Dream Battle

After knocking on the courtyard gate, a voice soon came from inside—

"Who goes there? Disturbing the Prime Minister's residence in the dead of night."

Upon hearing the voice, Qiu Yan immediately recognized that the speaker was the guard, Feng Yue.

The Ma Family Courtyard had two guards, Feng Yue and Lü He.

Both of them were highly Life Cultivation with considerable influence in Qingchang County. However, since becoming Ma Yang's bodyguards, they had always been law-abiding and kept to their duties. Even after Ma Yang left, they continued to guard the courtyard and the books.

"It's me, Qiu Yan."

Qiu Yan replied, and the courtyard gate quickly opened, and Lü He and Feng Yue came out.

Upon seeing Qiu Yan's appearance, Lü He said, "Young Master Qiu, you're finally back. Master entrusted the study to you, asking you to study here for three months. With the deadline fast approaching, if you hadn't returned, the people from Eastern Capital would have emptied the study."

Qiu Yan asked, "Oh? Sir has already sent someone over to clean up?"

Feng Yue picked up the conversation, saying, "The people have arrived, but they haven't started packing yet, though it should be in the next day or two."

"That's enough," Qiu Yan nodded. "I'll be spending the night in the study, so I'd appreciate it if you two would be so kind as to do me that."

Lü He shook his head and said, "There's nothing inconvenient about it. The master made it very clear when he left that the two of us were guarding the study so that you, Young Master Qiu, could study in peace."

After saying that, he led Qiu Yan into the courtyard.

Qiu Yan followed behind, extending his senses to detect the faintly pulsating Essence Blood Yang Qi on Lü He and Feng Yue's bodies. Now that he had condensed his Heavenly Soul and refined his Fourth Soul, his perception of Qi and Blood had become increasingly acute. In the past, he could only see these two through a fog, but now he could immediately grasp their cultivation level.

"These two, one has refined one soul, and the other has refined two souls. They are even more powerful than Yan Yongjie. If they were in the Lin Zhong, they would be enough to dominate a region. But they live in a place like Qingchang County. I heard that they moved from Jiangnan. It seems that they are hiding. In this light, the heartland of Da Great Rui is definitely not simple."

Lost in thought, Qiu Yan went to the study.

Two months have passed. The study remains spotless, whether because someone cleans it regularly or because the few manuscripts left by Ma Yang have kept the dust away.

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Yan went to the table, sat down in the chair, and released his senses, enveloping the entire study and half of the courtyard. Then, he glanced around.

The room's furnishings remained largely unchanged since he left.

"It seems that Lü He and Feng Yue have indeed done their utmost to protect him."

With a sigh, Qiu Yan took out a book, opened it, and held it in his hand. Then, his Living Soul leaped out from above his head. The four Earthly Soul Bookshelf began to rotate, and soon, the History Section Bookshelf flew out from among them and hovered above.

Shock!

The History Section Bookshelf suddenly began to vibrate, releasing waves that conveyed a sense of historical vicissitude and radiated outwards.

In an instant, the light and shadow in the study shifted, and the rise and fall of dynasties unfolded like a fleeting glimpse.

"On the day of my visit to the ruins, I absorbed the historical atmosphere and collected it into the History Section Bookshelf. However, the arrangement was mostly messy, macroscopic, and disordered, like a turbulent current in the Historical River. Although it enriched the Earthly Soul, it has never been effectively utilized. Only if I could draw out the many Historians' School classics and annotations in this study and condense them into volumes within the soul, could I truly solidify historical scholarship!"

The scrolls in the study were all related to Historians' School. Ma Yang could not simply rewrite history books and organize historical records out of thin air; he had to refer to ancient books and historical materials. Moreover, these historical materials contained many annotations, some written by Ma Yang himself and others passed down from the ancients.

In ancient society, books held extraordinary significance, serving as a vehicle for passing on wisdom and worthy of being passed down as family heirlooms.

Lineage that pass down poetry and literature often have a long history of book collections passed down through generations. More than one person may have written annotations for these books, which, over thousands of years, become a valuable asset, helping future generations to understand the deeper meaning of the texts.

Right now, the historical materials and annotations in the study, drawn by Qiu Yan's Earthly Soul, are exuding distinct auras. The meanings and records in the books are transformed into spiritual symbols, which are drawn into the History Section Bookshelf.

The bookshelves are twisted and expanded.

The shelves, already filled with scrolls, were now swollen and thickened, exuding an aura of vicissitudes and the rise and fall of dynasties!

This atmosphere also carries a touch of humanistic spirit, a commanding presence, and passionate writing!

At the same time.

Zhang Family Villa in Azure Prosperity City.

Zhang Zhen had already lay down. He had waited for Qiu Yan today and received a reply that he could leave for home tomorrow. Thinking that the chaos at home might be quelled, the heavy weight on his heart finally lifted.

Moreover, after drinking that cup of tea in Qiu Yan's study, his energy and spirits improved slightly. He walked with more vigor than in the previous days. After washing up a little, he lay down and fell into a deep sleep, snoring.

Buzzing...

Tiny Sleep Bugs were flying around above.

But soon, Zhang Zhen, who was fast asleep, frowned and looked pained.

When one is fast asleep, one's consciousness gradually drifts away, making one most susceptible to external influences. Zhang Zhen's thoughts are now wandering, forming a dream, but shadows are emerging within the dream.

Sudden!

