Chương 17: Bookstore

Walking down the street, heading for the bookstore, Shu Yang was alert, keeping an eye on his surroundings. If there was any sign of trouble, he would run away as fast as he could. He felt that he might be a little too timid, but there was no choice; he had too much to lose from being careless. With his strength as a 1st-grade martial warrior, he didn't need to be very cautious around Chunsi Town anymore, but Kuo City was different. There were Innate warriors here!

And not just one or two, Shu Yang knew that there were at least five martial arts halls with Innate warriors in the area. He was also sure that some powerful families and the high-ranking Officials in the County Office had their own share of Innate warriors. Even if it was unlikely that he would run into an Innate warrior, and even more unlikely that he would be targeted by them, Shu Yang couldn't help but fear the possibility. Innate warriors were just too powerful.

3rd-, 2nd-, and 1st-grade martial warrior were also powerful, but their strength was still somewhat human. Just because Shu Yang was a 1st-grade martial warrior didn't mean he could punch a hole through someone, or cleave someone in two with a sword. Theoretically, ordinary people could even fight against the first stages of martial warriors if they were skilled and had more numbers. A 3rd-grade warrior increased their strength by about 30% when they advanced, and at the peak, that number would rise to about 50%.

It was definitely enough to make a considerable difference, as not only did strength increase, but your body also became more resilient and could withstand more. But even so, if you were cornered by a bunch of thieves with sharp weapons, you could very well die, even if they were just ordinary people. Advancing to the 2nd- and 1st-grade stages came with a similar improvement of 30% right after breakthrough, and 50% at the peak.

In the end, a 1st-grade martial warrior was about 3-4 times stronger than an ordinary person, somewhat depending on genetics and martial art. This was, of course, a huge improvement, and the reason that martial warriors were so respected. But they were, in the end, mostly treated like ordinary people, just very strong. But Innate warriors were different. They were truly on a different level. They were revered as not just strong people but something in a league of their own.

They were above, and everyone else was below. Shu Yang wasn't the most experienced, so he didn't know the exact details. But from what he had heard, Innate warriors didn't just strengthen their bodies; they also had a wisp of innate qi in their bodies that they could control. Not only could they use this innate qi to momentarily strengthen their punches and kicks, but they could even imbue it into their weapons. An Innate warrior could, without a problem, punch through rocks and cleave metal with a knife.

This threat wasn't just getting beaten up badly; it was on the level of dying before you knew it. Even if an ordinary person would die no matter if they were against a 1st-grade warrior or an Innate warrior, there was a sense of despair that only an Innate warrior could invoke in people. Shu Yang wasn't immune to this feeling. He didn't fear being a little weaker than an opponent, but he did fear being crushed like an ant. The difference between having hope and not having it was deeply ingrained in all humans.

In the end, that was the reason Innate warriors were so revered compared to weaker martial warriors.

'I've only started practicing my newly deduced top-grade martial art for a few months, so I can't quite tell yet when I'll be able to advance. But it should be quite a few years. I just hope my talent is enough to break through. I've gotten used to not having a bottleneck now, and I don't feel like going back.' Just as Shu Yang spotted the impressive bookstore down the street, he noticed a few carriages parked by the side of the road. Taking a closer look, he saw that this was a shop selling carriages.

Shu Yang slowed down slightly, seeing if he could spot a price somewhere.

"Are you interested in purchasing a carriage, sir?" A man approached Shu Yang and inquired politely. Shu Yang couldn't help but be slightly impressed with the service here in Kuo City. Even if he dressed up before leaving, wearing clean and new clothes, he certainly didn't think he looked rich enough to buy a carriage. Shu Yang would never waste his money on clothing with his current meager wealth. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"How much does it cost?" Shu Yang couldn't help but ask.

"It varies wildly," The man responded with a smile, "Some custom-made luxury carriages our shop has constructed have sold for thousands of gold coins. But of course, this is an exception. Our standard low-budget carriage only costs 1200 silver coins." The man gestured to one of the carriages on the street as he spoke. The carriage indeed didn't look anything like those luxurious ones he had seen around the city, but it looked sturdy and well-made.

