C4 This Was the Ancient Text!(2)

"What's the matter, Mrs. Wang?" Lau Qiqi inquired.

"Minister Jin's underlings are back to collect debts," Mrs. Wang said with a look of distress. "They're currently in the front hall and refuse to leave."

Lau Qiqi's face took on a serious expression. "I'll check it out."

They hurried off, leaving Lin Xiaodie behind, her face etched with concern.

"Who's Minister Jin?" Zhong Wen asked, his curiosity piqued.

"He's a real villain," Lin Xiaodie said, her lips pursed in distaste. It was obvious she despised the man.

Zhong Wen wasn't shocked. In stories, officials like Minister Jin were often cast as the antagonists.

Though intrigued, Zhong Wen was well aware of his place. He wasn't even considered a guest, so he had no business meddling in the affairs of the Floating Flower Palace. Besides, any trouble would be handled by Lin Xiaodie's master.

For Zhong Wen, figuring out how to navigate this world was the immediate priority.

"I've been cooped up inside for days and I'm starting to feel restless. May I go out for a walk?" he asked.

"Of course! The scenery here is wonderful. I'll show you around," Lin Xiaodie offered, her voice tinged with pride.

Zhong Wen bounced out the door after Lin Xiaodie. Stepping into the courtyard, he reveled in the fresh air—a welcome change. He breathed deeply, his spirits lifting.

The beauty here made even his memories of Green City Mountain pale in comparison.

Zhong Wen mused that if he could stay in this place indefinitely, he might well live past a century.

Exiting the courtyard, he glanced back to see a plaque above the gate, inscribed with three bold, golden characters. Illiterate, he couldn't read the words or judge the quality of the calligraphy, but he guessed it signified "Floating Flower Palace."

He didn't venture into the forest ahead. Instead, guided by Lin Xiaodie, he meandered around the palace's structures, soaking in the mountain's picturesque landscape.

Before long, they reached a spacious field teeming with unfamiliar plants thriving under the mountain's misty veil.

"This is the herbal field of our Third Senior Sister. She grows all her medicinal herbs for pill making right here," Lin Xiaodie explained, tugging at Zhong Wen's sleeve as they strolled along.

The image of a beautiful girl tenderly caring for medicinal plants in the fields sprang to Zhong Wen's mind. The scene was strikingly serene.

After some time, they reached a small door behind the Floating Flower Palace. Zhong Wen's body was young, but he was still recuperating and felt his energy waning, so he suggested they head back.

Passing through the door, he had only taken a few steps when an unusual building caught his eye. Its style clashed with the rest of the complex, and he couldn't decipher the characters on the signboard.

"What is this place?" Zhong Wen inquired offhandedly.

"This is the Library," Lin Xiaodie answered. "Would you like to have a look inside?"

"Am I allowed?" Zhong Wen was taken aback. "Aren't libraries crucial to every sect? Can just anyone walk in?"

"Others can't, but you can," Lin Xiaodie said, grinning. "Besides, you can't read."

Zhong Wen conceded, "You make a good point. I'm at a loss for words."

Driven by curiosity, Zhong Wen didn't hesitate to follow Lin Xiaodie into the Library. Inside, bookshelves laden with thread-bound books filled the space. He estimated that there were fewer books here than in a roadside bookstore from his past life.

"Over here, we have books on cultivation techniques and spirit skills. The ones on herbal medicine are over there," Lin Xiaodie explained as they walked. She stopped in front of a shelf. "These are some novels, assorted records, and local chronicles. I love coming here to read novels after my cultivation sessions."

Zhong Wen scanned the rows of books but quickly lost interest; he couldn't understand a word.

Feeling disheartened, his attention was drawn to a solitary three-tiered bookshelf in the corner. It was bare except for two books tucked away in the middle tier. The labels above were beyond his comprehension.

"Why is that bookshelf so isolated?" Zhong Wen pointed to the lone shelf. He felt a kinship with it, being alone in this strange world.

"Those books are written in the Ancient Words of Gods; I can't make them out either," Lin Xiaodie said, her interest clearly waning as she pursed her lips.

"Ancient Words of Gods?" Zhong Wen encountered a term he hadn't heard before.

"Yes," Lin Xiaodie replied, her voice tinged with reverence. "My master told me that the Cultivation Realm of ancient times was incredibly formidable. Gold Grade Cultivation Methods and Spirit Skills were commonplace, and there were plenty of even higher-grade techniques. Practitioners back then could effortlessly demolish a mountain." Her eyes shone with wonder as she spoke of those ancient cultivators.

