Late Night Tales Of The Capital Chapter 36 The Song of Fire and Ice

Both Qian Shuxiao and Qian Shuhua did not behave like a respectable master or mistress in Qian Manor. One was an infamous rich playboy, while the other was a lady well-known for causing trouble and kicking up a big fuss.

Now, they were considering training with Ye Que.

Throughout the entire night, Qian Manor was filled with noise and commotion.

The brouhaha finally stopped when dawn came. The lush garden that Ye Que resided in had undergone a complete makeover.

The garden was gone, and the red pavilion was completely removed. Even the fish pond in front of Ye Que's room had been filled up overnight.

Taking their places were three ponds of equal height.

They were arranged in a triangular formation, and in its middle was a huge cauldron about the height of two people. Three bronze pipes led out of it into the ponds.

The first batch of medicinal herbs, in the shopping list which Ye Que gave Qian Shuxiao, had already been delivered to the manor early that morning.

"How about that, Brother Ye? Everything is constructed in accordance with your specifications. I believe they're acceptable," said Qian Shuxiao as he clapped his palms together. He stayed behind throughout the entire night and even began to help out with construction work eventually. His hands were covered with filthy mud now.

"That's right," said Ye Que as he nodded in satisfaction. "Tell someone to begin adding water into the ponds. They should at least be at waist level."

"Fine, take a good look at this," Qian Shuxiao replied before issuing orders loudly to his men. Very quickly, all of the help in Qian Manor was mobilized.

Dozens of maids and manservants carried a wooden bucket each to fetch water from the well, before pouring it into the three ponds.

Ye Que himself sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron. More than a hundred different kinds of weirdly shaped herbs were placed behind him.

Ye Que opened the base of the cauldron after thinking for a moment. He then picked seven types of red herbs and threw them in one after another, before creating a column of Samadhi True Fire with his inner Divine Energy. The flame blazed immediately after it struck the herbs.

Ye Que had told Qian Shuxiao to prepare these seven herbs personally, and they were also those that he needed the most of.

These herbs would be used as fuel to keep the flames burning, and it was remarkably effective when combined with the Samadhi True Fire.

The water level of the ponds was gradually rising, and the heat emanating from the cauldron grew stronger. Ye Que began to officially add in the herbs into the pill compartment at the center of the cauldron.

His arms moved like precise machines as he added in 100 different kinds of herbs at different time intervals into the cauldron within 30 minutes.

If the cauldron was made of transparent material, one would be able to observe a thick viscous fluid slowly solidifying in the pill compartment. Its color turned darker gradually and there were a few bubbles being produced on the surface of the fluid from time to time.

"You two, come over here," Ye Que said as he finally got up, after adding the last ingredient into the cauldron.

Qian Shuhua and Qian Shuxiao, who had been waiting at a corner for a while, came running toward him immediately.

Both of them were already getting impatient.

"Sit in the middle of the pond," Ye Que instructed as he pointed at the ponds surrounding them. "Take one pond each."

"Just like this?"

Qian Shuxiao said as he pointed awkwardly at the ponds. They were filled with well water from the early Spring season, and they were fetched early in the morning to boot. He could already observe a cold layer of air on the surface of the ponds, and needless to say, it would be chilly inside.

"Brother Ye, shouldn't the water be warmed up a little? Perhaps I could tell someone to add some hot water into the ponds. I easily get sick if I feel cold," said Qian Shuxiao as he scratched his head. Just looking at the well water alone gave him the goosebumps.

Qian Shuhua, who was standing beside her brother, nodded vigorously as well.

"No need for that. It'll get warmer soon," Ye Que replied coolly. "It may even get a little hot; both of you have to bear with it. Let me tell you first, none of you are to emerge from the water unless I tell you to. Of course, I'll send you flying back inside if you still insist on coming out."

"If you want me to be your mentor, you'll have to possess a little tenacity," he continued, before hurrying the siblings somewhat impatiently," Get inside now. I still have to teach you the techniques to train in, and we don't have time to be chatting here."

After taking a look at Ye Que's expression, Qian Shuxiao gritted his teeth and closed his eyes before leaping into a pond with a great shout.

His body was instantly soaked in icy well water, causing him to shiver till he curled up into a ball. From a distance, it looked as if he was having the fits.

At the other side, Qian Shuhua gritted her teeth twice and even dipped her hand into a pond to test the temperature of the water, before she looked helplessly at Ye Que. "What about my clothes? Should I leave them on?" she asked.

She looked like she was about to cry after she had finished speaking.

"Whatever. I don't have any objections if you wish to strip down before going into the water," Ye Que replied casually. He did not even bother to look at her and kept his gaze focused on the cauldron in front of him.

"Hooligan!"

"Bastard!"

Qian Shuhua cursed Ye Que before leaping over the rampart and walking into the center of a pond, seemingly to have made up her mind somehow.

She did not shiver as her brother did, but her face was as pale as his while she tried her best to withstand the cold.

"Sit down."

Ye Que ordered as he turned back to look at both of them.

The siblings spat and slowly sat down in a cross-legged position as they tried to withstand the bone-chilling cold.

The water was on the level with their necks, just below their shoulders.

