Chapter 3: Ancient Scrolls of Paintings

The shaft of the scroll is a gray stone axis. The craftsmanship appears rather rough, with pits and uneven surfaces, and on the shaft, two ancient characters "仙府" are inscribed in a winding manner.

Ye Chen found it amusing

Manager Wang is quite satisfied with Ye Chen. Over the past ten days or so, Ye Chen has arrived early and left only after dark, working diligently and never slacking off.

Which idle person wrote this, running around dozens of countries surrounding the Kingdom of Wu, recording the trivial and interesting anecdotes encountered along the way... A certain ruler of a country lost a chicken, said to be a spirit chicken, and it is rumored that someone from a neighboring country stole it, leading to war between the two nations... In a certain place, well water gushed forth as sweet spring water, inciting brawls among the residents of several nearby large villages. This book purely documents a group of people who have nothing to do after having eaten their fill; otherwise, why would they go to war over a lost chicken or fight over a well's water? It is utterly absurd.

On this day, Ye Chen unearthed a dusty gray stone scroll from the depths of a pile of old books

The more he looked, the more he liked it

Centuries-old paper scrolls, ancient texts recorded on bamboo slips for over a thousand years, and even older artifacts such as bone pieces and turtle shells. The rare ancient scripts inscribed upon them are profound and obscure, leaving Ye Chen in a state of confusion, utterly incomprehensible to him

Ye Chen curiously brushed away the dust from the scroll with his sleeve

Manager Wang took out a key and handed it to Ye Chen

The painting "Fairyland" is quite interesting, but I cannot commend the brushwork; it is hasty and somewhat resembles the scribbles of a child.

Ye Chen practiced every morning and spent each afternoon organizing the scrolls, continuing this routine for over ten days

The library consists of five floors. The second floor contains general miscellaneous books, which can be borrowed freely by the students of the academy. The third floor and above are dedicated to martial arts books, which require varying amounts of gold and silver to borrow, depending on the rank of the martial arts. The top floor even houses unparalleled martial arts classics, which are only accessible to a select few top disciples.

However, to take it away, one must obtain the approval of Manager Wang, which will likely require a considerable sum of money. As a result, the funds available for purchasing medicinal herbs for cultivation will naturally be reduced

"A Tour of the Countries"

Ye Chen lit the oil lamp on the wall of the library.

As Ye Chen's eyes were opened wide, he couldn't help but shake his head

It is strange; this is clearly a painting. How did it end up among these old books and sent to this Beilu Academy

Even the first president of Beilu Academy is said to have been a cultivator of flying swords, a disciple of a major sect in the cultivation world, and once served as the national master of the Wu Kingdom. Of course, that was hundreds of years ago, and no one has ever seen this president

Manager Wang glanced at a few tattered books, rolling his eyes.

In fact, Ye Chen is unaware that at www.hetushu.com, calligraphy and painting are typically placed together

Ye Chen spoke to himself, unable to help but laugh

Old Bookstore, located on the basement level of the Book Pavilion

By the way, isn't the little fox supposed to be white? Why does it have only red fur? What is it doing with its claws bared? It seems to have a very frightened and unhappy expression.

The material of these books also astonished Ye Chen

The fabric of the ancient scroll is quite peculiar, resembling neither paper nor cloth. Moreover, it is very rigid; when pulled, it does not yield.

This work must be executed with utmost precision, leaving no room for carelessness

How does the immortal reside in a wooden house

These are likely some very old families, as they have fallen into decline and have no choice but to sell their old collections. Additionally, it is possible to find some obviously incomplete and damaged scrolls. Such books are of no use and cannot be read, and they all need to be identified.

Oh, what is this

One hundred copper coins is too little; both of these are good books, each worth one or two silver coins! Consider this painting as a gift for you

In the painting, there is a floating island in the sky, dreamlike and ethereal, resembling a fairyland.

The legend of the immortal is a story that feels very distant to him

Uh ... ...

It is actually an ancient painting, approximately one foot wide and two feet long

Ye Chen frowned and casually flipped through the pages. Upon seeing it, he couldn't help but sneer at the book.

There are no other people in the old library

... ...

