Chapter 8 Only I Can Be Trusted
The woman in the embroidered dress smiled, her hands fluttering like butterflies among flowers. She lightly pinched his "Shao Yuan" acupoint with two snow-white fingers. Liang Xiaos right hand hurried to assist, using a "Feng" seal to block those two fingers, while his left hand used a "Gou" seal, with five fingers curved like a hoe, hooking her "Tai Ye" acupoint. The womans arm seemed to be made of nothing, slipping out from between Liang Xiaos hands. Just as he was about to jump back, the womans five fingers fluttered again like a sudden gust of wind, brushing towards his heart. Unable to withstand it, Liang Xiao successively used the "Po" seal and the "Nian" seal to break free.
Two people sat across from each other at the guqin table, their three hands intertwined. The woman sat calmly and quietly, using only one hand, but her movements were light and unpredictable, changing constantly, leaving Liang Xiao breathless. He used all 24 techniques of the "Like-Intent Fantasy Magic Hand" - hooking, circling, breaking, twisting, pushing, pulling, sweeping, intercepting, poking, plucking, sealing, grasping, and wrapping - but still couldnt escape. After exchanging over a hundred moves, Liang Xiao used the "wrapping" technique, wrapping his hands around the womans wrist. The woman in the embroidered dress raised an eyebrow, stretched out her hand to support Liang Xiaos elbow, and Liang Xiao felt a surge of energy, flipping over and falling onto the bluestone ground, sliding out for several feet before crashing into the purple gold incense burner with a loud "thud". Liang Xiao was dizzy and disoriented, opening his mouth to curse, when he suddenly heard Hu Qingyuan urgently call out to the woman in embroidered dress: "Mother!"
Liang Xiao heard this and was like swallowing dozens of toads, his mouth couldnt close, he just stared blankly at the woman in black. The woman in black saw what he was thinking and smiled: "Thats right, I am Hua Wu Xian, the owner of Tianji Palace." Liang Xiao exclaimed: "You... you are Xiaoshuangs grandmother?" Hua Wu Xian smiled: "Yes."
Li Shao calmed down and said, "Youre younger than your daughter? Wont you ever get old?" Hua Mochou heard the sarcasm in his words and was annoyed, but she couldnt lose her temper in front of her mother. Hua Wuyue hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Is there eternal youth in this world? Ive just practiced some profound skills and achieved a little something, so I look younger than ordinary people. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the way of heaven. The heavens are vast and boundless, with no escape!" A hint of melancholy seeped through her smile. Li Shao looked closely and saw that fine wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her eyes, but they were very small and hard to notice.
Hua Wuyue gazed at Liang Xiao for a long time, then suddenly said: "Xiao Qianxue has three great disciples, two men and one woman." This statement was quite astonishing, and Liang Xiao listened in shock, not knowing why she brought this up. But then Hua Wuyue continued: "The eldest disciple, Xiao Leng, is a Khitan person, of the same clan as Xiao Qianxue. In those years, on the Kuluri Plain, with one stroke of his Hai Ruo knife, he subdued the Western Regions heroes, and was the first brave warrior under M?ngke Khans command. The second disciple, Baiyan, is a Mongolian Balha tribe person, well-versed in military strategy, exceptionally courageous, and assisted Kublai Khan in pacifying the various kings, becoming a high-ranking official of the Yuan court, commanding thousands of horses and men. As for the third disciple, Xiao Yufeng, its said that she is a descendant of the Mongolian imperial family."
Liang Xiao was puzzled as to why Hua Wuyan suddenly mentioned this matter, and he listened as she continued with a smile: "In the past, I used Chuān Huā Dié Yǐng Shǒu (Piercing Flower Butterfly Shadow Hand) to exchange over a hundred moves with Xiao Qianjue. Although I didnt understand the inner workings of Rúyì Huàn Mó Shǒu (As-You-Like Fantasy Magic Hand), I still remember its movements. Your Rúyì Huàn Mó Shǒu may be shallow in terms of fire control, but its movement changes are identical to Xiao Qianjues. If it werent for the fact that youre a direct descendant, it would be impossible to reach this level. Some people say that Xiao Qianjues martial arts skills are strange and unpredictable, but thats underestimating him. Among his three great disciples, Xiao Leng inherited his cunning and ruthlessness, Bo Yan inherited his ferocity and sharpness, and Xiao Yulian alone inherited his agility and elegance. Based on what Ive seen today, your hand movements excel in terms of agility and elegance, so you must have obtained Xiao Yulians true transmission!"
Liang Xiaos face turned pale, and she bit her lip: "Alright, you know everything now?" Hua Wuyue smiled: "Thats right, I know everything." Liang Xiao said loudly: "You also want to drive me away like those old men, dont you?" Hua Wuyue smiled: "You admit it?"
Liang Xiao reluctantly admitted that Xiao Qian was indeed his master, but since everyone had already seen through him, he could only huff and puff and say, "Fine, I admit it." Hua Wuhen smiled slightly and said, "Actually, I dont know everything." Liang Xiao was taken aback. Hua Wuhen continued, "I did indeed cross hands with Xiao Qian, but the three great disciples each having their own strengths is something I made up. For example, Xiao Yulians agility and elegance are just something she learned from watching your moves!" She spoke with a hint of a smile in her eyes, and Liang Xiao couldnt help but exclaim, "You...you lied!"
