abnabooks Chapter 22 Li Shen
Chapter 22 Li Shen
Before long, a waiter came to deliver the message, "Your needs have been prepared."
As Chen Luo and Li Jiangwei stepped out of the room, Master Liu was already waiting with a burlap sack. Upon seeing the two of them come out, he hurried forward and said, "You two have been waiting for a long time."
Li Jiangwei glanced at the burlap sack and said, "Put the money for the purchase on the Finance Department's official account."
"Alright!" Master Liu seemed to have expected this. He took out a pre-prepared receipt, glanced at Chen Luo, and then looked at Li Jiangwei. "Is this the disciple?"
"Yes." Li Jiangwei nodded.
Master Liu quickly glanced at Chen Luo, then handed him the receipt with a smile, saying, "Just sign and put your fingerprint at the end."
Chen Luo glanced at it a few times and found that it was just an ordinary cashier's voucher. Without hesitation, he signed his name.
"This is the document to be sent to the Department of Finance for auditing. The Department of Finance will then allocate the funds to them, and there will be no need to go through a second procedure," Li Jiangwei explained to Chen Luo, and then took out a seal from her bosom and stamped it firmly.
She turned to Master Liu and said gently, "From now on, he will come to collect deer antler and deer blood every five days."
"Okay, okay." Master Liu took the receipt and nodded repeatedly. Then he warmly instructed Chen Luo, "After dinner every day, cook the medicine in hot soup. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, and then you must drink it along with the medicine within half an hour."
"I've got it. Thank you, Master." Chen Luo thanked him politely.
"Let's go." Li Jiangwei thanked Master Liu and led Chen Luo away, returning to the front yard.
The two of them were last in line, but when they came out, they found several new faces waiting in line in the front yard, who were also some private school students.
When they saw Li Jiangwei and Chen Luo, dressed in coarse linen, come out, they were both taken aback.
One of the men seemed to know Li Jiangwei and came up to greet her, "Manager Li, it's been a long time."
This man had handsome features, wore a white robe, and exuded a gentle, scholarly air.
When Li Jiangwei saw him, she smiled slightly and said, "Young Master Lin, how have you been?"
"And who is this?" Young Master Lin glanced at Chen Luo beside Li Jiangwei, then noticed the burlap bag in her hand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Could it be that Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy has produced another talent?"
"His name is Chen Luo. He's not exactly a genius, but he has some potential," Li Jiangwei introduced Chen Luo.
"Miss Li is too modest. A disciple who can win Instructor Li's favor is more than just someone with some potential."
Young Master Lin was clearly quite familiar with Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy. After examining Chen Luo for a few more moments, he suddenly smiled gently and said, "I am from Linzhou, a disciple of Jingyi Martial Arts Academy."
Jingyi Martial Arts Academy? Chen Luo's heart stirred. This was a private academy. If he remembered correctly, Song Ruokui seemed to be in this private academy.
The Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy mentioned by Linzhou earlier "has produced another talented person," which probably refers to Song Ruokui.
Chen Luo thought to himself, and greeted him politely, "Young Master Lin."
Lin Zhou nodded to him, then said gently to Li Jiangwei, "It's still early. Why don't you two wait a moment and have your meal together later?"
"I have other important matters to attend to later, so let's not go," Li Jiangwei shook her head.
Chen Luo stood aside, his expression unchanged, but a strange feeling arose in his heart.
A typical polite refusal would involve saying something like "let's reschedule for another day," but Li Jiangwei didn't say that.
Therefore, her seemingly gentle refusal actually left no room for maneuver.
Chen Luo keenly noticed this detail and glanced at Lin Zhou again without making a sound.
But Lin Zhou seemed oblivious to anything, simply smiling and cupping his hands in a nonchalant manner, "It's alright, Manager Li has important business to attend to, let's reschedule for another day."
"Mm." Li Jiangwei nodded slightly and left with Chen Luo.
As they brushed past each other, Lin Zhou's eyes met Chen Luo's for a fleeting moment, and Chen Luo returned his polite smile.
After leaving the front gate and boarding the carriage, Li Jiangwei did not mention the little incident that had just occurred. Instead, she handed the medicine packet to Chen Luo and said kindly, "You must remember what Master Liu said earlier."
"I'll remember that," Chen Luo replied. "Thank you very much, Miss Li, for today."
"If you want to thank someone, you should thank my father," Li Jiangwei said with a smile.
Mentioning Instructor Li, Chen Luo couldn't help but ask, "Miss Li, regarding my question earlier, Instructor Li could have waited until I reached the third level of strength before assisting me."
