War on Paper

Constable Lu looked at the invitation in his hand, his heart burning with heat. He loudly shoved through the crowd at the entrance of the Academy, wishing he could grow wings and fly to Fang Yun's house.

"Constable Lu, long time no see!" A warm voice rang out, and Constable Lu looked closely to find it was none other than Fang Li, the father of the child prodigy Fang Zhongyong.

"Ah, Brother Fang. I have urgent business to attend to and cannot keep you company. Forgive me!" Constable Lu hurried away, a sneering smile that no one saw curling the corner of his mouth.

Fang Li froze in place. He had thought he was about to become the "father of the Case First," and since he already knew Constable Lu, he had wanted to take the opportunity to show off his connections in front of friends and family. Instead, the other man had not even stopped, giving him zero face.

The nearby relatives and friends immediately started cursing.

"A mere constable dares to be so rude! Just wait until Zhongyong becomes the Case First, let's see what he says then!"

"Just a mere Academy Student! Zhongyong possesses the talent of a Zhuangyuan!"

Fang Li cared most about his face, but with the rankings about to be posted, it was not the time to throw a fit. So he said, "Never mind him. The day Zhongyong walks the Blue Clouds, scoundrels like that will naturally bow their heads! The lists are out, what do you all guess Zhongyong's ranking will be?"

"Naturally, none other than Case First!"

"You are too modest, Brother Fang. Which Licentiate in the whole county can compare to Zhongyong?"

"Make way, people in front! Let this year's Case First pass first!"

The crowd ahead parted to the sides. Fang Li wore a smile and walked forward unhurriedly, with Fang Zhongyong following closely behind him.

Before Fang Li and the others even reached the Golden List, the area around it exploded into chaos.

"What? Double-A? A Double-A Licentiate? The saints have mercy, my Jing Kingdom actually has a Double-A Licentiate! This is breaking the Heavenly Desolation!"

"I never expected a member of the Fang household to be the Double-A Case First!" A person who knew Fang Yun dropped his jaw in astonishment.

Hearing this, Fang Li grinned from ear to ear. Since his surname was Fang, there was no mistake, and furthermore, it was Double-A! This was simply a glorious event that brought honor to his ancestors, enough to erect a Literary Archway for generations of descendants to gaze upon in admiration.

Fang Zhongyong, following closely behind his father, flashed a trace of panic in his eyes. He did not deny that he was a prodigy, nor did he deny his confidence in securing an A-grade in poetry and prose, but he absolutely did not believe he could obtain an A-grade in the "Appeal to the Sage's Words." After all, there were several questions he did not know how to answer at all, and he had simply scribbled random responses.

Fang Zhongyong hurriedly raised his head to look at the list not far away, and when he focused his gaze, the very top of the list clearly bore the name Fang Yun.

Just as Fang Li was about to praise his son, he noticed Fang Zhongyong's abnormal expression, and immediately narrowed his eyes, taking a few quick steps forward to check the rankings.

Fang Yun: A, A.

Fang Zhongyong: Lower-B, Lower-C.

The Case First in his grasp had flown away!

Beside himself with rage, Fang Li shouted, "There must be a problem with these rankings! How could my son possibly not be the Case First? I am going to the capital to appeal to the emperor! How could anyone possibly achieve a Double-A Licentiate? I don't believe it!"

The bailiffs in front of the Golden List sneered. "Go ahead and appeal wherever you like. Who doesn't know that this Golden List passes through the eyes of the Half-Saint examiners? If there were any problems, it would have come to light long before the release of the lists. Do you really need to make a fuss?"

The friends and relatives of the Fang household wore blank expressions.

"Isn't Fang Zhongyong a prodigy? How can he not be the Case First?"

"Who is that Fang Yun? The name sounds familiar."

"That's the Fang Yun who has the child-bride Xishi of Jiang Prefecture. I even went to his parents' funeral, never imagining he would hit Case First." The speaker sidestepped without a change in expression, moving away from Fang Li, and then looked around in all directions, wanting to find Fang Yun to offer congratulations.

Fang Yun was not here.

The sun slanted westward, shining on the carriage parked at the entrance of Fang Yun's house and casting a long shadow.

The four Liu household servants who had once visited Fang Yun's home were also there, and standing in front of them was a handsome scholar in white.

