Chapter 15: Chapter 15: New Skill

In the thirty-some households of Hongshan Village, most people's minds were on hunting.Even those who didn't wish to hunt were mostly thinking about practicing martial arts to facilitate their hunting.

At most, some idle children would learn to write their names or study arithmetic.

As for those who wanted to recognize characters and read, over the years, Zhang Shuyuan hadn't come across a single one.

He was also aware of the young man before him—the dead son of the Shen family's eldest son.

Apart from being somewhat good-looking, there was nothing else remarkable about him, very ordinary.

Perhaps due to some clumsiness, or poor comprehension, his hunting skills were also quite mediocre, often needing his uncle's help.

So, when this person suddenly came over and told him he wanted to recognize characters and read, Zhang Shuyuan thought he had heard wrong.

He asked in surprise, "Why do you suddenly want to recognize characters and read?"

Shen Qing thought for a moment and sincerely said, "The snow will stop soon, and I have hunted some mountain goods recently. I plan to sell them in the county city, where the people are very shrewd. I'm worried about being cheated, so I want to learn more characters to have more confidence."

"My family members said before that knowing more characters is never a bad thing and that it will always be useful in the future."

Hearing Shen Qing's explanation, Zhang Shuyuan couldn't help but understand.

In this world, for hundreds of years, families in Wuwei have been accumulating virtue, and the best pursuits are still reading and practicing martial arts.

Those who seek to progress and enter high society know that recognizing characters and reading is the foundation, even before practicing martial arts.

It's just a pity that the people in this village are too busy with their livelihoods to pay attention to anything else.

Since he was offered food in return, Zhang Shuyuan immediately agreed, "All right, I have some spare time lately. I can teach you a bit."

"Take the book beside you, open it to the first page, and let's see how many characters you recognize," he instructed.

Shen Qing's face lit up with joy, and he quickly thanked him, walking over to the bookshelf.

The book Zhang Shuyuan wanted him to get was at the very bottom, looking somewhat worn, with mildew spots on it.

Obviously, it hadn't been looked at for a long time.

Shen Qing opened the book and began to read slowly and with difficulty, as Zhang Shuyuan had asked.

Indeed, the characters he knew were limited, and he stammered as he read.

"Begin... open... the qi of... heaven..."

"All right," Zhang Shuyuan continued, "Write your name for me, and then write the character 'eternal'."

Hearing this, Shen Qing started to draw on the ground with a stick.

Although the characters in this world were somewhat similar to those of his previous life, they were still different. Adding on the fact that the original body was completely ignorant of these matters, Shen Qing's writing was crooked and awkward, resembling the track of a turtle.

Zhang Shuyuan glanced over, saw how he read and the characters he wrote, and furrowed his brows, getting a rough idea of Shen Qing's reading and writing ability.

He then said to Shen Qing, "I have a copy of the Thousand Character Classic here. I will teach you, and you will learn sixteen characters a day. You can learn for as long as you wish to, but..."

Pausing, Zhang Shuyuan added, "If you want to continue learning later, you will need to provide some tuition."

Having been a person in two lifetimes, Shen Qing instantly understood what Zhang Shuyuan meant.

He was down and out and needed some support.

Fortunately, his hunting skills were improving each day, so he could afford this small tuition.

Without hesitation, Shen Qing agreed on the spot.

Seeing that Shen Qing was so compliant and did not haggle, Zhang Shuyuan heaved a sigh of relief and pulled out a book, placing it on the table.

He had Shen Qing sit in his seat, stood up himself, and began teaching, pointing to the first character, "This is the character for 'heaven,' written with four strokes, and it refers to space, the opposite of earth."

"This is the character for 'earth'..."

Zhang Shuyuan was very patient, teaching character by character.

Shen Qing had the foundation from his previous life and could also sit still for a long time, so he learned quickly and absorbed all that Zhang Shuyuan taught.

About a shi chen later, Shen Qing had a movement of thought.

