Chapter 156 The Former Dynasty of Great Yu, a Leisurely Half-Day

Early the next morning.

As the sun rises at dawn, mountain mists drift into the city.

The morning was cool.

Li Xian stretched and felt extremely comfortable.

After a quick wash and grooming, with her hair tied up and wearing a crown, she looked dashing and quite attractive. She bought two meat buns from a street vendor.

The aroma of the meat filling was irresistible, and the juices were overflowing. Li Xian ate the buns with some tea, and after this simple meal, he felt refreshed.

The officers of the Martial Guard Hall practice every day from dawn until noon without ever slacking off. Now, more than ten of them possess internal energy, among which Zhang Hou's internal energy is the most powerful.

He had already accumulated more than ten strands. Next was Wang Wu, who, although he had lost an arm, had been taught the "One-Armed Sea and Sky Blade" sword technique by Li Xian. This sword technique was a basic martial art, obtained from the Yihe Manor.

To practice this skill, one must have a disability in one's arm; congenital disability is best, while acquired disability is slightly less desirable. There are countless extraordinary skills in the world.

Shouts and shouts echoed from inside the hall. Li Xian had achieved a breakthrough in swordsmanship last night, progressing from mastery to perfection, though he was still far from reaching the pinnacle. Today, he had the rare opportunity to "steal some time" and temporarily set aside his martial arts studies to instruct everyone in martial arts.

Raise your elbow by half an inch.

"Draw your legs back and lift your hips."

Li Xian moved among the crowd, his words concise and to the point. With just a slight adjustment to his posture, he could greatly improve a person's martial arts, as if entering a new world.

Li Xian said, "You all continue practicing, and don't be lazy." After instructing everyone, he left the Martial Arts Hall.

Stealing half a day to relax, I strolled leisurely through the streets.

Although Qingning County is remote, it is home to hundreds of thousands of people. This world is vast and rich in resources. Even if people's livelihoods are difficult, the population base is large.

There is a bookstore called "Xiucai Bookstore" on Nanfeng Street.

Li Xiaofan, the younger brother, was a frequent customer. The shop owner was an old man with white hair, dim eyesight, and a hunched back. The mischievous children in the neighborhood all called him a pedantic scholar, but they never saw him get angry.

Thanks to this old man, when the two brothers were short of money, the younger brother could borrow a book to read.

Li Xian strolled here and suddenly remembered this incident. He saw that the bookstore was deserted and the old scholar was tidying up the bookshelves with his cane. He gently tapped the bookshelves, and smoke billowed out, making the old scholar cough violently.

Li Xian offered his help and said with a warm smile, "Uncle, how have you been lately?"

"You're Ah Xian." The old scholar was taken aback, squinted and looked her over for a moment, and did seem to recognize her.

He called Xiao Fan "Little Brother Xiao Fan" and Li Xian "Li Xian" to distinguish them.

"Yes." Li Xian took the books from the high shelf, dusted them off, tidied them up, and put them back in their place. She casually asked, "Uncle, at your age, haven't you thought about taking a rest?"

“I’m not tired, why should I rest?” The old scholar waved his hand. “By the way, how has your Xiao Fan been lately? I haven’t seen him come to borrow books in a long time.”

"Could it be that you're not going to study anymore? That would be such a waste."

“He went to the prefectural city,” Li Xian said with a smile. “He entered the prefectural academy and will continue his studies.”

"Ah!" the old scholar exclaimed, clapping his hands and saying, "Rare indeed! A pure heart will eventually be rewarded. May he be safe and sound, and make great progress in his literary pursuits."

"Uncle," Li Xian said, "I'd also like to buy some books to read."

"Oh?" the old scholar said. "Then do you want the Four Books and Five Classics, or poetry, songs, and treatises on governing the country?"

Li Xian had absolutely no interest in worldly principles or theories of governance. Instead, he loved geographical atlases, flute music, paintings, and strange tales. It was simply his nature.

