“Because of your prestige connections with Zheng Qingfang, his butler and waitress’s favorable impression points have broken through 100 and their status upgraded to ‘friendly’. You have received a 3-in-1 reward. The black-iron treasure chests will be upgraded into a single bronze treasure chest.”
As the system explained, a bronze-colored treasure chest appeared before Sun Mo.
“Put it away first!”
After Sun Mo instructed the system, he looked at Ying Baiwu and started his story.
“Once upon a time, there were two people who were very filial to their parents. Their filial piety eventually touched the deities in heaven. A deity then descended and gave them a map each, telling them to keep heading east. They would come across a treasure island that’s filled with gold and silver, and they could take as much as they wanted to.
“The two of them set off and continued walking and walking. A year later, they both arrived at the edge of a great ocean. However, there were no other paths forward.”
After listening, the papaya girl started. “Would that deity be a liar? He made them set off on this journey and snuck into their homes when they were not around to steal valuable items!”
“Silence!”
Li Ziqi made a shushing noise. Sun Mo already said that it was a fairytale; hence, this story must be for children. There was no need to apply strict logic to it. The main thing of a fairy tale was about its content, morals and its metaphorical meaning. Hence, the deity was definitely referring to a true heavenly deity. As for the great ocean, it most probably referred to the test the two characters had to pass before they could obtain the gold and silver.
Gu Xiuxun glanced at Lu Zhiruo’s chest. So, the idiom ‘big boobs but no brain’ was true. (No wonder my boobs are stuck in this size. So, I was simply too intelligent.)
It wasn’t that Gu Xiuxun was a narcissist, but Li Ziqi was also another example. Look at how intelligent Li Ziqi was, her sunny-egg chest was even inferior when compared to her.
“The two of them pondered and pondered, but they couldn’t think of a solution. After that, a woodman randomly passing by told them that there was a wise man in the mountains. If the two of them had a problem they couldn’t resolve, they could seek out the wise man to consult him. Hence, the two of them decided to head into the mountains.
“When the wise man saw them, even before they spoke, he smiled. He asked if they were heading to the treasure island.
“The two of them were badly shocked and impressed. As expected of a wise man. He even knew about this. Hence, they decided to consult him for his advice.
“The wise man said he had a solution to allow them to go to the island, but he wanted 30% of the gold and silver they brought back!
“So much? That wise man is actually a person greedy for money!” Lu Zhiruo exclaimed in disdain. In her heart, wise men should be like immortal sages, helping people to solve difficulties while treating wealth as dirt.
“30% was indeed a little too much. Hence, the two of them tried to negotiate, wanting the wise man to take back his request. However, the wise man didn’t agree, and the two of them left. Just like that, they waited for one month but still didn’t manage to think of a solution to reach the island. Moreover, they had already left home for over a year. Hence, the two decided to agree to the suggestion of the wise man. It’s just that when they looked for the wise man this time around, the wise man demanded a cut of 50% instead.”
After Sun Mo spoke for a while, the papaya girl interrupted again.
“So shady? Could that wise man be a swindler?”
The papaya girl analyzed, feeling that her guess had a very high probability of being correct.
Li Ziqi felt some impulse to clasp her hand over Lu Zhiruo’s mouth. (Please, stop interrupting. The atmosphere that was specially created by teacher through his tone and manner is gone because of your interruptions.)
“The wise man isn’t a swindler. The two of them heard his request. So expensive? They started to hesitate again. But one of them, let us call him ‘A’, decided to accept the request. As for the other, we will temporarily call him ‘B’, he was reluctant to do so. But on the second day’s morning, he saw ‘A’ receiving a boat and was preparing to move out in the sea. He was worried that ‘A’ would take away the most valuable treasures on the island. Hence, he hurriedly went to find the wise man and said he agreed to the 50% cut. But now, the wise man told him he wanted 60% instead.
