Chapter 869


    He was so wrapped up in trying to decipher the painting that he''d only just realized he was indeed


    hungry.


    Before he could stand and get a bowl for himself, hurriedly took it away from him.” Your injuries are still


    healing. Just let me feed you.”


    “It''s fine. Give it to me. I''ll eat with my own hands.” James tried to refuse her offer.


    He felt ufortable being fed by a woman whom he had only met a few times.


    Maxine did not insist and handed the bowl over to James.


    Albeit his severe injuries. James was still able to perform simple hand movements.


    As James dug into his meal, Maxine turned to look at the Moonlit Flowers by Cliffside’s Edge. She was


    raised as a Caden for as long as she remembered and received Tobias’ personal instruction in martial


    arts. Even so. despite cultivating True Energy and bing a grandmaster of the second rank, she


    had never seen the household''s treasure scroll.


    After staring at the painting for quite a while, she too could not find anything peculiar about it. Turning


    back to James, she asked, “James, have you found anything weird about the painting?"


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    James shook his head dejectedly.


    Looking at the ancient scroll that James had taken out, Maxine told him, “Grandpa said that I''m allowed


    to have a look at the items inside the box and at the Moonlit Flowers by Cliffside’s Edge.”


    “Mhm."


    James handed the ancient scroll over to Maxine.


    Since she was also a martial artist, she knew this was a meridian diagram the moment sheid her


    eyes on it.


    She tried shifting her True Energy as instructed by the diagram.


    “Huurk!"


    The moment she summoned her True Energy, she immediately vomited a mouthful of blood. Her body


    was drenched in her own sweat, her face lost its color and she copsed on the floor. Almost


    immediately, she righted herself and sat in a lotus position.


    She directed all her True Energy into suppressing the Blood Energy which had gone rampant in her


    body.


    James looked at her and asked in a concerned voice, “What''s wrong?”


    Maxine took a deep breath before she spoke shakily, “I tried moving my True Energy in the direction


    instructed by the diagram.


    However, the retrograde motion of True Energy shocked the meridians, which caused my Blood Energy


    to go berserk. I almost lost control over it.”


    As James had no True Energy at the moment, he had yet to try it out. However, he knew that


    something was wrong with the diagram.


    After resting for a while, Maxine stood up and scanned the ancient scroll meticulously.


    She furrowed her brow and said, “All eighteen diagrams make no sense. Each of them starts with a


    retrograde motion of True


    Energy. This is taboo in martial arts. You’d be considered lucky if you merely ended up gravely injured.


    Worsees to worst, you may even be crippled or lose your life attempting this.”


    Hearing this, a thought shed through James’ mind.


    “Makes... no sense?”


    He peered at the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge on the wall.


    Getting Maxine’s attention, he said, “Look, the painting makes no sense either. Why would there be a


    full moon in the middle of the day? Based on the setting of the painting, there should be a sun instead.”


    Maxine nced at the painting and nodded pensively. “You''re right. Both the meridian diagram and the


    painting make no sense.


    Amoon in the middle of the day... This is an inversion of Yin and Yang. Well, it''s not exactly an inversion


    either. How do I put it...? In the Art of Ying-Yang, this would be called the Yin in Yang.”


    “You know the Art of Yin-Yang?” James looked at Maxine in astonishment.


    Maxine smiled sheepishly, “I like to read when I’m bored.”


    As James was almost done eating, Maxine took the bowl in his hand and put it on the floor.


    Then, she looked over at James and asked, “You''ve been looking at it for quite a while. Did you


    manage to find anything peculiar with the Moonlit Flowers by Cliffside’s Edge? What connection do you


    think it has with the meridian diagram?”


    James shook his head gloomily.


    He could not find anything that would connect the two aside from the fact that they were both odd.


    Meanwhile. Maxine opened the ancient scroll andy it on the ground. She stared at the eighteen


    human figures carved on the scroll and looked closely at the flow of movement in the meridian diagram.


    Once again, her eyes rested on the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge.


    Deep creases formed on her face as she let her thoughts y out.


    James had etched the 18-meridian diagram into his mind. Sitting in his wheelchair, he continued to


    scrutinize every minute detail of the painting. However, no matter how hard he looked, nothing came to


    mind.


    Apart from realizing that it did not make any sense, he learned nothing else.


    Maxine found nothing else too.


    She sat on the straw mat with her eyes cast down and muttered, “There''s no connection between the


    two. Who said that the item unearthed from the ancient tomb of the Prince of


    Orchid would unravel the secret of the painting? I feel lied to.”


    James stopped dwelling on it after a while. Frustration would get him nowhere. As he nced at


    Maxine who sat quietly on the floor, an idea popped into his head.