The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 361 Working and Studying

As dawn broke on the horizon, Zhao Ti continued his diligent practice without stopping.

It wasn't until noon that he finally let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

At that time, all the internal energy that had been integrated into the Taoist method was cultivated back. The Divine Foot Scripture spun like a lamp. With the Illusory Yin True Qi that had grown at the Six Yin Temple as a guide, the internal energy surged out and grew in the dantian like the mouth of the sea.

Whether it's the Lesser Formless Skill, the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, or any other skill, they all leaped to the first level of the Twelve-Story Tower, breaking through previous constraints and entering a new realm.

Zhao Ti got off the bed, put his hands behind his back and walked outside, where he saw Zhong Ling standing prettily in front of the door.

"Huh? What's Ling'er doing here?"

Zhong Ling looked at Zhao Ti, her face slightly flushed, and said, "My sister A Zi was clamoring to wander around the city, and His Highness instructed that Steward Tong must accompany her, so I took Steward Tong's place to guard this place."

Zhao Ti nodded: "You can have someone else come, and you can go shopping with me."

Zhong Ling shook her head and said, "I, I..."

Zhao Ti asked, "What's wrong?"

"I want to stay with Your Highness a little longer, even if it's just outside the door," Zhong Ling said in a voice barely audible, her head bowed shyly.

Zhao Ti thought for a moment: "Do you have the Lightning Sable on you?"

Zhong Ling said, "It went out to forage for food. Is Your Highness looking for the sable? I'll blow the whistle to call it back."

"No, no, we won't look for it." Zhao Ti took Zhong Ling's hand, gently pulled her into the house, and closed the door. "It's best if it's not here."

"Ah?" Zhong Ling exclaimed softly, "Your Highness, you..."

Zhao Ti wrapped his arms around her slender waist, looking at her face, which held both joy and reproach: "Ling'er, did you miss me?"

“I…I miss Your Highness…” Zhong Ling looked up at Zhao Ti, her eyes somewhat dazed.

Zhao Ti lowered his head slightly, and Zhong Ling stood on tiptoe, then tightly closed her eyes the next moment.

"Um..."

A moment later, Zhao Ti stretched out his arm, scooped up the other person's soft legs, picked them up and carried them to the bedside to put them down.

Then came the rustling sound of clothes being undressed, and Zhong Ling's voice was shy yet tinged with fear: "Your Highness, this, this is daytime..."

Zhao Ti said, "It's better during the day."

Zhong Ling: "Waaah, Your Highness..."

After a while, Zhong Ling nestled in Zhao Ti's arms, her face flushed like a peach blossom, her body still trembling slightly in spasms.

"Your Highness, I... I want to get up..."

Zhao Ti asked in confusion, "Why get up? Wouldn't it be better to lie down a little longer?"

Zhong Ling said, "I'm afraid my sisters will see this when they come back, and that would be so embarrassing."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "I can sense any movement within a few miles of this house. I know in advance when someone comes in or passes by. Right now, no one is coming back."

Zhongli suddenly let out a soft moan: "Your Highness, you, you..."

Zhao Ti said, "I doubt they'll be back anytime soon." With that, he flipped over and pinned the other person beneath him once more...

On the streets of Xingzhou, Azi was as excited as a happy little bird, walking at the head of the group.

Azhu said, "Sister, please don't buy any more. We can't carry them all."

Azi glanced back at Tong Guan, who was carrying over a dozen bags and packages. He looked distressed and said, "If Miss Azi buys anything else, I can't carry it all..."

Azi said, "Steward Tong, look at you, all big and strong, can't you even carry this little bit?"

Tong Guan said, "Miss Zi, don't be fooled by my imposing stature and strength. I'm really just like a leavened pancake; if you press it, it leaves a dent. I'm all flimsy and useless."

Azi rolled her eyes: "Is that so? Then I won't buy anything, let's just wander around some more."

Tong Guan sighed, "I should have brought a basket. This is so hard to carry."

Mu Wanqing suggested from the side, "How about we find a place to store it first?"

Tong Guan lowered his head and whispered, "Miss Mu, no need, no need, you can actually lift it."

Mu Wanqing smiled upon hearing this, glanced at Azi in front of her, and lowered her voice to say, "Thank you for your hard work, Steward Tong. You are very kind."

Tong Guan hurriedly bowed and said, "Miss, what are you saying? This humble servant would go through fire and water for you ladies without complaint.

Azi skipped over: "Let's go for a stroll around Silver Lake in the west. I used to live in the nunnery and often went there to play. There's a restaurant by the lake. We can eat there after we've finished our stroll. The food is delicious, but the waiter is rude. Last time I went there, he actually called me 'little girl.' Girl is fine, but why add 'little' before it!"

