Pei Zi Yun squinted his eyes and stopped in his tracks. He thought to himself, 'He's trying to attract people's support.'
'But the banquet is only held once every three years. Since High Scholar Yue doesn't build roads, it's not considered a taboo. It seems like he's trying to form a good relationship with his disciples.'
The three of them were chatting as they walked down the stairs and out of the private room. The place below was bustling with noise and excitement. Pei Zi Yun was about to ask about Ma Ji.
This Ma Ji will be taking the High Scholar exams in a few years. Why does it seem like there's a conflict?
At this point, he heard a commotion. Pei Zi Yun furrowed his brows and turned around. He saw a Daoist sitting at a table. This Daoist was wearing a faded Daoist robe. There were a few bowls on the table, all of which were empty. The Daoist was still drinking from a jug of wine. A waiter was scolding the Daoist, "You Daoist, you ordered a table full of good wine and meat. I tried to talk to you nicely, but you said you didn't have a single cent. Let me kick you out. Our Lake Mirror Restaurant is very reputable, how can we beat people up so easily?"
"You Daoist looks like you have a good physique. It's not hard for you to work and earn some money. Why do you have to be so lazy?"
The group of scholars walked down the stairs, wondering what was going on. It turned out that this Daoist wanted to dine and dash. The waiter was rather polite and didn't beat him up.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the Daoist and saw that he was covered in dirt and was in tatters. The many bowls of good meat on the table had all been eaten clean. He couldn't help but think of the novels he read in his previous life. His heart stirred and he walked up to the table.
The Daoist ignored the waiter's words and started scratching his ears. The waiter was at a loss of what to do. Just as he was about to speak to the innkeeper, a scholar walked up to the table and asked, "Waiter, how much did this Daoist spend? I'll pay. "
When the waiter saw that someone had come to pay, he was overjoyed and reported, "This Daoist ate a bowl of braised tripe, a bowl of steamed crab, a bowl of chicken, a bowl of black chicken porridge, a few bowls of mutton and three jugs of aged wine. All of which cost one tael of silver."
"One tael of silver?" When Pei Zi Yun heard this number, he felt his heart ache. In this world, silver was very precious. One tael of silver was used sparingly. In the village, it was equivalent to a family's annual expenses. Gritting his teeth, he took out a tael of silver and handed it over. This Daoist was originally planning to dine and dash, but he did not expect that a scholar would pay the bill. He couldn't help but feel surprised. The other three were also surprised, not knowing what was going on.
At this moment, the third floor was still being tidied up. There was no sound from the fourth floor. Zhang Jie Yu went up and saw that there were two guards on the stairs. When they saw him coming, they stood aside and made way for him.
When Zhang Jie Yu reached the fourth floor, he saw a room with red pillars. The door was ajar, and he could vaguely see a screen and a bookshelf. At this point, he heard Yue Qiu Shan's voice, "Is that you, nephew? Come in and talk!"
"He's here!" He saw Yue Qiu Shan sitting on a carved wooden armchair. Not far from him, there was a man sitting on a small stool. He looked to be in his forties. He was dressed in a green robe, and his eyebrows were slender and his eyes were like a phoenix's. He looked very refined, and had a scholarly air about him. However, he seemed to have the smell of alcohol and women. He could not help but smile.
Hence, he bowed and said, "Uncle, Mister Li."
Mister Li smiled and nodded his head. It seemed like he was a man of high status. He was currently writing down a list of names and arranging them in order. He then handed over a list and said, "Senior brother, for this year's literary banquet, I'm afraid all of the students who have the potential to become Elementary Scholars are here!"
Just as Zhang Jie Yu was about to ask, he heard Yue Qiu Shan look at the list and said, "Wen Jing, these people have a good family background. Their ancestors are very honorable, and they have long been favored by the Imperial Qi. Do not touch them. Just delete them from the list."
"Yes!"
Li Wen Jing seemed to have been prepared for this, and immediately took a piece of paper. Yue Qiu Shan's eyebrows twitched as he thought for a while. He then continued, "If they are too famous, just delete them. Otherwise, it will attract too much attention."
