Click.
The door was gently pushed open.
A clearer scent of incense wafted over.
The room was dark, with white and pale red curved patterns spreading across the walls and floor.
Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that they were carpets and tapestries.
The lighting was dim, and thick black candles, some lit and some extinguished, were scattered around the corners of the room.
Zhang Rongfang slowly walked in, his gaze sweeping around.
The room had no tables or chairs, only rows of identical gray straw Prayer Mat on the floor.
A layer of silver-white mattress was laid on the bed facing the door.
Deeper into the bed, a heavy white beaded curtain hung down, obscuring the view inside.
The silhouette of a slender woman was faintly visible from behind the beaded curtain.
Zhang Rongfang looked closely, but couldn't make out the other person's face clearly. He could only see through a few gaps that the other person had a full figure, fair skin, and a slender waist.
Her upper body was round and protruding, her body proportions were precarious, and she was extremely perfect.
Ding. There's still someone on the bed.
It was also a woman's figure, kneeling, holding a small hammer in her hand, gently tapping something in front of her.
The object emitted a clear, long, metallic echo as soon as Zhang Rongfang entered.
"Please sit down," the woman behind the beaded curtain said slowly.
"Thank you." Zhang Rongfang walked over and sat cross-legged on a Prayer Mat in front of the bed.
He looked at the other person carefully. Although he couldn't see her very clearly, he could vaguely make out the woman's features.
He had seen many beautiful women, such as his sister Zhang Rongyu, Lu Mei Sha, Heavenly Maiden Tong Zhang, and Lin Qixiao from back then; all of them were women of exceptional beauty.
But no one had ever given him the impression or feeling he had for the woman in front of him.
The woman was vaguely visible, wearing a black tight-fitting sweater that ran from her shoulders to mid-thigh, revealing her shapely, long, and fair legs.
The tight curves are also fully highlighted by the sweater, giving it an exceptionally soft and full feel.
But the woman's face was full of contradictions.
She was undeniably charming and beautiful, yet her demeanor exuded gentleness, poise, and clarity.
This contradiction between his physical appearance and his demeanor, coupled with the unusual behavior when he entered the room earlier, further complicated the situation.
This made Zhang Rongfang unconsciously more vigilant.
Your appearance reflects your inner self; such a temperament cannot be cultivated from an ordinary background.
"Miss Gong, my name is Zhang Rongfang. I have come to seek your guidance after learning from you, as you are proficient in Locked Script."
He stopped wasting words and directly stated his purpose.
The sound echoed in the room, and slowly quieted down again amidst the clear, melodious tapping of that strange instrument.
"Locked Script?" Gong Shuyin asked. "Young master, do you know that there are more than twelve types of Locked Script that have been passed down to this day? Which one do you wish to learn?"
Her voice was gentle, calm, and soothing as she spoke.
"This," Zhang Rongfang frowned and thought for a moment, "Could you give me a pen and a piece of paper?"
Soon, a petite and beautiful woman wearing a white veil came out from behind the beaded curtain and handed Zhang Rongfang a set of paper and pen.
The woman had long black hair, bright, watery eyes, and looked as if she was about to cry at any moment, appearing very aggrieved.
Her features were delicate and shy, and she carried a faint, inexplicable fragrance with her when she came down.
"Thank you." Zhang Rongfang took the paper and pen and quickly wrote down two Scripture Silk Locked Script that he remembered clearly.
What he wanted to learn was the writing on the Secret Scripture Scroll.
The paper was sent in, and Gong Shuyin responded quickly.
"This is Boda Gan Script, one of the Locked Script created specifically for sacrificial purposes. It's not difficult; it consists of thirty-seven basic characters."
"In that case, I'll have to trouble Miss Gong." Zhang Rongfang took out the pre-prepared tuition fee from his sleeve; it was a packet of silver wrapped in white cloth.
Place the silver coins on the ground and gently push them over.
Zhang Rongfang looked up and watched as the maid-like woman slowly picked up the Silver Pouch and went through the beaded curtain.
For some reason, Zhang Rongfang always felt that there was something wrong with this maid-like woman.
But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with it.
"Since Young Master Zhang is so generous, shall we begin today?" Gong Shuyin asked.
"It's entirely up to you, sir."
Since we want to learn from the other party, we should naturally show them the necessary respect.
In this era, sir is generally used as a respectful title for a knowledgeable and cultured person. No matter male or female.
"Then let's start with the origins of Boda Gan Script," Gong Shuyin said softly.
Her voice was gentle and clear, not loud, but not so loud that it made people drowsy.
Before he knew it, Zhang Rongfang gradually got into the flow of the explanation.
Regardless of the other party's identity, he is only here to make a transaction and to learn about things related to the Locked Script.
As for the other party's secrets, they are none of his concern.
*** Wushan City, in Lan Ying County.
"Roll Away!"
Inside a residential house, several burly men kicked aside a middle-aged man who was blocking their way.
Several men, each holding a pretty young girl with a pure and innocent face, walked out of the main gate.
These girls were only fifteen or sixteen years old, and what was astonishing was that they all looked remarkably alike.
They were actually triplets, which is quite rare.
"Father!"
"Let me go! Help!"
"You wicked people will get your comeuppance one day!"
The three girls struggled and flailed, but were forcibly dragged and shoved into a carriage waiting by the roadside.