Hua Wuyan smiled and said, "Yes, its just that youre too stupid, so I deceived you." Then she asked, "Do you want to learn the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword?" Liang Xiao replied, "Yes." Hua Wuyan smiled and said, "I can also teach you." Liang Xiao was overjoyed and said, "Great, thank you!" But then Hua Wuyan shook her head, sighed, and softly said, "Only...". Liang Xiaos heart sank, and he hastily asked, "What?" Hua Wuyan calmly replied, "Only that youre too stupid and clumsy, and even if you practice for a lifetime, you wont be able to master it!" Liang Xiao was shocked and exclaimed, "You...you say who is too stupid and clumsy? I...I..." He had been called many names since he was young, but no one had ever said he was "too stupid and clumsy", only that he was too clever. Hua Wuyans words really left him speechless. Hua Qingyuan saw the situation and was about to speak up, but then she saw Hua Wuyan wave her hand, and his expression changed slightly, so he had no choice but to shut up.
Liang Xiao was silent for a moment, then said loudly: "Im not stupid, as long as you teach me, Ill definitely learn it. Otherwise, you can give me a question, and Ill definitely do it." Hua Wu Xian smiled and said: "Good, Ill test you. Hmm, in front of the Qi Yue Valley, there is a stone wall with ten math problems carved on it, not extremely difficult. If you can solve them, then youre considered smart, and Ill teach you whatever martial art you want to learn." Hua Qing Yuan and Hua Mu Rong were both speechless after hearing this, the blue-clothed woman also widened her eyes, only Xiao Shuang was confused, looking at her grandmother with a bewildered expression.
Liang Xiao scratched his head and thought for half a day before asking, "Whats an arithmetic problem?" Everyone burst out laughing, and Hua Wuyan couldnt help but smile and say, "You dont even know this? You still claim youre not stupid?" Liang Xiao felt that his stupidity was different from others, but he couldnt quite put it into words. He was proud and never willing to admit defeat, so he readily agreed, "Arithmetic problems are arithmetic problems, I definitely wont lose." Hua Muyan couldnt help but say, "Its not about winning or losing, but rather..." Suddenly, she saw Hua Wuyans gaze staring at her intensely, and she was speechless.
Hua Wu Xians eyes sparkled as she smiled and said, "Youre a bold one, Ill give you that. Alright, lets make a pact, no backing out." She extended her right hand. Liang Xiaos heart skipped a beat as he clasped hands with her, saying, "Anyone who backs out is a coward." He faintly heard Hua Wu Xian muttering under her breath, seemingly cursing him as a "good-for-nothing whelp". He turned back to glare at her, thinking to himself, "Youre the one whos good for nothing!" As he thought this, his stomach growled. Hua Wu Xian heard the sound and laughed, saying, "I forgot youve gone hungry all night." She summoned a maid to take Liang Xiao away to eat.
Just as Liang Xiao was about to leave, Hua Murong called out: "Mom..." Hua Wuhen glared at her and swept her gaze over the woman in blue clothes. The woman pulled Hua Xiaoxue along and said: "Xiaoxue, lets go back." Hua Xiaoxue smiled and said: "Mom, were going to keep Liang Gege company for dinner." The woman saw that Liang Xiao was rough and impolite, and she didnt like him very much. She wanted to refuse, but seeing how eager Hua Xiaoxue was, she couldnt bear to disappoint her, so she reluctantly agreed.
When the two of them had gone far away, Hua Mu-yong frowned and said: "Mother, are you intentionally making things difficult for him? Even if that young man were given a hundred years, he still wouldnt be able to solve the Ten Heavenly Calculations!" Hua Qing-xuan also said: "Thats right. Those ten calculations exhaustively investigate the principles of Heaven. Not only is there no one in the Tianji Temple who can fully solve them, but even if you looked throughout the entire world, there wouldnt be a single person who could solve them." For a moment, they were both worried and troubled, finding it difficult to decide what to do.
"Are you trying to teach him the Tai Yi Fen Guang Jian?" The siblings exchanged a glance, and Huā Qīng Yuān said, "Hes not inherently bad, and he saved our childs life." Huā Mù Róng also chimed in, "Yes, although hes mischievous, when it counts, he still meets expectations..." Before she could finish speaking, Huā Wú Xián opened her eyes and coldly laughed: "If it werent for this reason, just because he knows the Xiaō Qiān Jués skills, I would have crippled him long ago. Why would I be going back and forth with him? Do you know that when Xiaō Qiān Jué invaded Bà Cāng Mountain, he injured six of our sects top experts at the Stone Arrow Double Peaks, and your uncle Huā Wú Xiǎng also died at his hands? Hmph, if not for the Tai Yi Fen Guang Jian, who could have forced him to retreat? Will I teach this sect-protecting ultimate skill to his successor?" Her eyes gleamed with a cold light, completely different from her warm and elegant demeanor just moments before.
"Killing a chicken doesnt require using an ox knife, Mother. Why go to such great lengths? This kid is clueless about arithmetic, just give him a few simple questions and send him off, why bother using the Heavenly Ten Difficulties to stump him?"
Hua Wu Xian glanced at her coldly and said, "This is called being absolutely safe. If you were to ask different questions, who knows if he would secretly try to cheat me." Hua Mu Rongs face turned red with embarrassment as his plan was exposed.
Hua Wu Xian continued, "Now that weve reached this point, Im going to meditate. Pass down the order that no one in the palace is allowed to give that kid any pointers on learning or teach him any martial arts. If anyone disobeys, they will be punished according to the palace rules." She swept a cold glance over her children and said, "You two are not exceptions!" With that, she closed her eyes, and Hua Mu Rong and his sister could only exchange a helpless look before retreating from the Heart of Water Pavilion.
