Chapter 317: A Bet

In a world without publication control, printing newspapers was easier than printing school exam papers.

The Shunyi Bookstore had shops and a printing workshop that was equipped with a movable type system, [1] so it wasn’t that behind in technology. It didn’t lack production materials like ink or paper either. More than ten printing artisans were present in the workshop. These artisans were initially worried about losing their jobs as they feared that the new owner might replace them. After knowing they could continue working and get paid, they were relieved and eager to get started.

The hardware was basically ready, the only thing lacking now was the software. By software, he meant manpower. After all, they would need people to prepare the newspaper content. Although Yan Liqiang had a well-thought-out plan and the appropriate content, he was the owner and he still needed to stay in Deer Villa to cultivate. It would be impossible for him to work on all the newspaper content alone. Fang Beidou would mainly be responsible for the managerial tasks and playing the role of a manager, so he couldn’t be the one to do the write-ups either. Therefore, they would still need to assign the task to someone who specialized in writing.

Fortunately, the Imperial Capital had no shortage of such individuals.

The Silver Continent advocated martial arts. Hence, literati were not highly valued in this world. In people’s eyes, literati were mere wordsmiths and they were no different than ordinary carpenters, blacksmiths, and cobblers. Hence, they were regarded as one of the artisans in this world. According to a statement from a book Yan Liqiang read before: ‘Wordsmiths skillfully sculpts with words to record trends as well as create poetry, literary works, and stories. They make a living by showing off their talents through their brushes. Stellar writers may serve the officials while the others will live their lives assisting the illiterates in the city with letters and civil action. Those who prefer entertaining lifestyles may team up with storytellers to compose poems and tales for theatrical plays. The masters write books that will be learnt by the future generations. The fame and fortune they will gain are by no means inferior to the other experts.’

For the entire afternoon, Yan Liqiang, Hu Haihe, and Fang Beidou ran around inside and outside the capital city. They visited the shops of the Shunyi Bookstore, the workshop, and the manor. After giving Fang Beidou an idea about the newspaper sections, Yan Liqiang had him find a few proficient wordsmiths in the Imperial Capital to write the articles. He also informed him about the employment of Xu Enda and his group and left the arrangements to him. As for the remaining matters, Yan Liqiang had Hu Haihe monitor Guo Si’s activities and to stay in touch with him. With that, he settled most of what he had to do.

Yan Liqiang suddenly recalled something when he was about to part ways with Hu Haihe.

“Oh right. Haihe, you’re a local that grew up in the Imperial Capital. You probably know your way around the city, right?”

“Of course. I can find my way from the north to the south of the city with my eyes closed. Apart from the royal palace, I know my way around the city inside out!” Hu Haihe looked at Yan Liqiang. “Do you have a task for me, Manager?”

After hanging out with Yan Liqiang for an entire afternoon, Hu Haihe grew more comfortable with addressing him as ‘Manager’.

“I do have something for you aside from the matter involving Guo Si!” Yan Liqiang pondered for a moment. “Go find some well-informed people who love gathering all sorts of information to be the informants for our newspaper…”

“Uhm… so we’re hiring them?”

Yan Liqiang shook his head. “Don’t hire them right away. Let’s see how it will work out first…” Although he was running a newspaper, the journalist profession didn’t exist in this world yet. Therefore, he could only take one step at a time in slowly nurturing these people, starting from those who could provide information. He’d need to see if he could find a few reliable individuals first. “Find a few that would like to exchange their information for money. If the information they provide is accurate and trustworthy, it will go on our newspaper and they will be paid, starting from a hundred copper coins!”

Hu Haihe immediately felt a rush of energy. “That’s simple! Many well-informed individuals can be easily found in teahouses or the Law Enforcement Offices. However…” Hu Haihe frowned and looked at Yan Liqiang puzzledly. “However, a hundred copper coins for some news is really easy money. That just means one news is worth three days of hard labor that my fellow brothers and I used to do. Aren’t we offering too much…?”

“The amount might seem like a lot, but they are necessary expenses. We can offer more for news that is interesting enough. Ten or a hundred taels of silver in exchange for news is not a problem!” Yan Liqiang looked at Hu Haihe who was dumbstruck. “It’s alright if you don’t understand now. You will in due time. Just proceed according to my instructions for now!”

“Got it!” Hu Haihe nodded solemnly because he had faith in Yan Liqiang.

