Madam Wen's beautiful eyes rippled, her gaze entirely focused on Li Xian. Such elegance, such momentum—even the young heroes, aristocratic offspring, and scions of great family she had seen in the past—paled in comparison.

She had already witnessed the spirited shot of the first arrow just now.

Madam Wen was fond of hunting in the mountains and fields, and her archery was not poor. She also knew how difficult it was to convey intent through an arrow. It required the unity of character, intent, and mentality.

Archery is easy to practice, but spirit is hard to find. Even those seated high in the temples, at the pinnacle of power, can be vermin. Those dominating regions in martial arts can also be cowards.

A person's achievements have nothing to do with spirit. However, those brimming with spirit, if they encounter the right opportunities, can astonish the world.

Spirit reaches its peak.

And to face an army of thousands and still shoot an arrow full of spirit is exponentially more difficult! The momentum of thousands of troops is as mighty as a rushing river.

Facing such a river, the spirit of one person is as insignificant as dust. It is instantly swept away, and under such circumstances, the archer's character, intent, and mentality are bound to be affected.

Even the slightest deviation would prevent a remarkable shot.

That one arrow even made Madam Wen take notice. Though she was strong, she admitted she could not shoot such an arrow.

"An arrow pierces through thousands of troops, an arrow seeks the enemy's throat. The young man holds a golden bow, his spirit soaring to the sky. This Li Xian, without knowing it, already possesses such flair. The early splendor of the Great Wu's founding emperor, who started with archery, was probably no different!"

"To discover such a young talent, truly fortune is on my side. Indeed, indeed."

Madam Wen's nature was indifferent, but she had some admiration for the founding emperor of Great Wu.

A man's valor should be demonstrated through his archery; today she witnessed such a display. This kind of valor moved her deeply.

At the second arrow, she leveraged Li Xian's spirit and shot with her own force. In this way, the mere commander of the Yellow Dragon Army could not escape death.

One arrow took a life.

...

...

Li Xian ordered the nursing home to collect the defeated soldiers' weapons, bind and capture them all. He then sent someone to Qingning County to inform County Magistrate Lin Guolong.

The Yellow Dragon Army was numerous. There would inevitably be some who slipped through, but it did not matter much.

"Commander Li, the casualties have been tallied." Ding Hu, covered in wounds and bandaged, reported.

"We lost fifty-one nursing home staff and a hundred and seventeen tenant farmers…"

He reported the casualties one by one.

Li Xian nodded and said, "Have the wounded tend to their injuries. As for the dead... I will ask Madam for guidance to offer condolences and solace."

Qi Biao of the Yellow Dragon Army was dead, and the army's morale was scattered. In total, over twenty-one thousand defeated soldiers were captured. Yihetang Manor could not accommodate these defeated soldiers, and quick transfer to Qingning County was necessary.

Reporting this matter could be another great military achievement. It might benefit Lin Guolong.

...

...

After handling so much, it was already getting late.

Li Xian rubbed his shoulder, feeling a wave of fatigue. But knowing Madam must be waiting for him in the inner courtyard, he took his tired body and headed there.

Outside the manor, the wind smelled of blood and rain, but inside it was clean and orderly. The Yellow Dragon Army had come quickly and had been defeated quickly.

Walking through the green forest path, he saw an artificial mountain and stream. Li Xian cupped the stream water in his hands, splashing it on his face to wash away exhaustion and weariness.

He arrived at the entrance to the inner courtyard.

Gathering his thoughts, he pushed open the door.

There, in an open-air pavilion, Madam Wen lay sideways on a jade couch, her sheer dress revealing and concealing. Her long legs were crossed, nails painted red, adorned with plum blossom patterns. The table was set with cherries, lychees, candied fruits, osmanthus cakes, and other delicate pastries.

Water mist surrounded, adding a touch of coolness.

Her long hair was loose, some draped over her shoulder, some spread on the jade couch.

She was intentionally waiting for Li Xian.

"Li Xian."

