Chapter 001: The Joy of Wandering

From the window, I saw a very handsome young man, elegantly poised, walking towards the thatched cottage. From a distance, he began to bow and greet: "I am Huangfu Ming, having heard the esteemed teacher recite daily, with eloquent words. I wish to study under your guidance, and I hope you will grant me this request!"

He is not a person from this world, but hails from another world that is extremely advanced in terms of material development. Not to mention that he has never seen such a shabby hut, even the dark and unappetizing breakfast before him is something he would never have glanced at before, and he would probably not even feed it to a dog!

His house is not far away, consisting of a dilapidated tile-roofed house and two even more run-down thatched cottages. However, one of the thatched cottages houses a cow, which produces an unpleasant odor, so he built another thatched hut under a nearby willow tree to have a quiet place to read and study

He waved his hand and said, "Young master, please rise, I shall accept you as my disciple!"

I want to go back and inform my parents about the esteemed residence, where is your home located

Upon returning home, Fu's mother, who was feeding the chickens, immediately asked, "Da Lang, it is still early in the morning, why have you come back home instead of studying? Why are you carrying so many things?"

I will return now and have the servants tidy up the room for you. We will be waiting for your esteemed presence early tomorrow!" Huangfu Ming left in high spirits. Fu was in a daze for a while, then he smiled wryly; he had even found a job, it seemed he was becoming more and more integrated into this world

However, he could only continue to smile bitterly, let alone the fact that his ambitions did not lie here. Even if he had the intention to pursue the imperial examination, this world, although extremely similar to his ancient world, also has significant differences. At the very least, the manifestation of Daoist principles in the world means that Confucian scholarship would not be the sole mainstream for selecting officials in the court

Fu Shuo hesitated for a moment, but ultimately succumbed in the face of such a large sum of money. He came from a world of immense material abundance; even if he was not particularly interested in material desires, enduring such plain and simple meals for an extended period was unbearable for him. It is worth noting that his breakfast consisted of a coarse grain cake mixed with chaff! How could he possibly eat that? Moreover, the common people in this world have only two meals a day. It is worth noting that his breakfast consisted of a coarse grain cake mixed with chaff! How could he possibly eat that? Furthermore, the common people in this world have only two meals a day.

Fu Shuo let out a sound of "oh," feeling puzzled. Wasn't this new disciple of his surnamed Huangfu? How did he end up living with the Dan family? Perhaps he was a relative of the Dans? Fu Shuo was also familiar with that residence; it was one of the largest mansions in the area, exuding the charm of a Jiangnan garden. He had once passed by and admired it from the outside for quite a while.

Moreover, this fifty taels of silver, in the context of novels where amounts are often mentioned in the tens of thousands or even millions of taels, naturally seems insignificant. However, this sum of money should not be considered small; it is sufficient to support the Fu family for four to five years.

Such conversations, if they had occurred in the past, would have made Fu Shuo feel quite awkward; however, he has long since become accustomed to them. "Da Lang" is a term used to refer to the eldest among several brothers. Before Fu Shuo, there was another brother who unfortunately did not survive infancy, which is why Fu Shuo is still called Da Lang. If he had not pursued his studies, outsiders would certainly refer to him as Wu Da Lang, not Wu Da Lang!

In the North Sea, there is a fish, known as Kun. The size of Kun is unknown, but it is said to be several thousand li long. It transforms into a bird, called Peng. The wingspan of Peng is also unknown, but it is said to be several thousand li wide. When it flies in anger, its wings resemble clouds hanging in the sky. This bird, when the sea currents change, will migrate to the South Sea. The South Sea is the Heavenly Pool.

Fu was reading aloud sentences from "Xiaoyao You" in a clear voice, the sound echoing from the dilapidated thatched cottage. The cottage was very old, yet on such a fine morning, sunlight streamed through the window, and one could even see countless specks of dust dancing in the air, further highlighting the utter poverty within the cottage.

Fu did not obstruct, as this is a rule that is universally accepted in both worlds, known as "Shu Xiu." It refers to the gift presented by students to their teachers upon their first meeting, essentially serving as tuition. According to the oldest customs, it was merely ten strips of dried meat. However, this young master Huangfu has indeed given quite a lot, including a piece of fine Songjiang cotton cloth, various dried goods, and most importantly, a substantial amount of silver, at least fifty taels.

Fu hesitated for a moment before agreeing. The generous remuneration offered was certainly not for merely attending classes, especially since he had not opened a school. As for what to teach, that could be decided later. His own knowledge was limited, and the scholarly knowledge of the scholar whose soul he had inherited was not particularly impressive; he did not possess much knowledge of this world's academia

"Wonderful, truly wonderful!" A voice from outside applauded enthusiastically. Fu said with a slight smile; ever since a young gentleman had passed by his thatched hut a few days ago while riding and hunting in the early morning, he had come every morning to listen to Fu read. However, he had never made a sound to disturb him, so it was unclear why he did so today

Fu Shuo, upon hearing a faint smile, was not reading the books of this world. Instead, he was immersed in the renowned "Nanhua (Zhuangzi)" from his own world, particularly the opening chapter, "Xiaoyao You," which is the most magnificent and profound piece of writing. Every day, confined within this dilapidated thatched cottage, Fu Shuo recited "Zhuangzi: Xiaoyao You," experiencing a sense of casting aside the honors and disgraces of his surroundings. Otherwise, he truly would not know how to get through the days.

Even someone like Fu Shuo, who has lived two lives, was secretly astonished by such a grand undertaking. Not to mention anything else, just the cotton fabric from Songjiang, which has only been popular for a mere one or two hundred years, is comfortable and warm to wear, and now its price is even higher than that of silk and satin.

This is not a particularly large city, but the concept of an ancient city is vastly different from that of today. There is absolutely no notion of land being extremely valuable; even in areas of the city that are not bustling, there are still sparsely populated regions with ample space available for building houses

Fu Shuo traversed into the body of another's son, occupying the flesh of another, and naturally must bear the responsibilities that come with this body. At the very least, he must ensure that his parents are laid to rest peacefully before he can seek immortality and the path of enlightenment for himself. However, his parents only hope that he can endure ten years of hard study, achieve success in the imperial examination, and become renowned throughout the world.

He forced a smile, believing himself to be an outlier in a world overflowing with material desires, pursuing what others deemed nonsensical and superstitious doctrines. Yet, in an unexpected turn of events, he found himself in a world filled with gods, demons, and monsters. However, he was merely a destitute scholar struggling to make ends meet, with elderly parents to care for.

***

Young Master Huangfu was greatly pleased and hurriedly prepared another grand gesture of courtesy. After observing all the formalities, he said: "Sir, how about coming to my residence to serve as a mentor? This way, I can seek your guidance day and night. I will have these items delivered to your home; what do you think?"

Speaking of this ancient city, it is almost like a vast rural area, with roads made of compacted yellow earth. This is naturally both cost-effective and practical, as transportation in this world primarily relies on animal power, and stone-paved roads are most detrimental to horse hooves

Young Master Huangfu readily agreed to Fu's proposal without even inquiring about his family's situation at the outset, which brought him great joy. He quickly said: "It is the residence of the Dan family, located a hundred steps west of Putuo Temple"

Huangfu Ming did not wait for Fu to agree; with a wave of his hand, several young servants in blue followed him and placed various gifts inside the thatched hut