It was night.
Pei Zi Yun had just climbed out of the river when the wind blew against him. He turned around and saw a boat in the middle of the river. Lanterns were hung on the boat, and music could be heard.
Pei Zi Yun pressed on his sword. Water was still dripping from his pants. He could feel his undergarments sticking to his skin, making it hard for him to breathe. He then slowly walked along the river.
Not far away, there was a small temple. There was a shrine inside, and a statue of a deity that had been blackened by smoke. Pei Zi Yun did not know which deity it belonged to.
In this world, deities existed. Although they were not obvious, no one dared to look down on them. Pei Zi Yun walked in and saw an incense burner by the side. He lit it up and placed both his hands into the fire. He then took a step back and bowed to the deity.
He then saw some firewood in the corner and laughed, "It must have been prepared by the guardian of the temple."
Many small temples had been abandoned. Now that the dynasty had fallen, and the chaos of war had died down, the temples were slowly recovering.
Not long after, Pei Zi Yun started a bonfire. The fire crackled as he climbed out of the water. With the warmth of the fire, he felt much more comfortable. There was no one in the temple, so he took off all his clothes and placed them on the bonfire to warm himself. He was only wearing his underwear. The night wind was cold, so he had to lean against the bonfire. Immediately, the warm light from the bonfire shone on his body, warming him up. He rubbed his hands together, his expression unsightly as he pondered.
Ever since he had annihilated the Black Wind Bandits, Pei Zi Yun had read through the rogue cultivator's book. Based on the original owner's memories, Pei Zi Yun had a deeper understanding of Zhang Jie Yu.
'Zhang Jie Yu must have been a core disciple of Holy Jail Sect.'
'I've heard of him in my previous life. I only came into contact with him after I entered Free Cloud Sect. There was a mission for me to cooperate with the authorities to kill him.'
'However, he was cunning and cunning. He escaped many times, and returned empty-handed. This Zhang Jie Yu made a name for himself and accomplished many great deeds. He could be considered a hero of his time.'
"Because of his numerous achievements, he was able to become a Core Disciple of the Prison Holy Gate. He was then included in the list of Earth Immortals to be groomed. Later on, there were rumors that the original owner could not come into contact with him. This person was killed eleven years later, and the details are unclear."
The water on Pei Zi Yun's clothes and his hair were gradually dried by the warmth of the fire. Pei Zi Yun picked up a few pieces of firewood from the ground and stuffed them into the fire, causing it to burn even brighter.
In his previous life, the Prison Saint Sect did not have much conflict with him. In this life, he was just an Elementary Scholar. Someone saved him and killed the Black Wind Sect. Zhang Jie Yu did not want to offend him.
Originally, he thought that it was none of his business and that there was no need for him to care about it. But now, it seemed that he had to solve it.
Although Holy Jail Sect was said to have a history of less than two hundred years, and was only established in the previous Chen Dynasty, they had already established their foundation. Not to mention other things, their influence in the county was not small. From what the boat had just heard, it was clear that some of the lower ranked officials who held real power were roped in, forming a considerable power.
If this faction really mobilized, it would be impossible for him to resist.
Pei Zi Yun placed his hand on his sword and stood up by the side of the fire. His heart was filled with frustration and frustration, but he suppressed it and thought to himself, "No matter what, I have to settle this meeting of the Yellow River first."
"I've already eavesdropped on the plan. It can be said that this plan is built on the fact that I am not on guard. When that time comes, as long as I take care not to drink the poisoned wine, I can ruin this plan. Even if I leave these people alone, they would not dare to do so. Everyone would put in the poisoned wine, and cause a commotion in the entire county."
"It's easy to avoid this once, but difficult to avoid it many times. There are two reasons for this. The first is Jiao Yu. He is not close to me, and is very distant. If someone were to slander me and ruin my reputation, it would be hard for me to avoid it many times in the future."
"This person is known to be honest and upright. I've already experienced this in my previous life. I've eavesdropped on him and know that he is not from the Holy Jail Sect. This person loves literature, and admires talents. He admires strength of character. I have to make use of this opportunity to gain his appreciation.
"Of course, I have to take drastic measures, which means I've become a High Scholar."
"The law does not bind the noble, and the High Scholar cannot be considered a noble. However, the Imperial Qi has an agreement with the Daoist Sect. Being a High Scholar should not be a problem."
"Whether it's gaining the appreciation of the Jiao Yu or taking the High Scholar examination, there is a prerequisite. I have to improve my literary skills. If I don't get the appreciation of the Jiao Yu, then I can take the High Scholar examination."
"Then I have to obtain a new literary skill." Thinking about this, Pei Zi Yun thought of the hawker Chen Yuan, "A few days ago, I'll go take a look and see if I've already bought it."
Chen Yuan was now a hawker, but he was a man who loved to study. Although he came from a humble background, ten years later he became a rich man. At that time, the original owner of the body had even met him. He was much fatter than he was now. Although in this society, it was difficult to survive unless one was born into a family of scholars, and the so-called rich men only had a few thousand taels of silver, it was extremely difficult for them to earn a living.
Thinking about this, Pei Zi Yun had a plan. Seeing that his clothes were dry and it was no longer raining, he decided not to return home. Instead, he used the starlight to familiarize himself with the roads. The main road was just up ahead. As long as he reached the main road, he would be close to the county.
