Longevity from Liao Zhai

Chapter 123 What Treasure

Zhou Ping felt the sound of his body breaking, and at that moment, he reached the ninth level of Confucianism by borrowing the meaning.

However, the sentence "I have reached the ninth rank" was not said by Zhou Ping, but by Mingyue.

After hearing Zhou Ping's poems, Mingyue came to the window to appreciate the beautiful scenery. Unexpectedly, she also gained appreciation by borrowing the meaning.

"After the rain in the empty mountains, the weather turns to autumn late in the evening. The bright moon shines among the pines, and clear springs flow over the rocks." There was excitement in Mingyue's eyes. She bowed to Zhou Ping, revealing her spring scenery.

Mingyue was just a dancer, and she had never thought about reaching the tenth rank.

She thought she would only be able to reach the tenth rank in her lifetime, but unexpectedly, thanks to Zhou Ping's poem, she was able to reach the ninth rank.

The improvement of her cultivation has doubled Mingyue’s worth.

It can be said that in a small place like Qinghe County, Mingyue, who is of the ninth rank, can keep her innocence in the Jiaofangsi without being forced.

With a song "The Moon Shines Before My Bed" and the ninth-rank Confucian cultivation, Mingyue can have a certain say in the Jiaofang Bureau.

Mingyue is the top performer in the Jiaofang Bureau. She sells her art but not her body. However, as she gets older, her advantage will inevitably disappear. There will definitely be younger girls who will replace her as the top performer.

Once she loses her status as the top prostitute, the madam will definitely force her to sell herself.

But now it’s different, she has reached the ninth rank in Confucianism!
With this identity, the brothel owner would also give her some face.

Although Confucian people are not good at fighting, the improvement of their realm will allow them to have spiritual energy in their bodies and their strength will be greater than that of ordinary people.

Now Mingyue, if it were just a contest of strength, could easily defeat a strong man.

Of course, if he adds in his martial arts techniques, Mingyue may not be able to defeat an ordinary person who has not entered the realm of martial arts.

Mingyue was so grateful to Zhou Ping that she almost gave herself to him.

It was originally a poem "Bright Moon Shining Before My Bed" that gave her the opportunity to study in the capital.

Now, a poem by Zhou Ping actually allowed her to enter the ninth rank.

This is my benefactor!
"Since you are so grateful to Zhou Ping, why don't you pledge yourself to him? I think you two are a perfect match, with your talents and looks." Fan Shiyi laughed.

After saying this, the faces of several scholars changed. Mingyue was their goddess. Moreover, the goddess had now reached the ninth rank of Confucianism.

Most of them are of the tenth rank in Confucianism.

Chen Chao's face darkened. He was the most suitable scholar for Mingyue, both in age and cultivation.

"Damn it, Fan Shiyi is actually messing around with couples." Chen Chao was angry but could not say anything. Fan Shiyi was not comparable to them in terms of cultivation or family background.

Zhou Ping waved his hands quickly: "I am not worthy of Miss Mingyue."

Mingyue smiled faintly: "Master Fan, you have also seen that Zhou Ping despises me."

Mingyue walked down the stairs. She was somewhat interested in Zhou Ping, but not very much. After all, Zhou Ping was just a bodyguard.

The Wei Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials, so no one would care if a bodyguard died. But if a scholar of high rank died, the Wei Dynasty would investigate thoroughly.

"Everyone, this is a rare opportunity. Don't you look at the beautiful scenery in front of you? Perhaps you can break through." Fan Shiyi naturally understood Mingyue's thoughts.

Mingyue is very smart, and her intelligence is somewhat similar to He Yunqing. The two girls are excellent themselves, and have seen many excellent people since childhood. They know what kind of people have potential and what kind of people will take what path.

Zhou Ping is just a bodyguard and seems to have no ambition.

People like this may stay like this for the rest of their lives.

"Zhou Ping, you are very cunning." Fan Shiyi looked at Zhou Ping with a dazed look in her eyes. She had gone through some things with Zhou Ping and understood him better.

Fan Shiyi has come into contact with many people since he was a child, but people like Zhou Ping are rare.

Young but not showing off, talented but keeping it to himself.

Zhou Ping is like an onion. No matter how you peel it, you can't see his true face.

This made Fan Shiyi very interested in Zhou Ping.

In Fan Shiyi's opinion, the most reliable man in the entire Qinghe County is Zhou Ping.

"If I were you, I would choose Zhou Ping." This thought suddenly popped up in Fan Shiyi's mind.

But as soon as this thought came to mind, Fan Shiyi suddenly felt a chill. I like girls! How could I have such a thought?

After hearing what Fan Shiyi said, the faces of several scholars changed again.

Zhou Ping wrote a doggerel based on the beautiful scenery after the rain, and Mingyue broke through to the ninth level.

If Mingyue can break through by borrowing the meaning, others can do so too.

