Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 110: Translation of Ancient Sayings

It was evident that Third Elder was full of praise and admiration for the Taciturn Daoist Priest. Perhaps it was because Third Elder was the type to envy others for having whatever he lacked.

After bidding goodbye to Third Elder, Lu Yang now arrived at Gentleman Peak.

Gentleman Peak was Fourth Elder’s territory. The mountain was cool and refreshing, akin to a painting of elegance. One could easily spot pavilions and streams wherever they ambled through, while the emerald green bamboo stood tall and straight. It was clear at first glance that this was a place favored by scholars and literati who would linger around and compose poems. Even if the bamboos were to suddenly start reciting a few lines from the sages, Lu Yang wouldn’t be surprised at all.

Having witnessed all kinds of strange things in the Dao-Seeking Sect, Lu Yang’s mental fortitude had reached an all-time high.

He even saw black-and-white Iron-Eating Beasts[1] tumbling around in the mountains. On the other hand, senior male disciples drank wine and made merry as they freely moved their brush and let the ink flow, bringing the canvas to life. They then dived into the paintings themselves and frolicked around with the people inside, unfettered and at ease.

An Iron-Eating Beast even nudged Lu Yang until he almost fell over. It was trying to play with Lu Yang, but the latter had business to attend to, so he could only try his best to reason with the beast until it finally let him go, even giving him a half-eaten piece of bamboo as a parting gift.

“Hello, Senior Brother. May I ask where Fourth Elder is?” Lu Yang respectfully inquired while still holding the half-eaten bamboo.

This senior male disciple possessed an absolutely terrifying level of mastery in the Dao of Painting, where his works were almost indistinguishable from reality.

Upon hearing Lu Yang, the senior male disciple extended half of his body out of the painting. “Who are you?”

“I am Lu Yang.”

The dots connected once he heard Lu Yang’s name. “Oh, I know you. You’re the newcomer, Lu Yang, Yun Zhi’s disciple.”

“...Big Senior Sister accepted me as a disciple on behalf of my shifu. I am the Taciturn Daoist Priest’s disciple,” Lu Yang corrected the senior male disciple earnestly.

“I’m Ji Hongwen. I was from the same batch as Big Senior Sister when we joined the Dao-Seeking Sect. I am Fourth Elder’s first disciple.” Ji Hongwen didn’t put on any airs around him and judged Lu Yang for his low cultivation.

“Nice to meet you, Senior Brother Ji.” Lu Yang was surprised to hear that Ji Hongwen was in the same cohort as Yun Zhi. He only knew that Dai Bufan was in the same cohort as Yun Zhi and the most senior of the disciples, commanding great respect among them. His cultivation was nearly on par with the elders, and First Elder was also very confident in his management of affairs.

Lu Yang hadn’t expected to encounter someone else from this same cohort. By extension, Senior Brother Ji’s cultivation is likely not low either.

Those big shots people in the outer world couldn’t meet were commonplace in the Dao-Seeking Sect.

“You want to meet Shifu? Let’s go, he is probably teaching students right now.” Ji Hongwen drifted out from the painting. With a flick of his finger, another person appeared within the painting.

Only then did Lu Yang notice that Ji Hongwen wasn’t the only one in the painting; there was another captivatingly beautiful woman. The woman seemed to have walked straight out of the water towns in Jiangnan.[2] She appeared gentle and graceful, her cheeks tinged with a soft blush. Dimples adorned her smiling visage which resembled a blooming flower, while her eyes seemed to convey a river of emotions. Not only was her beauty peerless, her attire was also bold and revealing, causing even an innocent young man like Lu Yang to blush.

“Haha, is she beautiful? I painted her. Do you want me to paint one for you too? She can even accompany you to sleep at night,” Ji Hongwen teased.

Lu Yang quickly shook his head. I must protect my kidney’s vitality well.

The beautiful woman clung to Ji Hongwen’s arm, gazing at him with deep affection.

What Lu Yang didn’t know was that there were more people who wanted to learn this skill of Ji Hongwen than those who wanted to learn Third Elder’s “Heaven-Shaking Six Forms.”

Following Ji Hongwen’s lead, Lu Yang found himself in the depths of the bamboo forest, where there was actually a private school. Inside was the model teacher Fourth Elder, Man Gu, who embodied the idea of how rotten wood couldn’t be carved, and a bunch of random people paying attention to the lesson conscientiously.