At night, there was no one on the main road. Pei Zi Yun walked along the main road, as the wind blew past him, causing his hair to flutter. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared into the night.
County, Wei Jia Square, An Jia Inn
It had rained yesterday, but the sun was shining brightly today. Although he was in the county, to Pei Zi Yun, he could not hear the hustle and bustle of the city. A warm breeze blew past him, and petals fell from the sky. He could still hear the sounds of drums and bells, and felt intoxicated.
He had dreamed for five hundred years, and did not know what year it was today.
Footsteps could be heard approaching, as someone said softly, "Master, I, Chen Yuan, would like to see you."
"Come in!" Pei Zi Yun said as he sipped on his tea. Actually, he had arrived at the county yesterday, but he did not look for Chen Yuan. Instead, he looked for an inn nearby to stay.
In the morning, he had sent a waiter to look for him. This was something that befitted his status. Thinking about this, Pei Zi Yun felt much better.
Chen Yuan smiled as he walked in, carrying a bundle on his back. Pei Zi Yun looked at Chen Yuan's expression and smiled, "You know who I am?"
Every day, Chen Yuan would look for old books and other goods to sell in the city. He had gradually made a name for himself, all because of his intelligence. The last time he had a deposit, he had asked around. Some time ago, Pei Zi Yun had helped the Chief Patrol Officer attack the Black Wind Bandits. Hence, he knew who Pei Zi Yun was. He then said, "A few days ago, I heard of master's name in the county. You were the Chief Patrol Officer, and managed to destroy the Black Wind Bandits. You are the new master, master Pei!"
Hearing this, Pei Zi Yun laughed out loud. This was the reason why he had waited at the inn for Chen Yuan to come and see him. This merchant was a crafty man, and wanted to meet him in the middle of the night. His eagerness was like a torch in the dark of the night. Not only would he raise the price, he did not know how much trouble he would cause.
The original owner had exposed himself because of this eagerness. At this point, Pei Zi Yun spoke plainly, "It's good that you know. How's the task I gave you?"
Chen Yuan then replied, "The last time master instructed me, I've been keeping an eye on it. Today, I have some results. I was planning to look for master tomorrow, and didn't expect master to come. Please take a look."
'Although I don't know why, he's trying to test me. 'Pei Zi Yun thought to himself as he opened the bag. Inside were a few books.
Pei Zi Yun picked up the book and glanced at it. He noticed a label on it, Xie Qian Jia?
"Xie Qian Jia was a High Scholar from the previous dynasty. However, he's now an ordinary person. I bought this book for five hundred copper coins." Chen Yuan hurriedly said.
As he flipped through the pages of the book, a musty smell permeated the entire room. Several parts of the book had turned black and were stuck together. Pei Zi Yun didn't even need to look at it to know that it wasn't a book of Legacies.
Pei Zi Yun then picked up another book. The label on it was Lin Dingxue. He flipped through it and realized that this book was much better than the previous one. However, it still didn't have any Legacies.
When it came to the fourth book, Pei Zi Yun's eyes lit up. He flipped through it and was disappointed, "Although it's a Legacies, the words are only at the level of an ordinary High Scholar. It's useless."
After all, the original owner had fought against the Minesweeper and understood that it wasn't always better to absorb more Legacies. However, he had to take away the influence of the Legacies. During the imperial examinations, he had revealed the resentment of an old Elementary Scholar.
Pei Zi Yun looked at it and was disappointed, "That's all?"
"Master, there are very few books written by scholars. It's very hard to find." Chen Yuan said respectfully.
Pei Zi Yun's face was stern as he scolded, "Nonsense. When the empire was founded, there were very few scholars. For example, in the previous dynasty, Chen Chu only took twenty students in the imperial examinations. At that time, Elementary Scholars were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns."
"But the world was peaceful and prosperous, and the number of scholars increased. During the Year of Shang De, the emperor increased the number of students who took the imperial examinations. Up to forty students, the number of students doubled. After that, the number of scholars increased again and again. The prefectural schools expanded, and many people became Elementary Scholars. You're telling me that you can't find any?"
Chen Yuan's so-called studies were just a few words. He didn't know much about history. He then said, "Master, I've seen five or six houses. They're all within the county. There are two or three houses outside the city. I haven't been able to find any. If it's convenient for you, we can go and take a look at those houses and see if you like them."
"You're a good man. I'll follow you in the afternoon. But you have to wear some new clothes. If you look like this, the houses will feel that you're a disgrace to them. They won't be willing to sell to us." Pei Zi Yun said as he threw out a piece of silver, "This is the money for you to buy the books and change your clothes. The fortune teller said that if you have more books written by people who were Elementary Scholars, you might be able to borrow some of it. That way, I'll be able to pass the Imperial Examinations. Don't ruin my Fengshui!"
Instead of letting people guess, he might as well come up with an excuse. When Chen Yuan heard this, he believed most of what Pei Zi Yun said. He took the silver and touched it. He knew that it was real silver. He then said happily, "Don't worry, master. I've relied on my reputation to earn my meals. When you've eaten, I'll come back early to serve you. I'll help master with your Fengshui and not ruin your plans."
As he said this, he retreated respectfully. He thought to himself, "Master's words make sense. Looks like I have to collect a few books and place them at home. That way, my children will be able to learn some Fengshui."
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