Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums

The air fell into an awkward silence for three breaths.

Qi Shan answered helplessly, "A Martial Spirit condenses qi within the body; a Literary Heart controls things outside it."

Though Shen Tang really wanted to say she understood, lest people think there was something wrong with her intelligence, but—

"I... don't really understand. Mister Qi, could you explain in more detail?"

Qi Shan had not expected Shen Tang to understand everything at once.

This Young Master might truly be some savage who had crawled out of a godforsaken corner. Refined, tactful explanations went right over her head.

So Qi Shan switched to more straightforward wording.

"A Martial Spirit centers on 'martial.' The character for martial comes from spear and halt: conquest and a display of force. To halt the spear is martial; to use war to end war. Thus, most Word Spirits act upon oneself, tempering the body until it becomes incomparably powerful—one against a thousand. Most are lone warriors."

Shen Tang nodded thoughtfully.

"Most Word Spirits act upon oneself, so a small portion don't?"

"That's right. Take the Word Spirit 'One Call, Hundred Responses'—if used by a Vassal Lord or strategist, it can rouse a hundred soldiers. But if used by a general, it can make a hundred soldiers don armor and mount horses, their aura forged into one force and transformed into an elite blade. If the army's hearts are united from top to bottom, that elite force will grow ever stronger, invincible."

Qi Shan was already experienced enough to anticipate Shen Tang's anticipation, answering before she could ask.

"Some Word Spirits can be used by both Literary Hearts and Martial Spirits. There is no need to wonder about that."

The same Word Spirit produced different effects in different hands. That depended on one's personal understanding and cultivation realm.

Shen Tang: "..."

Qi Shan continued, "A Literary Heart differs from a Martial Spirit. The essence of a Literary Heart lies in the two words 'scheme' and 'calculation.' Thus, its Word Spirits tend toward control, planning, and using Word Spirits to maintain control over complex, treacherous, ever-changing situations. Martial Spirits have twenty ranks; the higher the rank, the stronger they are. Therefore, people believe Literary Hearts work the same way, that the higher the rank, the stronger one is. But in my view, that is an utterly mistaken notion. Literary Hearts compete here."

He pointed at his own head.

If one's brain was not enough, then even with a Second Rank High Literary Heart, one should not lightly provoke a Ninth-Rank Lower-Lower Literary Heart whose true capabilities were unknown.

Shen Tang pondered for a while.

She felt as if she understood, yet also as if she did not.

"So, a Martial Spirit means personally getting into a fight, and once you get stronger, gathering a gang and taking your brothers along to fight. Meanwhile, a Literary Heart does not enter the field easily, instead acting as the big shot behind the scenes and hiring other thugs to fight for them? The former shows off muscles, the latter shows off brains?"

One was damage output, one was support?

Qi Shan fell silent for several breaths after hearing that.

Though he did not understand what "showing off" meant, he could roughly guess from the context.

Expressionlessly, he said, "You may understand it that way."

Shen Tang pondered carefully for a while before asking, "...But wouldn't that be very passive?"

"Passive?"

"No matter how capable your brain is, it cannot withstand an enemy with too many fists."

A Literary Heart was a support and command role, and most of its skills were likewise. The damage output mostly relied on Martial Spirits.

If one was caught alone, would one not simply stretch out one's neck to be slaughtered?

"As adults, can't we cultivate both Literary Heart and Martial Spirit, grasping both hands and wanting both? Must we choose one of the two and cultivate only one?"

She wanted both the fish and the bear's paw!

Qi Shan somewhat understood her thoughts.

"Since records began, it is not as if there have never been examples of those who condensed both a Literary Heart and Martial Spirit, but—"

"But what?"

Qi Shan poked at the campfire and said blandly, "They either died young, became foolish, or had abilities so mediocre they were no different from ordinary people."

Shen Tang: "..."

So this cheat of cultivating both literary and martial paths was not something she deserved.

She hugged the scroll, reading until her head swam and her eyes blurred.

She knew every word on top, and she could memorize Qi Shan's notes and insights at a glance, but how to cultivate and how to use them left her utterly at a loss. When she asked the "newbie NPC," his explanations were equally abstruse and mysterious—pure, complete idealism of the consciousness-first sort.

