Chapter 194 Hearty Laughter

A small courtyard nestled in a bamboo grove, an elegant and refined residence.

On the rosewood table, a small teapot emits a delicate fragrance, which is just right for the purple-eyed crow. It holds a warm teacup in its “hand,” which is only an inch high, and is taking a sip.

There was an exquisite little armchair on the table. He sat lazily on it and said, “Without the Golden Scripture and lacking the secret manual, if it were me, I wouldn’t participate anyway.”

When Ling Yu heard it mention Day Gold, he suddenly felt something was wrong. He didn’t feel the weight in his arms anymore; it seemed as if dozens of Day Gold coins had disappeared.

Then, he let out a muffled groan, his face grim, and said, “I only have one gold note left!” Master Wu took a small sip of tea and said, “That’s… quite tasteful. A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way.”

Tang Jin was tall, no shorter than Ling Yu, with straight and long legs. She walked a few steps in the room, her figure light and elegant.

“I’ll have a look at him later!” She was genuinely curious about the young man who had come from Black and White Mountain. Even if it was a sneak attack, knocking Ling Yu unconscious so cleanly and efficiently was not something an ordinary person could do.

At the same time, she was very dissatisfied with Ling Yu. If it were on the battlefield, in the life-and-death struggle of the soon-to-be-opened Third Desolate Land, would he still be able to survive?

Qin Ming smiled and said, “Brother Chuanzi, look at this turf, bamboo, and golden vine. We’ve already paid compensation and fines, so shouldn’t you hurry up and fix it up for us?”

“You should just call me by my full name,” Qian Chuan said, feeling that the other person was calling him “Qian Chuanzi” (a derogatory term for someone who is greedy and unlucky), which he found really unlucky.

But he couldn’t afford to turn against them. These two were “living ancestors” who had actually beaten up Xin Youdao and Ling Yu. If this got out, it would be a huge incident!

For a moment, he was impulsive enough to sell this news, which was enough to shake Kunjun City, for a good price! However, he held back; someone had already contacted him, and he shouldn’t say anything carelessly.

He felt that he should restrain himself for the time being.

Now he dared not give the two a hard time, and was very polite with a smile on his face, because these two freshmen were really terrifying and had the ability to completely “overturn” all the freshmen in this year’s class.

“The dead dragon carp hasn’t been compensated yet…” he whispered a reminder.

Xiao Wu said, “This should be spiritual flesh, right? We’ll eat it all in a bit, and then it’ll be gone. Besides, Xin Youdao killed it with lightning, so you should ask him for compensation.”

Qian Chuan nodded, then whispered a reminder, “If you really want to fish for food, that’s fine, but wait until no one’s around.” Wu Yaozu laughed, “Okay, I’ll treat you to grilled fish another day, or you can take two now.”

“I dare not eat it!” Qian Chuan quickly left.

“So comforting! Dragon carp with wine, happiness is everlasting!” Qin Ming leaned back in a lakeside lounge chair, a wine glass in one hand and a roasted dragon carp in the other.

Xiao Wu had repaired the grill and found more than a dozen jars of fine wine in Xin Youdao’s storage room. The two enjoyed a spiritual meat dinner with wine by the lake.

The next day, the two paid their tuition fees and obtained all the necessary student IDs and library cards. Then they headed straight for their destination.

Qin Ming entered Shanhe Academy. What was his purpose? To borrow books!

This area has an excellent environment, with rare tree species everywhere. Fragrant orchids fill the air with their scent, and silver maples shed countless silver petals.

The nine-story library rises majestically from the ground, situated beside a lake formed by a fiery spring, surrounded by lush vegetation and guarded by powerful figures.

“What a joke! You freshmen always ask for a list of extraordinary achievements. You’re always so ambitious, building castles in the air. You don’t even know your own limitations. Do you think you can comprehend it? Do you think you’ll even make any contribution?!” A still-attractive middle-aged woman scolded Xiao Wu.

Wu Yaozu felt wronged, thinking to himself, “I’m just borrowing a book. If it’s okay, great; if not, forget it. Why are you scolding me!” Qin Ming said, “We know the rules; it’s a paid reading service.”

“This way!” The middle-aged woman pointed the way, leading them to a very quiet area.

Xiao Wu followed behind her, unable to resist making a dragon claw gesture, still retaining his youthful spirit.

The middle-aged beauty didn’t even turn her head, and said, “My daughter is already at the peak of the second realm, and you still dare to play tricks on me?” Wu Yaozu quickly lowered his head and said, “Senior, I was wrong.”

This is a large, quiet room. The crystal chandelier contains a sunstone, making it bright and perfect for reading, but there aren’t many people here.

“Damn expensive!” Qin Ming took a deep breath. He found the book that the new students borrowed the most times. It was very thin, only thirteen pages long, and cost thirteen gold coins, one gold coin per page.

In Chixia City, three gold coins can barely solve the problem of food and clothing for a family of three for a year, while in Kunjun City where prices are soaring, twelve gold coins are needed.