In his line of sight, a drop of ink fell from up high into the water, spreading out.

```

Rows of ink characters began to emerge before his eyes.

[Skill: Recognizing Characters and Reading (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 1/100 points]

[Status: Unable to Improve]

[Note: Acquiring this skill grants reading and writing ability, continuous practice can break through realms, with a certain probability of awakening the "Memorize" Sight.]

Memorize?

Shen Qing's heart gave a jolt, filled with surprise.

He hadn't expected that recognizing characters and reading could become a skill, and that it could even awaken a talent.

He suddenly felt that coming here today was very worthwhile!

Shen Qing hid the smile on his face and adopted an even more serious demeanor.

Zhang Shuyuan, instructing him on the side, couldn't help but slightly raise his estimation of him in his mind.

After practicing for almost half a Shi Chen, Shen Qing saw that it was about time and proposed to leave.

Before leaving, he borrowed the Thousand Character Classic under the guise of studying, planning to take it home to continue learning and to grind through the Progress.

As it was only an ordinary text, Zhang Shuyuan did not stop him but merely asked him to remember to return the book and to come over to study for a Shi Chen during the daylight hours the next day.

Shen Qing agreed repeatedly.

...

Nearing evening, after spending an entire day, even though the Chen family members turned out in full force and searched all over the nearby hills, they still hadn't found the two brothers, Chen Tai and Chen An.

At this point, Chen Yuan, no longer holding onto any hope, knew that his two younger brothers were most likely already dead in the mountains.

They had been hunting since a young age; the likelihood of them getting lost in the mountains was next to none.

Only if they died there would so many people have been unable to find them.

In the grand hall of the Chen Family, the Chen family members had gathered, whispering amongst each other, creating a bit of noise.

Looking towards a middle-aged man, Chen Yuan said, "Everyone has worked hard today, when my father returns, I will visit and thank each of you personally."

"Eh, we're all one family, no need to be so courteous."

"Maybe the two of them discovered a mountain delicacy and are still deep in the mountains; don't overthink it."

"..."

Many Chen family members consoled him one after another, with Chen Yuan responding wearily.

After sending off most of the Song Family, Chen Yuan called to Chen Lao Wu, who was last to leave, saying, "Old fifth, wait a moment, I have something to ask you."

Chen Lao Wu had just stepped out when he paused, then turned around and said, "What's up?"

Chen Yuan lifted his chin, signifying for him to close the door.

Curiosity crossed Chen Lao Wu's face, but he followed the instructions nonetheless.

Once the door was closed, Chen Yuan walked forward, lowered his voice, and asked, "Today, as everyone went from house to house inquiring, who went up the mountain around the same time as Er Tai and Xiao An?"

Chen Lao Wu thought carefully and replied, "Yesterday in the village, there were over thirty households, and practically every household had someone going up the mountain."

"Think again, those who went around the same time period."

With furrowed brows, Chen Lao Wu thought for a while before saying, "Our Chen family had three, the Tian family had two, the Zhang family two, and the Shen family... should have three people; they all went up the mountain close to noon, the timing was quite close."

"The Tian family, the Shen family..." Chen Yuan muttered to himself.

"Do you think someone made a move on them in the mountains?"

"These two good-for-nothing younger brothers of mine, not outstanding in Martial Arts, but as hunters, they were indeed adept; they would never just perish in the mountains. Shicheng Mountain might be vast, but it's honest territory, without any evil creatures within it, and the officials from the government office have long since searched it."

Chen Yuan noncommittally said, "Thinking it over, it could only be someone who had harbored evil intentions in the mountains. My two brothers were always simple and honest, they might have been taken advantage of there. Searching for two dead in the vast mountains would be exceedingly difficult."

With a sigh, Chen Lao Wu said, "Who could it be, to be so bold?"

Chen Yuan, lost in thought, said, "We seldom deal with the Zhang family, the Shen family doesn't have the nerve with their meager possessions, so that leaves only—the Tian family!"

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