"Though you have merited with archery, I still need to punish you. Do you know why?"

Madam Wen's voice was soft but carried an undertone of authority. She looked him up and down, her gaze quickly focusing on Li Xian's face.

Outside, the smell of blood was putrid, but here the fragrance was refreshing, tranquil, and serene, like a fairyland.

"Is Madam displeased because I did not conceal the road or move the trees, thus failing to avoid the Yellow Dragon Army from coming, causing this calamity?" Li Xian asked.

Madam Wen nodded: "Indeed, you are smart. Since you know, why didn't you do it?"

Li Xian said, "Madam, I admit there were parts I did not handle well, and I am willing to accept punishment. But the plan to conceal the road and move the trees, I did execute. Unfortunately, there was a traitor who meddled, thus complicating matters."

"Oh?" Madam Wen's eyes flashed with a stern light, "Tell me in detail."

Li Xian immediately recounted the entire affair with Xu Liefeng, how they became enemies in Qingning County, how he coveted his skills, and how he used others to do his bidding.

Madam Wen, upon hearing this, said indifferently: "That Leopard Saber Sect, I spared them once, but they still did not learn their lesson. Ridiculous." After a moment, she continued, "It seems during my retreat, you've already shown your Rebirth Appearance."

Li Xian pondered: "My Dual Appearance, with a red mole between the brows, cannot be concealed. But the Heavy Pupils and Strange Eyes can hide and reveal at will. Madam values self-interest above all and is grooming me ultimately for her benefit. While I seek advantages under her, I must keep something hidden, or I will certainly be manipulated to death."

The heavy pupils displayed their might earlier, but his back faced Madam. The soldiers of the Yellow Dragon Army were intimidated by his aura, and none dared to meet his gaze. These heavy pupils and strange eyes have not been seen by anyone yet.

He said, "To speak truthfully to Madam, I have indeed shown the rebirth appearance, but I am ignorant and do not know what this appearance signifies."

Madam Wen had Li Xian come closer, pinching his chin and examining him carefully. She was quite astonished; the distinctive mark between his brows was secondary to his exceedingly rare handsome appearance.

"What other transformations have you undergone?" Madam Wen asked, her breath fragrant with orchids hitting Li Xian's face. She had just tasted cherries, so her words carried the fruit's aroma.

Seeing his face so close, she felt no repulsion; instead, she found herself appreciating and admiring him.

In her eyes... he was hers.

Li Xian replied, "Just this one."

Madam Wen lightly touched her forefinger to the red mole with an amused expression, finding it intriguing. She grew fonder of this young man, gradually becoming curious about him.

Her gaze swept over his brows, eyes, nose, and lips, recalling the boy's earlier gallant demeanor.

"Your rebirth appearance is indeed rare. I once traveled to the West and saw high monks of the Buddhist family with appearances similar to yours: [White Hair Appearance] [Red Mole Appearance] [Holy Face Appearance] [Miaozhen Appearance] [Compassionate Appearance]."

"Yet, your rebirth appearance is different. The red mole at your brow is just one characteristic, likely not belonging to the Buddhist rebirth appearance."

"Every thousand people have a thousand appearances. Even the same appearance exhibits differently in different people. Apart from the change in appearance, what other features do you have?"

Madam Wen picked up a piece of fruit and fed it to Li Xian.

Li Xian felt strange; Madam Wen's actions today were very different from usual.

Yet, how would Li Xian know? He was broad-minded. He saw only strength and weakness in people, beyond distinctions of high and low status, only strength and weakness at the core.

But for other martial artists, prejudice was more deep-rooted. They were fixated on rebirth appearance and true form, barely sparing a glance for common clay embryos.

Once he broke free from the clay embryo, thoughts naturally changed. From the old Li Xian, even if he displayed the same gallant demeanor as today, Madam Wen would only offer verbal admiration without any superfluous desire.

But revealing the true form marks him as a "true man."

