Three Schools Vie for Qiu

The five characters were short; Qiu Yan wrote them down in one breath and then threw away the branch.

Qi Jiulian strode forward, disregarding his appearance, and squatted down, staring intently at the two characters "mountains and rivers." He sensed a natural aura emanating from them. Because the characters were drawn by tree branches on the soil, they were slightly blurred, yet a wild and unrestrained artistic conception was faintly visible.

Upon seeing his action, Zhen Zhizuo's attention also shifted to those two words, and his expression changed again.

"These two characters truly have a flavor of interpreting mountains and rivers. Although it's just a superficial image, the imposing mountains and flowing water give me the feeling that the mountains and rivers are introducing themselves, bringing them to life. It seems that they have captured a bit of the charm of mountains and rivers..."

Zhen Zhizuo thought for a moment, then glanced at Qiu Yan again. He had come here to investigate, first by inquiring about Qiu Yan's reputation, and then by using his family connections to obtain two poems that Qiu Yan had copied in Wuxin City, which gave him some insight into Qiu Yan's calligraphy skills.

However, Qiu Yan was unable to see the few pieces of calligraphy that he had mastered in terms of their form and essence. Those pieces were collected by the Zhang Residence, the prefect, and the Sun Household, and they were not easily shown to others.

During the Wuxin Literary Assembly, Qiu Yan recorded the handwriting of others' poems. Although it had a certain charm, Principle Sect Zhen Zhizuo not think highly of Qiu Yan because of it. Emperor Lizong selected people based on their moral character first, then their talent and learning, and calligraphy skills were not among them.

Qiu Yan's character can be seen from his treatment of Liu Huai's family. As for his talent, he was a top scholar in the provincial examination, and his military strategies for pacifying the borders earned him the title of "a wise and virtuous man of the nation" from the emperor. All of these qualities have already made Zhen Zhizuo acknowledge Qiu Yan's worth.

As for calligraphy, he considered it merely an embellishment.

However, this idea changed after seeing the five words written on a twig.

"Void Master believed that all things in the world are composed of the Void Qi. Even the human body is no exception. Therefore, he studied all things in detail, from the outside to the inside, from heaven to man, hoping to comprehend the Void Qi and then expound the ultimate truth of Human Path. Although Qi Jiulian's scholarship is not outstanding, his calligraphy is based on this, describing mountains and rivers, and then Transcendence to comprehend the Qi of the Great Void!"

As he pondered, Zhen Zhizuo's thoughts gradually changed.

"And in Qiu Yan's calligraphy, there is a subtle sense of spirit! According to him, he gained some insights after seeing Qi Jiulian's calligraphy. He can understand something from just a few characters and then express it with his brush, which shows that his comprehension is not low. If he falls into the trap of Grand Void because of this, it would be bad. How can such a person be snatched away by his school?"

Upon realizing this, Zhen Zhizuo felt a sense of urgency.

Meanwhile, Qiu Yan was exchanging ideas with Qi Jiulian.

This young master calligrapher, though proud, felt a complex mix of emotions when facing Qiu Yan —a mixture of resentment and admiration.

At this moment, listening to Qiu Yan's insights on the landscape, Qi Jiulian actually felt a sense of affirmation, and even his arrogance subconsciously subsided.

To Zhen Zhizuo, this scene clearly conveyed a sense of respectful acceptance of instruction and being flattered.

"This Qiu Yan is no ordinary person!"

Thinking this, he was about to step forward and start a conversation with Qiu Yan when he was interrupted by a shout from afar—

"Cousin--"

Hearing the familiar voice, Qiu Yan looked in the direction of the sound and saw Liu Yue rushing over, calling out from a distance.

"Cousin, what's the matter?" Qiu Yan turned around and answered when he saw this.

When Liu Yue arrived, he first bent over, took a few quick breaths to calm himself, and then said breathlessly, "My father sent me. We have guests at home. I heard that it was Mr. Zhao who sent them after learning that you passed the imperial examination and became the top scholar. They are talented students from the Quanyou Academy. My father told me to come and see you, and I can't be impolite or neglect my guests."

