A Stone Sets Off Waves, Literary Fortune and Dragon Qi

Amidst the rising Literary Fortune aura along the Lin Zhong path, three people walked, enveloped by this Literary Fortune.

However, this Literary Fortune did not originate from the three of them, but rather enveloped them like a blanket or canopy, as if they were being carried along by the three of them.

"Brother An, how is Mu Yuan's condition?"

Among the three, one was a woman disguised as a man, none other than Han Wei'er. She led the way, gesturing for the other two, appearing to know the way very well.

As soon as the voice faded, someone replied, "Wei'er, don't worry. Junior Brother is fine. He caught a chill a few days ago and hasn't fully recovered yet; it's just relapsed today."

The person who answered was none other than An Jin from the Nine Abyss Academy. The "Mu Yuan" he and Han Wei'er mentioned referred to Xi Muyuan Yuan, a disciple of the Nine Abyss Academy.

The three of them were acting on the orders of several gentlemen to go to Qiu Yan's lodgings to invite and inquire about his whereabouts, and they didn't even bother with Literary Pavilion Appraisal.

The Literary Pavilion appreciation event is a grand occasion in the literary world, and many people should have seized the opportunity to rise to fame and make a name for themselves in the Eastern Capital. Among these people, some will rise to great heights, while others will inevitably have a short-lived success.

Besides, those articles that open up the Heart Path are all extraordinary. After you gentlemen have reviewed them, written your comments, and ranked them, the authors of the articles will surely become famous. Among the scholars gathered in the building to read the articles, there will surely be some who will be moved after reading them, go back to ponder and reflect, and eventually achieve something. After a few years, their fame will spread, which will be a good story.

It can be said that a literary gathering with so many Grand Confucian and gentlemen would have a significant impact no matter where it takes place, especially since this literary gathering is in Eastern Capital and held at the Literary Pavilion.

This building has a history. When it was built, a young talent who was famous at the time wrote a preface for it. Eastern Capital was the capital of several ancient countries and the secondary capital of the current dynasty. It was a place where literature and art gathered. All these things are enough to illustrate the grandeur of this literary gathering. Even if it is not recorded in history, it will be recorded in the writings and poems of literati and poets, leaving a lasting legacy, and giving rise to many stories and names.

However, after Qiu Yan played a few games and wrote an article on the chessboard, things changed, and the subsequent developments were beyond everyone's expectations.

This skill of persuasion through conversation and the ability to move hearts through writing have always been the domain of renowned School of Names of their time. Anyone who has accomplished such a feat has undoubtedly earned a place in history.

Qiu Yan used chess to convey his inner thoughts. While playing, he exchanged knowledge with others, gaining what he needed and also inspiring their hearts. His essay not only stirred changes in everyone's hearts but also became the object of intense competition among several people. Two of them were of extraordinary status and considerable reputation, while the third, initially unknown, soon revealed his true identity, shocking the scholars. They could hardly believe it—

The person who stole the chessboard and the article was none other than Huang Yan, the traitorous scholar who had caused a huge uproar a few months ago!

The fact that a rebel, unafraid of capture, returned to a dangerous place is already full of intrigue and provides fodder for casual conversation. This rebel, however, was so captivated by Qiu Yan's writing that he risked exposing his whereabouts to seize the opportunity. He even escaped by invoking the words of Sage. The table he left behind, marked by writing that penetrated the cloth, also attracted the attention of others, adding to the legend. It's no wonder that it was turned into a storyteller's tale.

In fact, within a few days, the news of Literary Pavilion Appraisal spread, and it was indeed noticed by some storytellers, who then told a legendary story of "Qiu Sheng Writes Prose." But that's another story, so let's leave it at that.

Qiu Yan's many deeds at the Literary Pavilion had already made him famous. Soon after, many Grand Confucian came down from upstairs, asking nothing but Qiu Yan's whereabouts, leaving everyone guessing and wondering why.

Before long, the mystery was solved. It turned out that Qiu Yan had brought over one of his articles for people to critique, and this caused an uproar in the building.

It's important to understand that Literary Pavilion Appraisal are different from those of the past. Not just anyone can submit an outstanding article for critique; only articles that open the Heart Path and inspire the Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest listed here.

Qiu Yan's willingness to send the article undoubtedly reveals the following information:

He truly opened his Heart Path and entered the Scholar Forest!

One stone stirs up a thousand waves.

The scholars upstairs and downstairs were in an uproar, discussing the matter animatedly. Even though they dared not speak out because of the presence of the Grand Confucian, they could not hide their shock.

The Confucian scholars in the Literary Pavilion dared to challenge Qiu Yan because Qiu Yan was currently enjoying great popularity, but he had not yet joined the Scholar Forest, which made him a target of public criticism. After all, they were all scholars and knew that there might be some vain people under a reputation, which is why they had such thoughts.

But Scholar Forest is different. It is a place where the Literary Thought of heaven and earth converge. Those who can open the Heart Path are all recognized by Scholar Forest. How could they lack literary talent and knowledge? Thinking of these things, others will have some reservations when they challenge them. Even if someone feels that they are unlucky, they will not be so arrogant, let alone attack in groups.

