From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 367 Accepting a Disciple
At the north gate of Xiangji Kingdom, Shi Huaiyu knelt down and kowtowed to Su Wen, thus establishing their master-disciple relationship.

Although the slaves here envied Shi Huaiyu for being given a name, they weren't particularly envious since he had become the disciple of the bald nun.

The slave, Old Stone, remained respectful, thinking that if his own daughter couldn't be the king's concubine, then being the queen's apprentice would be acceptable.

“Old Stone, you’ve done your best this time.” Meng Yuan then looked at the old slave and said, “Now that your daughter has a surname and a given name, I will also give you a name. Green mountains stand firm and unmoving, just like the heart of one person. From now on, you will be called Shi Qingshan (Stone Green Mountain).

Slaves in the Kingdom of Xiangji do not have surnames, only titles. Now, the slave Old Stone saw that the king had bestowed surnames upon him and his daughter, and even personally chosen names for them, clearly making them like nobles.

For a moment, Old Stone knelt on the ground in a daze, forgetting even to bow his head in gratitude, only muttering, "I have a name now? I've become a nobleman before I've even been reincarnated in this life?"

The slave, Old Stone, who is now known as Shi Qingshan, finally came to his senses and began to kowtow repeatedly on the ground.

The slaves overheard the conversation between the two and felt as if the world had changed. They clearly believed that the king thought Old Stone was capable and that was why he had promoted him to a nobleman.

Meng Yuan said no more, but gave the order: "Tomorrow at noon, everyone in the Kingdom of Xiangji, regardless of age, shall go to the largest library tower to receive my order. I have a new law to promulgate."

The sound spread in all directions, and all the slaves of the Xiangji Kingdom responded by touching their foreheads to the ground and prostrating themselves.

Meng Yuan said no more and immediately led Mingyue into the city.

"Keep up!" Jie Kaiping saw that Shi Qingshan was still kneeling on the ground, so she lifted Shi Qingshan's buttocks. "Our king still has some questions for you!"

Shi Qingshan quickly got up. He originally wanted to thank Jie Kaiping, but when he saw that Jie Kaiping's bald head was somewhat reflective in the sun, he held back. However, since this person was a trusted confidant of the king, he gave him an awkward smile.

The group entered the city, with Meng Yuan and Mingyue in front, and Shi Qingshan surrounded by Dugu Kang and Jie Kaiping in the middle, following behind.

Then came the young nuns, including Suwen. Among them, Suxin was the most outgoing. She took Shi Huaiyu's hand and looked her over carefully, chattering away as she asked how many sisters and brothers he had. When she learned that he had an older brother and an older sister, both of whom had died young, and that his mother had died in childbirth, she sighed again.

"The medical tradition is only found in Xiangji Kingdom, but the benevolent heart of doctors is not passed down here." Su Xin held Shi Huaiyu's hand and said earnestly, "Once you learn to read and write with my junior sister and learn medical skills, there will be no more premature deaths or difficult childbirths."

Even the slaves in Xiangji Kingdom knew that herbs could cure diseases and that the thirteen clans could read and write. Shi Huaiyu, who knew nothing about medicine, asked blankly, "Can lowly people like us learn to read? Can we learn medicine?"

Upon hearing this, Su Xin sighed and pulled Su Wen aside, saying with a sigh, "Junior Sister, this plague really can't be cured in a day or two."

“It can be cured slowly eventually.” Suwen immediately replied, “Brother Meng has a method. Let’s listen to him and do as he says. Xiangji Kingdom will eventually get better.”

Meng Yuan led the way, and upon arriving in the city, he saw the largest library tower.

The library tower had its doors wide open, and inside sat several nobles in fine clothes, each draped in white and colorful feathers.

According to Shi Qingshan, all the nobles who went on the expedition with High Priest Shui Xiangsheng were lost outside the city, leaving only a thousand or so people in the city, who were all housed in various library towers.

At this point, the remaining nobles remained dignified, clearly not being harassed by Shi Qingshan and the other slaves.

Upon seeing Meng Yuan arrive with his entourage, a dozen or so elderly noblemen in feathered robes emerged from the library tower, clearly representing the thirteen surnames.

Two elderly men with colorful feathers stood in front, leaning on canes. Their faces showed fear, and their eyes held an undisguised disgust as they looked at Meng Yuan and the others. However, no one dared to utter a disrespectful word.