He told the old man the truth and asked him to help choose books. The old scholar shook his head and chuckled, "Xiao Fan told me that if his brother were to study, he wouldn't be any worse than him."

"Xiao Fan is being modest," Li Xian said with a smile. "Xiao Fan has a photographic memory; I can't compare to him."

“You’re wrong,” the old scholar said, shaking his head. “A thorough understanding is far more important than a photographic memory. But I see that you are naturally unconventional, and your ambitions will not lie in this.”

"I guess you have a broad mind and lofty aspirations, but due to various reasons such as time, people, and place, you are trapped in one place and cannot get out. You can only relieve your boredom through books and diagrams and gain an early understanding of the ways of the world."

"In that case, I recommend a book to you... a miscellaneous book called 'Zhang Hanbing'."

The old scholar was extremely familiar with the layout of the shop. He walked to a corner with his cane, pulled out an old book with a yellow cover from the bookshelf.

Li Xian asked, "Zhang Hanbing?"

"This is the author of the book, and he named it after himself," the old scholar said eloquently. "He was born in the previous dynasty, Dayu. He suffered from a cold since childhood, and his hands and feet were weak and sore. But he loved lakes and mountains by nature."

"Starting in my early teens, I ran away from home to visit lakes and climb mountains. Along the way, I saw scenery, people, and all sorts of people. All kinds of strange and wonderful encounters are recorded in this book. Just treat it as a story."

"The book also contains information about the local customs and culture of Dayu. If you are interested, you might as well buy it and take a look."

Li Xian was delighted upon hearing this.

The Great Wu Dynasty lasted for over a thousand years, its past events buried in the dust. Ordinary people rarely heard of it. Even Li Xian knew very little about the Great Wu Dynasty, let alone the previous Great Yu Dynasty.

He was very eager to learn, and he knew that a martial artist should learn, observe, and reflect more. He was extremely fond of these novel things.

He immediately bought "Zhang Hanbing". To help the old scholar, he also bought several books on poetry and literature for the guards of Yihezhuang and the servants of Wuweitang to study.

After leaving the bookstore, I found myself back in my old house, almost by chance.

The house was unusually clean, the water tank was filled with water, and the broken thatched roof had been repaired.

Li Xian looked around and thought, "Could someone be living here? That's good. My brother and I no longer live here. Giving up the house for others to live in and keeping the place lively is a good thing."

As I entered the room, I caught a faint, pleasant fragrance. The scent seemed familiar.

Who's here!

Suddenly a shout was heard, and a woman returned from outside the door. The woman was dressed simply, half of her face was burned, she was tall and had a heroic air about her.

She narrowed her eyes and stared intently at him. If Li Xian made any move, she would act immediately.

Li Xian cupped his hands and smiled, "Young lady, I am the former owner of this house."

I recognized the woman and thought to myself:

"It's this woman? I bought the fish-scale armor from her in the black market, and I'm still wearing it. To meet her here now is truly a strange coincidence."

"Back then, I deliberately concealed my face, using plaster to cover it. Now that my [perfect appearance] has been revealed, with a mole between my eyebrows, my face has changed drastically. I doubt she would recognize me."

The woman's eyes flashed with murderous intent as she closed the courtyard gate and slowly approached.

"joke."

The woman said coldly, "Do you think I'm easy to fool? Judging from your appearance and demeanor, and your decent clothes, you probably come from a prominent family, or even a wealthy one. How could you possibly live in this back alley?"

"If you don't tell the truth, I won't let you go today."

Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Liu returned together. Hearing the commotion, they came to investigate. Mrs. Liu exclaimed in surprise, "Little Fairy, why are you back?"

"Aunt Liu, this person is strange, don't come any closer," the woman said warily.

"What's so strange?" Aunt Liu strode over: "This is Li Xian, he used to live here."

"Speaking of which, you're renting someone else's house."

"This..." The woman was taken aback, still suspicious and unconvinced. Seeing the apparent misunderstanding between the two, Aunt Liu quickly explained. After much persuasion, the misunderstanding was cleared up.

