Pei Zi Yun stood in the courtyard chanting. This Hundred Beasts Dance was very similar to the ways of keeping fit. His movements were slow, and anyone who saw him would think that he was a scholar.
These few rounds were different from the previous days when he was drenched in sweat. Now he only felt warm and thought to himself, "My body is finally completely healthy."
'Martial cultivators focus on the physical body. The Daoists told me about the ten stages, and that's what they meant. The first and second stages are healthy. The third and fourth stages are Qi. If I were to translate this into martial arts, it would be internal energy.'
'It's a pity that this stage requires spiritual roots. Everyone in this world has spiritual roots, big or small, good or bad. But I'm stuck at this stage.'
'But this internal energy isn't that miraculous, and can't be extraordinary. At this stage, I'll be able to eat a few bowls of rice and a few pounds of meat.'
'At the fifth or sixth stage, I'll be able to strengthen my body, and my stamina will double that of an ordinary person. I'll be able to sleep for four hours a day and still be full of energy. I'll even be able to sleep with several women at night.'
'At the seventh or eighth stage, I'll be able to wield great strength. I'll be able to pull a heavy bow and lift a huge rock. When I wear armor, I'll be able to charge in and out of battle.'
'At the ninetieth stage, I'll be able to be gentle. In my previous life, it was similar to the light and dark energy in novels. If I don't use it, I'll be able to reach a hundred years old and become an immortal!'
'At the tenth stage, I'll be able to enter the Dao Realm.'
'Even if I don't have spiritual roots, I'll still be able to learn Dao Arts. In addition, my body is still young, and hasn't leaked any Yang energy. My improvement is rapid, and I'm already at the second stage.'
But going too far is as bad as not going far enough. Today's training would end here. He then took out some pills and drank some rice wine, feeling extremely carefree.
At this point, Chen Yuan had arrived early. When he saw Pei Zi Yun changing his clothes, he hurriedly welcomed him.
"Lead the way!" Pei Zi Yun held a fan in his hand and waved it around, looking extremely confident. Chen Yuan lowered his head and smiled as he led the way.
After a hundred steps out of the county, they arrived at the dam.
The air beside the river was fresh. Looking out from the dam, the nearby villages could be seen. They were built row upon row. At this time, everyone was busy. Even the women and children at home were making straw mats, weaving fishing nets, weaving gauze, and not a single one of them was idle.
But this was the life of a village.
Fortunately, after the chaos of war, the population was small and the land was plentiful. The common people worked hard and could feed themselves with food and clothing. Therefore, everyone looked happy and happy.
"After a few more years, when the population increases and the land becomes unusable, this atmosphere will no longer exist. After the middle of the dynasty, neighbors and relatives will often fall out with each other because of land disputes."
They arrived at a village and arrived in front of a house. They heard the clear voice of someone reading, "The Way of Great Learning lies in being virtuous, in being close to the people, and in being virtuous. Only after knowing when to stop will one be able to compose oneself; after composing oneself, one can be at peace; after peace, one can think; after thinking, one can obtain. "
Pei Zi Yun stopped in his tracks and looked at the shop, "Is it this shop?"
"Yes, it's the previous dynasty's High Scholar Gao Clan. They're in dire straits now. Husband, I'll go and ask around." Chen Yuan said politely. The scholar and the old mother were dressed in patched clothes, and lived in mud houses. Their home was obviously very poor. However, Chen Yuan had already gone in to retrieve it, and was now listening to the conversation going on inside.
"Not selling, not selling. This is an ancestral book. How can we sell it? Son, if you want to sell it, you'll have to step over my dead body!" The scholar was still tempted, but was stopped by an old mother.
"Who's this?"
"Oh, he wants to buy the Gao family's book. He offered 800 coins, but he's not selling it."
"Aiya, he wants to become an Elementary Scholar. Selling his ancestor's book isn't a good sign. No wonder he's not selling it!" The villagers started to discuss amongst themselves, and started to stray from the topic.
"Husband, you've seen it. The Gao family refuses to sell it. What should we do?"
