Qiu Shenzhi, Whose Nine Strokes Speak of Antiquity

Zhou Guan asked the waiter who came to greet him, "Are the two empty rooms still available? I have a friend who is planning to stay here."

"Hmm? Your friend is also checking in?" The waiter looked troubled. "I'm afraid it's not very convenient. There's only one room left, and it's already been booked."

"Reserving it for someone?" Zhou Guan frowned, stepped into the inn's lobby, and heard bursts of laughter coming from inside.

"Oh? It's quite lively today." Zhou Guan muttered to himself, and as he walked inside, he saw that the hall was full of scholars.

However, although these people were seated at various tables and on different seats, they were all facing the same direction.

Following everyone's gaze, Zhou Guan's eyes fell on the same spot, where he saw two figures, a man and a woman.

The man was dressed in ordinary clothes, but his extraordinary demeanor was hard to conceal. He had a handsome face, a straight nose, sat upright like a bell, and exuded composure. His voice was also like a gentle breeze.

Beside the man sat a woman, beautiful and elegantly dressed, with a graceful demeanor. She was clearly not from an ordinary family. Such a woman would be the center of attention wherever she went, and this inn was no exception. However, it was not hard to see from her every smile and frown that her heart was with the handsome man beside her.

A man and a woman sitting there, anyone who sees them can't help but praise them as a perfect couple.

Who are this man and woman?

Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan, and the others entered the inn's lobby, looking at the scene before them with puzzled expressions, unaware of the reason.

Just then, one of the scholars asked, "Brother Wen, according to you, this year's Metropolitan Examination is even easier than usual?"

"This isn't my saying, it's yours," the handsome man smiled, his features evoking the phrase "refined and dashing." "I'm simply saying that this imperial Metropolitan Examination is the last glorious moment for the study of classical texts. In the coming years, when Prime Minister Chancellor Wang in power and implements the New Law, the focus of the Imperial Examinations will be on New Learning. All our years of hard work will then be in vain."

Human Path else said, "I've heard about Brother Wen's romantic escapades in Jiangnan. People say you prefer Imperial Examinations the imperial examinations. Could it be that you're going to the capital for the exams this time to seize this last opportunity?"

"Haha," the handsome man laughed and nodded without the slightest hesitation, "No matter how famous I Wen Zhizhen, am, I am still just an ordinary person, doing things like an ordinary person. How can I escape the mundane?"

"As expected of a literary genius, he truly lives up to the rumors of his unconventional behavior," someone immediately praised.

Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan, and the others were taken aback.

"Is he Wen Zhizhen from Jiangnan, renowned for his mastery of both calligraphy and painting? Why is he here?"

While the others were surprised, Qiu Yan remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over the scholars. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes, and the scene before him instantly changed. Fine threads emerged, wrapping around the scholars and extending in various directions. Furthermore, Three Shoulder Flames, revealing the trajectory of their Fortune.

"This inn is definitely strange!"

As he watched, a cold glint flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes.

"If I hadn't entered the inn and come into contact with the entanglements of Karma and effect and Fortune, I wouldn't have been able to discover the clues. I wonder who set up this setup in the capital. They must have something big on their mind. But they shouldn't have dragged my friend Qiu Yan into this!"

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon Luo Jiayun and Zhou Guan. His senses spread, and he clearly perceived that Fortune emanated from the two of them, merging with the inn and, through some the Unseen connection, disappearing into the Void, disappearing to some unknown place.

"However, the capital is no small matter. I still need to wait for the Metropolitan Examination, so it's not appropriate to act immediately. I should observe the situation first and understand the circumstances clearly. Once I take action, I must eradicate the root of the problem to avoid future troubles and unnecessary waste of energy."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan's eyes darted around, glancing at the waiter and the shopkeeper out of the corner of his eye, before he frowned.

"These two are just ordinary people, with no extraordinary aura. Karma Fortune are no different from ordinary people. Could they simply be being used?"

As he was thinking, the scene in the lobby changed.

A man stood up and said to Wen Zhizhen, "I have long heard of Young Master Wen's reputation. It's one thing for you to be a carefree and elegant man in Jiangnan, and it's fine for you to come to Prosperity Capital to take the imperial examinations. Why do you have to ruin someone else's future with your words?"

His words were like a thunderbolt, immediately causing an uproar among the crowd.

After Wen Zhizhen arrived, he revealed his identity and chatted with everyone, talking about the prospects of the Imperial Examinations. He was witty and eloquent, and with a beautiful woman by his side, he was already quite famous. While outlining his plans, he also subtly hinted at his slogans. In a short time, he won everyone's favor, and they paid special attention to the information he revealed, regarding it as gospel.

At this time, someone suddenly said that Wen Zhizhen was ruining people's future, which naturally caused a great stir.

Immediately, someone questioned, "Brother Feng, what makes you say that?"

The man surnamed Feng sneered, "Major affairs of the court are the concern of many officials. The imperial Imperial Examinations is no small matter, attracting the attention of millions. Even if we were to change the New Learning, it wouldn't be much simpler. Besides, no matter how things change, there will still be many candidates vying for it. How much difference can there be?"

