Chapter 21

After waking up, Fang Yun washed up, had breakfast, and then walked around the courtyard a few times before diving back into his room to practice calligraphy and read books.

During this time, some visitors came, but none had urgent matters. They were kept out in the courtyard by Yang Yuhuan. Those who heard Fang Yun’s reading voice also left tactfully, praising him for his diligence before they went.

At noon, Liang Yuan brought wine and dishes. While eating and drinking with Fang Yun, they discussed the bookshop business. They finally decided that Liang Yuan would go to Dayuan Prefecture five days earlier to help Fang Yun choose a place to live and a location for the bookshop.

After the meal, Fang Yun went to the library of the county’s literary academy.

The library of the county’s literary academy was enormous, with over a hundred thousand books. The only drawback was that books could not be borrowed out.

Fang Yun entered and chose a strange book that he had never seen before, titled *Grass Hut Mountain Dwelling Collection*, which was a collection of essays by a university scholar from Jingguo.

Fang Yun silently held it, but the Strange Book World showed no reaction.

After a moment, Fang Yun whispered, "Absorb!"

The Strange Book World still showed no reaction.

Fang Yun stared intently at the five characters on the cover, "Grass Hut Mountain Dwelling Collection," with a fierce gaze, but to no avail.

"Can’t it be directly absorbed into the Strange Book World?"

Fang Yun thought for a moment, flipped through the pages, but the Strange Book World still showed no reaction. He had no choice but to memorize it word by word.

After silently reading the first page, Fang Yun turned the page, and the Strange Book World reacted.

A blank book appeared in Fang Yun’s mind, with the cover gradually showing the five characters, "Grass Hut Mountain Dwelling Collection." The first page also had content, but the rest was still blank.

"Do I really have to memorize all the text before it can be absorbed into the Strange Book World? These classics can’t be read quickly. Two characters per second, seven thousand two hundred characters per hour, and even if I read for ten hours a day, it would only be seventy-two thousand characters. In three months, sixty days, it would be no more than four million characters. The works of the sages are numerous, especially those of the new sages in the past two to three hundred years, which together exceed ten million characters. Many of them are not in the Strange Book World. Plus, I need to read the interpretations of the sages’ classics by the great scholars and university scholars. Without reading for a dozen years, I won’t achieve much."

Fang Yun was in a dilemma. The prefectural examination for the scholar degree was much harder than the county examination, and the scope of the exam was very broad. If he got a low score in the classics or the sages’ sayings, it would be very embarrassing.

"If it really doesn’t work out, I won’t take the prefectural examination this year and will take it in a few years."

Fang Yun thought and left the literary academy.

On the street of the literary academy, there were many shops related to reading, selling books, stationery, and other miscellaneous items. Because the child scholar examination had just ended, people from other towns and villages had not left, making the street very lively, with many shops offering discounts.

Fang Yun didn’t have much money before, so he couldn’t buy many books. Now, with money, he was interested in a set of *Observing the Sea Collection* at a 90% discount.

Chen Guanhai was the only half-sage in Jingguo, and his collection was essential for many readers in Jingguo.

*Observing the Sea Collection* compiled Chen Guanhai’s works over the years, including poetry, classics, political essays, and annotations, as well as commentaries and explanations by other great scholars and university scholars. It consisted of fifty-two volumes, all stored in two wooden bookcases, each as tall as a person.

Fang Yun entered the shop, and a wave of ink fragrance greeted him.

"How much is this set of *Observing the Sea Collection*?" Fang Yun asked.

"This is a deluxe collector’s edition. The original price is twenty taels of silver, but with the discount, it’s eighteen taels, no bargaining," the busy bookstore owner said without looking up, continuing his work.

Fang Yun was surprised, not expecting the collection to be so expensive. If he were still working in the tavern, he would have to go without food and drink for three years to afford it.

"Is there a simpler edition?" Fang Yun asked.

"Yes, five taels for a set, no discount."

Fang Yun thought that it was about one hundred coins per book, which was a sky-high price for his former self but not much for his current self.

"Then give me a set of the simpler edition." Fang Yun only wanted to study, not collect, and the deluxe edition was too heavy. He would consider collecting after going to Dayuan Prefecture.

Fang Yun was searching for silver when he heard someone ask in surprise, "Is this Fang Yun, the top scholar?"

Fang Yun looked up and saw a young man in a brocade robe standing in front of him, vaguely remembering him as a neighbor from a few years ago, named Xue Hua, who had moved away after passing the child scholar examination.

"Hello, Brother Xue. How are your parents?" Fang Yun said politely.

"My parents are well. They mentioned your success as the top scholar yesterday and were very happy. I didn’t expect to meet you here," Xue Hua smiled.

Fang Yun was about to reply when the white-haired bookstore owner shouted, "Are you the ‘ox cart scholar’ Fang Shuangjia?"

"Yes, it’s me," Fang Yun replied.

"You want *Observing the Sea Collection*, right? I’ll give you the deluxe edition for free. What else do you want? Make a list, and I’ll have it delivered to your home, no charge," the bookstore owner laughed, revealing his nearly toothless mouth.

Fang Yun hurriedly declined, "Thank you, sir, for your kindness, but I can’t accept something without earning it. I’ll just buy it at the regular price."

