Hall of Stars

Palace.

The hall is spacious and bright, and although its decorations are not luxurious or extravagant, it exudes Great Qi and magnificent atmosphere. Moreover, it contains a mellow and ancient flavor, as if it has been buried in history for a long time and has never been disturbed by anyone.

The tranquility of this hall has now been broken. At this moment, many people are standing in it, divided into two groups, facing each other. One group is numerous and powerful, while the other is weak and isolated. The contrast is very obvious.

The side with fewer people consisted of only two individuals, a man and a woman, an older man and a younger woman. The older man was the one Bei Xuan referred to as "Uncle Ming," while the woman was Tang Qing.

However, these two individuals who had cultivated Literary Heart were surrounded by black energy, their auras fluctuating in strength and unpredictability.

"It's astonishing that such a place exists beneath this Book Mountain! However, since Young Master Sun arrived here before us, it seems he knew about it beforehand and was prepared."

Tang Qing in front, sneering at the group opposite her, "However, do you really think that having more people gives you an advantage?" Her clear black and white eyes swept over the group, revealing a cold and stern aura.

Many people felt a stinging sensation on their faces as Tang Qing's gaze swept over them, as if someone were pricking their faces with fine needles. They all lowered their heads to avoid his gaze.

This group of people were all dressed as Confucian scholars. From their appearance, they seemed to be weak and powerless, but each of them was filled with surging Literary Thought and released a sense of perception that was faintly fused together. Although it was chaotic, it was unusually rich, causing the surrounding scenery to appear distorted.

If an ordinary person were here, they would immediately sense the aura of reason emanating from them, feeling as if they were facing Grandmaster of Confucianism.

Not long ago, this group of people were just ordinary Confucian scholars, following others into the forest to try their luck, without even being qualified to enter. Among them were Zhan Cheng, the eldest brother of the Zhan Household, and Zhan Zhen, the third brother.

Standing before the crowd were three people, the one in the lead being Sun Yong.

Tang Qing was also keeping an eye on Sun Yong.

Hearing Tang Qing's words, Sun Yong smiled slightly. His demeanor was calm and composed, exuding an air of complete control. He slowly spoke, "The Scholar Forest is vast, and even though we come from the Continent, it is still fate that we can meet. It is clear that we are destined to meet, so why should Miss Tang be angry? I am not your enemy."

"Hmph!" Tang Qing sneered. "Stop putting on this act. Is it fate that you attacked us? Speaking of which, the situation in that cave has been quite strange these past few days. The passage kept changing. It must have been you who was behind this."

Tang Qing traveled with Bei Xuan and Uncle Ming, collecting Book Mine along the way. Although all three were individuals who had cultivated Literary Heart and Fortune, finding interconnected ores in the caves, like searching for a needle in a haystack, was still extremely difficult. Furthermore, they couldn't break off pieces at will to explore, so after two days, their gains were very limited.

Compared to Qiu Yan, the three of them were more numerous, and they came from prominent Aristocratic Clan with a collection of books recording the secrets of the Scholar Forest, including matters concerning the Book Mountain Mine, which could be used for guidance.

Even so, after two days, they still hadn't managed to gather a complete set of Book Mine, a far cry from Qiu Yan's seven piles.

Although Tang Qing was unaware of Qiu Yan's gains, he grew anxious as the time he had to spend in the cave dwindled. In order to complete his cousin's set, he began frequently traversing the cave and carefully marking the passageways. However, over the past half-day, the situation had changed. As the three of them moved forward, the ground began to shake intermittently, and the passageways within the caves began to twist, rendering Tang Qing's markings useless.

Despite this situation, the three remained undeterred and continued onward. Before long, after passing through a passage, they discovered light and then a large door. Pushing it open, they stepped into the hall.

Then, they discovered Sun Yong, who was already there. Apart from him, the other Confucian scholars who had entered the cave were also gathered there, and they were all brimming with Literary Thought talent, which seemed quite unusual. However, at that time, Sun Yong remained respectful.

At this moment, facing Tang Qing's aggressive words, Sun Yong seemed unconcerned. "I invited you all here out of good intentions. Even in the entire Scholar Forest, Book Mountain that can give birth to such a magnificent hall is extremely rare. This hall can be called the Ore Mother, the essence of the Book Mountain. No matter how many mines there are on that mountain, or how many complex artistic conceptions there are, they can all be explored here!"

"What?" Tang Qing was taken aback, first surprised, then understanding. "So that's how it is. Exploring various realms of meaning and insights, even if one cannot absorb them, one can still gain something from observing, summarizing, and learning from them. If one can comprehend them thoroughly, it can be even more useful than obtaining Book Mine! No wonder..."

"As expected of Miss Tang, you grasped the secret so quickly," Sun Yong smiled, his gaze towards Tang Qing filled with admiration. "Only a woman like you, with both talent and the backing of a powerful Aristocratic Clan, could be a worthy partner. I wonder if Miss Tang would be willing to marry into the Sun Household, so that the Tang and Sun families could form a harmonious union."

"A marriage alliance between Qin and Jin? That was a former state, it seems Young Master Sun has grand ambitions," Tang Qing sneered, a cold glint in his eyes. "Moreover, you've got some nerve, daring to even set your sights on me! Don't you even look in the mirror? What are you? A toad trying to eat swan meat!"

