Calculating the Heavens Above, Deducing the Calendar Below

"Yes, the arrest of Confucian scholars has been going on for nearly half a month. Every Confucian scholar who passes through this town has been arrested and released after a short time. But judging from the situation, although the people are released, their talents and knowledge have been taken away! No wonder when I said that I was the top scholar of Jiannan Circuit, I not only failed to quell the trouble, but also brought trouble upon myself! This is a case of being guilty of possessing a treasure!"

Qiu Yan recalled the information he had received in town, and felt the thoughts about pursuit, hope, effort, and perseverance woven into the White Jade Paperweight Literary Thought. His anger gradually rose.

These emotions stem from students' aspirations for the future. Regardless of their quality, they must put in the effort and endure years or even decades of solitude to accumulate knowledge. But right now, these emotions and thoughts seem to be drifting away like rootless duckweed.

"Seizing knowledge and Literary Thought is unnecessary for a cultivator of the Divine Soul. This cultivator is here, but the Prince Yan who should have come is nowhere to be seen. The mastermind behind this should be clear. But why would a royal prince want to seize a scholar's knowledge? Once this knowledge leaves its rightful owner, it will condense into Literary Thought, insights, and memories. Rashly absorbing it will only disturb one's own State of Mind and memories, doing more harm than good."

Qiu Yan had already seen that the so-called acquisition of knowledge meant stripping away the memories related to the classics and articles, causing students to lose some of their memories, and at the same time taking away the Literary Thought Aura cultivated over the years. In this way, the insights derived from knowledge and learning would also cease to exist. However, reading is a process of self-cultivation, and simply plundering it cannot improve State of Mind.

"When that cultivator said he wanted to seize my Literary Heart and skills, he wasn't referring to my Daoheart Fist Intent, but rather the insights gained from reading and experience. However, insights vary from person to person; how can they be forcibly absorbed?"

The more Qiu Yan thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. He turned his gaze, looking through the window, and landed deep inside the mansion. The four bookshelves had fallen back down, the Classics Section Bookshelf still swaying slightly, but it quickly calmed down.

Qiu Yan put the bookshelf back and pondered for a moment.

"This Divine Soul cultivator has only just entered the Third Realm and cannot yet travel for a hundred days or possess objects with his mind. He is a good research subject to explore the characteristics of Divine Soul cultivators."

Qiu Yan already had two Divine Soul hidden in his Classics Section Bookshelf, both of which he had captured in the Land of the Divine Remains. One of them exploded during his fight with Liang, impacting his opponent.

The remaining one was a wisp of smoke, known as the Black Skeleton. This cultivator, when fighting Qiu Yan, was able to control the tribespeople with his Divine Sense and create Yin Puppet.

However, in the Land of the Divine Remains, neither cultivators nor gods could replenish themselves. Even though the Black Skeleton was at the Three Realms, Three Stages, comparable to Fifth Grade god, he had consumed a great deal of energy over the years and could not easily Spirit Projection. In the end, he was captured by the god's true form and sealed inside the Classics Section Bookshelf, where he was daily instilled and educated with scriptures.

However, his cultivation level was not low. To this day, he has not been educated and remains on the bookshelf.

"This Divine Soul cultivator's physical body is definitely still in the manor. I've captured him, and it won't be long before he's discovered. Before that, I must find out the reason behind this. Why did Prince Yan want to extract someone else's Literary Thought? Knowledge is hard-won; if possible, it should be returned to its rightful owner."

With that thought, Qiu Yan put the jade pendant back at his waist, flicked his sleeve, and the Qi and Blood that filled the room dissipated. The illusory birdcage also disappeared without a trace, leaving only broken teacups and water stains.

Then, he opened his palm, and a ball of flame fell from the roof, beating endlessly in his palm, and finally turned into a talisman, with the word "cage" vaguely visible.

"This magical talisman seal is much more powerful than the previous ones." As he said that, he took out a book from his arms and bound it with ink thread. As soon as the book was opened, the "cage" character seal was printed on one page.

After doing all this, Qiu Yan put the book back in his pocket, pushed off with his foot, and shot out like an arrow. He was powerful and fast, but because he had refined his Central Pivot Soul, he had a very precise control over his strength and left no trace on the ground. He used all his strength without wasting a single bit.

He charged forward like a shadow, swiftly disappearing into the mansion. As if to facilitate the actions of Divine Soul cultivator, few people were left around the main hall, making it easier for Qiu Yan his plan.

In the pitch-black room, a thin man named Zong Heng put down his pen, looked at the books and papers on the table, and fell into deep thought, his brows furrowed.

Just now, he flew out of the Earthly Soul to investigate Qiu Yan's true strength. He caught a strange feeling from the changes in the other party's Fortune, but the Crow Daoist asked urgently, so how could he refuse? However, as soon as he sent his thoughts away, Zong Heng became more and more uneasy, so he began to make calculations.

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and tiny symbols flashed in Zong Heng's eyes, combining and arranging themselves to finally condense into a line of text.

Suddenly, his eyebrows twitched, revealing a look of panic. He exclaimed in a low voice, "Oh no! We've been tricked! Qiu Yan used an illusion to deceive my senses! No wonder my calculations were off!"

Before he could finish speaking, Zong Heng hurriedly stood up and walked outside. "Go report first, otherwise..."

