Chapter 125: Literary and Military Fortune [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Lili seemed surprised that the topic had turned to her.
Faced with this question, I let out a cold sneer in my heart.
He said calmly, "I only started learning about the basics when I was sixteen..."
There's no need to say more.
However, Shen Tang was an anomaly and didn't understand what was wrong with this age. In her opinion, starting enlightenment at sixteen was late, but with her innate talent and aptitude, surely she shouldn't be unable to even cross the threshold of martial arts? At most, her achievements wouldn't be as high as those who started from a young age.
"Sixteen? Six years too late, it's truly a pity..." Qi Shan could tell from her micro-expression that she didn't understand, and explained, "The prerequisite for cultivating literary and martial spirit is to comprehend the Qi of heaven and earth, guide the Qi into the body, and open the Dantian. The younger you are, the easier it is to feel that 'Qi,' and the older you are, the less easy it becomes. It is generally believed that after the age of ten, you can no longer feel it..."
Shen Tang felt that there was a big problem with these words.
She said, "That doesn't make sense, does it? When the thief star descended to earth, most of the first people to cultivate both literary and martial talents were between twenty and fifty years old. How did they manage to do it? It doesn't make sense that if they could do it back then, people today can't."
Qi Shan said with a complicated expression, "It's related to the Imperial Seal."
Shen Tang was stunned: "The Imperial Seal again?"
"Um."
Shen Tang pressed further, "What kind of explanation is that?"
I don't know what's wrong with Qi Shan lately, but he basically answers whatever Shen Tang asks, and rarely keeps her in suspense.
"This explanation is not widely accepted; I heard it from a gentleman. He said that the scholars and military officers of that time were either in high positions or held great power and were often the confidants of their rulers. Therefore, the good fortune they had accumulated over many years in office helped them achieve success in one fell swoop. I think this explanation makes a lot of sense."
Shen Tang heard another unfamiliar word.
"The fate of both civil and military officials? What is that?"
"It's a power transformed from the Qi of Heaven and Earth absorbed by the Imperial Seal. As the name suggests, civil officials cultivate literary fortune, and military officials cultivate martial fortune, similar to literary and martial energy. The difference is that literary and martial energy are cultivated by individuals, while literary and martial fortune are transformed from the Imperial Seal, and their quantity depends on the achievements of civil and military officials during their tenure." Seeing Shen Tang's curious and surprised expression, Qi Shan's dark eyes seemed to flash with a hint of amusement, "Is that so strange?"
"Indeed, it sounds a bit strange..." Shen Tang opened and closed his mouth twice before finally managing to utter a sentence. Connecting it to the fantasy world setting of "Wen Xin Wu Dan," the two seemed surprisingly harmonious. He muttered, "Being an official is really not easy; not only do you have to meet KPIs, but you also have to cultivate..."
Even if there were 24 hours in a day, it wouldn't be enough.
Qi Shan chuckled: "Whether it's literary talent or martial prowess, both require a great deal of time and energy to cultivate. Once you stop, you'll stagnate. And as officials and generals in the court, most of your day is occupied by political and military affairs. Where would you find the extra energy to cultivate? If being an official or a general is harmful and useless, why are those scholars and warriors so eager to enter officialdom?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Wow, so that's another way to explain it.
Those who become officials or generals can cultivate both literary and martial talents, and also benefit from the fortune and blessings of the imperial seal. Combined, this makes their cultivation much faster and stronger than that of a wandering cultivator. In addition, there are many hidden benefits.
Come to think of it, if there weren't profits to be made, who would be willing to waste so much cultivation time, earning the money meant for buying cabbage, and doing the work of selling heroin? What would they be after? The fact that the monarch is hard to please, the mundane affairs are numerous and troublesome, or the meager salary and stipend?
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some people are willing to work for free and work overtime like crazy, just for their ideals, to practice their own "morality", for the common people, and for world peace... But they are only a minority after all. The majority of people in the world are ordinary people.
Entering officialdom is a fast path to advancement, offering a salary, status, power, and fame... No wonder people are desperate to get into the bureaucracy.
Shen Tang's mind raced: "So, if Li Li is a general, even if he's old, he can still gain martial prowess?"
Qi Shan replied, "That's correct in theory."
Looking at the small, chubby young master of the wealthy family riding on the back of the black-faced man, Li Li asked, "Is the young master mocking me?"
"Why is it sarcastic? As the saying goes, troubled times produce heroes. With Li Li's strength and abilities, he would surely stand out if he joined the army, right?" Shen Tang said sincerely, "Since he can no longer cultivate martial courage on his own after the age of ten, this is not a bad way out."
Zhai Le shook his head and sighed, "Brother Shen, things aren't that easy. Ordinary people in the army can at most become squad leaders or platoon leaders. Even a captain commanding a hundred men has to start as a low-ranking soldier. And these low-ranking soldiers are mostly the general's personal guards and confidants..."
That meager amount of martial luck is simply not enough to forge a martial spirit. Unless one can face life and death several times on the battlefield, make great contributions and be promoted beyond the usual level, and then work hard for several years or even more, making more and more contributions, perhaps one can achieve the goal.
Shen Tang was speechless upon hearing this: "This...this is so difficult?"
No wonder Tanuki asked her if she was being sarcastic.
It does sound rather sarcastic.
Qi Shan: "Precisely because it is so difficult, it is generally assumed that if someone has not practiced martial arts and tempered their body by the age of ten, they will never be able to pursue this path in their lifetime."
Shen Tang said softly, "I didn't know about this before..."
These words weren't meant for Qi Shan, but for Li Li standing to the side. Shen Tang then asked a question she really wanted to ask: "Then, I still have a doubt—can the crippled Wenxin be restored with this? Military battles rely on strength and require great courage, that's understandable, but the officialdom relies more on strategy, on battles fought without the clash of swords, isn't that right..."
Qi Shan: "Generally not. Wenxin was probably crippled because he was subjected to the 'Broken Mansion Extreme Punishment.' To prevent the perpetrator from having a chance to retaliate in the future, his meridians would also be sealed to eliminate any future troubles. Even if this path were truly feasible, the threshold for entering officialdom is no lower than that for joining the army; ability alone is not enough."
Shen Tang was disappointed after hearing this, but she noticed that Qi Shan said "generally not", which meant there were exceptions.
Qi Shan seemed to know what Shen Tang was thinking: "There are exceptions, but few people would take this path. It's risky and the price is too high."
"Tell me quickly, which road?"
Qi Shan gave an irrelevant answer: "You have to exchange your life for it."
How do I change it?
Qi Shan understood: "Youli asked for Chu Wuhui's sake? I know this, how could he not know? Chu Wuhui knows what he's doing. He'll naturally make the change when he wants to. The fact that he hasn't taken any action yet means the time isn't right or he doesn't have the intention yet."
Shen Tang pouted, starting to keep everyone in suspense again.
Zhai Le whispered a reminder to her: "If Brother Shen is curious, he can take a look at 'Biographies of Famous Ministers and Scholars' when he has the chance. However, as Mr. Qi said, I also think this path is unreliable."
Upon hearing this, Shen Tang stopped asking questions.
He simply wrote down this book of "Biographies of Famous Officials and Scholars".
|ω｀)
Wow, thank you so much, editor-in-chief! After I gave feedback yesterday, Qidian processed it immediately and issued the 5,000 monthly ticket bonus. The Empress got 10,000 monthly tickets in one go thanks to the double monthly ticket bonus! Hahaha (Next month, I can participate in the monthly ticket lottery ten times. Even if each time I only get a minimum of 100 RMB, that's still 1,000 RMB. What a win!)
(End of this chapter)
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