Before opening the book, he had to perform a ritual and swear not to reveal it.

Afterwards, Qin Ming carefully studied the book, turning the pages slowly. Each page was enough to provide a month’s worth of rations.

He felt intense emotions in this book, all left by the newcomers, but he ignored them and didn’t need their insights.

Moreover, almost all of those comments were complaints, saying the book was too expensive. However, some people also remarked that it was the book with the best value for money, and it was very cheap.

After reading it, Qin Ming pondered it carefully. This was the culmination of a senior master’s hard work, outlining various precautions for the first stage of the path to rebirth.

He reflected on himself and found that he did not have this or that problem.

Objectively speaking, this book is of great value to many newcomers.

Qin Ming pondered silently, the forward-looking “look ahead” on the last page of the book, and some unverifiable “speculations” that made him somewhat lost in thought.

The ninth rebirth, which only extraordinary individuals can access, is something many sectarian traditions and prominent figures are quite “superstitious” about. In this realm, they are willing to choose the “Undying Butterfly Sutra,” a miraculous technique that foretells immortality and rebirth.

This made Qin Ming ponder. The older author of the book was also quite “superstitious,” believing in this kind of beautiful “entrustment” and saying that it had a great positive effect on the last rebirth.

Moreover, this senior figure cited examples of certain historical figures, many of whom made this choice and achieved significant breakthroughs during their ninth rebirth.

“The Buddha of this era chose the Golden Cicada Sutra, which describes the cicada emerging from its shell, tearing apart its old body, undergoing tribulations and being reborn, and is full of Zen meaning.”

“Qingtian’s ninth rebirth training is the ‘Dragon and Snake Scripture,’ which transforms a snake into a dragon, bloody and with a shattered body, living from the brink of death in desperate situations, with fierce and powerful strength.”

Qin Ming read it again. The elder mentioned that the sages of the past made this choice in the hope that the ninth rebirth would be violent enough to expand into a tenth rebirth that did not exist.

Of course, everyone failed.

Moreover, the patriarchs of past generations have verified that the tenth rebirth is a false goal, and even if it exists, it is included within the ninth. This is because the achievements of extraordinary individuals with different foundations vary greatly in the ninth rebirth.

“In other words, the ninth rebirth encompasses everything. If a person’s talent is terrifying enough, and their foundation surpasses that of the patriarch, the reward of the final rebirth will be incredibly astonishing.”

Qin Ming closed the book, pondered for a moment, and decided to borrow the relevant extraordinary skills.

He discovered that Xiao Wu was studying the book “Blood and Flesh Soul Locking Technique,” indicating that he was indeed studying it in a targeted manner to perfect his path to rainbow transformation.

He went to ask the middle-aged beauty if she had the “Undying Butterfly Sutra” and the “Dragon and Snake Sutra,” etc.

At this moment, Zhao Minghui looked at him differently. Was the young man in front of her an extraordinary person, or did he want to use his extraordinary skills to build the foundation for the first realm?

Qin Ming was fully engaged in the “Harmony with the World” technique, which Lu Zizai had supplemented. Apart from Master Wu, who could see through his abnormality with his mysterious purple eyes, no one else could see through it.

Zhao Minghui said, “The extraordinary skills you mentioned can all be found in Kunjun City, and our Shanhe Academy also has at least two of them, but… they are very expensive.”

Qin Ming was astonished. It was not unusual for Shanhe Academy to have some extraordinary skills, but to have two in the same field meant that their foundation was indeed very solid.

He said, “I’d like to take a look.”

Zhao Minghui informed that only one copy of the “Golden Cicada Sutra” was available for public borrowing.

Qin Ming’s eyes burned with fervor. The disciple of Buddha, Xiang Yiwu, whom he met on Mount Luofu, was about to create a new method. It seemed that he was practicing the “Golden Cicada Sutra” as a foundation to build the path and methods that followed.

However, when he saw the price, he almost bit his tongue. Two hundred gold coins for a single chapter! How many chapters were in one book of extraordinary skills? The price would eventually skyrocket!

At the very least, he had already seen dozens of articles here, and that included the ones that had been borrowed. “A truly invaluable achievement!” Zhao Minghui exclaimed.

“It truly is a priceless book.” Qin Ming deeply felt that the scriptures were power, were gold, and he realized how poor he was.

Zhao Minghui smiled and reminded him, “Actually, that’s not how you learn extraordinary skills. Who would spend so much money to read them? You should find a suitable teacher, and if you like them, they can teach you for free.”

“Ah?” Qin Ming was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected turn of events and immediately expressed his gratitude to her.

Zhao Minghui frowned as if she remembered something and said, “However, with the passing of some predecessors, the old man who is now most proficient in the Golden Cicada Scripture has become a complete money-grubber. In order to support his descendant who has entered the Yang Land and wants to compete for the Immortal Seed, his mind is not pure anymore. Although there are other people who have also practiced this scripture, none of them have studied it as thoroughly as he has.”

