A Single Remark Shames a Demon, a Single Character Is Hard to Obtain

"Did Song Nu send you? He's really in a hurry, afraid I'll run away? I'm not some wild beast, where could I possibly run to?"

Qiu Yan glanced at the coachman and sensed a trace of Yao Qi, knowing that the man was a demon in disguise. He didn't say anything, and his gaze swept over the carriage.

The carriage was dilapidated, with dust stains on the canopy and several holes, and cobwebs could be seen between the wheels and axles.

Qiu Yan chuckled and said, "It must have been really difficult for Master Song; I wonder where he found this carriage."

Upon hearing this, the driver's expression immediately changed, and he appeared embarrassed.

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "Fine, Song Nu is just a beast turned demon, he only has such a small temper. I won't argue with him. But following someone like him, there's no future in it. It's humiliating for me to ride in such a dilapidated carriage, but you're driving it. Not to mention getting covered in dust, people will gossip about you just walking down the street. Fine, I'll take the lead and go to the carriage shop to hire another carriage."

He spoke casually, as if he didn't care about Song Nu at all, but after speaking, he didn't leave. Instead, he calmly went back to his room, tidied up, and took out a package.

Seeing this, the driver didn't know whether to stop him or follow him. Only when Qiu Yan had gone far away, fearing that he would miss his mission, did he hurriedly follow.

Not long after, Qiu Yan hired a carriage at the Yuanning Carriage Company, but the company refused to let other drivers come, so Qiu Yan hired a guide before they set off.

Once the carriage had gone some distance, two figures emerged from a corner, exchanged a glance, and then left the city, running swiftly southwards.

These two were Song Nu's spies left in Yuan Ning. Seeing Qiu Yan set off, one went to monitor him along the way, while the other went back to report.

After the two left, a man emerged from a house near the city gate; he was a Daoist priest.

The Daoist priest first looked in the direction the two had left, shook his head, flipped his hand and produced a talisman, then flicked it, and the talisman spontaneously combusted. A gentle breeze then blew, enveloping the Daoist priest, and he soared into the sky.

Not long after, a visitor arrived in the alley where the Liu Household's old courtyard was located.

This man was well-dressed and had a mustache. As soon as he entered the alley, he went straight to the Liu Household's old house. When he arrived at the door, he knocked, but no one answered for a long time.

"What's going on? Why is Qiu Sheng taking so long to open the door?"

This man was none other than Mr. Sun, the prefectural criminal investigator. He knocked on the Heaven Gate without any response, but this startled the neighbors, who then came out and explained the situation.

"They picked you up?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Sun inquired about the origin of the carriage. His neighbors couldn't answer, and in the end, he could only sigh, "Why is calligraphy so hard to come by?"

It turned out that Mr. Sun had been thinking about Qiu Yan's calligraphy. He had seen the exam paper during the Dao Examination and found that Qiu Yan's handwriting had improved significantly, even showing a certain charm. However, as the prefect in charge of criminal affairs, he had to avoid suspicion, which was why he hadn't come to visit. He finally waited until the second round of exams ended and rushed over as soon as possible, but he was still a step too late.

"Could this be fate? Good things often come with difficulties?"

After thinking it over, Mr. Sun could only shake his head and leave.

Qingchang County, Song Estate.

"My lord, aren't we going a bit too far by doing this? Qiu Sheng is someone whom His Majesty has taken a liking to. If you deliberately offend him and he really becomes the prince consort, then..."

Before Song Nu, a trusted aide was carefully choosing his words.

The confidant was referring to the fact that Song Nu sent a dilapidated carriage to pick up Qiu Yan, intending to humiliate him.

Song Nu shook his head upon hearing this, saying, "He can be the prince consort? You're overthinking it. He's just a newly promoted Xiucai. If he were truly capable, would he have only just obtained his official rank today? Not to mention the talented scholars gathered in Wuxin City, even those Xiucai and officials who refuse to leave are better than him! Besides, His Majesty's true affections belong to the Marshfolk Prince..."