As soon as they left the house, Huā Mùróng sighed and said: "Brother, what should we do now?" Huā Qīngyuān sighed and said: "Mothers mind is made up, theres no changing it. I can only try to persuade Liáng Xiāo to give up learning swordsmanship." Huā Mùróng shook her head and said: "This child may be young, but hes very stubborn. Im afraid you wont be able to persuade him." Huā Qīngyuān smiled bitterly and said: "Do what one can, and accept ones fate." He turned around and asked the maid, and found out that Liáng Xiāo had gone to the "Huà Méi Guàn" in the northwest for dinner.
Before entering the door, I heard Liang Xiao shouting: "What are you looking at? Humph, calling me to eat is not comfortable!" Then came Hua Xiaoxues voice: "Brother Xiao, your eating posture is very strange!" Liang Xiao said: "Strange what?" Hua Xiaoxue laughed and said: "You always use your hands to grab, others dont do it like that!" Liang Xiao sneered: "Eating like this is refreshing, I wont learn those fake elegant manners, elegance cant be eaten as rice." He hummed a sound, suddenly curious, "This aunt in blue clothes, are you Xiaoxues mother?"
The woman in blue said, "Yes! My surname is Ling, and my name is Shuangjun." Her tone was cold and seemed somewhat displeased. But then Liang Xiao laughed and said, "You two look alike." Ling Shuangjun said, "Thats natural, dont you look like your mother?" Liang Xiao said, "Mom says I look like Dad, and Dad says I look like Mom, so who do I actually look like? I dont know either." Having said this, he suddenly fell silent.
Hua Qingyuan wandered outside the pavilion for a while, sighed, and still stepped inside. Liang Xiaos eyes were red, staring blankly, saw him coming in, jumped up and said: "Uncle Hua, youre just in time, take me to see that math problem!" Hua Qingyuan was called by him, all the good excuses were useless, hesitated: "So urgent? Why not rest for a day?" Liang Xiao pulled his sleeve, shouting: "I want to see, I want to see!"
They arrived at a large stone wall with strange symbols and writings on it. The symbols were a mix of sharp and round shapes, horizontal and vertical lines, but the text was too profound for Liang Xiao to understand. At the end of the article, there was a large brown stain that made the characters blurry.
Liang Xiao looked at it for a long time, and couldnt help but ask: "Uncle Hua, what is this written?" Hua Qingyuan sighed: "This is called Tianji Ten Calculations, its ten math problems left behind by the ancestors of Tianji Palace." Liang Xiao said: "How come I dont understand any of it?" Hua Qingyuans expression turned gloomy, and he said: "Xiao, do you really want to learn swordsmanship?" Liang Xiao nodded. Hua Qingyuan sighed, remained silent for a moment, then said: "If you can solve these ten math problems, I wont stop you, but Im afraid..." He wanted to say something but stopped himself, looked around and saw no one was there, then whispered: "If you dont understand anything, go take a look at the notes of ancient mathematicians in Tianyuan Pavilion. If you really cant solve it, dont force yourself." Liang Xiao nodded: "I will definitely be able to solve it." Hua Qingyuan could only smile bitterly, patted his head, and quietly left.
Liang Xiao looked around until dusk, the sky and earth were dark and confused. He went back to his room to sleep for a while, and got up early the next day to ask a maid about the location of Tianyuan Pavilion. The maid took him to a magnificent pavilion and said, "This is it." Liang Xiao saw that Tianyuan Pavilion was over 50 meters in diameter, with nine floors, and he was amazed.
The maid said, "Tianyuan Pavilion houses the studies of Yi, arithmetic, astronomy, and calendar. With Tianyuan Pavilion as the axis, to the east is Chongxu Building, which collects 100,000 Taoist scriptures; to the west is Banruo Temple, which stores the original Buddhist scriptures from India, Chinese translations, Zen koans, and Tibetan Buddhist classics; in the south is Dazhifang, where the writings of philosophers and sages are kept; to the north is Fengshao Xiaozhu, where ancient and modern poetry and literature are stored; southwest is Chunqiu Lou, which collects historical records; southeast is Yao Wang Ting, which stores medical classics from past dynasties, but also includes agricultural texts because Shennong tasted a hundred herbs and medicine and agriculture are connected; northwest is Jiuzhou Garden, where maps of mountains and rivers, and studies of birds and beasts are kept; northeast is Lingtai, which collects diagrams of mechanical devices and models from all over the world. But whatever you do, dont go there during the day, as its guarded by Mr. Ming, who has a terrible temper."
Liang Xiao deeply agreed: "Sister is right, that Old Man Ming is not a good person. Last time he even tripped me up. Hmph, Ill get my revenge sooner or later." The maid smiled and said: "So youve had a taste of bitterness. Hehe, its okay to talk about it here, but dont let others hear!" Liang Xiao snorted and said: "Let them hear if they want, Im not afraid." The maid rolled her eyes and said: "I wont bother with you, dont cry out in pain when you get into trouble." Liang Xiao smiled and said: "I wont cry out in pain. Hmm, whats your name, sister? Ill come find you to play later." The maid smiled and said: "I live in the West Fragrance Workshop, just ask for Mei Ying, everyone knows me." With a giggle, she turned and left.
Liang Xiao entered the pavilion, and all he could smell was the scent of books and the faint aroma of camphor. The shelves were stacked high with new and old books, and two servant women were dusting inside. When someone came in, they didnt even look up. Liang Xiao looked around and randomly pulled out a book from the shelf. The book looked ancient, its color had turned yellow, and the cover was worn out. It was titled "Yi Xiang Bie Jie" (A Different Interpretation of Yi). After flipping through it for a long time, he couldnt recognize any of the characters. He pulled out another newer book with illustrations, but didnt recognize the two characters "Qian Xu", although he recognized the signature "Sima Guang". He thought to himself: "Who is this Sima Guang?" Frowning and confused, he quickly put it down and pulled out another one, which was "Dui Ji Shi Yi" (Remaining Traces of a Great Work). It was written by an unknown author. Liang Xiao felt that the symbols in the book were similar to those on the stone wall, but after pondering for a long time, he still couldnt make sense of it. Next, he pulled out "Dong Yuan Jiu Suan" (Nine Calculations of the Abyss), and the symbols looked familiar, but no matter how many times he flipped through it, he still couldnt understand its meaning.
