The reeds swayed in the wind. The soldiers on both sides of the boat could hear the cries of pain coming from the boat.
"Quick, quick, swim over."
The squad leader and the ten-man squad leader shouted. Those who could swim were swimming towards the boat.
Zhang Ling and a few other Dao Officers watched from within the reeds. Their faces were solemn. They couldn't blame the soldiers for not noticing. An army and an individual were two different things. With their Dao arts, it was easy for them to conceal themselves.
The boat had lost control of the boat and flowed down the river. Many soldiers swam as fast as they could to catch up.
The deck of the boat was littered with corpses. Blood flowed like a river, dyeing the river red.
Pei Zi Yun seemed to be unhappy. He walked to the side of the boat and took out the flute from his waist. The flute was crystal clear and had natural patterns on it. He then started playing it.
The sound of the flute was low and deep, as though it was filled with nostalgia. It was also filled with determination.
Everyone was the main character in their own story.
He had heard of Zhang Hu's spear skills. But looking at the situation, he was only a ten-man squad leader. Pei Zi Yun did not think that anyone with talent would be able to rise up the ranks. However, to be able to master such martial arts, one had to put in a lot of effort and sweat.
Furthermore, if a war broke out, as long as such a person did not die, he would be able to rise up the ranks.
Perhaps he would become a general in the future.
Not to mention Hu Pu.
But if such a person died, he would have nothing left. Because of this, he was even more determined. As he thought about this, the sound of the flute became deeper and deeper.
At this point, a squad leader had led a few men to the edge of the boat. They bit on their knives as they climbed up the boat. Blood flowed out of their mouths as they listened to the sound of the flute. The veins on their necks bulged as they climbed up the boat, "How dare you humiliate us!"
As soon as the song ended, several soldiers climbed onto the deck of the ship. With a shout, they surrounded Pei Zi Yun. Their long blades gleamed coldly under the sunlight.
"Kill!" The squad leader shouted, his face was ferocious.
"Thunder, rise!" A bolt of lightning flashed, followed by the flash of a sword. Heads and limbs flew everywhere. Pei Zi Yun retrieved a silver wine flask from his robes and drank a mouthful. The aroma of the wine permeated the air. He then poured the wine in front of Hu Pu and said, "Hu Pu, have a safe journey."
As he spoke, Pei Zi Yun glanced at the soldiers who were still climbing up. He then stepped down and landed on the surface of the water.
The skiff was not too far away. Pei Zi Yun walked on the water and landed on the skiff in just a few steps. At this point, there were soldiers who had boarded the skiff and were shouting in fear. Some of the soldiers then turned around and swam towards Pei Zi Yun.
With a tap of his finger, the skiff glided across the surface of the water.
Even though Zhang Ling, who was hiding in the reeds, was secretly filled with hatred, she couldn't help but be impressed by his demeanor. So this was an Earth Immortal, extraordinary and refined. She couldn't help but think, "He doesn't eat the five grains. He walks on the clouds and travels between the mountains. He has the disposition of a celestial being."
As he thought of this, he let out a long sigh. If he hadn't entered the Imperial Court and become a Daoist official, with his talent, he might have had a chance. As he thought of this, his expression turned gloomy. His foundation was already set, and there was no way he could escape. It was best not to be delusional.
Then, he turned to the dumbfounded officials and asked, "Why aren't you recording the entire process and presenting it to the imperial court?"
Shen Tang County, Ling Yun Bookstore
The port was bustling with activity, and the streets were long. There were countless shops and everything that one could think of. Furthermore, there were many scholars and bookstores. Of course, there were also bookstores.
The bookstore had already been purchased, and was very spacious. The carpenters were carving the wooden boards, and the new book was already being printed. As soon as a page was completed, someone would proofread it and bind it up. He then brought it to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, the book has been bound up."
The shopkeeper took the book and flipped through a few pages before nodding his head, "Good!"
