Sending a Letter via Goose

What exactly had Lin Su written in those two Seven-Colored Poems? Naturally, that was what Lin Jialiang most wanted to know.

Lin Su wrote down both poems, and Lin Jialiang read them word by word countless times, overwhelmed with emotion. Seven-Colored Poems—so exquisitely brilliant...

Then he changed the subject and asked another question. "Third Brother, besides these two, have you written any others?" He looked at Lin Su, his eyes carrying a rather meaningful gleam...

Lin Su understood at once. "I wrote one for Sister-in-law on your behalf, Second Brother."

"You..." Lin Jialiang's eyes bulged. "So it was true! I knew it—Yu Lou said the moment she arrived that I had asked you to bring her a poem... What did you write?"

"May I ask the river tide and sea ripples, how can they compare to your feelings and mine? Resenting one another is not as good as the tide, which keeps its promises; only in longing do I realize the sea is not so deep." After reciting the poem, Lin Su added, "Second Brother, don't let it slip to Sister-in-law..."

Lin Jialiang pondered for a long time before letting out a long sigh. "Resenting one another is not as good as the tide, which keeps its promises; only in longing do I realize the sea is not so deep. Such a peerless poem ought to be a Colored Poem as well! Third Brother's talent truly is..."

After gently shaking his head, Lin Jialiang said, "Today is a day of great joy for the Lin Family. Let's write a letter to Eldest Brother. He is always worried about things at home; we should put his mind at ease!"

Lin Jialiang picked up the Precious Brush and wrote a family letter upon a sheet of Precious Paper. He wrote over a thousand words in a grand sweep, then moved his brush like the wind at the end and set down the character "goose."

The brush stopped, and the paper rose, transforming into a flying goose that flew south.

Sending a Letter via Goose—such was the method of scholars.

With a Literary Root, one could strengthen the body and sharpen the mind.

Once one entered the Literary Altar, one could use some of the most rudimentary Literary Way Power, such as Sending a Letter via Goose. Unlike the Qi Guiding Text, Sending a Letter via Goose consumed little literary energy. Even though Second Brother was still ill, he could still send a letter by goose.

"Eldest Brother is fighting far away in the south. Once he receives this letter, he will surely rest easy!" Lin Jialiang said. "Third Brother, you have already stepped through the gates of the Literary Way. You should advance further. Starting today, focus on reading quietly. There are only two months left until this year's Provincial Examination, so let us not speak of it. But three years from now, you must strike true in the Provincial Examination."

The Literary Way was exceedingly difficult.

Lin Su had not obtained his Literary Root through the proper process. He had exchanged a poem for a direct Sacred Bestowal from a Sage.

But such good fortune could not come again. The subsequent stages of the Literary Altar, Literary Mountain, and Literary Heart all had to be reached through the proper process: the Provincial Examination, the Metropolitan Examination, and the Palace Examination.

Thus, as the second brother, with their father dead and their eldest brother absent, Lin Jialiang temporarily took on the role of elder brother and laid out a life plan for his younger sibling.

Lin Su raised his head. "Didn't you say... this year's Provincial Examination has not been held yet?"

Lin Jialiang shook his head. "This year? There are less than two months left before this year's Provincial Examination. There is no time..."

The Provincial Examination was held once every three years, and its contents were truly all-encompassing. Masters, Philosophers, and Historians would all be covered. To thoroughly master these Classics, an ordinary person could not do so in an entire lifetime. Those with Literary Roots were naturally intelligent, yet even they required over a decade of hard work to possibly pass the Provincial Examination.

Even if Third Brother possessed peerless poetic talent, it would not do. The Provincial Examination tested far more than poetry. Poetry depended on inspiration and talent; the Provincial Examination tested accumulated knowledge.

Lin Su scratched his head. "Second Brother, tell me what the Provincial Examination tests..."

Lin Jialiang had gone through the Provincial Examination himself. Back then, he had passed as a Scholar with seventh place, so he was interested in the subject. He swiftly slipped into a certain role. What role? Senior student and mentor...

The Classics Second Brother listed included the Analects, the Book of Documents, the Tao Te Ching...

Lin Su's eyes fluttered as he listened. To be honest, he had never read these required subjects before. Who among those who read modern books would read such things? But now, he had read them all. As for how he had read them—he read them with his hands. With a touch of his finger, even the most profound Classics were engraved into his mind. He remembered them more clearly than someone who had studied by lamplight for decades. Was that supposed to let anyone else live?

The southern frontier stretched ten thousand miles in blood-red ruin!

A brutal battle was nearing its end. Over a thousand corpses lay scattered across the ground, while the sounds of final slaughter still rang out from the western slope.

More than a hundred people were trapped upon a small hill, their spears pointed outward as they stabbed madly.

Their opponents were abnormally tall, with faint scales visible upon their bodies. When spears pierced them, jade-green blood flowed out.

They were not human—they were of the Devil Race!

The Devil Race still had seven or eight hundred men, as well as over three hundred enormous Magic Beast mounts. Their momentum was overwhelming. The hundred-odd humans were like a lone boat amid raging waves, liable to capsize at any moment.

