I decided to live in Master Wangliang's house for three years. Fortunately, there was a separate building about twenty paces away from Master Wangliang's thatched cottage. It seemed he had made quite a bit of money from fortune-telling and had built this house to give to his lover later. From what he said, it seemed he had one lover in Jinlang Valley and a few more in other regions.
'What a womanizer this man is.'
Could it be that he left the imperial palace just to indulge in women?
Of course, there was no need to say such things and risk upsetting my helper, so I kept my mouth shut. I agreed to live in the separate building and help Master Wangliang with his work occasionally to pay for my meals.
"Since it would be troublesome to call me Master Wangliang every time, just call me Wangliang from now on."
"Alright."
"Can I call you Baekung?"
"Yes, you can."
After establishing how we would address each other, our studies began the next day.
At first, I had no idea what I would be studying, but suddenly Wangliang handed me an incredibly thick book. The title read "Ten Thousand Character Text." Surprised by the thickness of the book, I looked at Wangliang, who said:
"Baekung, the foundation of all studies is Chinese characters. Starting today, you will memorize the Ten Thousand Character Text."
Ten Thousand Character Text.
I had seen this book before. Unlike the Thousand Character Text, which children learn to start their studies, this was a book that advanced scholars memorized to master the classics, including detailed vocabulary. Although Jinmanzai had bought a copy for his home, it had only gathered dust after a few pages.
"Wangliang, why skip the Thousand Character Text?"
"By studying the Ten Thousand Character Text, you will naturally memorize the Thousand Character Text. Instead of wasting time, let's start with something more challenging."
"But ten thousand characters is too much..."
As I spoke negatively, Wangliang looked at me as if I was saying something ridiculous.
"It's not ten thousand characters. What are you talking about?"
I almost cursed. The book was as thick as three of my forearms combined, and now I knew why. For someone who could barely memorize five hundred Chinese characters, thirty thousand was an enormous pressure.
"There's no choice. The ancient texts and formation manuals contain many archaic and forgotten characters. Unless you are as well-versed in all the classics as I am, you would have to interpret them like a foreign language. This is not an option but a necessity."
"Ha... Can't you just interpret them for me?"
"Of course, I will, but given the volume, I can't do it all."
It didn't seem like Wangliang was trying to make my life difficult. I sighed in resignation.
"... How many characters should I memorize each day?"
"At least a hundred a day. Study all day except for eating and sleeping."
"Shit..."
No matter how hard I tried to hold back, curses came out. I had never done much academic study in my life, and there was no real need for it. The idea of focusing on such text that made my eyes spin was like torture.
Wangliang said:
"Of course, expecting desk stamina from someone who has never studied is a bit much. So, let's use a trick and try the Thunder Essence Scripture."
"Thunder Essence Scripture? I heard it boosts brain vitality. Does it work?"
"It activates mental waves, greatly helping with concentration."
That's how my daily schedule was set.
Except for eating and sleeping, I invested most of my time in memorizing the Ten Thousand Character Text and practiced my inner energy for an hour each day. During breaks, I recited the Thunder Essence Scripture to recover from mental fatigue and improve concentration.
Yes, theoretically, it was a perfect study method.
Wangliang said that with this method, even someone as ignorant as me could pass the preliminary imperial exams.
"......"
I can't do this.
On the third day of studying the Ten Thousand Character Text, I felt my patience reach its limit. I lay on the empty floor of the separate building, staring at the ceiling. The volume of study and the pace were overwhelming, and sitting at a desk all day made me feel like I was going crazy. At least when I practiced martial arts, my body was tired, and I forgot about other things, but building up study stamina was no joke.
'I understand how Jinmanzai feels.'
Even if I memorized the entire Ten Thousand Character Text, passing the imperial exams would be difficult. The life of a scholar seemed weaker than that of a martial artist, but it was a fierce battle against oneself.
Thinking of Jinmanzai, my motivation returned.
If I keep lying here and complaining without studying, what's the difference between me and Jinmanzai? I can't live the rest of my life as a human trash who ruins his parents and indulges in women.
Shivering, I recalled the decades of bounty hunting and the repeated deaths to obtain the thousand-year-old ginseng. All of that was a desperate effort to take control of my life.
I can't be defeated at this level!
I will move forward.
The inner scream made me start studying again. I clenched my teeth and began reading Chinese characters aloud in the quiet separate building.
Whether it's ten thousand or thirty thousand characters, it doesn't matter.
As long as I keep memorizing, I will eventually remember them all.
Thinking this way, I felt a bit more at ease.
Half a year had passed since I started studying. I only ate, slept, and studied, and I put in tremendous effort to memorize a hundred characters a day.
Thanks to my abundant inner energy, I never lacked physical stamina, but my concentration was often lacking. Whenever this happened, reciting the Thunder Essence Scripture and entering a meditative state quickly restored my focus.
Curious about the Thunder Essence Scripture and its recovery effects, I asked Wangliang, who gave a concise answer:
"It's a Taoist adaptation of Buddhist scriptures."
"Originally a recitation text?"
"Most religious recitation texts are like that. The seemingly meaningless mumbling affects the mind."
After checking my homework, Wangliang said:
"From today, you are at the level of a primary scholar. Let's make the characters you've memorized more familiar."
"How do you plan to do that?"
"Let's read the Four Books and Five Classics."
"What? How can I do that?"
The Four Books and Five Classics are texts that require a significant amount of study to read. Wangliang smiled and said:
"By the way, do you know how many Chinese characters there are?"
"How would I know?"
"Neither do I."