“Are the others far inferior to him?” Qin Ming asked. In fact, he didn’t care. As long as he was given the scriptures, he could practice on his own without needing anyone to teach him.

Zhao Minghui said, “Yes, there is indeed a difference, because Wu Chengwang not only mastered the original Golden Cicada Scripture, but also went down into a large tomb when he was young and dug out a mutated version of the Golden Cicada Scripture. Combining the two, he researched a lot of new things.”

Qin Ming asked cautiously, “If I were to go to Senior Wu, do you think he would charge me?” Zhao Minghui sighed, “Of course he would. For the sake of his descendant who is close to immortality, he doesn’t care about his reputation.”

After leaving the library, Qin Ming and Wu Yaozu inquired about Wu Chengwang’s residence.

“Brother, I’m not trying to be mean, but while the Golden Cicada Scripture is indeed wonderful, capable of prolonging life and even bringing the dead back to life, if you go to learn it from Wu the Skinflint, he’ll drain your blood, and you won’t even be able to learn half of the scripture. It’s incredibly expensive!”

Some people kindly advised me not to go there and intentionally go bankrupt.

Even wealthy young men are intimidated by Wu Chengwang, feeling their daily allowances are insufficient. Wu Yaozu said, “Brother, I also think it’s best not to associate with such a decrepit old man.”

“Xiao Wu, wait for me outside.” Qin Ming still wanted to give it a try. Of course, he took out all the extra Day Gold he had and handed it to Wu Yaozu, only bringing three hundred Day Gold with him.

Because he heard that this was the lowest price for door-to-door service.

He feared that if he brought too much gold, that old man would take advantage of him. In the end, Qin Ming went to the door alone.

This courtyard is filled with exotic flowers and medicinal herbs, creating a beautiful scene. Old man Wu Chengwang enjoys a good quality of life, surrounded by the fragrance of the garden.

“Hehe, young man, you want to live forever, you’ve come to the right place. The mutated version of the Golden Cicada Scripture is unique to Kunjun City. If you’re just starting your path to immortality, use it as your main cultivation method to lay the foundation for immortality.”

Wu Chengwang had a full head of silver hair and a ruddy complexion. He was very kind and amiable; one really can’t judge a book by its cover.

“Senior, I don’t know about the tuition fee…” Qin Ming didn’t want to deal with him. He was straightforward and simple. If something could be solved with Day Gold, then he would push it forward immediately.

Wu Chengwang laughed and said, “Well, I almost died when I went down into the Great Tomb back then. I’ve spent my whole life studying the mutated ‘Golden Cicada Scripture.’ It’s the culmination of my hard work. As for the cost, it’s a bit expensive. Each study session and guidance session starts at three hundred gold coins.”

As he spoke, he took out several pages of paper and asked Qin Ming if he wanted to learn from him immediately. Qin Ming frowned; these were newly copied pages, intended as a gift for a new disciple. “I want to learn real kung fu from you, senior!” he said solemnly.

Wu Chengwang was surprised and asked, “Oh, how do you understand true kung fu? What I’m teaching now is the ultimate skill.”

Qin Ming said, “I would like to see your manuscripts, notes, and journals, as I believe they are the culmination of your hard work!”

Wu Chengwang was taken aback, then laughed and said, “Hehe, you young man, are you afraid I won’t teach you the real stuff? Fine, no problem. But the fee will be even more expensive.”

“How much gold?” Qin Ming asked.

“I’ll show you the manuscript. You’ll receive guidance once every six hundred days,” Wu Chengwang said kindly.

“It’s so expensive, I… I’ll go get the tuition!” Qin Ming finally agreed, saying, “Could you let me see a page first?” “That won’t do, you have to pay the tuition first.” Wu Chengwang shook his head with a smile.

“Okay!” Qin Ming turned and left.

“Brother, do you really want to be scammed by that old geezer?” Xiao Wu asked worriedly, thinking he had gone mad.

“It’s alright, I can handle his pitfalls!” Qin Ming led the six hundred gold coins back to the small courtyard filled with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds.

Wu Chengwang became even more amiable, took out a rather worn book, and said, “This book contains my annotations. This sutra is priceless because, apart from the lineage of Buddha, very few people understand the two versions of the Golden Cicada Sutra.”

Qin Ming flattered him, saying that he had spent his entire life studying this scripture, essentially pioneering new methods in this emerging field, truly a person of great virtue. “I agree,” Wu Chengwang nodded with a smile.

Qin Ming turned to the first page. In fact, he could only turn to a few pages this time, but he was smiling, very satisfied. The more he looked, the brighter his smile became.

“Hehe…” Wu Chengwang also laughed, feeling that this little lamb was very fat, spending money without batting an eye, and could be nurtured in the long run.

“Haha…” Qin Ming was in a good mood. He was already amazed after reading only two pages, and then he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Wu Chengwang smiled and became even more amiable. In the end, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter, thinking to himself, “What a fine little lamb!”

(There’s more to come!)