Only then did I see a pile of old books and scrolls, haphazardly stacked on the ground, reaching a height of about 3.3 meters. Inside the library, there are also rows of empty wooden bookshelves, where the organized books can be placed on the adjacent wooden shelves

"Manager Wang, I would like to buy three old books to take back and read. These old books are all categorized as discarded, priced at one hundred copper coins each. What do you think?"

Ye Chen held the ancient scroll and examined it repeatedly for quite some time

Ye Chen took out two old books and a scroll of ancient paintings

This is the key to the old book repository, please organize it carefully

This medicinal garden is so bare, why not plant some celestial herbs and medicines? Moreover, the alchemy room and the artifact forging workshop show no signs of activity! There aren't even a couple of spirit beasts in the beast pen. The immortals residing on this island are truly quite lazy

This painting is titled 'Fairy Abode'. Could it be depicting the fairy island where immortals reside?

Those fallen families are likely to sell their collections of books, often including their paintings as well.

is not

This ancient scroll evokes a sense of familiarity in him

On the island, there is also a wooden cabin, a medicinal herb garden covering one mu, a simple alchemy pavilion, a weapon forging pavilion, a beast pen, and other buildings, which are scattered across the island

He gritted his teeth and secretly made a decision: "In these ten days, I have already earned ten taels of silver, which far exceeds my expectations. I have never bought anything I like in the past ten years, so today I will spend two taels of silver to buy it and take it home"

Ye Chen took the bright yellow key

In the realm of Wu, from the imperial court to the common folk in the streets, many legends about immortals are well known

Ye Chen curiously opened the scroll

In the evening, Ye Chen finished today's work, left the old bookstore, and locked the door

The ancient scroll is mounted on a rough and unattractive gray stone shaft, rather than an exquisite and smooth jade shaft, and is not worth more than a few copper coins. He had no interest in examining it further. Since these books are considered discarded, they will eventually be disposed of. This sum of silver can be added to his personal account, without needing to be included in the academy's financial records.

This ancient painting has been discarded, which is truly a pity

So many books

Ye Chen felt somewhat troubled; the library of Beilu Academy only collected books and did not store paintings. This painting was most likely hidden away in the old book repository, unseen by the light of day, or discarded elsewhere.

Only he was working quietly by himself

Ye Chen hesitated

Ye Chen was surprised as he approached the pile of books and began to patiently organize the old volumes. He did not read many books on a daily basis, as most of his time was spent on cultivation and doing odd jobs to earn money. However, having spent ten years in the academy, he was still familiar with the characters.

Hmm

He has cultivated at Beilu Academy for ten years, and his greatest wish is merely to break through to the sixth level of body refinement and successfully graduate from Beilu Academy. If one day he could reach the ninth level of martial artist refinement and become a national-level divine swordsman in the Martial Kingdom, it would surely mean that his ancestors' graves are emitting green smoke.

He felt somewhat apprehensive, as the two tattered old books were merely a cover for the ancient scroll. He worried that taking the scroll alone would be too conspicuous, and that Manager Wang might take notice and seize it, which would lead to trouble

Although the artwork is rather poor, it is nonetheless a scroll depicting an immortal residing on an island of immortals

Ye Chen was carefully organizing the books one by one in the library

He picked up a worn, yellow-covered book and brushed off the dust

Ye Chen arrived alone at the basement level of the library, unlocked the heavy brass lock on the door, and with a creak, pushed open the door to the old book repository. The interior was dimly lit, and cobwebs filled the corners, indicating that this place had rarely been visited for cleaning.

Ye Chen reported to Manager Wang on the progress of organizing the old book repository

Manager Wang was about to shake his head and say no, but upon hearing Ye Chen take out money to buy, he immediately swallowed the word "no".

Ye Chen was taken aback; had he known earlier, he would have opted for the ancient scrolls instead of these two old books. However, if he were to backtrack now, he feared it would only serve to anger Manager Wang.

Master Wang, today the disciple has organized over 400 volumes of books! The complete books have been categorized and placed on the respective shelves. There are also several dozen volumes that are entirely useless, consisting of discarded books and fragments, which need to be disposed of

In the upper right corner, there is also a small fox depicted, with a fierce and clawing posture, exuding an indescribable strangeness

Is it so expensive