Section 9, Heritage

Then Jon is truly going to be in a predicament

Only three more gold coins are needed to gather enough for the tuition of the wizarding school, and this year, Jon is nine years old, with one year remaining until he turns ten

Oh

It has been two years since I became a disciple of Tian Boguang, but in Qiong'en's heart, he has not truly regarded this master with much importance. Perhaps it is because the moment he thinks of him as the "unforgivable" Tian Boguang, it becomes quite difficult to feel any respect.

Living this life is simply a tragic joke

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"Then, what is my fate?" Jon pondered deeply within himself

Jon absolutely did not wish to use the sedative to make Sansa fall asleep every night. If, after three or five years, he were to discover that Sansa had become senile as a result, it would be too late for regrets. Such a dangerous thing must never be done.

"By the way, sister," Jon found an opportunity to casually say, "Did you know that the mute old man next door used to be a wizard?"

As for what exactly "loss of magical ability" refers to

He had no children and few friends; even if he did, over the past decade he had lived in silence and had long severed ties. In accordance with his wishes, Qiong En buried him alongside the bald dog, Lao Huang, in a location next to his parents' grave. In the City of Lost Souls, the houses of commoners are owned by the government, and the citizens only possess an unlimited right of use. If they have descendants, they can naturally continue to reside there; now that Tian Boguang has passed away and he has no direct relatives, the house has been reclaimed by the government and soon another family was assigned to move in. In the City of Lost Souls, the houses of commoners are owned by the government, and the citizens only possess an unlimited right of use. If they have descendants, they can naturally continue to reside there; now that Tian Boguang has passed away and he has no direct relatives, the house has been reclaimed by the government and soon another family was assigned to move in

Old Huang's hairless dog, which he raised, passed away last year with its legs kicked up and eyes closed

Well, he said it himself... Oh, no, he wrote it down for me to see. He claimed that he was a wizard when he was young, but later he was injured in battle and could no longer be a wizard, so he returned home to live out his old age

What?

Certainly, to ensure that Shanjia falls into a deep sleep, there are methods beyond just acupressure. One crucial skill imparted by Tian Boguang to Qiong'en among the repertoire of skills for a lecherous thief is the preparation of aphrodisiacs. Aphrodisiacs is a broad term, not limited to merely stimulating sexual desire, but also includes substances like soul-binding incense, which can be considered a more advanced version of a soporific. Just a couple of inhalations will induce immediate and profound sleep, and the effects are such that even if the sky were to fall or the earth were to crack, one would not awaken.

"What use is it for me to keep it? Naturally, it is for you," he said. "After all, we have been master and disciple for a while; before I leave, I must leave something for my disciple."

One by one, the spellcasting materials were handed over from the counter, and one by one, silver and copper coins were received in exchange, converted into gold coins and placed in the cabinet. Finally, in the year 1368 DR, which was the year Jon turned ten, during the Green Grass Festival (a holiday between April and May), he successfully donned the black wizard robe and became a first-year student at the Necropolis Wizarding School.

He said that I have a great talent for being a wizard, and he wants to take me as his apprentice, allowing me to go to his house every night to learn magic

Tian Boguang passed away four days later

In any case, Shanjia would never go to the military to verify the facts, so Qiong'en just spoke carelessly, managing to gloss over the matter, and quickly changed the subject

Perhaps this is what is called fate

However, I seem to remember that my father once said he suddenly became mute after falling while walking in the year we were born, not because of the war.

The story is indeed poorly crafted, yet it is not entirely devoid of relevance. Every aspect of Yinhun City, from politics to economics to military to culture, is unified by the concept of "elitism." The population of Yinhun City is merely over 20,000, with 3,000 of them being soldiers. These 3,000 soldiers, including wizards, priests, and warriors, are all battle-hardened elites, exceptional in their own right; any one of them is not to be underestimated.

In the past two years, Qiong En has been learning skills under Tian Bo Guang. Although this cannot be considered a nefarious act, it certainly cannot be made public in a straightforward manner, as it involves issues regarding the identities and backgrounds of the two individuals, which must be kept secret from everyone else.

The physical development of girls occurs earlier than that of boys. From the age of 7 to 10, Jon's body has not undergone significant changes, while Shanja has already shown some obvious signs of development. She was originally about the same height as Jon, but now she is half a head taller. Her flat chest has begun to swell, her hips have become fuller, and her waist appears increasingly slender, delicate enough to be grasped with one hand. On occasions when she wears the white dress left by her mother and lets her long black hair flow freely, she stands gracefully, already possessing a hint of femininity, no longer that child with a naive face.

