Secret Buyer-Chapter 71: Traveling with Confucian Scholars, Finally Arriving in Jiangzhou
The young man, carrying two letters, walked out of the train station like a puppet. He arrived at the Seventh District, entered a small inn, called for a prostitute, and put down the two letters.
The woman who came in suddenly seemed wooden as well. Clutching the two letters, she wandered aimlessly down the street until she handed them to an old beggar, after which she returned to the inn to enjoy a romantic encounter with the young man.
Yet the letters continued to circulate.
The beggar, a student, a female teacher, an incompetent husband, the delivery boy.....
Anyone who touched the envelope would fall into a strange stupor until they passed the letter on to the next person, upon which they returned to normal with no recollection of the incident.
The two letters, having passed through the hands of over a hundred people, finally landed in the hands of two young couriers, their origins no longer traceable.
The two couriers entered two different buildings almost simultaneously.
"Here’s a delivery."
They spoke to different receptionists in different locations.
"It’s for Shi Zhengyuan."
"It’s for Mr. Du."
The white envelopes were put down, and the couriers left in a daze, their clouded eyes gradually returning to normal, looking around in confusion.
......
CC1000 train.
Jiang Shutong sat down with a thud, complaining:
"I understand the reasoning... but why buy a second-class ticket?"
The cultured young man beside him smiled and said:
"It was an easy purchase; didn’t pay much attention."
Twenty-something Jiang Shutong pouted:
"Alright, alright..."
His way of speaking suddenly changed, his throat vibrating, his voice forming a single line precisely reaching the middle-aged man’s ear.
"Senior Brother Kong, how many more cities do we have to travel to?"
"Just one more." Kong Dongyan said with a smile, "After checking Jiangzhou City, it’s time to head back."
Jiang Shutong looked displeased:
"I don’t understand what’s so interesting about these small cities. You can barely see any Martial Artists on the streets at all."
Kong Dongyan shook his head helplessly:
"Traveling broadens the mind; reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles, you know that."
He too deliberately focused his voice.
"Unlike those mere brawny fighters, we seek progress beyond just refining our spirits; it also involves traveling, seeing the mountains, rivers, and the flow of people."
Jiang Shutong rolled his eyes:
"Okay, okay, so once this trip is over, Senior Brother, will you become a Martial Arts Master? Your Spirit Realm has long been enough."
"Mm." Kong Dongyan nodded gently.
Bored, Jiang Shutong scanned the bustling passengers in the carriage, a faint sense of superiority welling up in his heart.
These common folks have no idea who’s sitting next to them, squeezed together in the carriage.
He thought for a moment and discreetly pinned the Golden University’s emblem on his chest, hoping someone would recognize it.
Though, it was unlikely.
Between a small town and a big city lies an insurmountable barrier.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
A violent cough reached his ears, and Jiang Shutong glanced over, seeing a pale, extremely frail patient boarding the train with the help of a beautiful woman and a fairy-like girl.
His eyes brightened sharply, staring intently at the girl - how could anyone be this beautiful??
Even the most outstanding girls in school, or the feminine elders in the sect, couldn’t compare!
Jiang Shutong made a move to stand, but a broad hand gently pressed him back down.
Kong Dongyan frowned:
"Food and color are natural desires, but as a gentleman, one must know restraint."
Jiang Shutong smirked awkwardly, his gaze still drifting toward the cool, graceful girl,
Then he saw the three of them approach and sit across the aisle from them.
Unfortunately, the one sitting closest to the aisle wasn’t the stunning girl, but the sickly man.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The sickly man started coughing violently again, almost to the point of coughing up blood.
Zhang Fusheng took a breath, feeling helpless as he realized, that when buying the ticket, he hadn’t noticed the seat class.
Pressing his chest, he felt an immense fatigue washing over him like a tide.
He had no other choice.
Upon hearing Chen Nuanyu mention that Mr. Du wanted to know his whereabouts, he sensed something was amiss,
Old Shi wouldn’t arrange things this way.
The main issue was that he had keenly perceived a faint Spiritual Imprint placed on Chen Nuanyu at some unknown time.
It was meant to trace her movements.
To achieve this, one would need a Grandmaster’s level Spirit Realm, capable of constructing an Illusory Divine Realm.
Could it be Mr. Du who imprinted it?
Zhang Fusheng keenly sensed something was off, questioning if Old Shi truly had complete control over Dragon Boat City.
Instinctively, he created another High Heaven Letter, leaving it in a trash can—such mental exhaustion almost made him faint.
And that inexplicable feeling of rage in his heart grew even more overwhelming.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Zhang Fusheng coughed violently again.
"Your spirit is critically weakened, and your body is suffering as well."
