With spirit as essence soul, with heart as sinew and bone

"That's true, but that madman was too powerful. If you or I show ourselves or cause too much noise and attract him back, that would be bad. So we need to stay hidden."

The moment the turbid thought subsided, the ethereal thought said, "What's so difficult about that? Watch me perform the ritual..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gentle breeze began to stir in the soil. The breeze seeped out of the ground and lingered and swirled throughout the Zhang Residence, gradually filling every corner of the mansion without anyone noticing.

A cold, eerie atmosphere slowly spread, completely out of place with the blazing sunlight falling from the sky.

At the Zhang Residence, people were coming and going. Soon, the patriarchs of the Liu Household and Zheng Household, who had been the first to ask for calligraphy, actually came to the door in person to express their gratitude to Qi Jiulian.

These two, who were just unconscious, are now able to walk right up to the door. Everyone who sees this is immediately amazed by Qi Jiulian's Celestial Person.

Soon, servants from several wealthy households in the city came to ask for his calligraphy, and the gentlemen whose symptoms had improved also came in person.

Many people left messages saying they would host a banquet to thank Qi Jiulian.

This young calligraphy master seemed to be used to such a scene, chatting and laughing, and accepting praise from others without hesitation.

When someone asked about the hidden meaning in the calligraphy, Qi Jiulian said earnestly, "My calligraphy is not a panacea and cannot cure diseases. The reason it has helped you all is because you are not sick, but possessed by evil spirits. However, evil cannot prevail over good. My calligraphy can draw upon the principles of heaven and earth, thereby suppressing the Evil Qi. In the future, you can frame the calligraphy and hang it in the main room to prevent a relapse."

These words were rather arrogant. The gentlemen present were, in terms of age, his grandfather's Qi Jiulian. Yet, his words carried the air of an elder instructing a younger generation, and he even had his calligraphy framed.

However, the crowd did not find these words offensive; on the contrary, several people nodded solemnly and took them to heart.

Just then, another person entered, requesting a piece of calligraphy.

Qi Jiulian accepted all comers, knowing this was an opportunity to enhance his public image and reputation; otherwise, how could a mere merchant's son have persuaded him to come?

Picking up the pen again, Qi Jiulian scribbled a few strokes, his mind completely absorbed in the brush, focusing his pure thoughts. He channeled his Spiritual Qi, his essence flowing along the pen, transforming into ink marks that condensed on the paper.

Gradually, he became more and more skillful, and what he wrote was no longer a single word "blessing". Instead, it became a long sentence, with several words in one breath, making it natural, and his momentum became stronger and stronger!

Finally, he wrote the last word. He exhaled a long breath, and instantly, every word on the entire sheet of paper became clear, as if floating, exuding an indescribable aura, subtly harmonizing with the surroundings.

Everyone around held their breath and stared intently.

Having finished his work, Qi Jiulian was about to put pen to paper and conclude the story.

Just then, two screams came from the side, followed by two thuds as the patriarchs of the Liu Household and Zheng Household fell backward, their faces turning blue and purple.

A sinister aura swirled around the two of them.

Snap!

Qi Jiulian's hand holding the pen froze in mid-air, a drop of ink dripping from the tip, staining the paper and spreading outwards.

At the same time, Zhang Zhen led Qiu Yan to the outside of a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, and it was clearly quite old, with one wall covered in ivy.

Zhang Zhen went up and knocked on the door, and soon an old woman opened the gate.

"So it's Zhang Sheng," the old woman said, glancing at Qiu Yan.

Zhang Zhen then said, "Granny Li, has Uncle Sun woken up? I've come to see him."

"He's awake, guarding his treasures. What time is it? Instead of seeking medical help, he's only thinking about his things," the old woman muttered, leading the two into the courtyard.

The courtyard was neither too big nor too small, with flowers and plants planted on both sides, growing vigorously like gentlemen, clearly showing that it had been carefully arranged and maintained.

After taking only a couple of steps, a voice came from inside the house—

"Aunt Li, who's here?"

"It's Zhang Sheng, he's come to see the master." The old woman rubbed her rough hands on her body. "Take them over there, I need to go to the kitchen to cook. I heard that if someone leaves the kitchen while cooking, the Kitchen God will be furious." The old woman turned and walked towards the kitchen.

Qiu Yan could vaguely sense that this Granny Li possessed a faint, lingering Incense Thoughts, residing in the Void and linked to the divine being.

In recent days, the worship of the Kitchen God has spread throughout Yuanning City, and ordinary families have also invited statues of the deity and worship them frequently.

Just as Qiu Yan was pondering, the door of the house creaked open, and a scholar, about sixteen or seventeen years old, came out. He greeted Zhang Zhen with a bow and then asked about Qiu Yan.

Zhang Zhen pointed at Qiu Yan and said, "This is Qiu Yan, whom Uncle Sun has visited twice but failed to see." He then turned to Qiu Yan and said, "This is Uncle Sun's eldest son, Sun Wei."

"So it's Young Master Qiu, my apologies!" Sun Wei glanced at Qiu Yan. "My father has mentioned your name many times before, but seeing you in person today, I realize that hearing about you is not as good as meeting you in person."

"Brother Sun, you're too kind."

Qiu Yan returned the greeting, and Sun Wei went back to his room to inform the others, returning a few moments later.

"My father invites you both in. He knows Brother Qiu has arrived, but he is unwell and unable to greet you personally. He asked me to apologize to Brother Qiu."

"I am of the same generation as Brother Zhang and Brother Sun, so Sun Xingming is my elder. How can an elder go out to greet a junior?"