In Chunsi Town, even if there were more luxurious carriages than this around, people certainly wouldn't look down on this one. And in Baishu Village, only the Liang family had a carriage, and Shu Yang didn't think it looked much better than the one before him.

'1200 silver coins…It's a lot of money, but I can afford it.' As Shu Yang thought deeper about it, he realized buying a carriage wasn't a bad idea at all. He would be able to get back home faster, not having to travel on foot. And traveling to and from Chunsi Town would be much more convenient in the future. But the most important reason was that owning a carriage would allow him to export his wine to surrounding towns without worrying about merchants getting involved and taking a cut.

'Thus far, Chunsi Town and the surrounding villages can swallow all the wine I've produced. But I've been expanding my fields recently, and this year's harvest of grapes is threefold compared to last year. Chunsi Town can only drink so much; I'll have to expand the business eventually.'

'Better do it sooner rather than later. That way, I can do it slow and steady, town by town. Eventually, I might open up a shop here in Kuo City.'

"I'll think about it and come back," Shu Yang said, but his mind was pretty much made up. He was going to buy this carriage.

"Alright then, have a good day," The man said with a smile, not seeming upset. Shu Yang smiled back and waved goodbye. Even if he wanted the carriage, it would be inconvenient to buy it now. He should take care of his other business first. He would buy some books, then find an inn to stay for the night. It would also be nice to sit down and talk with people at a tavern and see if there was any interesting news.

Then, tomorrow, if he hadn't changed his mind, he would buy a few gifts for the kids and then purchase the carriage and head home directly.

'I need to buy a horse to pull the carriage too. Perhaps even two horses. If I don't care too much about the quality, I should be able to get them for 200 silver coins each.'

'That, along with the carriage itself, will cost 1600 silver coins. Not much is left for books and gifts, but it should be enough. But the family will be pretty poor for a while. I'll just have to make do until spring comes and the wine starts selling.' Shu Yang entered the bookstore and started looking around. He couldn't help but feel excited; he hadn't been able to afford books until the past few years, and the selection was severely limited in Chunsi Town.

Now, there were enough books around to fill an entire building. Shu Yang quickly walked up to the nearest bookshelf and glanced at the prices.

'Most books seem to go between 10-20 silver coins. The more advanced ones can go a lot higher in price, though.' Shu Yang quickly spotted a book costing a whole 130 silver coins and once again felt that he was far too poor.

'It doesn't matter, I won't be able to get a hold of everything I want either way. I'll just buy the ones I feel are the most important and then come back another time when I have saved up a bit more money.' Hours passed, and Shu Yang made his way through most of the store. Mostly, he just took a quick glance at the titles, though. Only a few did he actually pick up and browse through.

He couldn't afford all the books Zhangye had listed for him that would be needed to take the Royal exam, so he decided on only taking the most important ones where his own knowledge was lacking. Besides that, he decided on a bunch of books that detailed the various powers in the Yan Kingdom, as well as books discussing the surrounding Kingdoms. That was what Shu Yang was most interested in.

He also thought it would be good for his children to gain an understanding of the wider world, so they wouldn't think they had reached the peak just because their family was starting to gain some status in the small Baishu Village. It wasn't until he felt the unfriendly stare from the store owner that Shu Yang reluctantly stopped his reading spree. He picked out the books he had decided on and headed to the counter to pay, making the store owner switch from a frown to a friendly smile.

In the end, Shu Yang also grabbed a book on alchemy. It wasn't advanced; it didn't even include a recipe for the blood-and-qi nourishing pill. If it had, it would be far more expensive. But Shu Yang thought it would be nice to have it in the house. If any of his children or grandchildren showed an interest in this book in the future, he could travel away again and buy something more advanced. The total cost came out to 360 silver coins for all the books he had chosen.

'Looks like I have to find a cheap inn to stay the night. I can't afford anything more.'

'But the harvest this time is great!' Thinking about the books he carried in the bag on his back, Shu Yang smiled brightly. This was not only for himself, but would help all his children and future grandchildren to gain knowledge. Add to that the martial arts and the carriage, Shu Yang felt that his family would take a giant leap forward this time.