The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror-Chapter 33 - 29 Joints

After a full meal and digestion, Xu Qing set out alone towards Mr. Feng's home, buying him liquor and meat along the way.

On the road, perhaps due to practicing "Crane Call," Xu Qing felt inherently out of place among the crowds.

The voice of "Crane Call," originating from the Divine Soul, exudes the artistic conception of "reaching directly to the Nine Heavens, detached from the mortal world."

Practicing it unconsciously influenced him.

Fame and wealth are like dust; it's better to cultivate oneself, like Mr. Feng who freely roams with the wind, enjoying the world.

In essence, he felt particularly uninterested being amongst ordinary people.

Xu Qing suppressed the strange emotions rising in his heart.

Without a material basis, how could one become a carefree recluse?

The greatest reclusion hides in plain sight at court.

He knew that these were delusions brought about by the cultivation technique, not his true feelings.

Xu Qing dismissed these emotions that hindered his progress and arrived at the Feng Family's home.

This time, he didn't encounter Yan Shan.

Xu Qing also heaved a sigh of relief; otherwise, he would have had to make excuses again.

...

...

"Today, you've progressed remarkably fast," the female Teacher remarked in surprise.

Xu Qing stretched lazily, "All thanks to my Junior Master's dedicated teaching, allowing for today's cumulative breakthrough."

Actually, today's speed wasn't due to learning "Crane Call."

After all, having just started recently, it wouldn't show immediate effects.

The past two days of learning had already given Xu Qing a grasp on the writing techniques of the East State examinations, and entering "Absolute Focus" today was just a burst of accumulated learning, allowing him to master the gist of this set of exam questions.

Going deeper would mean truly mastering the discipline, involving the core wisdom of East State, which a mere set of examination topics can't encapsulate.

Besides, Xu Qing only needed to use it to pass the prefectural examination and strive to become the exam's top scorer; he wasn't concerned about the core wisdom or essence of learning.

Therefore, the current content of his studies was sufficient.

He only needed to review what he knew to gain new insights.

Of course, the female Teacher felt a bit melancholic as having an overly smart student wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Father, he has already finished learning the content for the child student test; I really have nothing more to teach him."

Feng Xifeng's face twitched, thinking, "What kind of freak is this."

However, he calmly said, "The young generation indeed has some talent; now that he has learned all this, let him go back and focus on preparing for the prefectural exam."

The young girl giggled, "No rush for these half a day, I plan to visit Golden Ray Monastery to fulfill a vow, and I want Xu Qing to accompany me."

Feng Xifeng was taken aback; he recalled indeed there was such an arrangement, moreover, his daughter was very keen to go out, and he was currently busy with the local examinations, not fitting to wander around distracting himself.

As for Xu Qing needing to prepare for the prefectural exam?

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Isn't it enough to have hands?

Surely no one actually fails the prefectural exam.

"Go ahead," Feng Xifeng didn't specifically caution anything; the boy's uncle is an Archivist, managing security, and Golden Ray Monastery is a bustling temple; what could possibly go wrong?

Xu Qing couldn't object.

The young girl was overjoyed and went back to her room to change into men's clothing.

This was not unusual.

Nowadays, many women from South Zhili liked to dress up as men when going out.

...

...

Xu Qing, with his elegant appearance and practice of Crane Form, stood tall and straight like a graceful tree; the young girl's men's attire looked extremely refined, like a pair of orchids.

Together, they attracted quite a few glances.

"Spring outing, apricot blossoms blooming overhead.

Whose young scholar is so charming along this path..."

On the road, the young girl hummed a seasonally inappropriate poem from a previous dynasty.

Xu Qing gently coughed, "It feels deep into summer now."

"Ah Qing, have you not heard, 'the fragrance of April on earth has dispersed, but temple peach blossoms are just beginning to thrive'? We are headed to a temple in the mountains now. It still counts as springtime."

The previous song, the following poem, both existed in Xu Qing's past life as well as this one.

The cultural aspects before the Ming Dynasty in the_two worlds largely overlapped.

If not for that, Xu Qing could have copied far too many articles and poems.

Such a pity.

Heroes have no place to wield their weapons!

Indeed, strictly speaking, this world resembles the worldviews of Red Chamber Dream and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio known from Xu Qing's past life; it is not a dynasty Xu Qing is familiar with, but the cultural background isn't much different.

