Dragonblood Ink Stick

Fang Yun sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting his mind. After reciting Butterflies in Love with Flowers: Spring Scenery, he had felt some of his Literary Qi and energy drain away. He needed to rest for a while before he could recover them.

He Yutang, sharing the carriage with him, grew more excited the more he thought about it. "I'll bring this ci poem back to the clan school at once. The teacher and students will certainly be delighted. I never imagined that not only were your poems excellent, but your ci poetry was this astonishing as well. This poem is truly marvelous—'Where under heaven is there no fragrant grass?' What a fine line. It is bound to endure through the ages."

Fang Yun did not reply. He merely nodded.

"With The Pillow Chronicle and this Butterflies in Love with Flowers, next month's Sacred Way will carry two of your works. If you work a little harder and write two more poems or ci poems, it'll be four works shining together!"

Fang Yun did not answer, but He Yutang continued to chatter. "In nine days, the Case First students from the nine counties and the top five Licentiates of the prefectural city will enter the Prefectural Academy to study. You are one of them. Though the Lishan Society can help you, that place is ultimately the Elite Society's domain, and Liu Zicheng studies at the Prefectural Academy. Knowing him as I do, he will certainly give you a show of force on your first day there and turn you into the academy's laughingstock."

"He dares to run wild in the Prefectural Academy?"

"You don't know? The Prefectural Academy's head is one of the Left Prime Minister's men, while the prefect is one of the Literary Prime Minister's people. All Ten Kingdoms have similar rules: the leading civil official of a prefecture or province and the head of its Literary Academy can never belong to the same faction. It is for balance. Things would be much better if you entered the Provincial Academy. Though Lord Swordbrow is not from the Literary Prime Minister's faction, he belongs to the military and utterly detests the Left Prime Minister. Can you find a way to enter the Provincial Academy?"

"A Licentiate entering the Provincial Academy? It has happened in some of the great kingdoms, but never before in Jing Kingdom. Are my qualifications enough?" Fang Yun asked.

He Yutang considered it, then said, "Your literary reputation is sufficient, but you have never studied at the County Academy, nor are you from a Sage Aristocratic Clan. For a Licentiate to enter the Provincial Academy directly would be far too difficult. Generally speaking, only Provincial Graduates and the top Academy Student from each prefecture may enter the Provincial Academy."

"Mm."

Fang Yun closed his eyes and rested for a moment, then his mind entered his Literary Palace.

Another Palace Star had appeared. The starlight nourishing his Literary Qi had increased by another fraction, though it was still exceedingly faint.

That threadlike Literary Qi had risen again, reaching seven and a half inches. He was still two and a half inches away from becoming an Academy Student.

Fang Yun continued pondering within his heart.

"The Prefectural Examination will not come until around the fifteenth of June, more than two months from now. This period is Liu Zicheng's best opportunity to strike at me. No matter how much I endure, I may not be able to get through it. Therefore, before the Prefectural Examination, I must become a Before-the-Sages Academy Student and master War on Paper. Otherwise, even if Liu Zicheng does not kill me, with an Academy Student's physique and War on Paper, he will have countless ways to humiliate me."

"But Literary Qi is growing too quickly. Without sufficient tempering, that will not do either. If I fail to condense Literary Guts in the future, or if my Literary Guts are innately deficient, then I will be completely ruined. No amount of poems, ci poems, or essays will make up for it. According to Sage Chen's collected works, Tao Yuanming was too enamored of pastoral life and neglected to temper his Literary Guts. He could never attain Saint Enfeoffment. Only in the year before his death did he suddenly awaken. He wrote The Peach Blossom Spring to reaffirm his resolve, no longer blindly withdrawing from the world but instead opening a Shangri-La. He ultimately became a Half-Sage and extended his life by eighty years."

"From today onward, I'll reduce my sleep to four hours. My Literary Qi is enough to keep me vigorous for two months. It will not be too late to rest after I become an Academy Student."

"Virtue is literature's bones, nature is literature's heart, ambition is literature's root, and words are literature's body. I must continue practicing my writing, and I must study the books of sages and worthies with twice the effort. That is the best way to stabilize my Literary Qi. But I cannot neglect the clan school lessons either, because teaching them means explaining the Sacred Way in the plainest language. That will also greatly benefit my cultivation."

