Chapter 2 Reading

Words : 1334 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Qi Fortune: Scarlet. Body Life Span: Three years. Daoist Level: Soul Stabilization. Martial Arts Level: Not entered the ranks. The content behind the bronze mirror does indicate that Xu Qing still has great potential and plenty of room for improvement. This is like the ancient world, where poverty, disease, scholars, and officials... any one of these could claim a life. And one might not even live long enough to be taken by demons and monsters. Moreover, in the original body's more than ten years of life, other than Xu Qing himself, he had not encountered other demons, which shows that such events are not common in the ordinary world. However, the verdict given by the bronze mirror was that he only had three years left to live. Truly a stressful way to start. But he had died and come back to life, and even if he could only live another three years, that was still a gain, so there was no need for anxiety. Next, he continued to study the bronze mirror, discovering that although it was mysterious, for now, it only acted like a system dashboard, merely displaying his current state. And after observing for a long time, the body's fatigue would intensify. Yet his spirit was still fine. This might be related to the bronze mirror's evaluation of his Daoist Skill at the "Soul Stabilization" level. He just didn't know what advantages or small Divine Skills "Soul Stabilization" could bring... As for things related to Martial Arts or Qi Fortune, he hadn't figured anything out yet. After much research and not getting much useful information, Xu Qing decided to temporarily put aside the matter of the bronze mirror. He had already opened the window to clear out the medicinal smell from the room. Taking advantage of the morning light, Xu Qing found a scroll of "University" and began to read it. This version of "University" was the latest edition, personally revised by the current Grand Secretary. The first section of the previous version began with "The Way of the University is to manifest virtue, to love the people, and to aim for the supreme good." The Grand Secretary's revised version changed "love the people" to "renew the people." One word's difference makes a world of difference. "The Grand Secretary is thinking of reform," Xu Qing thought to himself. Renewing the people versus loving the people has always been a topic of debate. But undoubtedly, renewing implies the idea of shedding old thoughts and rejuvenating oneself. "I wonder if the current County Magistrate favors reform or conservatism?" The results of the county examination are decided by the County Magistrate alone. Effort alone is not enough in this world, one must also find the right direction. And that direction is often determined by people. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What a frustrating world, Xu Qing really wanted to become one of those people who control the direction! Come on, Xu Qing. In this life, he did not want to be a beast of burden anymore! ... ... Li Gongpu, after much persuasion, convinced the Zhou Family to come back. Arriving at the entrance of the small courtyard, he heard the clear and rhythmic sound of reading coming from the cottage. Zhou Family was taken aback by the more rhythmical reading than usual. Li Gongpu, standing beside, remarked, "After a severe illness, Qing'er seems to have made further progress in his reading. Listen, how well he reads..." In reality, he didn't actually understand what constituted good reading; he just felt that compared to other scholars he had seen, none had the flavor in their reading that Qing'er had now. "The Way of the University lies in manifesting virtue..." Huh! Li Gongpu noticed that the neighbor's child had also started to read along. Usually, this child was noisy and boisterous in the courtyard, but today he became unusually quiet. "No, this is not just being quiet; this is what the County Magistrate Old Master calls reading to understand 'propriety'..." In the past, Li Gongpu didn't understand what "propriety" truly meant. Now, he seemed to have a bit of an epiphany. Had Qing'er really become enlightened? A feeling of uncontrollable joy began to rise in his heart. Li Gongpu quietly opened the courtyard door; Zhou Family did not make as much noise as usual. After all, people of the Yu Dynasty have a deep-seated reverence for reading. Even the local bullies hope to have a scholar in the family. "Shall we go and see how Qing'er is doing?" Li Gongpu whispered to Zhou Family. Zhou Family shook her head. Li Gongpu thought she was still upset about continuing the family line and felt uneasy. But Zhou Family said, "Qing'er has just recovered from a serious illness, and now is the time for nourishment. I'm going to cook him some eggs." Moved by her words, Li Gongpu responded, "My wife, you're truly kind..." Zhou Family sighed: "In fact, the child has always been ambitious; I was angry about the matter of the Government Office, but it wasn't because of the issue with our lineage. Think about it, with his temperament, can he really be humble and subordinate at the Government Office? If he becomes rash one day, who knows what trouble he might cause. It's better to cut off the idea early in the morning." Li Gongpu scratched his head: "I was the one who made a poor judgment and misunderstood you." Zhou Family: "If we are to find a child to continue the family line, we definitely need someone who is honest and well-behaved. Qing'er is not suitable. Now that he still insists on participating in the Imperial Examination, just let him be. As for the matter of the Government Office, it's good for him to experience it." Li Gongpu: "You're thinking ahead, wife. Please, go on with your tasks." Zhou Family gave him a white look, "I don't know what kind of favor his family did to make you so indebted to them all your life." Li Gongpu chuckled and bowed to Zhou Family. Zhou Family, not wanting to argue further, went to the kitchen. Listening to the continuous reading from the cottage, her unsettled heart gradually became calm. The elders were right; heritage through agriculture and scholarly pursuits last for generations... The community school was blind to dismiss Qing'er. She had raised him single-handedly, and though there was some calculation, she was inherently biased towards him. Previously, Xu Qing gave her an impression of being too extreme and gloomy, not like someone who had a future. Now, having survived a serious illness, no matter what, he was no longer seeking death, throwing tantrums, but truly reading diligently, which at least gave people hope. People are not afraid of suffering, but of suffering without hope. Skilfully getting the eggs out, Zhou Family initially wanted to cook a few straight away but decided instead to make a bowl of egg custard, adding some chopped green onions from the yard and a sprinkle of lard on top. In no time, a fresh bowl of egg custard was ready. Zhou Family brought the custard to Xu Qing while his recitation was coming to an end. "Thank you, Aunt," Xu Qing courteously said to Zhou Family and then proceeded to eat the egg custard. His empty stomach, nourished by the egg custard, suddenly felt a bit refreshed. After the minor disturbance earlier, Zhou Family didn't talk much, casually chatting a few words before taking the empty bowl away. Having eaten the egg custard and gained some strength, Xu Qing then went out to the small courtyard to exercise and circulate his Qi-Blood. He did not rashly leave the house, knowing his body was still very weak and could not withstand unexpected accidents.

Chapter 2 Reading

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