A young general roared, "Brothers! The Dingnan Iron Guard makes one become ten! Fight to the bitter end! Victory!"

"Victory!"

"Victory!"

Amid wild roars, the hundred-odd men swept their spears and sharp swords across the sky, Killing Intent crisscrossing everywhere. The Devil Race warriors who charged up the slope were cut down at once. Magic Beasts leaped through the air, only to be turned into minced flesh beneath their spears and swords. This wave of attack was repelled once more. Of the hundred-odd men, over ten died, while the Devil Race lost more than thirty men and twenty Magic Beasts.

The young general braced himself with his longsword, the wild wind sweeping around him. He stood between heaven and earth like a pillar! He was the Lin Family's eldest young master, Lin Zheng.

Seventeen charges in a single day.

With eight hundred Iron Guards, he had forcibly slain two thousand demon soldiers. By now, his strength was exhausted, and his true qi was close to a lamp running dry of oil. Yet he could not reveal even the slightest weariness, because he knew that those at his side were the Lin Family's last remaining force. If he collapsed, the entire unit would collapse. And if the unit collapsed, death was certain!

The martial force of the Marquis of Dingnan's Estate would be wiped out completely.

The Devil Race banner across from them rose, all the Magic Beasts took position, and the demon soldiers threw back their heads and roared...

A new assault was about to begin, and this time the entire army would press forward, gambling everything on one throw...

"This attack will surely see jade and stone burn together!" A general beside him sighed softly. "The Marquis's Estate bears a burden of a thousand jin. I wonder whether the Second Young Master can shoulder it!"

Lin Zheng lifted his gaze and looked north. Layer upon layer of clouds blocked the view; ten thousand miles of borderland lay beneath a blood-red setting sun.

Second Brother!

Your elder brother is leaving as well. What a pity that I cannot leave behind even one letter home.

Father was murdered. Today, all eight hundred Death Guards will also die in battle. Only you remain. The Lin bloodline is entrusted to you!

Suddenly, a streak of light crossed the sky. A flying goose pierced the air, landed in Lin Zheng's hand, and transformed into a sheet of golden, glowing paper...

"A letter from Second Brother!"

Lin Zheng was incomparably excited. At the final moment of his life, he could actually receive a letter from home. Perhaps this was the greatest comfort of his lifetime.

The others beside him also had shining eyes. They were three parts excited, yet seven parts terrified.

For they were all Lin Family Soldiers, their hearts tied to the main household. They also knew well that the main household had fallen into an unprecedented crisis. Under such circumstances, there could be no good news.

It must not be that something had happened to the Second Young Master. Even if the Matriarch had passed away, it would not compare to harm befalling the Second Young Master...

Storm clouds shifted across Lin Zheng's face. From his initial worry, to astonishment, to wild joy, he finally threw back his head and laughed aloud...

None of the hundred-odd men understood.

"Third Brother has emerged out of nowhere! Two Seven-Colored Poems in one day! The Sages directly bestowed a Literary Root upon him, hahaha..." Lin Zheng laughed madly. "Allow your elder brother to recite the peerless poem of our own brother as we march onto the battlefield. With no regrets in this life, even death shall be glorious!"

"Power has driven me to where freedom cannot be found,

Dragon rears and phoenix soars, their force cannot be bound..."

The impassioned recitation pierced the boundless curtain of blood, and the entire battlefield seemed to stir.

"Three thousand guests drunk amid flowers fill the hall..."

As the line was recited, countless phantoms suddenly appeared across the battlefield. They were unmistakably the seven hundred Death Guards who had already fallen.

"A Sword's Frost Chills Forty Prefectures!"

The blood energy filling the sky suddenly gathered, transforming into a heaven-shaking Giant Sword...

The Demon Army across from them was greatly alarmed. "A War Poem? Impossible..."

The heaven-shaking sword descended from the sky. With a scream, the Demon Army Leader was reduced to ashes. Fragments of the Giant Sword shot toward the hundred-odd men on the hillside, and the blades in their hands suddenly blazed brightly at once. In that instant, their strength seemed to return, restored to its peak. Their courage and blood energy were enhanced tenfold.

Kill!

With a furious roar, the hundred-odd men leaped forth and charged at the Demon Army.

At the very first clash, a hundred demon soldiers were slain...

"Drums and horns lift to heaven, auspicious air turns cold,

Wind and waves shake earth, sea and mountains turn autumn-old.

Let the southeast forever stand as the Golden Pillar of Heaven,

Who would envy the Marquis of Ten Thousand Households then!"

As the final word fell, Lin Zheng's longsword swept out. The Demon Army's great banner split into two, and a general beneath it was likewise cleaved in half.

At the same time, the sacred radiance faded from the letter in Lin Zheng's hand, and it returned to its original form.

The hundred-odd men all crumpled at once. Their spirit, energy, and resolve seemed to vanish along with the sacred light.

The phantoms of heroic martyrs across the field disappeared as well.