He carried the book into a room and saw Ren Wei drinking a cup of tea. His face was filled with fatigue, and his eyes were bloodshot. The shopkeeper walked up to him, "Mister Ren, the third volume is ready."
When Ren Wei heard this, he placed his teacup down, "So fast?"
He took the book and looked at it carefully. After some time, he smiled, "It's not bad, there are no typos. You've worked hard. I shall reward you with ten taels of silver. As for the others, your wages will be doubled."
"Thank you for the reward!" The shopkeeper was overjoyed, and everyone else cheered as well. Just as they were about to leave, Ren Wei remembered his lord's instructions and asked, "Wait, I've heard that there's not only wooden engraving boards, but also movable characters. Why doesn't our bookstore have them?"
"Mister Ren, there's a reason for this." The shopkeeper had been in the line of work for twenty years. Hence, even though there was a change of ownership, he had stayed on. When he heard this, he laughed.
"There are movable characters, but there's no need for them."
Seeing Ren Wei's astonished expression, the shopkeeper explained, "When wooden characters come into contact with water, they will swell and the board will be uneven. This has been tested before, and no one has used them."
"Clay characters can still be used, but they have to be fired. There are dozens of commonly used characters, and it's not as easy as engraving boards. Most importantly, clay characters are fragile."
Ren Wei nodded his head and asked, "Clay characters are fragile. What about copper characters and lead characters?"
Speaking of this, the shopkeeper laughed, "This is the doing of a bankrupt person. In the previous dynasty, there was a son of an aristocratic family named Xu Chunqi. He owned ten thousand mu of land and was a High Scholar. He felt that copper characters could be passed down for a hundred years. Hence, he requested permission from the government to hire workers to carve the characters.
"There was a shortage of copper among the commoners, so the government minted coins. Even five copper and five lead characters were collected and melted down to make bronze wares for sale. They earned huge profits and forced the government to lower the quality of their coins."
"This shows how expensive copper is among the commoners. Xu Chunqi spent eleven years and 100,000 taels of silver to carve out 200,000 copper characters. He sold almost all of his land to complete the task."
"Although it cost a lot of money, now that it's done, we can print books and earn back our capital." Ren Wei heard this and was secretly shocked. His eyes flashed as he spoke.
"Mister Ren, you don't know the crux of the matter. Once I explain, you will understand." The shopkeeper smiled and said, "How many scholars are there in a prefecture? How many books can be printed? "
"If we print too many, we can earn back our capital. If we print too few, we won't even have enough interest. As for other prefectures, doesn't it cost money to transport them?"
"Hence, Xu Chunqi almost starved to death in the end. At that time, the imperial court was able to buy a whole set of copper characters at a low price. This was a lesson and a joke in the industry."
"As for the type type, it can only be said to be cheaper. However, it is difficult to make a profit unless we print 10,000 copies."
"As for the wooden engravings, although it requires carpentry and requires a lot of materials, it is inconvenient to store them, and it is not easy to correct the typographical errors. It is also easy to rot and be eaten by insects. However, it is the most suitable method."
"Let me tell you something. Within 3,000 copies, the cost is the lowest."
Ren Wei's heart instantly became clear and he nodded his head. Simply put, the purchasing power was not strong and the number of copies could not be printed. In addition, it was inconvenient to transport them. Hence, even if the copper and type types were invented, it would be useless. Anyone who dared to use them would go bankrupt.
He immediately thought of replying to the Lord, "It seems like the Lord's idea won't work."
After solving this problem, Ren Wei said, "Since that's the case, according to the Lord's orders, the book that has been proofread is to be immediately disseminated throughout the prefecture."
"The other prefectures have started to work as well. Since you are Daoists, it would be easier to communicate with them. I shall leave it to you to make the arrangements." Ren Wei's face froze as he spoke to the Daoist, "Also, the matter of contacting the storytellers has to be carried out as well. If necessary, you can bribe them. Once the book has been disseminated, it would be difficult for the other storytellers to not follow suit."
"Understood!" The Free Cloud Sect Daoist understood the mission and acknowledged.
