Chapter 129: Hodgepodge
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Very quickly, a piece of rabbit leg was completely destroyed by the white-robed scholar.
The white-robed scholar looked at Fang Zhengzhi again, then reached out an elegant, white hand.
Alright…
Since he had already decided to sacrifice his curly furred rabbit, Fang Zhengzhi didn’t think of leaving some to himself, hence passed the rest of the rabbit meat into the hands of the white-robed scholar.
Then, he began to help himself to the snacks beside him.
These snacks were special products of the mountain. There were a few sun-dried goods, and also a few fresh fruits. Other than that, there was also the fruit wine which Fang Zhengzhi had specially brewed. There were grape ones, orange ones…
Even though it wasn’t as stimulating as spirits, but, there was an exclusive clear and sweet taste. Furthermore, those dirty merchant goods naturally couldn’t compare to his homemade ones.
The white-robed scholar’s hand impolitely stretched out again.
Fang Zhengzhi very exaggeratedly drank from the mouth of the bottle, then, passed the wine bottle into the white-robed scholar’s hands.
The white-robed scholar was somewhat taken aback. Looking at the wine bottle which Fang Zhengzhi passed over, he hesitated for exactly fifteen minutes before finally drinking a very small and careful sip. Then, his eyes lit up…
The wine bottle was never returned again.
"Bandit, robber!" Fang Zhengzhi swore in his heart, but then thought that no matter what, the other party was still a guest, a guest was God… alright, I’ll bear this first.
…
After a filling meal and drink, Fang Zhengzhi led the white-robed scholar back to the village to see the horse, and prepared to finish this exchange early, then, chase the white-robed scholar back on the road.
But…
Once they returned home, the accident happened.
The villagers of the mountain always treated their guests with enthusiasm, and Qin Xuelian naturally wasn’t an exception. When she saw Fang Zhengzhi bring the scholar back home, she thought that he was a friend who also participated in the examination and instantly, very hospitably, invited the white-robed scholar into the house to take a seat.
On the other hand, Fang Zhengzhi very blatantly led the Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud into his own stable.
When Fang Zhengzhi had settled everything, things seemed to become somewhat out of control.
"Zhengzhi, how can you be like this?!" Qin Xuelian was somewhat angry.
"Huh…" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Qin Xuelian’s expression, and knew that his mum was still too pure.
"Taking care of guests is our duty, how can you take possession of his horse, furthermore… it is such a valuable horse. You cannot do such a thing!"
"..."
"Yes, Zhengzhi, your mother is right!" Fang Houde also spoke.
"..."
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the white-robed scholar, the white-robed scholar on the other hand sat very indifferently on the chair, and looked at Fang Zhengzhi with an innocent look, as if saying, you settle this yourself.
"Wrong move!" Fang Zhengzhi regretted in his heart, he had forgotten the opinions of Qin Xuelian and Fang Houde.
Don’t tell me this was the white-robed scholar’s idea?
Even though he wasn’t very satisfied, but, Fang Zhengzhi didn’t dare to go against the orders of his parents.
"You go, we won’t exchange anymore!" Fang Houde seemed very helpless.
When the white-robed scholar heard this, the edges of his mouth curved into a smile once again, then, walked over with a mysterious look beside Fang Zhengzhi.
"Just now, I heard from your mother than you are going to the Divine Constabulary a few days later to participate in the feast. I don’t have any urgent matters, why not I wait a few days for you, then, after you leave the village, we will carry on with the exchange?"
"Wouldn’t that not be very good?" Fang Zhengzhi felt that this still went against Qin Xuelian’s intent.
"A gentleman’s word is as good as gold, how can I go against them?" The white-robed scholar expression seemed to be in a difficult situation.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the difficult look on the white-robed scholar, and felt that this wasn’t quite right, just as if the other party had already planned everything out.
There was a problem…
But, where did the problem lie?
What was this guy’s purpose? Staying a few days in the village? He didn’t have to go through so much trouble, he just had to throw a few pieces of silver to find a villager’s house to live in.
"Alright!" Fang Zhengzhi agreed. He decided to see what kind of plans this white-robed scholar had.
When the white-robed scholar heard this, he instantly began to smile, and his eyes were as bright as stars in the sky.
…
The next few things took place very smoothly. When Qin Xuelian heard that the white-robed scholar wanted to stay a few days in the village, she instantly prepared a room very hospitably.
Fang Zhengzhi instinctively wanted to oppose his, but, after a thought, it was at least better for this guy to be near him compared to being outside.
…
The second day, there were no incidents. Everything was calm.
In the early morning, Fang Zhengzhi was reading. The white-robed scholar was also reading. At noon, the two ate at the same table. In the afternoon, the white-robed scholar would walk about in the village. At night, they would eat again, and read again…
It felt as if they were family.
…
The third day, Fang Zhengzhi realised something strange. Every time the white-robed scholar left in the afternoon, he would carelessly leave the book he read in the morning on the table.
…
The fourth day, the same thing happened.
…
The fifth day, it was still the same.
…
The sixth day, Fang Zhengzhi finally couldn’t contain himself anymore. Leveraging on the opportunity when the white-robed scholar left the house, he picked up the book on the table.
"After staying at my home for so many days, he at least has to pay some rental fee?" Fang Zhengzhi felt that there wasn’t any problem at all, and instantly opened up the book.
