Chapter 10: The Way of the Feudal Lords

Shen Tang took another bite.

It almost made her facial features distort from the sourness.

"Although it's very sour, and there's only one Word of Power per use, so the yield is low, it's good as long as it's edible."

After all, it's a freebie, so we can't expect too much.

She planned to make a lot, turning them into green plums, salted plums, or plum wine. It was a zero-cost business, and even if she couldn't make a fortune, it should be enough to support herself. She carefully picked out a large, green plum that looked very sour and handed it to Qi Shan.

"Here, Mr. Qi, would you like to try some?"

Qi Shan didn't take it immediately. First, she looked down at the green plum in her hand, then lifted her eyelids to look at the smug smile on Shen Tang's face, as if she had "gotten a fat wolf for free." Her eyebrows twitched violently, and veins on her forehead seemed to appear and disappear.

Does this young man actually know...?

After a long while, Qi Shancai sighed and caught it.

He wiped his mouth haphazardly with his sleeve and took a bite.

It really is sour!

Both in terms of feel and taste, it is exactly the same as an unripe green plum.

Seeing Qi Shan's expression gradually losing control, Shen Tang laughed and said, "If it were a little more mature, the taste would be even better. I wonder if there are any words that can conjure wine. If there are, we can brew some plum wine and hide it away. When it snows in winter, we can go to the lake to enjoy the scenery, brew tea, drink wine, and taste plums. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Qi Shan looked at Shen Tang with a complicated expression.

He sighed, "If you think it's good, then it's good. Just don't regret your rash actions today..."

Shen Tang stopped eating the green plum, looking puzzled: "Mr. Qi, what do you mean... being able to conjure things isn't a good thing? I'll regret it?"

"It's a good thing for others, but for you—it might not be a good thing." He looked at Shen Tang with a hint of regret, as if she had lost a great treasure without her even knowing it. Before Shen Tang could ask for details, he suddenly changed the subject, "Of course, if Young Master Shen doesn't have any great ambitions and only wants to have enough to eat and a house to shelter him from the wind and rain, that can also be considered a good thing."

Shen Tang chewed on the green plum, appearing completely bewildered, but inwardly she frowned.

Speculate on why Qi Shan said that.

She tentatively asked, "Is it related to my literary talent?"

Qi Shan was surprised by her keen insight and nodded: "There is some connection."

Shen Tang was all ears, but Qi Shan was uncooperative and didn't intend to explain in detail.

What did he say?

Is the imperial seal that Gong family hid possibly on Shen Xiaolangjun?

Even if he had no interest in the Imperial Seal, Young Master Shen might not think the same way. To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, it was best to pretend not to know. Most importantly, he suspected that Young Master Shen's literary talent had resonated with the Imperial Seal, inadvertently awakening the "Way of the Feudal Lords."

The relationship between the literary mind, the martial spirit, and the national seal is very special.

The Imperial Seal not only safeguards the nation's destiny and defends against foreign enemies, but also possesses a crucial ability: "the way of the feudal lords."

A lord with both literary talent and martial prowess holds the national seal and has the opportunity to resonate with it, randomly gaining a special ability based on his inner desires. The most common choices for lords are "rule," "people-friendly," and "supporters." There are even those who can enhance the literary talent and martial prowess of their subordinates, thereby attracting many talented individuals to serve them.

He was not familiar with Shen Tang's ways of dealing with feudal lords, but it was definitely related to "agriculture".

Otherwise, how could green plums be conjured up?

A feudal lord with a talent for "agriculture"...

Just by listening to it, you can tell there's no future in it.

However, since Young Master Shen doesn't seem to have any ambition and only seeks to protect himself, this ability is extremely suitable, at least ensuring he won't starve.

Shen Tang, whose heart was itching with a cat scratching at it: "..."

I hate it when someone leaves things unsaid, making people guess what they're saying.

