Inscribing Poetry Through the Confucian Dao

He returned home.

Xu Qingxiao immediately took out the booklet.

He opened it and read its contents.

A fugitive who did not even fear death had insisted on having this delivered. It had to conceal some great secret.

As the saying went, know yourself and know your enemy, and you could win a hundred battles. Xu Qingxiao certainly intended to study it.

But a quarter of an hour later...

Xu Qingxiao could not help frowning deeply.

The book was strange. It contained famous sayings and quotations, but no information whatsoever.

"Do villains read this sort of thing too?"

Beneath the oil lamp...

Xu Qingxiao frowned.

The book contained no information, only famous sayings and quotations. Those could be found anywhere.

"He entrusted this to me even as he was dying. It definitely can't be this simple."

"But there may be some encryption involved. Perhaps this is a codebook."

Xu Qingxiao guessed it was a codebook. With the numerical code, he could match the page numbers and word positions to uncover its secret.

At that thought, Xu Qingxiao grew a little annoyed.

Since the man had entrusted this to him, that meant he valued him as someone who kept his word. Yet he had still held something back?

Xu Qingxiao had no objection to precautions against petty scoundrels.

But guarding against an upright gentleman too was going a little too far.

Somewhat helpless, Xu Qingxiao read it again. After committing every word and sentence to memory, he held the booklet over the oil lamp.

That was right. Xu Qingxiao was burning the book.

He was not that stupid.

The people from Southern Yu Prefecture certainly would not leave him alone. They simply had no time to deal with him yet. Xu Qingxiao was unsure whether this was a codebook, but if he carried it around and the prefecture's officers discovered it...

How would he explain himself?

He would burn it outright. Once he left Ping'an County, copying it out again would be no great problem.

After entering a rank in the Confucian Dao, Xu Qingxiao's memory had improved too, so he was not worried about making mistakes.

Even if he took ten thousand steps back...

What would it matter if he really made a mistake?

You don't know what the original looked like anyway. As long as I stick firmly to my story, this is the genuine article.

Once the booklet caught fire, Xu Qingxiao tossed it into a basin and began thinking over the day's events.

The words of the fugitive from Southern Yu Prefecture still echoed in his ears.

If he did not practice the Unorthodox Art, the Demonic Seed would devour his blood and qi and disturb his state of mind from time to time.

This Unorthodox Art was far too terrifying.

Those two problems left Xu Qingxiao unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Devouring his blood and qi and hindering his cultivation-would that not make his already ordinary cultivation speed even more pathetic?

It would also corrode his mind from time to time, sending him into brief bouts of madness. That was even more troublesome. If anything strange happened in Ping'an Commandery or its counties, he would surely take the blame.

If he were caught at the scene, escaping death would be almost impossible.

This was even more frightening than a time bomb.

So his only way out now was to continue practicing the Unorthodox Art.

But if he continued, could the Literary Palace keep suppressing it? That was another question.

If it could, everything would be fine.

If it could not, he would be waiting to die on the spot.

Squeezing his knuckles, Xu Qingxiao carefully weighed his options.

"Still, my blood and qi surged earlier, but my Righteous Haoran Qi managed to suppress the Demonic Thought."

"It looks like the Confucian Dao does help. It's just that the Demonic Thought inside me isn't very strong yet. I don't know whether I'll still be able to suppress it later."

"This is a huge risk. I can't stake everything on Righteous Haoran Qi."

Xu Qingxiao pondered.

This was what it meant to struggle with a choice. In truth, Xu Qingxiao had considered gathering his courage and charging ahead recklessly just this once.

But the consequence of charging in the wrong direction was death, leaving him agonizing over it.

His life mattered, after all.

Just then, however, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind, instantly putting Xu Qingxiao on full alert.

"Brother Qingxiao, are you there?"

The moment the voice rang out, Xu Qingxiao knew whose it was.

The handsome man's voice.

Xu Qingxiao immediately closed his eyes, and in an instant, his consciousness arrived outside the Literary Palace.

The Heaven and Earth Literary Palace.

No matter how many times he saw it, it always inspired a different sense of awe.

He stepped inside the Literary Palace.

The handsome man quickly approached him, excitement written all over his face.

"Brother Qingxiao, I think I know who I am."

His words excited Xu Qingxiao too.

"Who?"

Xu Qingxiao could hardly wait.

"A great hero of humanity."

The man spoke with tremendous excitement.

"A great hero?"

Xu Qingxiao was curious.

"I thought over what you said yesterday again and again. Then, in a sudden flash of inspiration, I remembered some things from my past."

"The sun and moon sank into oblivion, a crimson moon hung in the sky, and demons emerged to wreak havoc upon the mortal world. I remember that I was sealing this great demon, but my memories are too fragmented. I don't know the details."

"But based on what we discussed yesterday, I can roughly deduce that I must have perished together with the demon. Someone then placed my soul inside the Literary Palace to await my revival."

The handsome man pieced together his fragmented memories and told Xu Qingxiao.

Those details, however, were of little use.

"May I ask, Senior, do you know your name?"

Xu Qingxiao asked.

If the man knew his own name, Xu Qingxiao could look for relevant records. With only that description, he would never find any information.

"No."

The handsome man shook his head.

Great. Another wasted effort.

Xu Qingxiao felt rather miserable. Why did everyone else who transmigrated either awaken a system or receive a simple, easy-to-understand cheat?

I awakened a cheat, and it turned into a mystery investigation instead. With pacing and writing like this, aren't you afraid the story will flop?

Xu Qingxiao grumbled inwardly.

"Brother Qingxiao, that is all the information I can offer. I'll probably need time to remember the rest. If possible, sorry for the trouble, but could you help me investigate? I would be deeply grateful."

