A Move in the Northern Frontier, an Open Scheme Against the Great Clans

"Let's stick to the original plan and befriend Qiu Yan." Meng Qingyan set the tone immediately.

Meng Bufan frowned slightly and asked, "What about the movable type printing method? And what should we do with that Hua She?"

"Although this matter occurred within our Meng Clan's territory, it was not initiated by us," Meng Qingyan pondered for a moment and made a decision. "Commissioner Qiu is returning to the capital by imperial decree. What can we do? If other families want to investigate, we can always give them an explanation. As for Hua She, didn't the Commissioner ask us to register it?"

"Shall we do as the compiler says?" Meng Bufan asked tentatively.

"No," Meng Qingyan shook his head and said, "Since we're going to do it, if he wants seven parts, we'll do ten. You go to the prefect's office later and register the household of Hua She. If he has any relatives, include them too. Zhang Gongcui will still give us face for this matter."

"I've remembered it all." Meng Bufan nodded and then remained silent.

Then, Meng Qingyan glanced at him and smiled, "Do you think that your father is afraid of Qiu Yan, which is why he did as you said?"

Meng Bufan shook his head. "I didn't think that way. Qiu Yan has cultivation, reputation, official position, and knowledge. Not to mention, he offered the firing method as an incentive. Anyone would take such a tactic seriously."

"That's right, the fact that you can see these things shows that your experience over the years has been useful." Meng Qingyan nodded in approval.

"However," Meng Bufan continued, "The main reason for this should be his cultivation of the Fourth Realm, right? But, judging solely from the purple qi, we can't be entirely certain of his realm. Speaking of which, just how powerful are cultivators of the Fourth Realm?"

"Even I don't know," Meng Qingyan said, noticing the astonishment on his son's face. He then smiled and said, "Everyone knows that the Emperor's power is boundless, but who can describe the Emperor's power?"

"That's true." Meng Bufan understood. "The only experts I've ever met, besides the two Daoist priests in my family, are the elders of the Third Realm whom I've met once when I went to the mountain gate with them. Even from a distance, those elders exuded an intimidating aura that made Great Qi afraid to even breathe. Although Qiu Xiuzhuan also has an aura, it seems to be somewhat inferior to them..."

Meng Qingyan replied, "That's nothing. The bullies on the street, who rely on their power to oppress others, may seem fierce and intimidating, but what are they in our eyes? Do we need to be like those bullies, showing our ferocity on our faces?"

This wasn't a profound principle; Meng Bufan listened, thought about it, and understood.

Then, Meng Qingyan continued, "By the way, let's frame that calligraphy first. However, the Movable-Type Method is of great importance. Even if we don't make things difficult for Qiu Xiuzhuan, we can't make it too obvious, so we can't put it in the other courtyard."

"This was a mistake on my part," Meng Bufan nodded. "After we return, I will mobilize the gentry and wealthy people in the city to contribute some silver to build a pavilion to house his calligraphy."

"This method is acceptable. It won't leave any grounds for criticism, nor will it make the compiler think that we harbor resentment towards him. However, you cannot personally call for it. You can hint to the Hu Clan and Lu Clan and let them take the lead. Their caravans are stuck on the Grasslands and need the help of the Meng Clan. They will surely not refuse when they need something from us," Meng Qingyan said, then changed the subject, "In addition, select a few calligraphy and paintings from my study and add them to the building. Don't say that this building is for Qiu Yan to store his calligraphy; just say that it showcases the works of great masters so that people in the city can appreciate them."

At this point, he glanced at his son and said meaningfully, "If we build a building just for one person's calligraphy, and it gets out, people will inevitably say that the Meng Clan is sycophantic, which will be detrimental to our reputation. If you are in charge of the family in the future, you should remember not to ruin our reputation and be ridiculed by other aristocratic Aristocratic Clan. You should know that it is not easy to build a good reputation. This is the reason why our aristocratic Aristocratic Clan are different from powerful clans."

"Hmm? I understand now." Meng Bufan was taken aback upon hearing this, then lowered his head to accept the instruction, and then asked, "However, Father's collection consists of masterpieces. Which pieces should we choose?"

