Chapter 0008: The Marquis of Wu'an's Residence and Humiliation

Lin Zeyi, pretending to search for a book, walked past the shelves one by one, taking half an hour to finish the first level, and then hurried down to the second level. The number of books on the second level was much less than that on the first level, and the types were relatively uniform, all being martial arts books

Fortunately, this awkwardness did not last long, as the next words were nothing but humiliation, with everyone chiming in, all offering disgraceful remarks

It was still Gongsun Yue who could no longer bear it, shouting loudly, "Enough! He is just a child!" This made those people stop their words. At that moment, a little girl came over and tugged at Lin Ze's clothes, then disdainfully said, "What kind of clothes are you wearing? Even the rags from Qiner's house are better than this. Hmm, and it has a strange smell. You wouldn't be someone who doesn't know how to take a bath, would you?" Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter.

Fortunately, thanks to the instructions of that middle-aged lady, outsiders, apart from the guards, had no qualification to enter. If one wished to copy a book, they had to apply first, after which the guards would bring it over, preventing those with good memories or ill intentions from stealing the secret methods. Lin Ze made a decision: he would not hold a grudge against the middle-aged lady.

However, the residence of the Marquis of Wu'an truly lives up to its reputation as one of the top five families in the empire, with a heritage and collection that far exceed Lin Ze's imagination. I really wish I could empty the third floor as well

Although the residence of the Marquis of Wu is also located in Dongcheng District like the Lin residence, the former is adjacent to the imperial city and is situated in the most central area, while the latter is located at the outer boundary of Dongcheng. The carriage traveled at a relatively swift pace along the way and finally arrived at the residence of the Marquis of Wu after half an hour.

When Lin Ze entered the Lin residence, he was already filled with emotion. Now that he has entered the residence of the Duke of Wu'an, he couldn't help but cough, feeling a sense reminiscent of visiting the Forbidden City in his past life, and secretly despised the feudal societal atmosphere.

Lin Zexing expressed his gratitude with a bow and then entered alone. The first thing that caught his eye was an endless array of bookshelves, filled with a diverse collection of books, including works from various schools of thought, martial arts literature, and numerous biographies and legends. It was as if Lin Ze had stepped into a library from a future era.

Following Gongsun Yue into the main hall, a group of young people approached, accompanied by several children. Upon seeing Gongsun Yue, they joyfully greeted her with "Sister Yue'er," "Cousin Yue'er," and "Aunt Yue'er," calling out incessantly. It goes without saying that they are certainly descendants of the Wu'an Jun family.

The servant who guided him brought him to the entrance of the underground level, where he presented the token given by the middle-aged woman to a man who appeared to be the leader among the guards and exchanged a few words with him

For those who are countless times stronger than oneself, language is merely the most feeble weapon, only provoking laughter; yet inwardly, one is secretly determined: Xiao Jin, if you do not perform well this time, you might as well hang yourself on the southeast branch.

Lin Ze, upon hearing this, was filled with anger, thinking to himself that it was the other person who was the wild child, dressed like a fairy. However, the rationality of adulthood reminded him that it was not the right time to speak, so he could only curse silently.

"Qin'er, do not act recklessly," Gongsun Yue was already furious, her face flushed. Lin Ze was still her stepson in name, and these people should not go too far in their words and actions. At that moment, a middle-aged woman approached, and Gongsun Yue quickly bowed, saying, "I have seen Mother," and then complained, "Mother, look at what they have become. Lin Ze is still just a child, and you do not manage them..."

"Isn't that the wild child from the countryside, come to take advantage of the harvest?" "Could it be that a wild seed has come here under false pretenses?" "Why did Aunt Yue bring him here?" "I guess he shamelessly begged Aunt to bring him along." "A wild chicken also wants to climb up to the phoenix's family to become relatives, how naive of him." The conversation became increasingly absurd.

Although the more information Lin Ze obtained, the heavier his heart became, Gongsun Yue could only provide him with resources that were mostly ordinary with a few good items mixed in. Although she was a noble lady of the Marquis of Wu'an's residence, she had already married outside the family. Moreover, the support she received was mostly used for Lin's father and her own cultivation. At present, investing in Lin's father was undoubtedly the most profitable investment for both the Lin family and the Marquis of Wu'an's residence in the future

He then followed the servant arranged by the middle-aged woman, walking towards the library. For some unknown reason, news of his arrival spread rapidly throughout most of the Wu An Jun's residence, and along the way, people pointed and whispered about him.