He had already seen the book. Although it was quite a distance away, he could feel the Plum Blossom and knew that there was indeed a Legacy within. He then thought to himself, 'Legacies are hard to find. I've already gone to many houses, but none of them had any. Even if they did, it's either of low quality and useless to me, or they refuse to sell it.'
"But the more it's like this, the more I can't be too hasty. The original owner was too hasty, and people were able to find a flaw in him."
He then waved his fan and said, "This Young Master doesn't care about this house. There are so many old books in the world. Return it to him. Come, let's go to the next house."
"Yes, I've found another house in this village. Young Master, let's go and take a look. If there's nothing, we'll have to try our luck in another village."
Pei Zi Yun followed after them. Before long, he heard Chen Yuan's voice, "Husband, this is the fifth house."
He then led Pei Zi Yun forward, and saw a huge house in front of them. The house looked rather old and run-down, but there was a lion at the door. The door was painted red, and there were two wooden plaques on the pillars. One look and Pei Zi Yun could tell that this was the house of an official. Pei Zi Yun looked at this and felt strange. Who was selling their ancestor's book in this house?
Chen Yuan then led Pei Zi Yun to a side and said, "The house we're going to is a house with a glorious ancestor. They were once the top two Grand Scholars of the previous dynasty, and were promoted to the position of Assistant Minister. It was just that after the war, the house was completely ruined, and only a few acres of land were left in the house."
"The house we passed just now was the house of this house. It's just that it doesn't belong to this house anymore, and was sold to someone else. Look, that's where they live now."
Following Chen Yuan's line of sight, Pei Zi Yun saw a few thatched cottages. When he got closer, he realized that the cottages were surrounded by a bamboo fence. An old woman was tending to the vegetables in the garden.
Within the fence, there were onions, garlic, vegetables, carrots, etc. The old woman was tending to the vegetables, weeding the weeds and removing the pests.
At this point, the sound of reading could be heard coming from within the house. It was repeated several times before it changed to a new sentence. When Pei Zi Yun heard it, his heart sank.
Chen Yuan walked up and shouted, "Zhang Zeng, Zhang Zeng, I have a good deal to sell to you. Come out quickly. If you miss this opportunity, you might not get another one."
The voice from within the house paused for a moment before it became solemn, as if it was repressed.
Chen Yuan looked like he knew who it was, and walked up to it. He pushed the door open and shouted to a scholar inside, "Hey, Scholar Zhang, why don't you speak. If you're willing, take out a book and let Master Pei take a look. Master Pei is a scholar too, and is well-versed in both literature and martial arts. Just a few days ago, he came up with a plan to exterminate the Black Wind Sect. He loves literature, especially books written by his own hands.
He's been looking for them everywhere. "" Your family has a book written by a Grand Scholar. If you're willing, you can sell it to Master Pei. Master Pei is generous, and will not mistreat you. "
As Chen Yuan spoke, he heard a sigh from within.
Zhang Zeng wasn't young, he was around thirty years old. He was dressed in a long robe, and his clothes were dirty and patched. His hair was a mess, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he had stayed up all night studying. At this point, he looked conflicted and hesitated.
Chen Yuan stepped forward and said, "Scholar Zhang, think about how long it's been since your mother has eaten meat. Think about the amount of money you need to take the examinations. You're not willing to sell your book, and you're not willing to do anything. You're relying on your mother to make a living. What if you were to become an Elementary Scholar?"
Zhang Zeng's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't. When he was young, the world was in chaos. When peace came, he failed the imperial examinations twice, and his family was in dire straits.
Zhang Zeng sighed and raised two fingers. Chen Yuan was overjoyed and said, "Scholar, you're willing? Two taels of silver is just right. "
Zhang Zeng's face turned red, "It's twenty taels of silver. If I don't have twenty taels of silver, I won't sell it. You have to know that this is a book written by a Han Lin of the previous dynasty. If I don't have this amount, I won't sell it."