Glancing down, he was taken aback. It was actually a book describing martial techniques.
Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes instantly lit up. What did he lack the most currently? Wasn’t it his lack of techniques?
But…
Was this counted stealing?
No problem, how could scholarly things be considered stealing?
Fang Zhengzhi very quickly dismissed such a thought, and began to read very carefully. Then, he realised that this book was somewhat jumbled.
If one used a phrase to describe it, it was a hodgepodge.
Sword techniques, spear techniques, pole techniques, blade techniques…
All kinds of techniques were gathered together in this book. Furthermore, very peculiarly, there was only one move listed for every single kind of weapon, and the description of every move was extremely simple.
For example: What kind of Dao of All Creation did this technique contain, what was the most difficult part of it, and how powerful was it?
Then…
Then there wasn’t anything else!
It felt just like the outline of techniques.
"What lousy book is this? Don’t tell me this guy reads such a messy book?" Fang Zhengzhi felt somewhat surprised.
Generally speaking, didn’t books have names such as "Northern Gate Thirteen Swords", or "Southern Mountain Nine Spear Tactics"? Then, the key point of every technique would be described, and might even be explained with an illustration.
However, this book didn’t contain any of such descriptions, and didn’t have any illustrations either.
It was a little too simple.
Even though he was somewhat doubtful, but just as Fang Zhengzhi said, now, what he lacked most was techniques. Even though this was a very messy and very simple outline of techniques.
But…
It was at least better than nothing.
…
The sixth day, a book appeared on the table once again.
It had the same cover, and was still a huge hodgepodge. But, the content was completely different. There were new techniques, but under each weapon, there was similarly only one technique.
Fang Zhengzhi contained the unhappiness in his heart, and continued to read with a learning attitude of a sponge that had been dry for a long time.
…
The seventh day, it was another book.
…
The eighth day, the same thing happened…
The ninth day...
…
Twenty days later, before the sky lit up, a clear neigh of a horse shocked Fang Zhengzhi awake from his sleep.
"This is bad!" Fang Zhengzhi instantly thought of something, and flipped into the garden without even having the time to put on his pants.
When he looked, indeed, the Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud had vanished from his stable. Not too far away, only the figure of the white-robed scholar riding the Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud was left.
Then, the white-robed scholar looked back.
The edges of his mouth carried a mocking smile. However, when he looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s uncovered legs, the smile on his face instantly vanished.
"Shameless… shameless person!!!"
Fang Zhengzhi heard the swearing that came from afar, and angrily pointed a middle finger towards the leaving figure of the white-robed scholar.
"I am scholar? Isn’t the person who runs away after eating the most shameful? What happened to the exchange we agreed upon? Where is the trust between people?!"
Even though Fang Zhengzhi was very unhappily, but he didn’t dare to make the grand move of running around in the village without pants. Hence, when the sound of Qin Xuelian’s voice came from within the room, he did another flip and returned back into his room.
"Zhengzhi, what happened?"
"Mum, it’s nothing, just that my Scarlet Flame Snow Cloud is gone!"
…
Two days later, the first ray of sunlight in the morning shone into the Fang family’s garden.
As Qin Xuelian prepared Fang Zhengzhi’s rations, she looked at Fang Zhengzhi very seriously.
Fang Zhengzhi felt somewhat uncomfortable being stared at by Qin Xuelian.
"Mum, is something wrong?"
"Next time when you come back, make sure you bring "Gu Yan" [1] back!" Qin Xuelian instructed Fang Zhengzhi very seriously.
"Gu Yan?" Fang Zhengzhi naturally knew from Qin Xuelian that Gu Yan was the name of the white-robed scholar, but, what did she mean by bringing him back
Oh, that’s right, that guy had stayed in his home for twenty days, but didn’t pay rent!
"Mum, don’t worry, I will definitely catch him back!" Fang Zhengzhi thumped his chest. Hunting geese for a lifetime, yet being pecked in the eyes by a goose, how could he let it go as easily?
…
Compared to his previous lonely departure from the village.
This time, when Fang Zhengzhi left the village, it evidently stirred up a great commotion. Every single villager came together to send him to the village entrance. Seeing Fang Zhengzhi mount the Silver Scale Horse, Qin Xuelian finally couldn’t contain herself, and tears flowed down her cheeks.
On the other hand, Fang Houde reassured her by her side, and shot a few encouraging looks towards Fang Zhengzhi.
As per normal, Zhang Yangping brought along a full wallet, but this time, what it contained wasn’t pieces of broken silver, and instead, contained silver notes of small denominations.
"Take care along the way!"
"Yes!"
Fang Zhengzhi nodded, bade goodbye to the villagers, and rode away.
…
A month later, in the capital of the five capitals of the Northern Desert, the Northern Capital, Golden Scale City. Countless people and horse carriages passed through the grand city gate, and merchants bearing flags also enthusiastically greeted the guards at the city gate.
As an important city that guarded the Northern, the Golden Scale City had a unique smell of iron and blood. Most importantly, within the city, there was always groups of soldiers in shiny armour patrolling.
Compared to the peace and quiet of the River of Trust Capital.
The security of this city was evidently stronger by several times.
[1] The name of the scholar is Gu Yan is pronounced differently from the Guyan in Chi Guyan. This Gu Yan means "Ancient Geese".