Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 155 Mo City
After more than twenty days of traveling around mountains and crossing bridges over rivers, Chen Xuan and his companions finally arrived in Huizhou.

As Yezhou gradually faded away, the desolate scene gradually disappeared, the vegetation began to become lush and green, the spring flowers bloomed colorfully, swallows flew low, and butterflies fluttered.

As we were about to reach our destination, my mood started to improve, and it seemed that all the hard work along the way was worth it.

Faced with the spring scenery, Gao Jingming wanted to recite a poem to express his cheerful mood, but he was not good at it, so he had to give up.

Last night was silent, without wind or rain. It was an ordinary night, and Chen Xuan set foot in Xiantian without any waves.

"Men of letters, young talents, heroes of the world, here I come..." Zhao Qingluan rode his horse and cheered, looking extremely happy.

Her behavior made everyone want to laugh. Fortunately, there were no outsiders, otherwise they would have thought that this young lady was running to find her husband.

"Sir, today we will go to Huicheng first and rest there for one night. Tomorrow we will reach Mocheng, which is not far from the academy. We can apply for admission the day after tomorrow, and school will start the day after tomorrow. The time is just right," Xiao Ye counted on his fingers.

Gao Jingming nodded and said, "Well, it's all thanks to A Xuan's good arrangements. Otherwise, if we had delayed one more day on the road, we wouldn't have had enough time."

Chen Xuan sat on the shaft of the cart, one foot resting on the outside, looking very leisurely. He thought that there was plenty of time, otherwise they would not have to travel by cart, but if everyone had a horse and rode as fast as they could, they would still be able to catch up.

Zhao Qingluan turned around and asked in confusion, "Aren't you guys going to visit relatives and have a feast? Why are you in Mocheng and going to school?"

I'm already very familiar with her and understand her personality, so I don't need to be too wary. Gao Jingming smiled and said, "Visiting relatives is just a side trip, but the main purpose is to go to Liuyu Academy to study."

"Is that so? That's what I was saying. How could a cousin like you make a kid travel thousands of miles?" Zhao Qingluan nodded suddenly. She was a carefree person and didn't take it too seriously. Then, with a slight glare, she said, "You want to study at Liuyu Academy?"

"Yes, what's wrong?" Gao Jingming nodded curiously.

Zhao Qingluan said with envy and admiration, "There's nothing wrong with that, but that's Liuyu Academy, one of the three best academies in the country. Those who can study there are either rich or noble, or have extraordinary knowledge. In any case, there are not many simple ones. I'm surprised that you are one of them."

"This... is okay. It's my family's arrangement, so I can only obey my parents' orders," Gao Jingming said with a smile.

Zhao Qingluan didn't dwell on it too much, but asked enthusiastically: "Can I go visit Liuyu Academy? It's one of the three major academies. Wouldn't it be a pity if I couldn't see it?"

"I'm not sure about that. In a place like a college, it should be okay if it's open and aboveboard," Gao Jingming said uncertainly.

Zhao Qingluan clapped her hands and immediately had a goal in mind. She said, "Since I don't know where to go, I've decided. I'll go to Mocheng first and see the Liuyu Academy. If it's worth it, I'll stay for a while. If I'm bored, I'll go to the Hanshan Sword Sect to have a look."

It turns out that she was just wandering around aimlessly before, no wonder she kept following Chen Xuan and the others.

Gao Jingming retracted his gaze and glanced behind him. His eyes lingered on Chen Xuan. After all, they had been together for many years. He asked with some doubt: "Xuan, why do I find that you are a little different?"

"Really?" Chen Xuan was speechless. It was not surprising that he would say that. After all, he had reached the innate realm. It would be strange if there were no changes. In fact, there was no change in appearance. Only people close to him could feel something.

After the breakthrough last night, Chen Xuan went back to rest. His innate true Qi started to circulate on its own. Not only did it improve, but he also opened up more than ten acupoints on his own. The progress was astonishing. However, it was only fast at the beginning and would slow down later. It would take at least a few years to open up all the acupoints in the body. However, as long as one-third of the acupoints were opened, most of his martial arts could be performed normally.

Gao Jingming nodded confidently, then said uncertainly, "You are indeed a little different from yesterday, but I can't tell you exactly where the difference is."

"Maybe I made some progress in martial arts last night," Chen Xuan nodded calmly.

Gao Jingming immediately understood and said, "So that's how it is. That's what I was saying."

He didn't know how much Chen Xuan had gained, but he understood that improvement in martial arts would indeed have an impact on oneself. For example, he himself had developed a slight obsession with cleanliness after practicing Qingyuan Liuyun Gong. Although it was not to the point of being pathological, he would feel uncomfortable if his body was stained with dirt.

Zhao Qingluan turned around and said with a curled lip, "You, you've made some progress. I'm not saying you should give up martial arts training and study with your brother Gao. I think you'll have a better future there. But you do seem a little different from yesterday. Hmm, do you look more pleasing to the eye?"

Chen Xuan was too lazy to complain about her mouth and said with a smile: "It is my honor to be favored by Lady Zhao."

"Tsk, what you educated people say is so boring. It sounds nice, but I can feel that you are insulting me. Humph, do you think I can't hear it?" Zhao Qingluan said with a roll of his eyes.

While we were talking and laughing, the road under our feet kept moving backwards.

As they went deeper into Huizhou, not only did the environment change, but the number of people also gradually increased. Occasionally, they could see pedestrians. Especially near the town, there were merchants, traveling doctors, and wandering scholars everywhere.

However, those people are a minority after all, and ordinary people are the majority.

