A Figure from Behind

"Is that so?"

Qiu Yan looked at Chen Jing's face, catching a clue from the other's expression, and then turned to look at the servant.

Upon being stared at by Qiu Yan, the servant instinctively shrank back and lowered his head, saying, "I... I'm truly innocent. I don't know Young Master Qiu Yan at all, let alone spread rumors."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jing laughed, "This man has been saying this ever since he was caught, but the evidence is conclusive. Even Seventh Young Master Ma came forward to testify, so how can he be allowed to deny it?"

At this point, Chen Jing looked at Qiu Yan: "Brother Qiu, you will definitely have to go to the Ma Residence today. Seventh Young Master Ma also knows about this matter. Since it is inconvenient for him to come directly, he asked me to send this person here first so that Brother Qiu can deal with him."

Qiu Yan nodded, glanced at the servant again, and then said, "Thank you for your help, Brother Chen. Please also convey to Young Master Ma that I will remember this matter and thank you for your assistance."

After listening to Chen Jing's account, he roughly understood what the seventh son of the Ma Family was thinking. He knew that the other party was extending goodwill, but due to the situation, he couldn't come in person. He would have to wait until Qiu Yan visited the Ma Family before he could befriend Qiu Yan.

However, Qiu Yan was also puzzled. Although this person was spreading rumors, he was, after all, a member of the Ma Residence. Why didn't Seventh Young Master Ma punish him himself and wait until Qiu Yan visited the mansion to explain the situation?

"Could this be a test of my attitude?"

At this moment, Chen Jing slapped his forehead and said, "Look, I'm so confused. That Seventh Young Master Ma's given name is 'Shou,' and his courtesy name is Huizheng." He then looked at Liu Zhanpeng and smiled, "As for Brother Zhanpeng, he's Ancient Path. After learning about these things, he took the initiative to come and help."

"Thank you, Brother Zhanpeng." Qiu Yan thanked him in turn. He could also tell that Liu Zhanpeng was a low-key person. He must have something to say to come here and make an appearance to get in touch with Qiu Yan.

Liu Zhanpeng smiled slightly, "Not at all, not at all. My father has been writing to me recently, often mentioning you, Brother Qiu, and praising you highly. He wants me to get closer to you, so that I may be influenced by your company."

"Alright, don't be so polite. Brother Qiu has other things to do later, so we won't waste any more time." Chen Jing said as he walked towards the door, then instructed his servant to release the young man. "This man has some strength, but I doubt Brother Qiu will take him seriously. There's no need for me to show off my skills before you. I'll have to learn from you another time, Brother Qiu. After all, things will come up in a little over a month. We might have to work together then."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Qiu Yan's heart stirred. He narrowed his eyes, looked at Chen Jing's retreating figure, cupped his hands, and smiled, "Since Brother Chen is so kind, I, Qiu, will gladly oblige."

Chen Jing waved his hand and walked around the corner of the inn, looking quite carefree.

Liu Zhanpeng also cupped his hands and said, "Brother Qiu, then I'll take my leave now. I'll visit you again in a few days when you have time."

Qiu Yan returned the greeting, saying, "In a few days, I, Qiu, will host a dinner for Brother Liu."

After saying goodbye to the two, Qiu Yan's smile faded, and she recalled the words Chen Jing had said as he left.

"More than a month later? More than a month later, the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse will be held. Those academies will send people to participate. But according to what Zhen Zhizuo said earlier, Chen Jing is not valued by the Principle Sect and may not be able to participate. What did he mean by what he just said?"

As Qiu Yan was thinking, a soft sound suddenly came from the side.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw the servant with a slightly fearful expression. This man had been released by Chen Jing's servants and, seeing that Qiu Yan seemed lost in thought, tried to escape. However, just as he reached the door, he was blocked by Dai Guo outside.

Dai Guo's fierce and menacing face immediately intimidated the servant.

"My young master didn't tell you to leave! Behave yourself!" Dai Guo's words startled the servant, who took several steps back and returned to the center of the room.

"This..." Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his face showed a pleading expression. "I really didn't do any of these things. I've been staying at home for the past few days. Last night, I don't know how, I fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes again, I was already at the Principle Sect Academy."

As he spoke, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to Qiu Yan: "Young Master, please understand, I am a servant of the Ma Family, and I have always been honest and upright. Not to mention framing you, this is the first time I have ever seen you in person!"

He spoke rapidly and his voice trembled, clearly eager to clarify his situation.

"Don't rush, speak slowly. I'll ask, and you answer." Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, looking at the servant in front of him, and said in a low voice, "You said you are a servant born into the Ma Family. As far as I know, servants born into the Ma family at your age usually become pageboys or attendants..."

"Yes, my Ma Ling, and I am currently the Fifth Young Master's page..."

Listening to Qiu Yan's words, the servant was in a daze, feeling drowsy, and involuntarily blurted out what was on his mind.

The memories in his heart gradually unfolded, radiating emotional fluctuations, which Qiu Yan captured. His life story was presented, and Qiu Yan examined it carefully. His thoughts unfolded as if he were flipping through a book, and he frowned from time to time.