I thought he was playing word games, but Wangliang calmly replied:
"Chinese characters are the only open set among world scripts. Anyone can create a new character at any time. Other countries' alphabets don't expand unless new phonemes are added. However, Chinese characters, which are ideographic, carry specific meanings, so new characters must be created when new concepts arise."
"......"
I have no idea what he's talking about.
I'll just listen quietly.
"Because of this, no one knows how many Chinese characters there are. The Ten Thousand Character Text actually contains more than thirty thousand characters because it includes all kinds of obscure characters. There's no choice."
I answered Wangliang, who had bombarded me with knowledge:
"I see. But what does that have to do with me reading the Four Books and Five Classics?"
"The Four Books and Five Classics are orthodox texts that are not influenced by newly created characters. They can be studied with basic Chinese characters, regardless of the passage of time. With the amount you've studied so far, you should have no trouble reading them."
"Hmm...."
"Also, as you read the Four Books and Five Classics, you will be able to use the characters you've memorized more easily."
Is that true?
I couldn't help but doubt Wangliang's words.
The Four Books and Five Classics are the core texts of Confucianism, and only a small fraction of scholars can read them all. They are known to be increasingly difficult to understand, and it's said that reading and understanding them thoroughly can lead to passing the preliminary imperial exams. I didn't think I could read such texts after a lifetime of bounty hunting.
But Wangliang was right.
In just four days, I was able to read the Analects of Confucius, one of the Four Books and Five Classics. I sat in place for a while, not believing what I had accomplished. I had read the entire book on my own, without Wangliang's help, after a lifetime of only bounty hunting and sword fighting.
When I told Wangliang about my achievement, he smiled.
"The rest won't be much different. With my help, you can read all the Four Books and Five Classics in a month."
That was also true.
With Wangliang's interpretation and assistance, I finished reading them in just three weeks. I was surprised by how easily I could read the Four Books and Five Classics, which are considered essential studies for scholars. To be honest, I felt like there was nothing I couldn't read.
"How is this possible? Scholars usually spend years studying to read the Four Books and Five Classics."
"Their study efficiency is too poor."
Wangliang mocked the scholars.
"They sit at their desks, clutching their heads, but the foundation of all studies is Chinese characters. In half a year, you've seen at least ten thousand characters, and even if you only memorized half of them, that's five thousand. When scholars study the classics, you have already done the basic studies, so you don't need additional study. Of course, their forced interpretation of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom also affects their study."
"Indeed..."
I felt I had found the right person.
His excessive self-introduction was not just boasting. He was truly a genius who placed third in the imperial exams, where the best scholars from across the land competed.
"Also, your memory seems exceptionally good."
"Huh?"
"From what I've seen, when you see ten things, you can immediately memorize four of them perfectly. After a few more times, you can memorize everything. While it's not at the level of a genius, it's definitely much better than an average person's memory."
"I didn't think my memory was that good..."
When I honestly said this, Wangliang tilted his head and said:
"Perhaps the recitation of the Thunder Essence Scripture resonates with your inner energy. I can't think of any other reason."
"Hmm."
That might be the case.
When I recited the Thunder Essence Scripture, my mind felt blank, and I felt my inner energy surge throughout my body. I also felt a slight pulling sensation on my skin. At the time, I thought it was just a feeling, but now I realize that the Thunder Essence Scripture resonated with the inner energy from the thousand-year-old ginseng, improving my memory.
After finishing the Four Books and Five Classics, I could invest most of my time in the remaining part of the Ten Thousand Character Text. By the time I had memorized eighty percent of it, a year had passed, and by the time I finished, another half a year had gone by.
Only then could I begin studying the Taiji Mysteries and the Yi Shu Zhenben. When I opened the first page of these books, I sighed.
"Hmm... This is difficult."
When I only knew black ink on white paper, I didn't understand what they were saying. But after mastering the Ten Thousand Character Text and the Four Books and Five Classics, the Yi Shu Zhenben was incomparably more twisted. The interpretation of meanings was difficult, and there were many obscure characters. It was hard to believe these books were made to be read.
I glared at Wangliang.
"Wangliang, did you throw me these difficult books to study on my own?"
Wangliang looked away, embarrassed, and said softly:
"I thought you were the best disciple or a secret weapon of a righteous sect. I thought you were a genius who could excel in both literature and martial arts..."
"Wow."
"Anyway, if you start now, you can finish most of the studies within a year."
Wangliang was right.
In the end, I completed the Taiji Mysteries and the Yi Shu Zhenben within a year and began to understand the basics of formations and the Qimen Dunjia.
However, the process was truly arduous. Later, I didn't even have time to practice my inner energy separately. The process of memorizing, thinking, and studying was repeated harshly. Especially, arithmetic and mathematics were extremely difficult, and I had to force them into my mind while enduring Wangliang's criticism.
As a result, I forgot why I was studying and continued to memorize in the separate building. One day, I suddenly realized.
"Damn! Why am I doing this?"
It was almost three years since I started studying under Wangliang.
I felt like I would spend the rest of my life studying. Thinking I had learned enough, I went to Wangliang and said:
"It's time to get the Muye Jifa."
Wangliang replied:
"Alright. I will teach you the strategy to infiltrate the imperial palace."
Four days later, I left Jinlang Valley.
Time seemed to fly by, but I felt a sense of emptiness. Not only had my martial arts not improved much, but I had also suffered greatly from the intense studies. I shook my head.
"I've only overcome one hurdle."
Don't think too much about it.
In my hand was a scroll of the imperial palace map given by Wangliang, and the Qimen Dunjia破解 method written by Wangliang was in my backpack. After thoroughly memorizing the strategy over four days, I was confident of success.
My goal is to obtain the Muye Jifa from the inner hall of the imperial palace!