Where the Forest Is Not Deep, Those Who Gather There Make It Spirited

"Brother, is this the right road? It seems to be getting more and more deserted."

A group of people walked slowly through the Lin Zhong.

Most of the people in the group were dressed as scholars, carrying boxes or carrying book chests, looking around frequently with a mixture of vigilance and worry on their faces.

Although this forest wasn't particularly secluded, its dense foliage blocked out the sun, making the surrounding temperature very low. A gust of wind would send a chill through you, making you feel cold and uneasy.

The group was led by two men dressed as mountain folk, carrying bows and arrows and short knives. They chopped away at the dead branches blocking their path, carving out a way through the land.

Upon hearing the scholar's question, the man leading the way replied, "My family depends on this forest for our livelihood. I wouldn't say I know the way perfectly, but I'm familiar with it. Many scholars have entered the forest these past few days, and I've walked this path several times. I wouldn't get lost."

"Since we've traveled this route several times, why bother building a new one?" someone immediately asked.

The pathfinder wasn't annoyed. He turned around and said politely, "I want you gentlemen to know that there are no paths in the Lin Zhong. Even if you've walked through one before, there's no fixed route. You might have taken this path yesterday, but if you deviate a few steps today, you'll have to start anew."

"That makes sense," some scholars nodded in agreement, but others asked, "Will many people come?"

Before the pathfinder could respond, another villager chimed in, "Ever since the news spread that Mr. Qiu was staying here, more and more people have been coming. At first, there were only three or four people, but today, from this morning until now, seven or eight groups have come. The young master and his party are the ninth group. Most of the able-bodied men in our village are doing nothing but leading the way."

The scholar who had asked the first question chuckled, "Brother, the fee for guiding the way is quite substantial, and it's much safer than hunting."

"What you say is true, sir," the pathfinder said, continuing on his way. "We are hoping that Mr. Qiu can settle down here, and ideally, like those great sages, build an academy so that his descendants can flourish. That way, our village won't have to be so busy."

"Brother, you're being presumptuous. Qiu Yan may have gained fame, but what kind of person is qualified to open an academy? Qiu Yan isn't qualified."

"That's true. However, Qiu Yan is a man of considerable talent and unconventional thinking; he may very well achieve great things in the future."

"Even if he builds an academy here, once he gets the land deed from the government, he'll probably have to relocate the surrounding villages. In that case, you brothers might not be able to benefit from it."

After hearing what the pathfinder had to say, the Confucian scholars in the group immediately started talking one after another, and the topic unknowingly fell on Qiu Yan.

It turned out that the reason these people were here was to visit Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan's residence was located in the Lin Zhong, which was originally secluded. However, after Literary Pavilion Appraisal, his reputation grew, and news of Han Wei'er and others coming to visit gradually spread, which aroused the interest of some people.

Initially, it was a group of people who wanted to try their luck, hoping to gain fame through Qiu Yan's affair, most of them harboring wishful thinking. In the end, they did not succeed, but it attracted others to come one after another.

Not long after, Gao Song and others, who had previously played chess with Qiu Yan, visited him at the Literary Pavilion and Qiu Yan. Other Confucian scholars who had come to admire him also joined in.

Afterwards, both Gao Song and others, as well as those who came to admire him, benefited greatly. Upon returning home, their knowledge and understanding improved significantly, which in turn had a considerable impact, attracting even more scholars to try coming over.

However, this place is deep in the forest, and scholars rarely train their strength or temper their bodies, so it is not easy to travel in the Lin Zhong. Therefore, few people enter the forest alone. Most of them travel in groups and ask one or two hunters to lead the way and protect them.

Over time, villagers from the surrounding villages gradually took on the role of guides. Apart from the most capable individuals, even ordinary young men from the village were invited to lead people into the forest, earning a considerable amount of money. Sometimes, scholars would even inflate prices to compete for guides.

This situation arose for several reasons. Firstly, some scholars were concerned with saving face, while others came from wealthy families who spared no expense. Secondly, many of these scholars were not residents of the Eastern Capital but had traveled there for study. They had gathered in the city for the Apricot Altar Dao Discourse but were unable to enter the forest. However, since their trip was not easy, they did not want to leave empty-handed, so they sought opportunities in the city. The previous Literary Pavilion Appraisal was one such opportunity, and now the area where Qiu Yan was located had become a new one.

The group of Confucian scholars gathered here for this reason, but their purposes were not unified. Some had heard the rumors and came specifically to learn from and verify the knowledge, some wanted to use Qiu Yan as a stepping stone to make a name for themselves, and others were just following the crowd and joining in the fun.

They chatted and talked along the way, gradually relaxing as their fear of the forest faded and their minds began to wander.

"I came to Eastern Capital this time hoping to enroll in an academy or at least learn from one or two Grand Confucian. But I didn't expect Eastern Capital to be so different from my hometown. I've been turned away at every turn. This place where Qiu Yan lives might be my last chance. I must seize it, or this Eastern Capital will have been in vain." Chen Cai thought to himself in the group.

