Ink Fragrance Enters the World

After waking from a good night's sleep, Fang Yun washed up and ate breakfast. He then paced around the courtyard a few times before burying himself in his room to practice calligraphy and read.

A few visitors came during that time, but none had anything urgent to discuss. Yang Yuhuan stopped them in the courtyard. Hearing Fang Yun reading aloud, they tactfully departed, not forgetting to praise his diligence before leaving.

At noon, Liang Yuan brought wine and food. As he ate and drank with Fang Yun, they discussed the bookstore's affairs. In the end, Liang Yuan decided to go with Fang Yun to Dayuan Prefecture to run the bookstore. He would leave five days ahead of Fang Yun to help select a residence and a location for the shop.

After the meal, Fang Yun went to the Literary Academy's library hall.

The County Academy's library hall was enormous, containing more than a hundred thousand books. Its only drawback was that none could be borrowed.

Fang Yun entered and selected a book that Strange Book World did not contain and that he had never read before. It was called Collection of Thatched Cottage Mountain Living, a literary collection by a Grand Academician of the Jing Kingdom.

Fang Yun held it silently, but Strange Book World showed no reaction.

After a moment, Fang Yun said softly, "Store!"

Strange Book World still showed no reaction.

Fang Yun focused intently on the five characters Collection of Thatched Cottage Mountain Living on the cover, carrying the imposing air of "I'll kill you with my gaze," but it was useless.

"Could it be that it can't be directly stored in Strange Book World?"

Fang Yun thought for a moment and flipped through the pages. Strange Book World still did not react, so he could only memorize it word by word, sentence by sentence.

Once he had silently read the first page, Fang Yun turned it over—and Strange Book World stirred.

A blank book appeared in Fang Yun's mind. The five characters Collection of Thatched Cottage Mountain Living gradually appeared on its cover, and the first page gained content, while everything after it remained blank.

"Do I really have to silently read every word before it can be stored in Strange Book World? These classics can't be speed-read. At two characters per second, that's seven thousand two hundred characters an hour. Even if I read ten hours a day, that's only seventy-two thousand characters. Three months, sixty days, would amount to barely over four million characters. The Sages have written an enormous number of works, especially the new Sages of the last two or three hundred years. Together, they definitely exceed ten million characters, and Strange Book World lacks many of them. Then there are the Great Scholars' and Grand Academicians' interpretations of the Classics of the Sages that I need to read too. Without reading for over a decade, I can forget about achieving anything great."

Fang Yun found himself in a difficult spot. The prefectural examination for Academy Student was far harder than the County Examination, and the scope it tested was broad as well. If he received a D in Classic Interpretation or Appeal to the Sage's Words, it would be utterly humiliating.

"If it comes to it, I won't take the prefectural examination this year. I'll wait a few years before testing for Academy Student."

With that thought, Fang Yun left the Literary Academy.

The street outside the Literary Academy was lined with shops related to scholarship: bookstores, shops selling the four treasures of the study, and shops selling other assorted goods. Since the Beginner Scholar Examination had just ended, people from the surrounding villages and towns had yet to leave. The street was exceptionally bustling, and many shops were holding discount events.

Fang Yun had not had much money before and could not buy many books. Now that he was not short of funds, he saw a set of Guanhai Literary Collection being sold at a ten-percent discount and was tempted.

Chen Guanhai was currently the Jing Kingdom's only Half-Sage. His literary collection was essential reading for many scholars in Jing Kingdom.

Guanhai Literary Collection gathered Chen Guanhai's writings from across the years, including poems, lyrics, Classic Interpretations, policy essays, annotations on classics, and books containing commentary and explanations from other Great Scholars and Grand Academicians. There were fifty-two volumes in total, packed into two wooden book cases, each one half the height of a man.

When Fang Yun entered the shop, the fragrance of ink rushed at his face.

"How much is this set of Guanhai Literary Collection?" Fang Yun asked.