It's just that they were just saying bad things about Zhou Ping, and now they were going to use Zhou Ping's poems to criticize him, which made them look a little unhappy.

Several people looked at each other, but no one moved.

Face is still needed.

"After the rain in the empty mountains, the weather turns to autumn late in the evening. The bright moon shines among the pines, and clear springs flow over the rocks."

The old man who was collecting herbs kept repeating Zhou Ping's poem.

The old man was illiterate. He was just an ordinary herbalist in Qinghe County.

It’s just that these four lines of poetry by Zhou Ping are very appropriate and simple.

Although he only heard it once, the old man was able to memorize it.

"Good poem, good poem. Although Xiao Lao Er doesn't understand poetry, your poem is like a painting, a painting in front of my eyes."

"The mountains are really beautiful after the rain, but if you ask me why they are beautiful, I really can't put it into words."

"But now I can say it. When someone asks me how beautiful the mountains are after the rain, I can recite this poem."

The old man who was picking herbs looked at the scenery outside the window and understood the poem in an instant. At the same time, he felt a burst of victory in his body.

"Hey, that's strange. Why do I feel like there's a sound of a porcelain bowl breaking on my body? I didn't bring any bowl with me." The old man picking herbs scratched his head in confusion.

Upon hearing this, the faces of several scholars changed drastically.

They are all qualified people, and they know what the old herbalist's words mean.

This old man who didn't know a single word was actually impressed by Zhou Ping's poem! ?

"Everyone, let me go and see if the scenery is really that beautiful." A scholar said, and hurriedly stood up and walked to the window.

The other scholars couldn't sit still anymore.

It would be fine if Mingyue had just broken through by borrowing Zhou Ping's poems, but the fact that an illiterate old man had also achieved the level made the scholars a little uneasy.

Who could bear the fact that an ordinary old man suddenly reached the tenth rank and was on equal footing with himself?

The scholars thought that since the old man could get into the first rank, then with their knowledge they would definitely be able to break into the first rank.

Soon, except for Chen Chao, all the other scholars leaned against the windows to look at the beautiful scenery outside.

In order to make it easier for the scholars to enjoy the beautiful scenery outside, Fan Shiyi opened the window a little wider.

The old man who was collecting herbs nearby was still feeling around, he didn't know where the cracking sound came from.

Although I don't know why, I felt warm after the cracking sound just now.

"Strange, why do I feel warm and my legs don't hurt anymore?" The old man who was collecting herbs was a little confused. He went up the mountain to collect herbs all year round, and his knees always hurt unbearably on rainy days.

Just now, his legs were still hurting, but now they don't hurt anymore. For the old man who collects herbs, this is his luck. After entering the realm of the herb, his combat power will not be improved, but it will give him spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy will cure some of his hidden illnesses and make him stronger, allowing him to get twice the result with half the effort when collecting herbs.

"There is plenty of spiritual energy in this mountain. After he entered the realm of spiritual energy, he began to absorb the spiritual energy." Fan Shiyi Qingyao Paper Fan.

Xiaoqing said on the side: "Is this okay? No, I also have to see the beautiful scenery outside the window to see if I can enter the Confucian class."

Xiaoqing came to the window after she finished speaking. She also wanted to become a Confucian scholar.

About an hour later, the scholars looked at the beautiful scenery, some closed their eyes, and some muttered something. They wanted to break through, but none of them succeeded.

"Zhou Ping, are you really not a Confucian scholar?" Fan Shiyi was a little skeptical.

Mingyue and the old man who picked herbs both tried to appreciate Zhou Ping's poems, but Zhou Ping was still unable to do so.

Zhou Ping nodded: "I am a warrior, why should I join the Confucian school?"

Chen Chao, who was standing by, also said, "Brother Fan, he just came up with a few good sentences by chance. It's not that easy to become a Confucian scholar."

Mingyue said: "It seems very simple to enter the Confucian rank. The old man over there has already entered the rank."

The fact that the old man who collected herbs was included in the product left Chen Chao speechless for a moment.

Another hour passed, and still no one from the Scholars' Sect had broken through and entered the realm of rank.

"How about we take a night tour of Qinglong Mountain?" Fan Shiyi suddenly said.

The mountain is very dangerous, especially some hidden slippery holes. But this is nothing for those who are new to the game.

"Okay!" Chen Chao said first.

Mingyue hesitated for a moment and nodded. It was dangerous at night, but with Fan Shiyi here, it shouldn't be too dangerous.

Zhou Ping naturally had no objection, as his job was to be Fan Shiyi's bodyguard.

As for the other scholars, they had completely given up. Two hours had passed, and no one had been able to break through.

"If you don't mind, I am willing to lead you. Thank you for letting me hide from the rain." The old man who was collecting herbs wanted to lead the way. He could see that these people were not ordinary people.

Of course, he also has some selfish motives here.

The old man who collected herbs had a sick wife and needed money for treatment, but there was no money left at home, so he took the risk and went up the mountain at night.

