The Wang Family's Thanks and the Temple Fair (Thanks to "Juezhi Wumu" for the Alliance Leader)

When the Wang Family arrived, Lin Jue was conducting an experiment in his room.

The Ancient Book lay in his hands.

Following the book's instructions, Lin Jue gradually exerted force. He started from below, tensing his toes and sending the force upward to his dantian; then from above, beginning at the crown of his head and pressing downward to his abdomen. The two were not far apart, and under his forceful compression, they gradually overlapped.

Then, as the book instructed, he focused his mind and stored that force there, holding it in until he reached his limit, until his vision swam and he could no longer endure it. All at once, a surging scorching sensation truly arose within his body.

Could this be the Yang Qi that was meant to be exhaled?

Lin Jue did not dare let it out.

He hurriedly followed the method described in the book again, holding the qi in with all his might while slowly relaxing his mind. Only when the scorching feeling naturally faded away and completely returned to his body did he dare relax.

"Phew..."

He let out a long breath of turbid air.

It was actually real?

Even without cultivation, could ordinary people "Exhale Qi"?

Lin Jue's eyes widened in astonishment.

The result of the experiment told him so without a doubt.

Was this world really so wondrous?

Just then, there was movement outside.

Lin Jue got up and took a few steps. After confirming that neither his body nor his mental state differed from before the experiment, he opened the window and looked out.

The Wang Family of Heng Village truly knew propriety—

They likely felt that merely sending over the food and wine they had promised that morning would look somewhat shabby, so they had gathered a few more things together, making a gift that the villagers would consider far from meager.

The Wang Family's steward had come in person as well.

So had that servant whom Lin Jue had called the steward.

Aunt was overwhelmed by the honor and hurried to receive them.

Lin Jue also hastened out to greet them.

The real steward was exceedingly shrewd. After exchanging a few polite words with Lin Jue and Aunt, he went to visit Lin Jue's Uncle. He checked his condition and asked which physician they had invited. Upon hearing it was that famous miracle doctor, he nodded repeatedly in approval of the man's medical skills. Then he asked Aunt to show him the prescription. One look at it, and he immediately knew roughly how much it would cost.

So he took out another ten taels of silver, fulfilling Old Master Wang's promise.

The servant whom Lin Jue had called the steward also had a good impression of him. He told Lin Jue how the Wang Family had reacted after he left that day, which soothed Lin Jue's unease over receiving such generous gifts somewhat.

It was nearly dark, so they did not stay long and soon departed.

Counting it up, he had spent the previous night in the ancestral hall and should have received Ten Thousand coins, yet in the end he received forty taels of silver and no small number of gifts.

For an ordinary household, it was already an enormous sum.

Aunt put away the cloth, hung up the cured meat, placed the stinky mandarin fish in the kitchen, and stored the wine properly. Of the things brought by the Wang Family, only the food remained connected to Lin Jue.

The dried bamboo shoots made from last year's winter shoots were the most common dish here. Bamboo shoot skins and Pork Belly were stewed together, rich with oil and dark sauce, the aroma of meat rushing into one's nostrils—perfect with rice. The new shoots that had only recently emerged in the mountains were crisp and tender. Only the tips were taken and simmered with cured meat, also called Knife-Board Fragrance. One mouthful with the broth could make one's tongue melt from freshness.

Fish head with tofu, and a haphazard stew of assorted fish.

Along with solid white rice steamed in a wooden rice steamer, loose and distinct grain by grain.

Without question, it was the best meal Lin Jue had eaten since coming to this world.

For a time, he thought only of eating and nothing else.

Uncle's medicine money had been settled. Though his illness had not yet improved, they could finally breathe easier. Together with such a fine meal, Lin Jue actually felt a kind of enjoyment amid that relief.

Happiness could be so simple.

Aunt gave all the meat to Lin Jue and Cousin, but sighed. "I told you to study in peace, yet I never expected we would end up relying on you to earn money like this. If your father knew, he would surely scold us."

"He wouldn't..."

Lin Jue said after swallowing the food in his mouth.

"That steward seemed reliable. He said just now that in a few days, the city will hold a temple fair. Many merchants from elsewhere will come, including medicine dealers and people Gathering herbs, and their medicine will be cheaper. Even if you can't tell the herbs apart and don't trust the peddlers' goods, the other medicine shops in the city will also be cheaper than usual during those days." Aunt then told them, "There's enough medicine at home for Lin Qi's father for a few more days. I think we should forget those peddlers from out of town—we don't know whether what they sell is real or fake. When the time comes, we'll still go to the Jishi Hall where we bought medicine last time. Let's hope it really is cheaper."

Cousin gave a quiet grunt of agreement.

But Lin Jue had some thoughts as he listened—

There were two temple fairs nearby.

One was in Shu Village: the Three Aunt Temple Fair. It was relatively small and held every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which had just passed not long ago.

The other was in the city: the Luo Xian Temple Fair. It was larger, held on the second day of the second lunar month.

Last year's Luo Xian Temple Fair had been when Lin Jue fell into the water. After Uncle rescued him, he lay in bed for several days. They said it was to nurse his body and calm his soul and spirit, so he had not gone to enjoy the fair. At the time, Uncle had not fallen ill. Though the family's days were tight, they could barely get by. Early spring was a quiet season, and with such rare chances for fun in a year, they naturally had to visit the temple fair. Lin Jue's inability to go was his own matter; everyone else had gone.

Lin Jue only remembered lying in bed at the time, lost in thought as he pondered life, while his Cousin Lin Qi sat beside him, making him jealous as he described what he had seen at the fair.

