Two Years

This is a woman dressed in pink, with a short top and a skirt, dressed very properly, but her body swayed gracefully as she walked, her steps light and graceful, giving people a feeling of elegance. She has a fair and delicate face, with a smile on her face, and phoenix eyes that are lively.

Even Qiu Yan was amazed at first glance, but since he was a condensed Human Soul with a single-minded focus, he quickly recovered.

"Very good, a good assessment." The woman's eyes flickered, her gaze landing on Qiu Yan's face, revealing her appreciation. She parted her lips slightly, her voice clear and melodious.

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, glanced at the woman, and then looked at the person next to her.

The woman was followed by two people. One was a maid in a blue dress, with her head bowed, making it impossible to see her face. Only her fair neck was visible, suggesting she was a maid. The other was the steward of the Chen Residence, whom Qiu Yan had met once before, whom Chen Qichang referred to as Song Nu.

Upon seeing this Song Nu, Qiu Yan already understood and roughly figured out the woman's identity. However, he did not express anything, but instead bowed to Dong Qiu and addressed her as "this humble commoner."

"Nephew, no need for such formalities." Unexpectedly, Dong Qiu, the magistrate of the county, was very polite. After a few words, he hurriedly introduced her, "I'm here on someone's behalf. This is Song Household daughter of Wuxin Commandery Governor Song of Wuxin Army."

Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of doubt crept into his gaze as he looked at the woman.

"The apple of the eye of the Song military governor? Song Yuan's daughter?"

His gaze swept across Song Nu's face.

"A few days ago, this Steward Song came over, saying that his princess wanted to see me. Judging from the previous situation, this so-called princess was undoubtedly the daughter of the King of Mountain-Passing Great King. But now, judging from this situation, the woman in front of me must be that princess! This is strange. According to my guess, this king is definitely not Song Yuan himself, but someone close to him. How come this Demon King princess is Song Yuan's daughter? Could it be that the Mountain-Passing Great King is also a woman, and Song Yuan's wife?"

These thoughts flashed through Qiu Yan's mind.

Across from them, Miss Song suddenly stepped forward, carefully looked Qiu Yan up and down, and then nodded.

"Not bad, he's fairly good-looking, and his demeanor is decent. He seems well-read, with the air of a scholar."

As she spoke, she naturally exuded an air of superiority and imperiousness, but it didn't seem pretentious; it was clearly a habit formed over time.

But it still made Qiu Yan frown.

However, Miss Song clearly didn't take Qiu Yan's thoughts to heart. She raised her slender hand and extended two fingers.

"I heard you have to observe mourning and can't take the Imperial Examinations, so I'll give you two years. If you pass the examinations and become Xiucai after two years, I won't pursue the matter of the wolf and sheep, and I might even consider taking you as my husband. But if you fail the examinations, or if I find someone I like during these two years, then you can only blame your bad luck."

The woman's words and actions clearly showed that she didn't take Qiu Yan seriously, as if her so-called husband was just a pet that she could summon and dismiss at will.

After saying this, Miss Song chuckled softly, her laughter like the tinkling of bells. She turned and returned to her sedan chair, with Steward Song and her maid following closely behind, leading a group of people away quickly.

They left in the blink of an eye; they came suddenly and went just as quickly.

"My dear nephew, this is your opportunity! You must seize it! This Miss Song's father is a military governor, a powerful and influential Guarding the One. If you can marry into his family, it will greatly benefit your future. You should work hard these next two years; this will finally be a possibility. In addition, Chancellor Ma has high hopes for you; you must not disappoint his earnest expectations."

Upon seeing this, Magistrate Dong Qiu exchanged a few words with Qiu Yan and then hurriedly left, clearly to catch up with Miss Song and her entourage.

The courtyard returned to calm, but the scene of the county magistrate coming in person and affectionately addressing Qiu Yan as his nephew had been clearly seen by the surrounding neighbors. For a moment, these neighbors, who had previously looked down on the Qiu Family father and son, felt their hearts race and turned around cautiously, afraid of making the slightest noise that would alert Qiu Yan.

