Chapter 145: Learning Literature to Decipher, Cultivating the Origin to Reach the Heavens

"Senior Brother Zhou, someone is looking for you at the entrance!"

Zhou You was in the middle of giving Instruction on the introductory Tiger-Subduing Fist, and a group of new Disciples looked at him with eyes full of admiration.

Suddenly, an Apprentice came to deliver a message, saying that someone was waiting for him at the entrance of the martial arts hall.

Upon going out to look, he saw the burly figure of Pan Jinshan standing in the wind-sheltered shade by the street; hearing footsteps, he turned around.

"Zhou You, my master has returned from visiting a friend and has entrusted me to invite you to the residence."

The old master he spoke of was Master Zeng, a famous literary grandmaster in Gongliang City.

It is said that the greatest wish of the older generation of the two great clans is to invite Master Zeng to write their epitaphs.

Zhou You thought to himself that this old master had quite a thick skin; the flower-plucking thief had been dead for how many days, and only now was he returning home.

"Then let's go!"

Master Zeng was a man of letters, and there was no major conflict of interest with the martial arts hall, so paying a visit was not a big problem.

Besides, the eldest young lady, Wang Yan, also had a good relationship with Miss Zeng.

The two moved with great speed, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at Zeng Fu...

Pan Jinshan was still sighing, "You are too fast; in the blink of an eye, you broke through the Blood-Qi barrier."

"If you had been one step ahead, you would have killed the flower-plucking thief long ago; how could you have let Lu Zhigang steal the limelight?"

Zhou You waved his hand modestly, "Can't compare; his Poison Palm has too much lethality."

While speaking, they had already entered the main gate and arrived at the main hall for receiving guests.

In the past, when Zhou You visited, he would always sit in the open room; this time it was exceptionally different, as he was allowed to enter the hall and the inner chambers.

The maid Dujuan brought a cup of tea, not the large bowls usually used, but a set of three-talent lidded bowls.

The three-talent lidded bowl, composed of a saucer, a tea bowl, and a lid, symbolizes the three talents of heaven, earth, and man, and has always been a tea-drinking utensil beloved by scholars and literati.

This time, when he came to visit, they were treating him as a proper guest.

"My master is here."

Dujuan put away the tea tray and whispered a reminder to Zhou You.

Zhou You looked up and saw an old man walking out with a smile; no matter how he looked at him, he felt familiar.

Hmm, he had met him once in the open room, and had even critiqued the merits and demerits of the calligraphy and paintings on the wall with him!

He was Master Zeng; oh no, Zhou You had told him to his face that his calligraphy and painting skills were too poor, speaking without restraint.

"Young hero, Zhou You, last time you saved the women of my residence, and I am here to thank you."

Master Zeng's expression showed no resentment, as if he had completely forgotten about the initial incident.

"It was just a small effort."

Zhou You said politely.

A gust of fragrant wind blew towards him as Miss Zeng turned out from behind the screen.

"The world is often harsh to women, treating chastity as life itself; once an unmarried woman loses her chastity, it is no different from death."

"Although I do not agree with this, I cannot escape worldly prejudices."

"You repelled the flower-plucking thief and saved my beloved daughter; that is a life-saving grace, and I, an old man, must repay kindness."

Zhou You thought to himself that this was the reason for his visit today.

He didn't know how much he would be given; scholars are ashamed to talk about money, but looking at the state of Zeng Fu, they certainly wouldn't be short of gold and silver! "Child, I have invited Zhou You here; you should thank him in person!"

Miss Zeng was dressed in her finest today, her attitude extremely solemn; under her father's witness, she bowed respectfully to thank Zhou You.

"Little sister thanks Big Brother Zhou for his life-saving grace."

Zhou You looked at Miss Zeng from a close distance and felt that the flower-plucking thief really had a sharp eye; he didn't die unjustly.

The sixteen-year-old girl's face was like white porcelain, her neck as slender as a swan's, with faint downy hair behind her ears.

He had to admit that among the women he had seen in his life, Miss Zeng was the most beautiful, and her temperament was the most outstanding. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of person would be worthy of her! "Zhou You, I wanted to reward you heavily, but my family's assets are not abundant, and I cannot give you gold or silver!"