Liang Xiao Dong wandered east and west, until the sun set in the west. He flipped through more than 20 books, but didnt understand a single one. He was furious, and wished he could burn down this house of strange books. He returned to his residence with a huff, feeling stifled for a whole night. The next day, he went to browse again. This time, his luck was even worse, the books he found were even more abstruse, not to mention the content, but he couldnt recognize a single character.
After more than ten days, Liang Xiaos eyes were bloodshot and he had lost a lot of weight. But thinking of his parents hatred, he persisted in reading to the end. He didnt know that these classics were the lifeblood of ancient and modern masters of Yi studies and mathematicians, and that the knowledge passed down through generations was extremely difficult and profound. The things that everyone knew about were not even mentioned in detail. It was like a series of huge mountains suspended in mid-air, with Liang Xiao standing at the bottom, only able to see the peaks, but having no idea how to climb up.
After a few more days, Liang Xiao finally figured out some of the doorways. He specifically picked out the oldest and most tattered books, feeling that these books should be easier to understand than new ones. Although it wasnt entirely true, among the ancient books he chose, there were indeed many that were foundational to arithmetic. However, the older the books were, the more obscure the language became, with many containing ancient seals and golden scripts. Liang Xiao had never liked reading since he was young and could only barely recognize a few characters. How could he possibly understand these ancient texts? But he had always been self-reliant and wouldnt ask others for help even if they didnt teach him. He forced himself to study for over a month, stuffing his brain with strange characters and diagrams, but when it came to explaining their meaning, he couldnt say a single one.
On this day, Liang Xiao read books for half a day, feeling disheartened and listless. He stared blankly at the ceiling when he vaguely heard someone calling out to him. Turning his head around, it was Hua Xiao Xue. Seeing that his cheeks were sunken, his eyes lifeless, and his hair messy, she couldnt help but feel a pang in her heart. She grasped his hand and trembled as she said, "Xiao Gege, are you ill?" She reached out to touch his forehead, which wasnt hot to the touch, and only then did she put her mind at ease. "Its been a long time since Ive seen you. Yesterday, I heard Mei Ying Jie say that you were in Tian Yuan Ge, so I came especially to visit you. I called out to you several times, but you didnt respond!" Liang Xiao responded with an "en" and lowered his head to continue reading. Hua Xiao Xue saw that he was being cold and distant, which made her feel uninterested. She sat down beside him and glanced at the text and illustrations in the book, suddenly saying, "Xiao Gege, are you reading Jiu Gong Zhu Shu?"
Liang Xiaos voice trembled, and he looked up to ask: "Xiao Shuang, do you understand?" Hua Xiao Shuang nodded and said: "I learned some before, but my brain is too stupid, Im not good at calculations, so last time in the Two Instruments Fantasy Array I made a mistake." She slightly revealed her shyness, smiled, "Speaking of arithmetic, in the Tianji Palace, Nainai is the most powerful."
Liang Xiao thought for a moment, pointing to the diagram on the first page and asking: "What is this turtle?" Hua Xiaoxue said: "This is the Nine Palaces Diagram, also known as the Luo Book. Legend has it that the Yellow Dragon carried the diagram out of the Yellow River; the divine turtle carried the book out of the Luo River. The former is called the River Diagram, and the latter is the Luo Book. Therefore, the diagram of the nine palaces follows the spirit of the turtle, and the numbers of the eight directions add up to fifteen." She paused for a moment, then said: "Some people say that the nine numbers of the Luo Book are the ancestors of arithmetic, but my grandmother says that arithmetic should be divided into ancient and modern. Ancient arithmetic has three ancestors: River Diagram, Luo Book, and Five Elements. The River Diagram transformed into eight trigrams, and the eight trigrams evolved into sixty-four trigrams. Each trigram contains a small nine palaces."
She scribbled on the ground, saying: "In the nine palaces, there are also yin and yang odd and even numbers, which is derived from the Hetu Yin Yang principle. The nine palace diagram has 45 positions, each of which contains an eight trigrams." She said as she calculated, deducing the Hetu Luoshu Sheng Dao, and drew out two more diagrams, "The five elements can also be transformed into nine palaces, the one on the left is called Luoshu Wuxing Chengshu, and the one on the right is called Luoshu Wuxing Shengshu. From these two numbers, the nine palaces can deduce the eight trigrams. In this way, they can be deduced infinitely..."