A gentle voice came from across the aisle, and Zhang Fusheng glanced over to see a refined young man sitting there.
The latter spoke softly:
"Young brother, you need to be careful not to exhaust yourself too much. Severe mental depletion can easily lead to physical illness or even sudden death."
"When you return, you could get some medicine to regulate your Essence, Qi, and Spirit. The Nourishing Spirit Formula and Calming Spirit Formula are quite good; you can find them online."
Zhang Fusheng was momentarily stunned, then nodded and thanked him,
and then he saw a young man who looked about twenty sitting beside the refined youth leaning his head over:
"Um, miss..."
The refined youth pushed him back with a hint of ire:
"Jiang Shutong, the desire for food and sex is part of human nature; righteousness is external, not internal!"
The young man named Jiang Shutong shrank back, dejected.
Chen Nuanyu kept her eyes straight ahead, not even glancing at him,
while Zhang Fusheng raised his eyebrows slightly.
The desire for food and sex... this was what Gaozi and Mencius debated in a past life.
In this world, there is no such saying.
Confucianism?
He exhaled a breath, feeling overextended and powerless.
He really didn’t have the energy to create another High Heaven Order.
Zhang Fusheng patted his chest, stifling his cough, and adopted an inquisitive demeanor:
"Brother, you seem to know something about medicine? My name is Zhang Fusheng, and you are?"
"Kong Dongyan."
The refined youth gave Jiang Shutong a stern glare, then turned to reply warmly:
"I can’t claim to understand, just have a bit of interest, that’s all."
His speech was scholarly, resembling that of a scholar.
If this person is truly related to Confucianism, then he probably comes from... the Ancient Saint Sect?
Confucianism is also divided into two factions, the Ancient Saint Sect and the Celestial Principle Sect, the former leans ’good’, like the Taoist East Sect and the Buddhist Ling Mountain Lineage,
the latter leans ’evil’, akin to Western Sect and Mandala Lineage.
But having witnessed the millions of Subordinate Souls of Shi Zhengyuan from the Ling Mountain Lineage, and the ruthless past followers of the Ling Mountain Lineage, like his own teacher Hong Tianbao,
he pondered that this so-called inclination towards good might only be a ’slight’ inclination.
It has absolutely nothing to do with true goodness.
Zhang Fusheng maintained a bewildered façade as he inquired of the refined youth on how to nurture the spirit,
and the latter indeed patiently explained tirelessly.
"Younger Brother Zhang, seeing your severely poor mental state, it’s likely not a condition that formed overnight, but rather your blood and energy appear severely depleted."
"Besides the Nourishing Spirit Formula and Calming Spirit Formula, you might also consider the East Green Medicine Formula and Calming Formula as needed..."
Kong Dongyan listed off a series of medicinal formulas and said with a smile:
"These remedies are all online; although they can’t match biopharmaceuticals in effectiveness, they excel in gentle nourishment."
He was quite talkative, and the discussion with Zhang Fusheng extended to the pros and cons of maintaining the spirit, comparing biotechnology and ancient remedies,
and even moved to critiquing the exploitation of ordinary people by modern pharmaceutical companies, almost pointing out the evils of the Federation...
Fortunately, the refined youth seemed to think better of it and swallowed the words back, opting for hints and metaphors instead.
But if one listened intentionally, they could perceive a sense of disdain for the Federation in his words, as well as some underlying Confucian principles...
As they conversed, the train quietly decelerated, with Jiangzhou Station already in sight.
Zhang Fusheng’s phone vibrated, and he smiled apologetically as he answered:
"Hello, Uncle Yu, I’m about to arrive at the station, it’ll probably take another ten or twenty minutes to get out..."
Kong Dongyan paused appropriately, casting a side glance at Jiang Shutong, who was rolling his eyes, utterly confused as to why he was given so much instruction on medicinal remedies, while reprimanding:
"A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have more blessings."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh." Jiang Shutong chuckled, completely baffled as to why his senior brother engaged in such discussions with these ordinary folk.
It would be acceptable in a metropolis, but these are merely mud-legged folks from a small town... is there another thought of killing?
In the past, those who did not heed Senior Brother’s teachings were all killed.
This sickly guy is quite lucky.
He smirked and looked out the window.
So this is Jiangzhou City?
Utterly unremarkable.
Yet another small city that doesn’t even have a couple of Martial Arts Masters.
Jiang Shutong raised his head slightly, straightening his chest,
regretfully glancing at the stunningly beautiful girl.
She has no idea that sitting across from her is an elite from Golden University, a Martial Artist of Six Refinements.
No, she probably doesn’t even know what Golden University is, or the significance of reaching Six Refinements at the age of twenty.
Jiang Shutong couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