Hearing this scholar asking for a sky-high price, Chen Yuan scolded him, "What a poor scholar. Do you know that twenty taels of silver is a huge sum of money? That's the price of two mu of paddy fields. What you have here is just a book. What makes it worth two mu of paddy fields? "
No matter how much Chen Yuan tried to persuade him, Zhang Zeng would only agree to a price of two taels of silver. Any lower and he wouldn't sell it. This caused Chen Yuan to be at a loss as to what to do.
Pei Zi Yun had heard this long ago and asked, "This scholar isn't willing to sell it?"
Chen Yuan was a little crestfallen, "This scholar is willing to sell it, but he said that this book was written by a Han Lin of the previous dynasty. Furthermore, it's written by a Han Lin, and it's worth at least twenty taels of silver. No matter how I tried to persuade him, he would only agree to a price of two taels.
"Twenty taels of silver?" After being in this world for a long time, he knew the value of twenty taels of silver. Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but laugh. Actually, if a Han Lin's book was popular, it could fetch such a price as well. However, if it was an outdated Han Lin's book, it wouldn't be worth that much.
"However, I've heard the name before. Zhang Zeng. I remember that in the next imperial examinations, this person will become an Elementary Scholar."
"Besides, if a Han Lin's book has a legacy, how can twenty taels of silver not be worth it?"
"I can form a good relationship with him."
Thinking this way, he then said, "Go and ask Zhang Zeng to bring the book over. If it's suitable, we can discuss further."
Chen Yuan went in and spoke. Before long, a middle aged man came out. His clothes were patched up, and his hair was messy. He held a book in his hands.
Zhang Zeng walked in front of Pei Zi Yun and saw how young Pei Zi Yun was. A look of envy flashed across his eyes. He handed the book over to Pei Zi Yun. The words on the cover were square, as though they had been engraved. Pei Zi Yun took a look at the book. At this point, the Plum Blossom Petals moved. This book was indeed the legacy. He was overjoyed, but maintained his composure. He then bowed to Zhang Zeng, "So it's brother Zhang. I've heard of your name in my village."
"As for the price of this book …." Pei Zi Yun purposely paused and looked around the hut, "Brother Zhang is indeed poor."
Zhang Zeng had a complicated look on his face, as though he was ashamed. He then said, "Your ancestor was a Han Lin, and yet this book is worth it. How about I offer thirty taels?"
Hearing this, Chen Yuan and Zhang Zeng were shocked. They had only heard of people trying to lower the price, and never heard of someone trying to increase the price. After some time, Zhang Zeng came to his senses. Twenty taels of silver was already an exorbitant price, much less thirty taels. His face was flushed red as he said, "How can this be, how can this be?"
Pei Zi Yun sighed, "Zhang Han Lin is a righteous man, and I admire him a lot. Since I've invited his book, I can learn from him day and night. Here's thirty taels, brother Zhang, please accept it. With brother Zhang's talent, you won't stay in this hut for long. Sooner or later, you'll be able to learn from him."
As he said this, he took out three banknotes, each worth ten taels of silver.
Zhang Zeng's face turned red, he didn't want to accept the banknotes. However, looking at his mother's frail body, his eyes turned red, and tears started to roll down his cheeks. He then said, "Brother Pei's benevolence is beyond words. I'm ashamed to accept it."
Pei Zi Yun clasped his hands in respect and handed over the banknotes. He took the letter from the Hanlin Academy and was overjoyed. Even though the Hanlin Academy of the previous dynasty belonged to the previous dynasty, he was still a genuine Grand Scholar. Entering the Hanlin Academy meant that his knowledge was extraordinary.
The two of them bowed respectfully and left. Chen Yuan's face was filled with envy. Pei Zi Yun then had an idea and said, "Chen Yuan, you've done a good job. I shall give you another task. Assist my mother in finding me some fields in the countryside. It would be best if they were all grouped together. When I'm satisfied, I shall reward you accordingly."
As he said this, he tossed over a piece of silver, "This is two taels of silver. It's your reward for this task. If you work for me, I will not mistreat you."
Chen Yuan was overjoyed as he received the silver. He then lowered his head and said to Pei Zi Yun, "I dare not to work for young master."
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