She started from the basics, explaining with gestures. Liang Xiao was an extremely intelligent person and after listening for two hours, he understood a lot. He picked up the book again, and it was no longer unfamiliar to him. He was so delighted that he scratched his ears and cheeks, then took out another book and asked, "How do you say this one?" Hua Xiaoxue flipped through it and smiled, "This is different from ancient arithmetic, it should be modern arithmetic. The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art is a collection of ancient arithmetic, while modern arithmetic originated from Han Dynastys Liu Xiang, Han Dynastys Zhang Heng and Cao Weis Liu Hui also had discussions. However, it was Northern Dynasties Zu Chongzhi who truly established his own school. He used rectangular and circular shapes to calculate pi. Later, in the Dongyuan Jiuzhang, someone developed this method further, combining numbers and shapes to calculate unknown numbers. Its said that my ancestors used this method to solve up to the ninth layer of Tian (which is equivalent to calculating X to the power of nine) and down to the ninth layer of Yin Gui (equivalent to X to the negative power of nine). Later, our great-great-grandfather Yuanmao Gong created the Yan Duan Fa (similar to solving linear equations in modern mathematics), separating numbers and shapes, which eventually evolved into the Tianyuan Shu. Our great-great-grandfather took the Tianyuan Shu to the fourth level, allowing him to calculate the four major numbers of Taiyin, Taiyang, Shaoyang, and Shaoyin." At this point, she let out a soft sigh, "Unfortunately, this part is too difficult, I dont quite understand it myself." She said this much, then felt a bit dizzy, so she took out a Jinfeng Yulü Wan from her bosom and ate one.
Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment, and couldnt help but ask: "Xiao Shuang, what... exactly is wrong with you?" Hua Xiao Shuang shook her head and said: "I dont know, Dad and Mom never say. A while ago, I was very ill, so my dad and aunt took me to Laoshan to see Wu Yeye, Wu Yeye is an incredible doctor!" She smiled as she spoke, "When I came back, I was much better, only occasionally still getting dizzy, but Wu Yeye told me not to worry, said he would cure me." As she got to this point, she seemed lost in thought, "Xiao Gege, have you seen the ocean?"
Liang Xiao shook her head, and Hua Xiaoxue smiled: "The sea is so vast that you cant see the edge at all. Its said that watching the sunrise on the sea from Mount Laoshan is beautiful, but my aunt says its cold in the morning wind, and she doesnt allow me to go." She slightly furrowed her brow, seemingly full of regret. Liang Xiao looked at her with a sympathetic heart: "Its okay, Ill accompany you to see it someday."
Hua Xiao Shuangs eyes lit up: "Really?" Liang Xiao said: "Really, or Ill hook you." He hooked his little finger around Xiao Shuangs little finger. "Golden hook, silver hook, talking is not a small dog." The two looked at each other for a moment, then let go of their hands and burst out laughing together. Hua Xiao Shuang continued to explain, like a little teacher; Liang Xiao listened obediently, transforming from a mischievous child into the most well-behaved student.
From that day on, Hua Xiao Shuang came to Tianyuan Pavilion every day, and Liang Xiao asked her for guidance whenever he encountered unclear places. Fortunately, they were all basic, and Hua Xiao Shuangs family learning was profound, so she recognized all the ancient seals and inscriptions. After spending a few months with Er Xiao Yan and Yi Shun, Liang Xiao roughly understood them. Among the Ten Heavenly Calculations, the first four questions were ancient arithmetic, and the last six questions were modern arithmetic. These ten calculation questions were all extremely difficult problems that had puzzled ancient and modern wise men.
Liang Xiao was an extremely intelligent person, and once he started learning something, whether it was martial arts or academics, he would delve deep into it. Half a year had passed in the blink of an eye, and Hua Wuyan had thought that Liang Xiao would give up after at most ten days to half a month, but unexpectedly, a year had gone by and this kid still refused to leave. Feeling puzzled, she secretly sent someone to investigate and only then did she find out that Hua Xiaoxue often went to the Tianyuan Pavilion to explain things to him, which made her extremely angry. However, since Hua Xiaoxue was young and often ill, it wasnt good to punish her, so she forbade her from getting close to Liang Xiao again. Hua Xiaoxue felt wronged in her heart, but her grandmothers words were like a mountain, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Liang Xiao arrived here, but had already left the state of ignorance, walked out of the deep fog, and the sky and earth in front of him suddenly broadened. Without Huaxiao Frost, he couldnt be trapped. He was extremely talented in mathematics, and felt that the wonders of arithmetic far surpassed martial arts. The more frustrating and difficult it was, the more he wanted to transcend it. For a moment, his spirit wandered within, and he truly forgot about sorrow and joy.
Four years passed, and Liang Xiao gradually progressed from the Hetu Luoshu to completing Guiguzis "Guigu Algorithm", Sun Wus "Sunzi Algorithm"; Zheng Xuan, Wang Bi and other great masters "I Ching" essays, Yang Xiongs "Tai Xuan", Sima Guangs "Qian Yu"; Han Dynastys "Nine Chapters on Arithmetic", "Wu Cao Algorithm", "Zhang Qiu Jian Algorithm", Zuchongzi father-sons "Sui Shu". Gradually entering modern mathematics from ancient mathematics, he calculated in order "Ji Gu Algorithm", "Dongyuan Nine Algorithms", "Shu Shu Nine Chapters", "Measure Circle Sea Mirror", and dozens of volumes of "Tianji Notes" left by the ancestors of Tianji Palace. However, the Tianji Ten Algorithms were still difficult to solve, and he had to refer to various calendar methods, mechanical calculations, and push forward the changes in heaven and earth, the movement of the sun and moon, and the principles of architectural construction. In order to find a solution, he often read books without calculation.
In the fifth year, when the ice and snow had just begun to thaw and the plum blossoms were still in bloom, Liang Xiao solved the first question "Heaven and Earth Generation Solution" from the position of "Heaven and Earth already combined", reversing the calculation to find the number before Heaven and Earth were combined, all the way back to the number when Heaven and Earth were generated. These three major numbers have long had diagrams passed down through the ages, but how to return to the truth and reverse the number of Heaven and Earths generation is known by few people. In short, it is the positive and negative changes between the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams.
