Chapter 14

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Whether it was the tailor's shop or the bathhouse, everyone treated the carriage driver as Li Wenjun's attendant. No one doubted the bundle Li Wenjun carried, and no one tried to snatch his belongings.

After taking a bath, Li Wenjun changed into the new clothes he had just bought. Instantly, he looked different. Although he couldn't be called a dashing young master, others wouldn't mistake him for a poor boy. They would think his family was relatively well-off, at least a bit better off than the average person.

As the saying goes, "A man is judged by his clothes, a horse by its saddle, and a dog by its bell." Li Wenjun, who had long assisted his father, knew that people were often superficial. Wearing better clothes not only made it easier to earn respect but also reduced the trouble when doing things.

Li Wenjun not only paid the carriage driver the agreed fare but also gave him an extra ten copper coins. The carriage driver now regarded Li Wenjun as a nobleman visiting relatives. After receiving the coins, he thanked Li Wenjun profusely and left.

Li Wenjun first found a tavern, ordered a few dishes, and began to inquire about the security and local customs of Sanshan County from the waiter. According to the waiter, the security had always been good, and there hadn't been a murder case for a long time.

Then, Li Wenjun asked the waiter about places with long-term rentals and who taught well. The waiter answered all of Li Wenjun's questions.

After the waiter answered his questions, Li Wenjun gave him ten copper coins as a tip, and the waiter thanked him profusely.

Leaving the tavern, Li Wenjun went straight to the places the waiter had mentioned for long-term rentals. He planned to inspect them on-site and choose one that suited his needs. He only intended to rent, not buy, because he didn't plan to stay in the county of Sanshan County for long, and he also wanted to keep his wealth hidden to avoid attracting trouble.

After a round of inspections, Li Wenjun chose a courtyard. It wasn't very large, with five rooms and two jujube trees and two lush locust trees in the yard. The environment was very quiet, and most importantly, there was a sizable pond behind the courtyard. In case of an emergency, he could jump over the wall and hide in the pond, providing an additional escape route.

Li Wenjun liked the courtyard as soon as he saw it and rented it without hesitation. After a brief negotiation with the owner, he rented it for three taels of silver per month for a year, paying three months' rent in advance.

Thus, Li Wenjun settled down in the county of Sanshan County.

Eager to cultivate the techniques of the immortals, he began searching for a master the next day. However, these masters were not easy to meet. This was a county, and the more reputable scholars were preparing for the imperial exams. Those without titles wanted to become scholars, and those with titles wanted to become juren (imperial scholars) or jinshi (imperial degree holders). They had no interest in meeting Li Wenjun, especially since he didn't know many characters.

Li Wenjun was also concerned that the less reputable scholars might not have enough knowledge to help him interpret the words and sentences in the two books. As a result, he couldn't find a teacher for several days.

However, after several days of inquiries, Li Wenjun did have some gains. He had a clear goal for finding a master.

Although Sanshan County was a small place, it had a prominent figure.

This person was named Zhou Wei, in his forties. In his thirties, he went to the capital for the imperial exams and ranked first in the second round. After entering the bureaucracy, he once held the position of vice-magistrate of a prefecture. Later, for unknown reasons, he fell seriously ill and retired from office.

After returning home, Zhou Wei distributed all his wealth and opened a school, teaching and educating people to benefit his hometown. Several of his students had already become juren, and he was highly respected among the people of Sanshan County and revered as an idol by scholars.

According to the information he gathered, even the county magistrate often visited Zhou Wei for advice on governance.

However, what most attracted Li Wenjun was that Zhou Wei's favorite pastime was not discussing ancient and modern affairs or the writings of sages, but rather talking about mysticism and Daoism. His favorite places to visit were temples and Daoist monasteries.

Li Wenjun couldn't be sure that monks and Daoists would necessarily be related to the techniques of the immortals, but the only person he had met who knew these techniques was a Daoist. This made him more inclined to choose Zhou Wei as his teacher to learn to read and write. Perhaps Zhou Wei could explain the deeper meanings behind the words and sentences in the two books left by the old Daoist from the perspectives of Buddhism and Daoism, which would greatly benefit his future understanding of the books.

