Chapter 7, The Most Useless Secret Manual in History (1)

However, something unexpected truly happened. Just a few seconds after the paper was submerged in water, a dense array of small characters appeared, and it seemed that there were also some images.

As soon as his parents left, Li Jiangnan quickly returned to his bedroom and took out the "Jin Ping Mei" from beside his pillow. This book had actually been flipped through by Chen Wanqing the night before, but upon seeing the crude and unsightly illustrations inside, she quickly displayed a look of disgust and put it down.

The number of pages in "Jin Ping Mei" is overwhelming, and Li Jiangnan's workload that night was immense. To avoid his parents noticing the light in his room and asking about it, he worked using a flashlight.

As for the remaining useless pages, he did not discard them; instead, regardless of whether they were wet or dry, he stacked them together, placed them in a plastic bag, and stuffed them into the drawer of his desk

The third page

An hour later, the papers with images and text were finally dry. Li Jiangnan then went to find a stapler and carefully stapled them together, completing the task and placing them into a small metal box

Li Jiangnan went outside to find a hairdryer, preparing to dry the paper that had been soaked and was still wet, and then pin it to a book. The sound insulation between the two rooms was poor, and he was afraid that Li Guoqiang would hear him, so he could only do these things while hiding under the covers

Li Jiangnan widened his eyes and brought the book under the desk lamp to examine it. The book is certainly not a collector's edition; from the cover to the content, the paper is very thin, making it hard to imagine there being any layers.

Until the last page was in Li Jiangnan's hands, which was also the conclusion of the first chapter of "Jin Ping Mei," there remained a significant portion of blank space.

After a period of despondency, Li Jiangnan reignited his hope. These illustrations are hidden within a work like "Jin Ping Mei," which is scorned by upright individuals as a lewd book. Moreover, they have been passed down along with the Tianlong Ring. From a rational perspective, they should not be mere trifles. Could it be that these illustrations and texts constitute a form of martial arts, the so-called "secret manuals"?

The second one still shows no abnormalities

In addition to the book, which has aged a bit more, nothing has been discovered yet

Regarding the incident last night, Li Jiangnan said nothing, as it would serve no purpose other than to add two more frowning faces.

Second, grilling

The fourth sheet

Such legends, there are three types recorded by Li Jiangnan and Secretary Tu

At this moment, Li Jiangnan was completely disheartened; he instinctively placed the last piece of paper in his hand into the basin and then stood up, preparing to fetch some water

By the evening of the fourth day, Li Jiangnan was quite depressed. As the saying goes, "People die for wealth, and birds perish for food." However, if he were to be killed three months later without having obtained the wealth or the food, he would truly be a victim of injustice, utterly unfortunate.

I have struck it rich, I have struck it rich, from now on, his life will undergo a complete transformation. Just as the rumors in the underworld say, once we have money, we can drink soy milk and eat fried dough sticks, and if we want to dip in white sugar, we dip in white sugar; if we want to dip in brown sugar, we dip in brown sugar. Buy two bowls of soy milk, drink one bowl, pour out one bowl! Once we have money, we can go to a hotel and call for girls, and if we want a foreign girl, we call for a foreign girl; if we want a local girl, we call for a local girl, hire one, return one! Once we have money, we can get some viruses, and wherever we want to throw them, we throw them; get a 'SARS' and a 'depleted uranium bomb', one to throw at Japan, one to throw at the United States. Once we have money, we can go to a hotel and call for girls, and if we want a foreign girl, we call for a foreign girl; if we want a local girl, we call for a local girl, hire one, return one! Once we have money, we can get some viruses, and wherever we want to throw them, we throw them; get a 'SARS' and a 'depleted uranium bomb', one to throw at Japan, one to throw at the United States

Li Jiangnan's parents indeed did not wake up until noon the next day. It was naturally quite strange for both of them to be sleeping so soundly at the same time. However, despite the oddity, it was soon forgotten. Liu Fang immediately went to open the store, while Li Guoqiang had a long-distance trip to make in the afternoon, so he left quickly as well

Once the paper is soaked, it signifies that this sheet is very thin, and an old book is likely to be rendered unusable. Li Jiangnan pondered for quite a while before making a decision. He tore out the first chapter, which consisted of more than ten pages, excluding the key passages. He then went outside to fetch a basin filled with half a basin of water and carefully placed each page into it one by one

The treasure map is indeed a treasure map, and there must be a substantial treasure waiting for him to excavate in some location

He recalled the legend about a certain secret hidden within the book

The first one shows no abnormalities

Thus, Li Jiangnan found a candle, opened the pages of the book, and began to heat them. However, after heating dozens of pages, and even accidentally burning a small hole in one page, he still made no significant discoveries

Liu Fang has long since gone to the small shop to conduct business, while his father, Li Guoqiang, has just returned from a long trip. Today, he is resting at home and may be extremely fatigued, as he, who usually wakes up on time, is still sound asleep and even snoring.

Thus, Li Jiangnan had no choice but to resort to his final tactic: water immersion and books

However, Li Jiangnan quietly informed his mother, mentioning that he had heard the black iron ring was worth more than expected and that others were looking for it, urging her not to disclose any information. Upon hearing such good news, Liu Fang naturally responded with laughter and agreement.

This situation lasted for three days

At this thought, Li Jiangnan's heart nearly leapt out of his chest

However, no matter how diligently Li Jiangnan tried, from day to night, he made no discoveries whatsoever

Such thoughts excited him, prompting him to carefully examine every detail of the book "Jin Ping Mei," inside and out, in search of any subtle signs of discord.

However, disappointment struck again. Although faint black characters appeared on these blank sheets of paper, it was evident that they were not treasure maps. Additionally, there were drawings of unclothed monks, accompanied by detailed textual descriptions beside them

First, the interlayer

Li Jiangnan could see clearly, and the overwhelming joy in his heart was beyond expression. Damn it, he was truly clever; his guess was correct. This book indeed held a secret, and he had found it.

Fortunately, during the most confusing times, Li Jiangnan's love for watching films and his fondness for reading miscellaneous books on www.hetushu.com have finally proven to be somewhat useful

The work continued until 9:00 AM the next day, and the sky had completely brightened. Even the rare winter sunlight was streaming in through the window.

Thinking of this, Li Jiangnan picked up the paper with trembling hands filled with excitement and examined it closely

During these three days, apart from eating and sleeping, Li Jiangnan spent the entire time flipping through this book, nearly losing his eyesight.

When the last chapter was taken out of the water, I counted again. There were over fifty pages with images and text. Fortunately, once these sheets had been soaked in water, even after drying, the faint black characters would not disappear.

At this moment, Li Jiangnan's eyes were nearly unable to open, yet the excitement of discovering the secret still sustained him

To speak frankly, the Tianlong Ring and "Jin Ping Mei" are placed together in the small iron box. Li Jiangnan is quite suspicious that this book is related to the secret of the Tianlong Ring, and perhaps this secret is a huge treasure or something of the sort

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Li Jiangnan's eyes began to shine again, and he started to unravel the entire book's binding. Then, in the order of the chapters, he soaked each page one by one, laying aside those that revealed any writing.