One Stone, Thousand Waves, a Long Aftermath

As soon as he finished speaking, sounds came from all directions—

"Since you know this Qiu Yan, tell me about his background. He has cultivated his skills, yet he comes to participate in the Imperial Examinations. What is his purpose?"

The sound was ethereal and ever-changing, as if it came from an empty valley, echoing everywhere.

"Hmm?" The Daoist Wugou's expression changed, his flesh trembled, his hair stood on end, and he kicked off the ground.

The mountaintop was narrow, and with his leap, he was immediately suspended in mid-air. An ordinary person would have fallen, but the Daoist Wugou was no ordinary person. He swung around and hovered in the air, then turned around to look behind him.

Behind him, a cloud of yellow mist gathered, condensed into a human shape, and finally revealed its color, transforming into a middle-aged man.

This man had an ordinary face, a beard, wore a Baohe crown and robe with square dragon patches, a blue outer and green inner lining with green trim, and black green shoes. He exuded an air of nobility!

Daoist Wugou narrowed his eyes and laughed, "Well, when did the dignified guardian of Great Rui become someone who secretly spies on others?"

The middle-aged man glanced at him and replied indifferently, "This is the Imperial Palace, a place of Great Rui importance. It would be strange for you to be here. Why are you the one making the accusation first?"

"When did the wise king arrive?" the old man with the braid asked at this moment.

The middle-aged man, known as the "Wise King," cast a sharp glance at the man and said in a deep voice, "Venerable Hemp Robe, I have already told you not to enter the city..."

Before the old man with the braid could finish speaking, he interrupted, "My Divine Body is still outside the city. What came was merely a wisp of Divine Sense. If you feel that this is also an offense against the royal family, then this old man can leave now."

Upon hearing this, the wise king remained silent for a moment, his slender eyes fixed on the mist. After a long while, he said, "Since it is merely a Divine Sense, even if you have not arrived, you cannot linger. Disperse after the Metropolitan Examination."

At this point, he changed the subject. "However, regarding this Qiu Yan, I hope you two can tell me what you know."

"Oh? That's strange. You're not driving us away?" The Daoist Wugou chuckled. "When did the Wise King change his ways?"

The Prince of Xian glanced at him again and said coldly, "Master Wugou must know the crime of trespassing on the imperial palace since he can say such things. We are currently in the midst of the Talent Selection Ceremony, which is a major event for the nation. It is not appropriate to take action now, but since I am here, I will not allow you to stay here any longer."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his sleeve and waved it. A wind rose from all around, and the People's Wishes howled in. With a single movement, it spread rapidly and enveloped the surroundings in the blink of an eye. As the light and shadow changed, the scenery appeared as if in a fleeting moment. When the wind dissipated and the sound of the wind stopped, the surroundings had changed. It was no longer the top of the artificial mountain, but had become an ancient and simple hall.

There is a picture hanging on the wall deep in the lobby, with a large word "" written on it. It is neat and thick, with a straight and thick center, revealing an indescribable charm. You can vaguely see the curling green smoke!

"Where is this..." The Daoist Wugou wasn't surprised. He looked around, took a step forward, and came to a chair. He brought his face close and took a deep sniff. "So fragrant! So fragrant! It really is a chair made of fragrant wood..." Then he stomped his foot hard on the ground. The floor tiles rippled, and the dark surface gleamed. "Black stone bricks! This should be the residence of the Wise Prince."

In contrast, the old man with the braid remained silent, though the icy mist around him became much more blurred, as if it were about to dissipate. However, the Divine Sense within it did not disappear, thus maintaining its presence.

He didn't echo the Daoist Wugou, but looked at the Wise Prince and finally said, "Your Highness wants to know about Qiu Yan. Do you perhaps suspect that he is someone sent by the Daoist Sect?"

The wise king shook his head and said, "This person's Cultivation Method is different from that of the Daoist Sect, and his understanding of Human Path is even more genuine. He dared to shatter the Fortune and influence the Human Path of Prosperity Capital, which shows that he has the people's welfare in his heart. This is something that the Daoist Sect school cannot teach; it can only be understood by oneself."

The old man with the braid looked slightly surprised. "Oh? Judging from the Prince's tone, he seems to know something about Qiu Yan."

"I have met him once," the wise king nodded. "That encounter was not in the Mortal Realm, so there was no barrier of blood or soul. I was able to clearly sense his thoughts, and thus I knew that he was not a heartless person who only sought ascension."

"Since that's the case, why does Your Highness need to ask us? My understanding of Qiu Yan may not be any better than yours." The old man with the braid shook his head. "To be honest, I only noticed this person because of other reasons. It was only after this Metropolitan Examination that I realized he was extraordinary."

While the two were talking, the Daoist Wugou suddenly turned over and sat down in his chair, shaking it vigorously twice, and muttered, "This Qiu Yan is really interesting. He can attract so much attention. Even the Dynasty's lackeys look at him differently. I should try to get to know him better in the future."

As he was still thinking, the wise prince added, "However, Qiu Yan stirred up Human Path in Prosperity Capital during this imperial Metropolitan Examination, which will inevitably attract the attention of some people. After he passes the Golden List, he will inevitably have a headache for a while."

"Who will be the one to suffer the most then is still uncertain," the old man with the braid said, before the mist dissipated and he vanished without a trace.

