One Painting a Day, Improving by the Day

"Something's happened in Scholar Forest!"

When the news reached Literary Pavilion, several gentlemen were enjoying tea. However, upon receiving the message, Zhou Dongyi became restless and went to the messenger and the two scholars.

"Tell me in detail."

The two scholars were still shaken. If the room hadn't been filled with the Literary Thought Grand Confucian, which calmed their minds, they probably wouldn't have been able to speak clearly.

Although Zhou Dongyi was anxious, he did not urge them. Instead, he gently comforted them, and after a few moments, the two scholars recounted what they had experienced.

One of them said, "After we entered the Scholar Forest, we first moved around the stronghold. As time went by, those who entered the forest earliest, with their strong Scholar Forest aura, began to return, and their numbers gradually decreased. At this time, He Shuchang of the Heavenly Principle Academy called on a few people to go together, in groups of ten, to explore the outside world."

Zhou Dongyi nodded. "Exploring outwards is not bad. It's a rare opportunity to enter the forest, and it would be a waste to confine ourselves to our own little plot of land. It's right to have you travel together, since the Scholar Forest is dangerous. If you travel alone and encounter danger, it's hard to escape, and you might not even have anyone to know."

Another Confucian scholar said, "That makes sense, and we all understand it. So we responded to the call and slowly began to explore outwards. At first, we didn't go far from our camp, so if we encountered any danger, we could return in time. Gradually, we became more familiar with the dangers around us, and our tense nerves relaxed. Many of us gradually expanded our exploration range, and some even went deep into the dense forest."

Zhou Dongyi immediately understood. "So it wasn't that something happened at the Eastern Radiance Continent's base in Scholar Forest, but rather that they encountered danger after leaving the base."

After saying this, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief. When he first heard about the incident at Scholar Forest, he had considered the worst-case scenario and was inevitably filled with anxiety.

Grand Confucian and teachers may possess profound wisdom, but they lack the divination skills of cultivators and do not have sufficient information. It is difficult for them to judge and predict the development of events.

The Scholar Forest were a place isolated from the Mortal World. Even if Grand Confucian had entered the quarters, after several decades, they were no longer clear about what the situation was like inside. So how could they speculate?

When the news arrived, it wasn't just Zhou Dongyi who was concerned; the other prominent Grand Confucian were also very worried. Now, after hearing the words of the two scholars, they knew that things weren't the worst-case scenario, and they were all somewhat relieved.

On the other side, the scholar spoke with lingering fear, completely oblivious to the expressions and demeanor of the others, and unaware of the strange atmosphere just now. Later, when mentioning the group of people going out to explore, he mentioned several names.

These names were somewhat familiar to the Grand Confucian in the room; they knew that these scholars were outstanding students from other academies outside of Eastern Capital, as well as promising juniors from the Aristocratic Clan families.

This Apricot Altar Dao Discourse was attended by many cities throughout the Great Rui. In addition to capital cities like Prosperity Capital and Eastern Capital, large cities in the northern Yan-Zhao and Three Jin regions, the eastern Qi-Lu and Two Huai regions, the southern Jiangnan and Southern Ridges regions, and even the southwestern Bashu, as well as the Western Regions and the hundred kingdoms further west, gathered many Confucian scholars, their Soul Entry into the Scholar Forest.

Some of these people dispersed to several strongholds after entering the Lin Zhong, while others stayed with the strongholds of Prosperity Capital and Eastern Capital. The two scholars did not limit their companions to those from the Eastern Capital Academy; on the contrary, because of the competition among the Eastern Capital Academy members, they would seek out scholars from other cities when forming companions.

This is something that anyone here can understand with a little thought.

"... Even though we left the stronghold and encountered danger, we had gained survival experience and worked together, so it was not a problem. In fact, we gained a lot and gradually lowered our guard. Even when news of danger came, we did not take it to heart."

The two Confucian scholars recounted the events one after the other. It wasn't that they missed the point; for the Grand Confucian present to make reasonable inferences and decisions, they needed to gather sufficient information, and of course, they had to ask detailed questions to understand the cause and effect.

"What dangerous news?" Zhou Dongyi frowned. "Everything in this world is interconnected. Have you not taken my teachings to heart?"

The two scholars immediately nodded obsequiously, and Junior Chen said, "Brother Zhou, don't be so quick to criticize them. If they were worldly-wise, they wouldn't need to learn from us. Let's clarify things first."

"Speak," Zhou Dongyi said anxiously. He knew that the message the two men brought mentioned the death of a student from the academy. If it weren't for the fact that this matter was also connected with other academies, Zhou Dongyi would have rushed back long ago.

"A few days ago, several groups of people went out and did not return. We did not pay attention at the time, thinking that they had encountered fortuitous opportunity. When we met them, we realized that there were demons hunting down the souls of scholars!" Although the scholar was afraid of angering Zhou Dongyi, he knew that he could not hide the truth, so he told him everything.

"What kind of monster?" Zhou Dongyi's heart skipped a beat.

"The monster was ferocious and incredibly fast. The moment it appeared, a cold light would follow. If it paused even slightly, a person would perish. It was difficult to see clearly; we could only make out its general outline, which seemed similar to an ordinary person," the scholar said, trying to recall. "Of the nearly ten of us, only two managed to escape."

