The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 71: He Has Many Secrets

Xiao Jingheng’s hands were full, so he drank directly from the water pouch Xu Zhizhi handed to him. In just a few gulps, he finished more than half of it.

The water had a slight sweetness to it, just like the first time he had tasted it. Whether in the past or afterward, Xiao Jingheng had never encountered water with such a flavor.

He believed that one day, his little wife would open her heart to him completely. Just like how she had initially distanced herself after learning about his identity, only for him to stubbornly stay by her side.

Now, she was gradually accepting him.

He also had many secrets he wanted to share with her, but he was afraid of scaring her!

Xiao Jingheng wasn’t trying to hide things from Xu Zhizhi intentionally. It was just that the matters he was involved in were too important and dangerous. He decided it would be better to wait until she fully accepted him before revealing everything.

If he ended up scaring her away, what would he do?

Humans are selfish by nature. Although he didn’t want to burden her, he couldn’t bear to let her go. The happiness she brought him was something he had never experienced before. It made him feel as though his previous life had been wasted…

His future father-in-law had even said that once the new house was ready, they would hold the wedding after moving in.

Xiao Jingheng was lost in these delightful thoughts as he watched the rabbit meat roast to a golden brown on both sides, its rich aroma filling the air. He handed one side to Xu Zhizhi:

“Here, take this.”

Then, he tore off a roasted rabbit leg and handed it to her: “Wife, eat this.”

Xu Zhizhi was startled by his use of the word “wife,” but she still accepted the rabbit meat and began eating quietly.

After she took the rabbit leg, Xiao Jingheng took the other half from her hand, holding it in one hand.

With his other hand, he took a big bite from the half he had torn the leg from.

Xu Zhizhi felt too embarrassed to argue. That day, she had been so captivated by him that she had openly acknowledged him as their family’s son-in-law in front of everyone.

Thinking of this, her face turned even redder…

Xiao Jingheng watched his little wife, who was quietly nibbling on the rabbit meat, and felt his heart swell with contentment.

He took another big bite of the meat. It was delicious, far better than any meat he had ever roasted before.

Xiao Jingheng knew it wasn’t due to his cooking skills! He figured it must be the seasoning sauce his little wife had applied that made it so tasty.

As he ate, he admired the way she ate the rabbit meat in small, delicate bites, her cheeks puffing up rhythmically. It was utterly adorable.

He took even bigger bites of the rabbit meat. After finishing the half in his right hand, he tore off the other rabbit leg and handed it to Xu Zhizhi:

“Wife, eat this.”

Xu Zhizhi still had half a rabbit leg in her hand, so she said, “You eat it. I’ll be full after finishing this.”

Seeing that she still had half a leg left, Xiao Jingheng didn’t insist and continued eating heartily.

After they finished eating, they went to the stream to wash their hands and faces.

They continued walking deeper into the mountains, where they were greeted by lush, verdant trees and a vast, azure sky. A few wisps of clouds floated by, creating a scene reminiscent of an elegant ink painting.

A little further ahead, they came across a towering peak with jagged rocks. One massive cliff stood upright, while another lay horizontally across it, resembling a dragon raising its head. It was truly an ideal place for martial arts practice.

“Zhizhi, this place is really great. The air is so fresh, perfect for practicing qinggong. We really don’t need to set up plum blossom stakes; we can practice directly on the rocks.”

“Right? Right? I thought this place was perfect too, though I hadn’t considered practicing qinggong here before.”

Xu Zhizhi was so excited that she jumped three feet in the air.

“Hahaha…”

A faint smile appeared at the corners of her eyes, gradually spreading into a radiant grin, and then erupting into hearty laughter.

Xiao Jingheng taught Xu Zhizhi an internal energy mnemonic chant and had her memorize it. After she sat in meditation for a while to regulate her breathing, he taught her the qinggong movements and had her practice stepping.

This “Lingbo Weibu” technique used dynamic movements to cultivate internal energy. Each step corresponded to one of the 64 hexagrams, and with each cycle, the internal energy naturally circulated once.

Therefore, every time Xu Zhizhi completed a cycle, her internal energy improved slightly.

After practicing the first hundred or so steps, Xu Zhizhi managed to complete the entire sequence in one go on her first try.

Xiao Jingheng then taught her a longer chant. This was because every step of “Lingbo Weibu” was intricately connected to the flow of internal energy throughout the body.

They repeated this process.

Soon, two hours had passed. Xiao Jingheng thought they should stop for the day and return the next morning. He hadn’t expected his little wife to be so naturally gifted. She had already mastered more than half of the chant in just two hours.

It had taken him over two months to learn the same thing! At this rate, she would master the entire chant and qinggong movements in just two days…

“Zhizhi, it’s getting late. Let’s stop here for today and head back.”

Xu Zhizhi was in high spirits and didn’t want to stop. She hurriedly said:

“Brother Jingheng, can you teach me the rest of the chant? I’ll memorize it tonight, and we can practice the qinggong movements tomorrow morning, okay?”

Xiao Jingheng couldn’t bear to refuse his little wife, so he began teaching her the internal energy chant. Since this only involved memorization and meditation, without the physical movements, it went much faster. In less than half an hour, Xu Zhizhi was able to regulate her breathing smoothly.

Satisfied, Xu Zhizhi pulled Xiao Jingheng along as they headed home. She used the steps she had just learned to walk out of the deep mountains.

Although she couldn’t fly yet, she could leap quite far, about a foot above the ground, without any support.

Xu Zhizhi laughed joyfully, but just as she was getting carried away, she suddenly heard a roar from the side.

[Oh no! It’s not another tiger, is it?]

Xiao Jingheng also heard the beast’s roar. In a panic, he quickly picked up his little wife and flew up into a tree. This was true qinggong—truly impressive!

As soon as they landed on the treetop, Xu Zhizhi saw a wild boar ahead and became excited:

“Hahaha…”

Xiao Jingheng didn’t understand why his little wife was so happy to see a wild boar. Did she want to eat wild boar meat?

“Are you this happy to see a wild boar? Stay here in the tree. Don’t be afraid. Let your husband take care of it.”

Xiao Jingheng kissed her forehead, his deep voice exuding a calming strength.

If it weren’t for the wild boar charging toward the tree they were in, he wouldn’t have let go of his little wife…

What Xiao Jingheng didn’t know was that Xu Zhizhi was relieved it wasn’t a tiger. The memory of her last encounter with a tiger still lingered…

“Okay! Okay!” Xu Zhizhi said happily. A wild boar shouldn’t be a problem for Xiao Jingheng to handle alone, right? She wasn’t even scared!

But things turned out far beyond her expectations!

Xiao Jingheng leaped down from the tree with a single graceful jump and punched the wild boar, sending it flying three feet away. Then!

With a loud “thud,” the wild boar fell to the ground, motionless.

What happened to the good-for-nothing playboy?

Who was this incredibly strong and skilled person?

Xu Zhizhi was so excited that she leaped up, wanting to jump down from the tree. Hearing the rustling, Xiao Jingheng instinctively turned and saw his wife falling from the tree. He quickly flew over to catch her.

“Did I scare you?” Xiao Jingheng asked, his voice trembling.

“No, I wasn’t scared. It’s just that the qinggong I just learned failed!”

What could Xu Zhizhi say? That she had been so shocked she forgot about qinggong altogether!

(End of Chapter)