“When ‘B’ heard this, he was extremely anxious and was truly reluctant. But after thinking of the consequences if he didn’t agree, he wouldn’t know how long more he had to wait here. Also, the treasures might all be taken by ‘A’. Hence, he could only agree.
“The wise man smiled and said there was a type of fish in the sea that loved to eat wood. Hence, normal boats made of wood would be devoured once they got on the water. Thus, he had a boat made of wax. This type of boat was light and durable, but there was one problem. The wax boat was afraid of the rays from the hot sun. Hence, if one wants to move out to the sea, they have to wait until evening, after the sun has set.”
“There’s even a boat made from wax?”
The papaya girl had a stupefied look on her face.
“Teacher already said that this is a fairy tale!”
Li Ziqi was speechless.
“The wise man said that when the sail of the wax boat opened up, two hours was sufficient for the boat to reach the treasure island. Then ‘B’ had to leave the treasure island before tomorrow morning. At the latest, he had to leave before the sun appeared on the horizon.”
“Evening arrived. ‘A’ and ‘B’ moved out after receiving the instructions and warnings from the wise man. Two hours later, they successfully arrived at the treasure island. After that, they were deeply shocked by what they saw. Under the moonlight, gold, silver, and gems could be seen covering the entire island.”
Ying Baiwu was mesmerized by what she heard. Evidently, she was imagining what the treasure island would look like.
“After the two of them cheered, they began to move the treasures onto the boat. They only took gold because silver was not as valuable and would occupy space. The two of them chose to take gold without prior consultation with each other. But after they moved the gold half-way, they began to look down on the gold and decided to hoard the more valuable gems instead. It’s just that the cabin of the boat was very large. Also, a single person moving the treasures was simply too slow. Hence, when the sun was about to rise, they hadn’t even fully filled the cabin.
“Their hearts grew anxious. This was especially so when they looked at the surface of the wax boat; there were already signs of melting. They immediately panicked, but the boats weren’t full yet. They truly felt reluctant to leave just like that.
“A’ and ‘B’ hesitated, neither of them left immediately. However, ‘A’ started to move the gold on the sandy shore, while ‘B’ continued to pick gemstones. However, he soon discovered that the gems he moved weren’t as much as the amount of gold ‘A’ could move. Hence, he decided to shift his focus on moving gold too.”
Sun Mo glanced at Ying Baiwu. This iron-headed girl was already immersed in the story. As for Gu Xiuxun, she was deep in contemplation.
“The two of them were extremely fatigued and had a head full of sweat. At this moment, the sun finally appeared on the horizon. ‘A’ looked at his boat that was almost completely filled and felt a little upset. However, he remembered the words spoken by the wise man and immediately decided to leave.”
“As for ‘B’, he was grumbling that he just needed a little more time to fill his boat completely. He was still moving the gold. ‘A’ was a good person. Upon seeing this, he roared, ‘If you lose your life, what’s the point of having so much money?””
Wa
“Staring at the increase in the melting speed of the wax boat, ‘B’ had no choice but to return. As he watched the treasure island gradually fading away from his vision, he smacked his head and blamed himself for not training hard usually. In the end, he was too weak leading to the speed of him moving the treasures being too slow.”
After hearing this, Lu Zhiruo suddenly called out with a complacent look on her face. “I understand now. Teacher wants to tell us that we have to cultivate hard as well. If not, we might regret our lack of hard work at crucial times.”
Li Ziqi facepalmed. This fairy tale spoken by her teacher was clearly told to correct Ying Baiwu’s money-grubber personality! “Eh? Isn’t it?”
Seeing that Sun Mo didn’t reply, the papaya girl hurriedly shrank back into the pool. She dipped her head in and swam away. (Aiya, how embarrassing!)
“The two of them journeyed back. They looked at their boats that were half-filled with treasures and began to imagine the beautiful future awaiting them. They would buy several hundred mu of land and become a landlord. They would also marry a warm and virtuous lady. Wait, a minute. Since they have so much money, they could even afford to marry a few more concubines.” Before Sun Mo could finish speaking, he was interrupted again. “Hmph, all men would become bad once they have money!”
