The page disappeared without a trace, leaving only a piece of green dragon skin in his hand.
“What’s going on? Who could have taken this dirty document from a thousand miles away?” Fang Yun immediately looked around, but there was nothing.
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, and Fang Yun quickly understood. He silently thought, “The Book of Wonders, the Great Scholar’s dirty documents?”
Fang Yun immediately “saw” an empty space, with a yellowed page floating in the air. The blood-red words on it suddenly seemed to pulsate like blood vessels, the sound of pulsation growing louder and louder, like a drumbeat.
The blood-red words seemed to be bound by some force, struggling.
In a place where the Yangtze River meets the East Sea, there is a wide entrance to the sea. In the depths of the entrance, a magnificent golden dragon palace stands at the bottom of the river.
“Father, Li Wenying has offended our water tribe too much. Please give me a treasure to retrieve the Great Scholar’s dirty documents.”
“Go and fetch me a drop of holy blood and search for that page of the Great Scholar’s dirty documents.”
“Li Wenying has already killed that despicable snake, so he should have it. Dealing with Li Wenying probably requires a drop of your essence blood.”
“If he gets it, he will definitely go back to the Grand Source Prefecture and use the power of the Holy Temple to cleanse it. That cunning little snake will probably hide the Great Scholar’s dirty documents wherever she goes.”
“Good! I will transform into a human and search slowly.”
“Yes, go… Wait, no need to go.”
“Father, you…”
“My holy blood has been erased by someone. The Holy Temple cannot be used so soon, it must be the work of a Semi-Saint from the human race! Forget it, the ‘Peach Blossom Spring’ is just a legend. You can go now.”
In the mountains, Fang Yun “saw” in the void that the blood on the page was gradually lifted by a tremendous force, turning into a small dragon and roaring to the sky, twisting its body madly.
But the invisible force was extremely terrifying, firmly binding the blood-red dragon.
Fang Yun couldn’t help but wipe off a sweat.
“Could this be the legendary Semi-Saint’s divine consciousness? This drop of blood, combined with the divine consciousness contained within it, has the power of a Grand Academician at the lowest level and the prestige of a Great Scholar at the highest level. Dripping blood can destroy a city and a single thought can move mountains. How did the Book of Wonders accomplish this?”
As Fang Yun thought to himself, he carefully looked at the Great Scholar’s dirty documents. The blood-red color had completely disappeared, replaced by golden characters that emitted a soft light. At the same time, an elegant voice emanated from the paper, continuously reciting its contents.
“The lingering sound echoes, there is no mistake. It must have been written by the Great Scholar Tao when he was a Great Scholar. But how did this thing come out? Book of Wonders, come to me and let me take a look.”
The Book of Wonders did not move.
“This…”
Fang Yun suspected that the Book of Wonders wanted to keep the Great Scholar’s manuscript for itself, as the remaining fragment of “The Peach Blossom Spring” disappeared. Then Fang Yun heard a deafening voice in his ears.
“In the middle of the Jin Dynasty, a man from Wuling made a living by fishing. Along the creek, forgetting the distance. Suddenly, he came across a peach blossom forest…”
The voice was ethereal, carrying a wonderful artistic conception that transcended everything, as if entering a beautiful village where peach blossoms bloomed, forgetting the world and forever living in the world of “The Peach Blossom Spring”.
Fang Yun realized that the Book of Wonders had sent the remaining fragment of “The Peach Blossom Spring” into his literary palace. It was very comfortable to listen to it once, but when he listened to it for the second time, he felt dizzy.
The Great Scholar’s manuscript had great power, just like the powerful literary treasures that could be stored in the literary palace. It was of great benefit to the literary palace. However, Fang Yun was only a Talented Scholar at the moment, even if he had the Courage to Write, he could only be considered half a Presented Scholar. He still couldn’t withstand the repeated tempering of the lingering sound echoing.