Sure enough, one could not demand too much from free stuff.

As time passed, her five viscera temple began beating drums and gongs again.

Shen Tang rubbed her stomach and looked at the "Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums" on the scroll. The image of Qingkou Plums appeared in her mind.

"Didn't you say a Literary Heart could 'Create Something from Nothing'... It wouldn't be too much to ask you to use 'Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums' to give me a few green plums, would it?"

If there were enough green plums, she could make something else with them and store it away to eat.

Qi Shan's hearing was exceptionally sharp, and he poured a basin of cold water over her.

"Of course it is too much. Though 'Word Spirits' are miraculous, they cannot give people food. If they could—there would not be so many starving commoners in the world." Thinking of something, Qi Shan sighed softly at the campfire. "A few months ago, while traveling outside, I personally saw the people of an entire city..."

He paused there and took the initiative to end the topic.

Even without him saying it, Shen Tang could imagine what came next.

Nothing more than a human tragedy of corpses of the starved strewn everywhere.

She said, "Why not? Word Spirits can create sharp blades, warhorses, and armor. They can let a mere commoner stand against thousands of soldiers. Why can't they produce tiny green plums? Both are creating something from nothing, so why the discrimination? Even if they truly cannot, they could still help with farming, couldn't they?"

Using Literary Hearts and Martial Spirits to work the fields—even if their efficiency could not match mechanization, it would still be far better than ordinary commoners facing yellow earth with their backs to the sky.

If food could be created—

She felt she could sell plums to earn some travel money.

Transported into another world, transformed into a penniless fugitive prisoner—being an ordinary homebody female illustrator was truly too hard.

If this road was blocked too, she could only pick up her old trade and draw for others. She wondered who would be willing to commission her.

Qi Shan did not give a direct answer.

He merely said, "I cannot answer your earlier questions, but as for the last one—you will understand once you have gained more experience in the future."

In this murky, chaotic age, who would be willing to forge swords into plowshares?

They would inevitably be attacked by all.

It was not as if no predecessors had attempted the Young Master's idea. There had also been people of aspiration who traveled everywhere persuading others, assisting Vassal Lords and advocating reform, but all had failed for one reason or another and met miserable ends.

Thinking of these unpleasant matters, he irritably closed his eyes to rest. From time to time, he could hear Shen Tang muttering, "Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums."

About half a quarter-hour later, she was still wrestling with "Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums."

Without opening his eyes, Qi Shan said, "Learning Word Spirits requires affinity. There are countless Word Spirits in the world. If one path does not work, do not waste time drilling into a dead end; simply turn elsewhere. Of course, you cannot learn everything either. Greedily chewing too much leaves one unable to digest it. Value excellence, not quantity."

"Oh, I understand."

This was followed by a crisp crack and the sound of chewing.

Qi Shan: "???"

The remaining half of the rations and the waterskin were both with him. Where had Young Master Shen found food?

He could even faintly smell the fruity fragrance of green plums.

Qi Shan: "!!!"

He abruptly opened his eyes and looked towards Shen Tang.

She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with more than ten round, jade-green plums piled between her legs. Each looked fresh, juicy, crisp, and delicious. Shen Tang chewed as her brows knotted tightly from the sourness, her little face scrunching into a ball, yet she could only endure it and swallow because she was too hungry.

"Y-you, these green plums... where did they come from?"

Qi Shan's eyes opened wide. His tone was strained, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed several times before recovering his ability to speak.

Shen Tang blinked and forced back the tears brought out by the sourness.

"Green plums? Oh, I kept trying the Word Spirit 'Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums,' and I worked hard to activate my Literary Heart, but I never got the effect described in your notes. Then I tried a few more times, and a plum suddenly appeared out of thin air... Look, like this—"

"Quench Thirst by Thinking of Plums!"

After speaking, Shen Tang demonstrated it once more.

As the Word Spirit fell, a green plum appeared from nothing in her palm beneath Qi Shan's gaze.

That was today's update.

A typhoon was coming. We were still going to face it head-on; it looked like there would be no sleep tonight...