Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 4 Tuition Fees
At the bottom of the fishing net, three fish with bluish-gray backs and white bellies struggled desperately, unwilling to be caught, making the weighted fishing net rattle and clatter.

Shen Yuan picked up the fishing net and went to a place far from the shore. Looking at the three plump bluefish, he slightly grinned.

These three bluefish each weigh about three or four pounds. If you were to buy them, they would cost at least half an ounce of silver.

But it was just an ordinary grass carp.

The fish in Blackwater Pool are worth more than this price.

The village elders often say that the reason why Yinlong Mountain and Heilongtan both have the word "dragon" in their names is because a divine dragon is actually buried in the mountains.

The water of Black Dragon Pool comes from Hidden Dragon Mountain, and all the creatures in the pool are imbued with dragon energy.

Most of these rumors were just speculation, and Shen Yuan didn't take them seriously.

He thought the fish in the Blackwater Pool tasted so delicious primarily because the water was likely spring water, rich in various minerals.

Furthermore, the deep pool has high water pressure, resulting in firmer and more delicate flesh for fish that live here for a long time.

Shen Yun carefully removed the three bluefish from the net, took out a hemp rope, skillfully threaded it through the gills, tied them together, and hung them on a tree branch.

Next, we'll tidy up the fishing nets, preparing to cast a few more times if we're lucky.

But it seemed that all his good luck for the day had been used up by the blood toad's remains. In the next few nets, he only caught a few grass carp the size of his palm, with no major haul.

Seeing that the sun was already high overhead, Shen Yuan tidied up the fishing net and didn't continue.

He carried the fishing net on his shoulder and headed home with his catch.

As we approached the village entrance, we saw an elderly man in gray leading a donkey towards us from afar.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in a scholar's robe, sat on the back of a donkey.

The old man in the scholar's robe was named Lu Zhiyuan. It is said that he was once a great scholar in the Imperial Academy of the prefecture. Five years ago, he came to Jinliu Village, bought a piece of land at the entrance of the village, built an elegant courtyard, and settled down.

The old man in gray was his servant, named Uncle Ya.

Scholars are aloof and refined, so Lu Zhiyuan rarely interacted with the villagers.

If they met like this, the villagers would respectfully call him "Mr. Lu," and he would simply nod slightly in return.

“Mr. Lu, the mute man.”

When the two met, Shen Yuan cupped his hands in greeting.

On the donkey, Lu Zhiyuan nodded slightly, while the mute man smiled politely.

Just as they were about to pass each other, Lu Zhiyuan noticed the several bluefish he was carrying and suddenly asked, "Did you catch these fish in Black Dragon Pool?"

Shen Yuan stopped in his tracks, raised the fish in his hand, and nodded, saying, "Mr. Lu, you noticed?"

Lu Zhiyuan dismounted from the donkey, walked up to it, leaned down to look at it for a moment, and stroked his beard, saying, "They say the fish in Black Dragon Pool have dragon energy."

"It's truly remarkable that these fish, carried by Brother Shen with their gills pierced like this, have such energy and spirit after being exposed to the scorching sun all the way."

"To be honest, young brother Shen, I have always loved eating fish. I wonder if you would be willing to part with your love for it?"

"Sell this fish to me?"

Want to buy fish?
Shen Yuan looked at the fish in his hand, then smiled and said, "It's not a matter of parting with them. Mr. Lu likes to eat fish, so I'll give you two."

As he spoke, he untied the rope, took down two larger bluefish, and handed them over.

"These two are for the master; the rest I need to take back to make soup for the two rascals."

Lu Zhiyuan did not reach out to take it.

The mute man hurriedly came over, pointed to the hemp rope in Shen Yuan's hand, then to the two blue fish, and gestured for a while.

Shen Yuan realized what was happening and immediately tore off the hemp rope to help him string the two bluefish together.

The mute man grinned and took the fish.

"I don't have any money on me. I'll have Uncle Ya send it to your residence later."

Lu Zhiyuan cupped his hands and spoke.