After solving the first problem, Liang Xiao couldnt stop and successively solved "Tai Xuans Two Difficulties". These two difficult problems come from Yang Xiongs "Tai Xuan Jing", which is the mathematical foundation of Zhang Hengs invention of the "Hou Feng Di Dong Yi" in the Han Dynasty. It is complex, profound, and has many difficulties. The next month, Liang Xiao also solved the fourth problem "Double Hand Ten Finger Problem" (Note: This is equivalent to the conversion between binary and decimal systems in later mathematics, which was not proposed by German mathematician Leibniz until 300 years later), and the fifth problem "Twenty-Eight Constellations Surrounding Heaven Solution" (Note: A difficult problem of calendar calculation). Next was the "River Governance Diagram", a mathematical problem that used numerical methods to calculate the amount of soil and rocks for the Yellow River governance project. The calculation was enormous, and Liang Xiao spent more than 40 days before finally solving it. The seventh problem was solved relatively quickly using the method of accumulation (Note: A sophisticated method in Song-Yuan mathematics for solving higher mathematical number theory problems) to solve "Guiguzis Question".
Eighth and ninth questions are all astronomical calculations, very complicated and difficult, entering the worlds top astronomical four yuan technique. The eighth calculation is "子午线之惑", which calculates the precise length of 子午线, not only to calculate but also to measure on site, really troublesome; The ninth calculation is "日变奇算", using four yuan technique to find the difference between the suns expansion and contraction. Later on, it has gone beyond the limit of four yuan, transformed into five yuan, and there is no algorithm for any calculation, so Liang Xiao had to contemplate by himself. He spent three months on this question and finally solved the tenth calculation "元外之元", which means finding a method to solve any yuan solution.
Liang Xiao pondered for three months, but couldnt find the entrance. However, he was determined to succeed and wouldnt give up even if it meant sacrificing his life. He flipped through books and studied while calculating. Half a year passed, and Liang Xiaos body became emaciated, his heart racing and gasping for breath whenever he moved. Eventually, he fell ill.
At that time, everyone in the Tianji Palace who knew about the origins of the "Tianji Ten Calculations" thought Liang Xiao was crazy. Liang Xiao had high aspirations and wanted to solve all ten calculations at once, stunning everyone with his genius. He wouldnt reveal even a hint until he solved every single problem.
When Hua Qingyuan and his sister came to visit him, they didnt know that he had already broken through nine of the problems. They thought he was still struggling and hadnt made any progress, which led to his illness. They sighed repeatedly, saying, "Youve just started, its normal that you cant solve them." The two of them didnt dare speak directly about Hua Wuhens scheme to trap him, so they spoke in a very indirect manner.
Liang Xiao misunderstood their intention and thought that the siblings had already solved all ten problems. This made him even more anxious, and he continued to calculate silently in his mind, even while lying on his sickbed.
The Tianji Palace is named after the Tianji, with arithmetic as its foundation. Just by looking at the bookshelves arranged in the Taiji Bagua pattern, it can be seen that the owner of the palace attaches great importance to arithmetic.
"The Heavenly Machines Ten Calculations" was originally left behind by the ancestors of Tianji Palace, the masters of arithmetic. Although it contained some famous ancient and modern questions, there were more puzzles that the masters could not solve before their death, which were engraved on the stone wall, waiting for later generations to solve. However, when the eighth calculation was reached, no one had been able to solve it in a hundred years, until the birth of Hua Yuanmao, the "Mysterious Mathematician". Hua Yuanmao was a genius with unparalleled talent, and after solving the eighth calculation, he successively gave out two more calculations. He himself engraved the ninth calculation and then solved it. At this point, Hua Yuanmaos arithmetic skills were unmatched in ancient and modern times, but he was still not satisfied, and he proposed "The Root of All Roots", seeking solutions to any power. This was no longer a calculation, but a challenge to himself.
Hua Yuanmao pondered in front of the stone wall for five years, exhausting his heart and soul, but ultimately failed to solve this problem. He finally died of exhaustion at the age of 38, leaving behind a pair of children, including his eldest daughter Hua Wuyan who was not yet married. The brown spot that Liang Xiao first saw on the stone wall was actually Hua Yuanmaos blood vomited before his death. Because the ancestors were afraid that future generations would take shortcuts and abandon the pursuit of knowledge, they left behind a rule: whoever solves the problem on the wall is only allowed to give out the result, not the solution. Therefore, after Hua Yuanmaos death, Hua Wuyan started solving it again from scratch, but got stuck at the eighth calculation when she encountered the four-element method. If someone knew that Liang Xiao had solved nine problems in a row, Tianji Palace would have been turned upside down long ago.
Liang Xiao was unclear about the situation, worried and anxious, his illness naturally worsened day by day, and acupuncture and medicine were ineffective. Everyone saw this situation and thought he would surely die. Hua Xiao Xue learned vaguely from the maids mouth and cried in front of Hua Wu Mei. Although Hua Wu Mei was naturally cold-blooded, she also felt a little guilty and finally agreed to let Ling Shuang Jun take her granddaughter over. As soon as Hua Xiao Xue entered the room, she saw Liang Xiaos illness like that, and couldnt help but hold his hand, tears gushing out. Ling Shuang Jun also felt heartache, turned around, and didnt want to look closely.
Liang Xiao heard the crying sound, opened his eyes, and saw a girl standing in front of him, crying and wiping away tears. After recognizing her for half a day, he finally realized it was Hua Xiao Shuang. The girls double buns had come undone, her figure had grown taller, making her look even more frail, wearing a dress with a hundred butterflies, her face pale as before, but her facial features were much clearer. Liang Xiao saw her and forced a smile, his lips moving slightly. Hua Xiao Shuang was taken aback, Liang Xiao moved his lips again, Hua Xiao Shuang leaned over to listen, vaguely hearing him say: "Xiao Shuang, help me go to the stone wall over there." Hua Xiao Shuang cried out: "Brother Xiao, do you still want to escape?"
