Practice starts with skill points.

Chapter 66 Comic Strip

"Brother, are we really leaving?"

On the way home, Xiao Shitou was in a very low mood and no longer as excited as before.

"Don't want to leave?"

"No, I'll go wherever my second brother goes. I just can't bear to leave Xiu. We agreed to build a snowman together in the winter, but it hasn't snowed yet!"

When the two fled to Heishan County, it was just the beginning of autumn, and now it is only the winter solstice, so they have to wait for some time before it snows.

Zhong Lin touched Xiao Shitou's head and said nothing. He didn't know how to persuade him.

"We will come back later. There will be plenty of opportunities."

"Ah."

Zhong Lin had no other choice but to comfort Xiao Shitou.

The three days passed quickly. Zhong Lin spent most of his time practicing at home. He didn't have many friends to say goodbye to, and the only people he knew well were Old Man Xu and Old Zhou.

One day, Zhong Lin packed up his things and walked towards the yamen holding Xiao Shitou in his left hand.

"Meet Master Yin."

Zhong Lin saluted respectfully.

Little Stone also hid behind Zhong Lin and called out timidly.

"Hello grandpa."

Master Yin nodded without saying anything. Mei Weixuan said with a smile, "Brother Zhong, this is your brother? He's a big, strong boy. Come on, call me brother."

"Hello, brother."

Little Stone called out sweetly.

"Be good, take it, it's for you."

Mei Weixuan's smile grew wider as he reached out to take off the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Xiao Shitou.

Xiao Shitou didn't take it, but instead looked at Zhong Lin.

"Too expensive."

Zhong Lin waved his hand to refuse. Mei Weixuan took out the jade pendant, which was round and delicate, like white fat. The image carved on it was lifelike. It was obviously an extremely valuable item.

"It's not for you, take it."

After saying that, he stuffed it into Xiao Shitou's hand without giving him a chance to refuse.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Zhong Shi, and everyone calls me Little Stone."

"Then I'll call you Little Stone from now on."

"Ok!"

After just a few words, Xiao Shitou's originally depressed mood was lifted and a smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you."

Zhong Lin expressed his sincere gratitude.

"What's the big deal? Let's go!"

There was a very large carriage parked in front of the county government office. There were three horses pulling the carriage. Moreover, these horses were extremely tall, with graceful bodies and strong bones. It was obvious that they were not comparable to those slow horses pulling goods.

The carriage was extremely spacious and looked extremely simple from the outside, but the interior was extremely luxurious. The ground beneath was covered with unknown animal skins, and there was a small table fixed to the carriage in the middle, on which were placed exquisitely crafted pastries, and bedding in the corner.

This is not a carriage, it's clearly a small RV!

"Can you drive?"

"know a bit."

"Great," Mei Weixuan said in surprise, "Finally, someone can take over the shift. Little Stone, you come in and sit down. Your brother and I will be driving outside. There are cakes in the car, so feel free to eat whatever you want." Zhong Lin also whispered, "Be quiet and don't disturb others."

"Well, I know, second brother."

Little Shitou walked into the carriage with his short legs, called out "Hello, sister" to Gu Yourong with a cold face, then ran to a corner, took out a book from the small schoolbag sewn for him by Zhong Lin, and began to read with relish.

The carriage drove slowly and the group headed out of the city.

"This doesn't seem to be the road to Tianyang County?" Zhong Lin asked doubtfully.

There were two forked roads at the city gate. Mei Weixuan drove the carriage towards the other road.

"Oh! There's a change of plan. I have to go to Sky Eagle Castle first. A good friend of Master Yin has invited me."

"Skyhawk Castle?"

"Wuling County, Sky Eagle Fort, the Shen family. The patriarch, Shen Hongyu, is a martial arts master at the third level of the Inner Breathing Realm. His family is particularly skilled in raising and training hawks, and they have close cooperation with the imperial court, sects, and major aristocratic families. They are a top-tier powerful family in Wuling County, the kind that can cover the sky with one hand."

Mei Weixuan briefly described Tianying Fort.

Zhong Lin also felt emotional. Only by leaving the small place of Heishan County could he see the vastness of the world. You know, he had never heard of the Shen family of Tianying Fort before.

"Is Wuling County far away?"

"Our carriage is fast, it should arrive in half a month."

"Brother Mei, this is my first time leaving Heishan County. I don't know much about Dachen, especially Baicaotang. Brother Mei, could you ask me for some advice?" Zhong Lin requested.

"What's the big deal? It's just a rainy day beating a child. I have nothing to do anyway. Ever since Taizu overthrew the unjust and established the Dachen Dynasty..."

……

"What are you reading? Can you read?"

In the carriage, Gu Yourong watched Little Stone, who hadn't moved in half an hour, and she felt a surge of curiosity. Children are very active, and Little Stone, only five or six years old, was hiding in a corner reading a book the moment he came in. Did he know how to read? This really made her curious.

"Sister, do you want to see it too?"

Little Stone raised his head, looked at Gu Yourong in confusion, and subconsciously handed the book to him.

"Can you read? Can you understand it?"

“No words.”

"Ok?"

Gu Yourong moved his body and leaned over to look at the book in Xiao Shitou's hand.

There were indeed no words in the book, but rather a series of paintings, and the style of the paintings was extremely strange. Just a few lines actually formed the image of a person, with a big head and a small body.

"What kind of portrait is this?"

"My second brother said it was a comic strip."

"Second brother? You mean Zhong Lin? Do you have an older brother?"

"Yes! But my eldest brother is dead, so only my second brother and I are left. Sister, do you want to see it? It's very beautiful."

As he spoke, Xiao Shitou climbed up and sat next to Gu Yourong, turning to the first page of the book.

The picture shows a mountain shaped like a gourd, and at the foot of the mountain lies a pangolin with a pair of cute big eyes.

"This is the story of the Calabash Brothers that my second brother told me a while ago. I'll tell it to you, too. Legend has it that a long, long time ago..."

Little Stone seemed to have found a friend to share his experiences with. He excitedly retold the Calabash Brothers story that Zhong Lin had told him before, and pointed out the images and identities of the characters in the story one by one by comparing them with the comic strip.
Gu Yourong, who had been indifferent at first, was instantly attracted. The story of Calabash Brothers was already very attractive, not to mention the comic strips. For the ancients who had extremely poor spiritual life, this was simply a dimensionality reduction attack.

Especially the strange lines and magical style in the comic strip...

Mountain gods, monsters, magic weapons, gourds, old grandfathers...

Not to mention Gu Yourong, even Yin Daoyan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, was attracted. However, his focus was not on the story, but on those magical powers and treasures.

"Water-breathing, fire-breathing, clairvoyance, super-hearing... Jade Ruyi, Seven-Star Pill..."

(End of this chapter)