One Trigram, Three Interpretations

This Literary Thought Aura arrived suddenly, entering Qiu Yan's body. It not only alleviated some of the doubts in his mind, but also accelerated the rotation of his Three Souls, which were on the Half-Step Fusion, causing them to merge further. It even interfered with the Fortune of the scholar's clone, vaguely connecting it to something in the distance.

"This surge of Literary Thought Aura is truly strange. It doesn't seem to be detrimental to me; in fact, it has helped deepen my understanding of the scriptures. If I could experience it a few more times, combined with my memories from my past life, I might soon be able to comprehend the Daoheart Fist Intent. However, I don't know where it comes from, and its auspiciousness or inauspiciousness is unpredictable. I still need to consult a divination master..."

Qiu Yan now has a general idea of his own Daoheart Fist Intent. However, since the Dao Laws of this world are manifest, many things cannot be copied directly. He needs to understand them further before he can implement them.

Thinking this, his attention shifted to the divine being himself. With a thought, the Li Trigram within the Divine Sense instantly changed—

"Hmm? It turns out that the top line, the third line, and the second line are all changing in turn, with no definitive conclusion! But wait, the order of these three lines seems to conceal something. Could it be...?"

The ninth line at the top Wang Yong's expedition; the ninth line is an ominous sign of an old man's passing; the second line at the bottom signifies great fortune...

Sensing the changes in the Li Trigram, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, flicked his fingers lightly, and his mind raced as he quickly pondered.

"My Li Trigram only represents fire. The Book of Changes Ching is so profound; it's just one hexagram, not the whole picture. So it's not surprising that this happened. But for the scholar's alter ego, fire can be seen as disaster, or it can be a metaphor for fame..."

"The Wang Yong an expedition... If we consider the scholar's alter ego as 'the king,' his upcoming departure from Shu to gain fame and then take the imperial Metropolitan Examination can indeed be seen as going on an expedition..."

"As for the lament of the very old, 'very old' refers to the final stage, old age, decline, and decay. Such lamentation brings ominous signs, but it is unknown where these signs will appear..."

"While the hexagram 'Six Two, Auspicious' is indeed a good omen, it doesn't form spontaneously. It requires the presence of the color yellow to take shape; it's like lacking the east wind..."

As he pondered this, he stood up.

"Very well, although the art of divination is mysterious, it mainly involves collecting information and making inferences. It is not immutable, so there is no need to over-interpret or rely on it. Whether it is scholarship or cultivation, it all depends on the mind and body, on life, and on oneself. As long as one firmly believes in one's true self, everything else is meaningless."

With that thought in mind, Qiu Yan tidied up the room a bit and then sat down to read.

The next day, he packed his bags, went out of the city to pay respects at the Qiu Family graves, and recounted how he had passed the imperial examination and become the top scholar.

After the worship ceremony ended, Qiu Yan clearly felt that part of the karmic Karma binding him had been peeled away again. Only a thin layer remained, but it clung very tightly.

This kinship and Karma had mostly dissipated when Qiu Yan brought Liu Huai back to Yuanning Prefecture. Taking this opportunity, he Half-Step Fusion of his Three Souls. Now, as he pays homage to Elder Qiu, a little more has dissipated, but a trace still remains.

With a quick thought, Qiu Yan understood the reason for this lingering trace, and shook his head, knowing that this step was ultimately unavoidable.

"It seems that this Karma cannot be resolved in a short time."

With a sigh, Qiu Yan returned to the city. After packing up briefly, he headed north to return home, but was stopped by two people halfway there.

Those blocking the way were Hu Qi and Dai Guo, who had visited Qiu Residence the day before.

"Young Master..."

After blocking Qiu Yan's path, the two brothers stepped forward and said sincerely, "We are brothers, and we are willing to tell you everything, young master. Please take us in."

Qiu Yan dismounted and, seeing this, simply said, "Both of you are Life Cultivation, why do you need to be someone else's servants? If you want the Dragon Court's protection, why not join the army in the military town? Even if you're not registered, as long as you kill enemies and make contributions, you'll be able to settle down sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, Hu Qi gave a wry smile and said, "To be honest, young master, our skills are ill-gotten. They may be suitable for performing, but using them to fight for the country would involve considerable Karma and provoke our enemies!"

"Oh?" Qiu Yan roughly understood the meaning behind their words.

These two must have learned their skills by stealing. No wonder they have the cultivation level of refining the Three Souls, yet they only dare to perform on the street. With their level of cultivation, even if they don't rely on anyone, opening their own martial arts school and teaching disciples would be much more stable than performing on the street.

The cultivation Cultivation Method of this Life Cultivation are different from ordinary martial arts. It's good that someone like Yan Yongjie was inspired by Qiu Yan to Soul Tempering in one step, but those Cultivation Method with complete inheritance systems can Spirit Transformation when cultivated to a high level. These are all secrets that are not passed on and can rarely be used casually by ordinary people. Otherwise, the struggles in the martial arts world would not be limited to fists, feet, swords and knives.

That being said, it's quite an achievement that Hu Qi and his companion were able to steal the technique, but they dared not spread it carelessly. If it were exposed, they would inevitably be hunted down and captured by the true owner of the Cultivation Method!

Hu Qi observed Qiu Yan's expression and, seeing that the other party seemed to have understood, continued, "This matter is difficult to discuss. Since we have achieved success in our Life Cultivation and are considered cultivators, if we stay in any city for an extended period, we must submit our calling cards to the Underworld Office. However..."

He paused, then looked at Qiu Yan: "If we enter the scholar's residence, it will be a different story. We will no longer be staying, but following. You are the top scholar in Jiannan Circuit, and passing the imperial examination is a sure thing. Following you will also ensure our safety. As for the potential consequences of this Cultivation Method, it will not involve you. In fact, the reason we are unwilling to reveal it is based on this consideration."

