A scholar parted for three days must be viewed with new eyes

While the great Grand Confucian and teachers of the Literary Pavilion were imparting their knowledge to their students and disciples, in another corner of the Eastern Capital, in a small courtyard, many servants and maids were coming and going.

They appear busy and disorganized, but upon closer inspection, a sense of Order can be discerned. They are clearly following someone's instructions, and their movements and avoidance of others show a sense of hierarchy, as if they are cooperating and dividing tasks.

"What is the purpose of the sect leader summoning us here today?"

Two people were sitting in the main hall of the front yard, both wearing Daoist robes, but their hairstyles were different. One had his hair tied up in a bun and was slightly older, while the other had long hair and a handsome face.

Two Daoist priests sat on chairs, one on each side, with their hands tucked into their sleeves, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.

The speaker was the handsome Daoist priest. He first sighed, then looked at the servants and maids coming and going in the courtyard, and said with a hint of helplessness, "However, this Eastern Capital to the Eastern Capital has actually injured the sect leader. He can no longer control the injury through seclusion alone, and we need medicine from ordinary people to suppress it."

The older Daoist replied, "After all, it shook the Purple Mansion, and besides, there's the matter of Senior Brother Tong and the others..." Then, changing the subject, he asked, "By the way, you were traveling in Central Passes, what was the situation like there?"

Upon hearing this, the handsome Daoist shook his head, his expression turning grave. "The situation is chaotic. Originally, only a few Daoist sects were traveling, but not long ago, Master Flying Tiger of the Spirit-Sealing Dao personally came and made contact with several princes."

"Oh? The Spirit-Sealing Dao?" The older Daoist priest took a deep breath, revealing a wary expression. "If the Spirit-Sealing Dao makes a move, things will become difficult. After all, there are some old monsters in the Spirit-Sealing Dao."

The handsome Daoist priest echoed, then asked, "Senior brother, what discoveries have you made in Jiannan?"

The older Daoist replied calmly, "Jiannan is relatively peaceful, except for some slight disturbances in the Divine Path. Apart from that, only Jingquan Zi of the Yin-Yang Dao is active in various ways. However, the Yin-Yang Dao has split several times and is already weakened, so there's no need to worry too much. On the contrary, we need to be more careful with the Heavenly Clear Dao. After all, the Shu Road leads to the heavens and has always been regarded by the Upper Clarity Sect Path as a path to the Great Rui realm. In this era of great strife, we must be on guard."

"I see..."

As the handsome Daoist priest nodded, a commotion suddenly erupted in the courtyard, followed by a slightly anxious voice—

"You cannot go in. The master has ordered that no stranger is allowed to enter the hospital without his permission."

The two Daoist priests who had been staying there for a day immediately recognized the speaker as the head steward of the courtyard.

This courtyard house wasn't purchased for very long, and the people living there all came with the house; they've all been quite responsible.

"What's going on? Has the reputation of our Void-Driving Dao fallen so low that anyone dares to barge in?" The handsome Daoist frowned.

"Junior brother, there's no need for wild guesses. This house is protected by the sect leader's restrictions, making it difficult to investigate. Let's go out and take a look." The older Daoist priest stood up and stepped out.

A familiar voice came from the other side--

"We are not strangers. Summon your master and you will find out."

"Hmm? Is that Wang Yifu's voice? What's with his tone?" The two Daoist priests who came out of the house recognized the owner of the voice and became suspicious.

Opposite them were a group of people led by Wang Yifu, negotiating with the courtyard manager. Two Daoist priests were present, and Wang Yifu and the others clearly saw what was happening.

Wang Yifu clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Senior Brother Liu, Senior Brother Di, you've come at the perfect time. Please tell this manager who our identities are."

"Hmm? He's actually being so polite. Logically speaking, given Wang Yifu's spoiled nature, it wouldn't be surprising if he had just injured or crippled the person who stopped him!"

The two men referred to as Senior Brothers Liu and Di were the two Daoist priests, also members of the Void-Driving Dao. The older one Liu Xuan, and the handsome one was named Di Lu.

"So it's Junior Brother Wang. Junior Brother is no outsider." Liu Xuan stepped forward, dismissed the steward, and then looked at Wang Yifu and the others. His brows furrowed. He sensed a slight change in their demeanor; they exuded a sense of stability and composure.

Di Lu said, "Junior Brother Wang, I heard that you were captured by the enemy a few days ago and suffered considerable losses. How come...?"

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Di. We were indeed caught off guard and captured. Fortunately, no one lost their life. We will report the details to the Sect Leader." Wang Yifu's words were not exactly polite, but they had a watertight quality to them, which was quite different from his previous behavior.

"What's going on? Wang Yifu's personality has changed. What has he been through during this time?" Di Lu became wary upon seeing this.

He is one of the best among the younger generation of Void-Driving Dao and one of the candidates to succeed the next sect leader. He harbors a hidden hostility towards Wang Yifu. However, although Wang Yifu was related to the Void-Driving Dao Lord by blood, he was arrogant and did not take him seriously. He was only slightly wary of him. But now that they meet again, he feels threatened by the other party.

