Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 114 Do you want to follow and see?

"Squeak...squeak...squeak..."

In the villa at the foot of Yushan Mountain, Gao Jingming was holding a cicada in his hand, and the slightly harsh sound kept ringing in his hand.

He used his lightness skills to climb up a tree to catch it, while holding a book in the process. Catching the cicada was like catching the tail of summer.

But after playing with it for a while, he let the cicada fly away, just like letting go of his childhood.

He looked at the direction the cicada flew away for a moment before he retracted his gaze and refocused his attention on the book, reading it carefully.

This was already the autumn of the second year since they had learned the inner strength, and the second semester of the first grade of elementary school.

Last winter, after Chen Xuan and Gao Jingming had gained a certain level of internal strength, Mr. Yushan taught them a light skill. Although Chen Xuan had better skills, he still studied it seriously. This spring, Mr. Yushan taught them a sword technique, which they also studied seriously.

After that, Mr. Yushan no longer taught them new things in martial arts. He asked them to first master the lightness and swordsmanship, as it was useless to learn more.

With the help of his internal strength, it was very easy for Gao Jingming to catch the bird using his lightness skills.

The school also taught a set of basic sword techniques, which was equivalent to what Chen Xuan and his classmates learned during their elementary school years. They practiced one set of internal skills, two sets of sword techniques, one set of boxing techniques, and one set of light skills in the school.

However, Chen Xuan was also practicing several martial arts that he had planned long ago, but he did not show them to anyone. Although they were not something shameful, there was no need to show them off.

Gao Jingming naturally knew about Chen Xuan's practice of additional martial arts. The two were almost inseparable, so how could he not know? He just didn't care about it and didn't ask any questions. He was a young master with plenty of guards at home, so he didn't have much enthusiasm for martial arts.

Now he no longer has the energy to focus on martial arts. Apart from spending some time every day practicing his internal skills, he only practices his light skills and swordsmanship occasionally to keep himself from getting rusty, just to pass the time and stretch his muscles.

I put more emphasis on studying, reading, memorizing, practicing calligraphy...

After being promoted to Class A, I don’t know when it started, but the invisible pressure of studying suddenly hit me. All the students in the class felt a sense of urgency. There was less time for playing, and even the laughter and joy of the past seemed to be gone.

There is no other reason, because normally speaking, this is already their last year of elementary school. If the place of household registration opens the examination next year, it will be a moment that determines their fate and future.

Although the imperial examination was not the key to determining one's fate for someone like Gao Jingming, the years of studying were ultimately a reward for his efforts.

This is normal, but you don’t have to take the imperial examination after finishing elementary school. You can also take a few years off, and if you fail once, there is always another chance.

But as the saying goes, one step ahead leads to all steps ahead. Who doesn’t want to achieve fame and honor after finishing elementary school and then look forward to reaching higher peaks?

Therefore, in the past six months, Chen Xuan and his friends rarely even went back to the Gao family. They seized the time to study in Yushan. Here, Mr. Yushan gave them private lessons, and they studied until late every day.

Originally, Chen Xuan himself did not feel any pressure, but influenced by the atmosphere around him, he also started to work hard. Even his time for practicing martial arts was squeezed out, so he only practiced after midnight to relax.

It may be difficult for many people in the martial arts world to understand that practicing martial arts has become a rare moment of relaxation for them. Shouldn't they cherish and work hard on martial arts as if they were their own lives?

But for scholars, martial arts are not what most scholars pursue.

It was obvious that Mr. Yushan had high expectations for Gao Jingming. Although he did not explicitly say so to create pressure, Chen Xuan could feel that he hoped that Gao Jingming would take part in the imperial examination and achieve fame after finishing elementary school, that is, when he was twelve or thirteen years old.

For this reason, he supervised the two of them studying every day, and would come down the mountain to accompany them and give them careful guidance every time he had a short break. Although Chen Xuan was just a sideline student, he learned a lot from attending classes, and his studies also made great progress.

Who is Mr. Yushan? He was famous more than ten years ago. If he had not suffered a disaster, he would have had the hope of getting the top three honors in the imperial examinations. With his personal teaching every day, it would be strange if you didn't make progress in your studies unless you were a fool.

Perhaps he also hopes that his disciple can help him complete the journey that he has not yet completed. This is the so-called inheritance, passing on what the master has learned and inheriting the master's aspirations.

Anyway, Chen Xuan felt that Gao Jingming had a great chance of passing the imperial examination. This guy was smart. In the past, he was always among the best in the class just by playing around and studying casually. Now that he was studying seriously and had Mr. Yushan to teach him, it would be unreasonable for him not to be confident.

When it comes to learning, intelligence plays a part, but learning conditions are also an important factor. Some people from poor families cannot even afford to buy books, and without the guidance of famous teachers, their achievements will be limited even if they are smart and work hard.

As for Chen Xuan himself, he was not sure. It was not because he was underestimating himself, but mainly because he knew that he was not a very smart person, and the others were too competitive.

Although practicing martial arts can make him sharp-eyed and quick-witted, he doesn't have a brain, so there's nothing we can do about it. What can we do?

Of course, he considered himself to be no fool. With hard work and the same learning conditions as Gao Jingming, he had a chance of passing the imperial examination.

Although staying in the Gao family would make his life worry-free, he still hoped to have some achievements if possible. It was not to prove himself, but because having achievements would make it easier for him to do many things. The simplest point was that at least he would not be restricted when going out. Otherwise, if he wanted to go far away, he would need a household registration pass or something like that to clear the way, and he could not stay in one place for a long time, which was very annoying.

Those wanderers don't like to deal with the government. In fact, it is because wandering around is an unstable factor. The government will question them as soon as they meet them. They are not as free as imagined. Most of the time they avoid the government like rats.