Liang Xiao sighed: "There is a topic that hasnt... hasnt been calculated yet, its not over... I wont be happy." Hua Xiaoxue couldnt help but burst into tears and cried for a while before wiping away her tears and telling Ling Xuejun what Liang Xiao had said. Although Ling Xuejun felt it was inappropriate, she never wanted to go against her daughter, so she sent someone to carry Liang Xiao to the front of the stone wall.
Liang Xiao leaned into Hua Xiao Fengs arms, staring blankly at the stone wall, when suddenly an idea occurred to him: "If I could die under this tenth step, it would be a worthy end." For a moment, he forgot all about his hatred and past grievances, picked up a tree branch, and began to draw on the ground.
Hua Xiao Shuang couldnt help but ask, "Xiao Gege, whats the tenth calculation?" Liang Xiao replied in a low voice, "Ten calculations." Hua Xiao Shuang had been frail and sickly since childhood, so her family was afraid she would overexert herself and didnt let her know about these mind-boggling math problems. After hearing this, she only responded with a casual "oh" and thought for a moment before saying, "Xiao Gege, are there any perfect things in the world?"
Li Shuo was taken aback, and Hua Xiao Xue continued: "Gonggongs anger caused the collapse of Mount Buzhou, resulting in the heaven and earth becoming skewed. Thats why the sun always rises from the east and sets in the west. Look again, the moon is often not full, and there are times when the sun is eclipsed by a heavenly dog. As the saying goes, the heaven and earth are skewed, the sun and moon are deficient. Brother Shuo, is there anything in this world that is perfect?" Li Shuo had never heard such words before and was momentarily stunned.
Hua Xiao Shuang saw Liang Xiaos bewildered expression and continued: "Ive been sick since I was young, and I always feel like Im missing something when compared to others. My mom told me that everyone has some regrets, and its impossible to get everything good in life. An old man from ancient times said it well: Great perfection seems imperfect, its use is not exhausted; great fullness seems empty, its use is endless. He also said strong winds do not last all morning, heavy rains do not last all day. If youre too impatient, even the wind and rain in the world cannot last long. Liang Gege, why are you being so stubborn? Even if you cant figure it out now, you can still take your time to think about it later!"
Liang Xiao had never thought of this principle, and after hearing these words, he was stunned for a moment. At this time, Hua Qingyuan hurried over with a gloomy face, looked at Liang Xiao for a moment, and suddenly shouted at Ling Shuangjun: "Are you confused? Why did you bring him here? Do you want to kill him?" Ling Shuangjun was startled by his shout, lowered her head and said: "Its my fault, Ill send him back right away." Hua Xiaoshuang wanted to explain, but Ling Shuangjun covered her mouth with her hand, squatted down, and personally lifted Liang Xiao. The servant boy who came to help was also pushed away by her.
Hua Qingyuan was taken aback and hastily said, "Ling Shuangjun, Im sorry, I was too anxious for a moment." Ling Shuangjuns eyes were slightly red as she coldly smiled and said, "After being husband and wife for so many years, youve never been anxious about me before..." Hua Qingyuan knew what she wanted to say and hastily said, "Its my fault, scold or beat me if you want, or Ill even kowtow to you!" Ling Shuangjun bit her lower lip and loudly said, "Hua Qingyuan, dont think that putting on a fake benevolent face can shut the mouths of everyone in the world!"
Hua Qingyuans face turned red like blood, and her lips trembled. Hua Xiaoxue was already heartbroken for Liang Xiao, and seeing her parents arguing, she felt anxious and dizzy. Just then, Liang Xiao suddenly sighed and said, "Forget it, lets go back, I wont bother anymore." Hua Xiaoxue was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Xiao Gege, you really understand now?" Liang Xiao closed his eyes for a moment, opened them and said, "I understand now, forget it."
Hua Qingyuan was taken aback, picked him up and smiled: "As long as you understand, I dont mind being beaten or scolded." As he spoke, he glanced at Ling Shuangjun, seeing her frowning, her chest heaving, so he could only sigh and first take Liang Xiao back.
Liang Xiaos heart disease was cured without medicine, and he was able to walk on the ground soon after. Fortunately, he did not try to calculate "the ultimate of ultimates". If he had followed the path of Tianyuan Sanyuan, it would have been an unsolvable math problem. It wasnt until 400 years later that a group of math geniuses appeared in France, using Western arithmetic as their foundation, and finally found another way to solve it. However, they only got the method, but if they wanted to calculate it, it would take a lifetimes effort. It wasnt until hundreds of years later, with the help of machines, that they were able to do so at will. Hua Yuanmou, a genius of his generation, died unjustly.
After another three or four months, Liang Xiao had largely recovered. He thought to himself: "In recent years, Ive only been studying mathematics and have neglected my martial arts skills. Im afraid that even if I were to live out the rest of my life, I still wouldnt be able to catch up with Xiao Qian." He couldnt solve the "Tianji Ten Calculations" and had given up on the idea of mastering the "Taiyi Splitting Light Sword". Moreover, he had made a promise with his palm that even if Hua Wenyue was willing to teach him, he wouldnt have the face to learn again. For a moment, he felt despondent: "Ive already done my best, and Father in the underworld wont blame me." Alas, those nine calculation problems, no matter which math book they were put into, were all the most difficult questions at the end of the chapter. But I was able to solve them one by one. With my abilities, the tenth question is fundamentally unsolvable. Xiaoxue was right, theres nothing perfect in this world.
