Chapter 63 (1/2)

Lee Kee Bookstore of Donglin Town.

The unimpressive little bookshop, located in the deep corner of a busy street, was quite remote, so its business inevitably languished.

The shop owner surnamed Li, an old man in his twilight years, was drowsy behind the counter, with hands supporting his forehead.

There was only one young boy picking books from the shelves in the bookshop, and the atmosphere was quiet.

At the age of thirteen to fourteen, the boy who exhibited a thin and tall figure was handsome and warm, wearing gray clothes made of coarse homespun, which looked clean and neat.

The boy was Lin Xun.

After picking out four books, Lin approached the counter and whispered, “Elder Uncle.”

The old man woke up and smiled, “Well, let me see. Imperial Geographic, Imperial History Official, Cultivation Basics and Spiritual Tattoo Atlas…”

He looked up, amazed, and said, “Nowadays young people are seldom interested in such knowledge. It is rare that you are so fond of reading.”

Smiling, Lin Xun asked, “Elder Uncle, how much are the four books?”

The old man said casually, “Twenty imperial copper coins if you want.”

Lin Xun hurried out of the bookstore with the paid books.

The night outside was as black as ink, and rows upon rows of buildings in the distance were lit up, brilliant as falling stars.

In the night breeze, Lin trotted along the street, and soon he veered into a shop called “Tiger Pulp”. He spent five imperial copper coins on a large cup of sweet and sour “Ruta Pulp”, a specialty drink of the shop.

The drink, made with several spiritual materials such as the leaves of poria cocos, wistaria and ruta fruits, as well as some spiritual vegetables, was not only delicious, but also pure, extremely suitable for practitioners to drink.

Taking the purchased books and pulp in his arms, Lin Xun passed through the crisscross alleys without pause, and soon came upon a bustling wide street.

The street was crowded with people, carriages and horses, and colorful lights were blazing in the buildings on both sides of the road.

Quite a few of the pedestrians were in finery, carriages shuttled, and from time to time practitioners on scaled-horses and horned deer galloped past.

Some vendors hawked frequently by their stalls, and the noises kept coming all around the busy street.

This was the most famous street in Donglin Town. The street was 800 zhang (over 8,700 feet) long, which was how it got the name “800 Avenue”.

In the center of the street were multifarious stores, including the top business houses, restaurants, inns, elixir stores, and spiritual material shops of Donglin Town.

All the stores were well-known money-squandering dens in Donglin Town, supported by various forces, and almost all their guests were highly-paid practitioners, since ordinary people couldn’t afford the services.

At the east end of the 800 Avenue, there was a famous school named “Donglin School”, which was run by the imperial government. Every year, the school enrolled students to preach and teach knowledge. Once the students passed the examination, they only needed to pay a sum of tuition fee to start cultivation.

For all the people who were dedicated to cultivation in Donglin Town, it was a glory for them to get the chance to study in Donglin School.

Happening to pass “Donglin Town”, Lin Xun couldn’t help but took a glance at the school which covered a very wide area. Buildings of different heights dotted the campus, which students went in and out from time to time.

Lin Xun stopped to look at the school quietly. A moment later he turned away.

At this moment, a group of well-dressed young girls in high spirit came in the opposite direction, appearing quite different from ordinary people.

“County Test is about to begin a month later. I have already reached the third level of the Martial Realm. It should be quite easy for me to pass the test.”

“Ha ha ha, among us, who is not under the age of fifteen and who has not reached the third level of the Martial Realm? County Test is as easy as pie for us.”

“That’s right. County Test is nothing to worry about. What really worth considering is whether we should go straight to the Green-maple County to take the State Test in March of the following year after passing the County Test!”

“Don’t be so sure about that. This time, there are three thousand students of Donglin School about to take part in the County Test, while only one thousand students can be admitted. That is to say, two thousand people will be eliminated directly. So, don’t take it lightly.”

“Alas! That’s also my concern.”

These young girls chattered as they walked, focusing on the topic of “County Test”.

Lin was about to pay more attention to what they said. Unfortunately, all the young girls had entered Donglin School. They were obviously students of the school.

Seeing this, Lin Xun had to give up.

“I didn’t expect that there would be so many people taking part in the County Test and 2,000 people would be eliminated, which means that even if I pass the exam, I may not be admitted.”

Lin Xun thought as he walked. The so-called admission was to obtain a certificate which showed that you had passed the County Test, and this certificate was one of the conditions for participating in the “State Test”.

Soon the figure of Lin Xun disappeared in the “800 Avenue”. After the duration of a burning joss stick, Lin walked into a run-down lane which was dark and desolate.

This was the “Civilian Area” of Donglin Town. Most of the people living here were the underprivileged. Compared with the prosperity of other places, the Civilian Area, where good and bad people mixed up, looked undoubtedly shabby.

The security here was also pretty bad. Every day thieves, rascals and villains fled hither and thither, creating chaos.

Lin Xun wouldn’t have settled here if he had had another choice.

He made his way along a dark alley, as his feet were stained with muddy water. In the distance came the barking of wild dogs and meow of the wild cats now and then.