Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 108: Ultimate Move Right in the Face!

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Ultimate Move Right in the Face!

Seeing Zhang San head back, Pharaoh nudged Ma gently and asked in a low voice, "Do you really want to take this kid as your apprentice?"

Now that Zhang San addresses Ma Lingyao as Teacher, his status is just that of a student, not even qualifying as a disciple.

Ma Lingyao, looking toward the courtyard where Zhang San had gone, nodded his head with satisfaction and delight in his eyes.

"I have two unique skills in my life."

"One is fire, the Earth Fire Forging Technique. I’ve taught it to a few disciples, but their talents are mediocre at best; being able to make a living with this craft is already pretty good."

"The other is wood, the Woodcraft Making Method. After gaining my third eye, I comprehended Woodcraft Making without a teacher. Although I’m not as good as that Lu fellow, my ability and insight in Woodcraft Making are such that even Mo might find them noteworthy. Unfortunately, I have not found a suitable successor."

"This child is naturally intelligent. If he could inherit even half of my skills, that would be wonderful. But if..."

"He could inherit my entire mantle, that would be even better."

Pharaoh couldn’t help but be shocked.

He had originally thought that his old friend was just going to teach Zhang San one of his two unique skills, but it turned out that Ma Lingyao intended to teach Zhang San everything.

In that case, not taking Zhang San as his disciple would indeed be a loss.

"Since you have this in mind, then I will have to help you test the boy’s character a bit. If he’s suitable, I will help you."

Ma nodded his head.

He knew that Pharaoh was quite reliable when it came to assessing people.

Hmm... maybe not that reliable.

Well, let him try anyway.

After Zhang San had taught Xu the Evil-Banishing Eye Seal Spell, Xu quickly mastered it.

After all, with three eyes, Xu was naturally suited for practicing such secret techniques.

Once Xu had completed his practice, he took out a wooden carving that looked like a seal and pressed it on his forehead, right in the center of his three eyes.

Zhang San asked in surprise, "Senior Xu, what is this?"

"Calm Spirit Seal. It’s a type of Wooden Seal that can help a cultivator’s thoughts become tranquil and reduce distractions."

It was the first time Zhang San had heard of Wooden Seals. When he had been learning Woodcraft Making, he had never come across such a thing.

Thinking that he now had a teacher, Zhang San immediately ran to the neighboring courtyard.

At this time, the children had already installed the door.

Zhang San walked into the courtyard and saw his teacher chatting with Pharaoh, so he first greeted his teacher with a bow.

"Teacher, do you know about Wooden Seals?"

Seeing how eager to learn Zhang San was, Ma Lingyao immediately began to explain.

Only then did Zhang San realize that a Wooden Seal was a special Magical Treasure that lay between Techniques and Woodcraft Making.

But if you were to hold it to the standards of a Magical Treasure, it was too fragile, incapable of sustaining the defensive power that a Magical Treasure should have. In battle, it would shatter with just a forceful touch from an enemy.

Yet its capabilities were highly significant.

Cheaper to make and more effective than other seal-type Magical Treasures, but too fragile, which is why, even though it should be classified as a Magical Treasure, Wooden Seals are considered a separate category altogether.

To learn how to make Wooden Seals, one must not only be skilled in Wood Series Techniques and Woodcraft Making but also have a deep understanding of Runes.

"Do you want to learn? If you do, I can teach you."

Zhang San naturally wanted to learn, but before he could speak, Pharaoh pulled him aside.

"Don’t listen to his nonsense; his expertise with Wooden Seals is also quite average, maybe even not as good as mine."

Zhang San was stunned, not expecting the person in front of him to be so skilled.

"Zhang San, I see you’ve brought a senior from the Town Martial Office here for treatment; your character is commendable. Since the moon is beautiful tonight, why don’t you walk with me? It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Chuan-Yu Road, and I’d like to understand the current situation here."

Zhang San nodded, waved to Ma Lingyao, and then followed the elder out of the courtyard.

Knowing that Zhang San was a Martial Artist from the Town Martial Office, the elder asked curiously, "Zhang San, what do you think of your Town Martial Office?"

Zhang San just felt that there was something extraordinary about the elder. Though his clothes did not seem very luxurious, slightly better than those of his teacher Ma Lingyao, it wasn’t by much.

"I think it’s very good!"

"The existence of the Town Martial Office is to ensure equality for all, even Martial Artists can’t be above others."

The elder agreed on this point.

Initially, the elder had agreed and even supported the establishment of the Town Martial Office because he felt the Martial Path Sects and Martial aristocratic families were too rampant and did not regard the common folk as human.

Then, Zhang San continued, "I even believe that one day, through our struggle and efforts, there will be a world where everyone is equal."

Upon hearing this, the elder furrowed his brow slightly, but did not say anything.

Zhang San seemed to have not noticed the change in the elder’s expression and continued.

"Recently, I’ve been reading the Kaihuang Law..."

At the mention of the Kaihuang Law, the elder’s mouth twitched into a slight smile, but he quickly suppressed the complacent expression.

He couldn’t appear too happy, lest the young man notice that the Kaihuang Law was compiled under his supervision. That would be embarrassing, heh heh heh...

The elder straightened out his clothes, ready to face praise with an unaffected demeanor.

"I find this ’Deliberation, Reduction, Redemption’ very problematic. Doesn’t this tell everyone that as long as you have money and power, you can do whatever you want!"[Note 49]

"Officials have special procedures during trials and can even have their punishments reduced, and the higher their rank, the greater the reduction? Pharaoh, you tell me, is this something a human would come up with as law?"

At this point, the elder’s face was ashen, like a blackened pot under the moonlight.

"And it even allows redemption by paying with copper? This means rich people can do whatever they want!"

"Even ’substituting office for labor’ and ’substituting office for exile’?"

"Pharaoh, I see you’re plainly dressed and must be an ordinary person, just think, if you were an official and found out there were so many benefits, and the punishments for breaking the law were less than for others, wouldn’t you get the idea that not breaking the law would be a loss?"

Zhang San turned his head and saw that the elder was looking very upset.

"Pharaoh, what’s wrong? Didn’t you sleep well last night?"

With gritted teeth, the elder barely mustered a kind smile, saying, "It’s nothing, just tired from traveling to visit an old friend."

"Then I’ll take you back; you should rest. At your age, you shouldn’t stay up late like us young people."

Raising his hand with a serious look, the elder said, "I’m fine, truly! Continue, do you really think there’s such a big problem with this ’Deliberation, Reduction, Redemption’?"

Zhang San had originally intended to just make light conversation, but seeing the elder’s interest, he began to seriously enlighten him.

After all, he’s an elderly man from a feudal era; how could he understand the law better than me!

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[Note 49]A brief legal explanation

In the Kaihuang Law, there are clear provisions regarding "Deliberation, Reduction, Redemption," essentially granting legal privileges to guilty nobles and bureaucrats.

Deliberation refers to the ’Eight Deliberations,’ eight different privileged classes whose crimes must be determined by special judicial processes and whose punishments must be legally reduced accordingly.

Reduction involves decreasing the punishment for crimes committed by those under the ’Eight Deliberations’ and officials above the Seventh Rank.

Redemption allows officials of Ninth Grade and above to redeem their crimes with copper, meaning they could pay a fine instead of serving a sentence.

Substitute means officials can offset their crimes with lower official ranks, which is akin to a demotion as punishment, and then they’d be off the hook.