sinovels Chapter 174 Unspoken Rules
Chapter 174 Unspoken Rules
At this point, all the images on the scroll faded away.
Fu Liunian waved his hand, and the reel was sucked from the wall into his hand.
He carefully put the scroll away again, his movements light, as if afraid of damaging it. Yang Silang noticed that the scroll skin was not the mirage skin commonly found in the tower.
Its skin is dotted with star-like spots, almost transparent in color, and very thick. When rolled up, it forms a thick roll, and when touched with a finger, it leaves shallow pits, indicating that the skin has excellent elasticity.
"Brother Fu," Yang Silang immediately changed to a more intimate form of address, "this martial art seems to be quite extraordinary."
Fu Liunian patted the scroll and laughed.
"This is a slightly better Phantom Demon skin, not considered high quality."
"Because this unfortunate grandmaster died young, his Turtle Breathing Technique, in terms of quality, is worthy of being rated as a grandmaster's ultimate skill."
"Ordinary mirage skins cannot withstand its martial will."
Yang Silang was filled with respect and stood up to bow deeply to Liu Nian.
"Brother Fu, this gift is too generous!"
"This... I'm afraid it's made you take a lot of responsibility..."
Fu Liunian accepted his bow without hesitation and then invited him to sit down.
"You're exaggerating. As the master who guards the tower, I've been confined to this lonely tower for decades, so of course I've received some benefits."
"If I were to choose from the three ultimate techniques of the Grandmaster of Golden Marrow, this is one of the techniques I have learned."
"Although this skill is good, it is very difficult to learn. It is easy to get started, but it is very difficult to achieve the transformation of the Turtle Form Intent. It requires a lot of hard work to convert all the true energy in one's body, which takes a lot of time."
"Young friend, you can treat this as a supplementary skill. Once you enter the realm, you can control your qi and blood. It won't be difficult for you to lower your level and pretend to be a steel-dirty grand martial artist."
"After achieving minor success, one's qi and blood will be reduced to that of an ordinary martial artist; after achieving intermediate success, one can walk like an ordinary person without revealing one's whereabouts; after achieving major success, one will feign death and be reborn, undergoing a complete transformation, and one's cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds."
"I have practiced for decades, but I have not mastered the final Turtle Form Intention. I am stuck at the intermediate level and cannot make any progress. I have wasted a lot of energy and time."
"Originally, I practiced this technique to give myself a safety net," Fu Liunian said with emotion. "If I didn't break through to the next realm smoothly, I could rely on this technique to prolong my qi and blood, and even reverse my physical constitution."
"Looking back now, if I hadn't chosen this martial art and had instead focused all my energy on my main skill, Frost Force, I might have become a Grandmaster of Golden Marrow long ago."
"Fortune and misfortune are truly unpredictable..."
Yang Silang nodded, not knowing what to say.
Fu Liunian is now stuck at this crucial juncture, unable to move forward. It's normal for him to doubt his past actions, but his words have lost their sharpness, making it difficult for him to overcome this critical juncture.
Fortunately, Fu Liunian was sad for a moment, then turned around and explained in detail the points to note when practicing this skill.
This lecture lasted for an hour, and he spoke fluently and continuously, clearly demonstrating that, as he said, he had put in a lot of hard work.
After explaining the technique, Fu Liunian sighed.
"Young friend, you are still young, not even twenty yet."
"Your chances of breaking through to become a Grandmaster of the Golden Marrow are much greater than mine."
"I see you're practicing the Taizu Long Fist Five Elements Strength. If you want to learn the Grandmaster's ultimate technique, the Great Five Elements Strength, you must go to the capital to take the martial arts examination, right?"
Yang Silang nodded in agreement.
For the military examinations held in June, candidates from all over Shun Kingdom would often set off several months in advance.
It is said that in some remote provinces, such as southern Xinjiang, some people even traveled a year in advance. When they arrived in the capital, they still had to find their own accommodations and have banquets and exchanges with their fellow candidates.
No one will arrive in Beijing at the exact time.
It's late February now, and Yang Silang plans to stay for half a month before setting off.
He said frankly.
"I'll stay in the provincial capital for a few days and settle in, then I should be heading out soon."
