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The most part of their lives had been spent in this rural village, and martial masters from the county town were like towering figures to them.

Even an ordinary outer disciple was not someone they could afford to provoke.

The Chen Family\'s eldest son—Chen Yuan, at that time, merely by virtue of a Martial Arts manual on cultivating Qi-Blood, was able to call the wind and summon the rain in their village.

Not to mention an inner sect disciple, or a direct disciple.

The Shen Family was likely really going to rise to prosperity.

Tian Xiaohu and Zhang Baqing couldn\'t help swallowing their saliva, and when they looked at Shen Er, their eyes were filled with envy.

If one were to say who had extended the greatest favors to Shen Qing in Hongshan Village, it would undoubtedly be Shen Er here.

As they had observed in recent times, Shen Qing, ever since the death of his parents, had come this far through steps steeped in blood and tears. He was someone who hated evil as if it were his enemy, with a somewhat heavy killing aura.

But he was also clever, a person who remembered kindness and sought to return it.

The family of Shen Er was certainly not going to fare badly in the future.

At this moment, looking at Shen Er\'s old face, they inwardly celebrated yet also regretted.

They rejoiced that in the past, they had not made an enemy of Shen Qing; these days, their interactions with Shen Qing and other Shen Family members were frequent, and they were considered close in this village.

Regretting that they hadn\'t lent a helping hand when he and his sister were at their lowest.

Adding flowers to the brocade could never compare with sending charcoal in snowy weather.

Setting aside their chaotic thoughts, Tian Xiaohu and Zhang Baqing swiftly regained their composure and began to show great interest in the experiences that Shen Qing and his companions had encountered in the county town.

Urged by them, Shen Xiaohu detailed everything that had happened to the trio in the county town that day.

After listening, their faces turned to shock one by one.

"Blood Bird\'s Nest, Jade Deer Tendon, and Tiger King\'s Penis, these delicacies had not been seen in our village for many years. Though, if we really looked for them, we might find them. But you\'ve offended those people from the Outer City upon returning. They\'re tricky to deal with.

Those folks have nothing but their miserable lives; if they decide to go all out against you, your outcome would definitely not be good. What will you do now?"

Zhang Baqing, who had received Shen Qing\'s kindness and had also been to the county town, had a bit of insight and immediately grasped the severity of their problem.

Caught off guard and like a bucket of cold water poured over him, Shen Er, who was initially on a high, calmed down and also became anxious.

...

Shen Qing, who had just returned home, was unaware that the news of him becoming an inner sect disciple of Linfeng Hall had already spread within Hongshan Village and was known by most people.

He also did not know that some villagers who were close to him had already become worried about his affairs in the Outer City and were thinking of ways to help.

Sometimes, indeed, the eunuchs are more anxious than the emperor himself.

Inside the dilapidated hut.

Shen Qing was busy putting away the things he had bought from the county town.

After dealing with these chores, he eagerly took out a brand-new flower-patterned cotton-padded jacket and sneakily placed it in front of his elder sister Shen Fang, saying, "Big sister, you\'ve always been mending the cotton jacket mother made for you, how can it keep you warm? I went to the county town today and bought you a new one, see if it fits?"

Shen Fang was busily storing the grains Shen Qing had brought back into the rice bin. Turning her head, she suddenly saw that her little brother had bought her a new garment and was overjoyed.

She looked like a little girl, sizing up the new cotton jacket from left to right, her almond-shaped eyes curving into crescents.

After looking for a while, her expression turned stern, and she shoved the clothes back into Shen Qing\'s hands, saying against her will, "I don\'t like it. Next time you go to the county town, tell the shopkeeper. Say it doesn\'t fit and return it. Save the money for later, for you to use when taking a wife."

Shen Qing saw through his elder sister\'s habit right away and forced the new garment onto her, saying, "It\'s too much hassle to go back and forth from the county town. By the time I go again, how would the shopkeeper acknowledge the return?"

Shen Fang bit her lip and stamped her foot. "Then why didn\'t you consult me before you went ahead and bought it this morning?"

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision," Shen Qing said with a smile. "Besides, my uncle at Linfeng Hall has already agreed that I will become an inner sect disciple there. Once I\'ve trained in martial arts, I\'ll be able to afford to buy clothes, so sister, please keep it."

"Alright then," Shen Fang agreed, though she didn\'t quite understand the significance of being an inner disciple at Linfeng Hall. All she knew was that her younger brother was becoming successful.

She carefully put away the new clothes that Shen Qing had given her, folding them neatly and storing them away.

"Tonight, I bought quite a few things from the county town. Sister, please make a rich meal for us. Let\'s, brother and sister, have a good feast," Shen Qing suggested.

"Sure."

In the evening, Shen Fang prepared two dishes and a soup, with both meat and vegetables.

While cooking, she also added plenty of seasonings to satisfy Shen Qing\'s appetite.

The next day, Shen Qing took some silver taels that he had gathered from the Chen Family and sought out Zhang Baqing to settle the accounts with the households.

He initially thought it would be troublesome but was surprised to find that the process went particularly smoothly.

Zhang Baqing nearly took over everything, and in less than half a day, he settled everyone\'s accounts right in front of Shen Qing.

Shen Qing had the impression that the villagers were treating him with an unusual amount of respect that day, even showing a kind of fear and favor typical of how one might treat someone of higher status.

He was somewhat puzzled by this.

Fortunately, Shen Qing was not the type to dig into every detail, so he didn\'t concern himself too much with this subtle change.

After handling the village\'s financial matters and setting the next time to go into the city, he went straight to Zhang Shuyuan\'s house to study and practice calligraphy.

Five days later.

After practicing the last character required for the day, Shen Qing suddenly sensed something and his mind stirred.

In his vision, a drop of water ink spread out, and segments of water ink characters appeared before his eyes.

[Skill: To recognize characters and read (Skillfully)]

[Progress: 203/200 points]

[Status: Upgradable]

Without any hesitation, Shen Qing chose "Upgrade".

The next moment, an unprecedented sense of clarity exploded in his mind, making him feel as though he had opened some sort of gateway in the unknown, and his perception of the things around him became much clearer.

He subconsciously looked at the water ink panel in his line of sight.

[Skill: To recognize characters and read (Small Success)]

[Progress: 3/300 points]

[Status: Unupgradable]

[Note: Awakening a new skill, memorize by hearing, never forget.]

Shen Qing was overjoyed.

He hadn\'t expected that breaking through in this skill would awaken a new one, enabling him to memorize by hearing and never forget.

This skill might seem common at first glance, but digging deeper, it was incredibly valuable.

At the very least, this skill would greatly accelerate his progress in recognizing characters and reading.

A slight smile appeared on the corner of Shen Qing\'s mouth as he approached Zhang Shuyuan and said, "Teacher, I wish to learn more of the Thousand Character Classic. Could you teach me another part?"