With a shift in his gaze, Di Lu's eyes fell on Tong Shou and the Seven Sons of the Void-Driving Dao.

These people were his peers, and some of the Seven Sons had already expressed their support for him. But now they were all standing behind Wang Yifu, which rapidly amplified Di Lu's unease.

Before he could say anything more, a resounding voice echoed in everyone's hearts—

"Come and see me!"

Although the voice was steady, the hint of surprise within it was impossible to conceal.

"It is the Dao Lord!"

Everyone immediately recognized the owner of the voice.

Liu Xuan and Di Lu took a step back and let the group pass by. Liu Tian, the leader of the Seven Sons of the Void-Driving Dao, sent a thought to Liu Xuan as they passed by.

"Oh? After Wang Yifu was captured by a scholar named Qiu Yan, he was reformed through literature and underwent a complete transformation!" After analyzing this information, Liu Xuan frowned and then transmitted his thoughts to Di Lu.

"Hmph!" Di Lu sneered. "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature. Does Wang Yifu to school mean he's learned manners? If he truly knew etiquette, he should have had someone announce his arrival outside the door instead of barging in with his men! Just watch, his change is only temporary, a show for the sect leader. Before long, he'll revert to his old ways. He's still not worthy to be my opponent. My opponents are still those two!"

Liu Xuan shook his head and said, "That's true, but history is full of people who, after a sudden awakening, achieved great things. Don't forget the deeds of the Three-Harms Wanderer. Whether Wang Yifu's personality has changed or not is not important. The key is whether he has learned the ways of dealing with people. That's what's crucial."

"What merit or ability does Wang Yifu possess to be compared to the Three-Harms Wanderer? Besides, that scholar named Qiu Yan hasn't even entered an academy. What use could his writings possibly be? Could they transform a spoiled brat? Hmm? This is Wang Yifu's aura? Powerful and surging? This is a sign of his impending advancement. Wasn't it said that his cultivation had been abolished?"

Di Lu was exchanging words with Liu Xuan when his expression suddenly changed. He sensed a change in the atmosphere and turned to look at the backyard.

"So, according to you, I'm judging a gentleman by my own petty standards?"

In the innermost part of the house in the backyard, the Void-Driving Dao Lord, sitting cross-legged on a futon, looked at his only son who had completely unleashed his aura. A hint of relief flashed in his eyes, but his words remained cold and hard.

Opposite him, Wang Yifu exuded a powerful aura, having broken free from his restraints and regained his strength, even showing signs of improvement!

They had been captured and imprisoned by Qiu Yan for a long time, forced to farm and study. Previously, the Void-Driving Dao Lord had personally gone to fight Qiu Yan, but failed to rescue them. However, today Qiu Yan told them that they could return.

The reason behind this was something that not only Wang Yifu and the others couldn't understand, but even the Void-Driving Dao Lord couldn't figure it out, feeling that Qiu Yan might have some kind of scheme.

As the group entered, the Void-Driving Dao Lord investigated but found nothing amiss. He then decided to return to his sect and thoroughly examine them to see if they had left any hidden dangers or ambushes.

However, these thoughts dissipated when he released the restrictions on Wang Yifu, allowing the latter to reveal his cultivation level, and transformed into surprise.

"What exactly does Qiu Yan want to do? He captured you, making an enemy of my Void-Driving Dao, yet he allowed your cultivation to advance..." At this point, the Void-Driving Dao Lord paused, noticing the change in the expressions of Tong Shou and the others, knowing that he had touched upon their painful memories.

Unexpectedly, Wang Yifu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and took out a book from his sleeve, handing it over with both hands, saying, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, the reason I was able to recover my skills and make progress is not because of my extraordinary talent, nor because of Qiu Yan's negligence, but because I read this book and learned what was in it, which enabled me to make changes."

"Oh? What book is this?" The Void-Driving Dao Lord narrowed his eyes, first noticing Wang Yifu's address to him, then nodded to himself, and took the book in his hand. He turned to a page, and the two words "Knowledge and Action" came into view. He grasped the essence contained within them, and then his Divine Sense flowed, and he memorized the contents of the book.

"Leaving aside the fallacies in the book, at least the two words on the title page and the principles of Knowledge and Action inside are invaluable secrets, and Qiu Yan actually dared to take them out."

As he spoke, the Void-Driving Dao Lord's gaze fell upon Wang Yifu, and there was an underlying meaning in his words—

"You actually actually decided to take it out."

Wang Yifu laughed and said, "I don't know what Qiu Yan's plans are, but it's true that I recovered my strength using this book. If it's effective and the sect leader doesn't find any hidden dangers in it, we might as well promote it to the entire sect!"

The Void-Driving Dao Lord looked at the book in his hand, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded. "What you said makes some sense. If there are no hidden dangers in this book and it has miraculous effects, it can indeed be implemented throughout Yuxu."

Unbeknownst to the Void-Driving Dao Lord, after he uttered those words, a Karmic Thread connecting him to the book suddenly jerked, and correspondingly, the Humanistic Fire Seed within Qiu Yan's Divine Spirit Body and at the center of the talisman intensified dramatically! (To be continued. Please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)