Chapter 6: Three Talents Town
That night, Shi Feizhe, fearing further setbacks, practiced standing meditation in a half-asleep, half-awake state until dawn.
His eyes were dry, and his mind was filled with only two feelings.
First, if he ever travels again and misses an inn, he’s a pig!
Second, all that talk about standing meditation, sitting meditation, and circulating internal energy being able to replace sleep is a lie.
Third, there’s no point in doing this standing meditation for too long! Forced standing meditation doesn’t increase True Qi, it just tires you out!
When he was standing in meditation, he was so sleepy that he could barely keep his eyes open and almost fell over several times.
In fact, he didn’t know that, according to experts who normally condense True Qi through “Blood, Qi, and Spirit,” it was actually possible to go without sleep and meditate all night.
For him, a martial arts newbie who started out on a demonic path, to think about standing in meditation without sleeping was like trying to run before he could walk ━ aiming too high!
Rubbing his eyes, Shi Feizhe extinguished the bonfire and continued walking westward.
Along the way, he was truly dizzy and lightheaded, as if he would fall asleep if he closed his eyes. He munched on dry rations as he walked, and around afternoon, he finally saw an inn by the roadside.
He arrived at the inn, asked for a single room, fetched hot water to wash his face and feet, and slept soundly until the next morning.
Only then did he feel alive again!
With a pang of regret, Shi Feizhe checked out of the single room and continued his journey. He usually slept in shared rooms, which cost only three Wen a night. This single room cost twenty Wen a night, almost as much as his monthly income at the medical clinic!
It was just that he was too tired yesterday and decided to indulge in a rare luxury, not wanting to be disturbed by others in a shared room.
Money makes you the boss everywhere! He sighed as he walked westward along the main road.
Along the way, there were many Jianghu people, carrying their belongings and weapons, also heading west. There were also some horse caravans and merchant groups heading towards Three Talents Town.
Those Jianghu people traveled together, paying no attention to Shi Feizhe. They chatted as they walked, mostly about trivial matters.
Things like, “The Li Family Manor is fighting with the Wang Family Manor again, and I, Mountain Tiger, was invited by the Li Family Manor to help out. I was so awesome.”
The others would then chime in with praise, “Brother, you’re amazing!”
After he finished, others would also boast about how they, Eight-Armed Ape, went somewhere to support someone, how impressive they were, and how loyal they were.
Their voices were quite loud, forcing Shi Feizhe to listen to them all the way. He had a strange expression on his face, “This is the Jianghu?”
“Why does it feel like it’s just a bunch of low-level thugs doing their thing?”
Shi Feizhe listened until noon before he finally figured it out. “So, these guys are also newbies in the Jianghu!”
Back in their hometowns, they could rely on their strength in Blood and Qi training to show off and make a living, so they didn’t have to work like Shi Feizhe to avoid starvation. However, they had no internal energy cultivation methods and no other way to obtain martial arts manuals, so they were going to Three Talents Town to try their luck, just like Shi Feizhe.
If they were lucky, they might stumble upon a manual, cultivate True Qi, and become True Qi experts.
Even if they couldn’t, they could also join some sects. Although they looked quite old, they were actually only in their early twenties.
People who start working early in life tend to look older!
In the Jianghu, everyone benefits from mutual flattery. You brag, and others praise you. Others brag, and you naturally have to praise them.
Give and take, that’s the Jianghu!
The most useful information he heard was that after the Yellow Heaven Path occupied Yiyang City, there was intense fighting within the city. They offered high rewards to those who would help them fight.
So those who usually made a living by reputation in the countryside quickly fled.
They wanted to earn that money, but they also needed to be alive!
They want your silver, and they want your life!
This slippery character made Shi Feizhe look at them in a new light. Thinking about it, how many fools could there be in the Jianghu?
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After walking for two days with these bragging brothers, they finally arrived at Three Talents Town.
Three Talents Town was a town situated by a small lake, running east to west. The town had no archways or gate towers, only a stone tablet outside the town with the words “Three Talents” inscribed on it.
The main street in the center of the town was bustling with activity, far exceeding Shi Feizhe’s expectations. There was a constant stream of people coming and going, with at least three or four different accents that Shi Feizhe could identify.
The shops on the street, whether facing south or north, were filled with small restaurants, inns, and bookstores.
At the westernmost end of Three Talents Town, a large manor facing south was the Three Talents Manor. Naturally, everyone else settled in the town.
When people gather, eating, drinking, and other necessities are unavoidable. It’s likely that all the businesses in the town were owned by the Three Talents Manor!
Therefore, the presence of small restaurants and inns in the town was within Shi Feizhe’s expectations. After all, with so many people coming to Three Talents Manor to see the martial arts manuals for free, the manor couldn’t possibly provide food and accommodation for everyone.
Only the bookstores exceeded Shi Feizhe’s expectations.
Every time he saw someone from the Jianghu arriving from the east, the book attendants standing at the bookstore entrances would shout, “Jingxin Studio’s exclusive 《Martial Arts Explained》, a collection of the latest progress in deciphering manuals in recent years! Three taels of silver won’t make you lose out, it won’t let you down! It will help you decipher martial arts techniques sooner, achieve ‘See the Truth,’ step into ‘Transcendence,’ and dominate the Jianghu!”
From listening to those people brag along the way, Shi Feizhe had learned that martial arts cultivation was divided into three realms: “Mortal Realm,” “Transcendence Realm,” and “True Person Realm.”
There were even higher realms above the True Person Realm, but these people only knew of their existence and didn’t know their names.
The Mortal Realm was divided into three stages: “Blood and Qi Barrier,” “Essence and Spirit Barrier,” and “See the Truth Barrier.” These three barriers were known as the “Three Barriers to Transcendence.”
After passing these three barriers, one would reach the Transcendence Realm!
As for whether the Transcendence Realm also had three stages, these bragging brothers didn’t know, saying that there would be explanations within the Three Talents Manor.
From what the book attendant at the bookstore entrance said, it seemed that they had compiled the results of the deciphering attempts made by people who had entered Three Talents Manor over the years.
To be honest, Shi Feizhe was a little tempted. Seeing these deciphering results and finding clues to decipher the manuals would be very helpful for him when he entered the manor!
However, three taels of silver was too expensive!
He continued walking further in and heard someone shout, “Fangxin Studio’s exclusive 《Martial Arts Explained》, compiled by experts themselves! Two taels of silver won’t make you lose out…”
Wow, they’re starting to compete with each other!
It seems this thing isn’t worth much after all!
He entered Fangxin Studio and saw the book attendant greet him enthusiastically, “Young hero, wouldn’t you like a copy of 《Martial Arts Explained》?”
Heaven be praised, this was the first time in his life that Shi Feizhe had been called a young hero!
As expected, salespeople everywhere are smooth talkers!
After entering Fangxin Studio, he found it was quite spacious. As soon as he entered, he saw several rosewood lacquered shelves displaying brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. There were also shelves in the corners, piled high with paper, books, stationery, and other items.
In one corner, there was a plain desk where a burly man in a gray robe was sitting, meticulously copying a book.
“No, thank you. I’m just buying some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.” Shi Feizhe shook his head and carefully examined the shelves.
He did need to buy some writing materials.
“Our brushes come in high-quality wolf hair and goat hair. Our paper includes peach blossom paper, magnetic green paper, and flower curtain paper. Our ink includes yellow ink, Xuan ink…” the book attendant explained eloquently.
“Do you have the cheapest ones?” Shi Feizhe felt that these things were too expensive and couldn’t help but ask.
Even bookstores are competing fiercely!