Otherwise, no one would dare to go up the mountain to collect herbs at night. The risk of collecting herbs at night is still very high. It is easy to fall off the cliff or be eaten by wild animals.

But if he didn't go up the mountain, his wife would die from the myrrh.

"Great." Fan Shiyi put away his paper fan and drew a few cranes out of thin air.

These cranes were emitting white light, illuminating the way ahead.

The old man who collected herbs was so excited that he couldn't speak. He was right. These people were not ordinary people. Fan Shiyi could actually draw a crane to light the way.

With cranes lighting the way, it is much safer at night.

"Old woman, please wait for me. With the cranes guiding the way, I should be able to find good medicinal herbs and sell them at a good price." The old herbalist said to himself.

Led by an old herbalist, the group began a night tour of Qinglong Mountain.

Xiaoqing was also very happy. She jumped back and forth on Fan Shiyi and Zhou Ping. The night was the snake's home turf.

The old man who collected herbs was very familiar with the mountain. He knew where the rivers were and where there were strange rocks and trees.

Fan Shiyi felt grateful that they had a good guide.

However, Zhou Ping discovered that the old man who collected herbs never took the usual route, but always went to the most difficult places.

Although the place we were taken to was indeed very beautiful.

The old man who was picking herbs had no choice but to do so, because the herbs on the ordinary roads had already been picked by others.

Old people who collect herbs on these remote paths usually don’t dare to walk on them because they have heard that there are wild beasts, tigers and leopards.

But he could see that Fan Shiyi and others were not ordinary people, so they dared to take these more dangerous and remote paths.

The old man who collected herbs led everyone to a slope.

Standing here, you can see scattered lights in Qinghe County in the distance.

"This old man, why does he lead us to wherever there is danger?" Chen Chao also discovered the little thoughts of the old man who was collecting herbs.

Fan Shiyi said, "I think this is a good idea. We have climbed Qinglong Mountain several times, and the scenery is the same, but the scenery in these remote places is unique and different from the past."

When Chen Chao heard what Fan Shiyi said, he agreed: "Brother Fan is right. Such a unique color is rare. I suddenly have a poem."

Fan Shiyi's eyes lit up: "Tell me about it."

Chen Chao coughed and glanced at Zhou Ping, only to find that Zhou Ping and the old man who was collecting herbs were digging something among the rocks.

Fan Shiyi and the scholars were again at the stage of writing poems, and Zhou Ping was helping the old man collect herbs.

The old man who was collecting herbs saw a Ganoderma lucidum in the crevice and climbed over hurriedly. However, it had just rained and the stones were a little slippery, so the old man fell to the ground.

"Be careful." Zhou Ping was quick to catch the old man who was picking herbs. "Brother, don't worry. They will take at least one or two hours to write poems. You can take your time to look for herbs."

The old man who was picking herbs knew that his little trick had been seen through, and felt a little embarrassed: "Thank you for your help, little brother, otherwise my old bones would be broken."

Zhou Ping just smiled faintly and said nothing.

The old man who was collecting herbs slowly crawled to the Ganoderma lucidum and dug it out.

Zhou Ping took out his belt and tied it around the old man's hands to prevent him from falling.

The slope of this slide becomes steeper as you go down.

The old man was very excited after picking the Ganoderma. From his point of view, this Ganoderma was at least ten years old. The money from this Ganoderma should be enough to treat the old woman's illness.

He was about to ask Zhou Ping to help pull him up when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a light beneath his feet.

The old man who was collecting herbs rubbed his eyes and couldn't see clearly what it was, but he knew it must be something good.

"Little brother, pull me up." The old man who was collecting herbs carefully put the Ganoderma lucidum into his arms.

Zhou Ping pulled him up and tied his belt.

“Little brother, come here.” The old man who was collecting herbs called Zhou Ping to come to his side, then leaned close to Zhou Ping’s ear and whispered, “Little brother, I’m going to tell you something good, don’t tell anyone else.”

Zhou Ping was confused: "What good news?"

The old man who was collecting herbs looked at a few people who were reciting poems and then looked at Zhou Ping. He had a good impression of Zhou Ping. At least Zhou Ping helped him collect herbs, and Zhou Ping did not have that kind of overbearing attitude.

These scholars are arrogant and look down on others.

"There is a treasure under this mountain, go and bring it up." The old man who was collecting herbs said in a low voice. He didn't know what the light was, but he thought it was a treasure, so he prepared to give it to Zhou Ping.

After he finished speaking, the people who were reciting poems suddenly fell silent and looked at the old man who was collecting herbs.

Everyone present was a cultivator who had reached a certain level. Although the scholars were not very powerful in combat, once they reached a certain level, their hearing would be far superior to that of ordinary people.

The words of the old man collecting herbs have been heard by others.

Xiaoqing stood up from Fan Shiyi's shoulder: "Baby, what baby?"

(End of this chapter)