Lost for Half a Year, Unaware That Scholar Qiu Had Become the Top Graduate

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

As the applause subsided, a man slowly emerged from the Lin Zhong. It was an old man with a hunched back, leaning on a cane. He walked with a limp, panting with every step, as if a gust of wind would knock him over. A strange smile played on his lips as he looked up at Qiu Yan and said in a hoarse voice, "Who are you, sir? Why did you suddenly attack? With your level of cultivation, why make things difficult for us?"

"Should I be the one asking that?" Qiu Yan put the person in his hand on the ground, turned his gaze to the other person, flicked his sleeve, and a series of tiny squeaking sounds came from all around. It turned out that many tiny insects that were invisible to the naked eye had been killed by him with his strength.

Upon hearing this voice, the hunchbacked old man's expression changed slightly.

Qiu Yan continued, "Why did you lie in ambush in the Lin Zhong? Why did you speak with me, yet secretly lay down this insect curse? Would you be willing to explain?"

"So we've really run into a master." The old man's sinister smile vanished, and he said solemnly, "To be honest, we are righteous men. We gathered here out of dissatisfaction with the oppressive government and outraged by the suffering of the people, determined to do something righteous on behalf of Heaven!"

At this point, a glint of light appeared on his somewhat sinister face. "To tell you the truth, we are lying in ambush here to eliminate traitors! To kill the Meng Clan scoundrels who are trading with those Hu people and aiding the enemy! To clip their wings! When the nation is in trouble, such people disregard righteousness and tip off the enemy, sending them supplies. Shouldn't they be killed?"

These words were spoken with righteous indignation and a certain air of authority, but Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes and asked, "If that's the case, why resort to witchcraft to manipulate others' minds? If you have ambition, you should use the righteous path! Moreover, with such thoughts, instead of providing disaster relief and saving the people, or Wei Kingdom on the Sand Battlefield, you're ambushing and assassinating in this Lin Zhong. It's truly hard to convince anyone."

The hunchbacked old man sighed upon hearing this and was about to speak again, but before he could utter a word, Qiu Yan interrupted him.

"Don't try to fool me with other words. You should have already guessed my identity. Saying anything more is superfluous. I won't hide it from you. Among the group of people you control, there is an old friend of mine. He did me a favor. How can I let you go today?"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in the old man's eyes, and he chuckled, "Master Xiuzhuan is truly exceptionally intelligent. I didn't believe the rumors of your extraordinary cultivation at the time, but now it seems you are even more powerful than the rumors suggest! However, you have been far too arrogant. Your words have led to your downfall! Hurry!"

As he spoke, he made a hand seal and thrust his cane into the ground with his other hand. Streams of dark water gushed out, rapidly meandering across the ground, and in the blink of an eye, reached the bodies of the many men who had been repelled by Qiu Yan and lay silently on the ground!

"Get up!" The hunchbacked old man chuckled again, uttering a single word, but as soon as his voice fell, all around was silent. Only the gentle rustling of the grass in the breeze could be heard.

"Huh?" The old man was taken aback, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes, then he called out again—

"Rise!"

But all that remained was silence.

"Get up! Get up! Get up!" He was in a panic, sweat beading on his forehead, and the words came out of his mouth like a machine gun, without any change in their form.

Finally, he realized that things were out of control, and his plans had clearly been thwarted by Qiu Yan beforehand. He still couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

Ding-ding-dong.

At this moment, Qiu Yan opened his palm, and saw one after another, bent and deformed fine needles falling from his palm, landing on the ground, colliding with each other, making a crisp sound.

"You removed the Bone-Piercing Nails?" Upon seeing these fine needles, the hunched old man's face turned completely grim. "How much time, money, and heavenly materials and earthly treasures did I spend crafting these Bone-Piercing Nails? And you actually removed them? Moreover, didn't you say that your deceased loved ones were among them? Bone-Piercing Nails- piercing nails pierce through bone and heart; once removed, their lifeblood would rush back, and they would die within moments! You have killed them!"

Qiu Yan shook his head and said, "Different realms lead to different perspectives on things. This is also a blind spot caused by inconsistent information. In your view, these fine needles that can stabilize the soul and are empowered by Dao Arts would be fatal if removed, but in my view, they are just a little more complicated."

In fact, when Qiu Yan fought and repelled these people, he removed the Bone-Piercing Nails from their bodies and infused them with some vital energy to sustain their lives. The reason he spoke with the old man was...

Snap!

Qiu Yan gently lifted her foot and then stepped back down to the ground.

The people who had been lying on the ground suddenly tensed up and sprang to their feet. Smoke billowed from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths, accompanied by a pungent stench.

Their bodies were trembling and shaking incessantly!

Then, Qiu Yan reached to his waist and threw out the Mottled Jade Pendant. The pendant spun in the air, releasing thin streams of Qi and Blood that landed on the people. Their bodies stopped convulsing, the smoke from their seven orifices stopped coming out, and their spirits weakened considerably. However, their previously stiff expressions relaxed, and the wisp of black energy between their foreheads disappeared without a trace.

