Chapter 9 009: Quenching Thirst by Looking at Plums
An awkward silence fell over the air for three breaths.
Qi Shan replied helplessly, "Martial courage is concentrated in the body, while literary talent is controlled externally."
Although Shen Tang really wanted to say that she understood, to avoid being misunderstood as having intellectual problems, but—
"I... don't quite understand. Could you explain it in more detail, Mr. Qi?"
Qi Shan didn't expect Shen Tang to understand it in one go.
This young man might really be a wild man from some remote corner of the world; he speaks in a concise and subtle way that she can't understand.
Therefore, Qi Shan changed to a more colloquial way of speaking.
"Martial courage, with 'martial' as its core. The character for 'martial' is composed of 'halberd' and 'stop,' signifying conquest and demonstration. Stopping the use of weapons is martial prowess, using war to end war. Therefore, most spiritual words are applied to oneself, tempering the body to make it incomparably powerful, capable of fighting against thousands, often with solitary courage."
Shen Tang nodded thoughtfully.
"Most of the power of words affects the user, so does that mean a small portion does?"
"Yes, take the power of words, 'One call, a hundred responses,' as an example—if a feudal lord or strategist uses it, he can rally a hundred soldiers; but if a general uses it, he can make a hundred soldiers put on armor and mount their horses, their momentum becoming one, transforming them into a sharp and elite force. If the morale of the troops is unified, the elite force will be even stronger and invincible."
Qi Shan, having already gained experience, anticipated Shen Tang's prediction and answered her question before she could ask it.
"Some words can be used for both literary and martial purposes; there's no need to be curious about that."
The same incantation can have different effects in the hands of different people, depending on their understanding and level of cultivation.
Shen Tang: "..."
Qi Shan continued, “Literary Mind is different from Martial Courage. The essence of Literary Mind lies in the words ‘strategy’ and ‘calculation.’ Therefore, the power of words tends to be more about control and planning, using words to always control complex and ever-changing situations. Martial Courage has twenty ranks, and the higher the rank, the stronger it is. So people think that Literary Mind is the same, and the higher the rank, the stronger it is. But in my opinion, this is a very wrong understanding. Literary Mind is what is being tested here.”
He pointed to his head.
If you're not smart enough, even if you possess the literary talent of a second-rank scholar, don't easily provoke a low-rank scholar of a ninth-rank scholar whose background you don't know.
Shen Tang pondered for a while.
She felt like she understood, but also like she didn't.
"A martial arts expert is someone who personally engages in fights, and someone even stronger would form a gang and lead his brothers to fight together. But Wenxin doesn't easily get involved; instead, she's a behind-the-scenes boss who hires other thugs to fight for her? The former shows off her muscles, while the latter shows off her brains?"
One damage dealer, one support?
After listening, Qi Shan remained silent for a few breaths.
Although he didn't understand what "show" meant, he could guess its general meaning from the context.
He said expressionlessly, "You can interpret it that way if you want."
Shen Tang pondered for a while and then asked, "...But, wouldn't that put us in a very passive position?"
"passive?"
"No matter how smart you are, you can't withstand a lot of punches from the enemy."
Wenxin is a support/command role, and most of her skills reflect this, with her main damage output coming from her martial prowess.
If you get caught alone, wouldn't you be left to be executed?
"As an adult, can't you be both scholarly and martial? Do you have to have both? Can't you only choose one to cultivate?"
She wants both fish and bear's paw!
Qi Shan roughly understood her thoughts.
"Throughout recorded history, there have been examples of individuals simultaneously cultivating both literary talent and martial prowess, but—"
"But what?"
Qi Shan poked at the campfire and said calmly, "They either died young, became mentally impaired, or had mediocre abilities and were no different from ordinary people."
Shen Tang: "..."
She doesn't deserve the "golden finger" of being proficient in both literature and martial arts.
She held the scroll, her head spinning from reading it.