Gu Xiuxun was indignant.
II
Sun Mo was speechless. (Can you let me tell my story in peace? Also, the Middle-Earth Nine Provinces are the same as ancient china, right? A man is permitted to have many wives. Gu Xiuxun, why are you so angry?)
He wasn’t able to tell that this masochist was actually a feminist.
“Teacher, the story you told was very fascinating. Please continue!”
Li Ziqi blinked. Her expression now was like she couldn’t wait to continue listening.
“Hehe!”
Sun Mo felt gratified in his heart. The little sunny egg was simply like his jacket, warm and considerate. Also, her words made her become the fall-guy, helping him out
Honestly speaking, a fairy tale like this could only cheat the kids. Li Ziqi had long since passed the age where she would believe in fairy tales.
When Sun Mo was in primary school, he read fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, Greene, and the ‘A Thousand and One Nights’ many times. As a result, he had felt that the world was very beautiful, and justice would definitely be able to defeat evil.
When he was in secondary school, he began to fall in love with books like ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’, ‘The Three Musketeers’, etc. The themes of elegance and revenge caused his thoughts to wander. And after he discovered ‘A Step into the Past’, it felt like the door to a new world had opened before him.
Everyone was different because of their life experiences. They would have different views with regard to the same thing. When adults read fairy tales, they would usually find them childish.
But what ought to be said still needed to be said.
“The two of them soon discovered that they were too naive. There were simply too many treasures on their boats; hence, the speed of their boats slowed. They would surely not be able to return within the time limit as their wax boats were continuing to melt.
“B’ paced around anxiously. A few minutes later, he saw ‘A’ starting to throw gold into the ocean. Because the load on the boat was reduced, the speed of the boat became quicker. ‘B’ went to his boat’s cabin and looked at the gold, but he truly felt reluctant. He was conflicted for a few minutes more, but when he saw ‘A”s boat moving further and further away from him, ‘B’ could only bear the pain in his heart and threw the gold away.
“‘B’ began tossing the smaller gold bars with less value. Every time he saw a bar land in the water, he would feel pain in his heart. There goes a plot of land, and after that, there goes a concubine.
“‘B’ doesn’t wish to throw the gold away anymore, but as the sun continued to rise, the temperature rose as well and the melting speed of the boat increased further. From the looks of things, the boat would melt and he would drown before he could return.
“At this moment, ‘A’s boat had already vanished into the distance. ‘B’ climbed up the mast and looked while praying unceasingly, hoping to be able to see land. He also hoped for the melting speed to slow down and he even took a wooden bucket and filled it up with sea water, splashing the sea water on the deck to lower the wax boat’s temperature. This solution was inferior to tossing gold. Hence, in order to live on, he could only continue to throw the gold away. As he threw them, when the final chest of gems remained, he was crying in pain and misery. He hugged it tightly, unwilling to throw this. If he even lost this, wouldn’t the suffering he endured be wasted?
“‘B’ carried the chest and kept praying. And under the torment he felt, the wax boat suddenly began to sink. He ran to the front of the boat and discovered that the deck was too thin. It wasn’t able to endure the pressure of the sea and was now broken. At this moment, ‘B’ was completely in panic mode. He tossed away the last chest of gems, even his clothes, food, and freshwater. He tossed away everything he could toss, but it was useless. The boat sank and he drowned to death.”
“What about ‘A’?”
Lu Zhiruo was curious.
“B’ felt that ‘A’ must have also died. But he didn’t know that ‘A’s decisive actions by quickly tossing all the gold and gems earlier let him survive it. He only had ten rings left on his fingers. His wax boat did sink, but the distance between his boat and the shore wasn’t that far away. ‘A’ managed to swim back fortunately. “After meeting the wise man again, ‘A’ gave him five of the rings. After that, he took the other five rings back home. Although the amount they sold for wasn’t a lot, it was enough for him to buy ten mu of land and to marry a wife.”