A long time passed. A very long time.

Lin Zheng let out a long breath and murmured, "A War Poem! Third Brother's poem was actually a War Poem."

War Poems were rare. Why? As their name suggested, War Poems were written for the battlefield. In a society that valued literature and belittled martial pursuits, what elite literary scholar would be willing to write poetry for lowly warriors?

It was beneath their status.

Thus, War Poems were exceedingly scarce. There were only around a dozen still in existence, and every one had been exploited to the utmost by the military.

It could be said that the first thing every soldier did after enlisting was memorize poems.

Although their usage rate was extremely high, their effects were not particularly good. Why? The grades of War Poems were not high. The highest-grade War Poem at present was Treading the River, written decades ago. It was a five-colored poem suited for naval battles, not land warfare.

Lin Su's poem was suitable for every battlefield, and it was even a Seven-Colored Poem.

Coupled with the Sage-bestowed name!

Its power was naturally extraordinary.

Yet that alone could not have produced today's miraculous result. There was another reason why the poem's effect had been magnified to the utmost: Lin Zheng's relationship with this poem was far from ordinary.

This poem had been written by his own blood brother, and it contained the will of the Lin clan.

Even the dead spirits of the Lin clan could be recalled. How terrifying was that?

At the Lin Residence, the sun was setting in the west.

Yu Lou had already returned. Seeing her radiant face, Lin Jialiang seemed to receive divine aid and climbed straight out of bed.

Yu Lou brought over several cups of tea. The two brothers sat in the study discussing the taboos of the Provincial Examination. At this moment, not a trace of illness could be seen on Lin Jialiang's face.

Suddenly, Lin Su gave a slight shudder.

"What is it?" Lin Jialiang stopped teaching.

A very strange expression appeared on Lin Su's face. "Something strange has happened... My Martial Root seems to have been activated."

"How could that be? You must be mistaken..." A martial practitioner could develop a Martial Root only after laying down the most perfect martial foundation. Yet Third Brother had been unable to endure the hardships of martial training since childhood, so how could he have established a perfect martial foundation? The most crucial reason Father had sent him into the Daoist sect back then was that Third Brother possessed neither a Literary Root nor a Martial Root. They could only let him try his luck in the Daoist sect.

Who could have imagined that upon returning, he would receive a Sacred Bestowal of a Literary Root? Before the excitement had even faded, he was now claiming that his Martial Root had activated.

Could that be possible?

Could it? Lin Su himself was puzzled. There truly was a strange root awakening within his dantian. The moment it awakened, it connected to the qi and blood throughout his body, seeming to share even his breathing. That was precisely the characteristic of a Martial Root as he understood it.

What Lin Su found even harder to comprehend was that this Martial Root was clearly connected to the dead tree in his mind. An invisible thread ran from his dantian to his brain, connecting to the middle dead branch. The instant it connected, that dead branch seemed to come alive as well. Only, there were no leaves upon it.

There was a dead tree in his mind, with three dead branches. When his Literary Root activated, one branch came alive. When his Martial Root activated, another branch came alive. What did that mean?

Lin Jialiang stopped pacing and fixed his eyes firmly upon Lin Su. "Third Brother, could this poem of yours be a War Poem?"

"A War Poem? Perhaps it is!" Lin Su was startled. What was the matter with a War Poem? Was there something special about it?

Lin Jialiang was incomparably excited.

There were two ways to activate a Martial Root. One was to cultivate the martial path bitterly and establish a perfect foundation. The other was to write a War Poem. War Poems enhanced soldiers' battle prowess while also feeding back to their original author.

Huh? There was even such a cheating method?

If I wrote a hundred War Poems, wouldn't every battle in The Whole World be fought on my behalf?

Lin Su's thoughts ran wild, and he immediately felt the urge to start writing... Oh, no, copying poems...

But at present, he had a question that needed answering. "Second Brother, have you heard of the eight-character prophecy, 'Three Dao Unification, breaking calamity and rising to greatness'?"

Lin Jialiang fell silent for a moment, then nodded gently...

The eight-character prophecy, "Three Dao Unification, breaking calamity and rising to greatness," had been sought by Father from an eminent Buddhist monk. But it had now been proven that the prophecy was inaccurate, because the three sons of the Lin Family had been sent down three separate paths, yet they had ultimately failed to break the Lin Family's calamity.

Moreover, that eminent monk had not been an eminent monk at all. Over a month ago, he had been swindling people in Haining. He was caught and beaten, and only released after returning every coin he had cheated from others...

After that explanation, Lin Su seemed to have heard it, yet also seemed not to have heard a word. Another thought surfaced in his mind...

"Three Dao Unification, breaking calamity and rising to greatness"—did the Three Dao Unification truly refer to the Lin Family's three sons each belonging to one Dao?

Could it instead refer to one person unifying three Dao?

There was a dead tree in his mind, with three dead branches. Two corresponded to the Literary and Martial Dao. The third remained withered and dead. Could it be the Dao Root whose doorway he had never managed to touch?