Upon learning this, many Confucian scholars felt a sense of lingering fear, while others felt fortunate. However, they failed to notice that the individuals who had challenged Qiu Yan to a game of chess remained composed, showing no remorse whatsoever. Instead, they all exuded a sense of satisfaction, reflecting a feeling of accomplishment.

However, this discussion didn't last long, as it was replaced by another piece of news—

The esteemed Grand Confucian are urgently seeking out Qiu Yan!

Although the Grand Confucian all appeared calm and composed, they were not entirely without clues—

Those who are good at understanding people can find clues in their words;

Those skilled at reading between the lines understood something from the urgency with which the gentlemen descended the stairs;

Many others, skilled at deduction, quickly pieced together a narrative by combining the events before and after.

With Han Wei'er and the others being sent to find Qiu Yan, everyone in the Literary Pavilion had lost their enthusiasm, knowing that no matter what they did, they would inevitably be overshadowed by Qiu Yan.

Several Grand Confucian returned to their room and continued arranging the articles, writing comments on several of them, but leaving Qiu Yan's article blank.

Subsequently, these articles that had opened the Heart Path were placed in the lobby on the first floor for visitors to study and appreciate. However, by this time, few people were still interested in them. Only a small number of people were able to calm down and read and ponder the deeper meaning of the articles. Most people seemed somewhat restless.

There was an unexpected incident during this time. Xi Muyuan, a top student of the Nine Abyss Academy who had been known as a child prodigy since childhood, was so angry upon hearing about Qiu Yan's matter that he coughed up blood, shocking many people. He was then taken back by several disciples of the Nine Abyss Academy.

Afterwards, when everyone talked, they all speculated that this young talent, who had always had a smooth life and looked down on his peers, suddenly had Qiu Yan appear, who was even highly valued by the Grand Confucian. This made Xi Muyuan resentful and jealous, which led to this incident.

After this incident, no one felt a sense of shared sorrow; instead, they were all somewhat gloating. This was because Xi Muyuan was usually arrogant and disliked, but people dared not stand up for him due to his knowledge, background, and reputation. This time, Qiu Yan's unintentional act of making Xi Muyuan look foolish changed many people's perception of Qiu Yan, which was an unexpected bonus for him.

However, Qiu Yan had already returned to the house outside the temple and was fighting with the Void-Driving Dao Lord, so he had no time to pay attention to this. On the contrary, Han Wei'er, who was disguised as a man, looked curious on her way here on orders, which gave An Jin, who came with her, quite a headache.

Xi Muyuan's vomiting of blood and fainting, this supposed relapse from catching a cold, was merely a smokescreen. Others could gossip, but how could An Jin, as Xi Muyuan's fellow disciple, possibly agree?

In fact, Qiu Yan was not required to appear in this invitation, but Xi Muyuan had made such a scene. If he did not make a statement, some gossip would inevitably spread. It would be mild to say that Nine Abyss Academy and Qiu Yan had a feud. If people said that the academy was jealous of talent, it would be detrimental to its reputation. Just in case, An Jin accompanied him to dispel the rumors.

Han Wei'er listened to the answer, said nothing more, nodded, glanced around, and stopped. "From here, we will leave this path and enter the Lin Zhong. There will be wild animals in the Lin Zhong, and Brother An is a scholar, so I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you."

An Jin shook his head and said, "Although I am a scholar, I have not neglected the Six Arts of a gentleman, and I am confident that my physique is still good enough that I will not hold you back."

Han Wei'er nodded, then turned her gaze to another person.

Besides Han Wei'er and An Jin, there was one other person who came to invite Qiu Yan this time.

Han Wei'er knew Qiu Yan's residence and offered to lead the way. An Jin accompanied her for the sake of the academy's reputation. This third person, however, represented Prince Yan.

In the Literary Pavilion, Prince Yan made a show of wanting to reconcile with Qiu Yan, saying he wanted to invite Qiu Yan for a chat. However, as a prince, if he came in person, it would not be out of goodwill but out of malice. No matter how famous Qiu Yan was, in the eyes of others, he was just a scholar. For a prince to condescend to invite him would, at the very least, concern the continuation of the royal family, and at worst, it would make people think that Qiu Yan was not taking things seriously.

Besides, if anyone were to label Prince Yan as someone who is courteous to scholars, both of them would be in trouble—you're a prince, with no worries about food and drink, and a life of wealth and honor; you should just stay put and behave yourself. What's the point of being courteous to scholars? Do you intend to climb another step? Qiu Yan would also be suspected.

Therefore, the person who came to extend the invitation could not possibly be Prince Yan himself.

Noticing Han Wei'er's gaze, the man representing Prince Yan smiled slightly and said, "Miss Han, please lead the way. I, Yang, am confident in my ability to protect myself."

"Since Brother Yang has said so, I shall respectfully comply. Please follow me." With that, Han Wei'er turned and stepped into the dense forest, the other two following closely behind.

As soon as they entered the Lin Zhong, the sunlight was blocked by the tree canopy, making it gloomy, and the surrounding wind carried a slight chill, causing An Jin to shrink her neck slightly.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead, like some creature rustling through the grass.

The three stopped at the sound, and after a short while, a burly man emerged from the bushes. He glanced at the three, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "I am from the Dai Guo, and have come to greet you on the orders of my young master..."