Next up, it’s time to look for books in the basement again.
Even though Grandmaster’s earnest teaching still echoes in my ears, and I’m well aware of the importance of building a solid foundation, but... I really can’t help myself.
I don’t want to be just a bystander when similar incidents happen next time.
This kind of impatience for quick success is definitely wrong, it deserves criticism, but who can blame me for still being a child?
Hmm, can’t always be too mature and rational, this is also about controlling my "condition."
Li Zhiyuan first put together a flashlight from the drawer, then headed into the basement, but this time, he took Qin Li with him.
"Alii, come, help me pick a chest."
This time, Li Zhiyuan wasn’t obsessed with clearing out the contents of the first chest.
Alii walked over to the middle chest.
Li Zhiyuan gestured for Alii to hold the flashlight, then he forcefully opened the lid of the chest.
"Alii, shine the light for me."
Li Zhiyuan began searching for books inside; the books in this chest were all thick volumes, starting from at least 20 volumes, and arranged very neatly,
much like the "Jianghu Chronicles" he had seen for the first time.
But they were mostly basic, conceptual types, hmm, the majority being about health cultivation.
Li Zhiyuan even saw a copy of the "Tai Xuan Dual Cultivation Scripture."
He pulled out a volume, flipped through a few pages, there were diagrams and text, various actions and postures.
Before Alii could lean over to read with him as usual, Li Zhiyuan quickly closed the book.
He furrowed his brow; these were not the books he was looking for. Although he admitted they could be useful in the future, they were currently of little use.
Li Zhiyuan leaned deeper into the chest, intending to pull out the two sets at the very bottom; with great effort and much sweat, he finally got them out.
If these two books are still about health cultivation, then this chest can be left to gather dust forever.
His eyes moved to the book covers, and Li Zhiyuan’s spirit was suddenly lifted.
"Righteous Demon Extermination Records, Upper Volume!"
Although the book’s title sounded like the Hong Kong and Taiwan martial arts novels currently popular on the mainland,
it was much better than the health scriptures he had flipped through before, and it brought a strong sense of anticipation.
But why was there only "Upper"?
Li Zhiyuan turned to the other set, and the cover read "Righteous Demon Extermination Records, Lower Volume."
So, these two sets, adding up to over a hundred volumes, are actually one book? But why divide them into upper and lower?
The books in the chest were all handwritten copies, not published works that would decide to release a sequel based on the sales of the first volume.
Li Zhiyuan took out the first volume from both the upper and lower sets.
He quickly flipped through the pages, scanning the content and format, the illustrations detailed, depicting various environments with corpses strewn about, and the items used to deal with them.
But why was there a sense of familiarity?
With this thought, Li Zhiyuan took out the first volume of the "Lower" set, opened it and rapidly scanned the pages. Again detailed illustrations and text, but each picture had bubbles in it, indicating underwater settings, and there was less reliance on tools, with more emphasis on close combat with the corpses.
So, the upper volume is about dealing with the corpses on land using various tools; the lower volume is about underwater combat methods against corpses.
However, the two are not entirely conflicting; it’s not that the methods for land would be entirely useless underwater.
The author divided them this way, presumably for easier documentation, without being rigidly dogmatic.
But this comfortable font and familiar illustration style... Li Zhiyuan immediately pulled out the last volume of the lower set and turned to the final page,
as expected, written in the last line was:
"— Authored by Wei Zhengdao."
Seeing this name, Li Zhiyuan felt a warm sense of closeness.
"Jianghu Chronicles" could be considered his introductory reading material, but he never expected that Wei Zhengdao had also written a sequel.
The former introduced concepts, and the present two volumes are formulas.
Li Zhiyuan liked this kind of precise and orderly feeling.
Looking around at these dozen chests, did they contain more of Wei Zhengdao’s books?
Li Zhiyuan entertained a thought; if this person really started writing from entry-level popular science and went higher and higher... then each ending of the "Jianghu Chronicles," where the corpse was "vanquished by the Righteous," could it be more than mere self-entertainment by the author?
Could it be, truly... slain by Wei Zhengdao.
Before, Li Zhiyuan only thought the author was interesting, and such a notion seemed absurd, after all, how could one person in a lifetime go to so many places, encounter so many corpses and have vanquished so many.
But after witnessing Uncle Qin’s style last night, he realized, it might not be impossible?
Just like Grandmaster always doubted him teaching at the university, people do indeed tend to make empirical errors in fields unfamiliar to them.
"If I finish reading all your books, would you be considered my teacher?"
Then how should I write my diary in the future?
Vanquished by the inheritor of the Righteous?
Liu Yumei was savoring some pastries and tea, then saw Li Zhiyuan coming up the stairs with a stack of books, followed by her granddaughter carrying a stack of books as well.
The two children took the books up to the second floor, put them in the bedroom, then ran back downstairs, each carrying another stack of books from the basement, back and forth many times.
Liu Yumei felt a bit helpless but also amused; ah, this was the precious granddaughter she had cherished and raised since childhood.
However, this was good too, as long as she didn’t continue sitting behind the door threshold in a daze, even if the boy took her out to the fields to farm with a hoe, Liu Yumei wouldn’t stop them.