He then sighed, "After all, our Holy Sect is not like those loose cultivators. Only those loose cultivators would casually look for disciples from the common people to inherit their teachings. Nowadays, which sect doesn't look for intelligent and intelligent disciples among the Elementary Scholars?"
"It's just that this has already violated the Imperial Qi's taboo. Since their ancestors are very honorable, and they have long been favored by the Imperial Qi, they should not be touched. If they are too famous and attract too much attention, they should not be touched either."
"Those low ranking students have limited intelligence and are not very useful. Hence, they should not be touched."
"Apart from these people, we can just choose the top ten. But we are not completely sure yet. Once the examinations are over, we can choose from the Elementary Scholars."
Zhang Jie Yu knew that these words were meant for him to hear. He had already decided on the candidates to enter the sect. At this point, according to the rules of the sect, he greeted Yue Qiu Shan, "Master!"
Yue Qiu Shan then said, "These people, as for how to bring them into our sect, it will be up to you, my future senior brother."
"In the future, these matters will have to be handled by you. Do not feel that it is a waste. Holy Sect is not a mountain of gold and silver. Between the prefectures, we should try our best not to use Dao Arts, in order to avoid offending the Heavens and the Imperial Qi. But we are not ordinary people, and it is relatively easy for us to manage our businesses. Hence, you do not have to feel bad about the expenses of this literary banquet."
"It's just that once you enter the Holy Sect, or any other Dao Sect, you will at most be a High Scholar. Furthermore, you will not be able to become an official. This is something you must remember." As he finished speaking, Yue Qiu Shan drank his tea without saying another word.
It was originally a sunny day, but now the clouds were hanging low in the sky. The entire building was shrouded in darkness. The wind chimes under the eaves were tinkling. Zhang Jie Yu hurriedly said, "Of course I know this. If I become an official, the Imperial Qi will destroy my Dao foundation. Naturally, I will not be able to cultivate and become an immortal."
Li Wen Jing was checking the name list when he laughed and joked, "It's good that you know. But if you become a True Sovereign, you might be able to. Everything under the heavens, and the feelings of the human world, it is easy to look down, but difficult to look up and be confused. That's the general idea!"
Zhang Jie Yu laughed bitterly, "Senior Uncle, please don't joke with me."
This Li Wen Jing loved wine and women, and was not good at Dao Arts. However, he was a smart and capable person. All the businesses in the world were controlled by him, and his position was not low at all. Zhang Jie Yu laughed and paused before asking, "On the name list, is there a Pei Zi Yun? I can see that his poems and writings are considered good, and he doesn't seem to be affected by the Imperial Qi. "
Yue Qiu Shan's eyelids twitched as he took a sip of tea and said, "I was just about to talk about this person. My Holy Sect has a technique called the Minor Art of Divination. We can see a person's fate and fate. If you can see this, you must have some skill."
"A person's fate is fixed and unpredictable. You cannot be greedy, nor can you sit and wait. This Pei Zi Yun's looks and temperament are not very outstanding. From the looks of it, he seems to have some ancestral virtues and good fortune. To be able to become an Elementary Scholar is already not bad. Furthermore, he won't be able to become an Elementary Scholar this year."
"But this person's scholarly aura is being nurtured, and there is a faint light shining from the top of his head. He has studied and understood the meaning behind it." As he said this, Yue Qiu Shan had some doubts in his heart, "It seems like he is very knowledgeable, at least for this capital examination. It's very possible that he can change his fate."
"You should know that these methods of divination are mostly vague. The Holy Sect's Dao Arts, in this world, are obstructed by things and desires. You have to break through them. How can this be easy?" As he said this, Yue Qiu Shan couldn't help but laugh. He then said, "This kind of person, you can give it a try, but you don't have to be stubborn."
Zhang Jie Yu seemed to be deep in thought, "What Master is saying is that this kind of person has many uncertainties, and may not be beneficial to the sect, so we don't have to be stubborn?"
