The Daming Dynasty had set up many specialized policies to manage the foreign tribes at their borders. For example, they used tea, ironware, horses, furs, and other border trades to control the unruly barbarians economically. These border trades were often arranged to be carried out in certain cities, and trade also required an edict issued by the Imperial Court — similar to a trade permit.
Fu Shun was such a border trade city. It looked like a desolate border, but because of the huge flow of money and goods, the market was prosperous, and there were all kinds of supporting services. Taverns, inns, and brothels — even a bitter and cold place had its own charm. And in such a deformed city, there was a lonely bookstore.
When Wang Kunpeng walked through the streets and found this bookstore, Zhou Qingfeng, who had been led here, couldn't help but frown. Other shops tried to be as high-end and imposing as possible, with bright signboards, but this shop was not only small, the walls were black, the steps were covered with moss, and there wasn't even a waiter to greet them.
Walking into the shop, it wasn't very bright. Rows of bookshelves filled the room, and on the shelves were all kinds of books as heavy as bricks. There were also some tattered books casually thrown in the corner, unorganized. There was a stale smell in the air, making people very uncomfortable.
When Wang Kunpeng entered, he cautiously reminded Zhou Qingfeng not to disturb him with a loud voice, saying that the owner of the shop had a bad temper and would kick customers out at the slightest disagreement.
"Boom?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.
"He really did." Wang Kunpeng raised his hand and made a gesture of casting a spell. "I've seen it with my own eyes. Last year, a foreign merchant came here to buy secret manuals. That merchant was also a cultivator, and he even brought a few guards with him. In the end, because the owner thought that he talked too much, he used a 'Flame Spell' to blast him half to death. "
It really was a 'boom'? This made Zhou Qingfeng a little nervous. He took a light step forward and carefully looked around the shop. Suddenly, he saw a bird rack hanging in the shop. On it, a bird was looking at him with its head tilted to one side. But that bird wasn't a living thing.
"What is this?" Zhou Qingfeng pointed at the thing that looked like a bird but wasn't really a bird.
"Puppet bird. This shop owner is an expert in the art of mechanisms. His shop is full of traps, so don't mess around. "Looking at Wang Kunpeng's expression, it seemed that he had suffered losses before and was traumatized.
The puppet bird on the bird rack squawked at Zhou Qingfeng and Li Mu. Wang Kunpeng flashed an ugly smile at the puppet bird and hurriedly pulled Zhou Qingfeng away. "Don't stare at this bird. It's annoying and noisy. Aren't you looking for cultivation books? I'll take you there. "
Last night, when they talked about cultivation, Wang Kunpeng talked about the difficulties involved. However, Zhou Qingfeng had easily overcome the biggest obstacle. What he needed now was to strengthen the spiritual power that he could control. The spiritual power that was as thin as a strand of hair could not even sustain a complete spell, so he had to strengthen it.
Wang Kunpeng didn't know much about cultivation, so he recommended this bookstore in Fushun to Zhou Qingfeng. But after the recommendation, he warned, "The owner of this bookstore is called Guo Buyi. He's proficient in the art of divination and the five elements. Because of his strange temper, he got the nickname 'Fickle Ghost'. He didn't care about this nickname at all. Instead, he was quite proud of it.
The good thing about Owner Guo is that he doesn't mind associating with people from all walks of life in the city. He's not like other cultivators who think they're better than others just because they know a few spells. Whether or not they can form a relationship with him depends on fate. But he's lived in Fushun for more than ten years, and I've never seen him particularly interested in anyone. Let's not have such delusions. It's good enough that we can buy some useful books. "
There were new and old bookshelves in the bookstore. The books on the new bookshelves were all beautifully decorated, beautifully printed, and had very scary names. From time to time, they would be the 'Heaven and Earth Eight Wastelands Supremacy' type. The prices on the books were also very scary, easily hundreds of gold pieces or even thousands of gold pieces. They were extremely expensive.
Wang Kunpeng paid no attention to these books at all. Zhou Qingfeng, on the other hand, stopped and swept a few glances at them. He asked a book made of jade, "What does it mean by 'Art of Military Formations, Forbidden by the Imperial Court'?"
Wang Kunpeng stopped and explained, "Some books were printed by the Imperial Court for people of a certain rank to read. For example, Qi Shaobao, who was famous in the north, wrote books on military tactics such as' New Book of War Effectiveness' and 'Record of Troop Training'. When these books were published, a lot of confidential content was removed, so ordinary people could only look at them and couldn't learn their essence.
The Imperial Court also published uncensored versions for the Imperial Court's Family of Generals. These are considered forbidden books by the Imperial Court and are not for ordinary people to read. But since the Imperial Court has been around for more than two hundred years, countless books have been lost among the people. Things that were originally kept secret have also spread everywhere. But these art of military formations have little to do with us, and it's very expensive. There's no point in buying it. Let's go, I know where I can find a cheap one. "
Wang Kunpeng wanted to pull Zhou Qingfeng away again, but Zhou Qingfeng was attracted by the 'art of military formations'. He reached out to take the book and flip through it. But before his hand could touch the book, he heard a croaking voice behind his head, "Hey, kid, it costs ten taels of gold just to touch it."