After hearing what the two had to say, Zhou Dongyi could no longer sit still.

"If what you say is true, then that demon is definitely not from the Eastern Radiance Continent!"

"We dare not lie in the slightest!" The two scholars hurriedly recounted their escape. Of the group of several, only three survived, and one even perished. If it weren't for the secret path within the academy, they would have been wiped out!

"Good heavens, this is utterly insane! So many souls, just annihilated like that, aren't they afraid of incurring Karma retribution?" Zhou Dongyi was furious. He said to the Human Path, "Although Qiu Sheng's painting is good, it can't compare to this. I don't have time to look at the painting today, I'll have to save it for when I have time. I have to go back to the academy now! Farewell!" With that, he hurriedly left with the scholar who had brought the message.

Once Zhou Dongyi left, the others also wanted to go. Their academy hadn't received the news yet, but their disciples were all in the Lin Zhong. How could they feel at ease? They didn't try to hide their departure and took their leave one after another.

Before long, only three people remained in the room.

Han Yi, who once served as prime minister, Pang Chu of Thousand Books Studio, and another one, surprisingly, was Zheng Qiu of the Spring and Autumn Academy.

Looking at the room, which had just been full of people but was now empty, the three fell silent at first, then someone broke the silence.

"Given what has happened, this is certainly not the time to look at paintings. After hearing what those two young men said, I'm starting to worry about my nephew." Pang Chu shook his head, his gaze falling on Zheng Qiu. "Isn't Elder Zheng worried about the disciples of his own academy?"

The old man grinned, revealing a few missing teeth. "I am old and frail, my mind is no match for that of the young. I can't be of much help going back. Besides, there are so many dangers in the world, what is a temporary setback? But to recreate the glory of High Antiquity, such a thing might not happen even once in a thousand years. I am fortunate enough to witness it before I pass away, and I must be a witness. How can I care about anything else?"

"Oh? I didn't expect Elder Zheng to have such a high opinion of Qiu Sheng!" Pang Chu was slightly surprised. "However, even if it is a once-in-a-millennium talent, it pales in comparison now that the others have left. It's a pity. With these paintings, Qiu Sheng could have left a lasting legacy in Eastern Capital, perhaps even becoming famous throughout the world, but now it will have to be postponed for several years."

At this moment, Han Yi's voice came from the side—

"That's not necessarily true. While it may seem like Qiu Yan has suffered a loss by leaving, who knows if others have missed out on a rare opportunity?"

"Even the old prime minister approves of Qiu Sheng so much?" Pang Chu's surprise deepened, and his gaze shifted to the table.

At this moment, several scrolls are laid out on the table.

These paintings were actually all created by Qiu Yan. After Literary Pavilion Appraisal that day, Qiu Yan sent someone to deliver one of the paintings. In the following days, someone went over every day to collect one of the paintings and placed it in the building for several Grand Confucian and gentlemen to appreciate.

Without exception, the scenes depicted in the paintings are all from the Ancient Governance, but each one is different. Some depict fishing and hunting, while others depict the creation of Fire Seed. After several paintings, they almost cover all aspects of life in High Antiquity times, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

Even though these great Grand Confucian each had their own lineage and their understanding of the Ancient Governance differed, after looking at these paintings, one can still see that they were not unfounded and contained great secrets.

Not only the scenes depicted in the paintings, but the paintings themselves are also unusual. With one painting a day, Qiu Yan's painting skills are improving at a visible speed. Not only his painting techniques, but also the spirit of the paintings are gradually emerging and being outlined with the brushstrokes.

Qiu Yan's calligraphy contains a rich and profound artistic conception, while his paintings are different. Although the lines are consistent with his calligraphy, the overall composition has a contradictory flavor of weightiness mixed with etherealness. The weightiness comes from the brush and ink, while the etherealness comes from the charm.

Han Yi opened a painting and said, "Qiu Yan's paintings are getting better and better. The one he sent yesterday, in terms of technique and spirit alone, was already comparable to a national master. I imagine that today's painting will be a huge improvement, and it is very likely that he will unleash his accumulated skills and present the finishing touch. If it can once again trigger the mystery of the Ancient Governance, it would be a great pity if others missed this painting."

"If the old prime minister's comments were to get out, they would surely cause a huge uproar," Pang Chu said, calming himself down. He looked at the several paintings on the table, narrowing his eyes. "The person who was supposed to take the paintings has already left. I want to see how different this one is."

On the day Literary Pavilion Appraisal and Qiu Yan contemplated the High Antiquity, it was a sudden event that shocked the minds of several Grand Confucian, captivating them and allowing them to gain something from it. Afterwards, it would be almost impossible to repeat the same trick, because they were already prepared and would inevitably leave traces of their own efforts.

That is why, although the paintings delivered in the past few days have become better each day and are quite breathtaking, they still cannot compare to the contemplation I had on that day.

While the group was talking inside the Literary Pavilion, the woods where Qiu Yan lived were bustling with activity, with people coming and going.

P. S.: Thanks to "Wan Xia Xia La" for the donation!

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