"Now, the first thing about the Forest Dance technique is the basic stance," I said as I put my hand on her back, and she shivered. Of course, what I called Forest Dance was the mixture of Judo and Aikido that I could remember, modified through my newfound combat talent.
Feeling like a genius was fun.
"Is it supposed to feel awkward and uncomfortable?" she asked, still hesitant.
"Yes," I said as I took the same stance, feeling like I was a tree, impossible to uproot. "The basic stance is what everything grows from. If the root is weak, the rest will be unstable," I said, once again relying on weird phrases to sound wiser.
When in Rome…
"Understood," she said as she repeated the stance, following my words with rapt attention. I put my hand on her spine, correcting her stance … and felt her essence react. It was merely a flicker and nothing more.
Ironically, only through my growing knowledge of massage, I knew exactly what to look for. Massaging was the art of manipulating the acupunctures of the others, which allowed me to feel the subtle flow of her essence.
But I didn't dare to manipulate it directly, afraid of creating some kind of problem. Instead, I gave several direct advice. "Try to tighten your leg muscles a bit more, shift your center…"
It helped her fix her posture, but her essence didn't react as much as I hoped. So, I copied the style of Tiger Fist Manuscript. "The basic stance embodies the harmony of the world. A tree standing tall, resisting the rain, flood, and storms. As long as the roots are planted on the ground correctly, a tree is immovable and invincible."
I still mixed some ordinary corrections with the poems and indirect descriptions. The movement of her essence sped up slightly, suggesting that we were on the right path. "Good. Don't forget. You're rooted to the ground, yet you're open and adaptable. Your mind and body are united in the search for inner peace."
Why we needed to punch things to attain inner peace was a mystery to me, but I didn't question it. The ability to punch through the walls was hard to argue against. I continued explaining to her the basic stance for half an hour.
"Continue practicing it," I said as I sat down, once again pulling my book on various plants. "Don't forget, that true mastery takes time and dedication. Be patient with yourself and never give up."
She nodded, and I started reading. I expected her to get bored after a few minutes and start asking how to throw people around, and interrupt me. Of course, it was not something I would have bothered with … but that didn't apply when it came to her. She worked hard enough to earn my goodwill.
Moreover, I still had a selfish motive. I wanted to see if I could still trigger the pampering effect … and for that, she needed to feel spoiled.
So, before she started asking — or stopped working on Martial Arts and started seducing me as the easier path — I wanted to read as much as possible about herbs, medicine, and pill refining based on beginner knowledge.
To my surprise, she didn't complain in the slightest, and constantly repeated the same stance while allowing me to study. It looked like I had misjudged the attraction of Martial Arts to her, even after underselling the benefits of my teaching.
With Pearyin lost in her own training, I kept focused on my work, only taking occasional breaks to correct her mistakes.
Then, it was time to visit Master Apothecary Elsana.
"Continue practicing the basic stance," I said. "If you impress me enough, I'll show you the first move."
With that, I went to the wardrobe to put on a different outfit, and she walked toward me to help. "Continue practicing," I said as I quickly changed. Letting someone else dress me felt weird.
As I left the inn, I could see a lot of other waitresses looking at me, but I ignored them. Pearyin was an unexpected development, and I didn't want to end up trying to bring around a squad of maids around.
Rather than calling for a carriage, I walked, and to check the city and see if there was any opportunity to trigger the System.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
As I walked, I was met with a surprise. People were talking about me.
I expected people to gossip about me somewhat after the last night, but the number and the intensity shocked me … and it was mostly negative. There were already some talks about me being a useless rich playboy that would suck up to the rich and the powerful the moment I faced some adversity.
The word mooch, wastrel, and prodigal were being thrown around quite a bit.
Apparently, my upcoming visit to the Apothecary had turned into public knowledge, and been discussed with a negative slant. It wasn't inaccurate per se, not after Elsana's expression while inviting me, but that didn't make it any less of a surprise.
Gossip shouldn't feel this unified. It felt deliberate.
Why? How? I had no idea, but I left that to the expert in question. She was the one that invited me in both cases. Gossip was her problem more than mine.