"Mr. Zhao?"

Upon hearing Liu Yue's words, Qiu Yan immediately knew who he was referring to: Zhao Bingcheng, whom he had met in Wuxin City.

"Mr. Zhao sent someone over with congratulatory gifts? Passing the imperial examination is no big deal, why would it bother an elder?" Qiu Yan shook his head, saying this, but he knew the real reason behind it.

Mr. Zhao originally valued him because he wanted to compete with Ma Yang, but now he is sending congratulatory gifts not because of Ma Yang, but because Qiu Yan's strategy to pacify the southwest has reached the ears of the emperor, and he has suddenly gained both talent and opportunity!

"The influence of military strategy is finally about to spread."

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan apologized to Zhen Zhizuo and Qi Jiulian, then took his leave and went with Liu Yue.

Watching Qiu Yan's departing figure, Zhen Zhizuo pondered, his gaze sweeping over the five words on the ground, lost in thought.

"No wonder Liu Jing was willing to incur a favor to recommend Qiu Yan. He is indeed extraordinary. Quanyou Academy is the orthodox school of Shu Learning. The old Mr. Zhao should be Zhao Bingcheng. Shu Learning is currently facing a shortage of successors, so it seems that he has taken a liking to Qiu Yan."

The thought had barely formed in his mind when he heard Qi Jiulian point to five characters on the ground and say to his servant, "Go and fetch a calligrapher to make these characters into engravings."

The servant looked puzzled. "Young master, if you want a calligraphy copybook, just go to Young Master Qiu and have him write another one. Why carve the characters on the ground? The soil is soft and difficult to form lines, unlike writing with pen and ink, it has some flaws."

"That's not the case," Qi Jiulian glanced at Zhen Zhizuo, then whispered, "Qiu Yan only had some insights. In terms of writing about rivers and mountains, he is not as good as me. But he used a clever method with these five characters, taking advantage of the terrain. If he hadn't used branches as a pen Yidi as paper, how could he have written such a rich sense of the universe? Do as I say!"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Zhizuo's eyelids twitched, and his sense of urgency intensified. He then took the opportunity to clasp his hands in farewell and turned to leave.

After Zhen Zhizuo's figure disappeared around the street corner, Qi Jiulian's servant suddenly said, "Young Master, you shouldn't have said that. If the people from the Principle Sect heard it, they would definitely value Young Master Qiu, wouldn't that be..."

"Uncle Lu, I know what I'm doing," Qi Jiulian laughed. "Judging from Qiu Yan's demeanor, he's not someone who can be restrained. And the people of the Principle Sect are all arrogant and haughty; how could they tolerate him? I reckon we'll see a good show in the end..."

"I hope so." The servant shook his head, sensing a hint of selfishness in Qi Jiulian's words, and sighed inwardly.

"Shu Learning and Void Academy are paying attention to Qiu Yan, and I've heard that Li Qi of the Virtue Learning has also been in contact with Qiu Yan. The situation is chaotic, so we should bring Qiu Yan into the Entering Principle as soon as possible. That way, no matter what he achieves, he won't become a threat. But if he enters another academy, it's hard to say."

With these thoughts in mind, Zhen Zhizuo kept walking. Soon he met Zhang Yu and Liu Kuang, who were waiting for him halfway.

"You've come at the right time," Zhen Zhizuo said, walking over and inviting the two back into the tavern. "Come with me."

After the three of them were seated, Zhen Zhizuo cut to the chase and said, "There's something I need to entrust to you two."

"Young Master Zhen, please give your orders!" Zhang Yu and Liu Kuang were not surprised but delighted. For them, being able to do things for the people of the Principle Sect was not only a matter of face, but also of substance, and they could use their influence to their advantage in the future.

Zhen Zhizuo nodded and continued, "I have urgent business to attend to in Eastern Capital to see my master. But there are still matters to be taken care of here..."