Judging from those memories, this person was indeed an ordinary servant born into a household, who was only slightly literate but had little knowledge and was timid and cowardly. After becoming Ma Wan's page, he sometimes acted arrogantly and had the air of a petty person who had achieved success.

After learning all this, Qiu Yan became puzzled.

"Such a person might be arrogant in front of servants and maids of lower status, but he wouldn't offend a scholar and gossip about it."

Qiu Yan had the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), and in Ma Ling's eyes, he was a man of the rank of a master. Normally, people would be too busy currying favor with him to bother with gossiping.

Moreover, after understanding this person's style of doing things and his knowledge, Qiu Yan was even less convinced that the other party had the eloquence and cunning to provoke or cause trouble.

"However, since Chen Jing sent this person here, he wouldn't have done it without a reason; there must be something hidden behind it."

Qiu Yan pondered, his mind racing as he repeatedly flipped through the servant Ma Ling's memories. He quickly found the memories from five days ago, but then the memories and emotional fluctuations became chaotic, as if they had turned into a tangled mess, no longer clear.

"Oh? That's where the problem lies!"

Noticing the change in his memory, Qiu Yan immediately perked up, his mind racing as he scanned the past with his senses, meticulously investigating, but the results were unsatisfactory.

The servant's memory had become hazy and uncertain five days ago, like a dream. Many memories were disordered and disorganized, as if they had been stuffed into his mind out of thin air.

"Someone tampered with his memory! Could it be that the seventh son of the Ma Family sent him here because of this? Seeing him in person is certainly more direct and easier to clear the Ma Family of suspicion than just hearing someone else's account..."

As Qiu Yan pondered, his Heart Fire trembled, and an Incense Faith emanated from his Soul Aperture, invading Ma Ling's heart and penetrating his memories.

Once this Incense Faith enters one's memory, it's like a fast ship cutting through the waves, carving out a crack in the chaotic memories and seeping into them.

The next moment, memories of Qiu Yan surfaced, almost comprehensively, mainly focusing on the period when Qiu Yan came into contact with Ma Yang.

"Oh? The mastermind behind this is really well-prepared! He used possession magic to invade the servant's mind, leaving his memories so he can review them at any time. This way, when he wants to stir up trouble, he can have a clear target! I just wonder who this person is? Why go to such lengths to frame me? When did I offend such a person? Could it be that they want me to become enemies with the Ma Residence?"

The mastermind behind it all was clearly very cautious. Apart from information related to Qiu Yan, much of the other information was forcibly erased when leaving Ma Ling's body. This caused the other party's memory to become confused. Moreover, as time went on, this confusion even affected Ma Ling's thoughts, causing him to gradually become demented!

"How ruthless! Ma Ling went to the Principle Sect Academy last night and was caught on the spot. The person possessing him left in such a hurry that they didn't consider that this action would cause this person a lifetime of suffering, a fate worse than death."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan's thoughts shifted, and his Incense Faith rippled slightly, gently sorting out the chaotic thoughts in Ma Ling's soul.

"This person was merely an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire; the real culprit is the person behind it all. Helping him sort things out was just a small favor for me. However, even so, there will still be lingering effects. But that's just fate."

After finishing his thoughts, just as Qiu Yan was about to withdraw his Incense Faith, Ma Ling's soul suddenly trembled, manifesting a blurry figure that left a deep impression.

"Hmm?" Noticing the figure from behind, Qiu Yan felt a sense of familiarity, but before he could figure it out, the figure vanished in a flash.

"This is an unexpected bonus. A bit of information left over from the possessed person was revealed while sorting through the memories, but it's only a fragment."

After his senses and thoughts returned, Qiu Yan withdrew his thoughts, remained silent for a long time, and finally shook his head.

"No matter who wants to scheme against me, I shouldn't lose my composure or change my plans. I should proceed step by step. Since that person harbors ill intentions, they will try again if one plan fails. As long as I pay close attention, I can follow the clues and find the source."

With this thought in mind, he put all those matters out of his mind and then called out to Dai Guo outside the door, "You two pack your things and come with me to the street to buy some gifts. Then take this person with you to visit the Ma Residence."

"The Ma Residence? Young master, you mean the residence of the Chancellor Ma? Are you taking us there?" Hu Qi and Dai Guo entered upon hearing this, their faces showing excitement. They had heard of Ma Yang's reputation.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Dai Guo was overjoyed, while Hu Qi looked at the servant slumped in the chair and asked with some confusion, "What if this person runs away after we've all left?"

"No need to worry," Qiu Yan replied. "Besides, this person just happened to be there. I've already figured some things out, and there's not much use for him staying."

Hearing Qiu Yan say this, Hu Qi didn't say anything more. The two then got to work. Before long, Qiu Yan had taken a stroll around the streets and prepared a small gift, which was stationery.

Given the Ma Residence's status, they wouldn't accept anything valuable to avoid suspicion. Other items would be flashy but impractical, unlike these stationery items, which would also demonstrate Qiu Yan's attitude.

"Yesterday I asked Han Zhuo to go to the Ma Residence to explain what happened, but I don't know what the Ma Residence's attitude is now."

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