Chapter - 182 The Cripples of Wuhu (15) (2/2)

Master Lu was sitting on the couch and could not move; he thought nervously, ” This lady is too mischievous, how can she spy on him?”

He hurriedly ordered the servants to lift up the bamboo couch and hurry to the study to stop them. When he reached, he saw both of them bending down and looking into the room through a hole made in the paper covering the window frame. When Huang Rong heard the servants' footsteps, she hurriedly turned and signaled to them not to make a single sound, at the same time, she waved to Master Lu, asking him to come over and see.

Master Lu was afraid that if he did not go over, the little miss would throw a temper and alert Qiu Qianren. He immediately ordered the servants to walk gently and help him over to the window. When he looked through the hole Huang Rong made, he was baffled as he saw Qiu Qianren sitting cross-legged with eyes shut but smoke was continuously coming out from his mouth.

Master Lu's teacher was highly skilled and knowledgeable. When he trained under his teacher during his younger days, he often listen to his teacher talk about the various skills of different sects and schools but he never heard of a skill in which one could breathe out smoke. He did not dare look anymore and pulled Guo Jing's sleeve, signaling him not to look anymore. Guo Jing respected him and anyway, he never thought it proper to spy on others. Guo Jing immediately stood up and took Huang Rong by the hand, following Master Lu back to the hall.

Huang Rong giggled, ” This old fellow's skills are fun. There's a fire burning inside his stomach!”

Master Lu answered, ” You do not understand. This is an amazing type of internal energy.”

Huang Rong asked, ” Can he breathe out fire to burn someone?” Huang Rong was not joking was she said this, she was indeed curious over Qiu Qianren's mysterious skills.

Master Lu replied, ” No one can breathe out fire but to be able to attain such profound internal skills would mean that he can probably injure someone by the mere use of flowers and leaves.”

Huang Rong laughed, ” Ah, tear a flower to hurt someone!”

Master Lu smiled slightly and answered, ” Miss is very smart.”

There was a poem entitled ”Barbaric Buddhist” which was written by an anonymous poet during the Tang dynasty, which read:

” When the peonies reveal real pearls, a beauty walks by the hall.

With a gentle laugh, she asks the gentleman, ” Which is prettier, the flower or the lady?” The gentleman mulls over it but answers, ” The flower is beautiful. ”

The lady throws a mild tantrum and flings the smashed flower at him.”

(The underlying meaning is actually used to refer to a an insolent woman, who is not respected in the past as the ideal woman is supposed to be gentle and docile.)

The poem thus spread far and wide. Once, there was a court case in which an evil wife broke the legs of her husband. When the Tang Emperor, Xuan Zhong learnt about it, he laughed and said to his Prime Minister ” Isn't this tearing a flower to hurt someone?”

Master Lu was relieved after he saw how powerful Qiu Qianren was. He ordered Lu Guanying to send people to inspect the lake and politely invite any suspicious-looking person back to the manor. He also ordered the servants to open the main entrance to the manor so as to welcome any guests. Evening came and the servants lit up many candles in the main hall of Gui Yun Manor. The bright lights surrounded the whole hall, as if waiting for a banquet to begin. Lu Guanying personally went to invite Qiu Qianren to the hall in which he was offered the middle host seat. Guo Jing and Huang Rong sat beside him while Master Lu and his son sat on seats beneath their tables. Master Lu made his toasts but did not dare ask Qiu Qianren the purpose of his visit and thus, only engaged in casual talk with his guests.