As he was speaking, someone outside spoke up, saying they wanted to come in and report something.

"My man has returned," Song Nu chuckled, then ordered the man in. "I really want to know what Qiu Yan's expression will be when he sees that car, and whether he'll still be so arrogant!"

However, his smile froze on his face after hearing his subordinate's report.

"What did you say? He called me petty? And he actually went to hire a car himself? Niu Meng didn't even stop him! Useless!"

After learning what had happened, Song Nu's face darkened as if it could drip water. In a fit of anger, he smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground, shattering it into pieces!

A powerful Yao Qi emanated from his body, as if it could erupt at any moment.

Everyone else in the room looked fearful and cautious.

"Qiu Yan! Qiu Yan! This scholar is too arrogant! Go! Send a few more men to keep watch outside the Liu Household's residence. We can't let our guard down for a moment. Once we get news from Wuxin City, we'll take action immediately!"

"Yes!"

Knowing that Song Nu was in a fit of rage, no one dared to offer any advice, and they all obeyed and withdrew.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was already late.

"Brother Niu, it's getting late. Let's rest here tonight."

Qiu Yan's carriage was stopped. The driver, Niu Meng, shook his head upon hearing this and said, "Master said we must get to Wuxin City as soon as possible. Young Master Qiu, I know you are no ordinary person. Traveling through the night will not be a problem. Why bother..."

Qiu Yan interrupted, "It's fine for me and you, but Guide Zhang might not be able to handle it." He pointed to the guide sitting next to Niu Meng.

This guide was sent by the car dealership; though called a guide, he was really just a person who watched over the cars.

Hearing Qiu Yan say this, Niu Meng had no choice but to agree. The carriage then turned and entered the town, finally arriving at an inn.

Upon entering the inn, Qiu Yan saw a statue in the most conspicuous place in the hall. It was a gray-robed man with fiery hair, standing on a stove.

An image of the Kitchen God.

"I didn't expect the Divine Name to spread so quickly. Even in this town, which is quite a distance from Yuan Ning, someone has set up a statue of the god. However, the incense in this shop isn't very strong, so it's probably just something done casually."

With that in mind, Qiu Yan booked three rooms, and the three of them checked in separately.

As night fell, a dark shadow flashed past Qiu Yan's window. It was Qiu Yan who jumped out, turned around, leaped up, and landed on the roof.

On the rooftop, in the pale moonlight, a figure sat cross-legged. It was a Daoist priest, who looked to be no more than thirty years old. His aura was faint, revealing his inner strength and concealment. If one did not see him with their own eyes, no one would be able to detect him.

"Master, why have you been following me all this way?" Qiu Yan asked the Daoist priest without further ado.

The Daoist priest, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them upon hearing this and asked in a calm tone, "How did you discover me?" As he spoke, he raised his hand and tore off a talisman from his body. Instantly, the concealed realm shattered, and vitality and aura spread out.

"It's inappropriate for you to ask such a question, Daoist," Qiu Yan said, but instead of answering, he said, "You've been following me all this way, you should have an explanation, shouldn't you?"

If it were merely Qiu Yan's scholar clone, it would be difficult for him to detect that someone was following him. However, this inn has a statue of the Kitchen God, which naturally has Domain of Law surrounding it and enveloping the building. Anyone who comes into contact with this Domain of Law, even if they can conceal their presence, will still reveal their presence and be noticed by the true deity. Once the true deity knows, the clone will naturally know as well.

The Daoist priest shook his head, calmly rose, and said, "This humble Daoist priest, Chen Yan, a demon -Demon-Subduing Dao, follows you, young master, with only one purpose..."

"Exterminate demons and uphold justice!"

"Exorcise a demon?" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes. "I wonder which family's demon the chief wants to exorcise?"

As he spoke, four bookshelves emerged one after another from the Soul Aperture of his Living Soul, surrounding the soul, and Qiu Yan's entire spirit and energy gathered together.

A faint scent of the Netherworld wafted through the air.

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