Reading to Understand the Meaning

Anyuan Town.

A small courtyard beside Yuanhe Street.

"Mr. Xuanming, this is my fellow disciple Shi Yi. He admires your scholarship and wishes to study under you."

Zhao Cheng brought Shi Yi to Lou Xuanming's residence at Xiucai Tower.

It was a somewhat old thatched courtyard. Although it looked clean, it was very simple, truly fitting the definition of a humble dwelling.

Lou Xuanming's clothes looked a bit worn, but they were washed very clean and not messy. He appeared to be in good spirits.

The scholarly elegance was well-embodied in him.

"Student Shi Yi, I request your guidance, Sir."

Shi Yi said, bowing.

He also brought the customary gift of respect.

"Mm, come in!"

Lou Xuanming looked at Shi Yi intently. After a moment, he nodded.

Shi Yi and Zhao Cheng, carrying the gift, followed Lou Xuanming inside.

"Have you read the Four Books?"

Once inside and seated, Lou Xuanming slowly asked Shi Yi.

"Replying to you, Sir, I have not yet. I only recognize some characters, not all."

Shi Yi answered truthfully.

He knew Lou Xuanming was asking about his current level of knowledge.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, although there was an idea of nurturing reading from a young age, life circumstances differed, and some people began their studies later in life.

Shi Yi's situation was quite normal.

Lou Xuanming had already learned about Shi Yi from Zhao Cheng. He knew Shi Yi was already a Blood Essence Realm Martial Disciple with high martial talent, accepted as a disciple by Lu Feng, the School Master of Anyang Martial Arts School.

The imperial examinations were not the path Shi Yi would take in the future, but practicing martial arts still required literacy.

"Mm, tomorrow morning I will be teaching basic literacy to young children indoors. You can come and listen to the lesson!"

Lou Xuanming nodded slightly and said.

The Zhao family had a history with him. When Zhao Cheng approached him, he didn't outright refuse. He just asked Zhao Cheng to bring the person over for a look.

Now, seeing Shi Yi's handsome appearance and refined speech, not like a crude martial artist, he agreed.

He was already teaching basic literacy to children, so adding Shi Yi to the group was no problem.

"Thank you, Sir!"

Shi Yi said, bowing upon hearing this.

The two left together, silently leaving the customary gift behind.

"Senior Brother Zhao, I observe that this Mr. Xuanming is no ordinary person. His achievements in the imperial examinations should be more than just a Child Scholar, right?"

After Shi Yi and Zhao Cheng left the small courtyard, Shi Yi finally spoke.

He had initially thought Zhao Cheng had found him an old, pedantic scholar, someone who struggled to even become a Talented Scholar in the imperial examinations.

While such a person might not have high academic achievements, teaching him to read wouldn't be an issue.

Shi Yi's primary goal in wanting to study was to become literate. As long as he could read, it would solve many problems for him.

As for knowledge and learning, those were things that accumulated over time.

He believed that through his own efforts, he could master the vast knowledge of Earth. Here in the Central Great World, he was confident he could read more books and acquire even more knowledge.

With his Divine Ability of Eidetic Memory, mastering more knowledge was not a problem at all. Given some time, he was even confident he could participate in the imperial examinations.

"You saw through it, Junior Brother!"

"I originally found an old Child Scholar for you, Junior Brother. But that old Child Scholar's health wasn't good. He fell ill a couple of days ago and has gone back to his village to recuperate. He won't be returning to Anyuan Town anytime soon."

"You were in a hurry to find a teacher for basic literacy, and my father happened to mention Mr. Xuanming. So, I tried approaching Mr. Xuanming about this matter, and he asked me to bring you over to take a look."

"I wasn't entirely sure if Mr. Xuanming would agree to teach you basic literacy, but thankfully, he agreed."

"As for Mr. Xuanming, although he only holds the title of Talented Scholar now, his accumulation of knowledge is profound."

"My father told me that Mr. Xuanming is the most likely person in Anyuan Town to pass the Recommended Scholar examination in the past ten years."

Zhao Cheng explained with a smile.

Seeing that Shi Yi's potential was even greater than he had anticipated, he put more effort into finding a teacher for Shi Yi!

In his father's words, if you see that a friend has great potential and good character, you should help them with all your might.

This way, you show your sincerity and deepen your relationship.

He clearly saw that Shi Yi's success, besides his recommendation, was also due to the Scholarly Aura emanating from him. This was the feeling he got when he first met Shi Yi, and it was also the source of his good impression.

This Scholarly Aura had nothing to do with the amount of knowledge one possessed, but rather with one's mindset.

If you were to put it in the words of a scholar, he's clearly a promising talent for learning at first glance.

Some people, even without direct teaching, can tell if others have a talent for learning just by looking at them.

"Reading enlightens the righteous."

"Junior Brother, if you want to go further on the path of Martial Path cultivation, simply knowing how to read isn't enough; you need to read more."

"My father told me this when I was studying, and now I pass it on to you, Junior Brother."

Zhao Cheng looked at Shi Yi with a serious expression.

Lou Xuanming's willingness to take Shi Yi as a student made Zhao Cheng value Shi Yi even more.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother!"

Shi Yi bowed respectfully upon hearing this.

He naturally understood the importance of reading, which was why he had wanted to learn to read and write since arriving in the Central Great World.

When someone specifically reminds you to value reading, they aren't harming you but helping you, and it proves they are someone worth befriending.

"Junior Brother, you asked me about the Path of Immortality before. I don't know much about it either, only that those masters cultivate the Dao."

"When I was young, my father took me to a Daoist temple in the county town. He said it was to check my cultivation talent. After returning from the temple, my father had me start practicing martial arts."

"My father never said it directly, but I guess I don't have the talent for cultivating the Dao. Otherwise, I would have stayed at the Daoist temple to cultivate."

Zhao Cheng spoke as they walked.

Shi Yi had subtly inquired about this before, but at that time, Shi Yi hadn't yet broken through the Blood Essence Realm. As Lu Feng put it, he shouldn't focus too much on other things.

Daoist magic experts were rarely seen in the town, but some would pass through.

He had also witnessed Daoist magic experts clash before and naturally knew how extraordinary such individuals were.

Being able to fly and escape the earth was a Divine Ability everyone desired, and he was no exception.

Shi Yi listened intently; this was also something Shi Yi had always wanted to inquire about.

"If Junior Brother wants to understand more, you can go to the Daoist temple in Ninghe County later to ask."

"The Daoist temple in Ninghe County is very famous."

Zhao Cheng glanced at Shi Yi and continued.

In his eyes, Shi Yi would definitely join the Anhe Martial Arts School in Ninghe County in the future, and his achievements would very likely surpass Lu Feng.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother."

Shi Yi's eyes sparkled after listening.

He hadn't expected that someone of Zhao Cheng's status wouldn't know much either.

Although it was just a small town, his father was, in a way, an official.

Who's to say a Town Clerk isn't an official?

"Regarding the matter of cultivating the Dao, Junior Brother, you don't really need to pay too much attention to it. Achieving success in Martial Path cultivation is also very powerful, with terrifying combat strength."

"Among the famous officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty, many are martial arts masters. In contrast, there aren't that many cultivation masters."

"So, Junior Brother, it's best to focus on improving your Martial Path cultivation first!"

Zhao Cheng said with a smile.

Daoist cultivation was very mysterious, but achieving success in Martial Path cultivation was not inferior.