He spoke as he walked upstairs.

"Furthermore, if we wanted to anticipate changes in the Imperial Examinations and devise countermeasures, we should have thought about it months ago. Even if we knew now, how much change could it make? Even if this year's Metropolitan Examination suddenly tests New Learning schools of thought, do we think we could be prepared just because we guessed it three days in advance? What a joke! It would only cause us to panic and we wouldn't be able to perform even 30% of our full potential. Instead of wasting time listening to people's boasting here, we should go back and review our old knowledge." After saying this, ignoring the gazes of others, the man went straight upstairs to his room.

These words piqued Qiu Yan's interest, and he followed the man's movements with his gaze.

"Feng Zhao is still the same old Feng Zhao," Luo Jiayun shook his head.

"Oh? Brother Luo is quite familiar with this person?" Qiu Yan asked casually.

Luo Jiayun shook his head and said, "We're not that close. We've spoken a few times. His name is Feng Zhao. He's actually quite learned, but he's not good at talking to people. However, he's very insightful. Every time I see him, I can sense that he has a lot of sarcasm towards the world."

"Let's not talk about this for now," Zhou Guan interrupted the two, and went to the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, are there any rooms available?"

"You're too late. This young master Wen just checked in," the innkeeper said, shaking his head.

Zhou Guan asked, puzzled, "There are two empty rooms. Wen Zhizhen is staying in one, so isn't there another one?"

"That room is mine!"

Just then, a clear and melodious voice came from behind them. The group looked in the direction of the voice and saw a beautiful young woman with fair skin. She was wearing a leather military uniform, a fur scarf around her neck, and a bright red cloak draped over her back. She looked heroic and dashing.

In an instant, Luo Jiayun, Zhou Guan, and the others were all amazed.

"You are..." Cao Hanqi asked subconsciously, but after being glared at by the woman, he immediately felt ashamed and lowered his head, not daring to look her in the eye.

"Hmph, that's all the bravado you have." The woman chuckled lightly and turned to look at the center of the hall.

Noticing the cloaked woman's gaze, the graceful woman sitting beside Wen Zhizhen suddenly frowned, stood up, and said, "Pang Qianru, it's you again! No wonder we couldn't get a room even though there was clearly one left!"

"Xu Ran, I told you, don't think that by sticking around him, you'll have the last laugh!" The cloaked woman, Pang Qianru, smiled smugly, raised her chin, glanced at Wen Zhizhen's face, then turned and went upstairs.

Seeing this situation, everyone present could easily see what was going on.

The graceful Xu Ran turned to look at Wen Zhizhen and whispered, "Zhizhen, look at Pang Qianru, how domineering she is. In my opinion, we should change to another inn. This inn..." She glanced around, and although she didn't finish her sentence, her implied meaning was clear.

Wen Zhizhen gave a wry smile, "I can't afford to stay at another inn."

"It's okay, I'm here for you," Xu Ran quickly replied.

Wen Zhizhen shook his head. "I can't use your money." He lowered his voice after saying this, then stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to the people around him, and then left the table with Xu Ran. The shopkeeper and the waiter personally led the way, with utmost respect.

Once the two reached the second floor, people in the lobby began to discuss the matter.

"As expected of a renowned romantic and talented scholar..."

"That's right. Not long after arriving in Prosperity Capital, this 'two women vying for a man' scenario has already unfolded."

"This is incredible! You probably don't know the identities of Xu Ran and Pang Qianru. Tsk tsk, these two are not ordinary women. Xu Ran's grandfather, Xu Jin..."

Immediately, someone started leaking information, causing onlookers to gasp in astonishment.

"Good heavens, one is the granddaughter of the current prime minister, and the other is the daughter of a great general. Is Wen Zhizhen perhaps like the talented scholar in those plays?"

While everyone else was filled with envy and jealousy, Zhou Guan and the others were starting to have a headache.

"All the rooms are taken. Judging from this, Wen Zhizhen only just arrived. If she had arrived a little earlier..."

The waiter and the manager returned at that moment. Hearing his words, the waiter couldn't help but say, "Even if a talented man like Young Master Wen arrives a little late, we still have to give him our room. We can't wait for someone like him to come to our shop."

"Snobbish!" Zhou Guan immediately frowned. "Wen Zhizhen Peerless in Calligraphy and Painting and has some reputation, but my friend is also quite famous, even highly regarded by the great Grand Confucian of Eastern Capital!"

"Hmm?" Before the waiter could react, the shopkeeper's eyes suddenly lit up. He then carefully examined Qiu Yan and indeed sensed something unusual about him. He asked, "May I ask how this young master is addressed? Which academy are you a student of?"

Qiu Yan smiled slightly and looked over, "My name is Qiu Yan, I'm nothing special."

Unexpectedly, when he gave his name, the shopkeeper was immediately stunned.

"Could it be Qiu Yan, Qiu Shen Zhi, who Nine Paintings Speak of Antiquity '?"

P. S.: Thanks to "aktina" and "Wang Xiucai" for the donations!

Thank you to "My Sister Is Xuanxuan" for the monthly vote!

Starting today, I'll try to resume my original update schedule: one post at noon and one post in the evening...