Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 52: Paying a Visit to Thank the Master, Climbing the Mountain to Meet the God
"Are health-preserving exercises really that useful?"

Soon, Chen Yuan learned the whole story and was quite interested.

As for the source of the technique, I didn't ask any further questions.

Things are different now. Even Shi Qifeng is now following Chen Jin, willingly serving as his coachman. So what's so surprising about Chen Jin learning martial arts and health cultivation techniques?

This is a good thing.

People are more likely to believe and accept things that are good.

Chen Jin explained, "This skill has a certain threshold; not everyone can learn it. If you learn it incorrectly, it can damage your internal organs."

Chen Yuan didn't care about this; he was just happy as long as his son could learn and practice.

Most importantly, it would be enough if Chen Zhi could regain his former glory and have more children for the family.

They immediately instructed Chen Zhi to take Su Su to see a doctor to confirm the diagnosis.

Having passed the provincial examination and been admitted as a student, Chen Jin was not in a hurry to return to the city. Instead, he chose to stay in the countryside to rest and recuperate for a while.

Therefore, after the meal, Shi Qifeng returned to the city alone, while the carriage was left behind so that Chen Jin could take it when he needed to return to the city.

As dusk fell, Chen Jin finished packing, carrying his books on his back and his sword case in his hand, and prepared to go out, go up the mountain, and return to his thatched cottage.

The thatched cottage on the barren mountain still exists, usually locked up, and occasionally Chen Zhi would go up the mountain to inspect and look after it.

Chen Yuan asked, "Young man, are you going to stay in the mountains again? Is it because you think it's too noisy at home?"

Chen Jin laughed and said, "It's not that I dislike the noise at home, but I feel that the mountain is my blessed place, so I want to study there."

Chen Yuan tried to persuade him to stay, saying, "There's no need to rush. Why don't you stay at home for a few days and wait for your relatives and friends to come and offer their congratulations?"

Chen Jin looked at him and slowly said, "Uncle, I'm thirty years old this year. Time waits for no one, so we must seize every moment."

Chen Yuan was startled and hurriedly asked, "You mean you're going to take the provincial examination in August this year? Is that enough time?"

Chen Jin's attitude was firm: "It all depends on human effort. Otherwise, if we miss this year, we'll have to wait another three years."

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up: "That's ambitious! Your uncle supports you. Do whatever you want. If you need money, we'll sell everything we own to raise it for you."

The provincial examination was held every three years, with the examination period set in early August. The examination venue was no longer in the county town, but in the Gongyuan (Imperial Examination Hall) in the prefectural city.

The journey from the county town to the prefecture city is long and the travel expenses alone are a considerable expense.

In the past, raising funds for travel and food expenses was a major headache, often requiring the support of local gentry and wealthy individuals. Some impoverished scholars even had to borrow money from their entire families, incurring debts everywhere, just to be able to take the exam.

In this situation, passing the exam means a bright future; failing means never being able to turn your life around.

With the income from the Green Mountain Sword Shop, Chen Jin has no need to worry about money.

Chen Yuan naturally offered his unconditional support to his nephew, who was confident in taking the provincial examination.

In his view, taking the exam for the first time was just a trial run to gain experience.

If I actually pass the exam, my ancestors' graves will be blessed with good fortune, and I'll be set for life.

A true case of a carp leaping over the dragon gate!

In contrast, all other matters should be set aside and not allowed to interfere in any way.

Now that Chen Jin has learned new skills and techniques, he can live alone in the desolate mountains without any problem.

"Young man, I'll have Zhi'er deliver your three meals a day. Just tell me what you'd like to eat."

"Ok."

Chen Jin bid farewell to Chen Yangshi, Chen Min, and others, and then stepped out the door.

Watching his retreating figure, Chen Yuan sighed, "He acts decisively and without hesitation; that's what makes a person capable of great things. With you, young man, our family will surely prosper."

After leaving the village, Chen Jin paused for a moment, remembering something. Instead of rushing out of the village, he took a detour to the private school.

As I passed by a pond, I suddenly saw a figure standing under a willow tree. The figure was thin, and white hair was blowing in the wind, making the face somewhat indistinct.

Chen Jin recognized him immediately: "Teacher, what are you doing here?" The old tutor smiled: "You passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. I came here especially to welcome you."

Chen Jin sighed, "I should have been the one to visit and thank my teacher."

"Your kindness is enough. Go back now, there's no need to come see me."

"Take care, teacher."

Chen Jin turned and left, but after taking a few steps, he couldn't help but turn back to look.

He saw the old tutor standing under the shade of a tree waving goodbye to him.

A gust of wind blew.

The old man fell to the ground and died, his body scattered with the wind.

Chen Jin sighed sadly and strode out of the village as dusk fell. Many villagers saw him along the way and couldn't help but feel respect, greeting him warmly.
"Greetings, Scholar!"

"It's almost nightfall, where is Scholar Chen going?"

Chen Jin replied, "I'll go to the mountains to study."

"Wow, that's true diligence."

"so amazing."

"I told you long ago, how could someone as hardworking as Scholar Chen fail the exam?"

"You old hag, you didn't say that before."

"Haha! Do you think the Chen family has surpassed the Zhou family now that we have the scholar?"

"Of course! This scholar is no ordinary person. He doesn't even need to kneel before the county magistrate, and he's even exempt from corvée labor..."

As the words reached his ears, Chen Jin remained calm and quickly left the village, traversing fields, streams, and foothills. Before long, he arrived at the hillside.

He went to the mountain god temple first, pushed open the half-closed wooden door, and went inside.

It was dark inside.

However, Chen Jin's eyesight is now sharp, and he can see clearly that a new mountain god statue has been erected on the blue stone altar.

An incense burner was placed on the stone altar, with a layer of incense ash remaining.

It turns out that after the mountain god's head disappeared without a trace that day, a new story spread in the countryside that the mountain god preferred the mountain and therefore ran back.

So villagers started raising funds and donating money to repair the mountain god temple on the barren mountain and erect a new statue of the god.

Unfortunately, the original head can no longer be found.

The whole drama can be summarized as "Where Did the Mountain God Go?", which is full of twists and turns, and is both funny and absurd.

In rural areas, similar incidents occur frequently and never cease.

Chen Jin stared intently and clearly saw that the new mountain god statue was just a clay sculpture. Probably due to insufficient funds, the workmanship was quite rough, suggesting that corners had been cut. It lacked any spiritual charm or divinity, and even its appearance was completely unresembling the original.

Looking around the temple, there were piles of firewood in the corners, and traces of a campfire, which must have been left by a hunter who had passed by, most likely the hunter Liu.

This visit was like a return to familiar surroundings. I looked around once, then left, closed the door, and headed to the thatched cottage.

I opened the door with the key, went inside and put my things down, then turned on the Kui Xing kicking the Dipper lamp. I saw that the things inside were arranged as before, almost untouched.

This desolate mountain has always been sparsely populated, and the thatched cottage contains nothing of value, making it essentially an empty shell, so it is unlikely to attract thieves.

After a short rest, Chen Jin opened his sword case, picked up his heavy sword, and went to the open space on the slope to begin practicing his swordsmanship.

　Thank you to reader "jinx" for the generous donation!

　　This is the first time I've managed to get so many votes, it seems there are still people who like to watch it, which gives me a bit more confidence.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)