The car door slammed shut.
The remaining two burly men walked up to the middle-aged man who was struggling.
"Don't blame us. You owe us so much money and can't pay it back. You're just Barbarian Household. Besides your three daughters, what else can you use to pay us back?"
"I don't owe you anything," the man struggled to get up, but was kicked hard in the chest by someone and rolled away.
He couldn't exhale properly, and his face gradually turned pale and then purple.
He had absolutely no idea what was going on. He never gambled or did business; he just honestly farmed and lived a simple life. How could this be... how could this be... "Still trying to argue! You owe money and don't pay it back? I'll beat you to death and you won't have to go to court!" A burly man interrupted him loudly and rushed forward, kicking him again.
The man was kicked and rolled away again, his body trembling a few times before he was unable to move.
Upon hearing this, the residents who had been disturbed by the incident stopped themselves from speaking up.
In the Great Ling, it was considered perfectly natural to refuse to repay debts and to sell one's children into servitude to pay them off.
The Great Ling allowed the buying and selling of people; those who sold their bodies here were called "drived mouths."
Even Spirit Person, if the circumstances are dire, can become slaves and be sold.
Not to mention ordinary families.
Not long after, the middle-aged man finally managed to lift his head, and those around him saw that his face was covered in blood, with blood constantly flowing from his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes.
"Why should I?"
"Why should I?!"
With his last ounce of strength, the man looked up and shouted.
His head lolled to the side, his body crashed to the ground, and he died.
In the distance, a swordsman wearing a straw hat unconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
"Don't be impulsive." His companion behind him grabbed his hand and shook his head.
"Who are those people?!" the swordsman asked, suppressing his anger.
"Their cuffs have tiny golden bird patterns—that's the mark of the Golden Wing Tower of Wu Mountain," his companion sighed. "Not long ago, the Golden Wing Tower sent a Spirit Envoy to oversee things, making the Black Eagle and White Eagle even more arrogant. They were already colluding with the Huang Family, and now..."
"If we don't kill such scum, what's the point of us practicing martial arts and swordsmanship?!" the swordsman said angrily.
"Too many," his companion whispered. "They have many experts and a lot of people. Do you think no one resisted before? Several groups of people gathered around here before, all of them people who had been oppressed, but as soon as they started, the leader was assassinated. The remaining core members all lost their families."
So now, nobody dares to do it anymore.
The swordsman stared intently at the corpse lying on the ground.
"I'll go find my master! So what if Spirit Envoy? As long as my master takes action, there won't be any problems!"
"Alas, Master is getting old while the other is young and at the same level. Aren't you just bringing trouble upon Master?" his companion said helplessly.
"Brother Hu, we can't let Nine Pool Town, where we grew up, become like this! Please help me!" The swordsman suddenly looked at his companion.
"I can only mention it to my father. But this matter is difficult. The Golden Wing Tower has a very deep background and is colluding with the Huang Family, one of the Three Great Families. It will be very difficult for just your two families to deal with them." His companion shook his head slightly.
"Let's unite all forces that want to rebel. I refuse to believe it! Wushan Prefecture is our homeland, how could they possibly defy the heavens?!" the swordsman said angrily.
"Actually, as long as we cripple that Spirit Envoy, the rest of the Golden Wing Tower's forces are relatively easy to deal with. The main problem is that once that Spirit Envoy arrived, these lackeys started to run rampant. They wouldn't have dared to snatch people so openly before."
"We grew up drinking from the Wujiang. Now that the river is murky, we will make sure that the entire Wujiang returns to its original purity!" the swordsman said fiercely.
***In the blink of an eye, another month has passed.
In about thirty days, Zhang Rongfang accumulated three more attribute points, all of which he added to his Guanxu Skill.
So many Attribute Points have been accumulated.
At this point, Guanxu Skill had reached the Seven Revolutions Core Formation Realm.
Only two points away from achieving the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill.
Bang! Bang! In the courtyard, Zhang Rongfang unleashed two consecutive palm strikes in an instant.
The two palm strikes, one in front of the other and one behind, were only a second apart, but their power was almost the same.
Two new palm prints were left on the thick training post.
He stepped back a few paces and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
Both of these palm strikes were unleashed by him with Double Heavy Mountain.
After reaching the seventh level, the endurance of his internal organs was significantly improved.
Previously, you could only use Double Heavy Mountain once without taking damage.
Now, he can use it twice in a row.
This is progress.
Aside from these, he also kept up with his spiritual practice.
In recent days, following the advice of the Heavenly Maiden Tong Zhang, he also began to practice the techniques of throwing hidden weapons.
Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a point of cold light shot out.
With a thud, the cold light struck the thick wooden board on the wall, rolled to the ground, and revealed its form.
It was an Iron Cross Star Shuriken.
This is one of the easiest concealed weapons to use and learn. Even an ordinary person, as long as they don't swing it around randomly, can easily nail it to a wooden board.
A master possesses immense strength, and the power they unleash is astonishing.
Zhang Rongfang didn't have time to choose some difficult hidden weapons, nor did he want to waste Attribute Points on them.
He intuitively felt that when Life Attribute reach a certain level, a qualitative change might occur.
Therefore, all of his attributes are now focused on the Guanxu Skill.
He walked over, picked up the dart, and tried again.
Throw! This time the dart hit its target.