A strong and unique smell drifted to his nostrils.

Xun Xie looked at the bookshelves in the study room, filled with books, animal skin scrolls, and exquisitely framed scrolls. There were also paintings of different styles hanging on the walls.

Mr. Song was sitting in front of a large desk, reading a very thick book, when he heard footsteps, he raised his head, his eyes fell on Xun Xie, and he said with a warm smile, "Come on."

Xun Xie bowed and said, "Meet Mr. Song."

Feudal etiquette was very severe depending on the dynasty fortunately there was no dynasty or empire effective where he was now, still basic politeness was harmless especially when the other party was stronger and or richer than he was.

"No need to be more polite." Mr. Song nodded lightly, his eyes indicating a smaller desk next to him.

"Sit there. There is a copybook on the table, you can practice according to it, and you can ask me if you don't know the characters."

Xun Xie understood, walked over to the desk, and sat down.

In the upper right corner of the table, there is a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, and the four treasures of the study are readily available.

Xun Xie opened the copybook, and sure enough, it was all ancient characters.

The copybooks are elegant, neat, and quaint, and the stippling is vigorous and simple.

"Nice word."

Xun Xie sincerely praised it.

It's not that I haven't seen calligraphy before, but the writing is so masterful and highly accomplished. It indeed has a masterful demeanor. Even people who don't know anything about calligraphy can tell that's its well done.

Mr. Song got up, walked across to Xun Xie, looked at the copybook, and sighed: "This copybook is from the hand of a calligraphy master 'Li Shu'. If you practice copying and copy well, that is if you can get one or two of his character style, you will benefit greatly in your own style of calligraphy."

Xun Xie naturally knew.

I believe that no matter what world you are in, pictures and texts are the carriers of knowledge, and those who master knowledge can often change their destiny.

Several libraries were burnt down from ancient times containing great knowledge truly an immeasurable loss.

"It won't hurt to learn a little more." This was his plan anyway, just a little further down the ladder than martial arts but since it was delivered to his door, he would happily oblige.

Xun Xie calmed down and concentrated on copying. When he encountered unfamiliar characters he did not know he asked Mr. Song for advice.

Unconsciously, an hour passed quickly.

In his previous life, when Xun Xie was studying, he might always think about going out to play or playing games. Now that these temptations are gone, it is a different feeling to treat learning as fun.

However, Xun Xie found that practicing calligraphy was not much easier than practicing martial arts. If he didn't put in a lot of hard work, it would be difficult to write well.

"Practicing calligraphy is a waste of paper." Xun Xie sighed.

He doesn't know the price of paper in this world, but it's certainly not cheap, even if he uses that kind of rough grass paper.

"This Mr. Song may be a very rich man."

Xun Xie guessed in his heart. The manor alone could be faked but the objects within it were another story, especially consumables like paper which had to be replenished periodically.

Now, it's time for dinner.

Mr. Song didn't break his promise and took care of the meal.

Two maids brought the food, four dishes and one soup with rice, three meat dishes, and one vegetarian dish, which was quite rich in taste, nutrients, and variety.

Xun Xie feasted on the food all by himself and ate all the delicious food. The taste was wonderful, not inferior to the chefs in the restaurant.

After eating and drinking, Xun Xie left Song Mansion and rode a donkey back to the Earth Temple in Yin Village for the night.

The next day.

Xun Xie won Great Clarity which was quite timely with his new job. He got a ten times critical.

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When it was approaching sunset, Xun Xie came to Song Mansion to practice calligraphy and started writing!

Calligraphy +10

Calligraphy +10

Calligraphy +10

…

As expected.

Great Clarity is so awesome it gives Xun Xie a powerful and unparalleled learning ability.

Xun Xie's copybooks made rapid progress, and the characters he wrote finally had some appearance, and they were no longer crooked chicken scratches.

As he wrote, his strokes were heavy and forceful, causing the ink to bleed into the paper. Eastern Song observed him silently, marveling at the intensity of his concentration.

"You have quite the grip, Xun Xie," Eastern Song commented. "Have you been practicing calligraphy for long?"

Xun Xie paused for a moment. "No, sir," he replied. "I have only practiced a little on my own time. I find it helps to calm my mind and focus my thoughts."

Eastern Song nodded approvingly. "Indeed, calligraphy can be a powerful tool for centering oneself. But it is important to approach it with a lighter touch. The artistry of calligraphy lies not in the strength of one's grip, but in the control and grace of one's strokes."

Xun Xie listened carefully, then nodded in understanding. He adjusted his grip and continued writing, his strokes becoming smoother and more precise as he practiced under Eastern Song's guidance.

As the night grew deeper, Xun Xie put down his brush and looked up at Eastern Song. "Thank you, sir," he said. "I have learned much from your instruction today."

Eastern Song smiled. "You have much potential, Xun Xie. With practice and patience, your calligraphy will become a manifestation of your inner strength and composure."