The Chen Residence.

The head of the family Chen Bozheng, hurriedly headed deeper into the mansion and soon arrived at a simply furnished room. He bowed to the old man sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat.

"Grandfather, why have you summoned me here?" Chen Bozheng asked respectfully, bowing his head.

The old man said in a deep voice, "Send someone to wait for the results to Metropolitan Examination announced. Tell me as soon as the rankings are released!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Bozheng was taken aback, wondering why his ancestor Metropolitan Examination interested in the imperial examination. He then thought of the struggle New and Old Parties and muttered to himself, but dared not ask any further questions before taking his leave.

"Wait," the old man spoke again, "Those of my Chen Household descendants who have connections with this year's examinees have all been sent out to make contact and inquire about their essays. Do not miss this opportunity! This matter is of utmost importance and cannot be taken lightly. Do you understand?"

The tone of his voice didn't change much, but it suddenly made Chen Bozheng feel a heavy pressure on him. Sweat poured down his forehead, and he nodded hurriedly before leaving the room to make arrangements.

After he left, the room fell silent.

"He cultivated Divine Ability, yet he can manipulate the Human Path Order; that's rather strange. He can mobilize the Prosperity Capital Will; obtaining a Jinshi degree is definitely not a problem for him. I, on the other hand, have been trapped in this realm for countless years due to a single wrong step I took back then, and I cannot let go of any opportunity..."

Meanwhile, within the city, gazes were turning away from the sky and then toward the Examination Hall. Outside the city, many people also noticed the changes at the Examination Hall.

The year of the Metropolitan Laureate is a time of great anticipation; how could such a change possibly escape the notice of those who are interested?

Inside the Void Academy, Qi Jiulian stood outside the building, not daring to make the slightest move. But suddenly, he sensed something and turned around. What he saw was a scene of the City Intent surging within Xingjing Imperial City.

"This is..." He swallowed hard, his eyes widening.

Just then, an aged voice came from inside the house. "Jiulian, do you know your mistakes?"

Upon hearing this voice, Qi Jiulian disregarded the strange phenomena in the city, quickly averted his gaze, and then bowed his head, saying, "Grandson knows his mistake."

Where did we go wrong?

Qi Jiulian had already prepared a response to this question and replied without hesitation, "The mistake was in acting on my own initiative and causing trouble for others."

The voice inside said again, "Good that you know, but do you also know why I asked you to come here yesterday?"

"Grandson knows," Qi Jiulian nodded honestly, "Because the Metropolitan Examination has begun, I should go there and explain things to Wen Zhizhen to prevent him from getting entangled with Qiu Yan." This young calligraphy master had no arrogance whatsoever at this moment.

"Indeed, you must know that in such matters, one wrong move can offend both sides," the voice inside the room continued. "However, since those words have already been spoken, they cannot be taken back. But it may also be an opportunity. You can go and find Qiu Yan, sincerely befriend him, and explain the whole story clearly. You might be able to turn a bad thing into a good thing, and it can also be considered as making connections."

"Yes, grandson remembers, hmm?" Qi Jiulian subconsciously responded at first, then realized the meaning behind his grandfather's words, his eyelids twitched, and he showed a look of surprise, "Grandpa, you mean... Qiu Yan can get a good ranking?"

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the room was suddenly pulled open, and an old man slowly walked out, saying, "What? Don't you think highly of him? I heard that at the Upper Origin Literary Gathering, you were so confident in Qiu Yan, believing he could surpass Wen Zhizhen. Bai Zhaoyuan didn't participate in this Metropolitan Examination, Wen Zhizhen is considered one of the best among them. If Qiu Yan can surpass him, what difficulty would it be for him to even get the Metropolitan Laureate?"

Qi Jiulian chuckled awkwardly and stepped forward to help him up, saying, "I certainly have confidence in Qiu Yan's knowledge, but in this Imperial Examinations Metropolitan Examination, knowledge is only one aspect. With Miss Xu Clan's help, Wen Zhizhen is creating momentum everywhere, giving people the impression of being Xu Clan's son-in-law. Even the examiners in the examination hall will have to give him some face and say a few words of praise; they certainly won't favor Qiu Yan."

As he spoke, he observed the old man's expression.

"Furthermore, although Qiu Yan is famous and knowledgeable, and has connections with Chancellor Ma is a rigid person. Even if someone makes things convenient for Qiu Yan, the Prime Minister will not be grateful, and may even offend Prime Minister Wang, the chief examiner. Under such circumstances, it is already a good thing that the other examiners do not suppress or belittle Qiu Yan. The most likely scenario is that they will deliberately ignore him and use the reputations of others to overshadow him."

After finishing his speech, Qi Jiulian took a deep breath. He had been pondering these thoughts since the literary gathering, and they were quite logical and well-organized.

"Your ability to consider human relationships shows you have a broad perspective," the old man said with a faint smile. "However, life is unpredictable, and there are some things you don't see deeply enough. Putting aside Qiu Yan's own talent and learning, his relationship with Ma Yang alone could bring unexpected benefits. You don't need to say more; set off now."

"Hmm?" Qi Jiulian looked surprised, wondering why his grandfather thought so highly of Qiu Yan. (To be continued...)

ps: Thanks to "Yeyue Hidden Wolf" and "mswss" for the reward!