Listening to Stories in the Streets, Gongs and Drums Announce Good News

For the past ten days or so, Qiu Yan's scholar clone has been wandering the streets and alleys, occasionally entering teahouses and taverns to listen to storytellers recount tales, legends, and tales. While observing, he subtly transmits the gathered Incense Thoughts to his divine self through the Black Hole in his soul.

As time passed, the atmosphere in Yuanning City grew increasingly tense, and the young scholars gathered there became more and more nervous.

The day the results are released is getting closer.

Early this morning, Qiu Yan's clone wandered around the streets, checked the time, and then entered a tavern, ordered two dishes, and ate slowly.

In the middle of the tavern, an elderly scholar, well past fifty, was vividly recounting the story of the Qi Family Generals, his words flowing like a torrent, drawing cheers from the audience.

Qiu Yan was listening intently, taking notes of every single word.

In his perception, every word spoken by the fifty-year-old Confucian scholar seemed to transform into invisible characters, entering his heart through his ears. Then, in a flash, they were absorbed by his Living Soul, condensing into books within his Living Soul and falling into the bookshelf labeled "Collection".

The Anthologies Section Bookshelf is sparsely furnished with a few books and scrolls, including poetry collections, dictionaries, vernacular stories, legends, operas, anthologies, and even half of the Daoist Canon!

Qiu Yan's Earthly Soul is divided into four shelves: Classics, Histories, Masters, and Anthologies, Classics Section Bookshelf is already filled with many books, all of which are interpretations and annotations of Confucian Canon. The History Section Bookshelf is still empty. As for the Masters Section Bookshelf, it only has a fragment of a manuscript, but it is the spiritual essence of the Sage Manuscript.

Compared to before, the aura emanating from the Earthly Soul Bookshelf has changed slightly, becoming more down-to-earth and ordinary, and less otherworldly and mysterious. This is because Qiu Yan has been walking around the streets and alleys these past few days, listening to many ordinary words, and collecting a lot of folk texts, which he has condensed in his soul, allowing the Earthly Soul to accumulate more.

The storyteller in the tavern stopped after a while, uttered the words, "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode," then packed up and left the tavern.

Inside the tavern, a buzz of discussion inevitably arose.

"The Qi family army is truly loyal and brave, a family of martyrs."

"Yes."

As they discussed the storytelling, the topic quickly shifted from the storyteller's tale to everyday matters. One Human Path said, "Have you guys eaten at Zhang's Tavern lately? Their chef's skills have improved dramatically! Before, hardly anyone went, but now you have to queue if you want to eat there!"

Immediately, someone laughed and said, "This is nothing new. Old Liu just returned to the city and doesn't know yet, but the neighbors have already spread the word. Do you know why Zhang's chef's cooking skills have suddenly improved so much?"

The man who had spoken earlier asked in surprise, "Oh? There's a reason behind this?"

"Of course!" someone else laughed. "That Chef Wang from Zhang's shop prayed to the Kitchen God and received divine protection, which is why he had this good fortune. I heard he was about to be fired, but after praying to the gods, his luck suddenly turned around!"

"That's strange. Praying to gods for children is quite common, but to have someone make delicious food from prayers is unheard of. Could it be just a rumor?"

Immediately, someone retorted, "How can it be a rumor? In Yuanning City now, many restaurants have invited the Kitchen God into their homes, and you know what? The food really does taste better than before!"

"That's the truth. Even the little restaurant near my house had a shamanic ritual the day before yesterday, and ever since then, the cooking fumes wafting from the restaurant smell better than usual!"

"However, even though they all invited the Kitchen God, there are still differences. Chef Wang from Zhang's Kitchen still makes the best food. I heard it's because he sincerely worships the gods and doesn't have the ulterior motives that others have!"

"That's true, but since the Kitchen God is so effective, I'm thinking of inviting him into my home in a couple of days to improve our meals."

"No, no, you mustn't!" The tavern owner, who had appeared out of nowhere, said upon hearing the crowd's words, "The Kitchen God isn't someone you can just invite casually. Ordinary people like you shouldn't act rashly and risk offending the gods."

"Alright, alright, Manager Fu, everyone knows what you're thinking. You're afraid that if every household invites the Kitchen God, it will cut off your source of income, right? How petty."

Those around him understood the situation and burst into laughter and banter, instantly enlivening the atmosphere in the tavern.

In a corner of the tavern, Qiu Yan finished his two dishes, placed a few coins on the table, and got up to leave.

"The Metropolitan City God has their own expertise, and different Divine Office exist. Only by showcasing our unique characteristics and bringing tangible benefits to believers can we solidify and spread our worship. In just a few days, the number of worshippers has increased significantly, and the Divine Name has spread rapidly. Although most worshippers are driven by curiosity rather than reverence, once the base is large enough, devout individuals will naturally emerge."

With these thoughts in mind, Qiu Yan returned to the Liu Household's old house.

When he first returned to Yuan Ning, he stayed at an inn. But after finishing the Dao Examination and having some free time, he followed Liu Huai's instructions and had someone clean up the Liu Household family's old house. He moved in and has been staying there for the past few days.

Back at the mansion, Qiu Yan went into the room from before, sat quietly with his eyes closed, and mobilized his Living Soul to sort out his gains.

"Today I collected quite a few miscellaneous stories and folk tales. The Qi Family Generals loyal and brave, and their deeds were widely known. There are also principles of being a general and a person in them. If these are condensed and placed in the Earthly Soul, it will be a good supplement."

Silence and reminiscence filled Qiu Yan's mind. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he opened his eyes again, picked up a book, and began to read.

As soon as the reading began, there was movement at the corner of the table, Human Life Baby crawled out.

As Qiu Yan read, his brows furrowed, his face gradually turned pale, and a sharp pain erupted in his soul. Compared to ten days ago, Qiu Yan's resistance to the pain had clearly improved. Apart from his pale face and furrowed brows, there were no other abnormalities.

I was so engrossed in reading that I lost track of time.

Outside the Liu Household's house, several neighbors came out to do laundry and pour water, and some of them stared at the Liu Household's house with dissatisfaction.

It turned out that after the Liu Household moved to Qingchang, the house became vacant and was occasionally used by several neighbors. Unexpectedly, Qiu Yan suddenly moved in a few days ago, disrupting their plans and inevitably causing hostility and resentment.

"The Liu Household has really been ruined by that poor scholar. First, Old Liu's sister was cheated by that old Xiucai Lin, and now Head Liu himself has been forced to leave his hometown by his nephew who couldn't even pass the Xiucai examination."

"That's right, now that the person's gone, it looks like this scholar will take over the courtyard too."

"I've seen Qiu Yan since he was a child. He's obviously not going to amount to anything. Someone like that wants to study hard and get ahead? No way!"

The neighboring woman, harboring resentment, would gossip about everyday matters, her words often laced with malice. However, by noon the next day, all her complaints and malice vanished, replaced by surprise and fear.

That day, Qiu Yan went about his usual routine, first wandering through the streets and alleys, then returning to his courtyard to study. But after noon, a commotion arose in the alley, with the sounds of drums and gongs.

What are you doing in the middle of the day?

"Disturbing the peace and quiet!"

"Which family is so unethical...?"

One by one, the neighbors went out to inquire, only to find a group of people pouring into the alley, banging gongs and drums, beaming with joy.

Upon witnessing this scene, the Liu Household's neighbors recalled the lively sights they had seen before, and their hearts sank.

Then, those people arrived outside the Liu Household's residence, shouting, "He passed! He passed! Master Qiu passed! He's at the top of the list! He's number one in the Dao Examination!"

These people had come to deliver good news!