Azhu glanced at Mu Wanqing and said, "Does your sister have any money? Wan'er and I don't have much money left, and we're afraid it won't be enough to eat out."

Mu Wanqing also said, "My pockets are empty too."

"Oh, you're out of money?" Azi immediately looked dejected and said, "I was planning to teach that waiter a lesson, but since I'm out of money, I guess I'll just have to... maybe next time."

Azhu said, "When the waiter called you 'little girl,' he was actually complimenting you. Why would you want to lecture someone, sister?"

"How could that be a compliment? Isn't saying I'm young an insult?" Azi asked, puzzled.

“Saying you are young means you are young, beautiful, and lively. Who would call an older person a little girl? They would call her an old lady,” A-Zhu laughed.

"Is that so?" Azi was stunned for a moment, then thought for a few breaths: "Never mind, never mind, let's go for a walk around the lake."

As she spoke, she ran forward again, swaying her body from side to side like a happy little duck.

It wasn't until evening that the group returned to their residence, tidied up, and went to the dining hall for dinner, only to find Zhao Ti and Zhong Ling already sitting and waiting.

Zhao Ti looked Azi up and down, and Azi immediately put her hands in front of her and said in a fawning tone, "Your Majesty..."

"What did you go out to do?" Zhao Ti asked casually.

Azi immediately started chattering away, finally saying, "It's a pity that Sister Yu'er and Sister Wan'er don't have any money, otherwise they would eat out and come back after eating."

"Hmph..." Zhao Ti said, "You do no work, contribute nothing, and just squander your sisters' money like this. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"I, I..." Azi's eyes darted around, and she hurriedly said, "I'm still a little girl. The last time I went to a restaurant, the waiter called me that. A little girl wouldn't have any income, and she can't do anything. She can't earn money, so she can only spend her older sister's money."

"Why don't you know how to do anything?" Zhao Ti said. "What about those who started working at a younger age than you?"

"I... I'm a female knight-errant. Female knight-errant don't need to work. They should have money to spend even if they don't do anything..." Azi whispered.

"A female knight-errant?" By this time, the food was all served. Zhao Ti slowly said, "Farmers toil under the midday sun, their sweat dripping onto the soil. Every meal should be cherished; how can there be a free lunch? Of course, stealing and robbing are unacceptable. Even a female knight-errant needs to work to have food to eat and money to spend." Azi was startled by his words, a bad feeling suddenly rising within her: "Your Majesty…"

Zhao Ti said, "Starting tomorrow, I will work in the house to earn my monthly allowance for food."

"What kind of work?" Azi asked hesitantly.

Zhao Ti frowned: "You can't do needlework, you don't know anything about cooking, and you probably won't be able to handle the house properly and will break a vase, you..."

"Then the little one won't have to do anything, right?" Azi said happily.

"Planting flowers is easy. You don't need to learn much about it; even young ladies know a thing or two. In spring, you mound soil, water, and sow seeds; in summer, you weed, remove pests, and care for the plants; in autumn, you collect seeds, clean the garden, and store the tubers of flowers that can survive the winter... In winter..."

“This…” Azi’s expression changed, but she remained silent.

“Don’t be idle in winter. Take care of the indoor flowers that can survive the winter,” Zhao Ti said. “If you can’t even take care of the flowers, then you’re a useless person. Just slap you to death to save rice and grain.”

"Yes, I can serve you..." Azi said hurriedly, but then hesitated and stammered, "Winter, winter won't be necessary, will it?"

“In winter, all you need to do is water the plants indoors. If you can’t even do that, what use are you?” Zhao Ti said with a stern face.

"I can do it, I can do it." Ah Zi nodded hurriedly upon hearing this.

“Besides that, I have to read and write every night,” Zhao Ti pondered.

"Reading and writing?" Azi immediately shook her head like a spindle: "I really can't do this. It gives me a splitting headache. When Brother Duan Yu in Dali taught me to read and write, I couldn't remember anything at all. It was like living hell..."

"Is living a life worse than death?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes. "So you'd rather die than study?"

"Ah, no, no..." Azi trembled, and immediately hid behind Azhu in fright: "I'll read, I'll read, okay?"

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment and said, "I'll have your sister Yu'er and sister Wan'er teach you every night. You don't need to do much. Just read one passage of a sage's words and learn five characters each day."

"Huh? Five words?" Upon hearing this, Azi's expression turned miserable, and she was almost in tears.

"Are five a lot?" Zhao Ti asked.

“Too many, far too many.” Azi nodded, and said sadly, “During Dali, Brother Duan Yu told me to memorize one word every five days, but I still can’t remember them all.”

"Five days to memorize one is absolutely unacceptable." Zhao Ti shook his head: "Even chickens and pigs don't take that long. Are you inferior to chickens and pigs?"