Having traveled here, there could be some mysterious connection between the two worlds.

Well, regardless of the connection, if one cannot climb up, one remains as cattle and horses.

Upon arriving outside Golden Ray Monastery, along the way, the young girl's pace was not much slower than Xu Qing's.

Xu Qing was quite astonished in his heart.

In his view, the young girl's physique didn't seem very strong, yet her walking was as if riding the wind, effortlessly light, and considering her actually considerable strength, he felt it very strange.

However, while interacting with the young girl, no dark energy appeared in his Qi Fortune, showing she meant no harm to him.

Thus, Xu Qing did not probe further, only maintaining an observant mindset.

"Ah Qing, what do you think is the most efficacious thing about Golden Ray Monastery?"

"With so many female pilgrims coming and going, seeking fertility is probably most effective."

The young girl clapped and laughed: "Correct."

"Do you know why I brought you to fulfill my vow with me?" the young girl suddenly asked.

Xu Qing: "Definitely not for seeking children."

The girl blushed and spat, "Pah." Then she continued: "I'm not going to beat around the bush. It's not me who is seeking a child, but someone else."

She then whispered softly: "Magistrate He's aunt has been coming here to offer incense every afternoon lately."

By the end, she looked at Xu Qing with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Xu Qing could understand the girl's implication clearly. He felt deeply moved, "Thank you."

The girl said: "This is also repaying your favor, no need for thanks. My father is obsessed with face, insisting on confronting Zhao Xiong openly in court, only to see them elude justice, which has always infuriated him."

"Now Zhao Xiong hasn't faced any punishment, but became the arrest officer in the Government," Xu Qing responded lightly.

The girl said: "Zhao Xiong has operated in Qingshui County for many years with numerous minions. Now that he's away from his base, it's much easier to trouble him than before. I'm sure you understand such matters."

Xu Qing: "..."

The young girl was very clear about the ways of officialdom and rather scheming.

The young girl sighed: "If only I were born a man."

Xu Qing: "Let's enter the temple."

"Okay." The girl took out a waist badge and led Xu Qing through various passages to the rear hall of Golden Ray Monastery.

This area was off-limits to outsiders.

Inside was a small Buddhist hall where a radiant woman was praying. Hearing the movement, she turned her head, looked surprised at first, then smiled.

"Awu, what brings you here?"

"I missed you."

"I don't believe it, are you short on money again? I have some private money here, you can take it, but don't let your father know."

The woman called 'Third Mother', straightforward and generous, lacked the typical refinement of a virtuous woman.

Xu Qing made a mental note: "She seems like the extraordinary women of adventure like Zhao Pan'er."

The two women exchanged pleasantries for a while, then Third Mother asked: "And who is this?"

"He is Xu Qing, the top scorer in the recent Qingshui County examination," the young girl introduced.

"Indeed, a young gentleman of distinguished appearance," Third Mother surveyed Xu Qing and nodded in satisfaction.

However, she did not continue talking to Xu Qing, but resumed chatting with the young girl.

They spoke in the Songzhou Prefecture dialect, similar to the gentle spoken language of Xu Qing's past life, which Xu Qing barely understood and hesitated to interject, merely listening quietly on the side, as if he were just a pillar.

About half an hour later, Third Mother stopped talking and bid farewell to the young girl.

...

...

On the way back, the young girl said with a smile: "Aren't you going to ask what I talked about with Third Mother?"

Xu Qing: "If you wish to tell me, I will listen."

"That's boring."

Xu Qing chuckled and then asked: "About the prefectural examination?"

The girl said: "I just told Third Mother that I taught you how to write eight-legged essays. With that said, at least in the prefectural examination, your article won't suffer prejudice from my father because of Magistrate He."

Xu Qing bowed deeply and replied softly: "Thank you. That's enough."

He understood clearly; without that statement, due to the suspected rivalry between Feng Xifeng and Magistrate He and potential interference by Zhao Xiong, his chances of being the top scorer in the prefectural examination was nearly hopeless.

Being top scorer in the county examination is safe, doubling in the prefectural examination is double safety.

Without this, he would have to follow the paths of predecessors like Huang Chao and Hong Heavenly King.