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The air was awkwardly silent for three breaths.
Qi Shan replied helplessly, "Martial Courage condenses qi within the body, while Literary Heart controls it externally." Although Shen Tang really wanted to say she understood, so as not to be mistaken for having an intelligence problem, but—
"I... don't quite understand. Can xiansheng explain in more detail?"
Qi Shan didn't expect Shen Tang to understand in one go. This young lord might indeed be a wild person from some obscure corner; his refined and subtle explanations were lost on her. So, Qi Shan switched to a more colloquial explanation.
"Martial Courage, 'martial' is its core. A warrior, from spear and halt, means to conquer and demonstrate power. To halt war with war, to stop war with war. Therefore, most Spirit Languages function on oneself, refining the body to make it incredibly powerful, capable of fighting a thousand foes, often with solitary bravery."
Shen Tang nodded thoughtfully. "Most Spirit Languages affect oneself. Does that mean a small portion don't?"
"Correct. Take the Spirit Language 'A Call to Arms' as an example—if a feudal lord or strategist uses it, it can invigorate a hundred soldiers. But if a general uses it, it can make a hundred soldiers don armor and mount horses, their morale condensing into a sharp, elite vanguard. If the morale of superiors and subordinates is unified, the elite become even stronger, incomparable."
Qi Shan already had experience, anticipating Shen Tang's anticipation, and answered before she could ask. "Certain Spirit Languages are common to both Literary Heart and Martial Courage; there's no need to be curious about that." The effect of the same Spirit Language varied in different people's hands, depending on individual comprehension and cultivation realm.
Shen Tang: "..."
Qi Shan continued, "Unlike Martial Courage, the essence of Literary Heart lies in 'strategy' and 'calculation.' Therefore, Spirit Languages tend towards control and planning, using them to constantly manage complex, unpredictable, and volatile situations. Martial Courage has twenty ranks; the higher the rank, the stronger it is. Thus, people believe Literary Heart is the same, higher rank means stronger. But in my opinion, this is a very mistaken perception. Literary Heart competes here." He pointed to his head. If one's intellect isn't sufficient, even with a second-rank upper-middle Literary Heart, one shouldn't easily provoke a ninth-rank lowest-tier Literary Heart whose true nature is unknown.
Shen Tang pondered for a moment. She felt like she understood, yet also didn't.
"Martial Courage is a person physically engaging in battle; if stronger, it's forming gangs and fighting with brothers. Literary Heart doesn't easily enter the fray, but acts as a behind-the-scenes boss hiring other fighters to do the battling? The former shows muscle, the latter shows brains?" One output, one support?
Qi Shan was silent for a few breaths after hearing this. Although he didn't understand what "show" meant, he could guess the general meaning from the context. He said expressionlessly, "You can understand it that way if you wish."
Shen Tang pondered carefully for a while, then asked, "...But, isn't that very passive?"
"Passive?"
"No matter how clever your brain, it can't withstand too many enemy fists." Literary Heart was an auxiliary command role, and its skills were mostly like that. Output mostly relied on Martial Courage. Once caught alone, wouldn't she be led to slaughter?
"As an adult, can't one pursue both Literary Heart and Martial Courage? Must one choose only one to cultivate?" She wanted both fish and bear's paw!
Qi Shan vaguely understood her thoughts. "Since records began, there have been instances of individuals cultivating both Literary Heart and Martial Courage simultaneously, but—"
"But what?"
Qi Shan poked the bonfire, saying indifferently, "They either died young, became mentally disabled, or their abilities were mediocre, no different from ordinary people."
Shen Tang: "..." Dual cultivation, this cheat, is not for me. She held the scroll, feeling dizzy from reading it. She recognized every character on it, and could commit Qi Shan's notes to memory at a glance. But how to cultivate, how to use it—she was utterly clueless. Asking the "newbie NPC," his words were profound and esoteric, completely in the realm of subjective idealism. Indeed, one shouldn't ask too much when getting things for free.
Time passed. Her rumbling stomach began to clamor again. Shen Tang rubbed her belly, looking at "quenching thirst with plums" on the scroll, and a picture of green plums appeared in her mind. "Didn't you say Literary Heart can 'conjure from nothing'... Wouldn't it be too much to ask for a few green plums with 'quenching thirst with plums'?" If there were many green plums, she could even make other things to store and eat.
Qi Shan, with his excellent hearing, poured cold water on her. "Of course, it's too much. Though 'Spirit Language' is miraculous, it cannot give people food. If it could—there wouldn't be so many starving people in the world." Unsure what he was thinking, Qi Shan sighed faintly at the bonfire. "Several months ago, while traveling abroad, I personally saw a city of people..." He paused here, deliberately ending the topic. Without him saying it explicitly, Shen Tang could imagine the rest. Nothing but the tragic scene of people dying of starvation everywhere.
She said, "Why not? 'Spirit Language' can conjure sharp blades, warhorses, and armor. It can enable a single man to fight a thousand soldiers. Why can't it conjure a few small green plums? It's all conjuring from nothing, why the discrimination? Even if it truly can't, it could still help with farming, couldn't it?" Using Literary Heart and Martial Courage for farm work, even if not as efficient as machinery, would still be far better than ordinary people toiling under the scorching sun. If it could conjure food—she felt she could sell plums to earn some travel money. Transmigrating to another world, becoming penniless and an escaped prisoner, she, an ordinary otaku artist, was truly having a hard time. If this path was also blocked, she could only return to her old profession of drawing for people. She wondered who would be willing to commission her.
Qi Shan didn't give a direct answer. He merely said, "I cannot answer your first questions, but as for the last one—you will understand when you have more experience in the future." In this murky, chaotic world, who would be willing to beat swords into plowshares? They would surely be attacked by all. The young lord's idea wasn't new; predecessors had tried, and ambitious individuals had traveled around, persuading and assisting feudal lords to advocate for reform. But all had failed for various reasons, meeting tragic ends.
Thinking of these unpleasant things, he irritably closed his eyes for a short nap. He could intermittently hear Shen Tang muttering "quenching thirst with plums." About half a kezhong (quarter hour) later, she was still wrestling with "quenching thirst with plums." Qi Shan, without opening his eyes, said, "Learning Spirit Language requires destiny. There are countless Spirit Languages in the world. If one doesn't work, don't waste time going down a rabbit hole. Move on to another. Of course, don't try to learn everything; biting off more than you can chew is not good. Quality over quantity."
"Oh, I understand."
Followed by a crisp crunching sound and chewing.
Qi Shan: "???"
The remaining half of the dry food and the waterskin were with him. Where did young lord Shen get food? He could faintly smell the fragrance of green plums.
Qi Shan: "!!!"
He suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Shen Tang. The latter was sitting cross-legged on the ground, with about a dozen round, green plums piled on her legs. Each looked fresh, juicy, and crisp. Shen Tang munched on them, her brows deeply furrowed from the sourness, her face contorted. Yet, because she was too hungry, she could only endure it and swallow.
"You, you these green plums... where did they come from?"
Qi Shan's eyes widened, his voice strained. He swallowed several times before he regained his ability to speak.
Shen Tang blinked, forcing away the sour-induced blurry vision. "Green plums? Oh, I kept trying the 'quenching thirst with plums' Spirit Language, and I tried hard to activate my Literary Heart, but it never had the effect you noted. After trying a few more times, a plum just appeared out of thin air... Look, it's like this—"
"Quenching thirst with plums!"
Shen Tang demonstrated after speaking. As the Spirit Language manifested, a green plum appeared out of thin air in her palm, under Qi Shan's astonished gaze.