Zhou Qingfeng turned around and saw the puppet bird at the entrance of the shop hopping and landing on the bookshelf behind him. This Flat Hair beast's voice was not only unpleasant to the ears, but it also sneered, "Your pink skin is good looking, but it's not worth ten taels of gold. And this' art of military formations' can only be mastered by military generals who cultivate their spirit. You'd better go to the pile of rotten books in the corner and find a few suitable ones. "
Wang Kunpeng pulled Zhou Qingfeng again and advised in a low voice, "I told you this bird is difficult to deal with and noisy. Young Master, ignore it. Let's go. "
"Wait." Zhou Qingfeng still didn't leave. Instead, he asked the puppet bird on the bookshelf, "Can't I cultivate my spirit and master the 'art of military formations'?"
"Pfft …" The feathered beast actually let out a cold laugh. "I'm giving you a clear path, but you're being long-winded. If you really want to know the reason, give me money first. Ten taels of silver. "
Give money? A puppet bird actually asked Zhou Qingfeng for money?
Wang Kunpeng panicked and asked back, "Why only ten taels of silver for his answer? Last time when I asked you, you asked for a hundred taels of silver?"
The puppet bird laughed at Wang Kunpeng disdainfully, "Because you're too stupid. If I want to explain it clearly, I have to spend more time talking. And this kid looks smarter. Master is out today, so I can earn some pocket money. "
Zhou Qingfeng stared blankly at the puppet bird. He felt that this Flat Hair beast's intelligence was almost the same as a normal person's. He nudged Wang Kunpeng next to him and said, "Give me money. Think of it as a consultation fee. I just want to know why I can't learn this' art of military formations'. "
Wang Kunpeng was carrying a pouch on his back. He reluctantly took out a silver ingot and handed it to the puppet bird. The bird pecked at the silver ingot and then flew away with satisfaction. After a while, it came back and said to Zhou Qingfeng in an old voice, "Kid, do you know where the spiritual power of cultivators comes from?"
"I guess it's the activity of consciousness that produces spiritual power," said Zhou Qingfeng.
"Hmm … Not bad, you're half right. It's rare for a beginner to have such an understanding. " The Flat Hair beast shook its head, "But you're not completely right. The circulation of spiritual power also depends on the strength of the True Essence in the body and the compatibility between the True Essence and one's bones.
True Essence is more precious than spiritual power, and it's hard to increase. Talented people can increase their knowledge and cultivate hard to produce their own True Essence. This kind of True Essence is the most compatible with the user, but it's also the rarest.
Most cultivators rely on their own master to inject True Essence into them. This is equivalent to the master losing his own True Essence to train his disciple. So cultivators choose their disciples over and over again, striving to find the one that is most compatible with them. But I can feel that the spiritual power in your body is as thin as a gossamer. That's not right, hehehe … "
"That's not what my master told me. He said it's to directly inject spiritual power into me, "asked Zhou Qingfeng.
"Hahaha … Spiritual power is used and used, how can you directly inject spiritual power into the path of cultivation? There are many ignorant people in this world. Just because you have a high level of cultivation doesn't mean you know everything. "The Flat Hair beast lazily combed its feathers," And I just happen to know a lot. If you want to understand the reason behind this, give me another ten taels. "
At the side, Wang Kunpeng said angrily, "Ten taels of silver for these few words?"
"It's up to you." The Flat Hair beast turned around and was about to fly away. "If normal people want to hear me say it, I won't say it."
Zhou Qingfeng hurriedly shouted, "Wait, ten taels is ten taels, speak clearly."
"You're worth teaching." The Flat Hair beast earned another ten taels of silver. It laughed a few times, and once again spoke like an old scholar, "Normally, a master will choose a disciple who is most compatible with his True Essence. But the True Essence you obtained is not bad, but your spiritual power is unreasonably weak. There is only one reason — your master's attribute is not compatible with yours, but he still forcefully instilled True Essence into you.
But this matter is also strange. The True Essence in your body is obviously of the metal attribute, but your bone structure is not compatible with the metal attribute. What kind of person would waste their precious True Essence and forcefully create a useless disciple who is completely different from themselves? Who is your master? He's either too stupid, or he has other intentions. "
Zhou Qingfeng suddenly understood. When he first learned the Bewitching Art, he clearly felt that the spiritual power in his body was vast like a river, but in the end, it was only like a strand of hair. He and Gu Yuanwei's attributes were completely different!
This was like bone marrow producing blood, and if a person with leukemia wanted to restore normal hematopoietic function, they had to find a compatible bone marrow donor. Obviously, Gu Yuanwei and Zhou Qingfeng were not compatible. In order to pull Zhou Qingfeng into the group, Gu Yuanwei forcibly accelerated Zhou Qingfeng into a cultivator with no future.
"Then what should I do? What is the attribute of my bone structure? "Zhou Qingfeng asked.
"Your bone structure has already been contaminated by the metal attribute True Essence, I can't see what the source is. For someone like you whose bone structure and True Essence are not compatible, your achievements will be limited. But you can ask your master to take back the True Essence he instilled, and then you can change your master.
But changing masters is almost the same as deceiving your master. If you really make this request, your reputation will be ruined, and no one will be willing to waste True Essence to take you as a disciple. Your master will even be so angry that he will kill you with a palm strike. So … you still want to learn the 'Way of the Military Formation'? That's just a pipe dream. "The Flat Hair bastard finally stopped after mocking him.
There was no future in cultivation, and he couldn't change his master. Even Wang Kunpeng looked at Zhou Qingfeng with a pitiful expression. As for Zhou Qingfeng … he was stunned. He lowered his head and was silent for a while, then muttered to himself: "When the heavens are about to bestow a great responsibility on a person, they must first suffer his will, tire his muscles and bones, starve his skin, empty his body, and mess up his actions. Thus, the heart is moved, and the nature is improved."
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