Chapter 245: Name and Reality.

Compared with the first day, when he had been drowsier than alert, Wu Zheng saw the morning again with a head no longer so swollen and dizzy. Besides, his body had never been badly wounded to begin with.

He rolled out of bed with some agility and went to the window, where he saw his benefactor, Ding Songyan, practicing sword in the courtyard again, each move flowing like a murmuring stream, smooth and natural.

"My benefactor’s swordplay is truly outstanding. Worthy of a Dharma Realm Grandmaster..." Wu Zheng watched in awe.

Though he was only at the mid Great Proliferation Realm and rated fifth-rank Profound Discerned, he had some eye for it, since his father was a Grandmaster too.

What Wu Zheng did not understand was why his benefactor’s swordplay yesterday had been so fragmented, worse than a beginner’s.

Is he learning a newly acquired sword art? Not wanting to stare, Wu Zheng was about to turn back to his bed.

Just then, he saw Ding Songyan’s swordplay change again, once more fragmented, like a small child flailing about.

"Wh..." Wu Zheng couldn’t help watching a dozen more breaths, still unable to see any mystery in it.

He thought that even his No-Right Saber could easily break swordplay like this. What was worth his benefactor practicing this every day?

Instinctively, Wu Zheng placed himself opposite Ding Songyan and began considering how to counter those sword moves.

As he watched and thought, he gradually broke into a cold sweat.

What’s going on?

Under those joke-like sword moves, I can’t block even three strikes...

What looks like an opening becomes a trap with the next sword stroke...

This can’t be countered...

I can’t counter it...

Wu Zheng abruptly withdrew his gaze and dared not look again, afraid that if he kept watching he would go completely mad.

He had never heard of swordplay like this!

Twelfth Madam Luo, her right elbow on the stone table and one hand propping her cheek, glanced at the east wing and said to Ding Songyan, who had finished his practice,

"Letting a martial artist who hasn’t even perfected the Great Proliferation Realm see the rudiments of such swordplay will only harm him."

This was not a level of technique he should be exposed to.

Even a Dharma Realm Grandmaster without enough experience would be led astray by such swordplay, thinking too much, akin to an attempt to run before learning to walk.

"You overestimate him, Twelfth Madam. He probably didn’t even understand it. He just felt it was hard to resist." Ding Songyan sat across from Twelfth Madam Luo and looked toward the east wing too.

By comparison, Li Linquan, who had entered the Dharma Realm, would comprehend much more.

That was actually more troublesome.

With that thought, Ding Songyan spontaneously mused, I wonder if Li Linquan has shaken off his mad state yet. If not, I’ll have to find a way to knock some sense into him after a while.

Sigh, a problem I made myself is mine to take responsibility for. I can’t harm innocent people for the sake of my own sword practice.

Twelfth Madam Luo had only meant to give Ding Songyan a reminder and said no more. She picked up a pork bun from the plate and took a light bite.

"I thought it would be last night’s leftovers." Ding Songyan took a bun with a smile. "Twelfth Madam, did you get up early today specifically to make buns?"

Twelfth Madam Luo looked up at him.

"When I’m in the mood, I do make them myself, but these were bought from Zhang’s on Pingnan Street.

"Old Mrs. Wang’s family at the alley entrance went out to visit relatives yesterday and asked me to look after their dog Ahuang, so I brought the leftovers over."

Ding Songyan bit into the bun, felt the oily juices burst out, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Zhang’s uses honest ingredients."

As he ate, his eyes gradually went vacant.

When he came to, he happened to see Twelfth Madam Luo’s eyes brimming with curiosity.

"What are you thinking about?" Luo Mingyin asked directly, without ceremony.

Ding Songyan said thoughtfully, "I’m thinking about Wu Zheng. His soul is recovering quickly. By tomorrow he should be able to move normally and regain 60–70% of his strength. How should I get him to the Phoenix Terrace Study without He Jin’s group noticing?"

Ding Songyan paused and looked at Twelfth Madam Luo.

"The Five Saints Sect’s Supreme Master in the Flame Capital is Yu Chongyuan. Can he be trusted?

"Rumor says he and His Majesty and Prince Kang are sworn friends through life and death."

Twelfth Madam Luo was silent for a moment, then said, "He can be trusted.

"Among those of the Five Saints Sect who attain the Heaven-Man Realm, virtue always comes before righteousness."

"That’s good." Ding Songyan thought for a moment. "Twelfth Madam, if a person wore my clothes and disguised himself as me, and made several people around believe he was me, would that count as establishing a ’name,’ which you could use to make ’reality’ match the ’name,’ so that more people believe he is me?"

"Yes." Twelfth Madam Luo nodded lightly. "But it can’t fool those close to you or those quite familiar with each other. And when used on someone else, it’s like changing name and reality: hard to sustain for long. It depends on the target’s realm and the difficulty of the matter."

"That’s enough." Ding Songyan smiled.

He strongly suspected that Twelfth Madam’s current disguise was achieved just this way: first concealing her strength, then disguising herself. It needn’t be too elaborate. As long as it fooled a few mortals, their perception would produce the desired "name," and "reality" could be drawn closer to it, achieving a disguise with almost no flaws.

Once the name of Luo Mingyin, Twelfth Madam Luo, spread through the nearby streets and everyone knew her "appearance," she could simply put on a simple disguise each day and use the "name" to change the "reality."

As he thought, Ding Songyan as a transmigrator let his thoughts drift.

This is similar in spirit to the art of the con...

First convince a small number of people, then with their endorsement convince more, and complete the scam...

Is this swindling’s exploitation of "names"?

The Way of Name and Reality is everywhere in worldly affairs...