The Luo Xian Divine Statue passing through the streets, the dancing Fang Xiang, dazzling arrays of snacks and little trinkets. Wandering witches and sorcerers, fortune-tellers beneath bridges, and all sorts of wondrous, unfathomable immortal tricks.

Witches and sorcerers...

Fortune-tellers...

Tricks like immortal arts...

He did not know whether they were merely sleight of hand, or whether some truly possessed strange magic.

Nor did he know whether they might trigger a reaction from the Ancient Book.

"Lin Jue needs to study, and he just spent a night in that family's ancestral hall too. Who knows whether it harmed his body... Oh dear... Lin Qi, if you go alone, you must be careful in everything." Aunt was forever worried.

"Got it, Mother."

"Aunt." Lin Jue raised his head, his lips still gleaming with oil. After considering it, he said, "I heard Grandpa Shu, who often tells stories at Lower Bridge Pavilion, say that after people deal with Monsters, they may become tainted with demonic qi or some unclean thing. On my way back from cutting grass today, I went to pay respects to Third Aunt. I heard people say that Luo Xian in the county is also very efficacious, so I want to go pay respects there as well. How about I go instead?"

"Oh, that really is true!" Aunt immediately found this deeply reasonable. "Then Lin Qi can go with you. You've read more books, so you won't be easily fooled. Let him carry the things."

"Fine."

"Did you really see a Monster there?"

"In a dream..."

"What was it like? Tell us!"

People in these times were indeed full of curiosity about such matters, though family naturally had a few more measures of concern mixed in.

Lin Jue cared only about eating and the temple fair, but since Aunt had asked, he could only temporarily set down his chopsticks and his thoughts, then recount last night's events in greater detail than he had that morning.

In just a few days, the temple fair arrived.

"Let's go!"

Before dawn, Cousin had already shouldered a large Back Basket filled with bamboo shoots. He called Lin Jue and headed for the city.

Lin Jue tucked the Ancient Book into his clothes and carried another smaller basket on his back.

Shu Village was two hours of mountain roads from the county seat.

The roads here were uneven. Someone had once written, "Deep forests, villages mostly cling to water; little land is tilled, half the people farm mountains." It was an apt description. The mountains here were mostly Great Mountains, and the forests were mostly bamboo forests—rare bamboo forests capable of blanketing whole ranges of mountains, luxuriant beyond measure. Even in daylight, they blotted out the sky and covered the sun. Now, before dawn, they seemed all the darker.

When the wind blew, the bamboo groves rustled and shivered.

Whether it was guilty nerves playing tricks on him, the breath that Monster had blown at him weakening his Qi and Blood, or some other cause, Lin Jue followed behind Cousin and occasionally felt that strange shadows were swaying in the forest.

If he had a Firewood Knife now, perhaps it would give him a little more courage.

Fortunately, dawn was close. They had not gone far before a glow spread across the horizon, and after another stretch of walking, daylight had arrived.

Things were much better after sunrise.

At the same time, more travelers gradually appeared on the road.

There were not so many markets and gatherings in these times. To buy or sell anything, people had to go into the city. Many poor farmers from the countryside carried heavy loads on shoulder poles or Back Baskets, gradually emerging from every little rural path and merging into the main road like streams converging into a river. The sight was rather stirring.

The road immediately became much livelier.

Once human presence flourished, where could there be any Demonic Ghosts, either in one's heart or on the road?

Gradually, the city gates came into view.

"Pour the mountain shoots from your basket into mine too. I'll go sell them in Sky Lantern Lane first, and you go buy the medicine—you're smarter. Once you've bought it, I should be about done selling mine. We'll meet on that street behind Luo Xian Temple and go watch the magic show. If we're late, I'm afraid they'll have packed up. Even if they haven't, we won't get a good spot."

All these mountain shoots had been dug up by this younger cousin from all over the mountains. Before the shoots had even broken the soil, when there was only a tiny crack in the ground, he had dug them out. They were tender enough, and he had great confidence in how well they would sell.

"Alright."

Lin Jue agreed.

As they walked, the city was indeed much livelier than usual, and the closer they got to Luo Xian Temple, the more bustling it became.

There were also many more accents from out of town.

Such temple fairs came once a year, some large and some small. Even the same fair had its prosperous years and lean years. It was said that the largest fairs could spread their influence across several prefectures, and when they coincided with a prosperous year, merchants from every region and idle scholars seeking excitement would set out half a month or even longer in advance to join the festivities.

The Luo Xian Temple Fair was not especially large, but backed by the prosperity of local merchants in recent years, it was by no means small.

Though it was still early morning, many people had already claimed spots throughout the streets and alleys, setting up stalls and stands. Accents from elsewhere actually formed the majority. Even the constables patrolling the city had replaced the iron rulers at their waists with sabers.

Lin Jue saw quite a few people selling medicinal herbs and medicinal wine.

He asked about the prices but did not linger. He stayed on the main roads and avoided the side alleys, hastening to the old-established Jishi Hall in the city. Using the prices he had asked about earlier as leverage, and because he was buying a large amount, he got the shopkeeper to lower the price considerably.

By the time Lin Jue left carrying the medicine on his back, it was even livelier outside than before.

The streets were packed shoulder to shoulder, like a river.

The roar of voices truly boiled like a cauldron. Every sound burrowed into his ears, until he could not make out anything clearly.

Even in his previous life, he had rarely seen such bustling commotion.

Lin Jue looked around, turned his small basket around and carried it in front of him, then cautiously squeezed into the crowd.

Heading toward Luo Xian Temple, he had not gone far when he saw a group of people gathered in a circle. Standing on tiptoe, he could see an open space in the middle. Cries of astonishment frequently rose from there, as though someone were performing magic.