Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 114 - A Benevolent Father and a Filial Son

Song Hongtao was trying to mend the relationship between the two of them. He had already learned this from Butler Wang. It's just that he hadn't expected Song Hongtao to actually take out such a thing.

He was a little disappointed.

After all, he already had a martial arts secret manual, the 'Hundred Treasures Compendium'. He wasn't that eager for this so-called 'Vajra Arhat Art'. And it sounded like a Buddhist martial art.

Looking at the yellowed secret manual, which who knows how long it had been since it was last taken out, and then looking at Song Hongtao opposite him:

"This is..."

"The secret manual that the Old Duke Song cultivated back then." Song Hongtao let out a breath.

He quietly glanced at the door and window, and after seeing that no one was paying attention, he then said in a mysterious, low voice:

"It is said that the ancestor of the Song family was a commoner."

"Because his family was poor, and the Old Duke had a big appetite, he was kicked out of his home. Later, he entered a temple and became a monk. This 'Vajra Arhat Art' was obtained from that temple."

"It is rumored that when this 'Vajra Arhat Art' is cultivated to a high realm, the body is as hard as a vajra, and the strength is as great as an arhat's. It is the most suitable method for charging into battle."

"The Old Duke relied on this hard skill to dominate the battlefield and achieve unparalleled merit."

Song Hongtao sighed again, his gaze drifting to who knows where, as if he were dreaming of the Old Duke's days of clashing arms.

"The Old Duke once set a Song clan rule: all male descendants of the Song family must cultivate the 'Vajra Arhat Art'."

"But this rule could only be enforced while the Old Duke was still alive. After he passed away, the later generations didn't take this clan rule very seriously."

Song Yan nodded slightly, expressing his understanding.

After all, this was the house of a Duke. And they had a life-saving grace towards the imperial family. Even if they did nothing, they would still have a lifetime of glory and wealth. Since that was the case, why would they go through the hardship of practicing martial arts?

"This secret manual, who else in the Song family is cultivating it?" Taking the secret manual from Song Hongtao's hand, Song Yan casually flipped through it.

Page after page, over and over.

Although he was speaking, his eyes were fixed tightly on the content of the secret manual. His gaze was highly concentrated, his brain working furiously.

"In my generation, no one cultivates it." Song Hongtao sighed.

"Song Jincheng abandoned the martial path for the literary one. I also just casually flipped through it back then. I felt it was too difficult and too dangerous, so I lost the mind to practice martial arts."

"Song Jing, on the other hand, has cultivated this secret manual."

Song Jing?

Song Yan nodded almost imperceptibly. In a short time, although he had only given it a rough look, he could generally understand some of it.

Unlike the vast majority of secret manuals, cultivating the 'Vajra Arhat Art' did not produce internal force. It was just a transporter of internal force.

Internal force is a mysterious and profound thing. It cannot be seen or touched, yet it truly exists.

For the vast majority of martial artists, internal force can be as violent as a tsunami, flowing through the meridians and out through the palm, surging into the target's body and directly shattering their internal organs.

It can also be like a trickling stream, healing illnesses and injuries.

It can circulate through one's own body to resist an enemy's attack.

It can also be infused into one's feet, making one's body as light as a swallow, able to fly over eaves and walk on walls.

This is the common way martial artists use internal force. But the records in the 'Vajra Arhat Art' were completely different. The 'Vajra Arhat Art's' use of internal force was more like strengthening. Newest update provıded by N0velFire.ɴet

Using internal force to temper the physical body.

Song Yan's body trembled slightly. An inexplicable agitation welled up from the bottom of his heart, but he controlled it so well that not a trace of it showed on his face.

He just flipped the 'Vajra Arhat Art' back to the first page. Just like before, his fingers gently caressed the yellowed pages. It was clear that this secret manual was created in a very early era, when the art of papermaking was still in a rather backward stage. He could clearly feel the rough texture where his fingertips passed.

Page after page...

He knew the value of this 'Vajra Arhat Art'. It was very likely even more exaggerated than the 'Hundred Treasures Compendium'.

The 'Hundred Treasures Compendium' could make a practitioner's cultivation of internal force no longer dull and tasteless, and the speed of cultivation would also be greatly increased.

But in this world, who knows how many martial arts secret manuals there are that can cultivate internal force. In fact, the vast majority of martial arts manuals are for cultivating internal force, with a small portion for techniques or lightness skills.

A secret manual like the 'Vajra Arhat Art' that can use internal force to temper the physical body was something Song Yan was absolutely encountering for the first time. Before this, he had never even heard of it.

Of course, there were also many methods for tempering the physical body.

In his younger sister-in-law's words, there were hundreds or thousands of methods for tempering the body; the only difference was the medicine used. And there was a very important point: whether it was internal consumption or external application, the number of times one could temper the body was limited.

After all, the materials needed for body tempering were not lacking in poisonous substances. Even with external application, some toxins would seep into the body. Perhaps a martial artist could expel some of the toxins through certain methods, but some would ultimately remain.

After accumulating over many years, the residual toxins would also gradually reach a rather exaggerated level. Once the critical point was reached, continuing to temper the body would be no different from seeking death.

Therefore, a martial artist's physical strength could be very strong, but this strength had a limit.

And the value of the 'Vajra Arhat Art' was that it could perfectly break through this limit.

Using internal force to temper the physical body, there was no need to worry about the harm of accumulating toxins at all. One could temper it without limit. If one really were to temper it hundreds of thousands of times, it was simply unimaginable what level the body's strength could reach.

