Lay Down the Butcher's Knife, Take Up the Brush to Write Its Charm

At this moment, Wang Yifu, who was being nagged by Qiu Yan, was sitting in a dilapidated temple with a face full of anger.

A number of people had gathered around him, including Tong Shou, Liu Tian, and other disciples of the Void-Driving Dao. In addition, there was a person guarding the temple entrance.

The gatekeeper was Chen Yun.

This member of the Chen Household was pale-faced. In the previous underground battle, Chen Yun stimulated his potential to transfer the physical bodies of Chen Jing and others. He then fled all the way, exhausting his Qi and Blood. Later, he fought against the Seven Sons of the Void-Driving Dao and was seriously injured.

He originally focused on cultivating the Soul Dao, and his physical body had not been tempered. After several incidents, he suffered considerable damage, and even his Divine Soul had regressed. He almost lost his cultivation at the Third Realm. If Qiu Yan hadn't come to his rescue in time, replenishing his Qi and Blood and qi and stabilizing his Divine Soul, his more than twenty years of cultivation would probably have been ruined.

The Soul Dao is difficult to advance; success cannot be achieved without arduous cultivation. It often requires comprehension, fortuitous opportunity, and luck. Some ascend to heaven in an instant, while others toil their entire lives in vain. Chen Yun is a member of a branch family of the Chen clan. Because of his talent in the Soul Dao, he was valued by the main branch, which invested many resources in him, leading to his current status. However, as he grows older, his potential gradually diminishes, and his stamina weakens. He is in danger of being surpassed by the younger generation of the Lineage. If that happens, he will only be destined to be a manager in the future.

Accompanying Chen Jing this time was actually a gamble for Chen Yun, placing his bet on Chen Jing. He never expected to encounter such an accident and be discovered by the people of Void-Driving Dao.

In his mind, even if he were exposed, at most he would be discovered by the Eastern Capital Divine Path. With the reputation of a mortal Aristocratic Clan, it would be easy to explain. However, the Void-Driving Dao already had a grudge against the Chen Household and had disagreements with each other. How could they let go of the opportunity? That's why things have turned out like this.

Now, Chen Yun's cultivation has regressed. His potential, which was already nearly exhausted, is almost gone. Not to mention making further progress, even recovering his power is extremely difficult. After all, the Chen Household will no longer invest more resources in him to improve his cultivation. Without resource support, Chen Yun can only cultivate step by step like everyone else.

"This desperate gamble has ended in utter defeat. However, on the other hand, I almost fell into the hands of the Void-Driving Dao. It's a miracle I'm still alive; I shouldn't have any more expectations. But that Qiu Yan is truly extraordinary. When Brother Jing told me about him, I was somewhat skeptical, but I never expected to be saved by him in the end. His Human Soul was not in his body, yet he could still move. Later, his Divine Soul returned, and he captured Tong Shou and the Seven Sons of the Void-Driving Dao, even the only son of the Void-Driving Dao Lord. His achievements are astonishing! If word gets out, he will immediately become famous among many Daoist Sect!"

Thinking of this, Chen Yun turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the people in the temple, his eyes gleaming. If he could offer the people in the temple to the Chen Household, he would surely be valued again. However, Chen Yun knew his own limitations, and he was deeply indebted to Qiu Yan for saving his life. He couldn't bring himself to repay kindness with enmity. Moreover, these people were all captured by Qiu Yan, and he, Chen Yun, was merely a guard. He dared not have any improper thoughts.

"What are you looking at! You're just a fox borrowing the tiger's power!" Noticing Chen Yun's gaze, Wang Yifu snorted coldly and rebuked him.

Chen Yun shook his head and didn't say anything more; he didn't need to argue with a prisoner.

After returning from underground, Qiu Yan placed Chen Yun, Wang Yifu, and the others in the dilapidated temple in the mountains before heading to the city. Otherwise, with a group of people, they would have been stopped by the soldiers guarding the city before even entering.

"I wonder how Qiu Yan plans to deal with these people. However, the Void-Driving Dao is quite powerful after all, and Qiu Yan probably doesn't want to offend them too much. He will most likely spare their lives as bargaining chips."

Just as Chen Yun was pondering, a rustling sound suddenly came from the woods in the distance, which immediately alerted him. He knew it was the sound of someone moving the grass, but as Qiu Yan walked out of the Lin Zhong, Chen Yun relaxed again.

"Brother Qiu..." Chen Yun cupped his hands in greeting to Qiu Yan and walked over. Only then did he notice that there were two men following behind Qiu Yan. Both of them were robust, with broad shoulders and taut muscles and bones. Their eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and it was clear at a glance that they were experts who had achieved success in Life Cultivation.

"Who are these two...?"

"These are my two servants," Qiu Yan introduced briefly, then instructed Hu Qi and Dai Guo Guodao, "Go into the Lin Zhong and find some timber..."

"Yes." After receiving the order, Hu Qi and Dai Guo turned and left. On the way here, Qiu Yan had already made some arrangements. The two knew that they would be staying here temporarily for a while, and the purpose of finding timber was to build houses.

In this day and age, every piece of land should theoretically have an owner, even mountains and rivers are no exception. However, it also depends on the location. In places with fertile soil, land can be reclaimed and cultivated. Therefore, land deeds are needed to occupy land and build houses. After all, people are the foundation of villages, and food is the most important thing for people. Only places where food can be grown can retain people and have value.

In barren lands or desolate mountains, no one would bother with them. Even in slightly remote mountain ranges, even if the land is fertile, few people would venture there. At most, it would become a place of seclusion for some people. For example, the Principle Sect Academy of the Junior Chen was originally the place of seclusion for their teacher. Back then, there was war and chaos, and no one cared about land deeds or household registration.

