Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

After reprimanding Zhou Changping, Zhou Xuezheng earnestly said, "Cultivation is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. You must remember that a tall building starts from the ground up. Don't be greedy for a day's progress and waste this precious time to hone your foundation."

"Yes," the students replied in unison, their faces solemn.

"Zhou Baoqing, come with me. The rest of you can leave school now."

Zhou Baoqing was puzzled, wondering why Zhou Xuezheng had called him over.

Surely you're not coming to settle scores with me for my past misbehavior, are you?

However, he remained calm.

I remember in my past life, when I was studying, what I feared most was being kept after school by the teacher. Now that I've changed to a different world and a younger body, it feels strangely familiar.

Upon entering the side room, Zhou Xuezheng pulled out a slightly yellowed booklet from the desk and handed it to him: "These are some annotations and notes I made when I was studying 'The Essentials of Cultivating the Mind' in my early years. Take a look. You are not lacking in talent; it's just that you haven't been focusing your mind on the right path in the past."

Zhou Xuezheng looked at him, his gaze softening considerably, and continued, "As the saying goes, it's never too late to turn back from the wrong path. Your epiphany in class today is an excellent start. Don't waste this moment of inspiration; you must work even harder in the future."

"Yes, thank you for your teachings, Master."

Zhou Baoqing accepted the notebook with both hands, feeling a surge of emotion.

He had thought that Zhou Xuezheng would have a very bad impression of him because of his past misbehavior, but to his surprise, the teacher not only had no prejudice, but also gave him careful guidance.

He is truly a good teacher.

When he returned to Qingjin Hall with the "Chengxin Jiyao" in his hands, the hall was empty; all the students had gone home.

Only Zhou Changping slumped dejectedly in his seat.

Upon seeing Zhou Baoqing, they felt as if they had seen a savior, and their eyes lit up.

"Brother Bao, you have to save me!"

Zhou Changping's round face resembles a bitter gourd.

The punishment is to copy "Zhou Xue Xun Jie" one hundred times, one hundred times, one hundred times! Just thinking about it makes my wrist cramp.

"Save you?"

Zhou Baoqing leisurely put the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone into his book box, mimicking the chubby boy's tone from that morning: "I came in last in the exam, my grades aren't even as good as yours, how can I help you?"

Zhou Changping clasped his hands together and begged for mercy, "Oh, I was blind to your greatness, please help me this once!"

He looked Zhou Baoqing up and down in surprise and said, "But seriously, what's wrong with you today? You're like a completely different person."

"I told you long ago, this is called being wise in disguise and accumulating knowledge before unleashing it. I pretended to be ignorant in the past just to avoid attracting attention and secretly hone my foundation. Now that my foundation is solid, success will come naturally."

Zhou Changping was skeptical of Zhou Baoqing's explanation.

But the other party not only spoke eloquently in class, but also had an epiphany of the state of selflessness that even Su Wan found astonishing.

Therefore, he had no choice but to believe it, and shamelessly said, "Then I'll copy it a hundred times as punishment..."

Zhou Baoqing wanted to raise spirit fish in his cave, but he was in dire need of spirit stones to buy fish fry, while Zhou Changping's family ran a spirit fish market.

He then said, "As your brother, I can't just stand by and watch you die. I'll cover all 100 recitations of 'Zhou Xue Xun Jie' for you. Not only that, but I can also give you intensive tutoring for next month's quiz, highlighting the key points to ensure you don't fall below the minimum grade."

"Really?! If you can protect me from my father's beating, you'll be my real brother!"

"Of course! But even brothers should keep clear accounts, and I'm not doing this for nothing."

Zhou Baoqing made a condition: "Get me some blue-scaled fish fry, plus some spirit fish food."

Upon hearing that it was just some fish fry and fish food, which he had plenty of at home and could easily catch with a single net, Zhou Changping immediately patted his chest and agreed: "Deal! I'll bring it to you first thing tomorrow morning!"

With the matter settled, both of them felt refreshed and happy, and went home together.

As dusk fell, people came and went, and the cries of vendors rose and fell along both sides of the long street.

A vendor selling candied hawthorns strolled along the street carrying a stack of straw, while freshly made rice cakes steamed with heat.

Zhou Changping took out his money and bought two rice cakes, then tried to ingratiate himself by giving one to Zhou Baoqing.

This time, Zhou Baoqing did not refuse and accepted someone's "offering" without any qualms.

After crossing the stone bridge, the two parted ways, and Zhou Baoqing carried his book box home.

The fiery clouds on the horizon were reflected in the clear water, making the water surface appear as if it were on fire.

In the distance, several white cranes gracefully took flight, their long silhouettes disappearing into the twilight.

We navigated around several bends.

The bluestone path underfoot gradually turned into a bumpy dirt road.

Clumps of reeds swayed in the wind by the roadside, producing white, fluffy reed flowers.

As Zhou Baoqing walked and looked around, a gust of wind suddenly rose, causing the reeds to sway and a dilapidated abandoned raft to appear and disappear in the mud.

He was overjoyed.

What a coincidence! We're in dire need of a raft!

Upon closer inspection, the raft was made of several logs hastily tied together with hemp rope. The edges were somewhat rotten, but it was enough to provide sufficient support for floating on the water.

Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he grabbed a handful of rough reeds and wrapped them thickly around the soles of his shoes before carefully stepping onto the reeds and taking two steps forward onto the mudflats.

Fortunately, it wasn't far away; I pushed aside the reeds and reached out to touch the raft.

"Whoosh."

The people and the raft vanished into thin air, safely absorbed into the waters of Qingluo Cave.

I didn't have time to look at it closely.

Zhou Baoqing immediately escaped from the cave and landed in the reeds again, wiping the dirt on his hands onto the reeds.

This finally solves the awkward situation of having to take off my clothes every time I enter the cave.

He was in a great mood and hummed a lullaby as he walked home.

As I returned home, the sun was about to set.

On Zhou Baoqing's first day of "rehabilitation" at school, his grandmother and mother showered him with concern, looking at him from all angles with great worry.

Zhou Baoqing then put on an air of confidence and reassured the women in his family.

After dinner, he called his cousin Zhao Yuanqiu over.

"Yuanqiu, how does your cousin treat you?" Zhou Baoqing asked with a smile.

Zhao Yuanqiu shrank his neck, somewhat wary. This was the expression his cousin used to make him take the blame for whatever bad thing he did.

Although my cousin has "changed for the better" now, there's no guarantee he won't resort to his old tricks again.

"Cousin, what are you planning now?"

Zhou Baoqing coughed lightly and didn't beat around the bush. "Help me copy 'Zhou Xue Xun Jie' a hundred times. It will not only help you practice your handwriting but also calm your mind. I won't let you copy it for nothing."

As she spoke, she took out a fragrant rice cake and stuffed it into his hand.

Zhao Yuanqiu's expression revealed his understanding.

He used to help his cousin copy this stuff all the time, so he's familiar with it now.

Besides, there are rice cakes to eat this time!

Zhao Yuanqiu said earnestly, "Cousin, don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Zhou Baoqing patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, "You're a promising young man."

Subcontracting and sub-subcontracting at multiple levels.

Actually, he wasn't incapable of copying it himself; he just had more important things to do.

Back at Zhishui Pavilion, he locked the door, took a few pieces of cut hemp rope, and with a flash, disappeared into Qingluo Cave.

The water inside the cave was calm, and the azure dome emitted a faint light.

Zhou Baoqing landed steadily on the broken wooden raft, creating ripples on the water.

He squatted down and wrapped the hemp rope around the log, one loop after another.

Children from poor families spend three more years mending and patching clothes.