Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

However, this is not the case. The root cause is the ignorance and folly of the people. The citizens of each city are unable to empathize with the citizens of other cities because they face different forms of exploitation from their respective city lords.

Some city lords have a penchant for young boys, plundering all the boys in their territories for their own pleasure; others enjoy the cruelty and murder of newlyweds, killing a couple whenever the mood strikes.

Some city lords prefer women to go topless, requiring all women to go out in public with their breasts exposed; others allow all women in the city to leave their boudoirs open at night, letting men freely enter and engage in sexual activity.

[Faced with different circumstances and with different demands, the people could not possibly unite. They only knew that the city lord was oppressing them, and they would only hate the city lord, not the emperor.]

They were unaware that the emperor was the root of their misfortune.

Upon reaching this point, Zhou Qingfeng understood why the book had become a banned book. The author's sharp words pointed out the empire's methods of rule and the root of its evils, and also analyzed why popular uprisings could not succeed.

This book is of great value and will greatly benefit me in broadening my horizons and understanding the true nature of the world.

"How much?" Zhou Qingfeng closed the book without hesitation and asked the price.

The bookstore owner held up three fingers: "Discounted price, three hundred coins."

"One hundred and fifty, take it if you want, otherwise forget it." Zhou Qingfeng didn't know the basic purchasing power of the currency, but he followed his mother's "half-price bargaining rule" and directly bargained the price in half.

The bookstore owner's expression changed, and he rubbed his hands together and chuckled dryly, "Hehehe... I didn't realize you were an expert."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled without saying a word, waiting for a reply.

"Alright then." The bookstore owner hesitated for a moment, then agreed with a pained expression.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng didn't believe the bookstore owner would sell at a loss. As the saying goes, the seller is always more shrewd than the buyer. The bookstore owner must be making a profit, it's just a matter of how much.

After paying 150 coins, Zhou Qingfeng continued to sift through the pile of forbidden books, including erotic novels such as "The Mirror of Flowers," "Flower Shadows Behind the Curtain," "National Beauty and Heavenly Fragrance," and "Flying Flowers and Erotic Thoughts," but none of the forbidden books caught his eye.

However, he was still very curious about why the little figures in the erotic book could move.

This is the only thing that interests him.

So he asked a question, and that was the one question that gave him away: "Shopkeeper, why do the little figures in the illustrations in the book look so lifelike? Is there something special about them?"

Upon hearing the inquiry, the bookstore owner realized he had misjudged the man. This fellow was a wolf in sheep's clothing; if he were truly an expert, how could he not know such a simple thing? Unfortunately, the money and goods were exchanged, and the transaction was complete. It was too late to back out now.

His heart was bleeding; losing money was a huge loss, but he still explained, "Sir, these kinds of elegant books are all written by novelists, who have their own unique techniques passed down through generations."

"The little figures in the book were drawn by the novelist using a secret technique, something only a novelist could do in this day and age."

"However, I've heard that these novelists are extremely mysterious, their magic is unpredictable, and they come and go without a trace. They are all solitary figures, and no one can find out their whereabouts or identities."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, his doubts resolved, and didn't delve any further. He immediately asked again, "Shopkeeper, do you have any cultivation manuals here?"

"No, my shop only sells ordinary books, maybe a few banned ones at most. Cultivation manuals and other rare books are in the hands of martial arts schools, escort agencies, and cultivation families. My shop has no ability to sell cultivation manuals, and besides..."

"Besides what?" The bookstore owner's words piqued Zhou Qingfeng's interest.

The bookstore owner said, "Besides, even if I did manage to get some stock, it would all be second-rate martial arts manuals."

"These kinds of martial arts all use lifespan as the source of power. They can be mastered in a day. After practicing them, they can indeed kill demons and monsters, but they cannot even kill turbid-level monsters. They can only repel or injure them."

"And every time you use martial arts, you have to consume your lifespan. Who would spend money to buy such a suicidal and useless martial art?"

"Unless there is no other choice and one urgently needs strength to save their life, no one will buy such a secret manual. After all, it's the same money, but people can learn real skills at martial arts schools and security escort agencies."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng understood and immediately abandoned his idea of ​​spending money to buy cultivation manuals to increase his strength.

Compared to those second-rate martial arts manuals, the Mind-Bound Technique he had learned was far superior.

The top-ranked turbid-level spell not only has no risk of shortening one's lifespan, but can also kill demons and monsters of the same level.

"Shopkeeper, you don't have the book I want here. If you have any other strange or unusual books like 'Unofficial History and Secret Records,' please keep them for me. I'll take any that can broaden my horizons and I'll come back to buy them next time."

"Oh? Sir, you didn't find any of these excellent books you wanted?"

"Hmm." Zhou Qingfeng wasn't interested in romance; he only wanted to focus on his career.

After leaving Ruyu Bookstore, Zhou Qingfeng went to a clothing store to buy a casual outfit. He felt that if he always wore modern clothes when he went out, he would always be out of place in the current environment, so he spent another two hundred yuan.

Around noon, Zhou Qingfeng went to a restaurant and ordered a table full of delicious food. Chicken, duck, fish and meat filled the table. He ate and drank to his heart's content, treating himself to a hearty meal, and spent another 180 coins.

I thought this was already extravagant enough, but I was surprised to hear other guests talking about how the distinguished guests on the pleasure boats by the river could order a table of food and wine for 20,000 coins, which was astonishing.

A street vendor carrying a load of dried fruit and melon cakes would sell them for only two coins.

A roast chicken or roast duck costs thirty dollars, and you can even get a discount by bargaining.

The turbid-grade magical artifacts sold in the blacksmith's shop are crafted by specialized weapon refiners, such as knives, spears, swords, and clubs. They usually sell for between seven and eight hundred coins, while superior-grade ones can fetch up to one thousand eight hundred magical coins.

After a day of exploring, Zhou Qingfeng had a good grasp of the prices in Sword Tower City.

As evening approached, Zhou Qingfeng spent a 'huge sum' to buy a pot of fine wine and a box of fine tea, and returned to the mansion to find Butler Qiu.

Butler Qiu was checking accounts in the accounting room, and without looking up, he asked, "Qingfeng, what do you want with me?"

Zhou Qingfeng carefully placed the prepared items on the table, took a half step back, bowed, and clasped his hands in a fist, saying, "I am deeply grateful for your care. I have prepared some small gifts to show my respect to you today."

Butler Qiu paused in his brush, then looked up at Zhou Qingfeng expressionlessly: "Bribe me?"

Zhou Qingfeng smiled calmly: "Steward Qiu, you flatter me. You are deeply trusted by Madam and in charge of all affairs in the outer courtyard. You hold a high position and great power. How could you possibly look down on such worthless things from a lowly person like me?"

"I came here specifically to thank you for your guidance and support recently. There is no question of bribery."

Upon hearing this, Butler Qiu gave a soft "hmm" and lowered his head again to check the accounts.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng couldn't figure out Steward Qiu's attitude, so he could only bow and slowly back away.

Just as they were about to leave, Butler Qiu spoke up.

"Qingfeng, specific work matters will be arranged in a couple of days. This assessment is about your ability to get things done, so don't let me down."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng's face lit up with joy, knowing that the gift had worked and their relationship had improved. He turned around, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Steward Qiu. I have a question to ask you."