Zhang Chen walked into the house, lit the oil lamp, and then started washing up. After finishing, he picked up the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, took out the book sent by the young lady today, found a character, and began practicing with crooked strokes.
Zhang Chen wasn’t completely without a foundation. Although he hadn’t practiced the script of this world, back in his previous life, he at least had gone through nine years of compulsory education and had a foundation in writing. So, wanting to practice the characters of this world wasn’t entirely without basis.
Just as Zhang Chen was practicing writing, the Fox Spirit from next door showed up again. It seemed like the Fox Spirit was inspecting its territory like a little dog, although not moving Zhang Chen’s things, it nonetheless perused all sorts of items within Zhang Chen’s house.
When the Fox Maiden saw the sable coat hanging on the wall, she couldn’t help but show a look of surprise, muttering to herself, "Strange, when did this lad get such a fine thing? It’s simply unbelievable! This thing on this rough chap is a sheer waste; it ought to be worn by the scholar in my house."
The eyes of the Fox Maiden revealed a hint of intention, wanting to reach out and take the sable coat. But then she sighed with disappointment and withdrew her hand: "This lad climbs on the wall to peep every day. If I stole the sable coat, wouldn’t he fight desperately with the scholar after he saw it? By then, if it were reported to the authorities, getting entangled in it wouldn’t be pretty."
Zhang Chen’s eyes glowed with the Golden Light, pretending not to see the Fox Spirit wandering over there, and continued lowering his head to practice writing. Who would’ve known that the Fox Spirit, after giving up on the sable coat, would wander over to Zhang Chen’s desk and, upon seeing Zhang Chen practicing with a brush, actually show a curious look in her eyes, leaning over to watch his writing. The next moment, an unabashed laughter echoed throughout the room.
The laugh wasn’t the crisp one of a young girl but the cackling of a mischievous woman, laughing so hard that the Fox Spirit had to brace herself with her hands on the table, laughing so hard it left her breathless, filling the whole room with that bewitching laughter.
The Fox Spirit prided herself that no one could hear her as she laughed wantonly, her voice full of ridicule: "Is this supposed to be writing? Even if I, Fox Maiden Nannan, roll around on the ground twice and twirl around, it would look better than this!"
Hearing this, Zhang Chen’s fingers, gripping the pen, turned white. Listening to the Fox Spirit’s unrestrained ridicule, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath, constantly comforting himself in his heart: "I can’t hear it! I can’t hear it! I can’t hear it at all!"
At that moment, Fox Maiden Nannan was sizing up the characters from top to bottom, then glancing at Zhang Chen, scrutinizing him up and down, left and right, before finally smacking her lips and saying, "Truly, people can be as ugly as their handwriting!"
After speaking, Fox Maiden Nannan floated away, leaving Zhang Chen standing inside the house, tightly gripping the pen with bitterness and hatred, piercing through the white paper before him. This Fox Maiden Nannan was too much, pointing at someone’s nose and calling them ugly — was there anything more outrageous in the world?
However, Zhang Chen didn’t want to provoke the Fox Spirit right now, so he silently thought to himself: "Don’t be impatient! Don’t be impatient! I’m only a few hundred points away from upgrading my Light of the True God. I must hold on, I mustn’t act recklessly!"
Zhang Chen gazed at his Golden Finger Interface:
[Name: Zhang Chen]
[1 Skill (Tier 2): Light of the True God (0/5000)]
[2 Skill (Unranked): Dragon Qi (0/2000)]
[3 Skill (Unranked): Blood Control (0/100000)]
[Points: 4690]
"Still short by 310 points. If you say it’s a lot, it indeed is a lot. At the current rate, I’m not sure how long it’ll take to dig them up. But if you say it’s a little? I used to be able to gather that much in a day. Just hold out a bit longer. When my Light of the True God breaks into the third tier, there should be a qualitative change," Zhang Chen silently said to himself, then continued to pick up the pen and write again, just that his ears seemed to have become bewitched somehow, with Fox Maiden Nannan’s laughter making Zhang Chen feel restless all over, prompting him to simply put down the pen, showing a dull and unhappy expression while murmuring softly, "Enough, feeling uneasy today isn’t suitable for practicing writing. Once I acquire a skill for eidetic memory later, recognizing words and characters would be a breeze."
Zhang Chen lay on the bed, thinking about the sweet maiden, and couldn’t help but smile, "Today was quite a windfall! Actually, whether it’s a windfall or not doesn’t really matter to me, the key is that it helps me vent my frustration."
Not practicing writing today, Zhang Chen went to bed early, when in the middle of the night, suddenly a sound of muffled thunder echoed from the sky, accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain, which continuously hit the thatched roof, startling Zhang Chen awake.
"Is it raining?" Zhang Chen opened his eyes in the darkness, listening to the raindrops hitting the roof, slowly sat up, and lit the oil lamp, muttering, "Strange! Strange! Why is it raining?"
Given the situation during the day, it definitely shouldn’t have rained.
"It shouldn’t have rained, but it did nonetheless." Zhang Chen sat up, slowly opened the door. Outside, a whiff of cold air mixed with the smell of mud came in, as steady rain fell from the sky, hitting Zhang Chen’s face, the coldness washing away the remnants of sleep further.
Zhang Chen’s eyes glowed with Golden Light, trying to open the Dharma Eye to observe Heaven and Earth, yet at this moment, a heavy mist permeated the heavens and the earth. Even if Zhang Chen opened the Dharma Eye, it was difficult to pierce through the mist, let alone see the state of the Dragon Qi beyond the sky.
"This rain is quite unusual." Zhang Chen let the rain drench his clothes, relishing the rare rainwater, knowing this might be the last rain for several months, if not years. With the Dragon Qi devouring the waterways of this land, its creatures might be in for a tough time.
"I only hope I can excavate that grand veil soon, to take the Creation within and leave as soon as possible," Zhang Chen muttered to himself.
Just as Zhang Chen’s mind was turning over these thoughts, suddenly a white-clad phantom came out from the next house. The girl in white had her eyes fixed on the Dragon Qi in the sky, her gaze showing a touch of contemplation, filled with compassion, though it was unclear what she was pondering. However, Zhang Chen dared not look at the Fox Spirit, fearing she might discover something, lest he get into trouble.
Just as Zhang Chen decided not to look at the Fox Spirit, the maiden suddenly turned her head and looked toward Zhang Chen, seeing him gazing up at the drizzle in the sky, she couldn’t help but purse her lips: "He’s completely nuts, not sleeping in the dead of night, actually coming out to watch the rain, what an illness!"
The Fox Spirit was quite arrogant, mockingly cursing Zhang Chen, feeling unsatisfied, then rolled up a clump of mud, flinging it through the air and plastering it on Zhang Chen’s face.
Zhang Chen did see the flying mud, but it was too fast for him to dodge. Moreover, he didn’t want to dodge. He intended to appear weak in front of the Fox Spirit, so that at a crucial moment, he could deliver a fatal strike to her.