novel-bin 61, a happy event
61, a happy event
"This item is of great importance. I suspect that the person who entrusted the knife with it probably only knew that there was something inside, but did not know what it was."
"Find another skilled craftsman, find some aged silk, transcribe this secret scripture onto it, and put it back into the hilt of the knife."
"I have two other methods; you can see which one is more suitable and convenient."
"First, if possible, install an additional mechanism in the switch that opens the hilt of the knife. When they get the knife and open the hilt, the silk will be destroyed."
"Second, if the mechanism is difficult to work with, poison the silk, seal it in a wax pellet, and wait for that person to take it... Heh!"
As Ren Qingshan continued speaking, Lu Haichuan's eyelids twitched violently, and a storm of emotions surged within him.
This person's meticulous thinking and ruthless schemes are truly terrifying!
Fortunately, they are friends, not enemies.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Haichuan nodded solemnly: "Alright, I do have a close friend who works in this line of work. I'll ask him to handle it today."
"Should a word or two of this scripture be altered?"
He had a sudden inspiration and offered his own idea to prevent the true scriptures from falling into the hands of bandits.
Then Ren Qingshan looked at him with surprise and approval: "Old Lu, your heart..."
Lu Haichuan: ...cough.
each other.
You're not exactly clean either.
"Alright, then so be it. Write this down and burn it. I'm just a warrior, I don't know anything about poetry or literature, but I've told you everything without changing a single word."
Ren Qingshan said with a smile.
Lu Haichuan tentatively believed it, nodded with a smile, wrote down the whole thing, went out to get some charcoal for the fire, put it in the brazier, and burned it to ashes.
After you've finished this task...
The two exchanged a glance, and there was a faint feeling that they had conspired to do something bad.
A sense of intimacy arises spontaneously.
"This scripture is a secret; we can study it slowly. Once this matter has calmed down, if we have any clues, we can let you know immediately."
Lu Haichuan shoveled the ashes out of the brazier, making sure there were no residues, then looked up and smiled.
Ren Qingshan nodded readily: "Of course."
"My Lu family doesn't have many martial arts masters, so if there's any progress in this matter, we'll naturally have to rely on you. If there really is a secret treasure, it would be enough for my family to get a share."
He was thinking too far ahead. Ren Qingshan waved his hand and laughed, "Even if we do find it, we'll just split the cost 50/20. Would I treat you unfairly?"
Lu Haichuan narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a long sigh.
"I have a legitimate son and a legitimate daughter. My eldest son is serving in the army in the capital, thousands of miles away. I haven't seen him for almost four years. It's all his mother's fault. She insisted on sending her son to the army to carry on my father-in-law's last wish."
"I sent my daughter to the Divine Firmament Sacred Realm hoping to secure her a good future and a good marriage. Unexpectedly, she was envied by her senior sister in the sect, which led to this disaster."
"My daughter is now of marriageable age. I have found a suitable match for her in the prefectural city. I hope that she will be more stable after marriage, so that her parents can rest assured."
—Old Lu is up to something!
Ren Qingshan feigned curiosity and asked with a smile, "Oh? Which family's young master are you from in the prefectural city?"
"It's not settled yet. My daughter is the apple of my eye, and we still need to ask her opinion on this matter. If it doesn't suit her, things won't go smoothly for her in the future. I, Lu, would never push my daughter into a fire pit."
—Old Lu wants to do something, but he's not really keen on it. He's still observing and waiting for the right price.
That's normal.
After all, he's a seasoned veteran in the business world.
Ren Qingshan clapped his hands in praise: "Well said! No wonder the Lu family has been able to build such a large business. With this kind of mindset, you have far surpassed countless loving fathers."
"Not at all, it's just common sense and human nature."
Lu Haichuan waved his hand modestly and smiled.
The two briefly touched on the topic, then chatted about other things for a few more minutes. Ren Qingshan had class in the afternoon, and Lu Haichuan had to deal with the knife, so they said goodbye and left.
……
As Ren Qingshan stepped out of the Lu family's gate, he suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh.
What a loss!
Old Lu wanted to buy this knife before, but now it's been given away for free!