Li Xian consumed the fruit and detailed his changes: greater strength, stronger recovery power, and when deploying martial arts, strange phenomena became more apparent.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen smiled more, playing with Li Xian's fringe, and, looking at his youthful, vibrant face, said, "This is [Perfect Appearance], no wonder."

"Perfect Appearance? What kind of appearance is it? Please enlighten me, Madam," Li Xian asked.

Madam Wen generously explained, "It's a very varied type of rebirth appearance. For instance... look at this teapot."

She picked up a teapot from the table. The teapot was palm-sized, made of black sieve stone, intricately decorated with dragons and phoenixes.

Pouring hot water over it, the carved patterns on the teapot moved, dragons and phoenixes danced, almost coming to life, incredibly magical. Moving gracefully, she poured the tea, asking, "Do you hear anything?"

Li Xian listened attentively: "As the water exits the teapot, I can hear sounds akin to phoenix chirping and bird twittering, melodious and enchanting, very magical."

Madam Wen laughed, "Indeed, observe closely again." She raised the teapot, the stream of water arched gracefully, landing in the teacup.

Strangely, no matter how high she lifted the teapot, when the tea entered the cup, it neither foamed, splashed, nor sounded. It was very pleasing to the eye.

As the tea was boiling hot, a light white steam wafted up.

The tea mist rose, enveloping the cup but never dispersing, in the mist birds seemed to fly, and fish appeared to frolic. The phenomenon was quite extraordinary.

Madam Wen said, "If you compare a martial artist to a teapot, the tea poured out symbolizes the martial artist performing martial arts."

"The tea is the same, but different teapots produce markedly different effects."

"Mud teapots are unsightly, even leaking water, and the tea they pour out inevitably has a muddy, pungent stench. Even the finest tea leaves, when steeped in such teapots, are severely wasted, thus unsuitable for use."

At this point, Madam Wen thought of Pang Long, then looked at Li Xian, continuing:

"Porcelain teapots are a slight improvement, at least able to hold water, but the tea they pour out is intermittent, dribbling, the kind servants use."

"Beyond that, there are teapots with some craftsmanship, and more techniques. When pouring tea, the flow can be continuous, but still hard to meet my standards."

"Exceptional teapots are exquisitely shaped, with meticulous craftsmanship. When pouring, the water stream is cohesive without dispersing, and may have strange sounds."

"The best teapots, like this one, not only have strange sounds but also produce phenomena. No matter how you move it, the water sounds like phoenix chirps, but lands silently."

Madam Wen continued, "Martial artists are like teapots. If your teapot is fine, the phenomena are naturally more prominent while pouring tea, much like this teapot, which pours out mist and displays frolicking fish and birds."

"The so-called [Perfect Appearance] is akin to a martial artist shedding the clay embryo, their body particularly perfect, like the finest crafted teapot. Therefore... martial arts are more powerful, and phenomena more easily appear."

"Even among the finest teapots, there are better and worse, their appearances vary."

Li Xian suddenly realized, "Madam, are there many with Perfect Appearance?"

Madam Wen shook her head, "Very rare, people have thousands of appearances. [Rebirth Appearance] reveals the true form, resulting in certain features, which can be good or bad. For its benefits, you must endure its drawbacks."

"Perfect Appearance isn't the most formidable [Rebirth Appearance], but its features are all positive, hence martial artists prize it. Some [Rebirth Appearances] are extremely powerful in certain aspects and inferior to others in some."

"People are like teapots, marked the moment they emerge from the kiln as good or bad."

"A county's porcelain kiln often produces peculiar pottery, but a single truly perfect teapot, even if outwardly ordinary, may not appear for decades, even centuries. It's the same for people; being able to show a [Perfect Appearance] is something to be proud of."

Li Xian said, "Madam is well-informed, Li Xian is impressed."

With a meaningful smile, Madam Wen added, "Of the myriad appearances under heaven, I dare not claim to know them all. I know a great deal about this [Perfect Appearance], and the reason is…"

"I too have a Perfect Appearance."

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