Zhang Chen entered the house and lit the oil lamp, then washed up. Once he was done, he took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, pulled out the books the young lady had sent over today, picked out a character, and began practicing it in crooked strokes.
Zhang Chen was not entirely without foundation. Though he had never practiced this world's writing, he had at least received nine years of compulsory education in his previous life and possessed the basics of handwriting. Learning this world's characters was not like starting from nothing.
Just as Zhang Chen was practicing his writing, the Fox Spirit next door came again. Like a puppy inspecting its territory, she did not move any of Zhang Chen's things, but as usual, she looked over every object in his home.
When she spotted the Sable Coat hanging on the wall, the Fox Spirit's face filled with surprise. She muttered to herself, "How strange. When did this brat get hold of such a fine thing? It's simply unbelievable! Letting this crude brute wear it is a waste of good material. It ought to go to the scholar in my household."
A flicker of desire appeared in the Fox Spirit's eyes, and she wanted to reach out and take the Sable Coat away. But then she sighed in disappointment and lowered her hand. "This brat clings to the wall every day to peep. If I stole the Sable Coat, wouldn't he risk his life fighting the scholar once he saw it? If it ended up being reported to the authorities, getting tangled up in that would be ugly."
Golden light flowed through Zhang Chen's eyes. He pretended not to see the Fox Spirit wandering about nearby and continued lowering his head to practice writing. Yet the Fox Spirit gave up on the Sable Coat and came straight to Zhang Chen's desk. Seeing him holding a brush and practicing characters, curiosity appeared in her eyes. She leaned over to inspect his writing, and in the next instant, unrestrained laughter echoed through Zhang Chen's house.
It was not the crisp laughter of a young girl, but the devilish "ga ga ga" of some enchanted woman. The Fox Spirit braced herself against the table with both hands, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath, her demonic laughter filling the entire room.
Thinking no one could hear her, the Fox Spirit laughed with great abandon, her voice dripping with mockery. "These are characters? I, Fox Spirit Nan Nan, could roll around on the ground a few times and scribble a couple of circles, and it would still look better than this!"
Zhang Chen's fingers clenched around the brush handle until they turned white. Listening to the Fox Spirit's unrestrained ridicule, he could not help taking a deep breath as he repeatedly consoled himself inwardly. I can't hear her! I can't hear her! I can't hear a thing!
Fox Spirit Nan Nan's eyes swept over the writing, then over Zhang Chen. She looked him up and down, left and right, again and again. Only after a long while did she smack her lips and say, "Sure enough, a person is as ugly as his handwriting!"
After saying that, Fox Spirit Nan Nan drifted away, leaving Zhang Chen standing in the room, gripping his brush with a face full of bitter resentment. He jabbed the sheet of white paper before him straight through. This Fox Spirit had gone too far—pointing at someone's nose and calling him ugly to his face. Was there anything more excessive in this world?
But Zhang Chen did not want to provoke this Fox Spirit yet. He could only mutter to himself, No rush! No rush! My Light of the Righteous God only needs a few hundred more points to level up. I must keep my head down. I must not act rashly!
Zhang Chen looked toward his Golden Finger Interface:
Name: Zhang Chen 1 Skill (Second Order): Light of the Righteous God (0/5000) 2 Skill (Unranked): Dragon Qi (0/2000) 3 Skill (Unranked): Blood Control (0/100000) Points: 4690
"Only three hundred and ten points left. If you say that's a lot, then it truly is—at this rate, who knows how long I'll have to keep digging? But if you say it's little, I could dig that much in a single day before. Just endure a little longer. Once my Light of the Righteous God breaks into the Third Order, there should be a qualitative change." Zhang Chen muttered inwardly, then resumed writing. Yet Nan Nan's mocking laughter seemed to have possessed his ears, leaving him unable to settle his mind. Finally, Zhang Chen simply set down his brush, his face gloomy as he muttered, "Forget it. My mind is restless today; it is not suitable for practicing calligraphy. Once I obtain a skill that lets me remember everything at a glance, wouldn't mere literacy come as easily as turning my hand over?"
Zhang Chen lay on the bed, thinking of that sweet young girl, and the corners of his mouth curled upward. "Today, I really struck it rich. Whether it was a windfall or not doesn't matter much. The key is that I finally vented this foul breath in my heart."
Having not practiced writing that day, Zhang Chen went to bed early. In the middle of the night, a muffled clap of thunder suddenly rolled across the sky. Drizzling rain began to fall, pattering ceaselessly against the Thatched Cottage and startling Zhang Chen awake.
"It's raining?" Zhang Chen opened his eyes in the darkness and listened to the raindrops falling on the roof. Slowly sitting up, he lit the oil lamp and muttered, "Strange! How strange! How could it be raining?"
Judging by the conditions during the day, it absolutely should not have rained.
"It was not supposed to rain, yet it is raining." Zhang Chen sat up and slowly pushed open the door. A chill carrying the smell of mud and water rushed in from outside. Fine rain actually drifted down from the sky, falling through the air and striking Zhang Chen's face with such coldness that even more of his drowsiness fled.
Golden light flickered in Zhang Chen's eyes as he tried to open his Dharma Eye and observe heaven and earth. But a vast mist filled the world at this moment. Even with his Dharma Eye open, Zhang Chen could not see through the fog, much less discern the state of that Dragon Qi beyond the heavens.
"This rain is very abnormal." Zhang Chen let the rain soak his clothes as he savored this rare rainfall. He knew this might be the last rain for the coming months, perhaps even years. That Dragon Qi was swallowing the waters of this land like a whale gulping down the sea; the living beings of this world were in for a hard time.
"I only hope I can dig open that great curtain soon, take the fortune hidden within, and leave this place as early as possible," Zhang Chen muttered inwardly.
Just as thoughts churned through Zhang Chen's mind, a white phantom suddenly emerged from the neighboring house. The White-Clad Girl gazed at the Dragon Qi in the sky, a thoughtful look appearing in her eyes. Her gaze was filled with compassion for heaven and pity for mankind, though no one knew what she was thinking. Zhang Chen, however, did not dare look at the Fox Spirit, afraid that she might discover something. If that happened, he would be finished.
Zhang Chen did not look at the Fox Spirit, but the girl suddenly turned her head toward him. Seeing Zhang Chen staring at the rain in the sky, she curled her lip. "He's completely insane. Instead of sleeping in the dead of night, he actually came outside to watch the rain. There's seriously something wrong with his head!"
The Fox Spirit was extremely haughty. After cursing and mocking Zhang Chen for a while, she seemed to feel it was not enough. She rolled up a clump of mud and flung it through the air, splattering it directly across Zhang Chen's face.
Zhang Chen saw the mud flying toward him, but it was too fast for him to dodge. Besides, he did not want to dodge. He wanted to show weakness before the Fox Spirit, then give her a fatal blow at the crucial moment.
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