These days, Hua Qingyuan often came to visit at first, but all of them were fleeting, with a worried brow. After Liang Xiaos recovery, he came even less frequently. Hua Xiaoxue never came again after that day. Liang Xiao was dull for two days, feeling depressed and lonely, as in recent years he had only been going back and forth between the Tianyuan Pavilion and his residence, without visiting many other places.
Out of the house, Liang Xiao walked dazedly for a while, and inexplicably arrived in front of the stone wall again. He couldnt help but pat the stone wall and think: "Xiao Shuang was right, if I cant figure it out now, will I be able to figure it out tomorrow? If I die, there wont even be a tomorrow."
As soon as he thought about it, he felt a sense of clarity. Looking up, he saw the "Two Instruments Illusory Dust Array" operating tirelessly in the distance. Liang Xiao pondered that back then, when he was trapped in the stone array, he was at the mercy of others. Now that he understood the principles of the universe and the Book of Changes, he wondered if he would still be trapped. He decided to give it a try, carefully observing the formation, but found it to be childs play. Walking into the array, he felt as if he were strolling through an open field, with an indescribable sense of ease in his heart.
He looked around at the stone statues again, and thought of the martial arts he had realized that night. At that time, the time was short, and he only learned the moves of dozens of stone statues, and the other stone statues did not have time to ponder. So he stretched out his hands and feet, and started practicing the "Great Wisdom Heart Sutra". With this practice, he suddenly realized many wonderful truths in his mind, and was shocked for a moment. Looking at the stone statues again, he felt that what he had thought and realized was more than ten times brighter than before.
The principle is simple, the martial arts of Tiān Jī Gōng are based on numerology, and Huā Liú Shuǐs martial arts also cannot escape this foundation. If Huā Yuán Mào discovers the mystery of the stone statue, he will also become a master of his generation, but he is infatuated with mathematics and has no interest in martial arts, so he doesnt observe the stone statue from this angle.
Liang Xiao was more and more amazed, feeling that the stone statues mysteries were endless. Day after day, he stayed in the formation, penetrating the stone statues martial arts.
Months of time passed in the blink of an eye, and Liang Xiao had practiced all eight hundred sacred images. Suddenly, he realized that there were still some subtleties to the stone array. Just looking at the stone images, there were always some things that couldnt be connected, and one had to incorporate the changes in position within the formation into their martial arts, so that the previous and next moves would be seamless. He understood this place, and he admired the predecessors who stood before him with all his might.
"The Two Instruments Phantom Dust Formation" was driven by the Tianji Three Wheels, and also gave birth to nine kinds of turning methods. Liang Xiao operated this formation method, changing it into a set of body techniques. He practiced this body technique for several days, and on this day, he took a step forward, suddenly thinking: "If I use the Nine Palaces transformation with this step, perhaps it would be even more ingenious." As soon as he thought about it, he re-took the step, but unexpectedly, what should have been a four-step journey was completed in one step by him, and for a moment, he was greatly shocked, recalling a certain martial art.
He was fond of playing and frolicking in his childhood, but he had a knack for remembering things. On that day, Liang Wenjing explained the essence of "San Cai Gui Yuan Zhang", Liang Xiao didnt deliberately listen, but still remembered more than half of it. At this time, after careful consideration, he still remembered two or three tenths. At that time, he listened to his fathers explanation and was completely unaware of what was being said. Now, after a little thought, he felt endless flavor. He drew out the Nine Palaces diagram, followed Wenjings fist theory, and deduced it for half an hour, exhausting the subtlety of "San San Bu". Then, taking "San San Bu" as the foundation, he successively deduced "Si Si Bu", "Mei Hua Bu", "Tian Gang Bu", "Da Yuan Bu", "Fu Xi Bu", and finally exhausted "Jiu Jiu Gui Yuan Bu". Liang Xiao was amazed in his heart: "This step method seems to be more powerful than the Stone Array Body Method, unfortunately my skills are shallow and I cant reach the level of Jiu Jiu Gui Yuan."
He walked to this point, feeling refreshed and carefree, strolling out of the stone array. But saw in the vast misty waters, several "thousand-mile boats" spinning around, casting nets to catch fish, the boatmen were leisurely and self-satisfied, singing poetry and songs with each other, clear and loud voices echoing over the lake.
Liang Xiao listened for a while, then looked up at the two walls. He saw that on the cliff above, the two rows of huge characters were still there: "Horizontally, all is empty, heaven and earth have nothing to rely on, only I can be relied upon. Vertically, all is void, the River Chart and the Luo Book have nothing to depend on, all are empty."
Liang Xiao muttered to himself repeatedly, and suddenly had an epiphany: "The so-called 竖尽来劫 (Vertical Exhaustion of the Past) refers to things that have already passed, and no one can clearly predict what will happen in the future. The River Chart and Luo Book are just empty words; the so-called 横尽虚空 (Horizontal Exhaustion of Emptiness) refers to the ever-changing world above and below, where nothing is certain, and only oneself can be relied upon. This 竖尽来劫 and 横尽虚空 arent they saying that Xiao Qians apparent invincibility may not necessarily be unbeatable in the future? The key to defeating him lies not with others, but with myself, Liang Xiao. Alas, for the past five years, Ive only been thinking about learning other peoples sword techniques, and have been blindly following others. Humph! Cant I rely on my own strength to cultivate a martial art that can defeat Xiao Qian?" As he thought this, he suddenly discovered a new realm, and his heroic spirit was born. He let out a hearty laugh, and only then did he realize that his voice had become much coarser. Rubbing his lips, he felt the fine hairs on them, and suddenly realized that five years had passed, and the young boy with the hanging braid had grown into a handsome youth.