Beside him, Su Yan, a good friend he had met on his study tour, was plotting something else, a glint of ambition flashing in his eyes from time to time.

After walking a few more steps, the scenery ahead suddenly opened up. The group walked out of the woods and first came into view several acres of farmland, followed by a few houses not far away.

Not far behind the house, there is also a Mountain God Temple.

The temple had been abandoned for a long time, but in recent days it has gradually regained its popularity, and many scholars have stayed there, showing a certain degree of respect.

"Is this the place? It's really not easy to clear out such a place in the forest. Qiu Yan must have a master by his side." Su Yan glanced around and made a guess.

"Gentlemen, we brothers will lead the way this far and head back first. When you return, please wait here. We'll gather everyone and go back together." The two mountain villagers who had led the way clasped their hands in farewell, as they were in a hurry to return and bring the next group of people back.

Having come to the Lin Zhong, they still had to return. The scholars came and went, requiring someone to guide and protect them. Unlike when they came, when they returned, they needed to gather the several groups that had come throughout the day together and bring them back all at once.

After bidding farewell to the two mountain villagers, Chen Cai and his companions strode forward, carefully skirting the farmland and heading towards the few houses. The further they went, the more people they encountered. Along the way, there was even a simple teahouse where several men were busy at work, and many scholars were sitting at the tables and chairs.

"Interesting. Qiu Yan's reputation has spread so much that it has caused such a great impact." Su Yan muttered to himself, and after taking a closer look, he realized that although it was called a teahouse, it actually offered simple dishes, so that the many scholars wouldn't have to wait here and go hungry. However, the dishes were not very appealing and could only fill one's stomach at best.

He was of course unaware that the people cooking and serving in the teahouse were Void-Driving Dao. While they were certainly adept at cultivation and killing, they were still novices when it came to brewing tea and cooking.

After walking and stopping frequently, the group arrived at the front of the house, where a courtyard had been set up to prevent others from rushing in and disturbing the peace.

Hu Qi greeted them and asked Chen Cai and the others to explain their purpose. Then he pointed to a table not far away and said, "If you want to seek my young master's guidance, you must first register your name over there and speak with that person so that his knowledge can be assessed."

"Hmph," Su Yan sneered, "He hasn't even become Grandmaster yet, and he's already putting on airs."

Hu Qi wasn't annoyed, clearly having seen it all before. He shook his head and said, "Sir, you misunderstand. It's not that my young master is putting on airs, but there are just too many people coming. If we don't screen them, we simply can't handle it all. My young master chose to study and farm here precisely for peace and quiet. Now that things have escalated to this point, we can't just drive the visitors away, so of course we have to establish some rules."

Chen Cai nodded and said, "We came here to seek your guidance. If we think about it from our own perspective, we might think Mr. Qiu is acting domineeringly. But if we think about it from another angle, if everyone came here like us, how could Mr. Qiu handle it all by himself?"

He came to Eastern Capital to study, but encountered setbacks one after another. He came to understand some things. If today's incident had happened in any academy in Eastern Capital, no one would have been dissatisfied. On the contrary, they would have thought it was justified. But when it happened to Qiu Yan, others felt that they were being slighted. This was because everyone who came here thought they were extraordinary and regarded themselves as the protagonist, and they couldn't stand it.

Su Yan still sneered, but did not persist. He walked to the table next to him, gave his name, and was then asked a few questions. He wanted to show off, but also wanted to make things difficult for the other party, so he asked a few questions about moral principles.

To my surprise, the other party answered fluently without even thinking.

"Oh?" Su Yan was taken aback. He put aside his contempt and carefully examined the other person. Only then did he notice that although the person registering names was dressed in coarse cloth, he had an extraordinary temperament and handsome appearance, unlike an ordinary person.

"May I ask your honorable name, sir, and who your teacher is?" Not only Su Yan, Chen Cai also had the same doubts. Asking out that such a person had become a pen-paying craftsman was certainly puzzling.

"My name is Wang Yifu, and this knowledge... I learned from Qiu Yan." The one who recorded the visitor's name was none other than Wang Yifu, the only son of the Void-Driving Dao Lord.

His voice was somewhat cold and hard when he said these words, and he didn't use any respectful address for Qiu Yan's name, which made people feel a little awkward. However, Chen and Su were both shocked by the meaning behind his words and didn't pay attention to the details.

"From Qiu Yan? Could it be that Qiu Yan hasn't even fully established his own reputation yet, but he's already teaching others without reservation?"

It wasn't just those two who had this doubt; Wang Yifu felt the same way.

A few days ago, he received a book from Qiu Yan. The title page was marked with the words "Knowledge and Action". After reading it, he was shocked to find that the book contained profound and insightful words, which were easy to understand and were full of profound knowledge, enough to be passed down as a family heirloom!

"Such profound knowledge is not easily passed down even between master and disciple. I have a grudge against Qiu Yan, so how could he be willing to teach it to me? There must be some hidden secret within it!"