frightfiction Chapter 5 The Poor Man's Letter
Chapter 5 The Poor Man's Letter
In a small courtyard in Beixuan City.
Ji Daoting had already noticed the thief outside the courtyard, but since he had only picked a few apples, he pretended not to know and let the person outside the courtyard go.
He saw a folded paper object slowly drifting into the yard, and he thought that the thief was not only stealing things but also littering in people's yards.
Just as he was about to start a fire, he suddenly noticed what appeared to be writing on it. He exclaimed "Huh!" and with a slight bend of his finger, the folded paper moved on its own without any wind, floating into his hand.
He unfolded the paper and saw the IOU written in charcoal, and his lips twitched slightly.
This little thief steals things and then writes an IOU.
At least he had some sense of shame and didn't dare to reveal his real name, only making up a name like "Speechless".
But the next second, his eyes were drawn to the words on the IOU.
Although it was written in a hasty manner, the strokes and dots are free and unrestrained, and the framework is spacious and grand.
The most ingenious thing is that this IOU was written with charcoal.
It was an unintentional creation of a suitable arrangement.
The inherent resistance of the charcoal stick adds a touch of "clumsiness" to the free and unrestrained characters, especially in the vertical strokes, where the sharp tip of the brush is obstructed, making it difficult to produce a sharp point, yet it is forcibly split open.
Like a strong bamboo breaking through stone.
If written with the usual brush and ink, such characters could probably only be described as above average.
As a member of the Ji family of Fu Dao, Ji Daoting was a master calligrapher. After a little thought, he guessed that the person holding the brush probably came from a poor family and could not afford a brush when he was young.
Therefore, he could only practice calligraphy using things like twigs and charcoal sticks, which gave him a handwriting style that was more suitable for writing with charcoal sticks.
That's right. If they weren't poor, why would they steal apples?
He sighed softly, carefully put away the IOU, and added it to his private collection.
Ji Daoting had already decided that if the young lady kept her promise and returned the money for the three apples, he would be willing to help her a little.
It's perfect for keeping my granddaughter company while we cultivate the Dao of Talismans together!
As for this IOU, let's call it the "Impoverished Letter".
This person, who was short of money, "borrowed" an apple from him, thus beginning their friendship. Because he couldn't afford paper and pens, he could only practice calligraphy with charcoal sticks, making the title of this post quite fitting.
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Zhu Wuyao had already ridden her mule far away, fearing that the family would unleash their dogs to chase her.
She had no idea what kind of consequences that IOU would cause.
Even if they knew, they probably wouldn't know what to say.
As a modern person, she is used to using ballpoint pens and fountain pens, and is more adept at using similar things to write. Isn't that natural?
On the contrary, although she was familiar with the calligraphy brush, she hadn't practiced it seriously herself, so her writing was only considered decent.
At this moment, Zhu Wuyao was standing in front of the notice with a face full of black lines.
The Star-Picking Pavilion only started recruiting disciples three months later?
Upon seeing the notice, she even considered continuing her escape to see if there was any way to join other sects.
Moreover, this Star-Picking Tower is different from the path of cultivation she yearns for.
If it weren't for the urgent need to join a sect for protection, Zhu Wuyao would have preferred to be a sword cultivator.
When the time comes, one can roam the world with a sword, drawing it to help those in need, leaving without a trace of fame or merit after the deed is done. How carefree and unrestrained that would be!
She has already inquired about it in the past two days.
The Star-Picking Tower is inhabited by a group of divination cultivators. They are extremely strict in recruiting disciples, holding a selection process every ten years, and only a few out of hundreds or thousands of applicants can be chosen.
She desperately needed to find a sect to protect her and improve her strength; otherwise, her enemies might find another way to kill her if poison didn't work.
Zhu Wuyao sighed deeply, mounted the mule, and returned to the inn with a heavy heart.
Going to other sects is also unreliable.