Seeing that Xun Xie's clothes were too shabby, he ordered his housekeeper to buy two new clothes for Xun Xie as a reward for his hard work and progress today.

It's rare to win Great Clarity, much less not zero crit or double but ten, so Xun Xie didn't want to waste time, and continued to practice calligraphy until it was very dark.

Walking at night is dangerous.

Song Mansion is a big mansion, there are many rooms, and Mr. Song has long promised to include food and accommodation, so that night, Xun Xie simply stayed in Song Mansion.

Not only that, Mr. Song arranged for a maid to take care of Xun Xie's daily life.

The maid's name is Lan Yue, she is 28 years old, and she is also very attractive.

She prepared bath water for Xun Xie, made the bed, led the donkey to the stable, and fed it with concentrate.

Xun Xie took a comfortable bath and slept on the big soft bed. Only then did he realize what it means to enjoy life.

These conditions were even better than his 21st-century white-collar worker living conditions.

Little days, live comfortably.

In the blink of an eye, time flies.

Two months passed in a flash.

Xun Xie insists on training in basic skills every day. With the help of the lottery wheel in turn and not-so-bad luck these past few weeks, the Horse step that could only last for half an hour, was extended continuously, to forty minutes, fifty minutes, and now to one hour.

His basic skills are now excellent.

The boys and girls who studied under the same period of apprenticeship as him had not yet completed their training, and he surpassed them boosted by great food, perfect form, and daily hours of grinding.

During this period, Xun Xie practiced his calligraphy which got better and better, and the characters he copied were almost the same as the real ones in his reference book from the great artists. Except for some of the charms that he had not yet mastered, it was difficult for ordinary people to distinguish the true from the false.

Of course, in front of Mr. Song, he didn't show it, and he wrote the words wrong on purpose.

Nevertheless, Mr. Song is always full of praise for Xun Xie, and complimenting Xun Xie's calligraphy is about to catch up with his own.

In addition, Xun Xie visited almost the entire Blue Grain Town. He searched all the treasures in the corners of the streets and alleys and found many items that others could not find.

However, this gain is a one-off.

After picking it up, it's gone. A non-renewable resource.

This way of making money will naturally come to an end.

Fortunately, Xun Xie is not short of money for the time being.

With Mr. Song paying two taels of silver every month, including food and housing, Xun Xie's expenses are not so tight.

He won Treasure Seeker a few times when he went home to the valley and found a few leaves of grass that increased digestion and he ate them like chewing gum, with those added his food intake had increased drastically, he had pondered not eating them but it wasn’t like the extra food disappeared, he was greatly benefiting from them physically and not just the mental satisfaction of eating more. Plus this ancient chewing gum was quite appetizing and tasty.

Their effects were a bit too powerful though which got him some odd looks from the breakfast vendor, so he had to split his food amongst stalls to avoid attention, it was expensive as well.

'...greatly increases digestion and metabolism.' It seems the plug-in chose its words carefully and that 'greatly' wasn't to be underestimated.

However, these expenses are totally worth it to keep up with special grass. Xun Xie has grown a bit taller, and his body is also much stronger to the naked eye.

On this day, Xun Xie found Old Man Hu and said earnestly, "Old Man Hu, please check whether your disciple's basic skills are up to standard."

"Okay, take a step." Old Man Hu continued.

Xun Xie spread his legs apart, the soles of his feet seemed to be rooted, and he stood firmly.

The next moment, Old Man Hu suddenly raised his hand and placed it on Xun Xie's chest.

Xun Xie's body tightened, only to feel a powerful force rushing towards him. In an instant, the air in his chest was expelled, and his whole body was pushed back by the force, sliding with his feet on the ground.

chi chi chi...

Xun Xie stopped, still maintaining the posture of Horse Step, but where he was at the moment was ten paces away from Old Man Hu.

"Not bad, you are considered qualified." Old Man Hu raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly.

Xun Xie came back to his senses and was overjoyed.

"Mr. Hu, this disciple can now learn the moves correct?" Xun Xie always remembered what Mr. Hu had said, starting with the basic skills, and then learning the moves after mastering the basic skills. These were the core of martial arts!

"Okay, starting tomorrow, I'll pass on your moves." Old Man Hu smiled, "Oh, by the way, if you want to learn moves, the cost will increase, five taels per month."

Xun Xie was instantly speechless. Is this old bandit playing tricks?

Old Man Hu's expression became serious, and he said solemnly: "Also, you have to eat more meat, not ordinary meat, meat from exotic animals!"

Xun Xie frowned, "Exotic animal meat?"

Old Man Hu smiled and said, "I have it here. I can sell you a tael of exotic animal meat for a tael of silver, and this old man is not deceiving. Although you are still young, you must eat at least one or two exotic animal meat taels every day."

Xun Xie felt that Old Man Hu was still robbing him, and hesitantly asked, "Do you have to eat it?"

Old Man Hu smiled leisurely unperturbed.

In the evening, Xun Xie rode a donkey back to Yin Village, where he wanted to dig out the hidden silver taels.