Otherworldly Cultivators Copying the Analects

Of course, besides discussing the Tomb of the Hegemon Chu, a small group of people in Dubian Town were also diligently staying at home copying the Analects; they were somewhat oblivious to the world around them, focusing solely on studying the classics.

Take, for example, the Zhang Yunji family's residence at number eighty-eight.

Some of the furniture in the living room was removed, and four small tables were placed on top. Zhang Yunji, Chang Kong, Liu Ying, and Baili Chuxue knelt beside each table, holding brushes, and copied the Analects.

The four individuals were in different states when copying the book.

The Chang Kong is calm and steady, Zhang Yunji is impatient, Liu Ying slowly, and the Baili Chuxue flows like clouds and water.

With a "swish," Baili Chuxue seemed to have finished copying the first time. She tidied up the paper and put it aside before continuing to copy.

Zhang Yunji had been observing his surroundings the whole time. Seeing Baili Chuxue fiddling around, he couldn't help but ask, "Chuxue, have you finished copying it once?"

Baili Chuxue nodded and replied softly, "Yes, I've already copied it once."

"So fast?" Zhang Yunji, somewhat surprised.

He has only copied half of the Analects, so Baili Chuxue's speed is almost twice as fast.

"Is it fast? It's alright! Keep it up, my husband." Baili Chuxue smiled gently at Zhang Yunji, then lowered her head to copy the book again.

Zhang Yunji, biting his brush, glanced at Liu Ying and asked, "Liu Ying, you're writing so slowly, did you only copy one or two sentences?"

Without looking up, Liu Ying tapped her finger twice and said, "I'm almost done copying it the first time too."

"Come on, you can't even write two characters in one stroke. Judging by the speed at which you wield the pen, you haven't even moved a few strokes in total, yet you think you can finish copying an entire the Analects?" Zhang Yunji couldn't help but mock. This girl had actually learned to lie; it was really going too far.

Liu Ying looked up, glared at Zhang Yunji, and said through gritted teeth, "Brother underestimates me!"

"Is that looking down on people? My brother just doesn't like kids who lie," Zhang Yunji said, pursing his lips.

'Brush'

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Ying handed over the papers on the table.

Zhang Yunji took it, looked at the copied the Analects, and was dumbfounded!

This girl has really finished copying it once!

"This doesn't make sense! Why are you all so fast?" Zhang Yunji was completely baffled. The same the Analects only has a little over ten thousand characters in total, so why were they copying it so quickly while he was copying it so slowly?

"Brother, you're too impetuous. The teacher said that the Analects is Epic-grade book. Whether you're reading it or copying it, you need to calm your mind." Liu Ying snatched back the copy of the Analects she had made and scolded Zhang Yunji like a child.

"Where did I become restless? I was very calm, okay?" Zhang Yunji refused to admit it.

Liu Ying pointed to the inkstone beside Zhang Yunji's desk and said, "Brother, look, there's ink spilled all over the outside of your inkstone. It means you were too hasty when you dipped it in the ink, which is why you spilled it. Doesn't this prove that you're restless?"

"Uh," Zhang Yunji glanced at the inkstone on the table and found that, as Liu Ying had said, some ink had been spilled around the inkstone, but because the table was black, it was not noticeable unless you looked closely.

"Hehe, brother, you should calm down first." Liu Ying stuck out her tongue at Zhang Yunji, then lowered her head to continue copying the Analects.

Zhang Yunji was speechless. He looked down at the words on the Analects. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't calm down and copy the book. He thought that copying a book with more than 10,000 words would be a simple task, but when he actually started, Zhang Yunji found that writing each word was very difficult.

The feeling is similar to learning to write, where you need to write each stroke carefully.

But Zhang Yunji felt that was too slow and wanted to speed up to his usual writing speed; the more he did this, the slower Zhang Yunji found himself copying, and a strange sense of irritation began to rise in his heart, to the point that he had only copied half of it so far.

"This book isn't the genuine copy of the Analects in the Bookstore! Why is it having such a strange effect?" Zhang Yunji wondered, touching the White Quality copy of the Analects.

'Brush'

At that moment, the sound of papers turning could be heard from Chang Kong's side; Zhang Yunji looked up and saw that Chang Kong had also finished copying the first time and was tidying them up to continue the second copying.

"Hoo!" Zhang Yunji took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to calm himself down.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Yunji opened his eyes, picked up his brush, and continued copying, only to find that his speed remained the same.

"Sigh!" Zhang Yunji sighed, and continued copying with a heavy heart.

It was late at night, and the waning moon had already risen.

With a crisp "thud," Baili Chuxue placed the brush back on the brush holder.

Then came a soft, rustling sound of papers being tidied up.

"Father, husband, Liu Ying, I've finished copying, so I'll go back to my room to rest now," Baili Chuxue said, standing up.

"Hmm." Chang Kong continued copying the Analects diligently, without even looking up.

"Take care, sister-in-law," Liu Ying said cheerfully.

Zhang Yunji raised his head, looking at his wife with a mournful expression.

Baili Chuxue gave an encouraging smile and then left the hall.

Fifteen minutes later, Liu Ying also stood up and began packing her things.

"Master, brother, I've finished copying too. I'm going back to my room to rest." Liu Ying was already exhausted. Copying the Analects seemed to have drained her mental energy, leaving her with a strong Covet to Rest.

"Hmm." Chang Kong's response was still simple and straightforward.

This time, Zhang Yunji didn't even look up, silently copying the text.

Inside the hall, only Chang Kong and his apprentice Zhang Yunji remained.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

Chang Kong finished copying and started packing his things.

"Master..." Zhang Yunji somewhat aggrieved.

Chang Kong glanced at him and said, "Calling me 'father' won't help. Keep copying. I really don't know why I chose you as my apprentice. Look at your aptitude, it's terrible."

After saying this, Chang Kong, carrying the copied the Analects, shook his head and sighed as he left.

Finally, Zhang Yunji could still hear Chang Kong's voice. "Am I, Chang Kong, really that bad at judging people?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunji felt as if he had been struck by a thousand blows, and he slumped onto the table, sighing repeatedly.

"Am I really that bad at aptitude?" Zhang Yunji held up the Analects, as if asking someone else, but also as if asking himself.

When I was learning the Analects, the shop owner once said that comprehending the book depends not on one's cultivation, but on one's own aptitude and Wuneng; that is to say, those with high Wuneng will learn the Analects faster, and vice versa.

For example, copying the Analects can actually be a way to demonstrate a person's aptitude.

The result was obvious: of the four family members, only Zhang Yunji hadn't finished copying, meaning his qualifications were the lowest.

Another sigh echoed through the hall, lingering for a long time.