Chapter 41 Return to Hometown

  The next day, Yang Yun and Meng Chao rushed to the dock and found that the seal on the warehouse had disappeared. Lian Pingyuan and others were busily moving things back onto the ship.

  "Yang brothers! Meng brothers!" Lian Pingyuan enthusiastically greeted them as soon as he saw the two.

  "This time, thanks to the help of you two brothers, otherwise we ordinary people would have been bullied to death."

  "Don't be polite, let's set sail today and leave early to avoid unnecessary trouble."

  "I'm stingy, but since you two brothers have come, this meal can't be escaped."

  After chatting with others for a while, he pulled Yang Meng and the others to a nearby wine house for another round of eating and drinking. When they returned to the dock, they found that the sailors had already made preparations to set sail.

  Lian Pingyuan jumped onto the boat and waved goodbye to Yang Meng and others as the Changfu number slowly sailed away from the dock.

  At this time, on the other side of the dock, there were also several people watching the departure of Changfeng.

  "Helmsman - are you just going to let them go like this?"

  The speaker was a middle-aged man in a neat outfit, and if Lian Pingyuan were here, he would be able to recognize this person immediately. Lian Pingyuan had once hired his boat to go to Xiadao Island.

  "Let's keep it under wraps for now, our plan to take over the island is a secret, if we make too much noise, it won't be fun anymore. Besides, there are more than one island in the sea." said Zhou Wei, the helmsman.

  "It is, but unfortunately that Xia Island was ruined, what a good place it was. These fishing villagers really don't know how to appreciate kindness."

  Zhou Wei let out a low hum, "There's no time for this now, we'll deal with them later."

  After Chang Fu left, Yang Yun returned to Hai Tian Academy and continued his life of studying and cultivating.

  Since discovering that the Seven Emotions Pearl had the effect of gathering Moon Spirit Energy, Yang Yun's cultivation speed could almost be described as a thousand miles in one day.

  During the Condensing Period, since the True Qi cannot leave the meridian orifices, the absorption efficiency of the Spiritual Qi is extremely low. The Spiritual Qi that seeps into the body is converted into True Qi at the orifices, and external Spiritual Qi naturally continues to permeate in to supplement it.

  It was originally absorbing a bit, penetrating a bit, and then absorbing again, but now the spiritual energy density around the body has increased, so the speed of penetration and absorption has naturally increased greatly.

  Even with just a few hundred meters of Moonlight Spiritual Energy, in just over ten days, Yang Yun successfully condensed nine acupoints as if breaking through bamboo, and now the fourth layer of the Moonlight True Classic only has the last Zhongxuan Acupoint left to be condensed.

  Such a cultivation speed, in Yang Yun's memory, is unprecedented. In his previous life, he had achieved great success, but he had also spent eight years in the condensing aperture period, and even so, his master would often boast that he had taken on a talented disciple.

  In the memory of the sea of knowledge, Yang Yun searched and was disappointed to find that there were actually people who broke through to the Qi Refining stage at the age of 12. He himself was 16 years old and about to turn 17. It seemed that this achievement wasn't anything after all. However, it was somewhat comforting that the child prodigy only cultivated up to the early stages of Nascent Soul, and his own past life's ultimate achievements were still higher than his.

  Yang Yun used to think that the Seven Emotions Pearl bracelet of Tiangou Stone was a big burden. The black dog that had truly materialized would sleep all day and do nothing else, and he didn't know when it would suddenly give himself a monthly food.

  Unexpectedly, the black dog was edible, but it couldn't withstand him bringing more home. Even if 70% of the true energy converted from the moon's aura was swallowed by the black dog, the remaining 30% still made Yang Yun rich and oily.

  There are many treasures in this world that can absorb spiritual energy, but they are not rare either. However, the spiritual energy in the world is diverse and abundant, and only when the treasure's absorbed spiritual energy matches one's own cultivation method will it be beneficial to their practice. Generally, such treasures are hidden within those ancient and prestigious sects as benefits for core disciples.

  Yang Yun was near the Water Pavilion, and had been affected by the aura of the Seven Emotions Pearl. Moreover, Yang Yun vaguely felt that the spiritual energy absorbed by the Seven Emotions Pearl hadn't gone to waste. Under the nourishment of this spiritual energy, the Heavenly Dog Stone bracelet was undergoing subtle changes. These past few days, it seemed like the range of the spiritual energy's absorption had expanded a bit, and that lazy dog also seemed to have gotten a bit fatter.