As for being called names… Well, it wasn't like they were inaccurate. I was going to visit a strong and prestigious woman, for the express purpose of keeping her happy and receiving a few gifts in response. I wasn't going to convince myself and act like it was something I wouldn't have done without the System.
I expected the gossip to slow down once I got away from the inn, expecting the gossip to be centered on my temporary residence. The opposite happened, and the closer I got to my destination, the more people gossiped about my shamelessness, providing me with a wonderful theory about the source of the gossip.
Therefore, I wasn't surprised when I arrived at my destination, Snow Blossom Apothecary, I wasn't surprised to find there was a tall, intimidating man watching me with angry eyes. He was clearly a Martial Artist, but how strong, I wasn't sure. His white tunic with the word Snow Blossom etched marked him as a member of the place.
The moment I saw him, I knew he would try to block my passage, likely by challenging me into combat, but I acted unaware of that and walked at a leisurely pace, using the opportunity to examine the place that had surpassed my already high expectations.
I expected a large building. Maybe two, one functioning as a shop, the other a house. After all, the Apothecary was close to the center of the city, which represented prime real estate.
It was why I had been surprised to see a vast complex that covered about ten acres, with its tall yet elegant walls. There was only one gate from the direction I approached, and on top of it, there was a signboard with the name.
The writing was mysterious. Just by reading the name Snow Blossom, I felt a chill hit me, as I had stepped onto a chilly mountaintop. That feeling disappeared once I looked away.
It was not the most mysterious thing I had ever seen since my arrival, but seeing mere letters having that kind of impact was something else.
Soon, I arrived at the entrance. "I'm here for a meeting with Master Elsana," I said, doing my best to keep my tone light, yet respectful.
"A worthless leech like you can't enter here," he declared. "This is Snow Blossom Apothecary! Take this and never darken those steps," he said as he threw a gold coin to the ground. An insult from his perspective. A treasure from mine.
As he said that, he raised his fist, ready to fight. I would have been surprised by the exact sequence if it was my first day, but I had understood enough about the culture of this new world to understand that it was an indirect challenge. He expected me to challenge him after that insult, and once he defeated me, his social status would rise.
He couldn't kill me in such a challenge, but broken bones were acceptable.
"Alright then," I said, as I refused it. Technically, rejecting would have a negative impression on my reputation, but I didn't care. Instead, I bent down to pick up the gold. I hoped he felt pity to trigger the return … but even if he did not, gold was gold.
[Insult Bonus - 100 (Capped)]
[100x Return - 10 Gold Pieces]
I paused a moment in front of him, surprised by the unexpected discovery from the System besides confirming his cultivation was equal to mine, or lower.
Neither changed my plan. I turned and started walking away, though I watched him from the corner of my eyes, ready to dodge in case he attacked me from behind. It wouldn't be honorable to start a fight without an official challenge, but I wouldn't rely on the perceived honor of a man I didn't know for my safety.
He froze, unable to react for a moment. "W-what do you mean, alright?" he said.
I smirked. The ethics surrounding ritualized combat wasn't the only thing I had learned. What he was trying to do was tricky. There would be no big consequences for him as long as I accepted his challenge. Even defeat had a different context. But, there were more painful things I could pull. "It means I didn't know the true master of the Snow Blossom Apothecary disapproved of my visit. Since you can refuse entry to someone who was invited by the exalted Apothecary Elsana, who am I to fight against you?"
He clearly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, and it took a moment for him to understand what I meant. I was already near an alley when what I did clicked, and he started chasing me.
The moment I took a turn, I started running as well, taking the first sharp turn before he could arrive.
I didn't know if my cultivation was faster, or if it was the running technique I came up with, but I was much faster than him, so a few sharp turns through emptier streets were enough to leave him behind.
His reaction showed that Elsana had not ordered him to keep me out, but she might have implicitly ignored it as an opportunity to test me … but that wasn't my problem. I was willing to jump through some hoops to receive her attention, but fighting through a gauntlet of self-important martial artists was not one of them.
Once I finished that, I picked an alternative path, wondering if Blacksmith Lannayin would appreciate a surprise visit.
If not, they were not the only rich and bored ladies determined to show off their status.