"Sir, there's a reason why you don't want to elaborate. Logically, I shouldn't ask too many questions, but after all, it concerns me..." Shen Tang used a strategy of retreat to advance, probing in various ways, "I suspect there might be something wrong with my literary talent? How serious is this problem... is it salvageable?"

Qi Shan answered decisively, "No."

As far as he knew, a national seal corresponded to a feudal lord and a "way of the feudal lord".

This innate ability requires the use of the national seal as a medium to activate, and except in one specific case, it is generally fixed and unchanging throughout one's life.

Which situation?

die!

It's a matter of life and death!

As long as Young Master Shen is alive, the Imperial Seal in her hands can only be of its current value—the only advantage being that she won't have to worry about starving to death.

If Young Master Shen has ambitions, then things will be terrible.

Having suffered a setback from the start and being born with a deformity, it was no match for the other jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.

Seeing Qi Shan's increasingly serious expression, Shen Tang felt that the green plums in her hand no longer smelled good.

she--

Is he going to die soon?

In an instant, countless thoughts swirled and flashed through her mind.

If Qi Shan hadn't spoken up to pull her back to reality, she could have imagined herself lying listlessly on her side, writing her will.

"Young Master Shen, besides the green plums used for 'quenching thirst by looking at plums,' can you conjure up anything else?"

Shen Tang shook her head: "I don't know, but we can try."

Qi Shan pulled out another scroll, pointed to a passage of incantation on it, and said, "Then try this incantation—"

Shen Tang leaned closer for a look and murmured, "Drawing a cake on the ground, it's not meant to be eaten?"

"This passage is similar to the 'quench thirst by looking at plums' analogy."

Since "looking at plums to quench thirst" can produce green plums, this incantation might be able to create pancakes.

Shen Tang said, "But they are all 'uninedible,' so how can we eat the cakes we've drawn? Why not simplify it to 'drawing cakes to satisfy hunger'?"

The pancakes are more filling than the green plums.

The green plums were certainly fresh, but they were too small and sour, so even with her iron stomach, Shen Tang dared not eat too many.

I'd only chewed about twenty pieces when my gums started to feel sore and numb.

After trying more than ten times, nothing happened.

She was somewhat discouraged, but her eyes lit up when she glanced at the densely packed notes of incantations on the scroll. She moved her finger and stopped at a passage: "Mr. Qi, compared to empty promises, I find this passage more interesting—'Turning stone into gold, fulfilling one's desires!'"

"Turning stone into gold?"

They instantly understood Shen Tang's ulterior motives.

"That's right, turning stone into gold! How many kilograms of plums and cakes could a small piece of gold buy? In terms of value, this incantation is naturally superior. Not only that—there's also 'keeping a beauty in a golden house,' which can also be arranged. It's just that I don't know if what's created is a 'golden house' or a 'beauty.' If it's a 'beauty,' is this 'beauty' male or female, beautiful or ugly..."

Qi Shan looked at Shen Tang as if she were looking at a daydreaming fool.

She's not very old, but she's dreaming big.

"If you're not afraid of dying suddenly, you can give it a try."

Shen Tang: "???"

Qi Shan chuckled: "The value and effect of Word Spirit depend on the consumption of Literary Heart. The stronger the Literary Heart, the greater the consumption, and the stronger the Word Spirit. If one forcibly uses Word Spirit beyond one's ability, failure is one thing, at most one will be weak for a while, but once successful—it will inevitably backfire on the caster. For example, a shortened lifespan, premature death in one's prime, being plagued by illness, being bedridden, or even bleeding from all seven orifices and dying on the spot. Throughout history, such tragedies have been numerous. Young Master Shen, don't follow in his footsteps because of momentary curiosity and greed."

How can the value of a green plum or a cake compare to that of gold, silver, or jade?

Everything comes at a price.

My computer broke down, sigh. (Typed on my phone)

The new book period was too tough; looks like I need to get some new equipment.

(End of this chapter)