Even if Instructor Li thought highly of him, there was no need for him to be in such a hurry to provide financial assistance.
He's only at the second level of cultivation, yet Instructor Li is already giving him subsidies; it seems a bit too eager.
Li Jiangwei smiled upon hearing this, "To be honest, I actually had the same question that day. Logically speaking, it would have been a better choice to provide financial assistance after you reached the third level of strength. I also asked my father about it afterward."
"My father said that the energy of the Nine Yang Force is actually contrary to the Qi and blood in the body of ordinary people. After the strength is cultivated to a certain level, the basic Qi and blood will become increasingly difficult to improve. Only after entering the realm of internal martial arts can one make a breakthrough. This is the so-called principle of the energy harming the body."
"Therefore, if you wait until you have reached the third level of strength before you start to improve your qi and blood, the strength and qi will be at odds with each other, and the effect will be far less than when you don't have the second level of strength."
"I see." Chen Luo suddenly realized, "I didn't expect that the energy of the Nine Yang Force would clash with blood and qi."
"That's right. The Nine Yang Force is ultimately an external martial art, so it's bound to have some drawbacks."
Li Jiangwei said solemnly, "Therefore, you must be careful in your daily practice and never make a mistake. It would be best to come and observe my father's practice more often. That is not only a martial arts demonstration, but also to prevent disciples from making mistakes in their practice. Only after breaking through the seventh level of strength and entering the realm of internal martial arts can this problem be eradicated."
The term "outer style" or "outer scene" actually refers to the martial arts training before entering the country.
When martial arts reach a certain level, it is called internal style or inner realm.
Before reaching the level of martial arts proficiency, an ordinary person's body is still a mortal body with certain limits. Therefore, excessive martial arts practice will inevitably cause damage to the body.
Chen Luo actually understood this point. For example, in his previous life, some people's excessive exercise affected their brains and even shortened their lifespan, which was based on the same principle.
"I've got it." He nodded.
"It's good that you understand." Li Jiangwei looked at Chen Luo, then suddenly smiled: "Since we've come this far, let me ask you one more question: Do you know why everyone in the shop was so respectful to me just now?"
The question carried a hint of testing. Chen Luo thought for a moment and said, "Firstly, because Steward Li is both beautiful and intelligent, and secondly, probably because of Instructor Li."
Li Jiangwei stared at him intently, but all she saw was his serious expression. A few seconds later, she couldn't help but burst into laughter, her smile as radiant as a flower.
"You're right," she said with a smile. "Actually, it's mainly because of my father."
"In fact, my father's martial arts skills are among the best in the entire Qingshan County. He could even stand out in the upper county. But he was willing to come to the charity school in the lower county. He did not own any land, did not hold banquets, and lived a simple life. All he wanted was to have more martial arts disciples here and to reduce the suffering of the villagers from the monsters."
"That's why my father treats you the same way. Even though you're only at the second level of strength, my father thinks you have potential, so he helps you with all his might and doesn't care about the cost of money."
Her eyes were calm, and her words were sincere. "I really hope you can remember my father's intentions. I don't ask for anything else. As long as you can go a few more steps on the path of martial arts, that will be enough."
Chen Luo listened, his heart deeply moved.
He was unaware of Steward Li's martial arts level. Now, after hearing Li Jiangwei's words, he was surprised to find that Steward Li was not only highly skilled but also of such upright character.
Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Instructor Li's actions were far more significant than Li Jiangwei claimed.
As the saying goes, "bad people come from poor and remote places." Qingshan County has been plagued by demonic disasters and beast tides for years. Logically speaking, the county should have long been filled with scenes of people living in misery and lawlessness.
However, in reality, the county remained generally orderly and there was no widespread suffering or loss of life.
In Chen Luo's observation, many people, instead of being tempered by the demonic calamity and beast tide, became outstanding talents with exceptional character.
Ultimately, this is largely due to the many mountain guards trained by Zhengyang Martial Academy, who have been dedicated to protecting the safety of Qingshan County. This is due to the system of the Dalin Dynasty, as well as the efforts of Instructor Li. It is no exaggeration to say that Instructor Li indirectly saved the lives of thousands of people. After all, without his daily martial arts training and teaching to thousands of farmers, how could Qingshan County be what it is today?
Chen Luo recalled that Li Jiangwei had once said that there were similar free schools like Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy in other parts of the Da Lin Dynasty.
I wonder if the free schools in other places are like those in Qingshan County.
Thinking of this, the couplet in front of the Zhengyang Martial Arts Academy came to mind again.
—The water in the Canglang River is still cold when I wash my feet, but I have never forgotten the common people when I shake my sleeves.