The guard leader glanced at the token, then looked at Lin Ze's thin and frail body, and said in a hoarse voice: "Since the Third Madam has given instructions, he may freely inspect the first and second floors. Come, let this young friend in. According to the instructions, he may browse at will and ultimately select three books to copy and take away"

The striking young girl drew everyone's attention to Lin Ze with a single sentence, causing Lin Ze to roll his eyes, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, as if he had suddenly been called upon by the teacher to answer a question during his school days, feeling constrained and awkward, which made Lin Ze curse inwardly once again.

However, life did not allow Lin Ze to feel melancholy for too long, as Gongsun Yue burst in energetically, pulling Lin Ze along and saying, "Weren't we supposed to go to the residence of the Lord of Wu'an to see the collection of books? Come with me now, and my grandmother will show you around" Lin Ze gave a wry smile to Grandpa Lian and then followed her.

Shocked by the past, Lin Ze quickly got down to business and asked Xiao Jin in his mind: "What should I do, how long will the scan take?" Xiao Jin indicated that as long as he was within one meter of the book, Xiao Jin could emit electromagnetic waves to perform the scan, and then go through everything at a normal speed; this time would be sufficient for Xiao Jin to complete the scan.

Lin Ze, however, had no such awareness and had already labeled Xiao Jin as a waste in his heart, firmly believing that the fault lay with him. Yesterday, upon seeing Wang Ben and Meng Tian, Lin Ze thought that his cheap father was quite adept at managing relationships. However, it now seems that it may not have been Lin's father who facilitated this; after all, the Marquis of Wucheng and the Marquis of Zhongxin are not fools. The significance of a fifth-rank official at the age of 26 is entirely different from that of a fifth-rank official from a humble background at the same age. Moreover, the weight of the National Master Xu Fu's remark "A grandmaster is to be expected" is heavier than one might imagine.

Of course, it is mainly due to the formidable power of others. The second layer was quickly copied by Xiao Jin as well. Naturally, since he was here, he could not just take a stroll and leave. Lin Ze, holding the book "True Explanation of the Dragon Tortoise," was slowly transcribing it. It was not until the pale-faced Gongsun Yue came over to take him away from the residence of the Marquis of Wu'an.

As he left, Lin Ze recalled the humiliation he had previously endured, which diminished even the joy of stealing the book. He turned back and fixed his gaze on the gate of the Wu Anjun residence, silently vowing: One day, I will make you beg me to enter through that gate

Lin Ze took the opportunity to inquire about the "Hammering Medicine Bath Method." He saw Grandpa Lian stroke his beard and smile, saying: "This is a commonly used initial training method. Your parents must have already started preparing it for you. However, since you have just entered the martial arts, it is still too early to do this. You should at least wait until you have passed the initial rapid advancement phase before using this method."

There is no doubt about this. As a university student in later generations, Lin Ze is not a fool, so he must rely on himself. The question is, how to earn resources? By doing business? Let's not joke around; as a five-year-old child, who would do business with you? Even if a deal were made, it would probably have nothing to do with him in the end, which is quite disheartening

The next day, early in the morning, Lin Ze saw off his father Lin as he went to work, and then practiced martial arts in the small courtyard with Grandpa Lian.

As for why he did not leave in anger, Lin Ze is not a fool. He has already been publicly humiliated and has closed off any future opportunities. If he does not take the chance to copy the collection this time, there will be no opportunity next time.

Lin Ze remained silent and did not utter any grandiose statements like "Today you treat me with indifference, tomorrow I will make you unattainable"

Lin Ze quickly agreed, but inwardly he cursed Xiao Jin, realizing it was indeed a trap. It turned out there were so many good methods. Xiao Jin expressed his grievance, saying, "Is it my fault that you are incapable of obtaining information about martial arts?"

As a disciple of the official class, in addition to medicinal baths, you can also invite mid-tier martial artists with similar attributes to use their true energy to alleviate the subtle internal injuries within you, which is something that medicinal baths find difficult to achieve. As for better natural treasures for body tempering, it depends on whether you have that kind of luck

At the entrance, a luxurious carriage was already parked, drawn by four purebred horses in red, yellow, black, and white. Lin Ze couldn't help but secretly sigh, "The city knows how to enjoy life." Following Gongsun Yue, he boarded the carriage and found that compared to the one he had taken to Chang'an before, one could liken it to a thatched cottage while the other resembled a luxurious palace. The overall space was about 10 square meters. Aside from the entrance, there were unknown fur-covered seats on three sides, and a tea table was placed in the center. Since it was currently autumn and winter, a stove was brewing tea on the table, accompanied by various snacks and fruits, along with a bookshelf and other furnishings.

