Chapter 147 - 143: Scholars’ Association Hall

Chapter 147: Chapter 143: Scholars’ Association Hall

The second floor of the Scholars’ Association Hall was different from the first. It also had tables, but instead of round wooden ones, they were square tables designed for eight.

There were fewer people here than on the first floor. And while the tables still held poetry and paper, most of the items were actually soul energy materials.

Li Heng noticed that everyone on this floor, including the manager by the counter, was a Soul Apprentice. He had his suspicions but didn’t voice them, waiting for the second-floor manager to approach him first.

As expected, less than twenty seconds after Li Heng reached the second floor, the manager came over to inquire, his tone slightly more courteous than the one downstairs.

The questions were largely the same as those from the manager on the first floor, but he added one more at the end: he asked if Li Heng was a Soul Warrior. If he was, he would be received on the third floor.

After offering his thanks once more, Li Heng headed up toward the third floor of the Scholars’ Association Hall.

Seeing this unfamiliar face, Li Heng, ascending to the third floor, the scholars on the second floor also showed rather complicated expressions.

As he started up the stairs to the third floor, he was only halfway when he heard the sounds of a heated discussion from above.

"This prose-poem must be an original work left by Layman Qingfeng!"

"No, no, no! The soul energy fluctuations from the paper are too faint. The calligraphy is similar, but it’s hard to say if it’s truly an original!"

"I agree! The soul energy fluctuations are too weak. It doesn’t seem like an original from the great layman at all, and yet the calligraphy is flawless."

"Original or not, does anyone want it? I’m looking to trade, item for item!"

...

Based on what he overheard, the scholars on the third floor of the Scholars’ Association Hall seemed to be debating whether a certain item was an original.

Li Heng paused for a moment before continuing to the third floor.

On the third floor of the Scholars’ Association Hall were only two long tables, which had been pushed together. Li Heng saw only about ten people, all of whom were Soul Warriors.

Furthermore, every one of these Soul Warrior-level scholars was either holding a fan or wearing a Longsword. The oldest among them looked to be just over thirty.

The third floor, which had been buzzing with discussion, fell somewhat quiet the moment Li Heng arrived. All eyes turned to him.

However, the scholars remained silent, waiting for the manager at the counter to make the first move.

The questioning process was much the same, except for a final query: was he a Soul Energy Grandmaster? If so, he was invited to the fourth floor.

"I’m only at the Soul Warrior realm for now," Li Heng admitted frankly.

"My friend, you’re an unfamiliar face. Did you just arrive in Li Liang City today?"

"I did. I’ve come from out of town to study and travel."

It was only after Li Heng confirmed he was at the Soul Warrior realm that the scholars seated at the long table began to strike up a conversation. Li Heng, in turn, exchanged pleasantries.

"Scholars at the Soul Warrior realm are free to use the third floor and any floor below it. Food and lodging are complimentary. This may be a bit sudden, but I must ask you, sir, to present an item to verify your status as a scholar. Please forgive my forwardness, but it is the rule of the hall."

The manager of this floor snapped his fan shut, clasped his fists in a salute to Li Heng, and then waited quietly for his response.

Li Heng hadn’t expected to have to prove his identity. Though it was a surprise, he quickly searched his mind, trying to recall what he had in his medium-sized Space Stone that might be associated with a scholar.

After a moment, Li Heng thought of something that should suffice. His eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly as he retrieved the Wolf Bone Brush from his medium-sized Space Stone. "I only carry a single brush with me," he said calmly.

"Wait! Is that..."

Li Heng had just taken out the Wolf Bone Brush, but before the hall’s manager could react or reply, a man named Zhou Hua practically "pounced" to his side, his eyes glued to the Wolf Bone Brush in Li Heng’s hand.

"Holy hell! It’s the real deal! A Wolf Bone Brush!"

"Is it really... a Wolf Bone Brush from the Southern Territory?!"

"It truly is a Wolf Bone Brush! There’s a faint sanguine aura lingering around the shaft. Only the bones of a Blood Wolf from the Southern Realm possess such a quality!"

"I remember a Wolf Bone Brush was auctioned off the year before last. It sold for a high price, well over one hundred thousand Soul Crystal Coins!"

"What a fine brush!"

