Some Mysterious Golden Light

Zhang Chen looked at the red bead on the ground, and his eyes immediately lit up. He could not even be bothered to settle Zhang Chen's insult, hurrying over to the bead to see what good thing the Fox Spirit had dropped. But when Zhang Chen looked closely, he was somewhat disappointed. "Experience Points again?"

The bead bore the words "+5," not the skill Zhang Chen had wanted.

But Zhang Chen quickly composed himself and consoled himself. "Something dropping is better than nothing. Once I have a skill, points will matter. There's nothing wrong with saving up more points now."

Zhang Chen picked up the Experience Points, and the Experience Points interface before his eyes shifted:

Name: Zhang Chen

Skill: None

Points: 45

Zhang Chen carried the muntjac back into his own courtyard, hung the unskinned animal directly on the wall, then turned and sat in the corner of the room. His eyes quietly watched the muntjac on the wall. He did not have to wait long. In the next instant, the muntjac hanging on the wall vanished into thin air, leaving only a reddish-yellow bead behind.

Zhang Chen ground his teeth in fury. He even heard a faint complaint from next door. "Why hasn't this muntjac been skinned today? That poor hunter next door is getting lazier by the day. I have to do it myself."

Listening to those indistinct mutters of dissatisfaction, Zhang Chen silently stepped forward and collected the "+5" Experience Points, his brows twitching with rage.

"This is too much! This is downright bullying!" After collecting the Experience Points, Zhang Chen stood before the wall and looked at the gap he had plugged back up with mud. His heart stirred. After a moment of inner turmoil, he took out a piece of wire and carefully poked open the hole he had sealed earlier.

To defeat an enemy, he first had to understand them. She had not noticed him spying on her before, so as long as he was more careful now, she probably would not notice him either.

Zhang Chen carefully pressed his eye to the hole, and the scene next door entered his sight. Two oil lamps had been lit in the neighboring room. The poor scholar was not inside. The White-Clad Girl was butchering the muntjac with bloodied hands, grumbling as she worked. "Damn hunter, he's getting lazier and lazier. I'm sick of eating muntjac meat every day. Does he not know how to change the flavor? And couldn't he at least clean the muntjac before bringing it back?"

Before long, a fragrant pot of rice was ready. The girl transformed back into a white fox and leaped onto the kang bed. Just then, footsteps sounded outside. The poor scholar Zhang Chen entered carrying a bucket of water. Looking at the table piled high with food, he smiled faintly. "I do not know which passing immortal has bestowed this upon me. This humble student offers his thanks. But the immortals send me muntjac meat every day, and I am growing tired of it. If they could send me a bowl of chicken tomorrow, that would be even better. Many thanks, immortals!"

After the scholar put on a convincing show of gratitude, he sat down and began eating with great relish, picking up meat from the table and feeding it to the Little Fox.

"You're the one who should be thanking me, damn it." Zhang Chen muttered next door, nearly grinding his back teeth to dust.

After dinner, the scholar cleared the table and sat at the battered desk. The Little Fox somehow fetched a sheet of Gold Leaf in her mouth and jumped into the scholar's arms.

"Alright, it's time for our nightly reading... Hm? Where did this page of the Golden Book come from? To use Gold Leaf as a medium for carrying words is far too extravagant." Holding the fox, the scholar noticed the Gold Leaf page she had brought. After examining it in his hand for a moment, he was greatly startled.

"A book page made of gold—how extravagant! What sort of writing would require gold pages to be engraved upon? Where did you pick this up, Little Fox?"

The scholar was quite curious about the Gold Leaf book. Holding it in his hand, he said, "Let me see what this Golden Book records. Hm, these seem to be characters from the ancient age. Fortunately, my teacher taught me them some days ago."

As Zhang Chen peered from next door at the golden page, he suddenly saw two clusters of golden "skill points" fall from it. He could not help but freeze. "That golden page is far from simple."

After studying it for a while, the scholar stroked the Little Fox's head and said, "It is actually some pretentious drivel, saying that revering the gods makes all evils flee. This is only meant to fool people—a worthless piece of trash."

But the Little Fox refused to accept that. She hopped back and forth with urgent whimpers. Seeing this, the scholar said helplessly, "Alright, alright. Since you want to hear it, I'll read it to you."

After saying that, the scholar began reciting the words on the Gold Leaf. This was also an understanding between him and the Fox Spirit. The Fox Spirit often brought back books from who knew which dynasty, and since she could not read, he specially read them aloud to her.

"The Dao is nowhere absent. Though among the barbarian tribes, in distant lands and foreign realms, where could one not follow this Dao? Those who awakened earlier awaken those who awaken later; only sages can bring enlightenment. Thus, though Zhugan lies far among the barbarians, they too may be well saved and not abandoned..."

As the chanting rose, the void before Zhang Chen's eyes suddenly flickered, and the Golden Finger Interface flashed:

Name: Zhang Chen

Skill: Xi Sheng Scripture # Fragment (0/10)

Points: 50

Note: A fragmentary mysterious scripture. Adding points will bring mysterious changes.

"A skill? I actually got a skill?"