The mountain forest where this dilapidated temple is located is not far from the Eastern Capital, but it is dense and gloomy, with wild animals roaming in the Lin Zhong. This is not the Earth of Qiu Yan's previous life, where roads crisscross between cities. In this era, the farther away from the city, the more desolate the mountains and forests are. Few ordinary people dare to venture deep into them, and in places with fields and land, how many people would become hunters?

Therefore, it is rarely visited by people.

Hu Qi and Dai Guo were both accomplished Life Cultivation, so finding wood, cutting and polishing it was a piece of cake for them. Although they occasionally made mistakes, their determination was strong, and they could control the details and their strength at will. Therefore, they were able to learn by analogy and quickly prepared the wood for building the house.

Afterwards, Qiu Yan found a table in the temple, spread out paper, and began to write down some words and draw some structural diagrams based on his calculations and deductions.

When Qiu Yan wrote, his muscles and bones trembled, Qi and Blood surged into the tip of his pen. The paper immediately surged with masculine energy, and each character was full of bone and blood, faintly taking shape. Its aura was as if it had substance, sweeping away the cold atmosphere in the dilapidated temple.

Tong Shou and the others, having been captured and brought here, were already preoccupied with their own thoughts and dared not relax for a moment. After Qiu Yan, their attention was constantly focused on him. Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, they all showed expressions of surprise.

"How can this fierce-looking man possess such Calligraphy Dao skill?" They were discerning enough to recognize it at a glance—a display of accomplished Calligraphy Dao, the brushstrokes brimming with spirit. Who among them wouldn't be a master calligrapher?

The Void-Driving Dao had also entertained similar figures before. Even the Void-Driving Dao Lord personally accompanied them and requested a piece of calligraphy, which was hung in the study, greatly changing the atmosphere and style of the room. Entering the room allowed one to calm their mind, and this became widely known within the sect.

They never expected that Qiu Yan would possess such abilities!

It should be noted that when Qiu Yan fought them, because his Divine Soul was not suppressing his flesh and blood, his instincts surfaced, and his attacks were extremely fierce, making people tremble with fear. This left a deep impression on Tong Shou, Liu Tian and others, who still felt lingering fear when they recalled it. Yet, this same person was also a master calligrapher. The stark contrast made them feel strange.

Lay down the butcher's knife, pick up the pen and write poetry.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" Even Wang Yifu couldn't help but exclaim.

Regardless of what the others thought, Qiu Yan remained unaffected. With a flick of his wrist, he completed the calligraphy and painting on the paper in one go. Then, he put down his pen, picked up the paper, lightly flicked it, and blew on it to dry the ink before getting up and walking towards the door.

Seeing this, Chen Yun was also curious. He had also noticed Qiu Yan's extraordinary skill in calligraphy. His gaze fell on the paper, and he couldn't help but praise, "Excellent calligraphy! Excellent painting! I knew that Brother Qiu's Calligraphy Dao was superb when we were in the Sage Worthies Hall. Now it seems that even his painting skills are extraordinary!"

Qiu Yan's calligraphy is inherently related to cultivation, and even compatible with Life Cultivation. It can temper the muscles, bones, qi, and Qi and Blood. Since ancient times, calligraphy and painting have been one. If one is proficient in calligraphy, one will naturally be good at Painting Dao. However, Qiu Yan's mind is pure and he has not been distracted by Painting Dao, so he is not good at it. Now that he has returned from the Scholar Forest, his soul has been integrated with the Phantom Books related to Painting Dao, and only then has he gained the skills.

However, such shortcuts, lacking true understanding, only make one a craftsman. To achieve something significant, one must still ponder and hone one's skills, allowing the memories in one's soul to merge with instinct. But to ordinary people, this is already considered a masterpiece.

Suddenly, Chen Yun remembered something and reached into his sleeve. "That's right, I kept Brother Qiu's essay 'Knowledge Through Effort, Practice Through Diligence' the other day; it should be returned to its rightful owner."

After saying that, he took out a pill, raised his hand and shook it. The pill expanded and deformed, turning into a long and thin box in the blink of an eye.

Opening the box, Chen Yun took out a piece of calligraphy, which was written by Qiu Yan while he was sitting at his desk in the Sage Worthies Hall. It was meant to dispel Four Shadow Fiends and open the door to the Heart Path.

Upon seeing the words, Qiu Yan now knew that the clay sculpture was a saint of Agricultural School. The reason it had lasted for thousands of years was because of a drop of the Sage's blood. However, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. The Sage's blood was sustained by the Agricultural School's Fortune, but it also attracted the contempt, disdain and prejudice of the world towards Agricultural School and farmers, turning them into Four Shadow Fiends.

Reaching out to take the article, Qiu Yan's heart stirred. He noticed that the aura on the paper had changed; it was no longer pure, and even the feeling of being connected to the Great Dao and Order had weakened considerably, leaving only the sturdy paper.

"It seems that once something is written on this Sage Paper, its effectiveness is greatly reduced. It truly hides many secrets. I might as well take a look when I have time."

Putting the paper back in the box, Qiu Yan stopped thinking about it and handed the structural diagram he had just drawn to Hu Qi and Dai Guo, saying, "Build the houses according to the structure on this diagram."

Hu Qi unfolded the drawing, glanced at it briefly, and then frowned. "Although the young master's drawing is simple and easy to understand, we are both unskilled, and it may take us several days to complete it."

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "It's slow for just two people to work together, but with so many people here, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort." After saying that, he turned to look at Wang Yifu and the others.

Wang Yifu was initially puzzled, then his eyes widened. "You want me to build the house? Outrageous! A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Don't push your luck!" He was immediately filled with righteous indignation.

ps:

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