In summary, the days just slip by one after another

Master

The customs in the City of Shadows are somewhat peculiar, marking the age of thirteen as the initial coming of age and eighteen as the formal coming of age. Thus, a person experiences two "adulthoods" in their lifetime. It is said that this tradition is a remnant from the Nacer era, which leaves Jon feeling quite bewildered.

Not having inexplicably possessed the body of a seventy-year-old man in my twenties, but rather starting from infancy and living from the beginning, is equivalent to having gained an additional twenty years of life

He did not suddenly go from being a martial arts master to a useless person, nor did he lose the basic ability to pursue happiness as a debauchee, but could only muddle through, waiting for death. After a long time, he finally encountered a fellow townsman in this foreign land, hurriedly imparting all his knowledge to him, and then he was about to breathe his last.

"Can you give me that?" Jon asked the old man, barely suppressing his excitement

After much contemplation, I found no good solutions, so I can only ramble on aimlessly.

The money that Tian Boguang left to Qiong En was the entirety of the savings accumulated by him—more precisely, by his predecessor in this body—and by his ancestors for generations. It was not a large sum, precisely fifty gold coins. Together with the little money that Qiong En and Shanjia had saved over the past three years, there were now one hundred ninety-seven gold coins in that cabinet at home

Shan Jia has grown up... When can she sneak a taste? Jon thought to himself, hmm, ten years old is still a bit young, let's hold off for a few more years. In his previous life, anyone under fourteen was considered a minor, and daring to push them down was against the law. Although there are no such laws in Yin Hun City now, ten years old is still a bit too young.

"I can't go on any longer," he lamented. "My body knows best; it won't be long now... Kid, bury me alongside Old Huang. In the future, during festivals and holidays, remember to burn some paper for me."

Then, in case Shanjia nodded slightly, "Hmm, actually I also came from another time..."

This number is absolutely precise, as Shanjia counts it once every week

Jon used this as an excuse, saying that the mute old man next door had once been a wizard, serving in the army. Later, he was severely injured in battle and lost his ability to cast spells, thus being sent back home.

Sister, did you not see that he has already become mute? A wizard who has become mute cannot recite any spells; how could the army still want him

As for the professional skills of those lewd thieves, as well as the so-called ultimate technique, the Jade Collection Method, none of them have undergone any practical verification. Jon does not wish to take this risk, especially with the prospect of entering the wizarding school on the horizon; after all, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future

Perhaps they will be locked in a zoo, with each person paying a silver coin for admission and a picture book

He imparted sword techniques and internal skills, although due to Jon's poor aptitude, it took him two years to barely grasp the basics; he taught Jon the Jade Picking Technique, although this was a completely useless dragon-slaying art; he also taught Jon a complete set of professional skills for a rogue, although so far it has all been mere talk, with not a shred of practice.

But what else could Jon complain about? Compared to Tian Boguang, he was indeed fortunate beyond measure.

Perhaps they will be captured by the high-ranking individuals of Yinhun City and taken to the laboratory to be used as test subjects for research

***

Every year, the wizarding school and the priestly temple supply new graduates to the military, and similarly, every year, soldiers either die in battle or retire

But hasn't he already become mute, losing his ability to cast spells...

If they were to return to sleeping in separate beds, it would likely be more conducive to keeping secrets; however, Jon is reluctant to give up the sweet tenderness of holding his sister close.

In summary, this matter was concealed. With the excuse of "learning magic," Shanja naturally did not mind the close relationship between Jon and the old man. Even later, when she saw Jon return from the old man's house with a bag of gold coins, Shanja still said nothing, as if everything were taken for granted. This left Jon feeling somewhat puzzled yet greatly relieved at the same time

Qiong En knows that if Tian Bo Guang had not crossed over, his fate would not have been much better. According to the records of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer," he would be beaten as a supporting character to the protagonist Ling Hu Chong, be castrated by a ruthless bald monk, and be forced to live as both a monk and a eunuch. Such a life would likely be unbearable for Tian Bo Guang.

Yet, Qiong'en has been proven to be a martial arts failure. Otherwise, not to mention anything else, as long as he mastered the acupoint striking technique, he could simply tap on Shanjia's sleep acupoint before going out each night, ensuring she would sleep soundly until dawn without any issues. Now, his internal energy is too weak, and naturally, he does not dare to strike Shanjia's acupoints recklessly; a careless move could easily result in a lifelong disability.

The old man smiled and raised his hand to stop Jon from continuing.

Forget it, these are all such chaotic thoughts. In any case, this matter is a secret and must not be disclosed to anyone. Not even my sister, Shanjia, can be informed.