Looking at the Golden Finger before him, Zhang Chen beamed with joy. He had never expected that spying tonight would bring such an unexpected harvest. With a thought, he directly added ten points. In the next instant, the points before Zhang Chen shifted again:

Name: Zhang Chen

Skill: Some Mysterious Golden Light (0/50)

Points: 40

Then Zhang Chen felt his body grow hot. A current of air appeared in his dantian, and a golden light seemed to flow before his eyes.

"What is this?" Zhang Chen froze. He felt threads of inexplicable golden aura gathering within his dantian. The aura was as thin as a hair, yet it truly existed. It pulsed in a certain rhythm along with Zhang Chen's breathing.

Though the golden light was faint, it illuminated Zhang Chen's Spiritual World. His entire Spiritual World suddenly felt capable of driving back all darkness and washing away all evil.

"What is this?" Zhang Chen could not help but stand stunned as he sensed that wisp of golden light within his dantian.

He truly could feel a golden light in his dantian pulsing along with his breathing.

It pulsed, and then that was it. There was no then after that. He felt absolutely nothing else.

"What use is this skill?" Zhang Chen was somewhat dumbfounded. He had a skill now, but he had no idea what it did.

"Some Mysterious Golden Light cannot be used only because its level is too low. Once I raise its level in the future, there will definitely be a great change." Zhang Chen kept encouraging himself inwardly.

"If I pick up more Experience Points, can this 'Some Mysterious Golden Light' level up? Then I'll have a way to deal with that damned Fox Spirit." Zhang Chen began muttering to himself. Yet as he felt the pulses in his abdomen rise and fall with his breathing, his brow furrowed. "What exactly is Some Mysterious Golden Light? Could it be the legendary supernatural ability? Or some divine power?"

For the time being, Zhang Chen could not figure it out.

"This is kind of a scam!" Zhang Chen scratched his head. Looking at the Experience Points required after Some Mysterious Golden Light, he saw that it needed fifty points. Then he looked at the Experience Points that had fallen from the scripture next door, and his eyes burned with desire.

Some Mysterious Golden Light needed fifty Experience Points to level up. If he included those two clusters in the neighboring room, it should be enough.

Zhang Chen carefully plugged the hole in the wall, then leaned against it as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. "There are two clusters of golden light on the floor next door. I wonder if they dropped skills or points."

Thinking of those two clusters of golden light next door, Zhang Chen's heart grew feverish. "I need to find a chance to collect them. Then maybe my skill can level up?"

"I wonder whether Zhang Chen and the Fox Spirit will still go to the academy tomorrow. They go out every day to visit their teacher at the academy." Zhang Chen muttered to himself.

But Zhang Chen's worries soon found a turning point. The next day, he did not hurry out. Only after the Fox Spirit and the bookworm had left did he pull out the gap in the wall and peer over. The Gold Leaf had vanished, but the two clusters of glittering golden Experience Points were still there.

"Should I go or not?" Zhang Chen hesitated. If he ran into the Fox Spirit, he would not be able to explain himself even if he had a hundred mouths. But looking at his Golden Finger Interface, Zhang Chen finally made up his mind. Every single Experience Point was exceedingly precious to him.

Zhang Chen left his courtyard. Only after seeing Zhang Chen carrying the fox disappear behind the village did he swiftly climb over the wall and enter the Fox Spirit's home.

The scholar's home was very simple, yet neat and orderly, with everything arranged in a regular fashion.

There was only a water vat, a bucket, a desk, a bed, and a bookshelf in the room.

Looking at the two clusters of Experience Points, Zhang Chen's eyes went wide. They actually read "Experience Points +50."

"What exactly is that Golden Page? The Experience Points it drops are even greater than the Fox Spirit's." Without another word, Zhang Chen swiftly collected the Experience Points. Yet he did not leave immediately. Greed rose in his heart. "If I steal that Gold Leaf, could it keep producing Experience Points forever?"

After pondering for a long time, reason finally overcame greed. Zhang Chen quickly withdrew and returned to his own room to calm his excitement. Then he looked at the Golden Finger. "I can't afford to provoke that Fox Spirit for now. Once my skill improves, that Gold Leaf will be mine sooner or later."

Name: Zhang Chen

Skill: Some Mysterious Golden Light (0/50)

Points: 140

"The first upgrade turned the Xi Sheng Scripture into Some Mysterious Golden Light. I wonder what the second upgrade will be." Zhang Chen felt faint anticipation. Faced with the pressure brought by the Fox Spirit, he was truly terrified. It was like sleeping on thorns and swallowing a fishbone—he could neither eat nor sleep in peace. He did not even dare sleep too deeply, afraid that he might let something slip in his sleep and say what he should not say.

When Liaozhai entered reality, he did not envy the scholar's red-sleeved beauty by lamplight in the slightest! It was like how everyone wanted to pet a tiger, but when a tiger truly stood before you, all you wanted was to run!

Just like when he had first discovered the Fox Spirit, terror rose in Zhang Chen's mind. What red sleeves by lamplight, what enchanting Fox Spirit maidens from Liaozhai—at that moment, they all became one single question: "Will she harm me?"

"There's a demon living next door to me?"

"Will this demon eat people?"

"This is a demon!"

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