Honey on His Lips, a Sword in His Belly!

Afterwards, the Crow Daoist's Divine Soul departed, but the two experts in Life Cultivation were left behind by Prince Yan. He then gave a few instructions to his servant, who then left his seat.

Before long, Qiu Yan was lured there.

However, at this moment, Qiu Yan's face no longer showed the composure and confidence he had before, but instead showed confusion and panic. Faced with the hospitality of Prince Yan, he couldn't even perform the proper etiquette, making a fool of himself time and time again, which made Prince Yan laugh heartily and tease him with witty remarks.

Hu Qi and Dai Guo seemed disappointed as well, abandoning Qiu Yan and joining the Prince Yan's faction. This delighted the prince, who was overjoyed to have gained two more generals. He quickly arranged rooms for the two to stay. As for Qiu Yan, he had long since forgotten about him and had him sent away.

However, when everything was settled and the moon was high in the sky, Prince Yan returned to his room, saw the Paperweight on the table, and smiled.

"Since Qiu Yan is a top scholar in the provincial examination, he must have considerable knowledge. Zhao Pi mentioned to me before that he is eloquent and even has knowledge of the laws of the dynasty. He can be described as erudite. Such a scholar must have the knowledge of at least three to five people, right?"

Thinking to himself, Prince Yan took a Jade Basin about the size of two palms from the bookshelf, placed it on the table, picked up the White Jade Paperweight, and put it inside.

This basin is pure white, with two Ancient Seal Script written on the front, which can be vaguely discerned as the characters "Northern Darkness". The basin was originally empty of water, but when the Paperweight was placed in it, ripples appeared out of nowhere.

Ripples radiated and expanded rapidly, ring after ring, soon filling the entire surface of the basin, with bursts of reading sounds emanating from it. Memories and Literary Thought lingering around the edge of the Paperweight condensed into water, crystal clear, reflecting the figures of people writing diligently and reading attentively.

Instantly, the antique-style room was filled with a rich Literary Thought Aura, calming the State of Mind and bringing peace. Just listening to the sounds of reading and watching the figures, one could almost feel a spirit of self-improvement and striving for progress, which was truly inspiring.

However, Prince Yan, surrounded by this spirit, showed a look of disgust.

"Only this much has increased? How utterly useless! This is the level of a top scholar? These scholars have studied for so many years, and yet this is all they have to offer? How can this be enough for me? I lack the Sage Paper, and I cannot write essays that can settle my mind and live a fulfilling life. With this meager amount of Literary Thought, I can only sustain myself for a few days at most before I have to leave the Scholar Forest! Not to mention taking others with me!"

Thinking about this, he became increasingly anxious and paced back and forth in the room.

"That brat Li Kun is ungrateful and has rashly implemented reforms, disrupting the stability of the Great Rui Dynasty. As the Imperial Uncle, how can I stand idly by? However, the patriarchal laws and the Imperial Clan Court restrain princes, making it difficult for me to act decisively. But if I gain the support of the Sage, then everything will be fine! This journey to the Scholar Forest is a one-way street!"

Thinking of this, his expression grew even more unpleasant.

"However, relying on those useless scholars to slowly extract Literary Thought is too time-consuming. If only we could catch a talented scholar like Bai Zhaoyuan or He Shuchang, just one of them would be enough... Hmm? Hiss..."

As Prince Yan was still pondering, a sudden chill ran through him, the surrounding scenery instantly distorted, and a sense of dread rose in his heart.

"What happened?"

Cold sweat poured down his face. Prince Yan looked around, his pupils trembling slightly, still somewhat shaken, but he found nothing.

"What was that icy feeling I just experienced? It reminded me of when I was hunted in the Imperial Guard and targeted by tigers and venomous snakes..."

Lost in thought, Prince Yan's gaze fell once again upon the Jade Basin.

"To steal someone else's Literary Thought and memories, and yet still be so greedy! The thief complains that the victim is poor—it's utterly ridiculous!"

Sensing the changes within the dream illusion, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, a strange fluctuation rippling across his body, yet he concealed it.

"Young Master..."

Hu Qi and Dai Guo looked at Qiu Yan in front of them, their hearts pounding, not daring to Great Qi, their heads bowed.

Just now, a sudden gust of wind blew in from outside the door, causing everyone inside to stagger. However, Hu Qi and Dai Guo possessed internal energy, widened their eyes and focused their attention, seeing two Life Cultivation rush into the room.

However, what happened next was extremely strange. The two experts broke through the gale with their Blood Qi, but everyone in the room stood still and did not move. Whether it was the maids, servants, or the elegant Prince Yan, or even the Life Cultivation who rushed into the room, they were all frozen in place with blank expressions, only their eyes showed changes in light and shadow.

"This..."

Hu Qi and Dai Guo were initially startled, but then they realized that the people in the room had been subdued by Soul Dao techniques and were trapped in illusions and dreams.

Immediately afterwards, footsteps came from outside the door, and Qiu Yan walked in, looking at Prince Yan without saying a word.

Hu Qi and Dai Guo immediately jumped up from their chairs and walked over to Qiu Yan, wanting to speak, but Qiu Yan waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet.

The atmosphere in the room gradually became heavy, and even the aroma of the food seemed to change, causing Hu Qi and Dai Guo to feel flustered.

They sensed an undercurrent within Qiu Yan; beneath his seemingly calm exterior lay a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

This was the first time Hu Qi and his companion had ever felt such an imposing aura emanating from Qiu Yan since they first met Qiu Yan.

