.

Thinking of this, a flicker of eagerness rose in his heart: this ability to foresee the future was much more interesting than controlling bees!

So, Old Imp's eyes rolled, and he said with a chuckle, "Brother Meng, how about we change the terms? If I win, instead of learning Bee Mastery, you teach me this skill of finger-pinching calculation, how about it?"

Meng Li refused without a second thought: "No."

"This calculation skill involves the principles of astronomy and the Odd Gates. You can't even break the Formation of Peach Blossom Island; it's impossible for you to learn it."

Old Imp thought about it and felt it made sense, but he was somewhat unconvinced: "Whether I can learn it or not, I have to learn it to find out. You refused without even thinking; could it be you're afraid I'll learn your skill and calculate things you don't want others to know?"

Meng Li's gaze shifted slightly: "Who said that? Let's swap then. However, the Kongming Fist alone isn't enough to trade for this foresight skill; we need to increase the price—exchange it for the Nine Yin Manual - Upper Volume."

Old Imp immediately showed hesitation.

This situation reminded him of when he was deceived by Medicine Master Huang and his wife.

Meng Li also realized this and quickly added: "This time is different from the time with Medicine Master Huang. It's a competition of solid ability, with no way to use trickery. If you can beat me, you beat me; if you can't, it's just a lack of skill."

"Besides, The Real Person of Chongyang originally asked you to bury the Nine Yin Manual separately because he was afraid it would fall into the hands of wicked people and cause trouble."

"If my Martial Arts surpass yours, and I'm even more powerful than Ouyang Feng, then if I wanted to do evil, what difference would it make whether I had the Nine Yin Manual or not?"

Old Imp thought about it and felt it made some sense, but he instantly realized a problem and raised a question on the spot: "Wait, if you really can calculate everything, then you must know the result of the contest. If the result is already determined, wouldn't I be falling for a trap by betting with you?"

Meng Li: "..."