The person at Qiu Yan's feet let out a muffled groan, opened his eyes, and looked confused. His eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings, and when his gaze fell on Qiu Yan's face, he suddenly snapped out of it and looked surprised.

"You... you... you actually broke my Gu technique so easily? This is impossible! How could you turn a Gu worm into smoke without ten or eight years of nurturing?! Could it be that you just now..." The hunched old man opposite him showed a horrified expression, pointing at Qiu Yan as if he were stunned.

But Qiu Yan remained unmoved. He flicked his wrist, compressing the air into a wisp, which shot out and pierced the old man's forehead. It made a hollow sound, revealing that it was an empty shell!

"You think you can escape from Qiu? I'm somewhat interested in learning about the organization behind you. I had to temporarily put it aside back then because of my fate and strength, but now that we've run into each other again, I can't let it go so easily."

As he spoke, without any apparent movement, he simply tapped his Ceremonial Staff lightly on the ground, and the entire ground instantly solidified, dispelling all Divine Ability elements and even Spiritual Qi within it!

Snap!

Like the sound of a tree branch breaking, a hunched old man, his entire body bare, sprang from the muddy ground dozens of feet away. He turned and fell to the ground, wriggling with his emaciated, dark body. At the same time, he tremblingly turned his head to look at Qiu Yan, and fear finally appeared on his face.

"Put it on, I have something else to ask you." Qiu Yan raised his hand and waved it, and the old man's empty shell that he had pierced completely shattered, the clothes separated and flew over, landing on the old man.

The other person accepted the gift with trembling hands and put it on with shaky steps. Throughout the process, the hunched old man carefully observed Qiu Yan.

However, Qiu Yan didn't look at him; instead, she turned her gaze to the man beside her.

"Brother Qiu... Brother Qiu?" The man had regained some of his strength and struggled to his feet. His movements were somewhat stiff, not because he was weak, but because there was still a disconnect between his thoughts, consciousness, and body.

"What's wrong with me?" He looked at Qiu Yan, lost in memories, and finally saw the hunched old man, his expression suddenly changing.

"Brother Yan, it's been a long time since we last met." Qiu Yan nodded to him. "But why are you being controlled by this person?"

The man had already recalled some things and murmured, "I remember now. There was a severe drought in my hometown. After receiving the letter, I returned home, only to encounter this man half a year ago. He claimed to be a righteous man acting on behalf of Heaven and urged me to kill the officials. One of my brothers saw through his intentions and refused. Unexpectedly, this man poisoned our food. And then..."

As he recalled this, his expression grew increasingly grim. He realized that while he was being manipulated, his memories hadn't been interrupted; he had simply lost his self-awareness.

As he thought about it, he flew into a rage, abruptly stood up, and strode over, shouting, "You wicked fiend! How could you do such a thing! I, Yan Yongjie, a dignified seven-foot man, have been manipulated by you using despicable means to commit so many evil deeds and cause so many people to become outlaws! You..."

But halfway through his sentence, he stumbled and fell forward. Fortunately, Qiu Yan caught him in time, preventing him from falling.

"Brother Yan, don't rush into action. Your mind and body haven't fully recovered yet. You should rest and recuperate first," Qiu Yan, pulling Yan Yongjie back. "As for this thug, I've already subdued him. We can settle our differences later."

The man he was helping was Yan Yongjie. He had traveled across half of the Great Rui in search of immortal opportunities. He met Qiu Yan in Jiannan Circuit and eventually obtained the Life Cultivation Method Formula from Qiu Yan, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Peak and becoming Life Cultivation. The two became close friends and helped each other. However, not long after, Yan Yongjie bid farewell to Qiu Yan because of a letter from home and returned to the Yan-Zhao regions, and was never heard from again.

It is worth mentioning that the book "New World Observations" which was of great help to Qiu Yan was a gift from Yan Yongjie, and it helped Qiu Yan escape danger on several occasions. That is why Qiu Yan said that Yan Yongjie had been kind to him.

This time, Yan Yongjie was subdued by the hunchbacked old man. Qiu Yan, observing the situation from the forest, happened to notice the change in Fortune and understood what was happening. That's why he entered the forest alone.

On the other side, after being advised by Qiu Yan, Yan Yongjie's mood gradually calmed down. He sat cross-legged and began to breathe in and out, gathering his scattered Qi and Blood. However, his mind had been suppressed for too long, and his senses were no longer very sharp. Therefore, after adjusting his breathing, he only showed some improvement and did not truly recover.

"The separation of life and death, the separation of mind and body, has been long, and now I am suddenly free. However, I still cannot control the internal energy at will; it will take some time for me to recover." With a sigh, Yan Yongjie looked up at Qiu Yan and smiled. "Thanks to your help, brother, I was saved. Otherwise, I don't know how far I would have fallen. It seems your skills have improved greatly. By the way, you said you wanted to Imperial Examinations back then; have you made any progress?" (To be continued...)

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