At this moment, only a few breaths had passed since the Crow Daoist made his move. Before he could even reach the door, it was pushed open from the outside, and sunlight streamed in, dispelling the darkness from the room.

"Hmm?" Zong Heng. He glanced at the figure in front of the door, and a large amount of information surfaced in his soul. Then it turned into deductions and entered his limbs. He moved his feet, twisted his body, lost his balance, and fell to the side.

Call!

A gust of wind swept past where he Original Edition standing, but Zong Heng had already fallen to the ground, patting the ground with his thin palms to roll to the side and dodge a gust of wind.

"Huh?" A soft exclamation came from outside the door.

Snap!

The air beam struck the ground, kicking up a few pebbles. Zong Heng then took a deep breath and reached for a chair beside him. The chair's legs were connected to the ground, as if it were a mechanism.

However, just as his fingers were about to touch the chair leg, a chill ran down his spine, and he froze, completely still.

A voice came from the doorway--

"A wise choice, a swift judgment, and a resolute determination to execute—this is no ordinary person. May I ask what your name is?"

Then, a young man dressed in Confucian robes stepped in.

Upon seeing this figure, Zong Heng's eyes widened suddenly. He swallowed hard, his face filled with disbelief, and he subconsciously called out the other person's name—

"Qiu Yan..."

He was ordered to use his Yidi spirit to investigate the main hall, and he already knew Qiu Yan's name beforehand.

Seeing Zong Heng's expression, Qiu Yan shook his head and said coldly, "It is indeed I. Your surprise must be because you can't understand how I Subordinate Deity Cultivator, right?"

Zong Heng's expression changed several times. When he saw Qiu Yan appear, he initially guessed that Qiu Yan had bypassed the Crow Daoist and sneaked here. However, after hearing these words and observing the other party's confident expression, he deduced what had happened in an instant.

With a wry smile, Zong Heng shook his head. "It seems we miscalculated this time. You planned all this from the moment you entered the Prince's mansion—no, from the moment you saw through Zhao Pi's true nature, right? We wanted to kill two birds with one stone, but we ended up mistaking a tiger for a rabbit."

"Oh?" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, a strange light flashing in them. "Judging from your tone, it seems you've already reconstructed the whole story."

"These things aren't hard to deduce. You deliberately misled me before, causing me to misjudge your cultivation level. Once you understand that, it won't be difficult to calculate the cause and effect."

"You calculated it?" Qiu Yan flicked his fingers. "You Yidi Soul to spy, you can measure Fortune and feel the tremors of flesh and bones. Non-Self hadn't interfered with my thoughts and created an illusion, you would have really discovered my true nature. And judging from your words, you should have also calculated my disguise just now. Impressive! Impressive! I wonder what your Earthly Soul is based on? How can you have such strategic abilities?"

Zong Heng stood up, straightened his clothes, and replied, "It's nothing, just the basics of Zhuishu. Anyone with a little study can deduce it."

"The Zhuishu?" Upon hearing these two words, Qiu Yan felt a sense of familiarity. The next moment, memories flowed from the History Section Bookshelf, making him realize, "So it's a mathematical classic left by a great mathematician. The previous dynasty included it in the 'Ten Mathematical Classics' for students of the Imperial Academy to study. However, due to its profound content, even the officials found it difficult to delve into, and it was eventually abandoned and lost. How come..."

His gaze fell on the desk not far away, and he saw the book there. He sensed something unusual about it, and a sentence came to mind—

Seeking the movement of the stars, observing the waxing and waning of the celestial bodies!

"What arrogance! However, it is indeed mentioned in historical records that this book calculates astronomy, observes the movement of stars, and deduces the calendar, explaining the solar terms and the four seasons; it is obscure and profound."

"I never imagined that even today, someone would still have heard of this book. No wonder they say you have a remarkable memory; it's truly well-deserved!"

Zong Heng took a few breaths, his expression calming considerably, a look of resignation in his eyes. "I have offended you and must pay the price, but I have one request: I hope you will not hold this book against me, and allow it to continue to circulate. This book contains vast knowledge and hidden secrets. It can not only calculate astronomy and calendar, but also the rise Fortune fall of fortunes. If its mysteries are deciphered, it can even illuminate the universe and all things, and explain the myriad aspects of human life! It can uphold the Human Path!"

"Oh? It can hold Human Path?" Qiu Yan's gaze towards the book changed, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Then, he composed himself and said to Zong Heng, "To seize Literary Thought is an act of utter vengeance, a wound that severs one's very life. Even if it was done under orders, it cannot be easily dismissed. There must be an explanation, but let's leave that aside for now. I'll ask you first, why did Prince Yan seize Literary Thought? Don't try to deceive me with lies; it's pointless. Even if you don't tell me, I'll find out anyway; it'll just take some effort." The threat in his words was palpable.

Zong Heng was quite sensible. He knew very well that even if he didn't speak up, there were still people in the mansion who knew the truth and couldn't escape Qiu Yan's soul-searching methods. They would eventually be exposed. So he told them everything, "Your Highness seized Literary Thought for the upcoming Apricot Altar Dao Discourse."

Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "Oh? The Apricot Altar Dao Discourse? What does that have to do with other people's Literary Thought?"

"You don't know?" Zong Heng glanced at Qiu Yan, his face showing surprise. "Apricot Altar Dao Discourse, Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest. If one doesn't have enough Literary Thought to suppress oneself, one will inevitably lose oneself in it and be forever lost!"

ps:

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