"I see." Qiu Yan finally understood.

"These two couldn't reveal their whereabouts, so they came up with the idea of naturalizing and seeking refuge. They were unwilling to tell me the reason before, and when the truth came out, I could simply say that I was deceived by them and get away with it. However, now that they've come out in the open, they've been forced by me, so I still have to show some reciprocation."

After thinking for a moment, Qiu Yan asked again, "Since you two want to avoid the Underworld Office, why not go to the wilderness? With your skills, you can live in peace and seclusion."

Hu Qi smiled wryly and said, "Young master is a scholar and hasn't traveled much in the martial world. In our Great Rui, almost every mountain and river is inhabited by deities. Wherever you linger, you're bound to encounter mountain gods, local deities, river gods, and water spirits, unless you go far beyond the borders. But those places with Barbarians and Yi people also have other problems. To be honest, before we settled in Qingchang, we hid in the borderlands and the Five Marshes, but in the end, we still returned to the Central Plains."

"Oh? The Great Rui's Divine Path is so prosperous?"

After listening to this, Qiu Yan pondered for a moment, considering his options, and finally said, "Alright, since you've been so open, I won't turn anyone away anymore. But let me make this clear from the start: if you choose to become a citizen, you'll represent the Qiu Family. If you become arrogant and domineering, giving others cause for gossip, don't blame Qiu Yan for being ruthless."

"Of course." Hu Qi and Dai Guo smiled, relieved, and quickly agreed.

Qiu Yan nodded, said no more, remounted his horse, and Hu Qi and Dai Guo followed behind.

Qiu Yan accepted the two on a whim. Although they were frank and open, the main reason was that Qiu Yan sensed a trace of Fortune in them. He realized that this Fortune was related to the future fortune of the scholar's clone, which is why he agreed to the arrangement.

After traveling for a while, Qiu Yan and the other two finally returned to Yuanning Prefecture. However, they were stopped as soon as they entered the city.

"Brother, you're finally back! Come quickly, I have an important guest to see you."

The person blocking the way was Zhang Zhen; judging from his appearance, he had clearly been waiting at the city gate for a long time.

Compared to a while ago, Zhang Zhen had recovered from the disappointment of failing the exam. Now, his face was full of joy. He greeted Qiu Yan, asked about Hu Qi and Dai Guo's background, then arranged for people to send Qiu Yan's luggage back to the Liu Residence. After that, he couldn't wait to lead Qiu Yan to the Zhang Residence.

Seeing Zhang Zhen's anxious expression, Qiu Yan couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly wants to see me?"

"You'll know when you get there," Zhang Zhen said, reluctant to say, but repeatedly emphasizing, "This is an incredible opportunity; others would kill for it."

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan's heart stirred, and she recalled Zhen Zhizuo, whom she had met a few days ago, and began to make a guess.

However, upon arriving at the Zhang Residence and seeing the man's appearance, Qiu Yan became puzzled again.

This man was over forty years old, with a square face and a beard. He exuded an air of openness, integrity, and peace, which brought a sense of tranquility to those who saw him.

When Qiu Yan saw this person, his soul trembled slightly, and he felt an invisible aura enveloping him, subtly oppressing him.

As Qiu Yan sized up the other person, the man also looked at Qiu Yan, a strange light flashing in his eyes. Finally, he smiled and stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "This must be Qiu Yan, Qiu Shen Zhi. I am Ji Zheng."

"Ji Zheng? His surname is Ji?"

As Qiu Yan was pondering this, Zhang Yunling, the patriarch of the Zhang Family, personally introduced him, "Nephew, Mr. Ji comes from Qi-Lu and is a disciple of the Apricot Altar School! He has come here on someone's behalf to specifically visit you."

"The Academy of Qilu? The Supreme Sage and Teacher?"

Upon hearing the words "Apricot Altar," a name instinctively popped into Qiu Yan's mind, and her expression changed accordingly.

The Supreme Sage teacher, Confucius, is known as the teacher of all ages and the greatest Sage of all time. The Apricot Altar was where he taught, and it is now a major school of Confucianism, renowned as a sacred place for Confucian scholars.

Throughout history, the first thing dynasties did after establishing their rule was to go and offer sacrifices and bestow titles upon their descendants, which illustrates this point.

However, Qiu Yan's doubts grew stronger.

"Qi-Lu is far to the east, Jiannan is in the southwest. They are too far apart to have any connection with me."

As he was pondering, Ji Zheng smiled, took out an invitation from his pocket, and handed it to Qiu Yan: "I came to Shu this time on someone's behalf to bring you this."

Qiu Yan took it without hesitation, and when he looked down, his pupils immediately contracted.

The few lines of characters on the paper were neat and square, exuding a powerful aura and conveying a sense of benevolence and propriety!

"The words on this paper are written with such spirit!"

After the initial surprise, Qiu Yan's gaze fell on the paper, and he read through its contents.

This invitation is for people to participate in Apricot Altar Dao Discourse at the end of the year.

With only three months left until the end of the year, Qiu Yan needs to participate in the Metropolitan Examination next spring. If he goes to the eastern land of Qi-Lu, there simply won't be enough time for a round trip without using his cultivation and Divine Ability.

Thinking of this, he looked up at Ji Zheng, his face showing confusion.

Ji Zheng, however, guessed Qiu Yan's thoughts and smiled, "Young Master Qiu, there's no need to doubt. Although you may find it difficult to enter the Apricot Altar, you can certainly enter the Eastern Capital." (To be continued)

P. S.: Thank you to "Amazing Life" for the donation!