Sun Mo finished the story. Li Ziqi immediately passed a water bag made of leather over.
“Baiwu, you are an intelligent person. You should understand that wealth would blind your eyes and would even become your burden, slowing your steps forward.”
Sun Mo glanced at the money-grubber and spoke with sincerity, “Is money good? Yes, but the current you already didn’t need to worry about money. Even if you don’t wish to live forever, you can still look for a thing you like to do.”
Priceless Advice was activated. The golden glow cascaded onto Ying Baiwu.
“A thing I like to do?”
Ying Baiwu sank into a daze. Her greatest ambition in this life was to be able to eat well and be comfortably clothed. She wanted enough money to the point where she could spend without limits. Even for her cultivation, she wanted to learn sword dances simply because she didn’t want to go hungry ever again in this lifetime.
Sun Mo didn’t blame Ying Baiwu. As a teacher, he had seen too many students from poor families. What was lamentable actually wasn’t the starting point of others, it was your ending point. Basically, you were not even on the same track as students from a rich family.
You could chase them with all your effort and work hard your entire life. But you might not even be able to see the back of your target.
Gu Xiuxun sank into contemplation. This fairy tale didn’t have much meaning. She could come up with over ten fairy tales like this in a single breath. However, the words ‘look for a thing you like to do’ at the end caused her to be deeply moved as she recalled her time as a student.
“What a pity. If I had a classmate like Sun Mo when I was a student, things would surely be very interesting, right?”
Gu Xiuxun looked at Sun Mo and smiled. However, the time wasn’t too late now. As an intelligent woman, Gu Xiuxun loved to be acquainted with people of good inner qualities, thoughts, and depth. Only then would life not be boring.
“Sigh, Sun Mo is handsome, has foresight, and is also capable. He should be a very good candidate for a boyfriend, but he already has a fiancee!”
Gu Xiuxun felt some regret.
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Gu Xiuxun +100. Friendly (480/1,000).
Upon hearing the notification, Sun Mo had a stunned look on his face. (You are a teacher, why are you moved by my tale? So, you are a naive and pure person who still believes in fairy tales?)
Honestly speaking, back in his previous world, Sun Mo definitely wouldn’t dare to tell this story or he would become the butt of jokes of the school right away.
There were no other reasons. It was too childish. In that era, even primary school students didn’t believe in fairy tales.
He looked at his three students. Even the most innocent papaya girl didn’t contribute any favorable impression points.
“I think I’ve wasted my words.”
Sun Mo felt like crying, but no tears were coming out. After that, he vowed silently in his heart. (If I tell them any fairy tales again, I will be a dog!) “Teacher!”
Ying Baiwu’s tone was solemn. “I understand what you are trying to say. I won’t place such high regard for money in the future. But I have a question!” “Speak!”
Sun Mo smiled. At this time, he should let the atmosphere lighten up.
Ying Baiwu hesitated. After that, she glanced at Sun Mo. Her gaze was filled with hope and trepidation, but there was also unease and nervousness. “Teacher, would you bring me up like how a parent would bring up their children?”
“Cough, cough!”
Sun Mo was badly frightened. If these words were spoken in the modern era and heard by others, his career would be finished.
The expressions of Li Ziqi and Lu Zhiruo changed, but Gu Xiuxun seemed to feel this was very normal. In Middle-Earth Nine Provinces, the relationship between a teacher and personal students was simply so intimate.
A teacher for a day, father for life. This wasn’t just empty words!
If Ying Baiwu wasn’t living well, Sun Mo had the responsibility to take care of her. Naturally, when Sun Mo became old, Ying Baiwu also had to take care of him.
“Teacher, it’s very easy to feed me. I can just eat a few buns and salted veggies every day.”