Fu Liunian laughed heartily.
"With your abilities, obtaining a military degree would be a piece of cake."
"Brother, I have a favor to ask. My son and grandson have no talent for martial arts, but my great-granddaughter has exceptional talent. My grandson runs a small inn in the capital."
"Why don't you stay there and observe my great-granddaughter's aptitude and martial virtue? If you are satisfied, I have a letter as proof, and you can then accept her as your disciple..."
Yang Silang asked curiously.
"Brother Fu, there are countless renowned teachers in the capital. Your daughter has plenty of opportunities to learn from them. Why bother coming to me?"
"You know I practice the Five Elements Technique, which might not be suitable for her to practice."
Fu Liunian's face showed an embarrassing expression.
"Sigh... That girl is stubborn. She said whoever wants to be her master has to beat her. If those renowned masters really agreed, wouldn't they become a laughing stock?"
"Teach her as much as you want, the main thing is to temper her arrogance and let her focus on martial arts."
Yang Silang realized that his master was just a facade.
He readily agreed, as he had no burden of fame and was always decisive when it came to women.
What Widow She, what snake demon—they were all victims of his own blade. Brother Fu only had this one small wish, and it had to be granted.
Fu Liunian was even happier to see that he agreed so readily.
"Alright, alright. By the way, since you're going to take the imperial examination, let me give you a piece of advice."
"Don't be the head of a phoenix, don't be the tail of a chicken, moderation is best."
"When you're out and about, if people ask, just say you're married, to avoid being scouted by prestigious families for a son-in-law..."
Yang Silang asked curiously, "Why is that?"
Fu Liunian explained.
The top three scholars in the imperial examinations are known as the "Three Top Scholars," but these are actually reserved for members of aristocratic families. They are rewarded with a trip to the royal secret realm to receive a grand gift, which is said to lay the foundation for becoming a martial saint.
Despite the current chaos in Shun Kingdom, the Royal Secret Realm remains the best secret realm in the world, and the emperors are using this reward to win over powerful clans.
Therefore, don't even look at or touch the Three Tripods, don't even think about it. If you touch their major interests, you are very likely to invite great retaliation.
It's truly an outsider who won the top three prizes.
The powerful families were unhappy, and so was the emperor.
Historically, there were indeed geniuses without much background who, in order to seize the opportunity to become martial saints, obtained the third-ranking scholar position. As a result, they were appointed as generals on the frontier, but died in a conflict outside the pass after only a few months in office. After that, few people dared to snatch food from the tiger's mouth.
Yang Silang nodded.
"Can I get a touch of that second-tier class?"
The top three are the first rank, and the next rank is the second rank, which consists of approximately several dozen people.
Fu Liunian shook his head.
He explained that ranking second in the imperial examinations could secure many powerful official positions, which were highly coveted by aristocratic families.
Especially when the top families are vying for the coveted top three spots, the remaining families will surely get some scraps, right?
Therefore, becoming a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) is out of the question.
Yang Silang was somewhat discouraged after hearing this.
"So, I can only aim for the top three?"
The first rank was for those who passed the imperial examination and their younger brothers; the second rank was for those who passed the imperial examination and were considered to be of the same rank; and the third rank was for those who passed the imperial examination and were considered to be of the same rank. Pei, Zhuang, and Bai were among those in the third rank.
Fu Liunian smiled.
"The imperial examination is a grand ceremony for selecting talents from all over the country, and it must absorb some talents from poor families. The hundred or so places in the top three are prepared for this purpose."
"You can become an official, but only a probationary official. You have to spend money to take office, and it's probably not a very lucrative position."
"You can also enter the secret realm, but it's a royal third-class secret realm. Most of them are old secret realms that have declined and been downgraded. There will be some gains, but they won't be very good."
"Finally, the most favored people from the top three ranks of the imperial examination were the last twenty or thirty. When the results were announced, they would often bring their servants to capture them, bring them home, and marry them off. They were not married to legitimate daughters, but rather to illegitimate daughters from collateral branches of the family, and they were considered to have married into the family."
"Brother Yang..." Fu Liunian drawled, "You don't want to pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examination), so your children won't be able to take your surname, do you?"