A nobleman with colorful feathers stepped forward, bypassing the white-feathered nobleman's words, and bowed to Meng Yuan, saying, "True Lord Feiyuan, may I ask the High Priest..."

“There is no high priest anymore; Shui Xiangsheng is dead,” Meng Yuan said.

"Then..." The nobleman with colorful feathers clearly had something to do with it, so he forced a smile and said, "Then we, the thirteen clans, are willing to honor True Lord Feiyuan as the ruler of Xiangji Kingdom, and from now on, the thirteen clans will wholeheartedly assist True Lord Feiyuan." This was obviously a plan that the remaining nobles had come up with.

“No need for that. I will find someone to assist me.” Meng Yuan immediately gave the order, “Take all their feather robes and burn them here.”

Upon hearing this, the nobleman with colorful feathers froze, and before he could speak, he suddenly coughed.

More than a dozen young noblemen emerged from the library tower, pointing at Meng Yuan and cursing him.

Upon hearing the king's order and seeing the thirteen clansmen shouting and cursing, Shi Qingshan was conflicted. "This..."

He clearly still didn't dare to take the nobleman's feather robe.

“Old Stone, if you can’t even do these things well, I think your name Shi Qingshan will be taken back, and your daughter should just go home and be a slave.” Jie Kaiping, who understood her best, fanned the flames, “If you don’t do it, there are plenty of others who will.”

Shi Qingshan gritted his teeth and saw that the young and strong nobles of the thirteen surnames were only cursing but no one dared to make a move. He thought that these people were nothing special, so he beckoned to a dozen or so young slaves.

A group of young slaves stepped forward, led by Shi Qingshan, and stripped off the feathered robes worn by the nobles one by one.

These nobles had long lost their spirit; most of them trembled in fear and did not know how to resist. Only a few young ones put up a few resistances, but that was all. They were not even as good as the shrewish women from beyond the borders who were cursing in the street, and they did not have the same imposing presence as Xiangling.

"If it weren't for my covert control, these people would have been forced to use violence against the thirteen families. Even if Brother Meng held a knife to their throats, they would never have dared to do so." Jie Kaiping saw many feather robes piled up in front of the library tower and sighed to Dugu Kang.

"It's been so many years, the poison has long been tainted to the core," Dugu Kang sighed.

Meng Yuan did not linger any longer, but ordered Shi Qingshan to keep an eye on the group of nobles, and then took Mingyue to the library tower where the two had first enjoyed themselves.

Upon arriving at the old place, Shi Qingshan had a dozen young girls bring him food. Meng Yuan, along with two monks, Abbess Cun, and Daoist Yun Huanian, sat together.

"Master Yun, since you've been traveling far beyond the borders, why don't you find a few disciples to bring back to the mountain?" Meng Yuan suggested with a smile.

“They are all worldly things.” Master Yun immediately refused. “I have traveled to the city these past two days and found that although most of the people here are handsome and their bodies are clean, they all lack a kind of spiritual energy. Instead, they have too much of a lifeless air. Even at the age of teens, they already have a bit of a lifeless air, as if they are just waiting for their predetermined death in the rest of their lives.”

"The Taoist priest has truly discerning eyes; you've thought of the same thing as this humble monk," Jie Kaiping exclaimed in admiration.

Jie Kaiping is very good at dealing with people. In the past two days, he has already made Master Cun and Daoist Yun Huanian feel comfortable, flattering them all the time.

"Then why don't you find a few younger ones who haven't been influenced too much by the customs of Xiangji Kingdom?" Meng Yuan advised again.

According to Meng Yuan's idea, the plague in Xiangji Kingdom was so severe that it could not be eradicated in a short time. It could only be dealt with slowly, taking ten years or more.

Of course, if someone can go out and see the world, broaden their horizons, regardless of whether they can learn any real skills in the future, it's still a way out. If they are willing to return here, it will at least contribute to the transformation of the Xiangji Kingdom.

Moreover, even if they have seen the world, there is no competition for the inheritance of medical knowledge, and they will not return home to fight like Shui Xiangsheng and Gan Wulin.

Yun Huanian naturally understood Meng Yuan's meaning. Out of respect for her savior, she nodded slightly and said, "I'll take a few more walks around these days to see if there are any promising talents."

"Senior brother, are you planning to leave in the next few days?" Suwen suddenly spoke up, as if she had sensed something, and looked at Meng Yuan with concern.

(End of this chapter)