Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 296: Three Scholars

In Guhuai Town, located in Shoutian Commandery, stood an abandoned temple.

In the southern part of Ji Province, a torrential downpour had turned the green grass into a quagmire. The emerald leaves stood vertically in the rain, their vitality washed away by the rain.

The sky was a blanket of dull gray, oppressive and suffocating, as if darkness could descend at any moment.

A scholar clad in a straw raincoat and hat hurried along, clutching a bundle of books wrapped in cloth as he madly dashed through the tempest of rain.

Spotting an abandoned temple not far away, his eyes sparkled. He tightened his grip on the books and quickened his pace, sprinting toward the temple.

Huffing and puffing, the scholar closed the doors and windows. Though the temple was dilapidated, it was fortunate that it wasn’t leaking.

He unwrapped the bundle to check if the books had gotten wet. Perhaps because he had protected them well, the books were still dry.

The scholar lit an oil lamp and began to read softly by its dim light.

Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared behind the scholar. With an alluring smile, she tapped him on the back.

Upon seeing the figure, the scholar seemed entranced, involuntarily smiling.

After the heavy rain stopped, the weary scholar left the abandoned temple.

~~~

Three figures dressed as scholars trudged through the morass, their steps uneven and their appearance quite disheveled.

“Why is this road so difficult to walk on?” one of the figures complained.

Another figure rolled his eyes. “Just deal with it. Learn to be content. Isn’t this much better than when we were in the jungle?”

“True.”

The third figure explained, “I heard that a once-in-a-decade downpour drenched Guhuai Town yesterday, causing the river to overflow its banks. It’s said that it’ll rain again tonight.”

“Tsk, that doesn’t seem like a good omen.”

Lu Yang pointed at the temple and smiled. “Perfect then. There’s a temple ahead. Although it’s a bit run-down, the Buddha statue should still be inside. You can go and pay your respects when we stay the night.

“Let’s go over the plan again. Based on the available intelligence, the target is highly cautious and won’t easily reveal herself. Moreover, she’s a ghost soul with excellent escape techniques, making her hard to capture.

“The female ghost’s strength should be at the Foundation Establishment Stage, though her exact cultivation realm is unclear. If she shows herself, we must make sure she can’t escape before moving in to catch her!

“Our current identities are scholars heading to the imperial city to seek honor and prestige. We will stay here for the night and use this opportunity to lure the female ghost out!

“So far, there’s been no news of the female ghost killing anyone. When we capture her, don’t go for the kill.

“In the past, I had no experience traveling outside. But after seeing my shifu imprisoned, I learned the importance of using fake names in the outside world. That way, even if we embarrass ourselves, we won’t bring shame to the real us in the Dao-Seeking Sect.

“Let’s confirm our names once more. I am Lu Yiyang.”

“I am Long Jingzhou.”

“I am Li Hao.”

After a discussion, the three felt that the plan was sound. They concealed their auras as much as possible and disguised themselves as mortals before entering the temple.

“This temple is so clean.” Meng Jingzhou was surprised. He had expected the place to be covered in dust, with spiderwebs in every corner.

The interior of the temple was far beyond his expectations. It was as speckless as if someone had recently cleaned it.

The only regret was that the Buddha statue in the center was missing its upper half, so they couldn't pay their respects.

Li Haoran found some dry firewood behind the Buddha statue, likely left by the last person who stayed here. He piled the firewood together and gathered some dry grass. Pulling out a flint from his bag, he lit a fire.

As he warmed his hands by the fire, an expression of pure comfort spread across his face. “Whew—I feel alive again.”

Lu Yang took out a few mantou[1] buns from his bag, skewered them with wooden sticks, and roasted them over the fire.

When the mantou’s outer skin turned slightly golden, he broke one of the mantou apart. The aroma mixed with the steam wafted toward them.

Meng Jingzhou walked around the temple and returned to the main hall. “Aside from the main hall, there are two other rooms. We can each take one when it’s time to sleep later.”

“Alright.”