A strange fluctuation emanated from Zhang Zhen's stomach and intestines, rippling and gradually coalescing into a single, condensed passage of scripture.

"Wealth and honor are what people desire, but if they are not obtained through proper means, they should not be accepted."

Confucianism does not advocate extinguishing desires or becoming a saint who does not eat or drink. These are misinterpretations by later generations. For example, this passage points out that wealth and riches are things that people crave, but they should not be obtained through evil means!

This passage, once condensed, penetrated deep into the soul, seeped into the depths, and entered Zhang Zhen's dream.

Zhang Zhen's dream was shrouded in darkness, in which he could see the outline of a vast courtyard. In the center of the courtyard stood a huge square-holed copper coin, releasing an eerie aura that eroded his dream.

The distant edge of the dream gradually shattered, turning into flames that flew over and were absorbed by the square-holed copper coin.

Seize the Fortune Flame!

Just then, a crack suddenly appeared in the gray dream sky, followed by the sound of reading aloud, and a scripture flew out, vast and majestic, full of righteous energy. As soon as it appeared, the entire dream trembled and boiled.

Then, the scripture fell, rushing straight into the main hall and crashing into the huge square-holed copper coin.

Instantly, sparks flew, and the sound of reading filled the air. The square-holed copper coin cried out in agony, trembling as if it had encountered a natural enemy, revealing fear, surprise, and panic. Then, with a "crack," it shattered into pieces!

Crackling and popping!

The scattered fragments of copper coins transformed into tiny sparks of light, falling like Fire Star throughout the dream.

The next moment, the gray sky and surroundings became clear, and the outline of the mansion solidified again.

Outside, Zhang Zhen, fast asleep, had a relaxed brow.

"Um?"

Yuanning Prefecture, City God Underworld Office.

A soft exclamation suddenly rang out in the empty hall.

Then, the light and shadow distorted, and two figures, appearing and disappearing in an uncertain manner.

Two thoughts conversed in mid-air.

"What's wrong?" This was a fleeting, ever-changing thought.

"That Zhang Family brat seems to have found an accomplice. He fought me in my dream, and I was caught off guard, so he broke my Yin Talisman." The response came from a slightly murky thought.

"Oh? Then we need to be careful. However, in the past few days, quite a few cultivators who claim to have profound cultivation have come to the city, so one more won't make a difference." The ethereal thought transmitted again.

"That's right. In seven more days, everything will be done, and we should leave. If we delay any longer, the Jiannan Circuit City God will send a deity, and dealing with that will be too unpredictable." A trace of apprehension was revealed in his turbid thoughts.

"Seven more days? Isn't that too long?"

The turbid consciousness said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. If that treasure weren't concealed by the Three Defilements Qi, it wouldn't be able to be hidden at all. Sooner or later, someone would come knocking on our door. It's also our bad luck. If it weren't for those calligraphy scrolls, we would have succeeded long ago! Hmm? Speaking of which, those calligraphy scrolls were originally circulated from the Zhang Residence. Could the helper that Zhang Family boy is now finding be the instigator...?"

The ethereal thought then said, "Since that's the case, we can't just let it go. I suspect the Zhang Family brat will return soon; we can't give him a chance to catch his breath then..."

During the telepathic exchange, the atmosphere in the entire hall grew increasingly eerie.

At the edge of the main hall stood several motionless figures, each radiating divine power.

These figures were none other than the many deities of Yuanning Prefecture, but at this moment, they remained motionless, as if frozen in time.

Not only the gods, but also the People's Wishes scattered throughout the temple were frozen in the air, neither flowing nor gathering.

Sudden!

Boom!

The entire hall began to shake.

"What happened?"

Both thoughts were surprised.

Then, a figure flashing with golden light burst through the roof and rushed in.

"Hey! The monster looks at the whip!"

One night passed.

As the rooster crowed three times, Qiu Yan emerged from the study, his demeanor even more composed.

"This must be Brother Qiu Shen Zhi. I am from Ma Lin, and I have often heard my uncle mention you."

Before long, a kind-looking young scholar came to greet them.

This person is a descendant of Ma Yang, and is about the same age as Qiu Yan. He came here to clean up his old residence and move his books back.

After exchanging a few words, Qiu Yan learned about Ma Yang's current situation before taking his leave.

"In the past two years, the New Party has gained power and implemented reforms, which have even affected Jiannan Circuit. However, Chancellor Ma does not agree with this. Now that he has returned to the court and is in power, his days are probably numbered..."

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yan shook his head.

"These things are too far removed from my life; thinking about them is pointless."

Afterwards, Qiu Yan went to the Liu Household residence. Since he was going to Yuan Ning, he naturally had to talk to Liu Huai first.

Liu Huai was reasonable and didn't say much. He simply asked Qiu Yan to stay for breakfast. Half an hour later, Qiu Yan got ready, boarded the Zhang Family's carriage, and went to Yuan Ning with Zhang Zhen.

However, halfway through the journey, they encountered a messenger sent by the Zhang Residence.

"You said Father can get out of bed and walk again?" Zhang Zhen's face lit up with joy as he looked at the messenger.

"Reporting to the eldest young master, the third young master invited the young saint from Guanzhong to write a few words of blessing and posted them in the house. Not long after, the master's complexion improved..."

"Third brother..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen's expression changed.

P. S.: Thanks to "Tengcang" and "Jia Ada" for their monthly votes!