Fang Yun shielded Yang Yuhuan behind him, looking calmly at Liu Zicheng as he said, "I wonder what brings Brother Liu here on a sudden visit."

Liu Zicheng glanced at Yang Yuhuan, a smile he fancied polite and proper on his face, and flicked his fan open, gently fanning himself.

"Fang Yun, I heard you were injured and rushed right over, even bringing the best injury medicine in Jiang Prefecture. How did you do on the Beginner Scholar Examination? To go take it covered in injuries, you must have done terribly, right? No matter, you can always try again next year," Liu Zicheng said with a smile.

Yang Yuhuan, however, sneered. "Wipe that hypocritical look off your face, I saw through you long ago! This is the entrance to our home, move aside right now! Xiao Yun and I are going to go look at the posted lists!"

Liu Zicheng's smile froze on his face, and he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "It's all the same whether you go or not, Fang Yun won't pass the Licentiate exam anyway. Yuhuan, my feelings for you are completely sincere. If you remain this headstrong, once I marry you into my home and my concubines get jealous, how do you expect me to protect you?"

Before Fang Yun could speak, Yang Yuhuan stepped forward, linked her arm through Fang Yun's, raised her chin, and said, "I will be marrying into the Fang household very soon! Xiao Yun is already my husband, and you will never be able to marry me!"

Fang Yun looked at Yang Yuhuan in surprise. He had long since realized that although Yang Yuhuan had resigned herself to her fate, she felt only a sisterly affection for him and had never called him husband or anything of the sort. Yet today, she actually admitted it in public, even vaguely implying that the two of them had already consummated their marriage.

Fang Yun saw a faint blush bloom across Yang Yuhuan's face, unsure if it was from the heat of the sun or from shyness.

A ferocious look flashed in Liu Zicheng's eyes as he forced down the rage in his heart. "I know you're just trying to make me angry, but you've succeeded! Fang Yun, if you remain deluded and keep hold of things that do not belong to you, disaster will inevitably strike you again within three days! This time, you won't have any luck on your side!"

Fang Yun said, "You admit it was the four men behind you who wanted to kill me last night?"

Liu Zicheng sneered, "Your little tricks are useless on me, I never said anything about wanting to kill you. I, Liu Zicheng, hold the literary rank of Academy Student; even if I beat you half to death, it's merely a matter of paying compensation to settle the affair. Fang Yun, I'll give you one last chance. Do you agree or not?"

Fang Yun answered with absolute finality, "Sister Yuhuan is my wife, and no one can take her away! If you dare to pester us again, I'll take a written plaint straight to the yamen to accuse you! Furthermore, beating me half to death in the past may have only required compensation to close the case, but now I am a Licentiate. If you beat me half to death, it is enough to strip away your scholarly honor and literary rank!"

"You? A Licentiate? Hahaha, did I hear that right? Did you all hear him?" Liu Zicheng asked with a laugh, looking at the servants behind him.

"We heard it. A penniless wretch claims he's a Licentiate!" one of them said.

Maintaining his composure, Fang Yun said, "I was able to pass the Licentiate examination thanks to you, Brother Liu. If it weren't for Brother Liu lending me those Half-Saint books, I'm afraid I wouldn't have passed. If I attain the rank of Academy Student in the future, I will certainly not forget to repay Brother Liu for his immense kindness!"

He put crushing weight on the final four syllables.

Liu Zicheng stared hard at Fang Yun, taking a step forward with aggressive pressure as he demanded, "I knew on my way here that the academy in Ji County hadn't even posted the lists yet. How do you know you passed as a Licentiate? Do you think a few words can fool me?"

"If you don't believe it, you are entirely welcome to come with me to the entrance of the Academy and see for yourself. Oh right, I am also a Sage-front Tongsheng." Fang Yun smiled faintly.

Liu Zicheng froze for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter.

"A Sage-front Tongsheng? Fang Yun, do you take me for a three-year-old child? Do I not know what you're worth? You can't even recite the Thirteen Classics, and the masterworks of the three Half-Saint examiners were provided by me in the first place. Add in your half-baked poetry skills, and passing as a Licentiate is impossible—yet you dare claim you're a Sage-front Tongsheng? It's enough to make people laugh their teeth out! Fang Yun, enough of your nonsense, my patience has run out! If you don't agree today, before I leave, I'm going to take both your legs from you so you know that I, Liu Zicheng, mean what I say!"

