Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 242 The Use of Qi

How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?

Zhang Da Guanren, who spoke quoting world classics, was nothing like Kong Yiji, with his loud, weak voice and cowardly demeanor. His words were flat and even devoid of any emotional fluctuation, making it sound as if he wasn't defending himself.

“Telinda is our new teammate. I haven’t paid much attention to or gotten to know her before. Besides, this is a task entrusted to me by Lord Gallas. I can’t abandon it for both personal and practical reasons. So I’d like to take this opportunity to communicate more. Do you have any objections?”

Hearing the other person's unchanging tone and seeing their matter-of-fact expression, Nancy's teeth itched with hatred, but she couldn't utter a word in rebuttal. She could only stare intently at the other person, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. After a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence through gritted teeth:
"You think you're so reasonable? You call that caring and communication? You're just lusting after her body, aren't you?"

"Then what should I do? Should I just ignore her? Or do you mean I should talk to you more?" Master Zhang chuckled: "My good teacher, don't I know your depths? What's there to talk about?"

If she weren't currently in a carriage, the blushing female thief would have loved to jump out of the carriage and find a hole to crawl into, or simply bury her head in her knees like an ostrich.

Bud, who was also in the car, barely managed to hold back his laughter, tears streaming down his face. He almost suffered internal injuries from holding it in. Talinda, on the other hand, stared blankly at her teammates, wondering what was going on.

After all, she was a female elf who lived in the forest all year round, so how could she understand these mysterious tricks? Unable to figure it out, she could only look at the mage blankly, her face showing a big, innocent look.

"It's nothing. Ms. Nancy was my swordsmanship teacher back then, and I'm grateful for her guidance. It's just that we both have strong personalities, so it's inevitable that we'd have some conflicts."

Zhang Yuan casually brushed the farce aside and went on to fool his new employee.

"Oh, my mentor back then was also very strict. If I didn't do something right, I would be scolded or even punished by her. But I don't have your courage to argue with my teacher."

The female elf, with a look of sudden realization, began to recount her training experiences from years ago, in a completely nonsensical manner.

After patiently listening to the other person's past, Zhang Yuan occasionally chimed in with a few words of agreement. Finally, he earnestly comforted the other person, saying, "Actually, the relationship between master and disciple is quite simple. You need to let her know your strengths and also understand her limitations. By working together, learning from each other's strengths and making up for each other's weaknesses, the relationship can be harmonious."

Just as Talinda was only vaguely understanding what was going on, and Bud was laughing so hard he was crying, Nancy finally broke out in silence.

The female thief, who had been hiding her head in despair, suddenly jumped up and pounced like a wildcat, scratching wildly. However, she was blocked by her own traitorous disciple's equally waving hands, and she made no progress.

Forced to retreat, Nancy hugged her slender hands and rubbed her fingertips incessantly, blowing cool air into them.

"Damn it, how come your hands are as hard as iron plates? You really became a monk?"

"How could that be? Why would I abandon the dual swords you taught me to practice and instead throw punches? This is just the basic application of qi, with some similarities in application."

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan reached out and grabbed one of the female thief's hands amidst her questioning gaze, covering her fingertips with a single slap.

"What are you doing?"

Just as Nancy was about to pull her fingers away, she felt a warm sensation coming from her fingertips, as if a warm current was flowing from her cheap apprentice's hand into her fingertips, moistening her joints and making her fingers, which had been numb as if they had been hit with an iron hammer, feel much better. After a while, Zhang Yuan loosened his grip on her hand and then grasped Nancy's other hand in the same way, continuing to channel his Qi to heal her. Fortunately, this wasn't even a minor injury; it was at most a massage, and it wouldn't consume much Qi energy.

Having tasted the sweetness of love, the female thief no longer resisted, letting the other party do as they pleased, and with much curiosity, she bent and flicked her now-healed fingers.

"Alright, I went a bit too far just now. I apologize."

After finishing, Zhang Yuan sat back in his seat, leaning back comfortably against the cushion, his back sinking into the soft leather backrest.

As soon as his eyes closed, the team members knew that their captain had entered a state of self-reflection and meditation again.

However, Zhang Yuan wasn't meditating at the moment. Instead, he brought up the system panel and started checking it, his attention hovering between his Sword Saint level and the number of Qi energy points.

Sword Saint: Level 6; Qi Energy: 56 points.

The value was a full sixty points before Nancy was treated. This value appeared after he completely mastered the Qi Dao in Cloud City. At that time, it was only fifty-seven points, and it increased a bit with subsequent training.

The attack just now only consumed four points of Qi energy. Zhang Yuan had also tried the Qi-Boosting Slash skill before, and when used at full power, each strike consumed four points of Qi energy.

The Sword Saint's formidable attack and wounding abilities, renowned as the best among melee classes, are no accident. Besides his mastery of weaponry, the application of Qi is also a crucial element.

It's a pity that Zhang the Great Swordsman is currently practicing the methods of the Sun Soul Sect. His combination of luck and weapon is far from perfect, not to mention those secret sword techniques.

However, the cultivation of Qi is not just about developing some rudimentary abilities. In addition to Qi-enhancing slashes, strengthening hands, and healing minor injuries, he has gained a higher level of control over his body by constantly circulating Qi within his body.

This is a very subtle and indescribable ability, which is not even reflected in the attribute panel.

But Zhang Yuan knew and was certain that, as he believed, as long as he persevered, the development of new abilities was only a matter of time.

As Zhang Yuan's meditation deepened, he entered a wondrous state, as if he had entered the depths of his own mind and body, isolated from the outside world, listening to the surging of his blood and the flow of his breath; it was as if his mind was a clear mirror, able to reflect the subtle changes and ripples in the outside world.

There was the sound of Bud's heavy breathing, the soft breathing of the two ladies, and the movement of Münster driving the horses at the front of the carriage.

Perception lays the foundation for the Way of Qi, and the existence of Qi, in turn, enhances the role of perception; they are mutually reinforcing.

Of course, all these mysterious details remained unknown to others. To the other teammates in the car, their captain was simply lost in meditation once again—after all, he was a mage.
The Canaan caravan's two wagons traveled along the winding trade route through the barren hills, crossing one hill after another, and finally stopped in a flat place with the cliff behind them before sunset.

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(End of this chapter)