6kv Chapter 102 Qingzhou Prefecture
Chapter 102 Qingzhou Prefecture
Besides Wen Haoran and Yue'er, Lin Mu also had another couple by his side.
Zou Wanruo and Liu Ming.
They followed Quan Feng to Lin Mu's courtyard and handed him the martial arts scholar's badge, personally signed by Duanmu Hong.
The bronze waist tag still carries the warmth of Duanmu Hong's palm. The front is engraved with the five characters "Heyuan Wuxiucai" and the back is engraved with the outline of the city wall of Heyuan County.
Zou Wanruo said she wanted to travel to Qingzhou Prefecture with Lin Mu so they could look after each other on the way.
Lin Mu put the waist token into his sleeve pocket and said that there was something else he needed to do before setting off.
He went to Heyuan Restaurant and squatted at the kitchen entrance for an entire morning.
The chef was a fat man in his fifties. When he tossed the food in the wok, the fat on his wrists jiggled more vigorously than the food in the wok.
After observing, one can replicate the skill: culinary arts.
Replica.
[Cooking Skills: 88/100 Minor Success]
He learned knife skills, wok handling, fire control, and seasoning, and even packed up all the seasonings on the chef's stove to take with him.
Now that I have money, I should take better care of my stomach.
......
Two days later they arrived in Qingzhou Prefecture.
The city wall was much taller than that of Heyuan County, and thick moss grew in the cracks between the blue bricks. There were no guards checking people at the city gate, nor were there any hunters dragging the corpses of monsters in and out.
After entering the city, there is an extremely wide main street with a smooth bluestone pavement that reflects the images of pedestrians.
Unidentified broad-leaved trees lined both sides of the street, with tea stalls and pastry shops set up under them. The air was filled with the sweet aroma of osmanthus cakes and the crispy scent of freshly baked sesame cakes.
A child ran out of the alley carrying a windmill, which spun loudly. His mother called after him, "Slow down, don't fall!"
Several merchants dressed in silk robes sat in a teahouse facing the street, discussing business, the beads on their abacuses clicking away.
The city was filled with song and dance, and people lived in peace and contentment. There were no monsters attacking the city for days on end, and no watchtowers ringing in the middle of the night.
But Lin Mu always felt that there was something strange about Qingzhou Prefecture, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Upon arriving in Qingzhou Prefecture, Quan Feng waved to the crowd, hoisted Yan Zifeng onto his shoulder, and said, "I need to go and greet the Quan family." He then turned and disappeared into a narrow alley, his white robe flashing briefly at the alley entrance.
Lin Mu, preoccupied with the subsequent body-tempering techniques, followed Zou Wanruo and Liu Ming toward the Zou family home.
The Zou family's residence was located in the deepest part of the eastern part of the city. It had a black lacquered gate with a plaque hanging above the door that read "Zou Mansion". The characters were gentle and the strokes were restrained.
Zou Wanruo stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The door opened a crack, and a young man in a blue cloth robe peeked out, revealing half his face. He had delicate features, thin lips, and an arrogant look in his eyes.
He first looked at Zou Wanruo's face, then at Liu Ming standing behind Zou Wanruo, and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Mu.
His skin was dark, and his cuffs still had oil splattered from roasting rabbit last night.
He frowned. "Where did this martial artist come from? The Zou family doesn't need guards."
Then the door was closed...
So, are warriors only good for guarding homes and property?
Lin Mu stood outside the door, looking at the tightly closed black lacquered gate, and suddenly realized that since he entered the city, he had really rarely seen anyone practicing martial arts.
Qingzhou Prefecture doesn't seem to be friendly to martial arts practitioners.
Zou Wanruo bit her lip and stepped forward to continue knocking on the door.
The door opened a crack.
"I am a member of the Zou family."
She quickly introduced herself and slipped her identification through the crack in the door.
It took a long time before the door reopened.
This time, a middle-aged woman came out, wearing an elegant lotus-root-colored jacket.
She is Aunt Zou's wife.