  This is a heaven-sent opportunity, representing that the Seven Emotions Pearl can automatically refine itself with the absorbed spiritual energy to upgrade its quality. If it continues to be refined like this, perhaps one day the Black Dog True Spirit will materialize into a physical body.

  Yang Yun practiced the Moon Flower True Classic at night and spent his days "moving" books in the library.

  The library of the Sea and Sky Academy has three floors, with over 10,000 books stored inside. However, there are also some duplicates, so the total number is around 6,000 volumes. After a month of hard work, Yang Yun had basically flipped through all these books. Now in his Recognizing the Ocean's Depths Pavilion, several rows of bookshelves were lined up neatly, with books densely packed on them, already looking quite impressive. However, compared to the scene in the True Temple, it was still vastly inferior.

  Although there are many classics and profound meanings, they are still worldly knowledge. As long as you grasp the main thread of the idea, it can be connected and understood. The ones in the Zhen Temple, however, have transcended the mundane and can even overturn the universe. Yang Yunhua from past life spent thousands of years collecting these precious treasures. Unfortunately, my current cultivation is too low, and I can only utilize a small part of them. In comparison, Jinglun Hall can still provide me with more power at present.

  Yang Yun was like reading a book, only to have not yet had time to ponder and appreciate it. Even so, with the rapid expansion of knowledge, Yang Yun vaguely felt that he had gained a deeper understanding of many principles, and his learning had made another breakthrough. He believed that as long as he spent some time grasping and mastering the books in Jingluan Hall, he would definitely be able to reach new heights.

  Unlike Yang Yun, who has made great progress in both cultivation and learning, Meng Chao has been frowning with worry for the past few days.

  Arriving at the prefectural city, he entered the Haitian Academy, and Meng Chao felt like a small fish jumping from a county town's pond into a great river. Originally not outstanding in the small pond, he now felt even more strongly the gap between himself and other students.

  Even Sun Ye, who seemed somewhat frivolous, would often make Meng Chao feel inferior when discussing academic matters.

  Sun Ye always called out, saying that his own knowledge was so shallow, the autumn exam was approaching, and it seemed hopeless to pass, which made people feel annoyed and depressed.

  Yang Yun saw Meng Chao's expression in his eyes and remained calm for the time being.

  Lao Meng is a kind and open-minded person, but unfortunately he attaches too much importance to the imperial examination. Yang Yun thought.

  It's a pity that Meng Chao also has some regrets, his qualifications are excellent, and his physical foundation is solid. If he cultivates the family's traditional martial arts well, it won't be a problem to make a name for himself in the Jianghu world. Now with this "enlightened master", embarking on the path of cultivation is also not a problem.

  Unfortunately, he was obsessed with fame and fortune. Perhaps he wanted to use some things to prove that his father's decision to give up his Jianghu career was not wrong.

  People in Jinghai County would say when mentioning Meng Fu, "What a good fellow! Unfortunately, he abandoned his martial arts to do business and ended up losing everything."

  If Meng Chao wins the prize and becomes an official, the tone of the Jianghu people will change greatly.

  Adding to that, there's also the matter with Miss Zhang now, which makes Meng Chao's desire for fame and fortune even stronger. Staying in the county is still somewhat anxious, but at least there's a glimmer of hope. After coming out and seeing all these talented individuals everywhere, Meng Chao was dealt a heavy blow.

  That day, there was a test-preparation class at the Haitian Academy. Meng Chao attached great importance to it and took Yang Yun and Sun Ye to the classroom early, where they sat down in the front row.

  The lecturer is a scholar of the imperial examination, who has carefully studied the county examination for decades and is very famous in southern Jiangsu. Although he has never been selected as the examiner of the imperial examination, his topics have always been related to the recent examinations, so he has gained great reputation and was specially invited by Haitian Academy.

  The lecturer on the stage dragged on for half a day, talking vaguely and ambiguously. The students listened drowsily, yet couldn't help but be afraid of missing something crucial if they weren't careful.

  He talked endlessly for a whole hour, and when everyone was about to collapse, the old man carefully pulled out a scroll from his bosom and gently unrolled it with his fingers.

  "Everyone listen up, these are the ten questions I've carefully selected with my life's work. I'll only read them once, no asking questions allowed, and I won't explain anything either. If you didn't hear clearly, then consider yourself unlucky."

  The classroom was suddenly as quiet as a pin drop, and the students' eyes were almost piercing through that thin sheet of paper.

  The lecturer began to read out the topic with a rhythmic tone.

  Hundreds of students under the stage didn't say a word, the whole room was filled with the sound of pens scratching and heavy breathing.

  After finishing the tenth question, Lao Fuzi left the classroom like a victorious general returning from battle, and the students below suddenly boiled over.

