Xiao Man stared at the room packed with scrolls, her expression one of shock.
She finally understood why Sun Village was the most powerful village in this region. The sheer volume of scrolls in this room alone surpassed that of other villages.
While Bai Lang Village possessed a few scrolls, they were locked away in a chest, lacking the profound heritage of Sun Village.
"Can I read all these books?"
"Read them at your leisure," Elder Shi said indifferently. "The children in the village also come here to read often. This place is open to everyone in the village."
"Thank you, Elder Shi."
After thanking him, Xiao Man began to pore over the scrolls. Huo Lei casually picked one up and opened it. He recognized the individual characters, but when they were combined, he no longer understood them. After a short while, he felt dizzy and sleepy, so he quickly put it down.
"Xiao Man, what's so interesting about these?"
"Do you know what reveals a village's heritage?" Xiao Man asked without looking up.
"The number of warriors."
Xiao Man shook her head. "Not at all. It's the books in a village."
"These things?" Huo Lei clearly disagreed. As Bai Lang Village's strongest warrior, he possessed immense strength and was an excellent beast hunter. What use were these scrolls? Could they help him catch a fierce beast?
"Yes, these things." Xiao Man put down the scroll she was holding and picked up another. "Hunting fierce beasts doesn't necessarily require great skill or strength. A sharp mind can also hunt beasts, and with twice the results for half the effort."
"I don't understand."
"Then why do you think Sun Village became the most powerful among the Twelve Villages?" Xiao Man changed her approach. "Is it because they have the most warriors?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Man glanced at the decisive Huo Lei, feeling a bit helpless. "Currently, Bai Lang Village and two other villages have joined forces. The number of warriors is similar to Sun Village. Do you think Bai Lang Village can defeat Sun Village?"
"We haven't tried, so I don't know."
"You're quite frank," Xiao Man snorted. "Then do you want to try?"
"No," Huo Lei refused without hesitation. "If we were to confront Sun Village, we would both suffer heavy losses. Then, other villages would take advantage of our weakened state, and we would be at a disadvantage."
"Not entirely foolish," Xiao Man praised. "When strong forces join together, the weak dare not covet. If one has ambitions of dominance, they choose to ally with the distant and attack the near..."
"Ally with the distant and attack the near? Why? Shouldn't one befriend neighboring villages and together attack distant ones?"
"That's why I tell you to read more," Xiao Man shot Huo Lei a look. "When we cannot defeat all enemies simultaneously, we must find ways to dismantle their alliances. Start with the easiest targets, concentrate our forces, and defeat them one by one. If we start with the farthest, our supply lines will be extended, and the consumption of manpower and resources will be huge. We are also prone to being attacked from the front and back, and we might eventually be devoured by others. That's why it's called 'ally with the distant and attack the near'."
"I understand now. The reason you had Chang Yuan Village and Jin Diao Village move into Bai Lang Village is also a tactic of 'allying with the distant and attacking the near,' to conquer these two villages in a different way."
Xiao Man glanced at Huo Lei. "Don't say anything reckless when you go back."
Huo Lei scratched his head. "Xiao Man, do books teach these things?"
"Yes."
"What else do books contain?"
"The ancient saying goes, 'In books, there are beauties; in books, there are golden houses.'"
"What is 'Yan Ru Yu'?"
"Beautiful women."
"There are beautiful women in books? Are they monsters?"
"Haha," a teasing laugh came from the doorway. A young man walked in from outside. "That's just a metaphor. It doesn't mean real beautiful women. You bumpkin."
Xiao Man glanced at the young man. "The rat has a body, but you have no manners."
"You're scolding me!" The young man quickly realized Xiao Man was insulting him, his face turning red. "You outsider, how dare you scold me?"
"Am I scolding you?" Xiao Man appeared innocent. "How am I scolding you?"
"You're scolding me for being worse than a rat!" the young man said, his face flushed. "He's ignorant, and you're not even allowed to laugh?"
"You are rude, and you're not allowed to be scolded?" Xiao Man retorted. "The emperor is allowed to set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps. What is the reason for that?"
The young man gritted his teeth, his eyes slightly red. After a moment, he held back his tears and bowed to Huo Lei. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have insulted you."
"Knowing your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue."
The young man walked a few steps towards Xiao Man and tugged at her sleeve. "I insulted him, and I apologized. You insulted me, so you should apologize to me too."
"I scolded you for your own good, to help you correct your mistakes. You've corrected them, so I've praised you. Why should I apologize?"
"It's wrong to scold people!" the young man thought to himself. This woman was so sharp-tongued, scolding him and then saying it was for his own good!
"I scolded you, and you knew you were wrong, right?"
The young man scratched his head. "Yes."
"You knew you were wrong, and you've corrected it, which means I scolded you correctly. Therefore, I don't need to apologize," Xiao Man said, looking at the young man calmly. "Otherwise, what would you have corrected it for?"
The young man huffed. "You're bullying me!"
"Then are you going to complain to your mother?"
"I'm already an adult. I can't always complain to my mother; it makes me seem unmanly. Considering you're a woman, I'll forgive you!" The young man found an excuse for himself, took a scroll from the bookshelf, and began to read. However, after only reading a little more than half of it, Xiao Man had already switched to another.
"You're reading so fast, are you finished?"
"Mmm."
"Did you really finish?" The young man didn't believe her and picked up the scroll Xiao Man had put down. "What does it say on the sixth line?"
"'To establish power and govern matters, one must first observe similarities and differences, and distinguish between right and wrong words'," Xiao Man replied without looking up.
The young man carefully checked it. It was correct. He then counted down.
"What does it say on the third line from the bottom?"
"'If one desires to employ their skills for the empire, one must first measure their capabilities, observe the rise and fall of celestial times, and delineate the vastness and narrowness of the terrain'," Xiao Man answered without hesitation.
The young man was shocked. "How do you remember it so quickly after reading it?"
"I have a good memory; I can memorize things at a glance." Xiao Man looked up at the young man. "You're a child from the village, aren't you? How many of these books have you read?"
"One-third," the young man replied. "The content of many books is very obscure. I can't understand them on the first read, and I need to read them multiple times. So, I've only read one-third."
"Among the books you've read, are there any related to the Ruo Shui River?"
"Yes!" The young man went to the back, pulled out a scroll, and handed it to Xiao Man. "This is it."
"Are there any books about the origin of the wilderness?"
"You've come to the right person!" The young man proudly wiped his nose, disappeared into the depths of the bookshelf, and after searching for a while, pulled out a sheepskin scroll. "I found this by chance. Even the High Priest doesn't know about it!"