Yang Silang shivered.
Wang Daniu even tried to fool his older sister by saying that he could marry a princess... Even if he did marry a princess, the child would still take the husband's surname.
If someone were to capture him and make him a live-in son-in-law, it would be a disgrace to his ancestors.
The thought of being bound tightly and sent to someone else's bed, only to have an ugly woman come in and drool over him, sent chills down Yang Silang's spine.
I really don't know how Pei Zhuangbai and the other two managed to get through that time.
He once again sincerely thanked Fu Liunian.
Fu Liunian stood up briskly and said warmly.
"Brother, my situation is like my whole body has fallen outside the Golden Marrow Realm, and I'm only holding on by one toe. I really don't have much time left."
"We had a very pleasant chat today, and I also received some elixirs from you. I'm about to go into seclusion to cultivate."
"When you return, it will be autumn. Wishing you success in your exams!"
Yang Silang sincerely thanked him.
The two then took their leave.
After Fu Liunian's figure disappeared, Yang Silang stroked his chin.
"This old master probably doesn't have much affection for the demon race."
"He seems like a very warm and gentle person, so why did Grandma Tianjing say he was rigid?"
"By the way, both the human and the demon are prisoners. They can't help each other and have been confined to the same room for decades. They hate each other, just like an old couple who can't separate but can't leave."
"It would be strange if this human and this demon could get along."
He left the tower and returned home.
The rented courtyard had been cleaned spotlessly by Da Niu, Da Qing, and She Nu, and the kitchen was filled with delicious aromas as She Nu started a fire to cook.
In addition, Shu Miaosheng was wiping the house with a rag, feeling aggrieved. His soul was too weak, and his physical body was crushed. His condensed soul body was only half the original strength. He could not walk in the sunlight, otherwise he might die suddenly. He could only appear at night.
Others, like Da Qing She Nu, were so capable that the master often forgot they existed.
Furthermore, the more diligently Yang Silang practiced at night, the less he needed it.
Today I can finally show off my skills.
Shu Miaosheng felt both aggrieved and excited. He had been imprisoned in the Niwan Palace, praying so much that his ears were ringing and he was almost going crazy. He was glad to be able to come out and take a stroll in the real world, even if he got beaten up.
Yang Silang clapped his hands, summoned the three demons to his side, and asked who had the method to conceal their demonic aura and disguise themselves as ordinary livestock.
Da Qing was terrified.
"Master, don't look at me. You took me to the secret realm and that's when I learned to speak and started cultivating. Before that, I was a wild animal."
She Nu also shook her head.
"Master, don't look at me. I am a wild creature in the secret realm. I only started to learn human speech after coming into contact with humans. In the secret realm, all the demons want their demonic aura to be visible from ten miles away, to demonstrate their strength and define their territory. No demon would study how to conceal their aura."
Shu Miaosheng was overjoyed and jumped three feet high.
"Sir, I have a solution."
"I was not well received at the Dharma Protector Temple, so I spent my days hiding and sneaking around to listen to the monks chanting sutras or stealing food."
"If the concealment technique wasn't working, I would have been knocked out countless times already."
"I can teach you..."
Yang Silang shook his head and pointed at Daqing.
"He wasn't teaching me, he was teaching him."
"Within half a month, you must teach and teach the Shu Temple student until he learns it all, or you will be locked up in the Niwan Palace for a full year."
Shu Miaosheng's face immediately fell, while Da Qing chuckled smugly, gloating.
In that case, wouldn't he be able to make decisions for himself and control Shu Miaosheng?
Yang Silang pointed at Daqing again.
"You have half a month to learn, or you can forget about holding hands with any woman for a year."
Daqing's long face immediately fell, and his smile shifted to She Nu's face.
Stupid donkeys and stupid mice are no match for my cleverness. I'll become an indispensable reliance for my master as a cook.
Yang Silang suddenly pointed at She Nu.
She Nu panicked immediately.
"What are you standing there like an idiot for?" Yang Silang scolded. "Can't you see the master is hungry?"
"Bring the food here quickly..."
She Nu swayed her willow-like waist and made a hasty escape.