It turns out that the woman's name was Luo Xia, and her origins were a mystery. She had been wandering to Qingning County some time ago. She had a proud spirit and would rather sleep in the open in the countryside than rob and steal.

Therefore, they lived in poverty and were in dire straits.

Later, Aunt Liu encountered her. Realizing the Li family mansion was uninhabited and gradually falling into disrepair, she decided to rent it to the woman for five coins a month.

It would be wonderful if someone could take care of the house.

And so, Luo Xia settled in the Li family home, and with Aunt Liu's help, her life gradually improved. Until today, when she saw Li Xian, a misunderstanding almost arose.

"Sigh, speaking of which, Xiaoxian, you really are something. You came back without even telling me beforehand."

"Since you're already here, why don't you come over for lunch?"

Aunt Liu has been running a clothing shop lately and has some extra money. She bought fish, shrimp, and pork at the market, ready to show off her culinary skills.

Li Xian smiled and said, "Okay."

"Old Wang, come and help me." Aunt Liu glared at Uncle Wang, then laughed, "Xiaoxia, you come too. You look like you haven't eaten for days."

"Who said that?" Luo Xia said coldly, "I'm not hungry, you can eat by yourselves." But she swallowed hard.

"Come on, come on," Aunt Liu pleaded earnestly, offering a few more words of persuasion. Luo Xia finally agreed.

Because the thatched hut was low and could not accommodate many people, they moved the table into the courtyard to eat.

Aunt Liu was cooking by the stove, while Uncle Wang was cracking sunflower seeds and chatting with Li Xian. He would then eagerly bring out the food and serve rice after Aunt Liu called his pager.

Li Xian felt relaxed and also quite nostalgic. In the past, when Li's father went hunting in the mountains and had meat, he would share some food and soup with Aunt Liu's family. If possible, they would also buy some wine and snacks.

The two families shared a table and enjoyed a hearty meal in the courtyard. Life was tough then, but even in the hardest times, there were always moments of joy.

Soon, the table was filled with dishes. Stir-fried pork with chili peppers, stir-fried liver with bamboo shoots, egg drop and wild vegetable soup, braised pig's trotters... all dishes brimming with the aroma of home cooking.

We can only eat this once a year, usually during the Lunar New Year.

"These bamboo shoots were dug from the mountain, and the eggs are home-caught. Come on, everyone, eat up!" Aunt Liu warmly invited.

Li Xian took a bite and smiled, "Aunt Liu, your cooking skills have improved again."

"Eat as much as you like," Aunt Liu said. "Xiaoxia, eat as much as you want."

Luo Xia sized up Li Xian, still wary. The meal was quickly finished, and Mr. and Mrs. Liu washed the dishes. Luo Xia and Li Xian sat facing each other at the table. Li Xian smiled and said, "You don't need to be wary."

“I don’t think you’re a bad person. Since you’re renting my house, then you can continue renting it. I won’t pry into your past.”

Luo Xia was taken aback, but then calmed down considerably and said, "Okay, thank you."

“I will pay the monthly rent on time.”

"It's alright," Li Xian said with a smile. "I can accept being owed two days' delay."

"Yes." Luo Xia's eyes flickered slightly. "Are you quite well-connected in this county?"

"Not bad," Li Xian said casually.

"Will I be able to see Commander Wu?" Luo Xia asked calmly.

Li Xian asked, "Why do you want to see him?"

Luo Xia said, "Wu Weilang... handles disputes in the martial arts world. He is also responsible for capturing some vicious fugitives."

"I want to collect some bounty to supplement my family income and buy some rice and grain."

"I see." Li Xian had just been appointed as a military officer and was not familiar with official duties. The wanted notices for capturing vicious fugitives from the martial arts world had not yet reached him.

Mentioning this, he recalled an abandoned wooden hut in the Martial Arts Hall. It seemed to be a document storeroom, but he had been too busy practicing martial arts to investigate it.

Li Xian made a few perfunctory remarks, saying he would help her with introductions in the future, and then hurriedly put her back in the hall.

...

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(End of this chapter)