"This is the deluxe collector's edition. The original price is twenty taels of silver; after the discount, it's eighteen taels. No bargaining." The busy bookstore owner did not even raise his head as he continued working.

Fang Yun was startled. He had not expected the collection to be so expensive. If he were still working at the tavern, it would take him three years of going without food or drink to afford it.

"Do you have a simpler edition?" Fang Yun asked.

"Yes. Five taels per set, no discount."

Fang Yun reckoned that came to roughly one hundred copper coins per volume. It had once been an astronomical price to him, but now it was not much at all.

"Then give me one set of the simpler edition." Fang Yun only wanted to study, not collect. There was no need to buy the deluxe edition, and it was too heavy anyway. If he wanted to collect books, he could wait until he reached Dayuan Prefecture.

As Fang Yun searched for his silver, someone asked in delighted surprise, "Could you be Fang Yun, Case First Fang?"

Fang Yun looked up and saw a young man in brocade robes standing before him. He vaguely remembered him as a neighbor from several years ago, named Xue Hua, though he had moved away after passing the Licentiate examination.

"Brother Xue, are Uncle and Aunt well?" Fang Yun asked politely.

"My parents are both well. Yesterday, when they heard that you had achieved high honors as Case First, they were overjoyed. I never expected to see you here." Xue Hua smiled.

Just as Fang Yun was about to reply, the bookstore owner, whose beard and hair were both white, called out loudly, "You're that Fang Double-A Honor, the one who rode an ox cart to the examination hall?"

"That would be me," Fang Yun replied.

"You want Guanhai Literary Collection, right? I'll give you that deluxe set. If there's anything else you want, make a list and I'll have it delivered to your home. No charge for any of it." The bookstore owner smiled happily, revealing a mouthful of teeth that were nearly all gone.

Fang Yun hurriedly declined. "Thank you for your kindness, Elder, but I have done nothing to deserve such a gift. I'll simply buy them at the normal price."

"How have you done nothing? Our Ji County has never produced a Double-A Honor or a Sage-front Tongsheng. Now that you've made a name for yourself, Ji County has made a name for itself as well. This is a great service to Ji County. As a man of Ji County, giving you some books is simply my duty. Do not refuse." the bookstore owner said.

Fang Yun still wanted to decline, but Xue Hua said with a smile, "Case First Fang, don't refuse. I've studied at the Literary Academy for three years and have known Boss Zhao for a long time. He's kindhearted and especially supportive of scholars. Every year, the top three students in the Literary Academy's annual examination may come to his bookstore and choose a set of books for free. This custom has continued for more than a decade."

Boss Zhao smiled. "When you become Zhuangyuan someday, I'll be able to say that old Zhao once gave books to the Zhuangyuan. That'll put glory on my face. One set of books is nothing, so take them. If you won't, I'll find out where you live and toss them into your house at night."

Fang Yun knew this was one of the benefits of having a great literary reputation. Seeing that he truly could not refuse, he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Elder, for these books."

"What are you being polite for? We old bones are no longer of use. In the future, resisting the Demon Barbarians will depend on young folk like you. Just don't become like that Fang Zhongyong, wandering all over the place with his father every day. Wandering here and wandering there—one day, he'll wander all the ink out of his belly."

"I will remember your words. Once I have learned enough, I will surely march onto the battlefield and slaughter the Demon Barbarians."

"Good! You've got ambition!" the old man said with a beaming smile.

Fang Yun chatted with the owner and Xue Hua in the bookstore for a quarter of an hour. Then, using the excuse that he needed to study, he bade them farewell and headed back alone with the two cases of books in hand.

Fang Yun's heart felt warm, not because he had received these books, but because of the bookstore owner's goodwill. With citizens like this among the Human Race and the Jing Kingdom, they would surely not lose to the Demon Barbarians.

After returning home, Fang Yun opened the book cases and took out every book. His room was instantly filled with the same scent of ink and oil as the bookstore.