  Meng Chao looked at Yang Yun in front of him and said, "Huh? You don't remember?" He then patted his own head, "Forgot that you have a good memory."

  Meng Chao then pulled Sun Ye and carefully checked the contents written down word by word.

  After checking several times, Sun Ye was a bit impatient, and Meng Chao carefully put the paper into his pocket. At this time, the students had already dispersed, and only the three of them were left in the classroom.

  There were more than one student from Qinghai in the Hai Tian Academy, but only Sun Ye and Yang Meng got along well, spending all day together.

  Seeing Meng Chao's serious look, Sun Ye sighed and said: "Alas, this thing doesn't need to be taken too seriously. In fact, making such a big fuss about it, which examiner would ask questions like these? I heard that the lecturer has some real skills, but he keeps them secret and only reveals them to his closest friends." After finishing speaking, he asked again: "What are you all going to do later?"

  "Oh no, I think I missed a question, Old Meng, can you lend me your paper to copy?" Yang Yun said.

  "You guys copy, I'll go ahead and take a step first." Sun Ye bid farewell and left alone.

  Looking at Sun Ye's back, Yang Yun seemed to be lost in thought.

  "Here." Meng Chao handed over the paper with the test questions on it, and Yang Yun glanced at it casually.

  "Alright, got it."

  "I really envy your good memory, I think you should have a good chance of passing the imperial examination this autumn." Meng Chao said with admiration.

  "Why don't we try our luck?" Yang Yun suddenly said with a serious expression.

  "How to operate an excavator?"

  "We each rely on our own thoughts and come up with a question to see if we can coincidentally guess it correctly."

  Meng Chao thought it was interesting and agreed with a smile. After closing his eyes for a moment, he wrote a question on the paper.

  Yang Yun also opened his mouth and said a question, Meng Chao was about to take notes, but was stopped by Yang Yun.

  "Just remember it in your heart, don't put it down on paper."

  "Why?"

  "We can casually guess the questions, but if we accidentally hit the nail on the head and a single word or phrase leaks out, it will be troublesome. Today's matter is just between you and me, don't tell anyone else."

  Meng Chao agreed, thinking that Yang Yun was really taking this question seriously, but seeing Yang Yun's solemn expression, he also took it seriously and thought about preparing for the question.

  Yang Yun knew that Meng Chao was very steady, and since he had promised, he would definitely not speak rashly. If it were Sun Ye, Yang Yun really couldn't be sure whether he would spread the news everywhere like a trivial matter, so for now, she nodded in relief.

  Two more days passed and by the end of the month, Yang Yun and Meng Chao packed up their belongings and left Hai Tian Academy.

  At the time of farewell, Sun Ye said with regret: "Two elder brothers, there are still two months before the imperial examination, why not continue to study in this academy? The conditions after returning home will not be better than here."

  This month, they often eat and drink together. Sun Ye knows that Yang Meng and his friend are not short of money. The autumn exam is approaching, and students with some money are flocking to bookstores like Haitian. However, the two of them want to return to their hometown.

  "There's something at home that I must attend to, so I have no choice but to return. Fortunately, we can meet again in two months' time and continue our drinking and merriment then." Yang Yun said.

  "I just don't know if I still have that feeling at that time - Ah, never mind, I wish you two brothers a smooth journey!"

  "Thank you for your kind words."

  Yang Yun and Meng Chao bid farewell to Sun Ye with a bow of their hands, then rushed to the dock and boarded a merchant ship bound for Jinghai County.

  Lying on the side of the boat, looking at the waves, Yang Yun's mind was filled with thoughts.

  Just over a month ago when I left Jinghai County, I only had a dozen or so taels of silver on me. This trip, the Moon Flower Scripture broke through to the fourth layer, and I also got several hundred taels of silver, a piece of Qingyun Stone Town paper, and the Seven Emotions Pearl, this life-destined treasure. It's truly a harvest beyond my wildest dreams, just thinking about it gets me so excited that I can hardly contain myself.

  However, Yang Yun's heart at this time was filled with a strong sense of homesickness.

  In my previous life, I had made some progress in my cultivation and returned to my hometown through the Phoenix Crying Palace. I had already foreseen the ending of myself, and at that time, my heart was filled with despair and desperation. That feeling, even if buried deep in my heart for many years, still emerged so clearly now.

  All sorts of regrets and sorrows have faded away, replaced by the joy of returning home, leaving only a faint sense of melancholy in my heart.

  If life were just like our first meeting, what need is there for autumn winds to sorrowfully paint a fan.