Words Pierce the Fences; Repay a Drop of Kindness with a Gushing Spring

"Top scholar?"

After Yan Yongjie received a response from Qiu Yan, his expression changed drastically, his eyes widened, and he looked incredulous.

This wasn't a secret, so Qiu Yan naturally didn't need to hide it from him. In reality, due to being manipulated, Yan Yongjie had been in a daze for the past six months, unable to obtain any information about the Imperial Examinations. Six months ago, he was busy dealing with natural disasters and traveling around his hometown, so he had no time to look for news about Qiu Yan. That's why he was completely unaware of this, and hearing it suddenly now was a huge shock.

It's like a friend you haven't seen for years, and then suddenly finding out they've taken a position in the Central Pivot government—the contrast is huge.

After receiving the answer, he immediately became somewhat uncomfortable, no longer daring to call Qiu Yan "brother" and referring to himself as "elder brother," and his speech even became a little restrained.

Qiu Yan was not surprised, having experienced it many times before. However, he disliked that his friend was also acting this way, so he said, "I remember that Brother Yan's determination to practice martial arts was very strong, and he was not afraid of worldly desires. It was precisely because of this that he was able to break free from the constraints immediately after obtaining that Cultivation Method. Since that's the case, why imprison your own heart today?"

These words made Yan Yongjie feel enlightened. His spirit and energy suddenly became concentrated, his two souls circulated within him, and the shadow of the Three Souls appeared faintly.

His transformation did not escape Qiu Yan's notice, who was standing nearby. The latter couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Brother Yan's talent is indeed astonishing. He has never formally studied any sect or cultivated any Divine Ability techniques. He relied on mortal martial arts from the beginning to temper his physical body to the Foundation Establishment Peak. After slightly touching upon a few key points, he immediately achieved complete integration and advanced to the Soul Condensation stage. Now, after experiencing hardships, his mind and body are slightly separated. However, after hearing one of my words, he has taken advantage of this separation and made further progress!"

It turned out that Qiu Yan's words of enlightenment had reached Yan Yongjie's ears, which resonated with him. Coincidentally, his consciousness was not yet fully integrated with his physical body, and his body felt like a fence or a cage, making it difficult for him to escape. However, by a twist of fate, he experienced a connection with his consciousness, showing signs of breaking through his current realm and condensing another soul!

However, this was not something that could be accomplished overnight. After sensing something, Yan Yongjie did not rush into anything. He calmed the fluctuations within his body, reopened his eyes, and looked at Qiu Yan, saying, "Indeed, you have changed a lot in just three days. My brother, you have clarified something I could not understand with just a few words."

At this moment, his entire demeanor changed slightly, as if something new had emerged. He slowly stood up, turned to look at the hunched old man again, and his expression turned cold. "Furthermore, my mind is much clearer now, and I've thought of some things. I have a guess about this person's identity."

"Oh? Brother Yan knows his identity?" Qiu Yan already had some understanding of the power behind this old man. This was from the changes in the other party's Fortune, but he didn't know the man's specific name.

Yan Yongjie nodded and said, "That's right. When this person first recruited me, he said some things that sounded familiar. Over the past six months, the things he's had me do have revealed further that this person might be related to the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha of Qi-Lu. And judging from his attire, he's the same as the legendary Seeking Gu Old Man from the martial arts world!"

"The martial arts world, huh?" Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, several figures flashing through his mind, their consciousness connecting with an article, and he nodded secretly.

"Yan Yongjie, I didn't expect you to have some knowledge, hehehe." The hunchbacked old man had been terrified, not knowing how Qiu Yan would deal with him, but after hearing the man's words, he calmed down a bit. Now, after hearing Yan Yongjie's words, he laughed sinisterly again.

However, while laughing, his gaze swept over Qiu Yan, and he felt quite wary, while also pondering something.

"This Qiu Yan is truly strange. He passed the imperial examination with top honors, yet he's still a cultivator. He captured me just now, seemingly without expending any effort, effortlessly breaking through Divine Ability powers and witchcraft. Even the chieftain might not possess such ability. This man..."

As the old man carefully observed Qiu Yan, an idea began to form in his mind.

"His status, position, prestige, and cultivation—the rumors say he's invincible on the Grasslands —clearly demonstrate that his military strategy far surpasses that of ordinary people. If we could persuade him to join our stronghold, wouldn't that be better than a hundred men? In that case, being captured by him might not be a bad thing. We can use my ideas to subtly change him!"

At this moment, Qiu Yan glanced at him, as if she could see through his thoughts, which calmed the Human Thoughts a little.

"This person's matter isn't urgent for now," Qiu Yan said, turning his gaze back to Yan Yongjie. "I still have some questions for him. By the way, I've gained some insights into cultivation over the past two years; perhaps we could verify them with each other, Brother Yan."

"That's too kind of you. I should be the one asking you for advice," Yan Yongjie said, knowing his place. "Speaking of which, it's been quite a few years since we last met. We should catch up and have a good drink, but in a couple of days, I have to return to Yan-Zhao. After all, my hometown has suffered a disaster, and I can't ignore it. I've already been gone for half a year, and I don't know how things are there."

