Chen Jing received several non-fiction novels about illusionists recommended by Mo Tianyu, sat down on a chair in the library, and began to carefully read the top book.
As he read, Chen Jing's expression turned strange.
This is actually a pornographic book. It describes an extremely ugly and short evil cultivator who uses illusion magic to disguise himself as a handsome and aloof young master. He attacks girls from all walks of life, from ordinary rich girls to the eldest daughter of a sect leader, manipulating them with his illusion magic.
After finishing the book, Chen Jing angrily took it and went to the two people who were playing cards.
Mo Tianyu quickly replied, "You can borrow books, but only two at a time, and a maximum of ten per person. Lord Chen, do you need my help with the borrowing procedures?"
"Is this a factual novel?" Chen Jing said in a deep voice, "I want to learn..."
With a gloomy face, Chen Jing placed the book on the counter and said in a deep voice, "What I want to learn is the demeanor and stories of senior cultivators, not this kind of obscene reading material."
Mo Tianyu was taken aback. He hadn't expected that someone would dislike reading this book. The book he recommended to Chen Jing was one of Mo Tianyu's favorites. If he hadn't wanted to build a good relationship with the new ordinary member, Mo Tianyu wouldn't have lent it to Chen Jing.
Mo Tianyu quickly said, "That kind of thing also exists..."
He hurried inside, took out a few books, and gave them to Chen Jing.
Chen Jing took the book, returned to his previous seat, and began to study it.
Having studied writing for a while, he could now understand the meaning of these relatively popular books without relying on a dictionary, simply by looking at the context. The writing system in this world was very similar to the writing system before he transmigrated, including the grammar and the characters.
As a novel enthusiast before his transmigration, Chen Jing could read all day long until noon, when Mo Tianyu cautiously invited him to a restaurant for lunch, at which point Chen Jing stopped reading.
Chen Jing understood Mo Tianyu's implication that the library was closed at noon because the librarians had to go to the cafeteria for lunch, so he readily agreed, intending to mooch some free food from the Black Hand Gang.
Chen Jing soon realized he was overthinking things; the ship's restaurant didn't offer free food at all, and he had to pay for everything himself.
Mo Tianyu explained that the ship's basic food supply was only provided free of charge when setting sail, and that it would cost money while in port. However, since everyone had a salary, they could afford to eat something.
Having failed to get a free meal, Chen Jing ordered the exact same food as Mo Tianyu: a bowl of rice, a small piece of sliced meat, a dish of pickled vegetables including a piece of radish and a few slices of sour yellow cabbage, a dish of peanuts, a small bowl of egg drop soup, a glass of wine, and a slice of orange—a rather generous selection. The total cost to Chen Jing was 9 Blue Star Coins.
Judging from the appearance of oranges on the crew's table, Chen Jing suspected that the people of this world already knew about the existence of sepsis and had taken preventive measures. Judging from Mo Tianyu and the others' actions, this fruit seemed to have become a habitual food for all the crew members.
This indicates that the world's maritime transport is highly developed, and there have been frequent ocean voyages.
While eating, Mo Tianyu and Chen Jing chatted and joked around, and Chen Jing acted as their straight man, listening to their stories about their previous voyage.
"...The drowned ghosts climbed onto the boat. Their skin and clothes were rotting and seeping water. They were soaking wet and their limbs were swollen. Just being around them was like falling into deep water, with waves of suffocation attacking you."
When she got to the part, Mo Tianyu ordered another drink and a plate of beef, and put one leg on the chair.
"And then?" Chen Jing asked politely but curiously.
"Then he was terrified," Wang Xun added from the side. "It was Lord Huang Yuanlong who saved him."
“No.” Mo Tianyu said solemnly, “I just understand that staying close to that kind of monster will only get in the way and hinder the attack, so I strategically retreated to the vicinity of the hatch and did everything I could.”
Wang Xun nodded: "Okay, you're right."
Chen Jing continued, "Then how did Lord Huang deal with the drowned ghost?"
"Lord Huang made a hand seal with his left hand and held a sword in his right. With a whoosh, flames burst forth and burned several drowned ghosts... Then Lord Huang rushed into the aura of the drowned ghosts, and flames also ignited on his sword. He chopped melons and vegetables as easily as cutting vegetables..." Mo Tianyu spoke with great enthusiasm, gesturing wildly.
As Chen Jing listened to their account, he gained a basic understanding of the large ship's past actions.
After they finished eating, Chen Jing said, "Let's talk about this next time. I want to continue reading now."
Mo Tianyu simply nodded, clearly still somewhat unsatisfied.
Back in the library, Chen Jing continued reading the stories.
Chen Jing compiled a list of several practitioners who might be Daoists and began to grasp their commonalities, attempting to analyze their cultivation methods or find a direction for their practice.
But Chen Jing failed, and he soon realized that it was not a simple matter.
Because Chen Jing couldn't guarantee that someone was truly a Daoist cultivator, couldn't verify the story's authenticity, and didn't know which parts belonged to cultivation and self-cultivation, and which were simply other people's personality and behavior... This required extensive research and couldn't be concluded in a short time.
Rubbing his temples, Chen Jing decided to change his approach.
Since it's difficult to gain guidance from knowledge, why not gain knowledge from practice?
Chen Jing quickly listed in his mind the stages in which his spiritual power grew the fastest, and what he was doing at each stage.
First, he used his noise-stealing ability to rescue his sister and escape from the port area with her. During the escape, his spiritual power increased very quickly. Although Chen Jing was probably also absorbing spiritual energy, he was also quickly mastering that absorbed spiritual energy.
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