"Take out two or three pieces of Wang Youjun's calligraphy and Wu Gan's painting," Meng Qingyan said with a smile, seeing the surprise on his son's face. "With Qiu Yan's current reputation, he is not yet on par with these two, but by displaying them, we will subtly elevate his status and let him know. He will surely remember our intentions. This is a form of flattery, but it's not blatant, so others can't say anything."

As he spoke, he recalled the calligraphy he had seen in the hands of the two servants and continued, "Qiu Yan's calligraphy is not as mature and serene as Right Army's, but he can capture the essence of the style. A hundred years from now, he will still be a famous calligrapher in history, and this may even become a celebrated story."

"Father is always the most thoughtful."

"It's not that your father is being too thoughtful; it's just that you haven't experienced enough. In a while, I'll arrange for you to go to Qi-Lu to take charge of the industry there. Then, without me overseeing you, you'll be able to let loose and try things out."

Upon hearing this news, Meng Bufan immediately revealed a hint of barely suppressed joy.

"However, before leaving, the matter caused by Qiu Yan must be dealt with properly," Meng Qingyan added. "If he were to pass on that firing technique to our Meng Clan, it would indeed be enough to shake our Ancestral Vein. Although we have made arrangements, the powerful Aristocratic Clan of the world will inevitably take some action..."

Even the head of the Meng Clan couldn't help but sigh at this point.

"Regardless of Qiu Yan's purpose—whether it's to win us over or to sow discord with other Aristocratic Clan —we can't relinquish this firing method! He's using an open scheme! But we also need to prevent him from spreading this method to others, so there are some things we still need to do..."

"I understand," Meng Bufan immediately understood his father's meaning. "I will arrange a workshop for Hua She so that he can focus on studying Movable-Type Method. This method will surely be mastered by our Meng Clan!"

Meng Qingyan nodded and said, "Remember to avoid giving anyone cause for complaint."

"So, Brother Qiu, you only needed this firing method to get the Meng Clan running on its own? You didn't need to give any instructions; you were able to get things done for me?"

In Qiu Yan's room, the sinister figure listened to Qiu Yan's account and sighed, "Indeed, the world is bustling with activity all for profit, and even Aristocratic Clan are no exception. But then again, without sufficient wealth and power, how can an aristocratic Aristocratic Clan stand on its reputation alone? Ultimately, both are indispensable, and they pay more attention to these methods of accumulating wealth than others."

Qiu Yan replied, "That's how things are in this world. If it weren't for my cultivation level to intimidate others, and without the People's Prestige of Grandmaster, the official position in the court, and the emperor's attention, why would an Aristocratic Clan like the Meng Clan go to such lengths on their own?"

The man said, "That's right. Brother Qiu, you can suppress your Fortune. If it were someone else, their reputation wouldn't be enough. Even if they had cultivation, the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan might not respect them and would only treat them as servants. If they had neither reputation nor cultivation, they would inevitably be taken down directly, and their Movable-Type Method would be sealed away. And if they had reputation but their cultivation couldn't suppress it, they would be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. We'd have to trick them into giving us your firing method first."

At this point, he shook his head again. "However, it's ultimately a bit petty. With Brother Qiu's current abilities, why should he care about the Meng Clan? It seems a bit like showing weakness."

Hearing the other party's words, Qiu Yan smiled and looked over, saying, "The Meng Clan is not a concern, but Aristocratic Clan is more than just the Meng Clan among the powerful clans. What I'm doing is not to show weakness, nor to create trouble for no reason, but to use this as a pretext to draw out Aristocratic Clans in the world, and then to divide and intimidate them, so that they don't jump out one by one, or contact court officials to make moves behind the scenes. That would not only waste energy and time, but also affect important matters and be counterproductive. However, one must know oneself and one's enemy in everything. By mobilizing the Meng Clan, one can understand the general characteristics of the Aristocratic Clan powerful clans through one family."