Ying Baiwu looked at Sun Mo. The important thing wasn’t what she was eating, but who she was eating with.
“This isn’t a problem of money.”
Sun Mo was conflicted. This question was too tough to answer. Given his foundation now, it wasn’t a problem to bring up Ying Baiwu even in the manner of bringing up a little princess. But this had nothing to do with money. “Baiwu, I hope that your personality can be independent and you can use your own judgment to deal with things. You shouldn’t always consider my existence.”
Ying Baiwu shook her head. She was rescued by Sun Mo, saved from a swamp-like hell. The amount of respect Ying Baiwu felt for Sun Mo was almost to the point where she treated him as a father.
The money-grubber girl really did love money. But if Sun Mo needed to use money, she would immediately offer all she had to him, including her life.
Bluntly speaking, Ying Baiwu had a father, but her real father was a gambling addict and a human scum. She had never felt any sense of a father-and-daughter relationship with her real father. Now that there was Sun Mo, regardless of his image or strength or his concern for her, all of these caused Ying Baiwu to be 100% enchanted. The current Sun Mo was like the ideal father she had always wanted in her heart.
She respected Sun Mo, she worshiped Sun Mo, and she wanted to stay together with
him.
For the matter of her loving money, it was something carved in her bones. It was the same for Sun Mo. In the past when he went to the city from his rural village, he would rather walk a long distance and wasn’t willing to spend the money on transport.
Such a habit was something nurtured since young. It wouldn’t be possible to change it instantly.
Also, there was news saying that a mother had beaten up her child because her child had lost a train ticket. Wasn’t it fine just to buy another ticket? But some people had no idea that the ticket that cost $5 might be two days worth of meals to that mother.
Ying Baiwu was precisely like that. Money, to others, might be a pair of beautiful shoes or new clothes. But to her, it was buns. It was food that could let her live on, freeing her from hunger…
The meaning was different.
However, since her teacher had said it, even if she felt an ache in her heart, she had to change her bad habit of being a money-grubber. Because in her heart, her teacher had more weight compared to money.
“Teacher Sun, bringing her up is your responsibility. Do you agree?”
Gu Xiuxun persuaded, feeling envy in her heart. (A genius like Ying Baiwu is so passionate about you. You should really rejoice.)
How many teachers were afraid that the students they taught would eventually fly away after their wings hardened? If their students were like Ying Baiwu, they would even be smiling in their dreams.
“Aright!”
Sun Mo agreed.
Because he had studied psychology before, Sun Mo could understand Ying Baiwu’s current state of mind somewhat. In the past, she had always gone hungry and had to work every day to fill her belly. How would she have the time to have ambitions? Now, her life was more stable. Hence, this caused her to be at a loss.
Other than earning money, Ying Baiwu basically didn’t know what to do.
To speak bluntly, it meant that she was not mature yet. Actually, Lu Zhiruo was in the same situation as well. Her ambition was to become a person whom her father would feel proud of.
Although Sun Mo was a teacher, he didn’t wish to enforce his world view, ideology, and outlook on his students. He hoped that they could use their own judgment to see and understand this world.
“Thank you, teacher!”
Ying Baiwu bowed deeply. “From now on, I won’t care about money any longer.”
The iron-headed girl added another sentence in her heart after she finished speaking. (In the future, I will only care about teacher.)
“Teacher, will you bring me up as well?”
Lu Zhiruo grew anxious and was blinking her eyes. It felt like she was a kitten that was about to be abandoned. “My food intake…is much lesser than Baiwu’s.”
“Even if you have to eat an elephant every meal, I will bring you up as well!”
Sun Mo was helpless. He patted Lu Zhiruo on her head.
“Oh yeah, I knew that teacher is the best!”
Lu Zhiruo grinned happily. After speaking, she wanted to hug Sun Mo’s arm.
