Chapter 211: Huang Yuanliang: Can't let the Li family take all the good things

On the official road.

Many pedestrians had surrounded more than half of the road, and even quite a few merchant caravans had stopped.

In the middle of the road, two young men stood several zhang apart, their eyes filled with caution as they looked at each other.

What's the situation?

Lin Chen was somewhat surprised and looked toward his instructor. Yu Yongnian pondered for a moment and rode his horse closer to the nearest merchant caravan.

"Brother, what's the situation here?"

The caravan guard was a middle-aged man. Hearing Yu Yongnian's words, he scanned Yu Yongnian and Lin Chen, the vigilance in his eyes dissipating quite a bit, and he said with a smile: "Two people from the Hidden Dragon List have bumped into each other. One is from Huizhou Prefecture, and one is from Wenzhou Prefecture. They are preparing to have a contest."

Hidden Dragon List?

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed. When he was at the Martial Hall, he had never heard of any Hidden Dragon List, and even his teacher hadn't mentioned it to him.

"For you, this list doesn't count for much."

Hearing it was the Hidden Dragon List, Yu Yongnian had a look of recollection on his face. Seeing Lin Chen's confused expression, he explained: "The Hidden Dragon List only records Organ Cultivation martial artists under thirty in Jiangnan Dao. Placed in Jiangnan Dao, they indeed count as having potential, but compared to you, they don't count for much."

Organ Cultivation martial artists under thirty, and still in Jiangnan Dao...

Once Lin Chen heard this, he indeed lost interest. This type of so-called Hidden Dragon List genius should be the list that people like Lu Shidi and Zhao Shidi pursued.

"Yu Yu Jiaoxi, if one makes the Hidden Dragon List, are there any benefits?"

However, even if such a list existed, wouldn't it bring benefits to those on it?

"The top ten have the opportunity to be recruited into some families, and they might also be valued for their potential, given martial arts cultivation resources for training, to help them enter the Ranked Tier and participate in the Martial Examination."

Yu Yongnian spat out two words simply. Lin Chen was stunned, then understood.

Because of his life destiny, he had already reached the peak of his peers, but Daliang had more ordinary martial artists. Like Lu Shidi and the others, their family money was at most enough to cultivate to the late Acupuncture Stage. Once they reached the Organ Cultivation Stage, if they wanted to continue improving in martial arts, they had to rely on their own efforts to obtain money and cultivation resources.

The existence of the Hidden Dragon List gave them a chance.

One could imagine the hardship of cultivation for bottom-tier martial artists.

Being able to reach this step with his humble family background, he should cherish it even more and lead the way step by step; only then could he always obtain enough martial arts cultivation resources before entering the Ranked Tier.

Just as Lin Chen and his instructor rode their horses past the side of the crowd, the battle between the two young men in the arena had already ended.

With Lin Chen's current discernment, he could see at a glance that these two hadn't gone all out. Although the fighting drew cheers from the onlookers, it was all just a show, and it wasn't even as intense as the sparring between Martial Hall students.

"Do you feel that the sparring between martial artists on the dignified Hidden Dragon List is like child's play?"

Yu Yongnian saw Lin Chen staring at the two in the arena with a thoughtful look and thought Lin Chen was confused because the fight was too much of a farce.

"When you spar and get injured in the Martial Hall, the Martial Hall has enough elixirs for you to recover from your injuries, and even broken bones don't count for much. But once you leave the Martial Hall, you don't have that treatment. The elixirs sold in those elixir shops, the price of healing medicine is all over ten taels. If you suffer a slightly heavier injury, a hundred taels of silver will be gone."

"It's not that they don't dare to go all out; it's that without absolute certainty, they don't dare to let themselves get injured."

Do Organ Cultivation martial artists make money?

Making a few hundred taels of silver a year is no problem, but unless it's an Organ Cultivation martial artist who has given up on the Martial Way, the money earned is simply not enough for cultivation expenses.

"Daliang provides very good protection for you students."

Lin Chen nodded. He agreed with his instructor's words. Even martial artists on the Hidden Dragon List had to be cautious in battle, not daring to let themselves get injured, while they, as students, didn't have these worries. This was the care the imperial court provided them.

"Many young people don't understand how much support the Wuzheng Office gives to major Martial Halls, thinking that elixirs and poultry meat all cost money, and that it's only slightly cheaper than the outside world. They don't cherish their time in the Martial Hall, and only after leaving the Martial Hall do they realize their mistake, but unfortunately, it's already too late."

