Horizontal and Vertical, Unfettered Strokes

"What's going on? Qiu Yan's name has been exposed. Logically, he should be in trouble. Why are these people saying he's arrogant?"

The two people who came out of the house looked at each other in surprise, and after a long while, they began to talk in hushed tones.

"It seems things have changed again."

"However, Qiu Yan had previously concealed his identity and acted discreetly, clearly out of fear. Now that he's been exposed, he'll have a headache."

"Indeed, let's wait and see, and let those bribed Confucian scholars provoke us and make things even more chaotic."

The two made a plan and then went down to the first floor.

Only then did they realize that Qiu Yan was surrounded, three layers deep.

"What's going on?" The two exchanged a glance and moved closer, trying to contact the scholars. However, as they approached, they overheard the scholars talking in the crowd, which only deepened their confusion.

"Qiu Yan has quite the arrogance. He says he wants to learn from us, but his attitude of welcoming anyone who comes is clearly a provocation."

"Let's see how he handles this. You saw it yourself; after Qiu Yan's identity was revealed, Gao Song from the Ritual Reverence Academy's expression changed completely."

"Indeed, he previously said that Qiu Yan was just making sensational claims and had no real talent or learning."

"This is going to be interesting. Gao Song has suffered a loss, and he certainly won't let it go."

"Let them fight it out. We'll observe and see how things develop, figure out Qiu Yan's true strength, and then it won't be too late to make a move."

"Indeed, those who achieve fame overnight are largely lucky, mainly due to good fortune. They cannot withstand criticism from others; otherwise, they should be in the Scholar Forest's academy now, not standing in the Literary Pavilion."

That makes sense...

The cacophony of voices, though loud and chaotic, allowed the two men to glean a clue. They then found a Confucian scholar connected to the Prince Yan and inquired about the events leading up to the incident, thus learning the general outline of the situation.

It turned out that Han Wei'er's shout revealed Qiu Yan's identity, causing a stir among the people in the building. There was an undercurrent of tension, but the ones who felt truly embarrassed were Gao Song and his group, who had just made their judgment.

Gao Song belittled Qiu Yan, but then Qiu Yan's identity was exposed. It's worth noting that Qiu Yan was rumored to have defeated the once-famous He Shuchang in a debate. This would undoubtedly make people think that Gao Song's judgment was questionable.

Circumstances dictate that Gao Song, for the sake of the academy and his own reputation, had no choice but to step forward and test his knowledge with Qiu Yan.

Unexpectedly, Qiu Yan shook his head and proposed a game of Go.

Communicating with your hands is like playing chess.

That's alright. Playing chess is a form of entertainment for scholars and students. It involves strategy, intellect, and response, and can also reflect one's personal cultivation. So Gao Song agreed.

Actually, the evaluation is not yet complete. The scholars gathered here know not to overstep their bounds and have all restrained themselves. This chess game is just an appetizer, a good opportunity to test Qiu Yan's abilities.

Scholars cherish their reputation, and few would dare to step forward without knowing Qiu Yan's background. After all, Qiu Yan's reputation is undeniable. Although rumors may be inaccurate, his defeat of He Shuchang is a fact that cannot be underestimated.

However, Qiu Yan's next sentence ignited the crowd—

"I, Qiu, would like to set up a game and welcome everyone. There is no need for one-on-one matches; anyone who is willing to take on the challenge is welcome to do so, and I, Qiu, will accept all challenges."

At first glance, these words seem innocuous, but in the current context, they have caused a huge uproar. After Qiu Yan's identity was exposed, he immediately became the target of everyone's criticism. Everyone present, whether openly or secretly, wanted to step on him to make a name for themselves, but they were restrained by their own concerns.

But as soon as Qiu Yan said this, the situation immediately reversed. It was no longer him and his group challenging, but Qiu Yan taking the initiative to challenge everyone present!

The rivalry among scholars has never ceased since ancient times. People in the imperial court fight for profit, while ordinary people vie for fame. How many people can escape the mundane? At least a large portion of the people who come here have various motives. Qiu Yan's words may seem humble to them at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they seem incredibly arrogant!

They all earned their living through years of hard study, believing themselves to be no less capable than others. They came to the Eastern Capital with the intention of inspiring scholars and Scholar Forest Literature Stirring the Worthies world, only to be rejected. Now they have come to the Literary Pavilion Appraisal, hoping for a breakthrough. How could they possibly admit that their skills are inferior to others?

Not to mention, the underlying meaning in Qiu Yan's words clearly showed that he didn't take anyone present seriously!

Several people immediately lost their temper and came out to argue with Qiu Yan.

Even Gao Song was momentarily speechless upon hearing this, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, yet he still managed a smile. However, his words carried a chilling tone as he said, "Young Master Qiu is rather arrogant. Everyone present has their own strengths, and even if you consider yourself learned, you cannot possibly look down on everyone here."

Qiu Yan nodded and said seriously, "I naturally know that, but I came here to exchange knowledge with others and intended to act quietly. I didn't expect it to turn out like this. Rather than waiting for everyone to come along, I might as well take the initiative to make contact."

Behind them, Liu Zhanpeng and the others secretly groaned. They wanted to warn Qiu Yan, but were afraid of being implicated, so they had to hold back. In their eyes, Qiu Yan was State of Mind and had lost his composure.