Is that so? Shan Jia was indeed very surprised

Is it destined that his life can only be a tragedy, ending in such a dismal manner

Money, so much money, gleaming golden money

"Let's talk about it when we reach adulthood? It should be about time," Jon contemplated

The only result of three years of hard practice and *illustrated* books is that he no longer needs much sleep. Generally speaking, an ordinary person needs to sleep for seven to eight hours a day to ensure they are energetic. However, Qiong En only requires two hours of meditation and breathing exercises to feel lively and energetic throughout the day. In any case, this can be considered a skill, providing some comfort to himself

Although the sky is dark today and a cold wind is blowing, indicating that it is about to rain—of course, it never rains in the city of Yinhun—seeing so much money in front of him, Qiong En suddenly felt that today was a bright and cloudless day, the best weather he had seen in the ten years since his crossing. Even the lecherous old man in front of him now seemed much more endearing.

Jon still lingered on his sister's bed every night, secretly removing her nightgown after Shanja had fallen asleep, admiring her flawless white body, and then falling asleep while holding her. It seemed he was enamored with the warmth of their embrace in the cold night. Although Shanja woke up every morning to find herself naked, she never got angry about it; at most, she would scold him a little, and that would be the end of it.

In order to ensure combat effectiveness and maintain the operation of the city, Yinhun City frequently engages in battles against the monsters from the Shadow Realm, dispatching troops almost every year to pillage and destroy. The monsters in the Shadow Realm are diverse and peculiar, including some species that are somewhat intelligent and resemble humans. These are captured and enslaved, confined to various workshops to work; others are captured and trained as mounts or assistants, such as the Shadow Horses commonly equipped in the army or the Shadow Sea Serpents used by special units. As for those useless monsters that cannot be enslaved for labor or used as mounts, they are to be killed without exception.

Is that so? Perhaps he had already damaged his voice before; that time it completely worsened, leaving him utterly mute

But speaking of which, he really takes good care of himself

After the death of Tian Boguang, life seemed to return to what it was two years ago. The peaceful days passed one by one, and the siblings managed their small shop in an orderly manner, still selling those magical materials. If nothing unexpected happened, they should be able to save enough money. During his free time, Qiong En practiced the internal martial arts techniques taught by Tian Boguang, but unfortunately, he was indeed a martial arts failure; no matter how he practiced, there was no effect. By the time he turned ten, he had already practiced internal martial arts for three full years, yet he still could not break even a small tree with a single palm strike, something that even the mildly intellectually challenged Guo Jing could accomplish.

It seems that a hint of dawn is gradually transforming into the morning light of daybreak

***

"Well, I don't expect to learn much from m.hetushu.com, but there are always some experiences I can share," Jon said. "By the way, sister, this matter must be kept confidential."

What pleased Jon the most was that Sansa never inquired about his progress in "learning magic," nor did she ever ask him to demonstrate his skills. Otherwise, Jon would have truly struggled to fabricate a lie. He certainly could not tell her the truth: "Actually, I came from another world, and that old man next door also came from another world. Every night, I am not learning magic, but rather how to be a lecherous thief"

The underworld, I wonder if there is a King Yama here

Qiong has learned this quite quickly, and the materials are not difficult to gather, nor is the production process complicated. In fact, he has already secretly hidden a few bottles at home, but he still does not dare to use them. Substances like narcotics ultimately harm the body; using them once or twice may be tolerable, but prolonged use will certainly damage one's nerves. Even sleeping pills are not good for the body when taken over a long period, let alone this more potent narcotic.

Otherwise, once the information is leaked, it is impossible to predict the extent of the trouble that may arise. If all the inhabitants of Yinhun City become aware that Qiong En and Tian Boguang have crossed over from another world, the consequences would far exceed Qiong En's capacity for imagination

"Where are you going?" Qiong'en was taken aback.

It is easy to say, but difficult to implement. Jon must gather materials and run the shop with Shanja during the day to earn money, and at night, he has to wait until his sister is sound asleep before sneaking out to practice sword techniques and internal skills at Tian Boguang's house, resulting in severe sleep deprivation. Although it is only natural to work hard now for a future filled with glory and to realize the dream of standing out, the daily grind is arduous, and the bigger issue is how not to be discovered by Shanja, who shares the same bed. Naturally, Jon always waits until Shanja is deeply asleep before leaving, but if the little girl suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Jon missing, she will undoubtedly search for him, which would lead to trouble.

Alas, every time I think of this, my heart cannot bear it

Year after year of warfare inevitably leads to losses and casualties. Although Yinhun City possesses great strength, the monsters in the Shadow Realm are formidable and include some ruthless characters. If a soldier dies in battle, it is, of course, the end; if they are disabled and lose their combat capability, they will be discharged from the military and sent home to live out their days.

The old man smiled, and the wrinkles on his face stretched open.

Jon was rendered speechless.

Alright, sister, let's not worry about how he became mute for now; I have some good news