The aunt glanced at Zou Wanruo, then at Liu Ming and Lin Mu behind her. Her gaze lingered on Lin Mu for a very brief moment before she put on a smile and welcomed the three of them inside.
The Zou family's courtyard was very elegant, with blue bricks paving the ground, several clumps of bamboo planted under the eaves, several calligraphy and paintings hanging in the main hall, and a celadon incense burner on the table, with wisps of smoke rising from it.
Auntie pulled Zou Wanruo's hand and sat her down in the main hall, chatting away about everyday things.
It is said that ever since the old master's generation abandoned martial arts and pursued literature, the Zou family has never produced a brute whose leg was broken in the arena.
Nowadays, everyone in the household is a scholar. They don't have to endure the sun and rain, fight and kill, or be awakened by the watchtower in the middle of the night. All they need is a cup of tea and a book of sages to protect themselves with righteous spirit and to hurt others with poetry. It's much more respectable than martial arts.
Your cousin passed the civil service exam last year and is now preparing for the provincial exam. The entire Zou family is paving the way for him.
You're back just in time. I'll have someone make room for you in a study tomorrow.
He will also study literature and Taoism in the future.
Zou Wanruo agreed and led Lin Mu to the front, introducing him to her aunt as a martial arts scholar from Heyuan County who had done her a great favor.
The aunt nodded in acknowledgment, then continued chatting with Zou Wanruo.
Lin Mu looked around but did not find anyone practicing martial arts. He remained expressionless, but was secretly pondering in his heart.
The fact that even the gatekeeper of a family can look down on martial artists shows that the entire Qingzhou Prefecture has long since turned to the path of literature.
The Zou family has become a family of scholars and Taoists, and it is unknown whether they have any follow-up techniques for body tempering.
Staying with the Zou family would most likely be a waste of time.
Moreover, since the people of the Xian Sect can fly on swords and dare to venture into the Eternal Night Forest, they must have many powerful techniques. Rather than gambling on an uncertain body-tempering technique at the Zou family, it would be better to go directly to the Xian Sect.
Thinking of this, he put down his teacup, stood up, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zou Wanruo.
"Junior Sister Wanru, I'll take my leave first."
"Where is Senior Brother going?"
Zou Wanruo stood up and tried to persuade her to stay.
Seeing this, Aunt Zou spoke up in her defense.
"If Young Master Lin has nowhere to go, he can stay at the Zou family's house. Although the Zou family no longer practices martial arts, they can still afford to feed a couple of people."
"There is still some meat in the warehouse, which can replenish qi and blood."
"Wen Haoran asked me to go to Xianzong."
I'll go first.
Lin Mu took out the Xianzong waist token from his sleeve pocket.
"Wen Haoran?"
Aunt Zou stood up, her usual composed demeanor gone.
She had naturally heard of Wen Haoran's name.
He was a scholar appointed by the emperor, the most brilliant literary genius of the Wen family in this generation, and a figure whom even the prefect of Qingzhou Prefecture had to bow to.
But how did he end up getting involved with a mere military man?
Lin Mu didn't delay any longer.
He left the Zou residence and walked east along the main street.
Wen Haoran once said that the Xianzong branch in Qingzhou Prefecture was located at the eastern end of the city, near the base of the city wall.
After turning through several narrow alleys, the view suddenly opened up before us.
It wasn't the grand mansion he had imagined, nor was it a heavily guarded government office like the Palace Guard; instead, it was a vast bamboo forest.
The bamboo was planted haphazardly; some stood straight up to the height of three or four stories, while others leaned crookedly, as if drunk and leaning against their companions.
The bamboo leaves rustled in the afternoon breeze, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, spreading a thick layer of shattered gold on the ground.
Deep in the bamboo forest, a bamboo house can be vaguely seen, with a string of copper bells hanging from the corner. When the wind blows, the bells ring out out of tune, as if someone is randomly plucking a zither that has never been tuned.
Lin Mu walked along the stone path through the bamboo forest. At the end was a bamboo-woven door with a palm-sized wooden plaque nailed to the door frame, on which was engraved the character "闲" (leisure).