But in reality, what Qiu Yan said was what he really thought. He didn't want to stir up trouble, but the situation changed and he was pushed to the forefront. Then he changed his mind and realized the opportunity.

"Instead of passively enduring, it's better to take the initiative. Besides, this way, we can not only legitimately verify our knowledge and Literary Dao with others, but also enrich our Human Path experience, deter future generations, extinguish any thoughts of Human Thoughts, and prevent future disturbances."

As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined; the key is to adjust one's mindset and face them calmly.

Having made his decision, Qiu Yan then uttered those words, which provoked Gao Song and the others. Gao Song shook his head and then said, "Since Young Master Qiu has already made his decision, I cannot persuade you any further. I have some knowledge of chess, so let me test the waters first."

After saying this, he ordered someone to fetch a chessboard from the building. Literary Pavilion was usually frequented by scholars and literati, and naturally, there was no shortage of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Before the man could go far, Qiu Yan called him back and said, "Please bring me a piece of cloth, brother. I want to draw the chessboard on it myself."

"Draw your own chessboard?" Even Gao Song couldn't help but widen his eyes, feeling that the person in front of him was too strange. The others also felt that Qiu Yan's actions were illogical and suspected that he was deliberately mysterious.

Qiu Yan didn't care what others thought of him. His purpose in setting up the chess game and challenging everyone was not for the sake of Literary Dao fame. Even if he was defeated, it didn't matter. The key was to summarize the insights he needed while verifying his knowledge with others.

Startled, Gao Song narrowed his eyes, looking at Qiu Yan. Seeing that the other party remained unmoved, he finally turned to Qiu Yan and said, "Since it was Young Master Qiu who proposed this challenge, we should follow his wishes. Go find some cloth and ink."

The man then left, and not long after, he returned with the items.

Qiu Yan didn't waste any time. He chose a table, sat down in a chair with an air of authority, spread out a cloth, weighed it down with Paperweight, and dipped his brush in ink.

The cloth was clearly cut to the exact size of a chessboard.

After picking up the pen, Qiu Yan closed his eyes and remained silent, as if gathering his emotions.

Some bystanders couldn't help but laugh at this scene, thinking that Qiu Yan was just making a fuss again, but most people lowered their voices. They had been educated for so many years and understood the principles of benevolence and respect.

Respecting others is a fundamental aspect of being a good person and learning from life.

The noise inside the building gradually subsided.

This continued for a while, and just as someone's patience was about to run out, Qiu Yan suddenly opened his eyes, dropped his hand, and the tip of his pen touched the cloth. Then, with a horizontal movement of his arm, the pen tip slid across the cloth, leaving a long horizontal line.

As soon as this line appeared, it immediately burst forth with powerful Qi and Blood, causing heat waves to rise and condense the moisture in the air.

In early spring, when the weather is still chilly, people are most sensitive to changes in temperature. As soon as the scholars in the room saw the mist on the cloth and sensed the change in the surrounding temperature, they all immediately shut their mouths and showed a hint of surprise on their faces. Even Gao Song was no exception.

"This Qiu Yan, his brushstrokes have gained a certain charm." He immediately saw the reason. Although Gao Song was quite learned, he didn't have much talent in calligraphy and painting. Although he could write beautiful characters, they lacked spirit.

"I am not as good as Qiu Yan in this respect, but calligraphy has nothing to do with academic knowledge; it is at most a matter of personal cultivation. Let's see how this person performs when playing calligraphy, hmm?"

As Gao Song was pondering this, his eyelids suddenly twitched. He sensed an indescribable artistic conception from the chessboard depicted by Qiu Yan.

At this moment, Qiu Yan had already left many horizontal lines on the cloth. The distance between the strokes was equal, and the difference was not visible to the naked eye. However, these strokes made Gao Song's mind gradually become hazy, and he vaguely saw a piece of land in those horizontal lines.

This feeling reached its peak when Qiu Yan began to draw the vertical stroke!

The chessboard may seem simple, but its horizontal and vertical lines form a complex network, which he drew one by one, like a net covering the sky and the earth, subtly echoing the High Antiquity well-field system. This small chessboard contains the entire world within it.

However, a chessboard alone is meaningless; it must be placed before people, with people's hearts guiding the pieces and playing according to the rules, in order to achieve great things.

Gao Song stared at Qiu Yan's hand, his gaze following the tip of the pen. He had the illusion that Qiu Yan was not drawing a chessboard, but rather sitting high in the imperial court, wielding power and influencing the nation, governing the people and the country with laws and rules!

How could I have such a misconception?

Gao Song shook his head abruptly, snapping out of his daze. He was puzzled, but his gaze toward Qiu Yan became more wary. Then, he noticed that everyone around him was staring blankly at the chessboard, as if they had lost their souls.

"Hmm? What's going on?" Gao Song's heart skipped a beat, and a guess arose, but before he could think it through, Qiu Yan's pen suddenly took a strange turn!

With his final stroke, the chessboard was completed, and then the cloth flew off the table with a "whoosh," spinning in mid-air! (To be continued...)

P. S.: Thanks to "Fire Dragon-Knight" and "nba3379" for the monthly votes!