Sword from the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 50: No Merit, No Reward (Please Collect and Read)

After Mr. Hu toasted, he stood up and left.

There was a banquet at the manor and many guests came. It was impossible for Chen Jin and his companions to stay here with him.

In just a short period of time, as the owner of the village, he has demonstrated his hospitality as a good host and made people feel like they are in spring breeze.

Of course, the feelings of those students who were kicked out of the side hall were another matter.

From this we can see that Mr. Hu’s regard for Chen Jin is extraordinary.

The more I look at it, the more it looks like a show of recruiting a son-in-law.

Full of wine and food.

Servants came in to clean up the place and served tea.

Zhang Tong covered his mouth with one hand and picked his teeth with a bamboo stick in the other, looking very satisfied.

Two people, a table full of food, more abundant than ever before, and they enjoyed the meal very much.

Chen Jin suddenly said, "I see Mr. Hu, he doesn't look like a Mr. Hu."

Zhang Tong was stunned for a moment, but soon realized: "It really doesn't look like it. In fact, this manor was only built three years ago. Mr. Hu's family settled here, and their origins are quite mysterious."

Chen Jin nodded slightly: "No wonder."

At this time, a maid came in and said, "Mr. Chen, please follow me. My master wants to see you."

She only invited Chen Jin.

Mr. Zhang stayed in the side hall, feeling lost. He felt tired and leaned back in his chair, dozing off.

Chen Jin followed the maid, walked through the corridors and courtyards, turned corners, and finally came to a main hall.

The place is elegantly decorated with an ancient charm. There are several landscape paintings hanging on the walls, which are in very good condition.

Chen Jin took a quick glance and noticed that the calligraphy and painting contained some literary charm, but it was not much and seemed thin and bland.

Most of the works that have literary charm are from famous artists.

The so-called "literary charm", if applied to the concept of spiritual practice, is actually a method of "visualization and induction".

This is mainly because the author has a solid foundation and is fully focused, so his ideas are naturally expressed in his writing and integrated into the brush and ink, and can be manifested when people visualize it.

Different literary styles have different effects.

Normally, it is used to cultivate sentiment and relax the body and mind.

But if the content of a work is weird or even ugly, the literary style will be different.

When people see it, they will feel frightened or even harbor malicious intent.

"Mr. Chen, please take a seat and wait a moment. My master will be here soon."

The maidservant said, and quickly served tea and snacks, then left.

Chen Jin looked relaxed. The calligraphy and paintings on the wall were rare treasures for ordinary people, but to him, they meant nothing.

As long as he wanted, writing any word would be enough to defeat it.

His eyes glanced and fell on the screen.

The screen is very delicate and gorgeous, with a picture carved on it:

The forest is lush and green, the grass and flowers are in full bloom, and a green fox is sitting on a piece of bluestone like a human, as if in a trance, which is quite vivid...

At this moment, someone is hiding behind the screen and peeping.

Chen Jin looked up and seemed to be able to see through and see the man's appearance.

The man was startled and quickly turned and left.

"Mr. Chen, I'm sorry for not welcoming you well and keeping you waiting."

After a hearty laugh, Mr. Hu strode in.

Chen Jin said, "No problem. I wonder what's the matter that the master asked me to come here?" He didn't like so many pleasantries and formalities when speaking, as they were boring and he just went straight to the point.

Mr. Hu asked, "May I ask where Mr. Chen is going on this trip?"

"I just came out for a walk to broaden my horizons. Now that I'm here, I'm ready to return to Genshui County."

"So fast?"

Chen Jin said, "It's not happy anymore. Although a foreign land is nice, it's not a place to stay for long."

Hearing this, Mr. Hu's eyes flickered, and after a moment he said, "I wanted to invite you to stay and treat you well."

Chen Jin raised his eyebrows: "I am just a passer-by, I dare not disturb you."

Mr. Hu coughed dryly and said, "To be honest, I have a daughter who has been ill-disciplined since childhood, which has led to her being naughty. I have always wanted to find a good teacher to teach her. Today, I met you, Mr. Chen, and I think you are a good fit."

"Since we are looking for a good teacher, shouldn't we ask the respected old master?"

"Old teachers are not good enough. Although they are mature and prudent, they are usually old-fashioned and decadent. My daughter doesn't like that kind of serious preaching."

Chen Jin asked again: "What about the young students gathered at the village today?"

Mr. Hu sighed, "I have looked around and found that some are boastful, some are frivolous, and some are rigid and conservative. There is no one I like."

Chen Jin smiled and said, "It seems that the official's requirements are quite high. No wonder he wants to hold a grand banquet and invite many scholars to come for selection."

Mr. Hu explained, "I hold the Spring Blossom and Autumn Blossom Banquet twice a year, not just to find a good teacher for my daughter, but also to show off my elegance. This has even caused criticism from the outside world, saying that my move is to win over people's hearts and win over scholars. Haha, I am just a rich man, how could I think of that? Isn't it slandering someone's innocence out of thin air? But people's words are scary, in view of this, today's banquet will be the last one."

Chen Jin said, "Really? That's a pity. I just had a delicious steamed sea bass. I'm afraid I won't be able to eat it again in the future."

Mr. Hu looked at him and said, "It's easy. As long as you stay, I will ask the cook to cook for you every day."

"No reward for no merit."

"You have become my daughter's teacher, isn't that a credit?"

Chen Jin refused and said, "I am just a student, how can I be a teacher?"

Mr. Hu suddenly clapped his hands.

Two strong servants carried in a box, placed it in front of Chen Jin, and then opened it. Immediately, a dazzling golden light shone into the eyes.

It was actually a box full of gold ingots, neatly stacked and solid.

Mr. Hu said in a clear voice: "This is the gift of tuition to you, sir."

Chen Jin took a look and still refused, "This year's college entrance examination is approaching, I have to go back to prepare for the exam."

Mr. Hu smiled and said, "That's not difficult. As long as you agree to stay, I can get someone to sign a petition and directly recommend you as a scholar."

In the imperial examination system of the Qianlong Dynasty, in addition to normal examinations, there are many other names, such as "Enke", "Juxiaolian", "Juxiucai", etc.

The latter can obtain fame without taking an exam.

Of course, such places are rare and precious, and basically will not fall into the hands of ordinary people. They will be selected and divided up early by people in power.

Now Mr. Hu was very arrogant and directly promised one to Chen Jin.

Under that sweet smile, he couldn't help but reveal a bit of dominance.

Chen Jin asked: "Mr. Wang, you just said that you are just a rich man."

Mr. Hu blinked his eyes and said, "It is precisely because he is a rich man that he has a wide range of social contacts. Don't you believe it?"

Chen Jin said: "I believe it, but I can't agree to it."

Mr. Hu was startled, then clapped his hands and praised, "Gold cannot sway his heart, fame cannot sway his ambition. Tsk tsk, I feel more and more that you are the most suitable person to be my daughter's teacher. How about this, Mr. Chen, why don't you stay tonight and make a decision after meeting my daughter? Is that ok?"

He bowed and used a pleading tone.

Chen Jin hesitated for a moment and said, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)