"A fine brush! A truly fine brush!"

"My friend, that’s one incredible brush to be carrying around!"

After Zhou Hua’s sudden lunge and his declaration that Li Heng’s brush was a Wolf Bone Brush, the surrounding scholars immediately swarmed forward.

They all gasped in amazement—the item Li Heng had produced was a genuine Wolf Bone Brush! A flurry of discussion immediately erupted, all centered on the brush.

"Sir, may I have your surname?"

The third-floor manager was equally astonished to see the Wolf Bone Brush. However, for various reasons, he didn’t become as emotional as the other scholars and managed to continue the conversation calmly.

"My surname is Li, and my name is Heng. I’ll be in your care during my stay in Li Liang City."

"The Li Liang City Scholars’ Association Hall welcomes you! I must say, Brother Li Heng, the quality of this Wolf Bone Brush is truly excellent. I imagine your calligraphy must be just as superb!"

’Calligraphy my ass!’

Li Heng grumbled silently to himself. Since arriving in this world, he had held a brush less and less with each passing school year. After high school, he’d barely picked one up at all.

Let alone making a special effort to study something like calligraphy.

"Everyone here is surely a master of calligraphy, so I won’t embarrass myself by trying. I am, however, still a stranger to Li Liang City and was hoping to learn a thing or two about it."

Li Heng adopted a very humble attitude, and his words were exceptionally polite.

Ever since Li Heng had produced the Wolf Bone Brush, the attitude of the surrounding scholars toward him had changed. They had all become a little more "friendly."

After all, if nothing else, this single Wolf Bone Brush was enough to prove that Li Heng was a scholar who loved calligraphy—or, at the very least, a wealthy one.

How could anyone dislike a person who shared their interests, was kind and courteous, and on top of all that, was rich? And it seemed he was very rich!

Li Heng wanted to ask about Li Liang City and its surroundings, but all the scholars, including the manager, were far too interested in his Wolf Bone Brush.

They couldn’t go more than a few sentences without bringing up the Wolf Bone Brush. Seeing this, Li Heng could only offer a helpless smile and start mentally organizing the information he’d gathered so far.

"Brother Li Heng, I won’t hide this from you! Because of issues with the barbarian tribes, the production of Wolf Bone Brushes in the Southern Territory has been declining year after year for the last thirty years. Seeing one now, I have an unbearable urge to try it. I wonder, Brother Li Heng, would you be willing to lend me this brush, just to write a little something?"

Just as Li Heng was sorting through the information he’d heard, Zhou Hua, the man who had first rushed over, approached him. He looked apprehensive as he asked Li Heng in a low, humble voice.

"Oh, you, Zhou Hua! Cut the act. Everyone knows you took on a commission to write the Demonic Sound Heart Sutra for a Mountain Lord from Demon Sect Mountain. Your copy of the Demonic Sound Heart Sutra just needs a final touch of ferocity to be complete! But a treasure like a Wolf Bone Brush... how can you ask to borrow it so casually?!"

Before Li Heng could answer, one of the scholars beside Zhou Hua cut in. He started by chiding Zhou Hua, but in doing so, he directly labeled Li Heng’s Wolf Bone Brush a "treasure."

When Li Heng first heard this, he thought the man had a grudge against Zhou Hua and was trying to stop him. However, after Zhou Hua spoke next, he suddenly understood: that man had actually been helping Zhou Hua make his case in a roundabout way.

"Mr. Li Heng! Since you possess a Wolf Bone Brush, I’m sure you have no shortage of fine ink and artworks, so I won’t embarrass myself by offering any. If you find this acceptable, sir, I am willing to trade this for the chance to use the Wolf Bone Brush for just one day!"

Li Heng watched as Zhou Hua fumbled in his robes and produced a carved, gold-inlaid invitation. Embroidered on it in gold thread were the two words "Hundred Flowers."

Before Li Heng could even think or ask a question, the sound of a system notification rang in his ears.

[Ding! You have triggered the "Li Liang Hundred Flowers Assembly" quest.]

[Quest Requirement: Lend the Wolf Bone Brush to Zhou Hua for one day!]

[Quest Reward: Admission to the Hundred Flowers Assembly at Li Liang City’s Snow Feather Tower.]