Following the start of the various prefectures' publishing houses, countless copies of these books were printed and distributed to the various prefectures.
Chun Zao County
A man was speaking to the storyteller in front of him, "I have a story here. It's very interesting. I would like you to recite it."
The storyteller had a moustache on his face as he received the book and read it. After some time, he placed the book on the table and stretched out a finger, "One tael of silver."
"Deal." The man spoke. The storyteller saw that he had agreed so quickly and couldn't help but regret it.
Such scenes were happening all over the country.
Ping Yi County
In a teahouse, the storyteller was already prepared as he spoke, "Today, we shall talk about the story of the previous dynasty's Scholar Du."
He stretched out his hand and slammed it on the table. At that point, the crowd started booing, "Mister Li, the story of Scholar Du has been told eight hundred times. We don't want to listen to this. We want to listen to the True Sovereign's story."
"Next door, there's someone talking about how the True Sovereign slew demons and devils and killed a Demon General. Today, he went to the countryside and hasn't finished his story. We're all waiting impatiently."
The listeners all had looks of dissatisfaction on their faces as they grumbled. Pei Zi Yun had led an army to war in the past and had a huge impact. However, apart from the war-torn areas, there were many commoners who were indifferent to this.
However, when it came to single-handedly killing an enemy general, these were the two most popular stories that the commoners loved to hear – killing an official or a woman.
Killing an official was something that the commoners had longed for since ancient times. It was just that they couldn't say it out loud. However, now that the person they were talking about was killing an enemy general, a traitor general, and a single-handedly killing an official, it could be said out loud. This satisfied the commoners' deepest desire and caused them to clamor.
The storyteller looked at the crowd and felt the pressure on him. Actually, he had read True Sovereign Pei's story before and was slightly dissatisfied. Why did Huang Er Shi get a tael of silver and he didn't?
Initially, he wanted to drag things out. However, under the pressure, the storyteller was so anxious that he stomped his feet. He then thought about what he had read and added on to his decades of experience as a storyteller. He hurriedly came up with a new story. His spittle flew everywhere as he spoke, causing the crowd to listen in fascination.
"It was said that the enemy general was several feet tall and had eyes like copper bells. His upper lip was wide open and his fangs were protruding from his mouth. Around his neck hung a string of skulls. They were all young boys and girls that he could eat. They could increase his powers and were extremely powerful."
At this point, the storyteller grabbed a piece of wood and slammed it down heavily. He then shouted out, "My esteemed guests, the True Sovereign was the descendant of the Martial Star. He pulled out his sword and said that this sword was an ancient divine weapon.
The storyteller's eloquence flowed like a river as he spoke about how the sword could kill a Demon General. He then continued, "Even the Demon soldiers were slaughtered until their blood flowed like a river. With a poem as proof, he fought for three thousand miles and with a single sword, he could defend against a million soldiers."
"Well said." One of the young masters praised loudly as he tossed a piece of silver up to the storyteller. When the storyteller saw this, he was overjoyed as he shouted out, "Thank you for the tip!"
The storyteller became even more enthusiastic as he spoke.
The young master who tossed the silver was Shen Zhen, who he hadn't seen for a long time. At this point, he stopped listening and thought to himself, 'I didn't want my benefactor to be able to avenge himself and become famous. In the past, when the army was fighting, I, Shen Zhen, couldn't help much. Now that I've turned to killing, I'm also a tyrant and have martial arts skills, I can be of help. My thirty-seven blade techniques have already reached the eleventh level.
Just as he was deep in thought, a young lady sat in a corner. She had a black veil over her face and wore a bamboo hat. She was hugging a fox in her arms. When she heard that Pei Zi Yun had killed Han Zi Yuan, her expression changed as she lowered her head, "Pei Zi Yun killed King Lu's general? Then I shall go and help King Lu to kill this traitor who killed his father. '
As she thought about this, she stood up at the same time as Shen Zhen. Both of them were slightly surprised as they looked at each other and left the room.
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