The handsome man cupped his fists toward Xu Qingxiao in thanks.

Xu Qingxiao, however, gave a bitter smile.

"Senior, it isn't that I'm unwilling. I've run into trouble myself, and I fear I don't have long to live. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Xu Qingxiao aired his grievances.

He was terribly troubled himself right now.

Unorthodox Arts truly were a malignant tumor. Once you touched them, you fell into an endless abyss, unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Honestly, Xu Qingxiao really felt an urge to charge ahead recklessly.

At worst, he would die. That was ten thousand times better than dying slowly like this. At least he would have fought for it, with no regrets!

"What trouble are you facing, Brother Xu?"

The handsome man asked curiously.

Xu Qingxiao sighed. After some thought, he told the man the entire story from beginning to end.

An hour later...

Once Xu Qingxiao had finished explaining everything, the handsome man nodded.

"I understand now. No wonder the Demon Illustrated Guide contains information about the Three-Legged Golden Crow."

"But Brother Xu, there's no need to worry. This Literary Palace can suppress Demonic Thought. You can simply cultivate without concern."

The handsome man revealed something that astonished Xu Qingxiao.

"Can the Literary Palace completely suppress Demonic Thought?"

What worried Xu Qingxiao most right now? The side effects of practicing Unorthodox Arts.

If the Literary Palace could suppress them completely, would that not mean he could cultivate without limit?

"Not quite."

"The thoughts of demons are difficult to eradicate. All I know is that this Literary Palace has an extraordinary origin and can suppress Demonic Thought."

"Besides, haven't you already entered a rank, Brother Xu? With the Literary Palace suppressing what lies within you, you can practice Unorthodox Arts without letting it outstrip you."

"Of course, if the Demonic Thought advances to the Ninth Rank, your Confucian Dao must advance to the Ninth Rank as well. Otherwise, you won't be able to suppress it."

The handsome man explained, also telling him what the thing in the pool was.

"So I can practice Unorthodox Arts as long as they're at the same rank?"

Xu Qingxiao roughly understood what the man meant.

Practicing Unorthodox Arts produced side effects without exception. It was merely that the first time was more dangerous and things improved somewhat afterward, though the danger remained.

Now, with the Literary Palace's power, he could practice Unorthodox Arts. As long as his Confucian Dao rank kept pace with his Martial Dao rank, there would be no problem.

This was good news.

Xu Qingxiao had been agonizing over whether to cultivate, his heart constantly in his throat.

Now it seemed there was no need for that.

"Does that mean I can practice other Unorthodox Arts too?"

Suddenly, a new idea dawned on Xu Qingxiao.

"Yes."

The man answered directly.

"What would happen if I practiced two Unorthodox Arts at the same time?"

Xu Qingxiao asked.

"I'm not sure. There probably wouldn't be any trouble. Even if there were, there would be no need to worry. You couldn't solve it anyway."

The man's answer was simple, but it made a great deal of sense.

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Xu Qingxiao cupped his hands.

"Think nothing of it. It's only a trifling matter."

"And I seem to remember another way to suppress Demonic Thought."

He waved a hand, considering it a mere trifle.

He had also recalled something else, though he could not quite bring it to mind yet.

Xu Qingxiao was very patient and stood quietly to one side, waiting.

At that moment, the handsome man seemed like a treasure trove in Xu Qingxiao's eyes.

"Some of my memories are extremely jumbled. I need time to think."

He spoke, pondering earnestly.

Xu Qingxiao nodded, not daring to disturb him, and waited quietly.

After quite a while...

A delighted expression appeared on the man's face.

"I remember now."

"In the Confucian Dao, each time you rise by one rank, you can use Literary Qi to inscribe an essay or a poem within your body."

"And whether it's a poem or an essay, it will have wondrous effects. Why not give it a try?"

The handsome man explained a method of the Confucian Dao.

"Inscribing a poem or an essay inside my body?"

Xu Qingxiao had never expected such a thing to be possible.

"Yes, I remember something like that."

"You can give it a try. There's no harm in trying."

"Do you have a poem? If not, shall I think of one for you?"

The handsome man spoke, even worrying that Xu Qingxiao might not have a poem and planning to compose one on the spot.

"Then thank you, Senior."

Getting a poem for free as well naturally made Xu Qingxiao happy.

He would be a fool to turn down a freebie.

This man had an extraordinary background. Even if he was not a Great Sage himself, he was connected to one. Surely any poem he composed would at least be a Half-Saint's poem?

What a free windfall!

Xu Qingxiao was overjoyed.

"All right, let me mull it over. Brother Xu, stop calling me Senior every other breath. Just call me Handsome."

The handsome man nodded, telling Xu Qingxiao not to call him Senior, but Handsome instead.

Xu Qingxiao: "."

"I must not overstep the bounds of seniority. I wouldn't dare."

Call him Handsome?

Xu Qingxiao couldn't bring himself to say that. He would rather call him Senior.

So Xu Qingxiao stood to one side, quietly awaiting a fine poem.

A quarter of an hour later.

The handsome man suddenly smiled, looking utterly confident.

"I've got it."

With that, he slowly began to recite.

"Brother Xu's life hangs by a thread."

"Luckily, I'm here instead."

"From despair, seize a chance to survive."

"One wave, and off we fly."

"Brother Xu, what do you think?"

The handsome man finished reciting his poem with boundless feeling.

Then he looked at Xu Qingxiao with a smug expression and asked whether it was good.

Xu Qingxiao: "."

What do I think, my ass!

Is this even poetry?

This is a street performer's patter!

No, at least that rhymes. Yours doesn't even have rhyming endings.

A Literary Sage?

This is it?

Xu Qingxiao was bursting with frustration, but he didn't dare say a single word.

He could only bite the bullet and say,

"A fine poem."