Yang Yuhuan anxiously interjected, "Liu Zicheng, do not push people too far! My husband is now a Sage-front Tongsheng with a literary rank. If you dare harm him, I'll go straight to the county yamen to seek justice!"

Fang Yun had not expected Liu Zicheng to be so utterly audacious, and a dark resentment brewed in his heart. If he didn't have a Left Prime Minister for a relative, Liu Zicheng would never dare act like this.

Fang Yun immediately used a provocative jibe. "Liu Zicheng, if you are a true man, come with me to the county academy and check the Golden List with your own eyes first. What, are you afraid? Haven't you always looked down on me? You don't even have the courage to go to the Academy?"

Liu Zicheng sneered with contempt, and just as he was about to agree, a servant behind him suddenly muttered in his ear, "Second Young Master, he actually seems to be a Sage-front Tongsheng."

"How so?" Liu Zicheng asked hurriedly.

"I clearly remember an obvious scar on his forehead yesterday, and these guys saw it too. But now that scar has vanished. Even miraculous elixirs couldn't accomplish that; only a Literary Talent Infusion could make such a large scar disappear overnight."

Shocked, Liu Zicheng hastily glanced back at the other servants.

"I remember it."

"That's right, that cut of his was very deep."

Terror flickered in the eyes of several servants. If Fang Yun truly was a Sage-front Tongsheng, the few of them were likely in deep trouble.

Liu Zicheng looked at Fang Yun anew, only now realizing that today's Fang Yun seemed different from usual. He was calm and collected, his gaze steady, with a drastic change in temperament as if he had suddenly aged several years overnight.

Liu Zicheng looked at Yang Yuhuan, who made no effort to hide her utter disdain for him.

His gaze flickered, and after a long silence, he suddenly broke into a grim smile. "The Academy hasn't posted the lists yet, and you haven't officially paid your respects before the sages either—you don't have your Licentiate robes or the Scholarly Sword. It's bound to be fake! You are still just a commoner, and I am an Academy Student. Crippling you will only cost me some money!"

Fang Yun had not expected Liu Zicheng to act with such resolute ruthlessness.

"Stop him!" Liu Zicheng commanded, before scrambling up onto his carriage to pull out brush, ink, and paper.

Not good, Fang Yun thought to himself. Liu Zicheng was afraid of close-quarters danger and intended to attack him using War on Paper.

"Sister Yuhuan, step back!" Fang Yun cried, charging toward Liu Zicheng. He absolutely could not let the other man execute War on Paper, or he would be left entirely at his mercy.

However, the four experienced servants lunged forward instantly. Instead of striking Fang Yun, they grabbed his waist, locked his arms, and caught his legs, trapping him in the blink of an eye.

Having undergone Talent Qi Body Tempering, Fang Yun would be stronger than these four big, strapping servants after a few months of recovery. But his body had not yet healed, and he was simply no match for the four of them.

Yang Yuhuan stepped forward to help Fang Yun, but realizing her own strength was insufficient, she immediately ran toward Liu Zicheng to stop him from writing.

One of the servants immediately released Fang Yun and reached out to block Yang Yuhuan.

Liu Zicheng laid a sheet of xuan paper across the carriage, thrust his writing brush directly into the ink bottle, and lifted the wolf-hair brush saturated with thick ink to write upon the paper. Talent qi surged around his body, kicking up a gentle breeze that fluttered his robes.

Writing with extreme cursive script, Liu Zicheng chanted the ancient war song composed before Jing Ke Assassinating the King of Qin.

The talent qi around his body permeated the brush and blended into the ink, forming characters that generated a bizarre resonance with the written words. The ambient vital energy of heaven and earth was stirred by the talent-infused characters.

A wild wind whipped up as a humanoid black mist gradually materialized by Liu Zicheng's side. The features of the humanoid mist were indistinct, and it wielded a dagger. Though the dagger was also made of black mist, it radiated a biting, bone-chilling cold that transformed the surrounding air into the dead of winter.

Despair bloomed in Fang Yun's heart as he realized the opponent was using this famous war poetry.

"The wind blows soughing, the Yi River is cold; the stout warrior leaves and never..."