Chapter 12

"About this... it seems like... then let's not go to Butterfly Valley." Bu Zheng thought for a moment and gave up on this promising choice.

"Whether to go to Butterfly Valley still needs to be seen. We should try each option. If Butterfly Valley accepts us, we will naturally go there." Xiu Ying said.

"Hmm... Huh..."

"..."

Xiu Ying noticed that after Bu Zheng said "hmm," he actually fell asleep again, hugging his beloved sword, lying on the deck, looking carefree and completely unconcerned about the upcoming trials, which were a life-changing opportunity and very important to anyone.

It must be said that in terms of mindset, Bu Zheng was the best. He didn't care about gains or losses; even if he lost this opportunity, he could always do something else.

Perhaps influenced by Bu Zheng, Xiu Ying and Bu Zheng's friends who had some acquaintance with him no longer felt nervous. They all sat down to meditate, becoming much more composed. With such a mindset, they might not perform exceptionally well, but at least they could show their true abilities and wouldn't be intimidated.

Bu Zheng's sleep also caught the attention of others. After all, the flying boat wasn't very large, and Bu Zheng was snoring peacefully, though very lightly, it was clearly heard by everyone.

"This little brat, Senior Li, please forgive him. He is an orphan from our village who wants to participate in the trials for a miscellaneous disciple." Da Hai saw that Senior Li's expression seemed a bit strange and explained. He was quite good to Bu Zheng and thus understood his thoughts.

"Oh, a miscellaneous disciple. We do need them in Butterfly Valley, but even for a miscellaneous disciple, there are requirements. Let him try first." Senior Li nodded and then closed his eyes to rest.

"Really, he's a hopeless case, disgracing our village." Zhao Yuer and others began to comment on Bu Zheng, most of their remarks being along these lines.

The flying boat picked up people from a few more villages along the way. The people from those villages also noticed Bu Zheng's presence and started to inquire. In casual conversations, Bu Zheng's story was told by his fellow villagers, making him a minor celebrity, though not a very good one.

Soon, the flying boat arrived at the county town and landed in a square. Many people had already gathered in the square, all participating in the recruitment trials, both the recruiters and the recruits.

"Bu Zheng, we're here..." Xiu Ying kicked Bu Zheng and immediately moved to the side, keeping a distance from him.

"We're here? What are you doing, Xiu Ying?" Bu Zheng got up, wiped the drool from his mouth, and saw Xiu Ying looking at the sky and the ground, but not at him.

"Don't talk to me, act like you don't know me." Xiu Ying still didn't look at Bu Zheng.

"Why?" Bu Zheng was confused.

"Because you're embarrassing right now, and I don't want to be embarrassed with you." Xiu Ying said directly, then moved further away from Bu Zheng. Friends are there to be "sold."

"..."

"While you were sleeping, everyone was talking about you. They all agreed that you're a hopeless case, a rotten log..." Xiu Ying came closer again, the time of pretending not to know him was over.

"..." Bu Zheng continued to remain silent.

"This isn't bad. When you're a hopeless case, no one will step on you. You should keep working on that." Xiu Ying didn't let Bu Zheng off, continuing to belittle him.

"I'm breaking up with you!" Bu Zheng angrily threw out a sentence and went to find the sect trials.

"Ha ha, wait for me..." Xiu Ying laughed and followed.

"No, I won't wait!" Bu Zheng continued to be in the state of breaking up.

"Don't be so petty." Xiu Ying said again.

"I am petty!"

"Which sect should we start with?" Xiu Ying suddenly changed the topic.

"Start with the sect you want to join. The best is Tai Xuan Sect." Bu Zheng said, as if nothing had happened just now. Friends are like that; the previous conversation was just a joke, and now they were discussing serious matters.

"Why not Qing Yun Sword Sect?" Xiu Ying asked, puzzled.

"The contribution value of Tai Xuan Sect is higher." Bu Zheng replied seriously.

Each sect has corresponding contribution points for completing tasks, not directly giving silver. Contribution points can be exchanged for silver. In the overall contribution points and exchange ratio, Tai Xuan Sect is the highest, followed by Huang Ji Palace, which is not one of the four major sects. The Qing Yun Sword Sect, which Bu Zheng previously liked, is relatively lower.

Bu Zheng had already collected data and done the calculations before, and the result was this. In fact, this calculation is very difficult because the overall contribution points and exchange ratio are roughly the same. To calculate the differences is not something an ordinary person can do.

Can Bu Zheng, who doesn't even recognize a single character, do this?

Yes, he can, and he is very capable. After obtaining the data, he only took a few moments to calculate it.

This actually has nothing to do with whether he recognizes characters. The data is directly obtained from others, and the calculation itself doesn't require literacy. These are two different systems. It is a mathematical ability, and Bu Zheng's mathematical ability is the opposite of his literacy ability; his mathematical ability is very strong. (Here, mathematics includes algorithms, geometry, etc.)

If he had received systematic education, his mathematical ability would be even stronger. However, he often naturally uses his mathematical ability, for example, when learning skills. As long as he grasps some mathematical patterns, he can learn quickly!

Everything is numbers!!

However, Bu Zheng doesn't know the significance of this mathematical ability, or even the concept. He just knows that he can do it, so why bother to study it? Besides, even if he delved into it, he wouldn't understand it.

To say why he doesn't recognize characters, this might also be due to his strong mathematical ability. When he sees characters, he doesn't see the characters but the geometric shapes, lengths, and heights in mathematics.

With too many of these data points, he naturally gets confused, and his head starts to hurt...

If the characters were all standardized, he might be able to recognize them, but there are different styles of writing: cursive, seal, regular, clerical, and running script. Under these major styles, there are various styles, making it even more difficult for Bu Zheng.

Moreover, when he was learning to recognize characters, someone taught him using a regular script textbook and then asked him using their own running script. He was completely confused.

Now, when he sees a dense text, his head hurts even more. Even if someone teaches him one style at a time, he learns very slowly because his mind is focused on other things.

These things, Bu Zheng will never understand, and it might always be this way. He might always wear the hat of an illiterate, but in other areas, he has received compensation. This gain and loss are part of a greater plan.

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