Anger.

"What exactly did Prince Yan do to upset the young master so much?"

Thinking of this, the two turned their gazes to Prince Yan, and couldn't help but mutter to themselves.

At this moment, the prince was retreating, his face slightly flustered, his mouth open as if calling out, but his eyes were dull and wooden, and waves of disgust and disappointment emanated from his body.

At this moment, Qiu Yan suddenly spoke up, "Prince Yan probably wants to recruit the two of you, right?"

Hu Qi and Dai Guo's hearts skipped a beat, and their bodies trembled. They quickly said, "Young Master, you are wise. Although Prince Yan is willing to recruit us brothers, we have already joined the Qiu Family, so naturally..."

"Don't overthink it. I understand the principle of 'if you doubt someone, don't appoint them; if you appoint someone, don't doubt them,'" Qiu Yan glanced at Hu Qi. "You've come to me to use the Fortune of the Scholar Forest and officialdom to conceal your fate and avoid disaster. But this Prince Yan, as a prince, is restless and will inevitably find himself in the eye of the storm. Following him will only bring trouble! Someone who can refine the Three Souls should understand this."

When Qiu Yan spoke, there was a certainty in his voice, which made Hu Qi and Dai Guo's hearts tighten. Although they had refused before, they were somewhat tempted and hadn't thought much about it. Now, hearing these words was like a wake-up call, making them realize the truth and immediately break out in a cold sweat.

"Young Master is wise," Hu Qi wiped his sweat. "Leaving aside other matters, just considering the origins of our Cultivation Method, if we were to join a royal family, Karma karmic entanglements would be numerous, leading to endless troubles." Having said this much, they no longer needed to use grand principles to express their loyalty; they had spoken their true feelings.

Qiu Yan shook his head. "No need to be so reserved. I can't claim to be wise, but you two are certainly careless!" As he finished speaking, his muscles and bones trembled, and his Martial Dao Will roared out!

Act according to your ability! Your actions will be fruitful! Seize the moment!

A surge of willpower crashed over us!

Hu Qi and Dai Guo looked surprised, but before they could react, they felt their limbs stiffen and be enveloped by a powerful will. That will pressed down on them, making it difficult for them to move, and they could not use their strength or True Qi!

Martial Dao Will is equivalent to the Daoist Dao Arts of Nature Cultivation one's nature.

Dao Arts consume the Heart Fire, borrowing the surrounding forces to attract external spirits and objects; while Martial Dao Will will consumes the Kidney Fire, using one's own will to interfere with the outside world.

Both of these methods can only be used when a cultivator reaches the Third Realm, but Qiu Yan has the support of his true self's Incense Faith, which can replace his Heart Fire. In addition, the previous loss of control of the hand seals led to the outflow of his Martial Dao Will, which was also brought under control. At this time, he can use them as easily as using his own limbs.

With a sudden burst of thought, Hu Qi and Dai Guo's bodies were connected, and with two "plop" sounds, they opened their mouths at the same time, spitting out pitch-black liquid.

Ink!

The two masses of ink twisted in mid-air and turned into two seal characters, one for "drive" and the other for "control". Both of them burst out the artistic conception of slavery and control, and their charm was soaring to the sky!

Domineering! Overbearing! Unwavering!

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan's pupils contracted. "Beautiful calligraphy! Beautiful spirit! Beautiful Divine Ability!"

"This is..." After spitting out the ink, Hu Qi and Dai Guo were pale and looked much more haggard, revealing a sense of panic. "When did this thing enter our bodies?"

As they were talking, the two turned their heads and their gazes fell on the dining table, and they understood each other perfectly.

Just then, the two words suddenly moved and lunged towards Qiu Yan!

"Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious; one must be up to no good. Think twice before you act in the future." Qiu Yan shook his head, flicked his wrist, and wrote a line of text in the air with his finger.

Honey on the lips, a dagger in the heart!

This line of words appeared out of thin air. It was just a breath of charm, but it exploded with a strong suction force, pulling "drive" and "control" to twist and deform. The ink in the words seemed to be leaving the words, and even the charm inside had a faint tendency to collapse.

Sudden!

Disperse!

The two characters disintegrated, the ink spreading into mist, condensing in mid-air to form a face, its eyes radiating electric light, as if possessing the ability to see through people's hearts!

At this moment, those eyes were fixed on Qiu Yan, revealing a hint of interest before it completely disappeared.

Then, the scattered water mist was absorbed by the line of words Qiu Yan wrote in mid-air, filling it and capturing its essence, giving Qiu Yan some insights. With a wave of his hand, the line of words in front of him fell to the ground, penetrating three inches into the stone.

"It seems this matter is not so simple. The person who left the ink mark is probably not one of Prince Yan's advisors."

Recalling those eyes from just now, Qiu Yan's gaze fell on Prince Yan, a dazzling light flashing in his eyes, radiating a divine charm—a charm captured from "control".

The next moment, Qiu Yan's vision changed slightly. He saw a seal character on the foreheads of Prince Yan and the two Life Cultivation.

The word "greed" is written on King Yan's head.

As for the two masters of fortune cultivation, one is printed with the word "chen" and the other is written with the word "submit"!

Qiu Yan's pupils immediately contracted!

ps:

Thank you "Wandering Mountains and Rivers" for the monthly vote!