Gongsun Yue is not yet qualified to have the gatekeeper open the main gate for her. In fact, there are no more than 20 empires that are qualified to enter through the main gate. As for those outside the empires, it is estimated that no one is qualified. Therefore, under the guidance of the gatekeeper, she entered the residence through the side door.

Most of the techniques are above the Earth rank, with only a small number at the Profound rank, which are likely to be quite powerful and unique among the Profound techniques. The Celestial rank techniques are relatively scarce, with just over one hundred volumes. Among them is the "True Explanation of the Dragon Turtle," which Lin Ze had previously studied, ranking as the highest in the second tier. This is only the second level of the library; there are even better and more precious works on the third level.

Gongsun Yue instinctively lay down in the middle as soon as she arrived, picked up a piece of pastry, and put it in her mouth, while gesturing to Lin Ze: "Feel free to do as you like, take whatever you want to eat." Lin Ze responded briefly and quietly sat beside her. At this moment, the four accompanying maidservants were attending to Gongsun Yue: one was massaging her shoulders, another was kneading her legs, a third was feeding her some fruit, and the fourth was responsible for brewing tea, also handing Lin Ze a cup.

"Come here, take this young master Lin to the library. Yue'er, you come back with me, and the rest of you may disperse," the middle-aged woman commanded a servant to lead Lin Ze away, while she pulled the still unconvinced Gongsun Yue along. During this time, she did not cast a glance at Lin Ze, and naturally did not notice the cold light in his eyes. Even if she had noticed, it would not have mattered to her; after all, a dragon has never cared for the thoughts of ants.

Lin Ze's expression grew darker, reminding him of unpleasant memories, just like the year he was admitted to university when his mother took him to borrow money from relatives and friends for his studies, and those relatives and friends were also extremely mocking.

This also expresses admiration for Lin's father: "Therefore, it is generally easier for the offspring of wealthy families to attain mid-level status or even higher achievements, while the children of humble origins may find it difficult to achieve such success even after several generations of accumulation. Your father was able to break through to the fifth rank at such a young age, and describing him as exceptionally talented is indeed most appropriate. As your father's son, you must also strive diligently. It is said that your talent is average, so you need to practice even harder."

The middle-aged woman interrupted Gongsun Yue's words, glanced at the silent Lin Ze beside her, and said, "Yue'er, your brother, sister, younger siblings, and nephews and nieces did not say anything wrong. The residence of Lord Wu'an is indeed not a place that just anyone can enter. Be more careful next time"

One of the elegantly dressed young ladies glanced at Lin Ze, who was behind Gongsun Yue, and could not help but speak, "Is this the wild child? How did sister Yue bring him here? The residence of Lord Wu'an is not a place where just anyone can enter, is it?"

Lin Ze stared at her intently, calm and indifferent, silently fixated on her, causing the little girl to feel frightened and retreat a few steps involuntarily, ultimately unable to bear it and burst into tears, "He is bullying me." This further incited the crowd's anger, "Drive him out!" "Expel him, he is not allowed to set foot in the residence of the Marquis of Wu'an again."

"Mother, after all, he is Lin Dong's son," Gongsun Yue wanted to argue further, but was stopped by the middle-aged woman. "His father is his father, and he is he. Moreover, a tiger father does not produce a dog son. His father is exceptionally talented, while he is of average ability. His father dares to tell your father not to underestimate the youth in poverty, but he can only remain silent. Furthermore, the Marquis of Wu'an values his father's achievements, but has no obligation to a nameless illegitimate son like him. The Marquis of Wu'an does not need to accommodate someone who has not even reached the level of a grandmaster. Alright, I understand your intention in bringing him here; it is to enter the library, right? This time, for your sake, I will make an exception and allow him to enter once. Let him choose one book inside. No, give him three books, so he can copy them and take them away. Before dark, you should take him out of the residence, and do not bring him here again in the future"

The library of the Duke of Wu'an is not an attic above ground, but rather an underground library consisting of three levels below ground. At the entrance, there are dozens of guards, each possessing an extraordinary demeanor, giving Lin Ze the impression that they are no less impressive than Wu Bocha. This means that the Duke of Wu'an has dozens of guards of mid-grade status just to protect a library. Given such a profound background of a noble family, it is quite normal for Lin Ze to be looked down upon.

Suddenly, Lin Ze felt a sense of grandeur. The entrance, measuring 8 meters in height and 12 meters in width, was adorned with a plaque inscribed with the four golden characters "Wuan Junfu." Beside it, there was a side door that was 5 meters wide and 3 meters high.