Yu Yongnian sighed. It seemed like the savings weren't much, but over three years, it could save hundreds of taels.

With so many Martial Halls in Daliang, the resources consumed every day were an unimaginable number.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He thought of what that official, Kong, had said: someone wanted the Wuzheng Office to change its policy and increase the provision for Ranked Tier martial artists.

If the Wuzheng Office really did that, then humble martial artists would truly have no way to get ahead, not even daring to spar.

The battle of the Hidden Dragon List martial artists was just an interlude. On the road ahead, Yu Yongnian told Lin Chen many things to pay attention to when traveling outside, all of which were his personal experiences.

Some experiences Lin Chen, who had lived two lives, already knew, but he still listened carefully.

Two days later.

Several mountain peaks appeared in Lin Chen's line of sight.

The green mountain ranges looked like ink soaking into rice paper, their outlines gradually blurring in the clouds and mist.

Lin Chen reined in his horse and gazed. The gnarled guest-welcoming pine on the mountain peak appeared and disappeared in the mist.

"We have already arrived at the Mount Huang border."

Yu Yongnian saw Lin Chen gazing at Mount Huang and said with a chuckle: "Mount Huang is the number one mountain in Huizhou. At its peak, there is a thousand-year-old pine named the Guest-Welcoming Pine. I heard from my teacher that back then, the Huang family ancestor was under that Guest-Welcoming Pine, watching the sea of clouds and strange rocks, and comprehended the Zhenyue Manual. Zhenyue—the meaning of suppressing the mountains of the world."

"The Zhenyue Manual name has this meaning? This disciple really didn't know."

Lin Chen was surprised. According to his understanding, the reason the Huang family ancestor named this hard-body cultivation technique the Zhenyue Manual was just to take the characteristic of mountains being immovable like mountains.

Zhenyue Manual!

Truly a great spirit.

"Mount Huang is not simple. There are many forbidden areas inside, even I haven't been in."

While Yu Yongnian was introducing the scenery of Mount Huang to Lin Chen, a figure appeared on horseback not far away: "Yu Shidi!"

The person looked a bit older than Yu Yongnian and wore clothes embroidered with a green pine pattern. Yu Yongnian saw the person and cupped his hands: "Fifth Lin Lin Shixiong, why have you come?" "Yu Yu Jiaoxi received your letter and calculated that you should arrive today, so he specifically ordered me to come and welcome you."

After Huang Fenghua finished speaking, his gaze fell on Lin Chen, and a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes: "This should be Lin Chen, the grand-nephew, right? A young genius, truly extraordinary talent."

"This disciple has met the Senior Uncle."

Lin Chen was about to dismount to pay his respects, but Huang Fenghua waved his hand: "No need to dismount. Yu Yu Jiaoxi is already waiting at the residence. Yu Shidi, let's go directly to see Yu Yu Jiaoxi."

"Good."

Yu Yongnian nodded. He saw it very clearly in his heart like a mirror. His Fifth Lin Lin Shixiong coming here to welcome them wasn't because of him, but because of Lin Chen.

On this point, Yu Yongnian actually thought wrong. Huang Fenghua, who was leading the way, coming to pick up the two of them wasn't just because of the teacher's instructions, but also because he himself harbored the intention of befriending this Yu Shidi.

When the teacher suddenly accepted Yu Yongnian as a disciple, they, the several senior brothers, had some doubts in their hearts. Even if they vaguely knew that a student Yu Shidi had cultivated when he was an instructor back then seemed to have high martial arts talent, logically speaking, it wasn't worth the teacher treating him like this.

It wasn't until not long ago, when Jiangnan Dao issued a document and Yu Shidi was directly rated as a model instructor of Jiangnan Dao, that they, the several senior brothers, admired the teacher's vision.

But they only admired the teacher; for the Shidi, they mostly felt he was lucky to have had an intersection with a genius youth.

But the moment the Wuzheng Office issued the document, Huang Fenghua's attitude toward Yu Yongnian changed.

Not to mention that Yu Shidi benefited from Lin Chen's light, just the Wuzheng Office's reward, a seventh-rank official position... this meant that Yu Shidi had already steadily entered the Ranked Tier.

A Ranked Tier martial artist's own potential was already worth befriending.

After all, he himself hadn't entered the Ranked Tier yet, and whether he could enter the Ranked Tier was hard to say. The reason the teacher accepted him as a disciple was just because they came from the same clan, giving care to a collateral branch.

