Chapter Eleven: Spring Fragrance Pavilion of Penglai

Of course, Chen Hao wanted to become Li Piseng’s disciple, but it was impossible for now because he couldn’t finish copying the “Three Character Classic” from memory. Even if he had memorized it perfectly in real life, unless his Culture attribute reached 25 points in the game, he wouldn’t be able to write out all the words from the “Three Character Classic.”

At this point, Chen Hao’s Culture attribute was 22. In the game, he could write most of the characters, but there were still a few he simply couldn’t reproduce. Even though he knew he couldn’t complete the task now, Chen Hao still chose to accept it and took the “Three Character Classic” from Li Piseng’s hands. He read through it in front of Li Piseng, then sat down at the desk the servants had prepared to attempt the transcription from memory.

When he encountered more difficult characters—which he could write without hesitation in real life—he found himself unable to form them in the game. Each time this happened, Li Piseng would frown slightly, but he didn’t interrupt. Instead, he allowed Chen Hao to finish copying the incomplete “Three Character Classic.”

After Chen Hao respectfully presented the rice paper to Li Piseng, the scholar shook his head and said, “Your foundation is still too weak. There are many characters you do not recognize. I do not have so much time to teach you the basics. But since you have tried earnestly, I will gift you the ‘Three Character Classic’ annotated by my own hand. You must study it diligently. If you can truly master it, then I shall accept you as my disciple.”

“Player Chen Baxian, your ‘Advanced Study’ quest completion is rated C. You cannot become Li Piseng’s disciple, but you have received the ‘Three Character Classic’ as a reward.”

Item Name: Three Character Classic
Item Attribute: Culture +1
Item Description: An annotated primer by the great scholar Li Piseng. If read thoroughly, increases Culture attribute by 2 points.

After examining the attributes of the “Three Character Classic,” Chen Hao was overjoyed. In his memory, his Culture attribute had to reach 25 points before meeting Li Piseng. Back then, he completed a small quest and became Li Piseng’s disciple, but he hadn’t received the “Three Character Classic” as a reward.

Players could purchase the “Three Character Classic” at the bookstore, but it didn’t add any attributes, nor would reading it increase one’s Culture attribute. The copy Chen Hao now possessed was annotated by Li Piseng himself; simply having it in his satchel granted him a +1 bonus to Culture. If he spent more than five hours reading it, the system would recognize that he had read it thoroughly, and his Culture attribute would permanently increase by 2 more points.

This book effectively increased Chen Hao’s Culture attribute by a total of 3 points. The higher his Culture attribute, the more characters he could recognize, and the more fluent his writing became. During the military academy entrance exams, all players who triggered the admission quest would be gathered together for the examination, and those with higher Culture had a much greater chance of being admitted.

With a delighted expression, Chen Hao thanked Li Piseng and carefully placed the “Three Character Classic” in his satchel. Li Piseng’s face showed a look of approval—the NPCs in “Struggle for the Throne” were highly intelligent, and a great scholar like Li Piseng cherished his books greatly. If Chen Hao had shown any sign of disrespect toward the book, the “Advanced Study” quest might have ended right there.

After leaving the Li residence, Chen Hao checked his satiety level and found that he had only 72 points left. If he bought steamed buns to fill up, he would need three, each costing five copper coins, totaling fifteen. He currently had thirty-seven copper coins and didn’t want to make do with just buns, so he stepped into a noodle shop instead.

Chen Hao spent twenty copper coins on a bowl of spring noodles, which restored 25 satiety points. After eating, his satiety increased to 97. Refreshed, Chen Hao took out the bronze bracelet he had snatched from the butcher’s knife and made his way toward the largest brothel in Penglai County—Spring Fragrance House.

Spring Fragrance House was also located in the wealthy district of the eastern city. At its entrance stood two burly men. Feeling the seventeen copper coins left in his pocket, Chen Hao suddenly felt a bit anxious. Visiting a brothel with only seventeen copper coins was indeed a bit ridiculous.

His lack of confidence began to get the better of him, but memories from the next ten years of his life quickly surfaced in his mind. Thinking of all he had lost due to his lack of self-assurance, he instantly became bold. Dressed in his novice’s simple garb, he lifted his head high and swaggered toward the brothel as if he owned the place.

“Pauper, this isn’t a place for the likes of you. Get lost,” the two bouncers blocked his way.

“You can’t judge a person by his appearance, nor measure the sea with a bucket—understand? You two with your dog eyes looking down on people, just wait. I’ll have a word with Madam Lin and have her put out your eyes,” Chen Hao retorted, pulling out ten copper coins from his satchel and tossing five to each. “I was going to give you each five silver coins, but now, thanks to you two mutts ruining my mood, you can make do with five copper coins apiece!”

The two bouncers exchanged glances. Judging by his clothes, this guy was clearly a pauper, yet the way he spoke, he seemed to know Madam Lin quite well. While they doubted him, they also felt a pang of regret—if he was telling the truth, and they’d only been a little more polite, those five silver coins could have been theirs...

“Young master, may I ask your esteemed surname? Perhaps we could announce you inside?” the bouncer on the left probed.

“You still dare block my way? Well, I won’t be going in today. Even if your Madam Lin gets down on her knees and begs, I won’t step foot in your Spring Fragrance House again!” Chen Hao shouted angrily, turning as if to leave.

The two bouncers were suddenly in a bind. The one on the right whispered, “I don’t think he’s pretending. Should we just let him in?”

The one on the left shook his head. “Letting him in is easy, but if he really is a pauper, we’ll get a scolding from Madam Lin, maybe even lose our jobs.”

Then the left bouncer sneered, “Did you forget about that foreigner we stopped at the door yesterday? Somehow, he talked Madam Lin into letting him in, and she ended up making him a brothel runner. If this guy turns out to be a pauper, we’ll just say he’s here to be a runner too.”

The right bouncer slapped his forehead. “How could I forget? That pale, devilish-looking one—I remember him. He could talk the hind leg off a donkey, even fooled someone as shrewd as Madam Lin...”

Chen Hao strode off, feigning anger, but his steps were slow, hoping the two bouncers would call him back. He knew the brothel’s madam was surnamed Lin because of his ten years’ worth of memories. This was the first time he’d ever bluffed someone—he had no idea if he would succeed.

After conferring, the two bouncers hurried after him, bowing and scraping. “Young master, we failed to recognize your importance just now. Please don’t take offense. Today, we dare not accept your reward—just do us the honor of coming inside.”

The two bouncers were sharp—they didn’t care about five copper coins. If this shabbily dressed fellow really was some young master, they could return the coins and serve him well; who knows, those five copper coins might turn into five silver taels.