Master Zeng pondered for a moment and said, "I see that you have quite a talent for Seal Script."

"How about this: I will take you as my Disciple and pass on my attainments in Seal Script to you, how about that?"

Zhou You noticed that the few people beside him let out gasps of varying intensity.

Pan Jinshan, the maid Dujuan, and even Miss Zeng all revealed looks of disbelief.

Master Zeng wanting to take a Disciple was like a clap of thunder, shaking the roof tiles.

The young talents in the city, including those from wealthy families and noble clans, dreamed of becoming his Disciple, with tuition fees worth more than a thousand gold pieces.

If they knew that Master Zeng had promised this to the martial arts-practicing youth before him with such a light remark, what would they think? "I'm afraid this is not appropriate!"

Zhou You actually refused.

Pan Jinshan looked at him as if he were a fool, feeling frustrated that he wouldn't live up to expectations.

For martial artists like them, they could at most make a living; only by studying could one become a person above others. How could he not cherish such a great opportunity placed before him? "I know you work hard practicing martial arts every day; you only need to come here for one hour every night, and I will teach you Seal Script."

Master Zeng said gently, "Young people have good energy; learning more things is beneficial and harmless."

Zhou You suddenly thought that the Ancient Seal Script book from the Heaven-Touching Gate had not yet been translated, and many Ancient Seal Scripts were profound and obscure.

From this, it could be seen that level 3 Seal Script was far from enough.

If he were lucky enough to find some secret manual in the future, he wouldn't be able to understand it if his level wasn't high enough! "Zhou You pays respects to the Master."

Master Zeng happily told him to get up, "I'll give you a courtesy name; Zhou You travels the Great Thousand, so from now on you shall be called Zhou You, Zhou Daqian!"

Miss Zeng on the side smiled sweetly and bowed gracefully to Zhou You, "Ruyu greets Senior Brother."

Hmm, with the status of master and disciple established, Miss Zeng was now his Junior Sister.

Pan Jinshan and Dujuan both congratulated Zhou You; in the blink of an eye, he had gone from a guest to the master's Disciple—the change was too fast.

Literature and martial arts are different paths; Zhou You becoming a disciple of Master Zeng was also reported to Wang Jianxiong.

The old man didn't mind and told him to study hard, as long as he didn't neglect his martial arts practice.

For a Commoner family, the greatest taboo is to be distracted by too many things; whether it be resources or energy, both are limited, and spreading oneself too thin will only lead to accomplishing nothing.

To be well-versed in both literature and martial arts as in stories, only the sons of high-ranking families have the conditions for that.

This matter stirred up a wave of ripples within the literary and educational circles of Gongliang City.

Master Zeng actually took a mere martial artist as a disciple? Because the old master was of high virtue and prestige, the criticisms immediately focused on Zhou You, with people believing he was clinging to a powerful family, not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth, and that it was wishful thinking for him to squeeze into Zeng Fu with the status of a martial artist.

The turmoil in the outside world could not affect Zhou You in the slightest.

Every day, rain or shine, he went to Zeng Fu for one hour to study Seal Script.

After interacting with Miss Zeng many times, he discovered that this little junior sister was lively and cute in private, a stark contrast to her usual ladylike image.

She was already betrothed to the grandson of a great Confucian scholar in Fucheng, and once the other party finished his three-year mourning period, they could be married.

Master Zeng keeping her locked at home was also to protect his daughter; if such a stunning beauty were seen by outsiders, there was no telling what kind of massive disaster it might invite.

"Daqian, if you have the spare capacity in the future, please look after Ruyu more."

"Rest assured, Master, this disciple will certainly do everything in his power."

If Master Zeng's level of Seal Script were converted into a panel assessment, a conservative estimate would be double digits or higher.

Under his guidance, Zhou You was willing to work hard, and when encountering difficult points, he was willing to spend Experience Points, so his progress was extremely fast.

In less than a month, his Seal Script leveled up from lv3 to lv9; the results were much higher than working behind closed doors.

The final veil of the ancient book from the Heaven-Reaching Sect was lifted, translated from beginning to end, and compiled into a volume.

"Heaven-Reaching Yuan-Nurturing Art," the internal secret technique of the Heaven-Reaching Sect.

(End of this chapter)