……

……

Looking at the mountain wears out the horse.

Looking at Mount Huang in his line of sight, by the time Lin Chen really arrived at the foot of Mount Huang, another hour had passed.

Huang Fu!

A huge mansion in a style similar to a manor, occupying most of the foot of Mount Huang.

Lin Chen followed his instructor and dismounted in front of the mansion. Huang Fenghua, who was leading the way, said with a smile: "Yu Shidi, Lin Shizhi, you have traveled all the way and are covered in dust. Go back to your rooms to bathe first. I will go see Yu Yu Jiaoxi first. Lin Shizhi's accommodation has also been arranged, right next to the courtyard where you used to live, Yu Shidi."

"Good, Lin Chen and I will go see Yu Yu Jiaoxi after we bathe."

Yu Yongnian nodded in agreement. The Huang family residence was very large, and he hadn't been to every place, but the road from the mansion to the Mount Huang separate courtyard where he used to live was familiar.

While Yu Yongnian was taking Lin Chen to the separate courtyard, at this moment in the back courtyard of the Huang family ancestral residence, Huang Yuanliang was worshiping his ancestors in the ancestral hall.

"Father, do you really want to let Lin Chen go to that place? That is my Huang family ancestral land; even clansmen are generally not allowed to enter." Huang Kun waited until his father had finished worshiping his ancestors before he couldn't help but ask.

"Kun'er, your heart must be big."

Huang Yuanliang turned his head and looked at his son: "Since the ancestor, no one in my Huang family has been able to cultivate the Zhenyue Manual to the sixth layer; the highest was only to the fourth layer."

"Father, just because we don't have anyone who has cultivated to the sixth layer now doesn't mean there won't be in the future. As long as my Huang family is still here, perhaps future generations will have descendants who can cultivate the Zhenyue Manual to the sixth layer."

Huang Kun was still somewhat unwilling. That place only opened once every twenty years. If Lin Chen were allowed in, even if the Huang family produced a genius, they would have to wait another twenty years to enter.

"The martial arts talent of you brothers in this generation is average, and Qiang'er and the others' talent isn't much higher than you brothers. If we wait until Qiang'er and the others marry and have children, and the next generation grows up, it will take more than ten years. Even if Heaven blesses my Huang family and produces a unicorn child, we can completely wait until the full twenty years have passed before entering."

Huang Yuanliang saw his son still wanting to argue and said in a deep voice: "Since we have formed a bond with Lin Chen and have already sent a favor, then let's send this favor to the end. I have studied Lin Chen's martial arts cultivation path. In Lin Chen's heart, those who have grace toward him—first is Yongnian, this is indisputable, and the grace of the Quzhou Li family in Lin Chen's heart is definitely above my Huang family. But what Li Yueshan taught Lin Chen belongs to my Huang family's Zhenyue Manual."

"Does the Li family have such great grace toward Lin Chen?"

"That old guy Li Yueshan even did the deed of chasing Lin Chen under the moon."

Huang Yuanliang snorted. He had only recently learned about this matter. When Lin Chen became a model Daliang martial arts student, the matter of Li Yueshan slamming the table for Lin Chen at the Wuzheng Office back then was talked about with relish. However, Li Yueshan's son, Li An, was someone who couldn't keep secrets. Once, after drinking too much, he told the story of what Lin Chen encountered when he first arrived at the Li family.

"If that old thing Li Yueshan can borrow flowers to offer to Buddha, then why can't my Huang family give Lin Chen a chance to enter the ancestral land? Whether he can gain anything depends on Lin Chen's own fortune."

When Huang Kun heard his father's words, he no longer opposed it.

Father was right. Isn't the Li family's grace toward Lin Chen just pointing Lin Chen to cultivate the Zhenyue Manual?

But the Zhenyue Manual is theirs, the Huang family's. Why should this grace be taken by the Li family?

This is unfair to the Huang family. The Huang family cannot suffer this loss.

Seeing his son no longer opposing it, Huang Yuanliang sighed in his heart. His son was fine in other aspects, but he was just too narrow-minded. It was only when he mentioned the Li family that he stopped opposing it.

Li Yueshan chasing Lin Chen under the moon was because his son, Li An, couldn't keep the huge Li family. And his letting Lin Chen enter the ancestral land—wasn't it also because he sensed that Kun'er might not be able to keep the Huang family's foundation?

Compared to the Li family, the Huang family's foundation was several times larger.

A Mount Huang was a priceless treasure.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 212 =====