Also, if Chen Xuan's knowledge is too poor and he is too far away from Gao Jingming in the future, he will probably only be able to be a housekeeper like He, taking care of all the trivial matters.

Well, although it seems good, it would be better if you have some pursuit.

Chen Xuan naturally had no intention of staying in the Gao family forever; those were just normal thoughts. It was a little bit speechless for Chen Xuan himself. After living in the Gao family for so many years, he sometimes wondered where he would go if he left. He was even confused for a while because there was no goal he had to achieve.

Forget it, let’s just wait and see, and not worry about it too much for now.

It is worth mentioning that Chen Xuan can also regard himself as a scholar. He has completed the student registration in the first year of studying with Gao Jingming. He is also eligible to take the imperial examination, provided that the Gao family does not obstruct him. Otherwise, he has no choice. After all, his indenture is still in the hands of others. Although he is a boy from a good family, he is not a free person after all.

However, the Gao family naturally had no reason to hinder his progress, and they even hoped that he would be excellent, because his excellence would naturally bring more benefits to the Gao family.

This was also the reason why Gao Jingming was allowed to practice the superior techniques he was practicing. You have to know that they were obtained from the royal arsenal. Looking at the martial arts world, they were valuable items that would cause bloody fights and plunder...

After reading for a long time, Gao Jingming suddenly put down the book and asked, "A Xuan, will you take the imperial examination with me next year?"

The two grew up together, were inseparable, ate and lived together, and naturally they had to take the imperial examination together. No matter whether they could make the list or not, one of them would not be left behind.

It wasn't so much that he was asking Chen Xuan, but rather expressing his intention to take the imperial examination next year.

Mr. Yushan never mentioned this matter, and his family didn't urge him to do so. It was purely Chunchun's decision that was influenced by the current atmosphere.

Chen Xuan smiled and said, "If the young master participates, I will participate too."

"Well, that's good. Next year we will take the imperial examination together, be on the list together, and go to a bigger school together," he said happily.

Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Let's work together."

"A Xuan, you are so boring, please give me some reaction. Forget it, just continue reading." He suddenly felt bored. He felt that Chen Xuan was becoming more and more like his own master, which was not fun at all.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan felt a little emotional. This guy has changed a lot in the past six months. He even admires his concentration and seriousness. It seems as if his childhood has left him, and the carefree days of laughing and playing seem to be just yesterday.

He hadn't even read his favorite work, The Legend of the White Horse Swordsman, for a long time. Although the work had been completed, it seemed as if Gao Jingming's childhood had ended with it.

After this year, Gao Jingming was already twelve years old, and Chen Xuan's bone age was nine years old.

The age here is usually not calculated from the birthday, but from the year of birth. The birthday is considered the real age, and the year is considered the virtual age. When reporting the age to others, it is the virtual age.

Eating and reading are the main daily routines of Chen Xuan and his friend nowadays. Even some trivial tasks that Chen Xuan should have done are done by others. Chen Xuan was trained as Gao Jingming's right-hand man. Now in this critical year, of course, his studies are the priority.

They studied until late at night that day. Gao Jingming felt sleepy and went to rest, but Chen Xuan was full of energy. He went to the yard to practice sword. He practiced the sword technique taught by Mr. Yushan, which was called Haoran Sword Technique. It was a good sword technique in the martial arts world. It was upright and honest, and did not go to extremes.

Chen Xuan had already mastered this sword technique to perfection, one could even describe it as being a mastery of it. His moves were smooth and effortless, all thanks to his talent in martial arts.

Although he was not a fast learner when it came to martial arts, he could easily master it once he learned it, and even surpass his original level. It was simply unreasonable. Sometimes he thought that it would be great if he could divide some of his martial arts talent into studying, so that learning would not be so difficult.

Chen Xuan, who had already mastered the Haoran Sword Technique, practiced it methodically and methodically, appearing to be a beginner. However, he knew that this was practically a return to the basics.

The sword he used was just a wooden sword, tailor-made for him according to the length of his arms. It was very easy to use. He did not exert any internal force on the wooden sword, not because he was worried that the sword could not bear it, but because there was no need to do so since he was not fighting with anyone.

He had already experienced applying internal force to weapons to turn them into 'laser weapons', and once the novelty wore off, there was no need to show off.

This time of practicing sword is to relieve the body and mind after studying.

After practicing martial arts for more than a year, Chen Xuan's internal strength is extremely strong, but he has never really fought in combat, so he is not sure what level he is at in the martial arts world now, but it should not be too bad.

Although he occasionally sparred with Gao Jingming, it could not be considered actual combat; at best it was just childish play.

Late at night, not long after lying down, Chen Xuan moved his ears slightly and heard the slight movement of someone quietly leaving the courtyard. He could even tell that the person was Leng Bing.

"You're running out again so late at night?"

Chen Xuan was puzzled. This was not the first time he had discovered Leng Bing sneaking out in the middle of the night, but he had never taken it seriously.

"I can't sleep anyway, why don't you go and take a look? It would be embarrassing if you saw something you shouldn't see."

When this thought suddenly popped up in his mind, Chen Xuan couldn't help but think about it, but he was a little hesitant. After all, snooping into other people's privacy is not what a gentleman does.

After thinking about it, he decided to forget it. As long as Leng Bing didn't do anything to betray him, he would just pretend he didn't know. Everyone has some privacy in this world. Chen Xuan wasn't that curious.

Leng Bing is so beautiful and not young anymore. Chen Xuan suspected that she might have secretly run away to meet her lover.

Damn, thinking about it makes me even more itchy...

(End of this chapter)