Withdrawing his mind from his Literary Palace, Fang Yun asked, "Brother He, what does your Literary Palace look like?"

He Yutang smiled. "The Literary Palaces of great talents like you each have their own wonders, so naturally they cannot be publicized too freely. Mine is no different from an ordinary Academy Student's, and there is nothing much to say. Calling it a Literary Palace is already boasting. In truth, it is just a dilapidated thatched hut with nothing inside except my statue. There is no legendary Literary Palace Starry Sky, no Mural of the Sages, nothing of the sort. Mine is the worst kind. A slightly better one is a pavilion, and better still is a stone house. As for great talents like you, who may become Great Scholars or even attain Saint Enfeoffment, your Literary Palace is either like the imperial Golden Throne Hall or like the Temple of Sages in a Literary Academy—of course, some are large and some small."

"So that's how it is," Fang Yun said.

"Your Literary Palace is at least a princely residence, isn't it? With your Literary Qi, you must have a Literary Palace Starry Sky already. You may not necessarily have a Mural of the Sages, though. They say only those publicly acknowledged as one of the Four Great Talents or as a National Chief can possibly possess one."

Fang Yun thought for a moment but said nothing. He had possessed a Mural of the Sages ever since he had paid homage at the Temple of Sages.

He Yutang became interested and spoke in a torrent. "There are rumors that beyond the Temple of Sages Literary Palaces, there are other strange Literary Palaces. Based on the few words Sage Kong left behind, one must break free of Saint Origin Continent and set one's gaze upon the starry sky and the Myriad Worlds. One must have exceptionally profound insight. For instance, all the sages say that Saint Origin Continent is not flat but a great sphere, and that the sun is a million times larger than Saint Origin Continent. Yet we cannot even wrap our minds around Saint Origin Continent being round, so what is there to say about the starry sky and the Myriad Worlds?"

Fang Yun wanted to laugh but could not. Knowing those things is not some profound insight. Then he thought of his own Literary Palace.

His Literary Palace was neither a palace nor a Temple of Sages, nor was it an ordinary stone house. It was a vast yet ancient hall built from enormous stones, a full thousand zhang in length and width—larger than an ordinary small village or town—and it continued to expand as his Literary Qi grew.

He Yutang continued, "They say the larger and stronger the Literary Palace, the greater the chance of Literary Star Stirring. No one has yet understood what the Literary Star truly is. Some Half-Sages merely speculate that while Saint Origin Continent's vital energy comes from itself, Literary Qi comes from the Literary Star. However, after Confucius's Sagefall, two more sources of Literary Qi appeared in this world. One is the Sacred Academy, and the other is the Human Race itself. So long as someone reads and learns to recognize words, Literary Qi will be created without end. But to obtain the purest Literary Qi, one must receive Literary Star Stirring. As for Literary Star Light shining upon one's body, that need not even be mentioned. Other than Sage Kong and King Wen of Zhou, no one has obtained it. Oh, right—Yi Zhishi might possibly have."

Fang Yun heard Yi Zhishi's name once more. This man was likewise a prodigy of the age. He was only passably skilled in poetry and ci, but his study of the Classics of the Sages ranked first beneath the Half-Sages. It was said that before becoming a Great Scholar, he could already achieve Lingering Echoes.

Fang Daniu could not help shouting from outside, "My young master can do it too! What Yi Zhishi or Er Zhishi—has he earned Double-A Honor as a Sage-front Tongsheng?"

Fang Yun smiled, while He Yutang said with a laugh, "Fine, fine. Your young master will definitely become a Half-Sage. Is that enough?"

"At the very least, he must become a Second Saint! Then I'll be driving a carriage for a Second Saint. How imposing would that be?" Fang Daniu said.

He Yutang smiled at Fang Yun. "Your cousin is truly simple-minded. What Second Saint rides in a carriage? If he rides at all, he would ride in a Literary Treasure carriage. He would not need anyone to drive it."

Fang Daniu muttered softly outside, "That's true. I'd better guard the gate in the future."

