Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

"Sir, I am about to go to Taiping County, and I have never been inside the county town, so I am not very familiar with it. I've heard from others that you, sir, have lived in the county town for many years and know its customs like the back of your hand."

"Thus, I would like to ask you to accompany me to the county town and offer me some guidance."

Shen Qing stood in front of Zhang Shuyuan, speaking with utmost humility.

Zhang Shuyuan, while reading a book, replied indifferently, "I don't want to go. It's so cold, freezing cold, and I've always been in poor health, not able to withstand such troubles. Moreover, I haven't been to the county town for a long time..."

"I'll pay you," Shen Qing said, smiling and looking earnestly at Zhang Shuyuan.

Zhang Shuyuan thought to himself how such an enlightened child could be so worldly.

"It's not about money, mainly it's..."

"I'll give you one hundred wen, with a horse-drawn cart for transportation."

Zhang Shuyuan set down the book and sighed, "Alright, I'll go with you once, but..."

"Two hundred wen."

"When do we leave?"

"In half an hour," Shen Qing said.

"Then, I'll come to find you in half an hour," Zhang Shuyuan agreed.

"Thank you for your trouble, sir."

After Shen Qing left, Zhang Shuyuan heaved a long sigh.

He had heard about what happened in the village yesterday.

However, he wasn't surprised at all.

In the county town, factional strife often resulted in killings like this.

He had long since become accustomed to it.

So while facing Shen Qing, he felt calm enough to dare to ask for money.

"It's a disgrace to scholarly honor. But after all, earning money isn't shameful, and this old scholar also needs to eat," he said to himself.

...

After becoming a mountain driver, Zhang Baqing seemed to be full of energy and managed the tasks entrusted by Shen Qing to perfection.

With the assistance of Shen Family's Cousin, Shen Qing barely needed to intervene, as everything was almost taken care of.

Looking at the cart already piled up, Shen Qing couldn't help but sigh.

Indeed, when poor in a bustling place, no one asks about you; rich in the mountains, you have distant relatives come seeking.

He had come to see the cold reality of human relationships.

Back when he had nothing, borrowing even a bowl of rice from someone was difficult.

And now, he had only achieved mastery of the basic Martial Arts Skill, "Nine Skills," and not yet reached the Great Perfection of Qi-Blood, yet he was already treated like this.

He couldn't help but wonder how incredibly powerful the martial masters who had truly stepped onto the Martial Path in the county town were.

Shen Qing put aside his reflections, glanced at the sky, took a bow in his hands, and ran straight towards the back mountain.

He planned to retrieve the two bows and leather jackets belonging to brothers Chen Tai, taking them to sell in the town.

Now that the Chen family members were no longer around, these items could be taken out in broad daylight without anyone raising objections.

After all, they represented a source of income.

Following the memories of that day, Shen Qing found the place where they had been Concealed.

He brushed away the snow on top and took out the two bows and two leather jackets hidden underneath.

After examining them briefly and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Shen Qing packed them up and took them with him.

At that moment, from the vast mountains in the distance, there was a sudden flurry of birds taking flight.

A deep, beastly roar carried through the air, causing Shen Qing's heart to skip a beat.

He didn't dare to linger, moving swiftly and quickly down the mountain.

Only when he reached the outskirts of the forest did he finally slow down his pace and look back.

"If I didn't hear wrong just now, that should have been a tiger's roar," he thought to himself.

"Since when has there been such a predator nearby?" Shen Qing found it hard to believe.

...

At the entrance to the village.

A tired horse pulled a cart loaded with products from the mountains.

Shen Qing sat in the central position, with Shen Xiaohu and Zhang Shuyuan sitting on his left and right, respectively.

"Drive!"

Shen Qing gripped the reins and, with a flick of the whip, headed along the mountain path towards Taiping County.

Taiping County was about fifty to sixty li away from their Hongshan Village.

Riding in the "horse carriage" and with the weather being quite fair, they could reach their destination in just under an hour.