Fourth Elder was explaining the meaning of ancient texts, “...Gazing to the southwest of the creek, it meanders like the Big Dipper and roves like a snake, sections of it bright and visible. The banks jut out like canine teeth, the source ever shrouded in mystery.[3] Come, Man Gu, translate this part. What does it mean by ‘The banks jut out like canine teeth, the source ever shrouded in mystery?’”

Man Gu lowered his head and pondered carefully before answering in a tone full of certainty, “There are two dogs fighting by the banks, and no one knows why.”

Fourth Elder silently closed the ancient book, rolled up his sleeves, and took out a ruler. Just as he was about to smack the back of Man Gu’s hand, he recalled the sages’ sincere teachings—education for all without discrimination and tailored pedagogy according to abilities. I have seen all of Man Gu’s diligent efforts in his studies. He’s a good child. What just happened should be an accident. I’ll ask him an easier question. If he gets it right, I won’t have to hit him, and that would help him save face.

“‘All those aristocrats in power, are they truly born to be superior.’[4] What does this mean?”

According to historical records, when the Great Yu Dynasty collapsed one hundred thousand years ago, the princes and aristocrats stepped forth, raising their banners in full display, seeking to reunify the world and restore the Great Yu Dynasty’s rule. The people firmly believed in the concept of bloodlines, thinking that the lineage of the Great Yu Dynasty was born noble, and the aristocrats’ claims successfully garnered a significant following.

However, the Great Xia Emperor’s ancestor was aware of how rotten these aristocrats were at their core, having suffered greatly at their hands. These people thought they were high above the rest, indulging in luxury and pleasure, completely out of touch with the sufferings of the common folk and the struggles of cultivation. Showered with myriad rare natural treasures since birth, their cultivation easily soared, and they were practically almost becoming rare natural treasures themselves. Even if these people could rebuild the Great Yu Dynasty, it would quickly decay once more.

As a visionary and sagacious individual, the Great Xia Emperor’s ancestor raised his arm and shouted, “All those aristocrats in power, are they truly born to be superior?’” This phrase became a timeless one, enduring through the ages.

Even Man Gu, a member of the Barbarian Tribe had heard of this phrase, held great admiration and respect for the valor of the Great Xia Emperor’s ancestors. “This phrase means ‘All those aristocrats in power, are you truly born with more balls?”

The whole hall erupted in laughter.

All signs of hesitation vanished from Fourth Elder as he slapped Man Gu’s hand with the ruler, causing the latter to grimace in pain.

However, Man Gu was still baffled about what he had done wrong. The Great Xia Emperor’s ancestor dared to challenge the aristocrats openly. Imagine the huge amount of courage that must have taken! But is that not what this phrase is trying to say?

Lu Yang who had been standing at the entrance all this while observed three seconds of silence to mourn for Man Gu.

Ji Hongwen couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. “I really don’t know what Junior Brother Man Gu is thinking. As a member of the Ancient Barbarian Tribe, instead of learning from Third Elder, he chose to become our shifu’s disciple. He certainly has had his fair share of beatings this year. That said, I realized that his mind seems to be sharper ever since he returned from his mission. Do you know why?”

Lu Yang shook his head. How would I know?

Faced with Ji Hongwen’s suspicious gaze, Lu Yang hurriedly changed the topic. “By the way, there seems to be a hidden rhythm to how Fourth Elder is hitting the back of the hand, or is it just me?”

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Ji Hongwen looked at Lu Yang, slightly astonished. “You’re not mistaken. This is actually a method to stimulate the bloodline, but the pain is too unbearable for most. Shifu is using this tactic to stimulate the Ancient Barbarian Bloodline in Junior Brother Man Gu. By the way, don’t tell this to Junior Brother Man Gu.”

Lu Yang nodded.

“When Shifu gets off from class, you can look for him then.” Ji Hongwen then grabbed the beautiful woman’s hand and walked away.

Classes always seemed to drag on for eternity. Lu Yang continued listening from the entrance, and although Fourth Elder had taught for merely a quarter of an hour, Lu Yang felt as if several hours had passed. Finally, Fourth Elder wrapped up the class, and that was when he encountered the inquisitive Lu Yang.

“You’re asking what kind of person Old Nine is, the one who is full of mischief, always up to no good, and brimming with scheming ideas?”

Lu Yang, “...”

Thank you, I think I already have a pretty good idea of what kind of person my shifu is.

1. ”Iron-Eating Beast” was the name for pandas in ancient times. ☜

2. Jiangnan is renowned for scholarly and refined vibes. ☜

3. A poem from Liu Zongyuan. ☜

4. This is actually a rather famous phrase. The meaning has already been translated in the text. ☜