Fang Yun became interested in Literary Treasures and asked, "Are Literary Treasures sold anywhere?"

"Yes, but they are extremely scarce. After all, even a Provincial Graduate can only produce one lowest-grade Literary Treasure in his lifetime. At most, Jiangzhou has forty or fifty Provincial Graduates a year. After excluding those slain in battle or killed in accidents, how many Literary Treasures can Jiangzhou produce in a year? Most Literary Treasures are obtained by the court and the Sacred Academy, and very few can be traded. They say seventy percent of Literary Treasures traded privately were carried by people who died at the hands of Demon Barbarians. Those Demon Barbarians have no use for them, so naturally they sell them to Human Race merchants in exchange for what they need."

"What do the Demon Race need?" Fang Yun asked.

He Yutang's expression changed, and he said helplessly, "Most merchants only sell cattle, sheep, and such goods to Demon Barbarians, but a few unscrupulous merchants sell not only living people, but also the corpses of those with Literary Ranks."

"Is that true? I thought it was all rumor."

"Of course it is true! Demon blood can be made into blood ink, while demon bones, fur, and hair are materials for making Sage Pages. And the bodies of those who have undergone Literary Qi body infusion are the Demon Barbarians' favorites. Living is best, but dead will do. They say such bodies can increase their cultivation and help them absorb the essence of the sun and moon. After all, Literary Qi comes from the Literary Star."

"So there is such a thing." Fang Yun's expression turned grave.

He Yutang continued, "It is precisely because the Demon Race eats people that every kingdom distributes Literary Treasures to the counties, while every prefecture stations a Prefectural Army. Our Jiangzhou is rather unlucky. To the south are the Yangtze River Water Demons, to the east lie the Sea Demons, and to the southwest stands one of the Five Demon Mountains. Fortunately, the demon mountain within our borders is only a branch range, inhabited by minor demons, while the Yangtze River Water Demons have continually been purged by the navy. Otherwise, everything would have fallen into chaos long ago. The Sea Demon Dragon Race usually conducts maritime trade with us, but every year they use the Human Race to drill their troops."

"You mean the Demon-Suppressing Poetry Gathering?"

"Exactly. The Sea Demons use us to train, and we use them to train. Generally speaking, neither side loses out. What we fear most is encountering those dragon descendants seeking merit. Then a great battle is unavoidable, and a few Provincial Graduates and Academy Students are bound to die."

"I would like to see it for myself," Fang Yun said.

He Yutang said, "I have seen it. It was truly spectacular. That year, a dragon descendant of a Demon King led them. Guess what his mount was? A Great Demon turtle ten li long. When that demon turtle and the dragon descendant appeared upon the sea, without even activating their demon power, they summoned violent winds and torrential rain. With the slightest movement from that demon turtle, waves three zhang high came crashing over. Had several Metropolitan Graduates on our side not joined forces to protect us, the sea dike would have been washed away. The dragon descendant was formidable, but he was not fiercer than Lord Swordbrow. Lord Swordbrow's famed work was originally the Wind-and-Rain Sword Poem. That dragon descendant insisted on controlling the wind and spreading rain, only to be cut to pieces by countless wind-and-rain swords before fleeing into the deep sea, covered in wounds. A Demon King's strength was originally a little greater than a Grand Academician's, so that battle made Lord Swordbrow's fame soar. He became renowned throughout the Ten Kingdoms, then took the position of head of the Provincial Academy."

Fang Yun nodded. "They say the reason the Sea Demons have behaved themselves these past years is mainly due to Lord Swordbrow."

"It is naturally Lord Swordbrow's doing."

"Then Li Grand Academician must have quite a bit of Dragonblood Ink, right?" Fang Yun asked curiously.

"Yes! Even if seventy percent is handed over to the court, ten percent to the military, and another ten percent to the Provincial Academy, he still retains ten percent. Over the years, many people have set their sights on his Dragonblood Ink, so every year he appears at certain Literary Assemblies and sets a Dragonblood Ink Stick as the top prize."

"Then I will have to keep an eye out for it."

At that moment, Fang Daniu said from outside, "Young Master, we're about to enter the city. Those carriages behind us seem to be following us all the way."