Qiu Yan had no time to pay attention to the neighbors; he was still pondering what Miss Song had said.

"Two years? Husband?"

Finally, he shook his head.

"Two years is indeed precious. After all, with my current cultivation level, it would take a lot of effort to fight the demons under the command of Mountain-Passing Great King. Even Physician Huang, whom I went to great lengths to trip up, has to prepare tributes for King Mountain-Passing Great King. If I were to face the Demon King immediately, I probably wouldn't have much of a chance of winning. However, I have no interest in becoming the Demon King's son-in-law. This body has a grudge against the Demon King, and the day we meet will be the day we fight to the death."

Qiu Yan's train of thought was quickly interrupted by a greeting—

"Brother, who were those people just now? One of them looked like a daughter of an official?"

The speaker was Zheng Zhongsen, dressed for a long journey, with a square scarf on his head, a book basket on his back, and a smile on his face.

"It's nothing, those people went to the wrong place and mistook someone else for them," Qiu Yan said casually, then asked about Zheng Zhongsen's attire.

"Hey, isn't there going to be Special Grace Examination in the fall? I was planning to go to the Daofu Academy to study and prepare. I've come here to say goodbye to you, my dear brother." He spoke in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yan understood that things were not so simple. His close friend had previously Dao Examination provincial examination and, having tasted its sweetness, now wanted to repeat the same trick and make some arrangements in order to pass the provincial Provincial Examination with flying colors.

Looking at Zheng Zhongsen's faded scholar's robe, Qiu Yan sighed inwardly, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "In that case, I wish Brother Zheng a safe journey."

"Thank you for your kind words, brother." Zheng Zhongsen returned the greeting with a smile, said a few more words, and then turned to leave, his face full of smiles and his eyes full of anticipation for the future.

But after he left, he disappeared without a trace. He didn't even return to participate in the Autumn Examination that August. Afterwards, Qiu Yan tried to find him, but his abilities were limited. Even using his divine essence, he could not find any trace of him.

Time flies like an arrow; two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

For Qiu Yan, both his main body and his clones have had a peaceful two years.

However, having been trapped in a mountain temple for nearly eighty years, he knew that two years might be a long time for mortals, but for extraordinary beings with long lifespans, it was just a fleeting moment.

Winter goes and spring comes, and all kinds of flowers bloom.

The Qiu Family's courtyard remained largely unchanged.

"In the past two years, neither the Upper Spirit Sect nor the Mountain-Passing Great King has caused any further trouble. However, this is only temporary. Putting aside everything else, if something unexpected happens during the Xiucai Dao Examination in a little over a month and I fail to pass the examination, the Mountain-Passing Great King will immediately react and send people to kill me."

Thinking to himself, Qiu Yan put down his pen, glanced at the calligraphy on the table, frowned, and shook his head.

"No, it's still lacking something; the essence isn't quite complete."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and tossed the calligraphy aside.

On the other side, a slight noise came from the table, where a plump, white figure was tumbling around at the corner.

This plump, white figure was the ginseng that Qiu Yan had dropped two years ago when he was refining the magic artifact in the medicine Law Artifact. Since that night, it had been staying in the study. Whenever Qiu Yan read, the ginseng would react, and over time, Qiu Yan simply let it be.

Without even glancing at the ginseng, Qiu Yan left the study and headed towards the gate as soon as he entered the courtyard, where he bumped into Rongniang was just coming in.

In just two years, Rongniang had blossomed into a graceful and beautiful young woman. Many women her age would have already married and had children, but the Liu Household remained silent. Qiu Yan could guess the reason for this.

"Cousin, are we going to the Prime Minister's country again?"

Upon seeing Qiu Yan, Rongniang greeted him and, after receiving a positive reply, nodded. "Then I'll go tidy up your study."

P. S.: Thanks to Xiaoyao and "Night Drift" for the donations!