Zhong Wen probed further, "So, what happened to them?"

"The ancient civilization vanished for reasons unknown," Lin Xiaodie explained. "Now and then, someone might stumble upon ancient texts from that era, but they're all inscribed in Ancient Words of Gods. Aside from those affiliated with the Holy Land, nobody can decipher these scripts."

"Holy Land?" This was yet another concept new to Zhong Wen.

"Over two hundred years ago, the world saw a surge in discoveries of ancient ruins and texts," Lin Xiaodie recounted, straining to remember her master's words. "Many took to studying the Ancient Words of Gods, eager to unlock the secrets within those texts. As more people joined the effort, they began to collaborate and eventually decoded some of the content, gaining access to the ancient cultivation techniques and knowledge. These individuals came together to form what is now known as the Holy Land."

"And where might one find this Holy Land?" Zhong Wen inquired.

"There are seven Holy Lands in total, but the Great Qian Empire is home to just one," Lin Xiaodie responded, her interest in the topic clearly waning. She then turned her attention to a novel she had picked from the shelf and began to read.

Zhong Wen took the hint not to intrude further. He wandered over to a secluded bookshelf and retrieved a tome inscribed entirely with Ancient Words of Gods.

Could these characters be the Ancient Words of Gods?

Upon laying eyes on the book's cover, a tumultuous wave of emotion surged through him, causing his hands to quiver involuntarily.

The cause of his reaction was the bold Chinese characters emblazoned on the front—Medicine King Valley Chronicles!

Zhong Wen steadied himself, closing his eyes for a moment. As he was about to reopen them, half-expecting to have been seeing things, a vivid image of the New Light Library flashed across his mind.

In his mental vision, beneath the towering bookshelves, there was a placard that read New Light Library. Now, a new line of text had appeared: "You have discovered the Medicine King Valley Chronicles from the miscellaneous collection. Would you like to add it to your collection?"

He opened his eyes, and once again, the Chinese characters on the book's cover caught his attention.

Why on earth would there be Chinese characters in this world?

A torrent of questions flooded Zhong Wen's mind.

Could this place be somewhere on Earth?

He pondered for a long while but couldn't unravel the mystery. Closing his eyes once more, a line of text surfaced in his thoughts: "You have discovered the Medicine King Valley Chronicles in the miscellaneous class. Would you like to collect it?"

"Yes!" Zhong Wen affirmed silently.

On the miscellaneous shelf, the Medicine King Valley Chronicles materialized.

It actually worked! The bookshelf in his mind revealed its unique traits, stirring a wave of excitement in his otherwise monotonous and despairing life. Setting aside the Medicine King Valley Chronicles, he reached for another tome, penned in the Ancient Words of Gods. It was a hefty volume, several hundred pages thick, with the title One Solar Finger emblazoned in large Chinese characters on the cover, sparking a surge of exhilaration within him.

Drawing from the martial arts dramas he had seen, he recognized One Solar Finger as a spirit skill. This was Zhong Wen's first real encounter with the cultivators' realm since arriving in this world.

"Have you discovered the One Solar Finger in the spirit skill class? Would you like to collect it?"

Zhong Wen carefully turned the pages, his eyes tracing over the familiar Chinese characters. A wave of indescribable emotion washed over him.

"Yes!" he whispered inwardly, and noticed that One Solar Finger now resided in the spirit skill section of the New Light Library's bookshelf, slotted into the Diamond Grade row.

Zhong Wen surmised from experience that this book was of a high caliber.

Though he had limited knowledge of the cultivation methods and spirit skills of this world's practitioners, the bookshelf's categorization led him to believe that One Solar Finger was no minor spirit skill.

Eager to delve deeper, he plunged his consciousness into the mental bookshelf and commenced reading One Solar Finger. Words danced before his eyes, swiftly embedding themselves into his memory.

In just a few seconds, as he reopened his eyes, the content of the thick volume was etched into his brain as if he had pored over it countless times. Zhong Wen had completely mastered the One Solar Finger.

He felt as though he had unlocked the gateway to an entirely new world, his excitement palpable. With a sense of anticipation, he extended a finger and pointed ahead.

Yet, nothing occurred.

The impressive attack he had envisioned failed to materialize.

It was at that moment he came to the sobering realization that he was not a practitioner; his body was devoid of even the slightest hint of spiritual energy.

Embarrassment washed over him.