As for reading—
Perhaps if one studied deeply enough and truly acquired knowledge, it would have the effect Zhong Bo mentioned, but it certainly wouldn't happen in the short term, and he didn't want to remain utterly powerless.
“Of course not.
What I do is commonly known as ‘Walking the Yin,’ which simply means I’m someone who can communicate with those things.
Of course, when necessary, I can also fight a little.
It’s considered a method within Daoist techniques.
However, what I’ve learned is actually very rudimentary; in the trade, they’d say I haven’t even ‘Entered Dao’ yet, only able to make a living in these ten-mile villages.
The Legacy of such things demands extremely high requirements from a person; first, they must possess sufficient ‘Spirit.’ If their ‘Spirit’ is insufficient, even if a master truly teaches them, they won’t be able to learn what they should.
As he spoke, Zhong Bo also sighed.
When he was young, his ambitions were high, and he was fortunate enough to follow a master, but while his ‘Spirit’ was stronger than an ordinary person’s, it was still limited.
Thus, he could only learn some rudimentary techniques, and in the end, he had no choice but to return dejectedly.
Fortunately, even those simple, rudimentary techniques were enough to handle some strange occurrences in the village, which gradually earned him a reputation.
Just like now, someone had traveled over ten miles of mountain road directly to seek his help.
“Spirit?”
Chen Yu Shu was startled.
“It’s a spiritual concept; simply put, it’s about seeing ghosts.
Most people can’t see them; only those with sufficient ‘Spirit’ can.
You can only harm these things if you can see them; if you can’t, it’s useless.
Of course, there’s an exception, which is someone like you, who has spent a long time with ‘it’ and has been tainted by its Yin Qi; then you can also see it. But at that point, you’re essentially under its control, with almost no room for resistance.”
Zhong Bo explained.
“So, that’s why you directly refused me?
Is it because my ‘Spirit’ is insufficient?”
Chen Yu Shu suddenly showed a look of realization.
Zhong Bo glanced at him but said nothing, seemingly acknowledging it.
“What about Martial Arts?”
Chen Yu Shu eagerly pressed, he now knew that his father planned to send him to Liu Family Pharmacy to learn Martial Arts, and his heart was filled with much more anticipation.
“Martial Arts, on the other hand, has no such requirements; as long as you want to learn and are diligent enough, anyone can learn it.
Moreover, if one achieves success in Martial Arts, it’s not impossible to then learn our trade.
Because when Martial Arts Cultivation reaches a certain level, one’s ‘Spirit’ will also increase.
Naturally, the things in our special trade can also be learned.
Therefore, there’s also the saying of ‘Entering Dao through Martial Arts’ out there.
It refers to those Cultivators who, after achieving success in Martial Arts, switch to learning Daoist techniques.
Of course, such people are actually rare, because once one achieves success in Martial Arts, their strength is not weak; they are stronger than many people with Daoist attainments, so they wouldn’t bother learning these things.”
As the two spoke, the explanation broadened Chen Yu Shu’s horizons and also filled him with more anticipation for the future.
Achieving success in Martial Arts could also lead to Cultivating the Dao.
Compared to Martial Arts, he naturally hoped more to learn Daoist techniques and achieve Immortal Ascension… Although he wasn’t sure if Immortals truly existed in this world, this place was indeed a magical world, full of unknown possibilities.
Soon, they arrived at the wooden bridge.
Perhaps it was nearing breakfast, as many farmers who were busy working had returned.
Villagers would greet them when they met, and as the two responded, they suddenly noticed a small girl on the bridge.
Though called a small girl, she was actually a bit older than Chen Yu Shu, but perhaps due to malnutrition, she was very thin and small.
Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were dirty, and many pockmarks were faintly visible on her face.
At this moment, she stood motionless in the center of the bridge, staring at the water.
“Qiaowa’er, what’s wrong?”
A middle-aged woman, who seemed to be her mother, suddenly asked.
“The fish are about to come out,” the girl replied.
“Fish? What fish?”
The woman also looked at the water but saw nothing.
The river water was clear, and looking down from the bridge, one could see many small fish swimming and darting about, with a few quite large ones.
“Big fish,” the girl replied.
Big fish!
When Chen Yu Shu heard the little girl say this, as if he had thought of something, he almost subconsciously cast his gaze upon the large rock upstream in the river.
That fish-mouth stone.
At this moment, the fish-mouth stone was not much different from when he had seen it before, except that the water seemed a bit shallower, lifting the 'fish eye' that was originally half submerged, giving him an inexplicably eerie feeling.
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It was as if the fish eye was wide open, watching everyone on the bridge.
This feeling made his goosebumps rise, and in a trance, he felt the same sensation as when the little ghost approached him yesterday.
Is there really something wrong with this stone?
“What are you spacing out for? Let’s go.”
At this moment, Zhong Bo patted him on the shoulder and pulled him across the bridge.
He seemed very indifferent to both the girl and the woman, not speaking as they crossed the bridge, nor greeting them as he had with other villagers earlier.
Chen Yu Shu vaguely knew something about this; it seemed to be related to grievances from the previous generation, even involving the entire village, and because of this, the mother and daughter were a special presence in the village, with almost no one willing to interact with them.
Even children like him had been vaguely warned.
Soon, the two arrived at Chen Yu Shu’s home.
Chen Baihe was already waiting and quickly welcomed Zhong Bo inside.
Zhao Hehua had been busy all morning, preparing seven or eight dishes, filling the table. Besides fish, she had also specially killed an old hen, making it more extravagant than New Year’s.
It was an hour later when they had eaten and drunk their fill.
...
“Cultivating Martial Arts to a certain extent can also kill ghosts.
Walking the Yin, Daoist techniques, Entering Dao through Martial Arts…”
After dinner, Chen Yu Shu sat in his courtyard, his mind still pondering Zhong Bo’s earlier words.
However, in the end, he had too little understanding to make any sense of it.
So, he stopped thinking about it, took out his books again, and began to read and write.
Reading +3
Reading +4
Calligraphy +2
Calligraphy +3
...
Because it was a new book, the progress in reading also accelerated.
By the end of the day, the progress on his attribute panel had increased significantly.
Name: Chen Yu Shu
Age: 12 years old
Skills:
Reading: Literacy (64/100), Calligraphy: Self-Discernment (42/100)
...
“At this rate, I should be able to raise Literacy to 100% within two days.
I just wonder what changes will occur in the Reading skill once the progress exceeds 100%?”
Chen Yu Shu couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.
Two days passed in a flash.
Today was the day of the big market in town.
The town closest to Beijiao Village was named Jiang Huan Town, almost surrounded by a large river, with only its northern side, the direction they were coming from, being mountainous terrain.
Due to its developed waterways and numerous passing boats, it was relatively prosperous.
The so-called big market was a market formed when surrounding villages gathered there periodically; generally, the third and sixth days of the month were small markets, and the ninth was a big market.
The big market not only had more people but also a richer variety of strange goods, and even opera performances, making it naturally more bustling.