Immersed in the thrill of "tricking the bandits," he overlooked this crucial detail.
If we ask him for money now when we go back to our parents' home, will he marry his daughter off to the prefectural city tomorrow? Haha...
"Ren Qingshan, wait a moment, please stay."
A graceful figure, with hurried steps, came chasing from behind, wearing a simple white dress, elegant and refined.
In his hand, however, he held a bulging silver pouch: "My father told me to give this to you, saying he couldn't let you suffer any loss."
Tsk.
Old Lu is indeed meticulous in his work... This kind of person is suitable to be my father-in-law.
"I've returned it to you. I owed you three thousand three hundred taels before. Look here, how much is here? I'll make up the difference later."
If you borrow and repay, it's not difficult to borrow again. After receiving five hundred taels from the Lu family last time, Ren Qingshan immediately repaid the land money he owed to the Ren family members in the village.
Now that I have some money, I'll continue clearing the accounts.
"I'm not in a hurry. What did you and Dad talk about?"
She handed the silver pouch to Ren Qingshan and asked with great curiosity.
Ren Qingshan looked around and saw the old gatekeeper looking in their direction. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "Shh, your father asked me if I wanted to marry you, and I said yes. He said okay, and I asked when, and he said anytime."
In an instant, Lu Qingyi's cheeks flushed, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest, her body stiffened, and her beautiful eyes revealed utter shock.
Coming to his senses, he saw that the man had already gone far away: "You've taken the money, now do as I say."
Lu Qingyi suddenly realized that she had been harassed by bad guys again!
She stomped her foot angrily, her rosy lips pouting high.
How can you joke about something like this?!
……
Wude Academy, drill ground.
Ren Qingshan taught a class today.
The teaching method has now been basically stable, and teaching is tailored to individual students. Two students are selected for each class, their strengths and advantages are analyzed, and then corresponding guidance is given.
This complements the lectures given by Pang Ziqian and Zhao Qianfeng.
Moreover, three "class representatives" have been selected: Li Jueming, Guan Pengju, and Zhao Fuxin, representing the poor but talented disciples, the disciples whose fathers came from government offices, and the disciples whose families came from military backgrounds, respectively.
As a result, classroom order was completely restored.
Even if there are occasional minor conflicts, I will mediate them myself.
After class, the sunset was exceptionally beautiful, with red clouds stretching for miles. Ren Qingshan was about to go to the grain store to check on business when Zhou Jinwen came running over with a smile on his face: "Lord Ren, Lord Fang invites you."
"But what's wrong?"
Ren Qingshan followed him to find Fang Yanping and asked with a smile.
"Yes, that's great news, really great news. You'll see when you get there."
Zhou Jinwen smiled brightly, but kept Ren Qingshan in suspense, which deeply aroused his curiosity.
Enter the door.
Ren Qingshan then saw that Fang Yanping had a pile of documents in front of him and was writing furiously. He stopped writing and smiled, saying, "Qingshan, get ready. You will be taking the martial arts exam in ten days."
A martial arts scholar?
"Isn't the exam next spring?"
Ren Qingshan was surprised.
Master Zhou immediately smiled and explained, "The grand examination will be held next spring, but Lord Fang also has the right to recommend candidates. He can recommend three people each year to select strong individuals like you who have worked hard for many years and have made a name for themselves in advance, so as not to crowd out the younger generation's spots next year. Otherwise, in the competition, you will probably beat up several younger people, which would be a loss to the court in terms of talent."
"Even though it's a small exam, it's no different from a big one. Two officials from the prefectural city will come down to supervise the exam, Lord Fang will preside over it, and two experts from the county's Demon Suppression Division and the garrison, as well as many famous local figures and gentry will be invited to witness it."
Ren Qingshan nodded with a smile.
Makes sense!
The "recommendation" selection method was something most people had never heard of, yet it truly was a "fast track."
When strength and status are particularly mismatched, the imperial court will intervene to correct the situation, demonstrating its preferential treatment and recruitment of martial arts experts... Otherwise, what if someone can't wait and runs off to a sect?
The biggest benefit for me is that it saves time.
Having earned the title of Martial Scholar this year, one can take the Martial Examination next year.
……
……