Zhang Jian's gaze swept over the rows of towering bookshelves.
Zhang Yi had opened the study to him, imposing no restrictions or forbidding him from handling the other ancient books.
But Zhang Jian's gaze soon settled in the direction of the hidden room.
For some reason, he recalled the dozen or so strange scrolls covered in runes inside.
The first time he had seen them, he had sensed something peculiar.
Zhang Jian thought to himself, If I get the chance, I have to go in and take another look.
His curiosity had been stirred.
Everyone had a curiosity like that.
But Zhang Jian suppressed his.
Since Zhang Yi trusted him enough to let him come and go in this private, important place, he naturally wouldn't overstep and pry into Zhang Yi's secrets.
Everyone had secrets.
Especially people who didn't like others prying into them.
"Though the Essentials of Nurturing Life has some remarkable health benefits, it lacks a certain domineering quality. And since it doesn't include the method for the next stage of cultivation, I'll have to find another internal cultivation manual and break through!"
His attention was mainly on the internal cultivation manuals on one section of the bookshelf.
But he didn't get up or make a move.
He had already looked through them.
The few internal cultivation texts on the shelves were mostly incomplete.
Some were even worse than the Essentials of Nurturing Life.
Facing this sea of books, Zhang Jian could only figure out a way to search on his own. He'd better not bring it up openly with Zhang Yi.
But Zhang Jian had another way.
It was the cup of golden fortune he had gleaned from the ancestral shrine during the ancestor-worship ceremony a few days ago.
Zhang Jian recalled the cup of golden fortune bestowed by his "ancestor."
That golden fortune had remained with him.
He only had to picture it in his mind for it to take shape.
Now, the cup of golden fortune appeared before his eyes.
Using it was simple: he only had to make a wish to it.
This sort of fortune could often bring about small wishes by nudging events in the right direction.
For instance, during his first prefectural examination, there had been a chance he might fail. Perhaps the prefectural governor would be in a bad mood while grading the papers, or perhaps he'd have read some depressing news in the official gazette. Either way, Zhang Jian might have been dismissed. But after using the golden fortune, there was a chance he could avoid that outcome.
Of course, if he handed in a blank paper, even this cup of fortune would hardly be enough to turn the tide. It could only give him a slim chance.
That was the conclusion Zhang Jian had reached after testing it many times.
If he made a wish with that cup of fortune now, it might create an opportunity.
Especially since Zhang Yi felt goodwill toward him.
With a thought, Zhang Jian made his decision.
"I wish to find an internal cultivation method suited to my breakthrough within half a month!"
As he made the wish, Zhang Jian listed each of the most important keywords separately.
First, suitable. Second, breakthrough. Third, internal cultivation method.
As for the half-month deadline, Zhang Jian hoped it would increase the chances.
After all, one day would be far too short.
As soon as he made his wish, he saw the cup of golden fortune above his head visibly evaporate, dispersing into the unseen world.
Once the cup of golden fortune had vanished, Zhang Jian immediately focused on the rows of bookshelves and began searching.
Inside the hidden room
Zhang Yi was fiddling with a red bead in his hand.
It was a strange object he had obtained a few days earlier, after killing a petty thief who had broken into the Zhang family to steal.
He called it a "strange object" because it glowed faintly all over, like a gemstone, yet also resembled a naturally formed luminous pearl.
Zhang Yi had been studying it for a while, but still couldn't figure out where it came from.
Then a sudden idea struck him. With a thought, a stream of frigid inner energy shot out from his body and entered the red bead in his hand.
In an instant, the bead swelled abruptly, glowing red.
"It works!"
His face lit up with delight. But the instant the thought crossed his mind, his expression turned horrified. He sprang toward the hidden room's door, his body a streak of shadow.
At the same time, he hurled the red bead into a corner.
But in the very next instant, the swollen bead exploded.
The entire hidden room shook as if the earth had turned upside down.
The sudden commotion startled Zhang Jian, who was searching through the books.
Rumble!!
The entire study seemed to be shaking.
Zhang Jian stared blankly toward the hidden room.
"An earthquake?"
He instinctively started to bolt outside, but then stopped.
Amid the clattering of machinery, the concealed door opened, and Zhang Yi crawled out of the hidden room, covered in soot and charred black from head to toe, like a lump of coal.
Seeing Zhang Yi in that state, Zhang Jian's mouth fell open. "Ah... this!"
He quickly came to his senses, hurried forward, and helped Zhang Yi up. He glanced into the hidden room and saw black smoke everywhere. Many of the bookshelves had been blasted apart.
In one corner, stones were still tumbling down.
Zhang Jian hurriedly dragged Zhang Yi out.
"Uncle Yi, what happened to you...?"
"Don't ask. A Fire Thunder Pellet exploded! That petty thief set me up!"
Zhang Yi got to his feet and stared at the hidden room, which was still belching black smoke. He looked unsteady, his teeth clenched in fury.
He didn't know what had gotten into him. Usually, he would never act so rashly; falling for a petty thief's trap was almost unthinkable.
Zhang Jian's eye twitched, and a strange look flickered in his eyes.
He had already spotted an ancient book lying where Zhang Yi had fallen. It had slipped from his sleeve, its pages scorched.
Though part of the book's pages had burned, a few large characters were still just barely legible!
"Heavenly Dipper Boy Skill!"
Zhang Jian glanced at it. Zhang Yi was still scowling and hadn't noticed the book that had fallen.
Just then, Zhang Lu rushed into the study after hearing the commotion, but was quickly sent flying back out.
Zhang Yi scowled as he looked at the section of bookshelves outside the study that had also collapsed. His eye twitched.
These were all his precious treasures, not to mention the rows of shelves in the hidden room, where he kept so much of his painstaking work.
He had spent half his life fighting and scheming to get these treasures.
This time, he had suffered a considerable loss.
And rebuilding everything would be even more troublesome.
Zhang Yi's face was dark, and he was gripping his horsetail whisk so tightly it was nearly about to snap.
He seethed with anger.
Zhang Yi glanced at the study, now blackened and filled with smoke, then looked at Zhang Jian and said:
"Jian, my study has collapsed, and it's not a place where other people can come and go freely..."
He spoke as if sounding him out.
"Uncle Yi, leave it to me!" Zhang Jian nodded gently.
This was a good thing; he couldn't have asked for more.
After all, there were still so many priceless books in the hidden room.
Zhang Yi nodded and left, looking thoroughly dejected.
Zhang Jian chuckled inwardly. He had long since realized that Zhang Yi kept irregular hours and wasn't much for cleaning.
His study had been a mess even before.
As expected, Zhang Yi had handed the study over to him to save himself the trouble.
Still, Zhang Jian hadn't expected that after he made his wish with the cup of fortune, it would create an opportunity to enter the hidden room so quickly.
Before you continue