Not only would they lack the silver for travel expenses, but they might also encounter various risks along the way. Even if they arrived safely, the next sect might not start recruiting disciples in three months, but rather in three years.
She still needs to try the Star-Picking Tower first.
I've already paid for tonight's accommodation, and Zhu Wuyao's money has shrunk again.
She took a big bite of the apple. She did want to rent a courtyard to get through the next three months, but she didn't have the money.
Now she can only hope that the royalties from her storytelling will come soon, to console her for having to eat apples to stave off hunger.
Just then, a commotion arose outside the door.
Holding the half-eaten apple in her hand, she pushed open the door to see what had happened.
Downstairs, a burly man was grabbing an old man and refusing to let go, insisting that the man had stolen his money.
"I brought plenty of money with me. This old thief just passed by me, and my money pouch disappeared. If it wasn't him, who else could it be!"
As he spoke, he continued to wave his fist, threatening the old man to hand over the money.
The old man, however, was not to be outdone. He clasped his hands in a fist and begged for mercy repeatedly, his voice trembling with tears as he said:
"Sir, I really didn't take your money! Please don't hit me, please don't hit me..."
Zhu Wuyao saw it clearly from upstairs; the fist never actually landed on the old man.
But the big man was so tall that he pulled the old man onto the table, blocking most of the view. The people below couldn't see clearly, but they could hear the old man wailing.
This angered many, and the large number of diners nearby emboldened them, prompting them to speak out:
"I'm afraid you've lost your money and can't afford the meal, so you're trying to extort money from people here."
"That old man's legs were trembling with fear, how could he steal your money?"
"Who says otherwise? You checked him too, there's no money bag of yours at all!"
……
The burly man was so angry that his face turned red. He wanted to vent his anger but didn't know who to vent it on, so he could only yell back at the group of people.
Just then, Zhu Wuyao noticed a child trying to sneak out amidst the chaos downstairs.
Without thinking, she threw the apple, which was still half full, and it hit the bullseye.
"Ouch!"
The child was caught off guard and hit on the forehead, letting out a cry and falling over.
The crowd turned to look.
Zhu Wuyao, resting his elbow on the railing, said, "If this person is going to slip away, we should check if he has any money on him."
A customer hesitated for a moment, then walked up, touched it, and sure enough, there was a money pouch.
The money bag looked exactly like the burly man had described.
Upon seeing the money, the burly man put the old man down, took the money bag, and was about to drag the thief to the authorities.
The child was scared and called out to the old man, "Grandpa!"
Everyone turned their heads again and saw that the little old man was about to slip away as well.
Zhu Wuyao, who was going downstairs, was also stunned. Was this a gang crime?
The burly man was enraged. He grabbed one of them with each hand and was about to take them both out to report to the authorities.
Just then, the old man, in a moment of inspiration, shouted:
"My grandson has been chosen by the Star-Picking Pavilion! A Taoist priest from the Star-Picking Pavilion told him to take the test in three months."
"He'll be an immortal then, do you know what an immortal is?!"
As he spoke, he pulled a wooden sign from his pocket and said:
"This is the token!"
I never expected that the name of the Star-Picking Tower would be so useful.
After the old man shouted those words, the burly man clearly hesitated, and the surrounding guests also began to act as if it were none of their business.
Zhu Wuyao, who was nearby and had sharp eyes, noticed that the stars engraved on the sign were extremely simple, clearly something meant to amuse children.
The people around him were probably skeptical.
I simply believe it's better to be safe than sorry, and I don't want to get into trouble just by joining in the fun.
The burly man put the old man down and ultimately didn't pursue the matter further. He opened his money bag, took out some copper coins, and handed them to Zhu Wuyao, the meaning of which was self-evident.
Who would have thought that throwing an apple would yield a result?
Zhu Wuyao readily accepted the copper coins and thanked them. When he looked up, he saw some people in the inn with strange expressions, sizing up the grandfather and grandson, seemingly lost in thought.
She suddenly realized something, turned to face the grandfather and grandson, and said:
"and many more."