Perhaps one could really become like the legendary Vajra, indestructible, and like an Arhat, with infinite strength to subdue dragons and tame tigers.

In Song Yan's eyes, to say that this 'Vajra Arhat Art' was the number one martial art in the world was by no means an exaggeration.

The Song family was truly a bunch of fools. If the ancestral instruction left by the Old Duke Song could have been passed down from generation to generation, who knows how many masters the Duke's mansion would have produced. It would absolutely not have declined to its current state.

The corners of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. The excitement on his face was almost uncontrollable.

Fortunately, Song Hongtao was just leisurely sipping his tea and did not notice the change on Song Yan's face. He wasn't in a hurry either.

"You can read it slowly. Of course, you can't take this secret manual with you. After all, this is a family heirloom of the Song family."

"Even Song Jing has to come back every so often."

Song Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Is that so? Then has Song Jing cultivated it to its peak?"

"Of course not." Song Hongtao smiled and shook his head.

"Although this 'Vajra Arhat Art' is powerful, it is extremely difficult to cultivate. It needs to be coordinated with other profound internal force secret manuals. Right now, what Song Jing has cultivated is probably not even one-fifth of it."

Saying this, Song Hongtao picked up the teapot, preparing to pour himself another cup of tea. But the teapot was already empty.

Song Hongtao shook his head. He had originally wanted to call a handmaiden over, but thinking that some matters ultimately couldn't be known by too many of those handmaidens, he carried the teapot and personally walked towards the door.

Swish.

Song Yan picked up a writing brush from the desk, flipped to a certain page in the middle, and with a swish swoosh swish, altered a few characters on it.

Internal force surged from his palm, rapidly drying the few characters. He glanced out of the corner of his eye. Song Hongtao was still standing at the door, as if waiting for a handmaiden to bring the teapot back.

Song Yan then flipped to another page and altered a few more characters. Some characters were not difficult to alter. With just a small addition, a single stroke, it would become a new character.

By the time Song Hongtao returned, Song Yan had already closed the secret manual again. He let out a slow breath, then silently put down the manual in his hand and pushed it back in front of Song Hongtao.

He was a little curious. After Song Jing cultivated this altered 'Vajra Arhat Art', what would he become?

Would he suffer a qigong deviation?

He was inexplicably looking forward to it.

I have to say, this method was a little shameless.

"How have you considered it?" Sitting down again and looking at the secret manual that had been pushed in front of him, Song Hongtao frowned slightly and asked.

"It's still not very suitable for me. After all, I am already sixteen. To start cultivating a new secret manual from scratch, I've already missed the optimal age. I'd better pass." Song Yan shook his head, refusing.

Song Hongtao grinned. Although he had already made preparations for either outcome, at this moment, he still felt the pinch a little.

"Oh well."

Shaking his head, Song Hongtao turned and clapped his hands again.

The sound of heavy footsteps came from outside the study.

Then came a clanging sound, as if something heavy had been smashed onto the ground.

Song Yan was curious. He stood up and walked to the door, only to see that dozens of chests had been placed in the courtyard outside the study.

Song Hongtao also walked to Song Yan's side, his face a mixture of pain and smugness. He shot a look at the household guards in the courtyard, and one by one, the guards quickly opened the chests.

In an instant, a dazzling silver light shot straight into Song Yan's eyes.

Song Yan even felt his eyes sting a little.

Everywhere his gaze swept was a frosty white. One silver ingot after another was neatly arranged in the chests.

So many chests, so many silver ingots. Even Song Yan could feel his breathing become exceptionally rapid. This must be a hundred or two hundred thousand taels of silver, right?

This scene was countless times more exaggerated than the shock brought by bank drafts for one or two hundred thousand taels. A flush uncontrollably appeared on Song Yan's face.

"Yan'er, I heard you are going to Xinhou County to take up your post. That place has just been plundered; there will probably be no shortage of places where money is needed. Take this two hundred thousand taels of silver as a small token from your father."

Song Hongtao patted Song Yan's shoulder lightly and said with earnest words.

For some reason, Song Yan's eyes became a little red. It was unknown if he was stimulated by the two hundred thousand taels of silver, or if he was moved. In short, his face was full of fatherly and filial affection.

He even gave a deep bow to Song Hongtao: "Father, how can this child let you go to such an expense."

"Ai." Song Hongtao's eyes were also red.

"Yan'er, you also know my situation. Song Zhe, Song Huai, and the others are, in the end, outsiders. This vast family business of the Duke's mansion can only be handed over to you."

"Even this position of Duke, only you are qualified to inherit. A pity you have already married into the Luo family. I regret it deeply.”

"I cannot let you inherit the title, so I can only give you this vulgar money."

"If your Concubine Lin can give birth to a son, then the Duke's position will be given to him. Although it can't compare to these two hundred thousand taels of silver, the Duke's stipend can at least guarantee a lifetime of comfort. What does Yan'er think?"

"That is naturally excellent." Song Yan let out a faint breath.

For the sake of these two hundred thousand taels of silver, he was a little embarrassed to continue screwing over Song Hongtao. It's just that what he thought in his heart and what he said with his mouth were completely different.

"I will mention it to my mother-in-law. With the Grand Princess's status, asking His Majesty for an imperial edict to confer the title of Heir Apparent should not be a difficult matter."

Under the moonlight, amidst a scene of a benevolent father and a filial son, a dirty deal was struck.