The three sat around the fire, eating the mantou with jiangcai pickles[2] while lamenting the difficult road ahead.

Lu Yang was plagued with worry, and even the mantou in his hand didn’t taste fragrant anymore. “I wonder if our journey to the imperial capital will go smoothly. I’ve heard that cultivators are everywhere in the imperial capital. For us mortals, making a name for ourselves there will only be even more difficult.”

Meng Jingzhou waved his hand. “The number of cultivators in the imperial capital isn’t as exaggerated as you think. At most, one in twenty people is a cultivator. Becoming a cultivator is incredibly tough. The test of spirit root alone already eliminates ninety-nine percent of people.”

One cultivator in twenty people was already an astonishing ratio. No other major city in the Central Continent could rival this.

“Although we don’t have spirit roots, we have our knowledge. We can effortlessly write essays and possess unique insights into current affairs and politics. Tomorrow, we will leave Shoutian Commandery, head to the capital for the imperial examinations, seek honor and prestige, gain the emperor’s favor, and secure an official position. It’s not completely impossible.”

Not all ranked officials in the Great Xia Dynasty were cultivators; some were mortals.

Meng Jingzhou pointed at Li Haoran with his mantou. “For instance, Brother Li, you memorized the Thousand Character Classic[3] at age five, wrote free-style shi poetry at age seven, composed lyrical ci poetry[4] at age eight, and wrote essays at age ten. You’re brimming with talent, and your writing is splendid as if it were the work of nature. Even your teacher couldn’t stop complimenting you, praising you as the best student he has ever taught.”

Li Haoran smiled modestly. “Brother Long, you flatter me. My teacher simply wanted to encourage me, hence the appraisal. On the other hand, Brother Long, you’re giving up your family business to seek a future in the imperial city. Such confidence is something Brother Lu and I can’t match.”

The three lavished praises on one another, then flipped through the classics written by the saints and sages, reading with keen interest. They marveled at the impressive work of the past sages, who they believed were truly deserving of their timeless fame.

If we could write even one essay like that, we’d die without regrets.

Meng Jingzhou yawned, ruthlessly crushing Lu Yang’s dreams. “Alright, stop dreaming and go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow.”

As agreed while eating the mantou, the three entered their respective rooms. Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou took the rooms on both sides, while Li Haoran stayed in the main hall, sleeping in front of the half-destroyed Buddha statue.

In the darkness, three graceful figures watched the trio, their eyes faintly glowing green.

“Three more people have arrived. Their yang energy is so abundant. Ah, I really want to know what they taste like...” The figure in cyan robes tittered.

“Exactly! It’s been so long since we’ve seen scholars with such vibrant yang energy. Although scholars who read classics by sages for a long time can develop vast righteous qi, it’s rare to see ones like these three.” The figure in red robes licked her seductive red lips.

The figure in white, who appeared younger, hurriedly said, “Elder Sisters, you must be careful not to drain all their yang energy. We need to adopt a sustainable approach to tackling problems.

“If they find it comfortable the first time, they’ll come back for a second time. Over time, we’ll absorb more yang energy than if we absorb it all at once.”

“Got it, got it. Little Seven, you’re the youngest but also the most long-winded. We know where to draw the line. If we go overboard, we’ll attract the attention of the righteous path, and we’ll be the ones in trouble; we get that.

“Let’s split up. The two of us will go to the rooms on either side. Little Seven, you stay here and attend to this Li guy.”

1. Mantou are a type of baozi, and they tend to have no fillings and are shaped like this. ☜

2. It’s a specific type of Chinese pickle consisting of vegetables and fruits in sauces such as soy sauce. There are many varieties, but here’s a simple image. ☜ freewēbnoveℓ.com

3. It’s a famous classic traditionally used as a primer for learning to read. If you’d like more information, you can read this article. ☜

4. To be brief, shi is less structured while ci is typically composed to a tune. Both are essentially the foundations of Chinese poetry. If you are interested, you may find more information here. ☜