To Be Someone's Lackey-How Could You Think So Highly of Yourself?

Qiu Yan had no intention of inviting Song Nu into the hospital. Upon hearing this, he shook his head and said, "When did I ever make an agreement with your princess?"

Song Nu wasn't surprised. She sneered, "Oh? So you're scared now, you know you can't afford to offend them. Too bad you can't avoid them either! I'll send someone to pick you up after the re-examination. Please don't refuse then, young master."

At this point, he seemed to suddenly remember something, and his smile widened, "Oh right, I almost forgot to mention, I intercepted the delegation sent by Yuanning Prefecture to Qingchang County to deliver the good news to the Liu Household. Tell me, what an honor it is to be the top scholar in the prefecture! How can we let some scoundrels deliver the good news? So, it's better if my Song Estate takes charge and invites the Liu Huai family to handle things properly."

"You actually threatened me!" Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan's eyes changed instantly, becoming sharp as knives, aimed directly at Song Nu's face.

Song Nu did not dodge, but still smiled and said, "Young Master Qiu, Chief Scholar Qiu, don't misunderstand. I don't have any ill intentions towards your family. Now that you are on the verge of Imperial Examinations, your Fortune has already connected with the Dragon Court. Wouldn't it be pointless to oppose you and harm your family? It's just that things are unpredictable. If something unexpected happens and the Liu Household's livelihood is ruined and they are left destitute, there's nothing that can be done about it."

"In the end, it's still a threat!" Qiu Yan stepped forward. "It's just a clever trick!"

Now that the matter was out in the open, Song Nu no longer concealed his intentions. He put away his smile, narrowed his eyes, and said in a low voice, "Qiu Yan, don't be so stubborn. Who do you think you are? Even if you passed the Xiucai examination, so what? If the King hadn't ordered you to come over, do you think I would have come here so politely? Don't forget, I am now the wealthiest man in Azure Prosperity City!"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes. "Is it your king who wants me to go? So, you came here just to carry out an order?"

Song Nu then said, "That's right! If it weren't for orders from above, would I care about a Xiucai like you? I would have broken your legs and transported you there long ago!"

"It seems that Mountain-Passing Great King is indeed powerful. When he issues an order, even Three Souls old demon like you wouldn't dare to disobey in the slightest," Qiu Yan said, taking a step forward. "In that case, there's nothing to worry about!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qiu Yan raised his hand, which suddenly expanded and slammed down towards Song Nu's head!

With this strike, Qi and Blood surged in the palm, a whistling sound arose, and the surrounding temperature rose slightly!

"How dare you! You dare to attack me!" Enraged, Song Nu instinctively wanted to retaliate! His hands formed claws, glowing red, and his energy flowed!

Qiu Yan didn't move, his palm falling straight down as he shouted, "You dare to make a move? If you hurt me, aren't you afraid you won't be able to fulfill your orders? If the Mountain-Passing Great King is angry and blames you, don't think that just because you're a well-known lord in Qingchang, or even if you're famous Yuan Ning, you won't have a good ending! Chen Qichang is a prime example!"

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan's shout brought Song Nu back to his senses. The latter's face darkened, and he abruptly withdrew his claws. He then stomped his feet and retreated four or five feet in a flash, dodging the palm strike.

However, he had only taken a few steps back and hadn't even stopped when he groaned, clutching his stomach. Blood flowed from between his fingers and dripped to the ground.

Slurp, slurp.

A Divine Ability Talisman flew out from the side, emanating a corrosive aura.

"You..." Song Nu was furious, but the talisman seemed to have left him with a considerable wound, and his face suddenly changed, turning pale.

"This is retaliation," Qiu Yan said, holding the talisman. "Since your name contains the word 'slave,' and you're engaged in the work of being someone's lackey, don't be so arrogant. If you really think you're someone important, you should just obediently be a household slave!"

"Good! Good! Good! I'll remember this. Let's see what happens to you in the future! What kind of person is the King? His mind Hundred Transformations. He will soon lose interest in you. When that happens, let's see if you can still be so arrogant!" Song Nu's eyes were full of resentment and killing intent. He stared at Qiu Yan, but his face showed a look of concern.

Snap! Snap!

Blood was still flowing from Song Nu's abdomen, and his complexion grew increasingly worse. Finally, he gave a cold laugh, turned around, and left.

Little did he know, Qiu Yan's eyes were also filled with murderous intent as she watched his retreating figure.

"Unfortunately, my body is too weak today, and my Earthly Soul is temporarily absent. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a simple strike with a talisman. We must never compromise with such villains. If we swallow our anger and remain silent when threatened, we are condoning their malice. Only by showing our determination will they hesitate to act against us and dare not do anything to the Liu Household... cough cough..."

He suddenly coughed twice.

"Our current condition is too poor, but we must be prepared. The lair of the Mountain-Passing Great King may be in the Wuxin Commandery. That is a battle-hardened army, Wuxin City is also Sand Battlefield with soldiers stationed in camps. Their yang Qi and Blood is definitely exceptionally strong, which has a natural restraining effect on the Living Soul. We must take the initiative in other aspects."

As he pondered, he reached into his robes and pulled out two porcelain bottles, weighing them in his hands as if lost in thought.

"This time, I should be able to see King Mountain-Passing Great King. I just don't know if I can make it in time. But now that things have come to this, there's no turning back. Even if this Song Nu doesn't come looking for me, I'll still have to go find him in a few days."

With this thought, Qiu Yan's body suddenly sank slightly, as if bound and restrained by something invisible, even his Living Soul was restrained, seemingly being oppressed and contracted by something.

He immediately knew that this was the result of karmic Karma and resentments, and there was a restless momentum about it.

"It'll be here soon, it'll be here soon, no need to rush."

Feeling the convergence of the Karmic Threads, Qiu Yan spoke softly, then turned and went back to the courtyard.

Snap!

The gate to the courtyard was closed.

However, neither Qiu Yan nor Song Nu noticed that on a rooftop a hundred feet away, a Daoist priest was sitting cross-legged, his eyes fixed intently on the gate of the Liu Household family's old residence, witnessing the entire scene of Song Nu and Qiu Yan's fight.

After Song Nu left and Qiu Yan closed the door, the Daoist priest stood up, tore a talisman from his chest, stomped his foot, and disappeared into the distance.

Three days later, Kong, the Academic Commissioner, the examiner for this Dao Examination, held a second examination at the Prefectural Academy. If the examination was successful, the candidates would be admitted to the Prefectural Academy or assigned to county schools in various counties.

Kong, the Academic Commissioner, clearly valued Qiu Yan highly, asking him several times if he would like to stay at the Prefectural Academy. However, Qiu Yan still had the test of the Mountain-Passing Great King, so he naturally did not agree.

And so, with a regretful sigh from Kong, the Academic Commissioner, Qiu Yan took his leave. But before he even reached the gate of the old house, he was stopped. The neighbors along the way lined the street to welcome him, offering their congratulations and flattering him.

"Human relationships are such a thing as avoiding or shirking responsibility."

Shaking his head, Qiu Yan shook off the crowd and returned to the old house, only to find a dilapidated carriage parked at the door.

Upon seeing Qiu Yan, the coachman immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Master Qiu. I have been waiting here for you for quite some time, entrusted by Master Song."

P. S.: Thank you to "Eastern Personality" for the donation!

Many thanks to "Feng Huo Wuhen" for the suggestion, and for his valuable opinion and enthusiastic support!