Clearly, he didn't want to owe this favor.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yuan's heart stirred slightly, and he immediately cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Lu, I dare to ask for an opportunity with these two fish."

"Oh?" Lu Zhiyuan smiled slightly and said, "Brother Shen, please tell me first."

Shen Yuan cupped his hands again: "I have heard that you once served in the Imperial Academy of the Prefecture and are a great Confucian scholar of our time. I would like to ask for an opportunity for my son to become your student."

After saying this, Shen Yuan felt a little uneasy. This Lu Zhiyuan was known for his aloofness. When he first settled in Jinliu Village, many gentry and wealthy families in Anyang County brought large sums of money as tuition fees, hoping to have their family members become his disciples.

Even the county magistrate of Anyang County personally visited him.

But without exception, they were all turned away by Lu Zhiyuan.

Shen Yuan spoke up now only to try his luck, without really having any hope.

If this deal goes through, exchanging two fish for the opportunity to have my son become a disciple of a great Confucian scholar of our time would be a huge win.

If it doesn't work out, given the old man's temperament, he won't take advantage of my two fish. He'll most likely return them to me or I'll pay for them.

Since they didn't have much of a relationship to begin with, they wouldn't lose out either way.

Lu Zhiyuan remained silent, and the atmosphere became somewhat tense.

The mute man, carrying the fish, looked at his master and was already preparing to return the fish to Shen Yuan.

"I only accept disciples based on first impressions. If Brother Shen really wants to give it a try, please bring your son to my residence by the end of the morning tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan was taken aback, then quickly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Thank you sir!"

"Whether this matter succeeds or not, I will give you both fish."

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and waved his hand after hearing this: "That's not appropriate. Consider these two fish as your son's tuition fee. If I don't accept him, I naturally can't accept this tuition fee."

"If there is truly no affinity between master and disciple, then we should purchase him with silver."

Seeing his insistence, Shen Yuan didn't say anything more. He immediately bowed and headed home.

After he had gone far away, the mute man waved the fish in his hand and gestured for a while.

Lu Zhiyuan smiled faintly: "Money is just an external thing. If one truly has extraordinary talent, what does it matter if one comes from a poor family?"

"Uncle Ya, let's go back."

"If the fish dies, it won't be fresh."

……

When Shen Yuan returned home, Hu Yufen had just finished preparing lunch.

"Father, you're back!?"

Upon seeing him enter the courtyard, Shen Wenxing hurriedly ran over and took the fishing net from his shoulder.

The little guy, Shen Wenyan, eagerly tried to take the fish from his hands.

Unexpectedly, the grass carp, which had been exposed to the sun for two or three hours, was still very tenacious. As soon as the little guy got close, the grass carp lashed out with its tail, hitting his belly.

Snapped!
"Ouch!"

The little guy stumbled and almost fell over when he was patted on the shoulder.

Seeing this, Hu Yufen exclaimed in surprise, "This fish is quite fierce?"

Shen Yuan smiled and patted Shen Wenyan's head: "It's normal for fish in Blackwater Pool to be a little fierce."

"Did you go to Blackwater Pool?" Hu Yufen asked with some concern.

After untying the hemp rope and throwing the fish into the wooden basin, Shen Yuan said while washing the filth off his body, "You won't get any great deals if you don't go to the Blackwater Pool."

He recounted his encounter with Lu Zhiyuan.

Hu Yufen was astonished upon hearing this.

“In the past, the gentry and wealthy families of the county would bring chests and chests of gold and silver treasures to Jinliu Village, but they couldn’t even get into Master Lu’s door.”

"Husband, are you really offering two bluefish to give our child a chance to become an apprentice?"

Shen Yuan nodded: "After you finish eating, ask Sister-in-law Zhao for help to get those two brats a decent set of clothes."

"I can't possibly go to my master's door naked tomorrow, can I?"

Hu Yufen quickly agreed, forgetting about eating, and hurriedly went back to her room to find suitable fabric.

That's a great Confucian scholar of our time. I'm already grateful that he even agreed to give me a chance. Whether I succeed or not, I can't be impolite.

(End of this chapter)