After just over thirty breaths, Fang Yun couldn’t bear it anymore, and his literary palace trembled.
The deafening sound of the lingering sound echoing immediately disappeared and returned to the Book of Wonders.
Fang Yun glanced at the struggling small blood dragon in the void and returned to the camp in a daze, lying down and falling into a deep sleep.
In the early morning, the reinforcements from the Grand Source Prefecture arrived. After receiving Li Wenying’s message, the Governor of Gezhou personally came, bringing not only five Imperial Scholar officials and sixteen Presented Scholar officials, but also a recently resigned old Hanlin Scholar. They were afraid that Fang Yun and the others would encounter trouble. They collected the bodies of all the fallen soldiers and headed towards the outskirts of the mountains.
This day was also the day when “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette” were released.
“The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette” from various states were distributed as usual, with no difference from previous times.
However, there were some small differences outside the literary institutes in various states. The book vendors affiliated with the Xuanting Bookstore dressed in uniform attire, pushing carts with advertising banners, buying large quantities of “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette” from the literary institutes and putting them into the carts. At the same time, they sold various books such as “The Story of the Western Wing”.
Outside the literary institute in the Grand Source Prefecture, there was a crowd of people, several times more than when “The Path of the Saints” was released each month. It was almost as lively as the county and prefectural examinations held every year.
“Oh, Liu lao, why did you come? You are already over eighty years old. Why didn’t you send someone else to buy it?”
“I couldn’t wait! I heard that Fang Shuangjia’s masterpiece is published again in ‘The Path of the Saints’, with three complete articles, two of which are co-written. Not only does it have the new painting technique I like, but it also helps improve the poems of Jian Mei Gong. How can I sit still? Lao Song, you are also over seventy, why did you come yourself?”
“Haha, it’s the same for both of us. Jiangzhou finally produced a great talent, and his poems are published in ‘The Path of the Saints’. Of course I have to come and buy it. Ah, it’s a pity. If he had been born fifty years earlier, ‘The Inscription of the Dilapidated Hut’ would have been published fifty years earlier, and you and I would have become Presented Scholars.”
“That’s why I’m buying ten copies this time, so that each of my grandchildren can have one. They have to read his poems every day. I guarantee they will pass the Presented Scholar examination! “
“You’re right! Look at all these people around us, eight out of ten are buying it for their own grandchildren.”
“He is the first person to be invited by the Holy Words and the first person to be invited by the Holy Selection. Who wouldn’t learn his poems? Anyone who doesn’t is a fool! Maybe he will become the first Sage of our Grand Source Prefecture!”
“It’s possible! I must find a way to get his ink treasures. They can become family heirlooms in the future!”
“Don’t mention it. Now all the literati in the city are racking their brains to get his ink treasures, but he doesn’t participate in any poetry and literary gatherings. He is solely focused on studying and taking the Talented Scholar examination. No one has a chance.”
“Ah, it’s already May, and the Dragon Boat Festival is on the fifth day. According to tradition, the literati from Qing Nation will come across the river and compete with us in poetry and dragon boat races. We have lost for more than ten years in a row. I hope Fang Yun won’t refuse to participate because of his studies and let Jing Nation lose face every year.”
“Yes, sigh.”
Upon hearing the mention of the dragon boat literary gathering, everyone’s expressions became gloomy.
“Fang Yun is formidable, but the ‘Poetry Lord’ of this generation is in Qing Nation. The Poetry Lord won’t come, but his disciples or students will probably come. Even with Fang Yun, our chances are slim.”
“Yes, the dragon boat race is not a competition between individuals, but a competition among all the people on the boat.”
“Fang Yun won’t participate in the dragon boat literary gathering.”
“Why?” many people asked.
“Don’t you remember? The dragon boat race is a competition that uses poetry to arouse the vitality of heaven and earth. Only Presented Scholars and Talented Scholars participate. He is only a Child Scholar, even if he writes poetry better than the Zhen Nation, it is useless.”