As he spoke, he took out a silver ingot and placed it on the table. "Since you two are acquainted with Qiu Yan, you will stay by his side while I am away. Take this silver, then go to the Well Study Hall in the east of the city, buy books according to the list, and send them to Qiu Yan." With that, he took out a list from his pocket and placed it in front of the two men.

"How could we let Young Master Zhen spend money on such a thing?" Zhang Yu and Liu Kuang would never accept money. They simply took the list, glanced at it, and saw that it was full of works by Junior Chen. They immediately understood.

The two exchanged a glance and both realized that Qiu Yan had a bright future ahead of him.

"Keep the money safe and don't think of anything else," Zhen Zhizuo said, then changed the subject, "In addition, you can often go to the study to read books and learn the principles of Investigation of Things and Exhaustion of Principle and exploring the truth, so as to deepen your knowledge. Although you may not be able to enter the academy, it will be easier for you to understand the principles of the Principle Sect when it spreads throughout the world and becomes the orthodox school of Confucianism, and you will also be able to teach and educate people."

"This... it must be, it must be."

Zhang Yu and Liu Kuang studied literature and calligraphy in order to gain a better social standing and achieve official success. They had no intention of teaching or educating others. However, upon hearing Zhen Zhizuo's instructions, they naturally did not object and simply obeyed.

Zhen Zhizuo could naturally see that the two were not being sincere, and simply shook his head. "The world is in chaos, Heavenly Principle are unclear, all because Human Desires are too strong, causing an imbalance between Yin-Yang and yang. That's why we need to read more books and understand the Heavenly Principle more, so that we can overcome Human Desires. You don't understand this principle, and you will inevitably experience a tribulation in the future."

After saying this, he stood up, didn't take the money, and turned to leave.

"Then Zhen Zhizuo will probably take some action."

On his way home, Qiu Yan pondered.

"Taking advantage of this opportunity to exchange ideas with Qi Jiulian, I'll demonstrate a bit of what's called Daoheart Fist Intent. That should pique his interest. This clone of mine can't follow a gradual path; it needs to understand the Human Path. This conflict between schools of thought is one part of it, but ultimately, I need to define my own position..."

With that in mind, he and Liu Yue returned home.

In the main hall, Liu Huai was talking to a young man with a smile on his face. When he saw Qiu Yan enter, he quickly greeted him, "Yan'er, come here and pay your respects to your brother Zhao."

Qiu Yan followed his instructions and his gaze fell on the man. He immediately sensed a faint aura of inclusive and tolerant Literary Thought talent.

"Brother Qiu, my name is Zhao Zhou. Greetings." The man also came forward.

Qiu Yan smiled and said, "So it's Brother Zhao. I didn't know you and Elder Zhao were together..."

"It was indeed my ancestor..."

After the two became acquainted, Zhao Zhou mentioned the gift he had given, which turned out to be an inkstone. There were certain customs surrounding gift-giving among scholars, and Qiu Yan was quite familiar with them.

Zhao Zhou is extremely eloquent; his words are like a gentle breeze, and he often flatters without leaving a trace. No wonder Liu Huai had a smile on his face just now and seemed very friendly towards him.

Halfway through the conversation, he suddenly had a thought, not from Zhao Zhou's words, but from noticing that a statue in the Five Marshes was surrounded by people.

Through his Divine Sense, Qiu Yan also discovered the extraordinary traces hidden behind these people.

ps:

Thanks to " Fairy Sword Love ", " tilaf ", " ", " Skywalker_Xiang ", " showsss ", " Da Xian Zhe Xiao Chi " for their monthly votes!

Thanks to "Baihua Kaitang", "The Most Unknown", "Invincible@", "Wuzai Caidiquan", "Yizamna", "Into the Second Dimension", "Wuyue Ying", "Volcano 1889", "I am Bai Twelve", "Autumn ts", "shang1mu", "Yuan Xin Little Man" for the rewards!

The list may be incomplete; please forgive any omissions.

The next chapter might be a little late.