The three of them talked as they entered the room.

The house wasn't big; after passing the main hall, you would reach the back room.

There is a sliding door at the back of the house, leading to a long corridor with wooden floors. Beyond the corridor is a garden where vegetables are grown.

At this moment, Sun Xingming was leaning against the side of the corridor, holding several calligraphy scrolls in his hand and several books beside him. The sunlight shone on him, giving him a lazy and leisurely feeling. An outsider would have thought he was taking a nap in the afternoon.

But upon getting closer to greet him, Qiu Yan could clearly see the lingering dark aura on the man's face, and that he was skin and bones, extremely thin.

"As expected, he is possessed by Evil Qi, similar to Zhang Zhen's previous condition, only more severe. I can tell without even using my Living Soul leaving his Spirit Projection or my Heavenly Soul to see that not only has his Fortune Flame been devoured, but his other two fires have also weakened. Moreover, his eyes are swollen and his chin is pointed and narrow, which are signs of a short life and ruin for his family! What a vicious method!"

Sun Xingming slowly turned his head and looked over. "This must be Qiu Yan, right? It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I had a hard time getting up, please excuse my poor appearance." He then pointed to a few sheets of paper in his hand, "Since you're here, I'll shamelessly ask you for a few words."

Qiu Yan said, "This is nothing more than a small favor, why ask? I came here because I heard that some ink and brush can ward off evil spirits, so I came to give it a try."

Sun Xingming smiled and said, "It's true that words can ward off evil. I was the first to discover this. Unfortunately, the effect wears off over time. You'll still be plagued by Evil Qi. Even if it happens again, it will probably only delay it for a while." There was a sense of relief in his smile.

Unlike many wealthy merchants, this man, a criminal investigator and advisor to the prefect, was not among the most powerful or wealthy. However, when faced with a problem, he was the one who could see the key to it. He knew that in this case, the Evil Qi was merely the symptom, and the person who performed the spell was the real culprit.

Everything else is in vain unless the person performing the spell is subdued.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Zhen said, "Uncle Sun, that's not how it works. That piece of writing was just Qiu Yan practicing, and it already had that effect. Now that his calligraphy is complete, the effect he produces will definitely far surpass what he wrote before."

Sun Xingming just smiled and didn't answer.

At this moment, Qiu Yan suddenly pointed to the calligraphy pieces in the other person's hand and asked, "Sir, could you let me take a look at these calligraphy pieces?"

"These were originally yours." Sun Xingming handed over several calligraphy scrolls.

Qiu Yan reached out and took it, immediately feeling a chilling aura emanating from the paper, with a faint sense of the Netherworld.

"Um?"

He felt a slight unease, and his Qi and Blood circulated beneath his skin, dispelling the chill. He then carefully examined the paper.

The paper was yellowed and Original Edition; the Spiritual Qi, intention, and trace of soul power that had been condensed in the characters when they were written were long gone, replaced by a cold and filthy aura.

Qiu Yan sniffed, his nose twitching. He had refined his Heroic Soul, undergoing a complete transformation, and his sense of smell far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even the slightest scent could be amplified in his perception.

With that sniff, he detected a putrid odor.

"What a foul aura! I wonder what it's been contaminated with. With such an aura around, even if you do nothing, over time, not only will the Spiritual Qi and intent within the words be corrupted, but even a person will be eroded!"

Having figured this out, he had a general idea of what was going on and understood the methods the other party was using. Then he looked to the side.

Next to Qiu Yan, there was a short table with writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone on it.

This was moved here at Sun Xingming's instruction to his son.

Qiu Yan didn't waste any time. He bent down and knelt down, first grinding the ink, then picking up the brush, suspending his wrist in the air, closing his eyes, as if he was brewing something.

As he gathered his strength, he seemed to become a Black Hole, giving Zhang Zhen and the others a powerful suction that drew away even the surrounding sunlight.

In Qiu Yan's mind, her recent experiences flashed by like a fleeting dream.

Fierce battles, the Underworld, the Believers' Souls, the Way of Nature and Life...

In the end, it all came down to the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription and the Sword Art Spirit Monster, the life-or-death struggle between the two flashing through my mind!

Upon realizing this, a Spiritual Light of inspiration ignited within Qiu Yan's soul, and words welled up from the depths of his heart.

And so, the pen tip fell.

Qiu Yan's face was calm, his breath resonating with his pulse. Thoughts rose and flowed into his brush. Between the tension and relaxation of his muscles and bones, his muscles, Qi and Blood, and True Qi flowed. His whole body trembled, his Four Souls were connected, and his brush moved like dragons and snakes!

Each word takes shape on the paper.

The word "husband" means that the spirit is the spirit and the heart is the sinews and bones...

Each character has bone, gradually filling out, as if muscles and tendons are growing!

"This is..."

Sun Xingming and the others looked at Qiu Yan and felt that he was like a well-written article, stirring their hearts and minds.

Call!

Suddenly, a surge of heat rose from the paper!

The words on the paper suddenly emanated a surge of Qi and Blood, rising into the sky!

"This... this..."

Sun Xingming trembled, while Zhang Zhen and Sun Wei stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded!

Just then, the door to the house opened, and a servant in blue robes hurried in.

"Young Master, something terrible has happened! The Master has fallen ill again! This time it's even more serious. You should go back immediately..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a warm sensation throughout his body, as if he were soaking in a hot spring! (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for Qidian. com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m. qidian. com to read.)

P. S.: Thanks to "orisun" for the monthly pass!