"Qian Shuxiao, I'm going to impart the Great Tao Sutra to you; you'll have to understand the foundation part carefully. Qian Shuhua, you're going to learn the Sutra of Womanly Grace. It's made especially for women, and likewise, you'll have to understand the basic parts of it."

"Gather your spirits."

"Focus on being enlightened."

Ye Que's arms began to circle the air after he finished speaking, as he traced out two extremely complicated sets of talismanic words in the space. The words transformed into two globes of fluorescent flames which flew directly into the foreheads of the siblings in an instant.

Both of them took in a deep breath instantly as if having been enlightened.

Endless lines of seal script appeared in their heads as if they were real.

They raised their heads and closed their eyes.

The chill from the well water was no longer important; they were now immersed in the process of understanding the complicated words. If the elder of any sect in the Cultivation World saw this scene, he would have stared in surprise. This was the most top-notch way of imparting skills from Tantric Buddhism. There was no need for the teacher to speak, he would simply condense his insight into a talisman and apply it to his students.

If any insider had seen how reluctant the siblings were to enter the water just now, they would have been furious.

This was the sacred Insight Condensation Teaching Technique of Tantric Buddhism. Why would anyone be unwilling to bear with the slight discomfort of cold water?

Blasphemy!

Of course, Ye Que had chosen this method of teaching because he wanted to be done with it quickly; it was not because he thought of himself as a lousy teacher. He was good at cultivating his own skills, but he had no patience for teaching and dispelling doubts.

"A master is only responsible for guiding his disciples to take their first steps. How well they can cultivate their skills will be up to their fate," he muttered.

Time ticked on by slowly.

Suddenly.

The huge cauldron in front of Ye Que began to give out a slight vibration.

Three columns of dark purple liquid began flowing out of the cauldron into the bronze pipes. They then flowed slowly into the ponds.

The fluid quickly turned the well water purple the instant they came into contact with each other, as if it were ink.

One could even observe the temperature of the water quickly going up.

A layer of steam soon pervaded the air of the garden.

30 minutes later.

A huge bubble appeared on the surface of the pond Qian Shuxiao was in.

"It's scalding me!"

Qian Shuxiao broke off from his meditation instantly, as if having been electrocuted. He stood up quickly and wanted to leap out of the pond, just like he was on fire.

Ye Que's expression grew stern as he saw it.

"Go back!"

"Sit down properly!"

Qian Shuxiao's head cocked to a side, as if he had been slapped on the forehead by Ye Que, who was standing dozens of meters away, and he fell back into the pond.

It took only one blow to nearly knock Qian Shuxiao unconscious, and he took a long while to regather himself. He could no longer make himself sit still, however. He leaped up, as if a fire was burning his behind, and exclaimed, "Brother Ye, this is too hot. Why is the water so hot!"

"I can't stand this, let me out now."

After her brother finished shouting, Qian Shuhua broke off from her meditative state as well and stood up instantly, running toward the edge of the pond by instinct.

As expected, she was struck on the forehead as well.

"Go back, both of you. Focus your minds and enter a meditative state. Think about solidifying your bases and pay no mind to the temperature of the water."

"Let it be. You can picture a cool breeze blowing if you want to."

"Don't be ungrateful. Do you know that smaller sects would find over this pool of water in the Cultivation World? Both of you are not that talented, and you've only begun training past your optimal ages. You have to reverse your physical attributes."

"Qian Shuxiao, didn't you proclaim loudly that you'll slay demons by yourself in future? Why can't you bear with a little discomfort then? And you, Qian Shuhua. You kept going on and on about taking revenge, and how you're going to tear off the skin from Lin Mei'er's face. If you carry on like this, I'm afraid you wouldn't succeed even after death," Ye Que chided the Qian siblings derisively.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "The longer you remain in the pond, the more medicinal qualities your body will absorb. It'll only do both of you good. Be content!"

After he finished speaking, Ye Que leaped up and flew into the middle of the last pond.

He closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

Thick viscous fluid was still flowing out of the cauldron, and the temperature of the pools gradually got higher.

Ye Que remained motionless.

Qian Shuxiao slapped himself hard before muttering resolutely, "I've to put my foot down and think of what I want to achieve!"

His sister, who was in the other pool, remained silent as her eyes were filled with tears. She sat down cross-legged in the water again and bit down on her lips so hard that a trail of blood was soon flowing from the corner of her lips.

Time ticked on by slowly.

The pool that Qian Shuxiao was in began to stop bubbling after about two hours, and the water in it was soon still.

Qian Shuhua's pool also began to stop frothing, and ripples began appearing on its surface, in the shape of leaves from the willow tree. It looked as if a mysterious woman was dancing.

The Great Dao and Womanly Grace sutras.

They used vast amounts of qi.

The principle of both sutras was a calm mind that was unemotional.

As for the pool Ye Que was in, the water in it had been churning wildly ever since purple fluid had flowed into it. As qi from the Divine Book and Spirit Gathering Sword Formation combined together, the contents of his pool immediately turned into a rapidly moving whirlpool.

Mist enveloped the garden situated deep within Qian Manor, as the doors of the ancestral hall situated close to Ye Que's room began to open slowly.

First Ice, then Fire, and now they could hear words being spoken in Sanskrit.

Chapter end