On the road, it was Shen Qing's first time driving a carriage, so he didn't dare to go too fast.

His face remained tense as he concentrated solely on the horses' behinds, deeply concerned they might suddenly lose control.

"The most important thing in driving a carriage is to make the horses feel your presence. Relax when you hold the reins, move them occasionally, and when using the whip, do it lightly to avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration, which could frighten the horses," the unusually neat Zhang Shuyuan said while sitting in Shen Qing's cart, dressed in a clean long shirt and chatting away.

"Also, don't worry. This is a sluggish horse; it's very docile," he added.

Shen Qing looked at Zhang Shuyuan with some surprise.

"You can drive too, Teacher?"

Zhang Shuyuan closed his eyes slightly and did not respond.

Knowing when to drop a subject, Shen Qing stopped asking and began to focus on driving, as Zhang Shuyuan had taught him.

After a moment, Shen Qing's heart stirred.

In his vision, a drop of ink fell from above, spreading out into a mist.

Lines of inked characters slowly emerged before Shen Qing's eyes.

[Skill: Driving Skill (Entry Level)]

[Progress: 4/100 points]

[Status: Unable to Improve]

[Note: The art of driving lies in practice makes perfect. Continuous practice can enhance your skill progress and mastery of driving essentials. In the future when driving, you'll be able to drive steadily and swiftly, effortlessly guiding the carriage as if by an extension of your arm, leaving others in the dust.]

Seeing the new notification in his vision, Shen Qing couldn't help but stare blankly.

He hadn't expected that simply taking a trip could lead to the development of a new skill.

One can never have too many skills.

Having nothing better to do anyway, Shen Qing began to focus on driving with all his might, striving to improve his driving skill.

Shicheng Mountain spanned a hundred li and was quite vast, but its scenery was rather ordinary.

Both sides of the mountain path were lined with low hills, devoid of any grandeur.

As Shen Qing and his two companions continued their journey, after half an hour, carriage wheel tracks began to appear more frequently on the mountain path.

Crossing each other, they turned the snow into water, making the path increasingly muddy.

However, after half an hour of practice, Shen Qing had already grasped the essentials of driving, and his driving skill had improved.

He held the reins tight, with an impassive face, guiding the small sluggish horse to choose the easier path.

The sluggish horse seemed to understand Shen Qing's intentions as it wiggled its behind cooperatively, earning a sideways glance of appreciation from Zhang Shuyuan.

Involuntarily, his evaluation of Shen Qing rose another notch.

Continuing for a while longer, they soon caught sight of the outline of Taiping County.

Shen Qing couldn't help but whip his hand, driving the sluggish horse to quicken its pace.

In no time, a city appeared before the trio.

As the largest surrounding city, Taiping County covered an extensive area, with its back to the mountains and water, enjoying an advantageous terrain.

Outside the city was a sturdy rammed earth wall, dividing Taiping County into the Outer City and the Inner City.

Inside the walls was the Inner City, housing the Martial Arts Halls, markets, and government office compounds, frequented by nobility.

Outside the walls was the Outer City, inhabited by all manner of commoners.

The scale of the Outer City was undoubtedly much larger than that of the Inner City, but it was relatively more rundown.

At a glance, one could see densely-packed shanties, filthy and chaotic.

There were beggars everywhere, along with all kinds of lowly households.

As soon as Shen Qing and his companions entered the Outer City, they were immediately surrounded by all sorts of people begging for food and even trying to rob the goods from their carriage.

Instantly, Shen Qing's face turned fierce, and he knocked down a dirty-handed individual with a punch. Because of Shen Qing's ruthlessness, the others stopped their harassment.

"Why does Taiping County look like this?" Shen Qing furrowed his brow.

Lifting his eyelids, Zhang Shuyuan said, "Otherwise, why do you think it's called Taiping County? It's named for what it lacks and desires."

Shen Qing was speechless.

"Let's go, we're entering the city."

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