NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Coaxing, People from Taiping County Arrive
A flash of surprise flickered through Shen Qing's eyes, as he had not expected Wu Sheng to react so quickly and discern his thoughts.
After pondering for a moment, he directly asked, "What kind of Martial Arts are you interested in?"
Wu Sheng said, "The Wu Family once had a family Martial Arts called Tongming Fist, which is said to have come from the official Martial Arts. I never had the chance to cultivate it in the Wu Family. If possible, I would like to learn the relevant Martial Arts, but I am not sure if you have it?"
Shen Qing couldn't help but smile.
It was indeed a coincidence. He recalled that the Martial Arts Hall in the county town did have such Martial Arts, and even the names were very similar.
"There is a Martial Arts called Tongming Mountain Shifting Fist that primarily focuses on using inner strength to move mountains and shift peaks, condensing fist power to its utmost limit. Once executed, it's like a mountain collapsing, unstoppable. Is it similar to the Tongming Fist you mentioned?"
Wu Sheng's expression slightly froze; he had just been trying his luck and hadn't expected Shen Qing to actually have it and to mention it so readily.
He said in surprise, "It's similar, quite similar."
Shen Qing was not someone who liked to procrastinate. He directly said, "That's good, then. I'll give you an Imprint copy later. You can study and ponder on it here first, and once you have learned it, return it to be destroyed."
Wu Sheng knelt on one knee in gratitude and said, "Thank you, Lord, for your generosity."
Why Shen Qing had this Martial Arts and why he was so familiar with it actually made Wu Sheng somewhat curious, but he only thought of Shen Qing as being somewhat divinely skilled, without considering the direction of Divine Sense or Never Forget.
After all, as Martial Artists, they always focused on Qi Cultivation and physical training, not on training the mind.
"You wait outside for a moment."
"Yes." Wu Sheng didn't know what Shen Qing was going to do. Thinking that there might be other valuable items in the study that weren't to be shown, he didn't give it much thought and immediately turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.
He stood at the door, watching the snowflakes that fluttered down from the sky, his heart stirred with endless ripples; he felt both anticipation and worry about his fate in the future.
The Martial Arts book he had received today was essentially intended for him by Shen Qing, and he could guess that Shen Qing did this to keep him close, to win his heart, and to have him serve.
It seemed unlikely that he could easily leave in the future.
In the study, after Wu Sheng had left, Shen Qing took down the four treasures of the study from the rosewood rack.
He took out a piece of fine xuan paper from a stack, spread it out on the table, and held down one side with a paperweight like white jade made of sheep fat.
Shen Qing slowly ground the ink, the ink on the inkstone gradually becoming dense.
During the ink grinding process, he closed his eyes and concentrated, repeatedly recalling the details of the Tongming Mountain Shifting Fist.
After a while, he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, poised his pen above the paper, his gaze exceptionally focused at that moment.
He began to imprint the Tongming Mountain Shifting Fist.
In the study, the soft sound of the pen-tip rubbing against the paper rose.
Time passed bit by bit; when the final stroke was completed, Shen Qing flicked his sleeves lightly, a wave of intense Spiritual Power gushing from his palm enveloped those papers.
In an instant, the ink was dried by the Spiritual Power.
With a gesture of his hand, he aligned the papers, pinched them with his fingers, and used Spiritual Power to bind them into a volume.
"Come in."
Standing at the door, Wu Sheng felt that some time had passed, and he gently pushed open the door, his gaze landing on Shen Qing's figure.
Shen Qing did not hesitate; he gently picked up the bound Tongming Mountain Shifting Fist secret book from the table and handed it to Wu Sheng, instructing, "The Martial Arts are ready. From now on, practice within the mansion. Do not take this book outside the mansion, and certainly do not publicize it."
Wu Sheng took the Martial Arts secret book, his eyes conveying unusual emotions.
Those precious Martial Arts secrets that were once so hard to come by now appeared before him so easily, making him feel a sense of unreality.
With these Martial Arts at hand, the spiritual elixirs and Wish Power Pearls also became useful to him, presenting opportunities to break through to the Qi Hai Realm and advance further.
He spoke no more, but solemnly said, "Wu Sheng thanks Lord."
After speaking, Wu Sheng, without any hesitation, found a quiet corner in the study, sat cross-legged, opened the secret book, and began to cultivate earnestly.
Silence returned to the study, broken only occasionally by the low exhalations from Wu Sheng as he grasped a new move, and the faint sounds of spiritual power circulating within him.
Shen Qing watched silently from the side, feeling a sense of expectation towards Wu Sheng.
Amongst those he trusted most, there were none closer than Tian Xiaohu and Xiao Zhi.
Unfortunately, their foundations were too weak, and even with the support of official Martial Arts resources, they had only reached the level of strengthening, still one step away from the Qi Cultivation Realm.
For them to further improve their cultivation would still take some time.
There weren't many he could rely on around him.
Wu Sheng was worldly-wise and, upon his observation, seemed to possess a passable character, making him someone he could nurture and win over.
With his assistance, the future looked promising for him and those around him with the addition of cultivation resources—be it for himself or for people around him.
...
Outside the gates of Yongzhou City, a beggar holding a broken bowl and a well-worn bamboo staff approached the city.
Despite the cold winter season, he was dressed thinly, his frail body shivering in the cold wind.
The beggar's steps were faltering; he struggled to stop at the city gate, looking up at the mottled city wall with a flash of unnoticeable light in his eyes, murmuring to himself, "Finally, I have reached Yongzhou..."
Before he could finish speaking, two lines of tears had quietly fallen.
He wiped away the tears. Though his clothes were already tattered, he straightened them and walked towards the city gate along with other people.
There was no city entrance fee in Yongzhou, and the old beggar entered the city unimpeded.
Once inside, seeing the juxtaposed shops and bustling crowds, he couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of a county town, it's nothing like the small place of Taiping County. I can certainly find a foothold here."
He walked on, asking people he met, "Excuse me, does anyone here need someone to write letters or handle accounts?"
His voice was hoarse and deep.
However, passersby either hurried past or gave him disdainful looks, with no one responding.
Some shops even boomed him out before he could enter, not to mention giving him a chance.
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Just as he was about to give up, he overheard a conversation between two passersby nearby.
"Did you hear? Lord Shen's mansion is hiring servants, and the requirements are not low. Do you want to give it a try?"
"Of course, I'll try. Who doesn't know that the Shen Family is thriving? Lord Shen is young, and his future is boundless. If I can get in now, I could surely secure a livelihood and not starve in the future."
"The Shen Family?"
The old beggar's mind stirred, and for some reason, he remembered a family from his old village.
"Why not try my luck? Even if I can't be an accountant, being an old servant and eating leftover meals is better than nothing. I've already fallen to this point; there's no room to care about dignity."
After reflecting for a moment, the old beggar tucked his broken bowl into his pocket and hurried toward the direction of the Shen Mansion, inquiring as he went.