The need to hurry was paramount. They didn't stop in any towns during the day, and only briefly explored the surrounding areas. After spending the night in Huicheng, they continued their journey northward the next day. As they approached Mocheng, not far from Liuyu Academy, the number of pedestrians on the road increased. Besides commoners, most were dressed in scholarly attire. They were likely heading to Liuyu Academy for further studies or to experience its cultural heritage, hoping to gain something from interacting with talented individuals.

Chen Xuan and his group also saw monks and Taoists.

Although this wasn't strange, it was the first time Chen Xuan had ever seen one. Just like back home, everyone knew there were these two types of people, but where else could they get the chance to see them in person? Instead, they'd occasionally see them on short videos.

They didn't know each other and just met by chance, so there was naturally no communication.

After hurrying for a long time, Chen Xuan and his companions finally saw Mocheng when the sun was setting. The huge words "Mocheng" above the city gate were extremely eye-catching.

According to records, those two characters were written by the second principal of Liuyu Academy himself. His brush strokes were as graceful as dragons and snakes, and every stroke showed his majestic spirit.

Standing in the carriage, Gao Jingming took a deep breath and said excitedly, "I seem to smell the strong fragrance of ink. It is worthy of being the Ink City closest to Liuyu Academy. The word Ink City really does not deceive me."

You can smell the scent of ink. In fact, most inks are smelly.

Mocheng was not named this way in order to appear elegant. In fact, it is the most famous place for producing ink sticks in the entire Jing country. The entire Mocheng has a permanent population of nearly one million, and one-third of them are closely related to this industry.

There are thousands of recorded ink stick workshops of all sizes, not counting the many private individuals who followed suit.

The ink sticks produced here are as cheap as cabbage, but the expensive ones are worth a fortune. They are tributes to the royal family. Even the rich and powerful can hardly afford half a tael.

Looking at the Mo City in front of him, Chen Xuan sighed again. There were not many tall plants within a radius of ten miles around the huge city. Most of the larger towns he had seen over the years were like this. There was no way around it. It was because of the firewood shortage. Moreover, this was the main production place of ink sticks, and many ink ingots would use charcoal wood.

"Young master, look, that's Liuyu Academy, right?" Xiao Cai reminded him, standing on tiptoe and pointing into the distance.

Following the direction she pointed, there was a continuous mountain range dozens of miles away from Mo City. From the foot of the mountain to the middle of the mountain, there were many pavilions and towers dotted among the mountains and forests, covering a very vast area.

It's just that the distance is too far and it's hard to see clearly.

Chen Xuan could see quite clearly. His eyesight was much better than that of ordinary people, and the air quality was very good in this era.

More than 90% of the buildings of Liuyu Academy are located below the halfway point of the mountain. Some of the highest peaks seem to be covered with snow that never melts all year round, but there are also signs of artificial construction. I think it would be a nice thing to invite a few classmates to go hiking together when you have nothing to do.

He could even see people moving between the buildings...

"Yes, that is Liuyu Academy. At least three thousand students study hard there every year, cultivating talents for our Jing country. The current principal, Pei Zhenlong, was a top-ranked Jinshi thirty years ago, and a third-place winner in the palace examination. He once served as a first-rank Minister of Rites. Although he has resigned from his post to come to Liuyu Academy to concentrate on cultivating talents, he still enjoys first-rank treatment and holds the title of Grand Secretary," Gao Jingming looked in that direction and nodded affirmatively, as if he couldn't wait to be there.

Although he only briefly talked about the past of the headmaster Pei Zhenlong, it can be seen from this that everyone who can teach and educate in Liuyu Academy is a well-educated person.
In comparison, Mr. Yushan is several levels lower. Although Mr. Yushan became famous at a young age, his fame was short-lived and his resume was not very impressive. It was not unreasonable for him to let Gao Jingming come here for further studies instead of teaching him personally.

"Hey, what are you hesitating about? Let's go quickly. First, go into the city and settle down. Then you can go to Liuyu Academy to see it tomorrow," Zhao Qingluan urged.

She didn't understand Gao Jingming's mentality at this moment.

As a scholar, Liuyu Academy is simply one of the holy places for studying. It not only has many learned people, but also countless young talents. Which one would not make people yearn for it?

The destination is right in front of him, but Chen Xuan is considering the next settlement issue. Xiao Gao will live here for several years, not just one or two days.

In this case, should we set up a property around the academy to facilitate going in and out of school, or should we set up a property in Mo City, which is a more convenient place to live?

But whether it is in the city or outside the city, which one is more cost-effective, renting or selling a house?
Because of their academic records, Chen Xuan and his companions were able to enter Mo City smoothly. Originally, Zhao Qingluan had run away from home without any preparation and would have been interrogated or even not allowed to enter. It was only after prior agreement with Gao Jingming that he was allowed to enter as his bodyguard.

Before Chen Xuan could figure out what was going on, a loud shout came from somewhere on the street. "Today, the most beautiful girl in Wenxiang Pavilion, Miss Miaoling, will be dancing on stage. It's a rare opportunity. I heard that several talented people from the academy, including Wen Hao, will be going to see her. Is anyone interested in joining in the fun?"

Chen Xuan was speechless when he heard this. Well, places with flourishing literary styles are always accompanied by such romantic and elegant events. It's not surprising at all.

You don't have to guess, this Mo City must be full of brothels and red houses competing for beauty.

What’s that? Just like back home, there are tons of hotels around the university town.
It seems like setting up accommodation in the city is quite good, so it's convenient to observe nearby. Ugh, criticize the bad habits...

(End of this chapter)