“Ah!”
“Wait until next year.”
“Next year, Fang Yun will definitely be able to participate!”
Many copies of “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette” were bought, some people read them immediately, some people read them carefully after meals, and some people hurriedly went to a secluded place outside the city and gave dozens of copies of “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette” to an eagle demon.
The eagle demon grabbed the wrapped “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette” and flew into the clouds, flying at an extremely fast speed towards the Desolate Demon Mountain.
On the Desolate Demon Mountain, at the Astonishing City Peak, in the Dream Pavilion, all the reverse-type literati stood in front of the pavilion. This was something they did on the first day of every month, even if they were reverse-type literati, even if they hated humans and admired demons, they still had a deep fascination with the power of the Holy Path.
They revered the Holy Path, but not the human race.
A demon servant walked in carrying a large bag, took out a copy of “The Path of the Saints” and “The Literary Gazette,” and handed it to Feng Chengjue, the reverse-type literati Grand Academician who was neither human nor demon.
Feng Chengjue glanced at the table of contents, snorted coldly, and said, “It’s that Fang Yun stealing the limelight again! I hope he knows what’s good for him. If he dares to become a Talented Scholar before the Sage, I will kill him! That insignificant Li Wenying can’t stop me! “
“Naturally, Li Wenying is no match for you, sir. You are one of the four great talents of the previous generation.”
Feng Chengjue flipped through the book by himself and said, “I heard that Fang Yun’s ‘Inscription of the Dilapidated Hut’ is good. I haven’t read it before, so I might as well take a look.”
Soon, Feng Chengjue found the page where “The Inscription of the Dilapidated Hut” was located and read a few lines. His eyes brightened, and he couldn’t help but continue reading.
Halfway through, all the words of “The Inscription of the Dilapidated Hut” suddenly trembled lightly, radiating a faint light, and at the same time emitting a deep voice.
“What a humble abode!”
Feng Chengjue and all the reverse-type literati present screamed in pain.
“Ah…”
Feng Chengjue was the most miserable. His eyes were blinded by the light, and his Courage to Write and literary palace cracked. The literary palace of the other reverse-type literati also encountered problems, and the three least stable literary palaces suddenly started bleeding from all seven orifices, falling to the ground and dying. Several other people’s literary palaces shattered and turned into idiots.
In the end, only less than half of the people barely supported themselves, but their literary palaces had numerous cracks and couldn’t be repaired in a short period of time.
“Damn Semi-Saint! He actually used the Refined Courage Writing and Confucius’ words to plot against us! Quickly report and tell everyone not to read today’s ‘The Path of the Saints’! Be careful, it’s a trap!”
“Yes!” A reverse-type literati hurriedly left.
Feng Chengjue’s face was terrifying, and his dragon claws tightly grasped the stone throne, crushing the solid stone throne into powder. He gritted his teeth and said, “It must be the Semi-Saint warning us not to investigate the identity of the Five-Motion Grand Academician! Damn it, I was about to become a Great Scholar quickly, but I was ambushed like this. It will not only delay me for a long time, but I will also have to return to the Demon Realm to repair my literary palace and Courage to Write! Fang Yun, you’re unlucky! Transmit my order immediately, I want you to kill Fang Yun at all costs! I will go back to the Demon Realm to recuperate now. If Fang Yun is not dead when I return, all of you will die! You will all die!”
“Yes, sir! We will mobilize all the forces in Jiangzhou to kill Fang Yun at all costs!”
Feng Chengjue stood up and walked out of the hall, saying as he walked, “Those who kill Fang Yun will be greatly rewarded. They will receive a divine fruit that extends their lifespan by fifty years! If you have any requests in the future, I will definitely agree! I want to devour Fang Yun! Devour him bit by bit, inch by inch!”
“Yes!”
The reverse-type literati watched Feng Chengjue leave with worried expressions on their faces.