"How can you say you haven’t earned it? Our Jixian County has never produced a double-jia or a child scholar before the sages. You’ve brought fame to Jixian County, which is a great service to the county. As a Jixian County resident, it’s my duty to give you some books. Don’t refuse."

Fang Yun was about to decline again when Xue Hua smiled, "Top Scholar Fang, don’t refuse. I’ve studied at the literary academy for three years and know Boss Zhao well. He’s a kind-hearted person who especially supports scholars. The top three students in the literary academy’s annual exams can come to his bookstore and choose a set of books for free, a tradition that has lasted for over a decade."

Boss Zhao smiled, "When you become the top scholar, I can say that I, Old Zhao, once gave books to a top scholar, which will be a great honor. A set of books is nothing, take it. If you don’t, I’ll find out where you live and throw the books into your house at night."

Fang Yun knew this was the benefit of a good reputation. Seeing that he couldn’t refuse, he bowed and said, "Thank you, sir, for the books."

"Don’t be so formal. We old bones can’t do much, but you young people will have to fight the demons and barbarians. Don’t be like Fang Zhongyong, who was taken around by his father all day, eventually losing all his talent."

"I will remember this, and when I achieve something, I will fight on the battlefield and defeat the demons and barbarians."

"Good! You have spirit!" the old man smiled.

Fang Yun chatted with the bookstore owner and Xue Hua for about fifteen minutes, then excused himself to read and left, carrying the two wooden bookcases.

Fang Yun felt warm inside, not because of the books, but because of the bookstore owner’s kindness. With such citizens in the human race and Jingguo, they would surely not be defeated by the demons and barbarians.

Back home, Fang Yun opened the bookcases and took out all the books, filling the room with the same ink fragrance as the bookstore.

The deluxe edition books, whether in paper or ink, were of the best quality, with an excellent feel. Fang Yun held them, looked at the old, tattered books on the bookshelf, and thought that the old books should be thrown away.

"Hey? Where are the books?" Fang Yun looked at his empty hands in confusion, the fragrance of the books still lingering, but the books were gone.

Fang Yun looked around, confirming that they had vanished into thin air. Instead of being angry, he was unusually happy and tried to silently think, "Volume One of *Observing the Sea Collection*."

A brand new Volume One of *Observing the Sea Collection* appeared in his mind, and he could even faintly smell the ink.

Fang Yun used his mind to turn the pages, and like other books in the Strange Book World, the text remained unchanged but was now punctuated, making it easier to read and understand.

"This book is similar to the one in the literary academy’s library, but why can it be absorbed into the Strange Book World? Is it because it’s a new book or a deluxe edition? The possibility is too small."

Fang Yun tried touching other books and mentally commanding them to be absorbed into the Strange Book World, and all fifty-two volumes of *Observing the Sea Collection* were absorbed, leaving only the two empty wooden bookcases on the ground.

"Is it a matter of ownership?"

Fang Yun immediately acted, borrowing an unread book from a neighbor and bringing it back. He couldn’t absorb it into the Strange Book World. He tried reading the first page, and the Strange Book World immediately absorbed the book, but only the first page had content.

"It seems that only my own books can be absorbed into the Strange Book World. If it’s someone else’s book, I have to read it thoroughly."

Fang Yun sighed in relief. This was much better. If he had to read thoroughly to absorb books into the Strange Book World, he would have to read for ten years.

"The county is small, and I need a lot of books, probably hundreds of thousands. Buying a large number of books and having them disappear easily raises suspicion. Once I go to Dayuan Prefecture and open a bookshop with a warehouse, I can ‘eat’ a lot of books without arousing suspicion."

Fang Yun smiled, not expecting the benefit of running a bookshop.

With the book problem solved, Fang Yun continued practicing calligraphy and reading the works of the sages, understanding their true meanings.

In the following days, Fang Yun practiced calligraphy and read books, and in the evenings, he went to County Magistrate Cai to learn about the classics. Life was fulfilling.

Time passed quickly, and ten days flew by.

Yang Yuhuan found a trustworthy maid, and Fang Yun chose a kind and honest cousin from the Fang family to be his attendant. They gradually finished all the miscellaneous tasks.

On a misty morning, four people loaded their belongings onto a cart.

The rooster crowed, and a loud sound echoed. The four people looked at the empty courtyard, seeing the faint frost on the ground, feeling a bit melancholic.

Fang Yun looked at the sky, where the sun had not yet risen, and the east was a pale blue.

In the quiet morning, the four people got on the cart.

"Let’s go," Fang Yun said solemnly from inside the cart.

Fang Daniu, sitting at the front, cracked the whip, making a sharp sound.

The three horses snorted, their noses exhaling white mist, and they started moving, pulling the cart forward.

The bell on the lead horse’s neck jingled, and the sound echoed on the road. The wheels rolled, making a rumbling sound, and the people on the cart felt a slight jolt.

Yang Yuhuan couldn’t resist lifting the curtain to look outside.

Fang Yun, through the cart window, saw a faint crescent moon in the sky.

"We will come back," Fang Yun comforted.

Yang Yuhuan smoothed her hair and said, "With you, wherever we are is home. It’s just that people always have a sense of nostalgia."

The forty-something Jiang Pozi said, "Master, you are a star of literature. Wherever you are, it’s the same. When you become the top scholar, you can naturally return to visit your family."

Fang Yun nodded.

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