"I see. Brother Qiu, besides lecturing these past two days, you've also been talking with the Meng Clan family members. That's why. The Essentials a breakthrough point to understand the structure of the Aristocratic Clan. Otherwise, just shouting slogans and even threatening to wipe out the aristocratic Aristocratic Clan will only make us a laughingstock. We don't even know what Aristocratic Clan are, so how can we deal with the Aristocratic Clan? On the contrary, once we understand them, we can strike at their heart 'Yellow Dragon and crush them all!"

As he spoke, the man sighed, "Following Brother Qiu, what I have seen and heard far exceeds my imagination. I, Xi Muyuan, have always considered myself a talented scholar of the Eastern Capital, looking down on everyone Eastern Capital. But now I realize that I had only read a few books and thus underestimated the world. The vastness of this land and its Eastern Capital is incomparable to the confined territory of the Eastern Capital. Before, I was like a frog in a well, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth."

It turned out that this Yin Qi -looking person was none other than Xi Muyuan, who had a falling out with Qiu Yan.

He was a top student of the Nine Abyss Academy in Eastern Capital. After competing with Qiu Yan at the Literary Pavilion, he was filled with resentment and anger, which caused him to spit blood several times, ultimately leading to his death.

This was incredibly unlucky; he almost got into a Buddhist Sect charade, but luckily Qiu Yan discovered him and cleared his head. At that time, Xi Muyuan said he wanted to know where Qiu Yan was better than him, so he followed Qiu Yan around.

Logically speaking, a ghost like him would hardly be able to manifest in broad daylight. However, after spending so much time with Qiu Yan, he somehow became bathed in the Literary Thought Aura, the Sage Spirit, and the Human Path Order, causing his soul to gradually change. In recent days, he has actually been able to wander around in broad daylight, something that only cultivators with the Nature Cultivation of the Third Realm of spiritual cultivation can achieve.

Having entered Dai Prefecture and experienced Qiu Yan's lectures and the Meng Clan's affairs, Xi Muyuan gained new insights. He then went out to talk with Qiu Yan, but after only a few words, he felt exhausted.

"My mental energy was depleted very quickly today. I felt tired in less than half an hour." Xi Muyuan's soul sighed. Although he was a ghost, he was stuck in the Mortal Realm and was suppressed by the Yang Qi. After being enlightened by Qiu Yan, he was mentally sound and therefore restrained. He would not overdraw his soul body and needed to recuperate every day. He was active for a limited time, but not as short as today.

Qiu Yan replied, "This is not your problem. I just established my Purple Mansion and am not yet able to contain my yang Fortune. It has scattered and inevitably affected my soul. It will be better once I consolidate my realm and condense the Nascent Soul Embryo."

"I see," Xi Muyuan nodded. "However, I've heard that the higher one's cultivation level, the greater the obstacle to understanding the Human Path. Brother Qiu, are you perhaps determined to pursue both simultaneously? Better safe than sorry."

"I have a general idea about this, but it will take some time. Recently, I have been deliberately suppressing my Fortune, even gathering the Fortune of the Movable-Type Method, just in case."

"It's good that you know what you're doing." After saying this, Xi Muyuan returned to his bag and disappeared.

The room returned to peace. That evening, Qiu Yan wrote a list and had Qiu An deliver it to the Meng Residence.

That night, the Meng Residence was brightly lit, with servants and young men constantly coming and going, all looking hurried. The Meng Clan's workshops, both Inner City, also stayed up all night.

In the distance, an invisible force was gathering above the Daizhou City, like a vortex, involving many things, with the Karmic Threads passing through layers, seemingly affecting all parts of the world!

The following day, the convoy set off, with Yan Yongjie accompanying them.

A large crowd of gentry, students, and others saw him off, but Hua She was nowhere to be seen among them.

"When you have time in the future, I hope you can visit the Meng Clan again." Led by Meng Qingyan, the gentry of Dai Prefecture personally saw him off to bolster their prestige, which surprised the people in the city who witnessed the scene.

"Of course." Qiu Yan bowed and took his leave, then turned and continued on his way.

At the same time.

Beyond the East Flower Continent, in the boundless starry sky, Celestial Soldiers were besieging several deities in a fierce battle when a divine Divine Radiance rapidly flew from the depths of the starry sky and approached the battlefield!