The Mysterious Scholar

In the corner of the village stood a small shop, utterly inconspicuous and even somewhat shabby. Ordinary little shops sold nothing more than spirit herbs, weapons, and talismans, yet this shop sold books, along with calligraphy and paintings.

Clearly, such a thing was exceedingly rare even in the Great Immortal Cultivation World, let alone in a tiny village like this.

Chen Fan examined the calligraphy and paintings hanging outside. They had all been created by the hands of experts, yet they were still only painted and written on ordinary paper with ink, not some rare treasure—at most, they looked like works by renowned masters.

The books laid out, however, were ancient texts with some age to them. That they had been preserved so well showed that the shopkeeper was also someone who loved books.

But if he loved books, why sell them?

Chen Fan stepped toward the little shop. His main purpose was to see whether it sold maps of this realm.

Creak!

At that moment, a wooden door inside the shop opened, and a young man dressed like a scholar walked out. He held a piece of calligraphy in his hands, its ink still wet, as though he had just finished it.

A faint smile rested on his face, as if he was quite pleased with the work.

Yet when he saw Chen Fan outside, he froze for a moment before smiling amiably. "Fellow Daoist, are you interested in my books and paintings? Feel free to take a look."

"You clearly love these books and paintings. Why put them up for sale?" Chen Fan asked.

The scholar paused, evidently not expecting the question. He shook his head and said, "Fellow Daoist, I fear you misunderstand. Loving these books and paintings does not mean one must keep them for oneself.