Battling Records of the Chosen One

C63. Guest to Donglin Town

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.