Liang Qu turned around and took a good look at his house.
It wasn’t much—just a small place, barely ten meters across, with a low wall around it that made it seem a bit bigger.
The roof was old, with patches of thatch covering the corners to keep the rain out.
The ground was uneven, full of potholes from years of wear and tear.
He hadn’t expected to end up back here after turning down Xue Chengquan’s offer.
But here he was.
He didn’t refuse again this time.
If he couldn’t make it home, he’d just head to the martial hall.
As for the main ritual, it wasn’t too much trouble, and it was a chance to show his face, so he agreed.
After thanking Village Chief Chen Zhao’an once more, the group headed back in high spirits.
Just as Liang Qu was about to close the door and start his martial training, someone knocked.
Opening the door, he saw Uncle Chen, who had just returned from selling fish and was here to split the earnings.
Chen Qingjiang was visibly excited.
He pulled out a few silver beans from his pouch and placed them on the table, gesturing animatedly as he recounted the day’s sales. “Five hundred and sixty-seven coins! When Lin Songbao heard it was your catch, he gave me five silver coins—half a tael! We made half a tael in just one day!”
Seeing Uncle Chen so thrilled, Liang Qu felt even better.
He divided the silver beans on the table into two equal piles and pushed them apart. “As we agreed, half for you, half for me. You get two and a half coins, and I get two and a half.”
“No, no, that’s too much. I can’t take that much. One coin is enough for me,” Chen Qingjiang said, picking up one coin from his pile and putting it back into his pouch.
“Uncle Chen, we agreed on splitting it fifty-fifty. Are you trying to make me break my word? That’s not right. If word gets out, it’ll ruin my reputation.”
Liang Qu had figured out Uncle Chen’s personality by now.
He didn’t bother with polite refusals and instead appealed to his sense of honor.
Two and a half coins a day meant he could save at least two coins daily.
In four or five days, he’d have enough to pay off Uncle Chen’s medical debt.
Sure enough, Uncle Chen fell for it.
His face scrunched up in distress.
He hadn’t been educated, but he’d heard plenty of stories about people sacrificing themselves for honor.
The idea of breaking a promise scared him, so he reluctantly accepted the coins.
“If you feel bad about it, how about you let me come over for dinner tonight?”
“Alright, alright. I’ll tell my wife to cook up a feast.”
The next morning, Liang Qu saw Xue Chengquan setting up a simple porridge stall by the dock.
Thick vegetable porridge steamed in the cold wind as people lined up, shivering, to get their share.
Among them were children, women, an old man with a limp, and a toothless old woman.
Some tried to sneak in by smearing dirt on their clothes, but Lin Songbao, who was helping out, quickly chased them away.
“You scoundrels, trying to cheat your way into free food! Do you know whose stall this is? It’s Brother Liang’s! Liang Qu! Who’s that? He’s Master Yang’s disciple, a future lord! If you’re not afraid of dying, come on over. If you can fool me, I’ll give you this!” Lin Songbao raised his thumb high and shouted at the crowd.
Liang Qu chuckled but didn’t approach.
After watching for a while, he left.
In the afternoon, Liang Qu put on his waist token, arm guards, and a clean set of clothes before heading to Upper Lake Academy with a caravan.
Through the old man he’d met during registration, he found his teacher and started learning to read.
The lessons were basic, covering things like the Disciples’ Rules and the Three Character Classic.
Sitting in his seat, Liang Qu looked around at the group of kids, most of them between seven and twelve years old, and felt a bit out of place.
At his age, learning to read made him the “old student” in the class.
Fortunately, having gone through a formal education and graduated from a prestigious university in his past life, Liang Qu had a strong learning ability.
Plus, the characters in this world were similar to those he knew, so he picked them up quickly—so quickly that his teacher was astonished.
“Liang Qu, are you sure you’ve never attended a private school before?” the teacher asked.
“No, sir. I’ve been a fisherman since I was young. I never went to school, but I’ve picked up some characters by observing shop signs. For example, I memorized the name of the Five Fragrance Pavilion after passing by it a few times.”
The teacher was impressed and labeled Liang Qu as a diligent student. “If you gave up martial arts and focused on the imperial exams, you might achieve great things.”
The young kids around him looked at Liang Qu with admiration, which made him feel a bit awkward.
Showing off in front of others wasn’t supposed to feel this underwhelming.
“Since you’re a martial artist, you have extra studies. Given your solid foundation, you might want to try reading these two books. If you don’t understand something, feel free to ask me.”
The teacher handed him two books: Annotated Edition of Hao Wood Hall’s Chronicles, a six-volume collection, and Reflections on Life Cultivation, a two-volume work.
The Great Shun Dynasty was founded on martial prowess, so even scholars who had never practiced martial arts had a deep understanding of it.
There were even stories of scholars with no physical strength enlightening martial arts masters.
Liang Qu took the books and flipped through the table of contents.
The first book was a compilation of the author’s and his friends’ experiences, detailing various spirit beasts, herbs, and treasures.
It was written from a personal perspective, making it an engaging read.
The second book was similar but focused more on battlefield experiences and insights into martial cultivation, with more precise descriptions of different realms.
For example, the Galloping Horse Realm was described as being able to hold back dozens of galloping horses without moving.
But what kind of horses? Were they thoroughbreds or nags? Big or small? It was all quite vague.
“These two are just the basics. There are many more to read. Most of the information on spirit beasts and demonic creatures is accurate, and any inaccuracies have been annotated by later scholars. These are valuable insights from our predecessors. You can take them home to read, but be careful not to damage them. If you do, you’ll have to pay the full price and an additional fee for disrespecting the books. Since they’re handwritten, each volume costs one tael of silver.”
Liang Qu nodded seriously.
He realized that being a martial artist wasn’t easy.
Without some level of education, you’d struggle everywhere—unable to understand martial manuals, recognize rare treasures, or deal with strange spirit beasts.
You might even end up dead if you weren’t careful.
For the next few days, Liang Qu traveled between Peaceful Sun Town and Righteous Prosperity City, studying and practicing his writing.
He didn’t go to the martial hall.
Breaking through in less than five days after a twenty-day period was too suspicious.
It was better to wait a couple of days.
In town, the incident with Lu Shaohui gradually faded.
It seemed the mountain spirit had disappeared, and the townsfolk were calming down.
The only odd thing was that Liang Qu had found records of the mountain spirit in Hao Wood Hall’s Chronicles.
According to the book, these creatures usually fed every two days, so it was strange that it had been quiet for so long.
Still, no deaths were good news.
Liang Qu avoided traveling by land whenever possible, opting for boats instead.
Peaceful Sun Town wasn’t directly connected to the Jianghuai Marshlands, but the two places were linked by a winding river that ran through the town.
The river was about eight meters wide and over ten meters deep, with a stone bridge at its southern end.
Old-timers said it was carved out by a great flood dragon, making the water route longer than the land route.
Since the town’s dock also had a fish market, fishermen had to pay a toll to enter, so they rarely used it.
For safety, Liang Qu was willing to pay the extra fee.
During this time, he also went out on the boat twice with his two spirit beasts to search for hidden treasures or rare plants near Righteous Prosperity City’s waters, but they found nothing.
Perhaps persistence pays off.
One day, as Liang Qu practiced his calligraphy, he received a message from the Immovable through their spirit link.
(End of Chapter)