"Your understanding is correct. A few years ago, the sect would have taken him in. But now, we have put on our shoes and are on the shore. This kind of person has many uncertainties, we have to take it slow."
Zhang Jie Yu was enlightened, "I understand now."
…
The four of them returned to the inn and said their goodbyes.
Pei Zi Yun was a little tipsy. It turned out that during the banquet, the three of them saw that Pei Zi Yun had gotten third place, and had defeated the person who had mocked them. They were very happy and hence forced Pei Zi Yun to drink a lot of wine. This wine had a strong aftereffect, and Pei Zi Yun did not feel it at first. But now, after an hour, he had returned to his room.
The waiter boiled a large bucket of hot water and brought it to his room. After washing up, he rested on his bed for a while and thought to himself, "Finally, I can have some free time!"
It turned out that when he saw the Daoist, he remembered that he had Dao Arts in his previous life, and felt that it was strange that he had forgotten about it so often. He wanted to rush back to his room to cultivate, but was stopped by the three of them, who did not allow him to walk alone. The three of them were a little tipsy, and had drunk a little too much. Hence, it took some time before they returned to their room.
At this point, he noticed that the alcohol had dissipated quite a bit. Although drinking wine was not suitable for cultivating, there was no harm in giving it a try. He then recalled the memories of the original owner and thought to himself, "In the previous life, the original owner had lost the chance to meet Zhao Ning. But he was fortunate enough to obtain the notes of a rogue cultivator, and was entrusted with something.
"Although this Sutra Extension Diagram is shallow, it is very practical. Anyone with some spiritual wisdom would be able to gain inspiration immediately. It is the most effective. Furthermore, the foundation can be completed according to the level, although the speed is slower. After the original owner entered Free Cloud Sect, the evaluation was that it was an authentic foundation method, and he even gained some merits for entering the Dao."
"Let me give it a try."
Pei Zi Yun then sat down cross-legged and started to cultivate according to the Dao Arts. As he recited the incantation, he started to cultivate. The original owner had obtained the Dao Arts in less than an hour, and thought that cultivating it would be easy.
After a long time, he still had no results. Pei Zi Yun wore only his undergarments and looked out the window. He took out a book and looked at it, but was not interested. He frowned and thought to himself, "This technique, if a normal person had some spiritual sense, they would be able to cultivate it. It's just that their progress would be too slow. Why can't I? In the previous life, I was able to cultivate it in less than an hour. In this life, I have gained nothing. Could it be that after changing my soul, this body is gone? "
Just as he was pondering this, the Plum Blossom between his eyebrows lit up, and a message entered his mind. Pei Zi Yun then understood the reason, "This body, the original owner's spiritual roots are gone. True Sovereign Xie's restrictive spells were extremely vicious. In order to prevent the original owner from cultivating the Dao Arts, even his spiritual roots were taken away."
"Now, although I have obtained the Plum Blossom, this body has lost its spiritual roots. I have to find a new one."
"Cultivating now is useless. Hence, I have forgotten about it for the past few days."
"If I want to cultivate, I have to find a cultivator's Legacy to make up for it. This Legacy contains the cultivator's spiritual roots. Even if it's just a tiny bit, it's enough!"
Thinking up to this point, a small white Plum Blossom appeared in front of him. It grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. A mission appeared.
"Mission 1: Save Ye Su'er (Completed)"
"Mission 2: Attain Elementary Scholar status (Incomplete)"
"Mission 3: Obtain a cultivator's Legacy (Incomplete)"
Taking a closer look, it was the content of the information interface. He didn't think that this exploration would result in a new mission. Pei Zi Yun was in a dilemma, as he did not know how to proceed. He was not a cultivator, how could he come into contact with a cultivator, and how could he obtain a Legacy?
Pei Zi Yun lay on his bed, deep in thought. After a long time, he said, "I don't care anymore. The examinations are coming up soon. I have to attain Elementary Scholar status first."
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