The paper and ink used for these deluxe books were both of the finest quality, and they felt excellent in his hands. Fang Yun held one, then looked at the tattered books on his shelf and thought, When books are compared with books, one must be thrown away.

"Huh? Where did the books go?" Fang Yun stared blankly at his empty hands. The scent of books remained, but the books themselves had vanished.

Fang Yun looked around and confirmed that they had truly disappeared into thin air. Rather than becoming angry, he was overjoyed. Then he tentatively recited in his mind, Guanhai Literary Collection, Volume One.

A brand-new copy of Guanhai Literary Collection, Volume One surfaced in his mind. He could even faintly smell the fragrance of ink.

Fang Yun turned the pages with his thoughts. Like the other books in Strange Book World, the text had not changed, but punctuation had been added throughout, making it easier to read and understand.

"This one is much the same as the copy in the Literary Academy's library hall. But why can this book be stored in Strange Book World? Could it be because it's new, or because it's deluxe? That seems far too unlikely."

Fang Yun tried touching the other books, then silently willed them into Strange Book World. All fifty-two volumes of Guanhai Literary Collection entered it, leaving only two empty wooden book cases on the ground.

"Could it have something to do with ownership?"

Fang Yun immediately acted. He borrowed an unread book from a neighbor and brought it home, but no matter what he did, he could not store it in Strange Book World. When he tried reading through the first page, Strange Book World immediately recorded the book, but only the first page of its content.

"Looks like only books that belong to me can be stored in Strange Book World. If they belong to someone else, I have to read them carefully first."

Fang Yun breathed a sigh of relief. This was much better. If he had to finish reading every book carefully before storing it in Strange Book World, he would first have to spend ten dull years reading.

"Ji County is a small place, and I need far too many books—probably hundreds of thousands of volumes. Buying books in bulk and having them vanish into thin air would easily arouse suspicion. Once I reach Dayuan Prefecture, open a bookstore, and have a warehouse, I can 'devour books' in bulk without fearing anyone's suspicions."

Fang Yun laughed. He had not expected running a bookstore to have such a benefit.

With the matter of books resolved, Fang Yun continued practicing calligraphy and reciting the Sages' works, grasping the true meaning within them.

Over the following days, Fang Yun continued practicing calligraphy and reading. At night, he went to study Classic Interpretation under County Magistrate Cai. His days were full and fulfilling.

Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by.

Yang Yuhuan found a trustworthy maidservant, while Fang Yun selected an honest and dependable older cousin from the Fang Household to serve as his attendant. One after another, they finished handling all the miscellaneous matters.

On a hazy morning, the four of them loaded their household belongings onto a horse-drawn carriage.

The rooster announced the dawn, its clear cry ringing out. The four looked at the empty courtyard and the faint traces of frost upon the ground, all feeling somewhat sorrowful.

Fang Yun looked toward the horizon. The sun had yet to rise, and the east was a stretch of blue-green.

In the silent morning, the four boarded the carriage.

"Set out," Fang Yun said deeply from within the carriage.

Seated at the front of the carriage, Fang Daniu flicked his whip, producing a crisp crack.

The three horses immediately snorted, white mist spraying from their nostrils as they stepped forward and pulled the carriage along.

The Bell Chime around the lead horse's neck swayed, its melodious ringing echoing along the road. The wheels rumbled over the ground, gently jostling those inside.

Yang Yuhuan could not help lifting the curtain and looking outside.

Through the carriage window, Fang Yun saw a faint waning moon hanging in the sky.

"We'll come back," Fang Yun comforted her.

Yang Yuhuan reached up to gather the fine hair by her ear and said, "With you here, anywhere is home. It's only that people always feel nostalgic for the old."

Mother Jiang, now in her forties, said, "Master is the Literary Star descended to earth. It's the same wherever you go. Once Master becomes Zhuangyuan in the future, you can naturally return to visit your old home."

Fang Yun nodded.

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