……

Yan Liqiang returned to the Deer Villa after dark. He had been busy the entire afternoon. His plans on running a newspaper were finally taking shape. Hence, Yan Liqiang was in a great mood. The pressure he had been feeling completely vanished as his entire body relaxed. In any case, it was enough as long as he had a clear conscience knowing that he had done his best.

On his way back to Deer Villa, Yan Liqiang tried to come up with a good name for the newspaper that would soon see the light of day while walking. After much consideration, he concluded that ‘The Great Han Times’ would be a suitable name.

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That split moment felt like a historical moment to Yan Liqiang.

…..

After cultivating the eye technique as well as Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing at night, Yan Liqiang entered the Heavenly Realm before sleeping. He only came out after spending a day in there.

The other Yan Liqiang in the Heavenly Realm spent most of his day on his rhinodrake steed, thinking of a way to bypass the area affected by the White Lotus Society and return to the Divine Sword Sect with the escort agency party. The Great Han Empire seemed to grow more restless after the catastrophe struck the Imperial Capital.

The next day went on as usual. Yan Liqiang resumed cultivating under the waterfall on the mountain behind the archery range. He shook his spear the entire day until he was exhausted. When he returned at night, he used Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing to recover and strengthen himself…

On third day morning however, Yan Liqiang didn’t go to the waterfall for his training. He directly went to another place on the mountain behind the archery instead to meet his other master.

Compared to the thatched cottage Li Hongtu lived in, Old Man Ji’s residence looked like a five-star lavish villa with a scenic view. It was an extremely gorgeous courtyard that sat within the bamboo forest. There was a stream and a small bridge across it in front of the entrance. The birds were singing and the scent of flowers was in the air. Everything in the place was exquisite and tastefully picked out.

When Yan Liqiang arrived, the old man was playing a zither at the pavilion in the bamboo forest. He was dressed in casual white robes and his hair was neatly combed. The ethereal melody flowed like water and was pleasant to the ears. A few cranes were wandering around the pavilion, creating an inspiring ambience.

Yan Liqiang went to the pavilion and silently listened to the melody. The old man didn’t seem to notice Yan Liqiang’s presence as he was focused on playing his zither.

Yan Liqiang listened to the melody silently for more than two hours, from the first rays of the morning sun until the sun was high up in the sky, before it finally ceased.

Yan Liqiang went up to the old man and bowed respectfully, “Greetings from Yan Liqiang, Senior!”

“Not bad for you to patiently listen to my zither for more than two hours in silence. Your calm breathing and temperament will indeed make you a fine archer. That Li guy will never be able to do well with a disciple like you!” The old man’s gaze finally fell on Yan Liqiang’s face as a small smile appeared on his. “Although you have manners, I presume you still doubt my skills by calling me Senior instead of Master. Am I right that you are still not convinced?”

Yan Liqiang didn’t feel embarrassed either. He calmly looked at the old man and nodded in agreement. “I have attained the Fourth Heavenly Layer in archery and am able to draw a ten-picul bow. My arrow can hit bugs as tiny as a candle flame from a thousand meters away. Killing my enemies is as easy as turning over my hand. My cultivation in archery has been self-taught. I wonder what you have to teach me?”

“Hahaha, not bad, not bad at all. It has been a very long time since I saw anyone attain the Fourth Heavenly Layer in archery at your age. On top of that, you have reached that point solely by relying on yourself…” The old man smilingly looked at Yan Liqiang up and down with his sparkling eyes. “Since you are so confident about your cultivation in archery, why don’t we make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“It’s very simple — I will stand fifty meters away from you, you shoot me with a ten-picul bow, and I will defend myself with arrows. I will give you three tries. If your arrow touches even the hem of my robes, I will call you ‘Master’. Consider me unlucky if you manage to kill me. I will never blame you for it. If you can’t do that, then you will have to kowtow three times to me and be my disciple. How about that?”

“I will shoot you with an arrow and you will defend yourself with arrows? Are you sure about that…?” Yan Liqiang stared at the old man in white, wondering if he had lost his mind. Defending against an arrow with an arrow was akin to defending against a bullet with a bullet. Such an extreme cultivation idea had never even crossed Yan Liqiang’s mind before. The awesomeness of whoever could execute this would be beyond his imagination.

“That’s right. I’m sure of it!” The old man nodded calmly.

Yan Liqiang’s expression turned solemn as he cupped his fist to the old man. “Well then, Yan Liqiang will boldly ask Senior for guidance…”

[1] The world’s first movable type system was invented around AD 1040 in China during the Northern Song Dynasty by the inventor Bi Sheng (990–1051), using movable components to reproduce the elements of a document on the medium of paper.