Zhou Wei's school, the Sanshan Academy, had over fifty students, including the most outstanding scholars from Sanshan County and several from neighboring counties who came specifically to study at the Sanshan Academy.

After thoroughly investigating Zhou Wei's situation, Li Wenjun went to the Sanshan Academy to scout out how he could meet Zhou Wei.

The main gate of the Sanshan Academy was guarded by a doorman who looked approachable but was actually quite unfriendly. When Li Wenjun said he wanted to see the headmaster Zhou Wei, the doorman glared at him and rudely drove him away.

The second time, Li Wenjun bought several packs of high-quality pastries, hoping to bribe the doorman to announce his presence. The doorman felt deeply insulted and threw the pastries onto the street, then pointed at Li Wenjun and scolded him.

Apart from lamenting that it was easier to meet the king of hell than a lowly doorman, Li Wenjun had no better plan. He could only stand across the street from the academy, watching the scholars come and go, listening to their recitations, and feeling envious.

After several days of waiting outside the academy, Li Wenjun had still not seen Zhou Wei step out of the gate. He was extremely anxious. Every day he delayed in learning the techniques of the immortals was a day he delayed in finding his family. This could ruin his plans.

After a few days, a thought suddenly came to Li Wenjun. The entrance to the academy was guarded, making it difficult to enter during the day or night. However, entering the academy didn't necessarily mean going through the main gate. There was a technique called "wall-climbing," and he could climb over the wall.

This thought brought Li Wenjun a sense of clarity. He patiently waited until it was dark, and the academy became quiet. He went to a spot he had observed during the day, where a wall grew a mulberry tree with lush branches extending over the wall.

The wall was higher than a typical residential wall, but this didn't deter Li Wenjun. When he left his rented place, he had brought a pile of firewood and some ropes. He tied the firewood together to form a simple ladder and leaned it against the wall.

The ladder of firewood wasn't very high, but it was enough for him to step on and reach the top of the wall. With his strong and agile body, he didn't take long to climb over the wall. He then grabbed the branches of the mulberry tree, climbed onto the tree, and slid down into the Sanshan Academy.

Standing on the flat ground paved with blue stone bricks, Li Wenjun looked around the academy. It wasn't opulent, but everything was neatly arranged and orderly.

After a brief look, Li Wenjun remembered his purpose for sneaking into the academy and stopped observing. He headed toward the back courtyard, assuming that Zhou Wei would be there.

After a while, Li Wenjun found a moon gate. Standing at the moon gate, he could see a courtyard with a main hall and side rooms, one of which was lit.

At the door of the lit room, a young servant was leaning against a pillar, dozing off.

Li Wenjun walked over and patted the servant on the shoulder.

The servant shook his head, opened his eyes, and saw Li Wenjun. He let out a scream, "There's a thief!"

The scream broke the peace of the Sanshan Academy. Before Li Wenjun could explain, the door of the lit room was suddenly pushed open, and a black figure rushed out, shouting, "Where is the thief?"

The servant pointed at Li Wenjun and said nervously, "It's him, he's the thief."

Li Wenjun quickly waved his hands and explained, "I'm not a thief."

The servant snorted and said, "I know all sixty people in the academy, big and small. How have I never seen you before? If I saw you during the day, I might say you're not a thief, but now it's night. Entering a good home at night, what else could you be but a thief?"

"Alright, you little thief, let me catch you and take you to the county office for punishment," the black figure said. He was a monk in gray robes with a shiny head and several burn marks.

"I really am not a thief. I came to seek a master. I want to learn to read and write from the headmaster," Li Wenjun said, allowing the monk to grab him without resistance.

"Is this how you seek a master? Sneaking into someone's home in the middle of the night, you're either a thief or a criminal. Master, take him to the county office," the servant said sharply.

Li Wenjun hurriedly said, "I really came to seek a master. During the day, I tried to enter, but the doorman stopped me and wouldn't announce my presence. I had no choice but to resort to this. I really couldn't think of any other way to meet the headmaster. Headmaster, Master, I'm telling the truth, not a single word is false."

"Master Yuanzhi, please let this young man go first," a middle-aged man said, stepping out of the room. He was tall and slender, with a sickly appearance and a long beard.