"What are you thinking about now?" Twelfth Madam Luo tilted her head slightly.

Ding Songyan repeated what he had just been thinking and asked Twelfth Madam for guidance on the Way of Name and Reality.

Twelfth Madam Luo’s brows moved slightly.

"Why did you think of deception first?"

"People scheme against each other, always cheating back and forth. I don’t cheat people myself, but I have to guard against being cheated," Ding Songyan explained with righteous dignity.

"Swindler." Twelfth Madam Luo stared at the fellow across from her and gave her simple verdict.

Ding Songyan did not argue much. The innocent need no defense.

He said thoughtfully, "After that person disguised as me comes to ask you, ’Am I Ding Songyan?’ and you say ’Yes,’ has the ’name’ been preliminarily established?

"Isn’t this like the folklore involving a weasel yao asking a human for investiture?"

"The weasel’s request for investiture itself comes from ordinary people’s’ slight understanding and awareness of the Way of Name and Reality. In special circumstances, it’s not impossible to use the Way of Name and Reality to let yao unable to transform briefly become human." Twelfth Madam Luo did not refute Ding Songyan’s view, only added more detail. "Answering ’yes’ when you know it’s ’no’ has some effect on establishing a ’name,’ but a poor one. Mm, but at your realm and mine, we can make up for that."

Got it, an endorsement from authority... Ding Songyan smiled.

"Twelfth Madam, after I finish guard duty at the corner gate today, I’ll come back and look after Wu Zheng. I want to go out for a walk."

He needed to find out where the hidden sentries were.

"Be careful." Twelfth Madam Luo nodded almost imperceptibly.

She knew Ding Songyan’s purpose.

Ding Songyan took a few buns and headed for the east wing.

...

After guard duty at the corner gate, Ding Songyan returned to the back courtyard of the Cheap Wine Shop and found Twelfth Madam Luo curled up again in the reclining chair near the main building’s door, flipping through his storybook.

"Reading it again?" Ding Songyan laughed.

Twelfth Madam Luo did not look up.

"I read it too hastily last night. I’m going over it carefully today."

"You’re not going to the wine shop for the lunch crowd?" Ding Songyan glanced at the bustling front courtyard.

Twelfth Madam Luo said quite casually, "Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life."

She had just come to a passage, and looked at Ding Songyan, curious, "When Princess Iron Fan propped open the window, the bamboo pole fell and hit Cao E, and so they became entangled by fate. How did you think of that plot? Did you experience it yourself?"

"To make important characters meet, I can invent all kinds of outlandish scenes. Someone struck by lightning right after swearing an oath, His Majesty traveling incognito and falling for a vinegar-selling old woman, someone leading 800,000 troops into the capital and being awed by the sovereign’s overwhelming presence and accepting amnesty on the spot... Did I experience all that too?" Ding Songyan replied, rather amused.

Twelfth Madam is too serious at heart. How can one take a novelist’s words as true?

To keep the story going, I can even make the protagonist die and come back to life!

If it weren’t for the need to connect with what follows, I’d even want to change the bamboo pole into the Golden-Banded Cudgel, smashing the sentient jade until two of his three ethereal souls and five of his seven corporeal souls were gone. Now that would be a true match of gold and jade.

Twelfth Madam Luo thought for a moment and was amused by the plots Ding Songyan had spun out of nothing.

She first found them ridiculous and absurd, but on closer thought, found them quite fun.

After a while, she said with a smile at the corner of her mouth, "Some are obviously made up, and some seem like real experiences."

For that you’d have to ask the original. I’m only in charge of stitching... Ding Songyan went to the east wing to look after Wu Zheng until Twelfth Madam Luo brought the meal.

In the afternoon, he put on his wanderer’s headband, changed into a robe made from thick cotton, took Frostshade, left Tiger Tail Alley, and headed toward Golden Pool.

Though it was already early winter, the streets along the way were still quite lively. Ding Songyan walked and stopped, looking and asking, as if choosing a gift for a confidante.

Only one tail... Besides, there should be one or two more watching the back courtyard of the wine shop... It seems the false trails worked. He Jin’s group no longer prizes the wine shop as much as before... I have to get Wu Zheng to the Phoenix Terrace Study before the false trails are fully seen through. Tomorrow will be just right...

I wonder if He Jin’s group can guess Wu Zheng wants to seek shelter with the Five Saints Sect... Sects with such good reputations and absolute strength as the Five Saints Sect are very, very few...

Will He Jin’s group send people to wait around the Five Saints Sect for Wu Zheng to come?

Using the Celestial Heart state and the Chaos Realm to examine his surroundings, and constantly changing direction and route, Ding Songyan pulled the tail out into the open and gained a sufficient grasp of it.

Pa!

Suddenly something fell from on high.

Ding Songyan instinctively stepped aside and saw the object land beside him.

It was a bamboo pole for propping open a window.

A bamboo pole for propping open a window... Ding Songyan was first stunned, then his scalp prickled.

Only three people had read that Chapter of the storybook so far: One was Twelfth Madam Luo, one was Fourth Young Master Jiang, and one was...

Ding Songyan abruptly looked up toward where the pole had fallen and saw a lithe figure standing behind the window, wearing a plain white short jacket dotted with yellow flowers, a pale white fur-trimmed cloak over it, and a veiled hat with white gauze hanging down. At that moment, a delicate jade hand had lifted one corner of the gauze, revealing an ethereal, hauntingly beautiful face beyond description.

With her other hand propping the window, the woman looked at Ding Songyan with bright eyes, half pleased, half piqued.

At this moment, even the bustling streets seemed to fall quiet.

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