As he spoke, he glanced at the old man again and said, "This man was captured by you, my brother, so of course you should deal with him. He's unarmed and powerless to fight back now, so even if he seeks revenge, it won't be honorable."

Hearing this, the hunchbacked old man breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ponder his plan.

Qiu Yan ignored him and turned to look at the unconscious people around him. These people had not been affected by Qiu Yan's Divine Sense shock and had not yet regained consciousness.

"They've all been controlled by that old man for the past six months. Most are martial arts practitioners, and some are Daoist priests. Two of my brothers were with them, but they were killed during the attack on the caravan." At this point, a hint of hatred flashed in Yan Yongjie's eyes. He then changed the subject, "By the way, brother, you're an official now. It's a bit inconvenient for you to mingle with us. Perhaps..."

"Brother Yan, there's no need to worry, I have my own plans." Qiu Yan waved his hand. "Actually, I came here with the Meng Clan family's caravan. I'll be visiting the head of the Meng Clan family later, and I'll bring up your matter then."

"This might be inappropriate; we shouldn't implicate my brother," Yan Yongjie said, frowning.

"Brother Yan, if you had truly committed heinous crimes and murdered innocent people, even though we have a past relationship, I wouldn't have stepped forward. But you are not the culprit; you are also victims. How can I refuse?" Qiu Yan said solemnly. "Moreover, getting the Meng Clan to do me a favor was actually my original plan. Otherwise, they would have gone to so much trouble without offering any thanks. If I didn't want them to help, I would have offended them and caused unnecessary trouble."

The intricacies of interpersonal relationships in officialdom were not Yan Yongjie's forte. Seeing that he couldn't persuade Qiu Yan and that the other party also had his own opinions, he stopped talking.

Not long after, School of Names from the Meng Clan family came to investigate. Although Qiu Yan had instructed them not to wait outside before entering the forest, Meng Ting and the others could not bear the responsibility if something happened, so they naturally would not remain indifferent and sent people in to search separately.

However, Qiu Yan's entry into the forest and his fight were swift and decisive. He quelled the incident in just a few breaths. By the time the servants arrived, the matter had already been settled. What they saw was Qiu Yan talking with Yan Yongjie and the hunched old man standing carefully to the side. Their gazes then shifted to the surrounding area, where they discovered many people unconscious.

"You've come at the right time." Qiu Yan waved to the newcomers. "Have Meng Wei and the others come over. They can come with me and bring these people along."

"Are those people in the car the same thieves who attacked my Meng Clan family's convoy?"

On the way, Meng Wei kept confirming this matter.

At this moment, he and Qiu Yan were both riding horses, while the carriage was given to the unconscious people to carry them.

"They're not thieves, they were just being held hostage. My friend, didn't Mr. Qiu make that clear?" Meng Ting pulled on the reins, spurring his horse closer. "You keep calling them thieves. If the young masters and ladies hear that, who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause."

"Yes, yes, it was my oversight," Meng Wei quickly corrected himself.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan simply smiled and said nothing more. Yan Yongjie, who was following him, also showed no unusual reaction. In the distance, the outline of a city was already in sight; it was Daizhou, an important Dai Prefecture in the northern part of Hedong Circuit in Three Jin Province.

Dai Prefecture was the seat of Dai Prefecture Office. Although it was located on the frontier, it was not impoverished. On the contrary, it was very prosperous due to the merchants who passed through. Even from a distance, the Official Path was bustling with people.

"I visited Dai Prefecture four years ago, and it was even more prosperous Dai Prefecture than it is now." Looking at the pedestrians on the road, Yan Yongjie sighed and reminisced. He had really gone to great lengths to seek immortality back then.

Qiu Yan understood this and had already begun to combine some Cultivation Method to tailor a method specifically for Yan Yongjie. After all, the book "New World Observations" that Yan Yongjie had given him had been of great help to him, and he would repay this kindness tenfold.

As they were thinking, a commotion suddenly erupted from the crowd ahead, followed by billowing dust—a large convoy of people was emerging from the city and rushing toward Qiu Yan's caravan.

Seeing this scene, Qiu Yan already knew what was about to happen.

Sure enough, the group of people stopped in front of Qiu Yan's caravan. A handsome young man with a refined demeanor stepped out from the group. He was dressed in a straight robe and had a handsome face. His gaze swept over everyone.

Meng Wei, Meng Ting, and the others immediately dismounted and were about to pay their respects when they heard the young master laugh and say, "Second Brother Ting, Fourth Brother Wei, why are you being so polite? Why don't you quickly introduce me to Scholar Qiu? I've been eagerly waiting for him in the city!" As he spoke, he cast his eager gaze on the group of people who had not yet dismounted, and finally fixed it on Qiu Yan, his eyes lighting up.

Qiu Yan has experienced much, and possesses a unique temperament unlike that of ordinary people. (To be continued...)

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