Sun Mo hurriedly dodged. They were wearing so little now and if skin-to-skin contact happened, something would surely occur. The papaya girl might not mind this, but he had to take note to avoid gossip. “Alright, we have soaked enough. Let’s go and pack up. We will depart shortly.”
Sun Mo instructed.
“Right!”
Ying Baiwu smiled sweetly. She felt that she only saw the possibility of a new life today.
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Ying Baiwu +100. Friendly (1,300/10,000). Staring at the three girls packing their stuff, Sun Mo shook his head. He felt rueful. “Being a teacher is really so troublesome!”
“Yes, being able to teach is just a portion. It’s the toughest to guide their growth!”
Gu Xiuxun sighed. The word ‘teacher’ could mean too many things.
“Slowly.”
Sun Mo gained another portion of understanding toward the occupation ‘teacher’. “System, help me to open the treasure chest!”
A bright light glowed as the bronze treasure chest opened, leaving behind a time emblem.
“System, what skill would profit the most if I used the time emblem on it?”
Sun Mo asked.
Right now, all his skills were sufficiently high level. There was nothing that was in urgent need of enhancing.
“Divine Sight!”
The system replied, “After you reach the ancestor-level, Divine Sight would automatically analyze data and give you the best understanding. For example, if you glanced at a cultivation art, Divine Sight would automatically amend its flaws to make the cultivation art more perfect.”
“So impressive?”
Sun Mo was shocked.
“The Absolute Great Teacher System is omnipotent!”
The tone of the system’s voice was filled with pride.
“Use it to upgrade Divine Sight!”
Sun Mo decided.
Ding! “Congratulations. Your Divine Sight has gained 10 years of experience and received a small upgrade.”
“F***!”
Sun Mo couldn’t bear it any longer. What did it mean by a small upgrade? Where was the promised ancestor-grade?
“That’s the ancestor-grade, a 10-years time emblem isn’t sufficient!”
The system explained. “Why didn’t you say it earlier?” Sun Mo scolded. “Who knew your aptitude is so bad?”
The system counter-mocked. Actually, it wasn’t that Sun Mo’s aptitude was bad. Rather, it was simply too difficult to raise something to the ancestor-level. As long as one was an ancestor-level expert, it meant that one was the number one in a certain field.
“How many points do I have now?”
Sun Mo didn’t like to give up halfway. He prepared to buy more time emblems.
“17,865!”
The system remembered this very clearly.
“I want to purchase five time emblems!”
Sun Mo gritted his teeth.
Ding!
“Purchase successful, I hope you had fun shopping.”
“Use them!”
Sun Mo felt that it should be sufficient with so many time emblems. However, he still underestimated the amount of experience required to reach the ancestor-grade. After he had finished using the time emblems, the system only congratulated him, saying that his Divine Sight had received a large upgrade.
“Damn!”
Sun Mo really wanted to give the system a good beating. However, he couldn’t possibly give up now after spending points to buy five time emblems. He could only continue buying
“Give me five more!”
Sun Mo decided to go all-out.
Ding!
“Purchase suc…”
“Stop talking nonsense, use them directly.”
Sun Mo urged.
A current of warmth immediately flowed into Sun Mo’s mind. In an instant, his vision turned dark as he felt his head spinning. “What’s wrong with you?” Gu Xiuxun was badly frightened. She hurriedly supported Sun Mo.
“Nothing!”
His eyes felt extremely painful. It was like someone was stabbing a dagger into his eyes, forcibly digging them out.
“I thought you said you are okay?”
Gu Xiuxun saw cold sweat covering Sun Mo’s body. She cried out in alarm, “Ying Baiwu, quickly go and get Teacher Jin over!”
“No need!”
Sun Mo stopped her. The pain came suddenly but also left very suddenly. After that, he heard the system’s notification.
Ding!
“Congratulations, your Divine Sight finally broke through after several tens of years of tempering. It’s now at the ancestor-grade.”
“Your eyes have completed the transformation!”