She recognized every word on it, and could memorize Qi Shan's notes at a glance, but she was completely clueless about how to cultivate and use it. When she asked the "newbie NPC," the answer was cryptic and completely based on subjective understanding.
Indeed, you can't ask for too much when you're getting something for free.
Time passed, and our stomachs started rumbling again.
Shen Tang rubbed her stomach, looking at the scroll with the words "quenching thirst by looking at plums," and the image of green plums floated into her mind.
"It's not that Wenxin can 'create something out of nothing'... It's not too much for you to 'quench your thirst by looking at plums' by giving me a few green plums, is it?"
If you have a lot of green plums, you can make other things and store them up for later.
Qi Shan had excellent hearing and poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
“Of course it’s excessive. ‘Words of Power’ may be wondrous, but it can’t give people food. If it could—there wouldn’t be so many people starving to death in the world.” Thinking of something, Qi Shan sighed softly by the campfire, “A few months ago, while traveling, I personally witnessed the suffering of an entire city…”
He paused here, then deliberately ended the conversation.
Even without him saying it outright, Shen Tang could imagine what he would say next.
It was nothing more than a tragic scene of starving people everywhere.
She said, "Why not? 'Word of Power' can conjure sharp blades, warhorses, and armor, enabling an ordinary man to fight against thousands of troops. Why can't it conjure up a little green plum? It's all about creating something from nothing, so why the discrimination? Even if it really can't, it can still help with farming, right?"
Even if working with both intellectual and physical strength is not as efficient as mechanization, it is still much better than ordinary people toiling in the fields.
If food could be conjured up—
She thought she could sell plums to earn some travel expenses.
Transmigrating to another world and becoming a penniless fugitive, it's really tough for an ordinary, homebody artist like her.
If this path is also blocked, she will have no choice but to go back to her old profession of painting for others, and she doesn't know who would be willing to commission her to create works.
Qi Shan did not give a positive answer.
He simply said, "I can't answer the first few questions, but you'll know the answer to the last one as you gain more experience."
In this murky and chaotic world, who would be willing to turn swords into plowshares?
They will inevitably be attacked by the masses.
The young man's idea was not unheard of; there were also ambitious people who traveled around advocating for reform and assisting feudal lords, but all of them failed for various reasons and met tragic ends.
Thinking of these unpleasant thoughts, he closed his eyes in frustration and took a nap, occasionally hearing Shen Tang mutter, "Looking at plums to quench thirst."
About fifteen minutes later, she was still struggling with the idea of "quenching thirst by looking at plums".
Qi Shan didn't even open his eyes: "Learning the power of words requires fate. There are countless powers of words in the world. If you can't master one, don't waste time getting stuck on it. Just move on to something else. Of course, you can't learn everything. You can't bite off more than you can chew. It's better to focus on quality than quantity."
"Oh, I understand."
Then came a crisp crunching sound and the sound of chewing.
Qi Shan: "???"
He has half of the remaining dry food and water pouch. Where is Young Master Shen going to eat?
You can faintly smell the fragrance of green plums.
Qi Shan: "!!!"
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Shen Tang.
The latter was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a dozen or so round, bright green plums piled on her legs. Each one looked fresh, tender, and crisp. As Shen Tang chewed, her brows furrowed from the sourness, her face scrunched up, but she was too hungry to resist swallowing them.
"Where did you get all these green plums?"
Qi Shan opened her eyes wide, spoke with difficulty, and swallowed several times before regaining her ability to speak.
Shen Tang blinked, forcing back the soreness in her eyes.
"Green plum? Oh, I've been trying the 'quench thirst by looking at plums' spell, and I've tried very hard to stimulate my literary mind, but I've never achieved the effect you mentioned. After trying a few more times, a plum appeared out of nowhere... You see, it's like this—"
"Looking at plums can quench thirst!"
After explaining, Shen Tang demonstrated it once more.
As the words of power fell, a green plum appeared out of thin air in Qi Shan's palm under her watchful gaze.
This is today's update.
A typhoon is coming, and it's hitting us head-on. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight...
(End of this chapter)
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