Her words were utterly merciless, and the expressions of the many Confucian scholars behind Sun Yong changed drastically after she spoke them.

"Hahaha!" But Sun Yong, the person in question, burst into laughter, seemingly delighted. Even Tang Qing changed at the sound of his laughter, unsure of what he meant.

After a while, Sun Yong stopped laughing and then said, "I've heard that you, Miss Tang, are not good at needlework, which probably means you look down on ordinary women. However, in my opinion, if you weren't born into a good family and have a beautiful appearance, you'd be no different from any other woman. My desire to marry you isn't because I'm attracted to your looks, but because I value the power behind you. At our level, how many people would have unnecessary thoughts and invite trouble because of a woman's beauty?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Qing's expression changed drastically, anger surged within her, her pretty face turned slightly cold, and the black smoke swirling around her body immediately intensified, deepening its connection with her soul.

"Hmm!"

The next moment, she let out a muffled groan, and then realized that Sun Yong was deliberately provoking her, trying to make her lose her State of Mind and have her soul absorbed by these black energies. She knew all too well what would happen then.

Those Confucian scholars who stood behind Sun Yong now followed his lead without question. Even if Sun Yong ordered them to burn their own souls and thoughts, they probably wouldn't refuse. They were completely controlled by Sun Yong, and once he had a thought, no one else could resist.

And what caused all of this was this black mist!

The black mist contained Sun Yong's thoughts. Once it invaded the soul, even though Tang Qing had already condensed her Literary Heart, she would still become a puppet and would be unable to resist.

However, some things cannot be truly controlled simply by understanding them in one's heart. Fortunately, although Tang Qing was indignant, she still possessed Literary Heart and the ability to control her thoughts. Suppressing her anger, she said in a deep voice, "Don't try to provoke me with your words. No matter how powerful your Sun Household is in Jiangnan, they can't control Yan-Zhao. Besides, you haven't truly succeeded yet. After my cousin understands..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Yong interrupted him with laughter. He shook his head. "Leaving aside whether I can get what I want, just consider Mr. Bei Xuan. Do you really think he cares about his cousin? Who can't see your feelings? But in his eyes, the mysteries of the world are far more alluring. Otherwise, why would he have remained indifferent when you and Mr. Bei Ming were in danger? If he truly cared for you, he would have already..."

Upon hearing Sun Yong's words, Tang Qing's expression changed again, her pretty face turned pale, and then she looked up.

There was no dome above the hall, only a hazy mist and clouds, with light and shadow flickering inside, like a starry sky. A figure could be vaguely seen in the mist, as if it were exhaling and inhaling the clouds.

This person is none other than Bei Xuan, a Literary Path Creation.

Originally, Bei Xuan, Tang Yan, and the old man Bei Ming were traveling together when they entered the hall and were warmly greeted by Sun Yong. After Sun Yong led the three of them in, he pointed upwards and saw Cloud-Mist Stars. Bei Xuan's expression changed, and without saying a word, he took off and flew into the clouds.

Then, taking advantage of Tang Qing and Bei Ming's unpreparedness, the many frail scholars gathered in the hall, at Sun Yong's signal, suddenly launched their attack! Each of them unleashed astonishing Literary Thought Aura!

The sudden and unexpected attack immediately suppressed Tang Qing and Bei Ming. Then, for reasons unknown, Sun Yong caused black mist to rise from the floor of the main hall, enveloping the two men and infiltrating their souls.

After that, the two sides were locked in a standoff.

In fact, if Sun Yong were to send someone to take action now, there would be a great chance to capture and severely injure Tang Qing and his companion. However, this Sun Household clearly intends to tame and subdue them, and does not seem to want Tang Qing and his companion to be injured.

Attracted by the clouds and stars, Bei Xuan was unwilling to be distracted and let Tang Qing and Bei Ming be attacked. This already caused Tang Qing sorrow, and now that Sun Yong had disturbed her State of Mind, she forcibly suppressed her anger. Finally, he pointed out Bei Xuan's intentions, which immediately broke down her defenses. The black energy rushed in and threatened to spread throughout her body, causing her thoughts to gradually change and become dazed.

Seeing this, Sun Yong was delighted, imagining Tang Qing's complete submission.

A few days ago, he had to be extremely respectful when he met Tang Qing and the others. Now that they were about to become his slaves and puppets, Sun Yong couldn't help but feel emotionally turbulent, even if he didn't want to.

Just then...

An aged voice came. "Sun Yong, you have gone to great lengths to subdue us and use our Literary Heart to carry the Ore Mother. However, judging from the scene in the hall, there is clearly still a major variable. Your plan will ultimately fail. When Young Master Yi comprehends the mysteries of the stars, that will be the time of your defeat and death!" The speaker was the old man Bei Ming.

"What a joke! You think this starry sky can truly be deciphered?" Sun Yong pointed upwards and laughed loudly. "I know the variable you're referring to is Qiu Yan, but I've already made arrangements..."

Before he could finish speaking, a large door at the edge of the hall suddenly shook violently, and then with a loud crash, the door flew off!

Call!

A raging inferno surged in!

ps:

Thank you to "Jia Ada" and "Wingwind Sword Dance" for the monthly votes!