“I, I…” Azi lowered her head, picked up the tips of her shoes, and looked at the little yellow flowers on them.

“Then I’ll memorize three a day…” Zhao Ti said.

"Three, one every three days?" Azi looked up and secretly glanced at Zhao Ti.

"Two a day," Zhao Ti snorted.

"Let's keep track of one every two days..." Azi whispered.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti couldn't help but laugh in anger: "Are you trying to bargain with me here?"

"Your Majesty, I really can't remember too much, so I'll just remember one every two days..." Tears welled up in Azi's eyes.

"One a day, no less, no discussion. I might as well send you straight to school," Zhao Ti said calmly.

"Ah, I won't go to school, just one a day... one a day will do," Azi said anxiously.

Zhao Ti looked at her for a few moments and nodded: "You must do what you say. If you don't, there will be punishment. It may not necessarily be torture, but it may deduct from your monthly salary."

Upon hearing this, Azi breathed a sigh of relief: "Punishment could also be a deduction from wages? I understand."

Zhao Ti said, "If your wages are deducted, you will be punished by not being allowed to eat. And don't even think about running away. If you run away and are caught, you will definitely be punished."

"Ah? I understand..." Azi said weakly.

"Now that you understand, let's eat," Zhao Ti said.

Everyone sat around the round table and began to eat. After the meal, Zhao Ti went back to his room to continue practicing his martial arts.

The next morning, as soon as Azi got out of bed, she saw the little maid Youcao standing blankly outside the courtyard gate.

She walked over, puzzled. "Youcao, what are you doing here?"

Youcao said, "Young Master asked me to deliver a flower hoe and flower basket to Miss Azi, along with other flower-cultivating supplies..."

Azi said angrily, "I haven't even had breakfast yet, why are you sending me all this? Even if you're going to hire oxen or donkeys to work, you have to feed them first, right?"

Youcao said, "Then this servant doesn't know. Anyway, the things have been delivered and given to you, Miss. I'll be leaving now."

He put the hoe and other items on the ground, turned around and walked away in small steps.

Ah Zi fumed and stepped forward, muttering, "You want the horse to run, but you don't want to feed it grass. What kind of work do you want me to do?"

As she spoke, she raised her foot to kick the hoe forcefully, but in her anger, she accidentally kicked the thick iron part of the hoe's base. She cried out in pain, stomped her foot hard, and turned to limp away...

In the evening, Azhu and Mu Wanqing came to teach Azi to read and write. They first read a short passage from a sage's teachings, and Azhu explained its meaning to her. After Azi listened to it once, Azhu wanted to repeat it a second time, but Azi said impatiently, "Sister, sister, I understand, I understand, you don't need to say it again."

Azhu laughed and said, "Then let's learn to read."

Mu Wanqing wrote the character "善" (goodness) on the Xuan paper. When Azi saw it, she exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of character is this? How can it be so complicated? Even the one Brother Duan Yu taught me didn't have this many strokes. How difficult must it be to write!"

Mu Wanqing said, "This is the 'goodness' in 'kindness.' Do you know why this character is difficult to write, sister?"

Azi shook her head vigorously, her eyes fixed on the character "善" (goodness), revealing a hint of fear. It was unclear whether she was afraid of the character's complexity and difficulty in writing, or whether she had some reservations or fears about the character itself.

"Because doing good deeds is not an easy thing, that's why this character is difficult to write," Mu Wanqing said.

“What’s so hard about doing good?” Azi blinked her eyes: “If you see a beggar on the street, giving him some money is doing good, isn’t it? It’s that simple.”

“The first thing to do when doing good is not to do evil. If you do ten good deeds or a hundred good deeds, but do one evil deed, then all ten or a hundred good deeds are canceled out, and it can’t be called good,” A’Zhu said from the side.

Upon hearing this, Azi fell silent, her eyes darting around, her thoughts unreadable.

Mu Wanqing continued A Zhu's words, saying, "Moreover, it is easy to do good once, and it is not difficult to do it ten times. What is difficult is to do good throughout one's life and be a kind and virtuous person."

"To live a life of good deeds and be a kind and honest person?" Azi reached out and touched the scorpion-shaped hairpin at the back of her head, her expression somewhat unpleasant.

“That’s it, little sister Azi. Now, let’s learn to write this character with your older sister.” Mu Wanqing said, picking up a pen and beginning to teach Azi the stroke order of the character “shan”.

Azi and Duan Yu had studied writing for a while. Although she had forgotten most of the characters, she could still write the basic strokes. However, the character "善" (shan) was too complicated. She could only manage to write it crookedly and awkwardly, like a ghost drawing, by midnight.

The following afternoon, Zhao Ti checked on A Zi's studies, asked her about the meaning of the short teachings of the sage, and then asked her to write the character for "goodness" on a piece of paper.

(End of this chapter)