Chapter 11

"‘Life’ is the only restorative character among the known characters. According to records, there have been no more than a hundred literati who understood this character. It is extremely rare for ordinary scholars to conceive it in their lifetime!"

"Those who conceive the ‘Life’ character can extend their lifespan, expel all diseases, and if they join the military, it greatly enhances their survival capabilities. Compared to those literati who must always hide beside spirit masters and have no self-protection ability, their strength can be said to have undergone a tremendous transformation."

"Indeed! Most of the fourth-rank scholars and fifth-rank literati who have undergone arduous training in the military have no self-protection ability, which is why it is called training. Chen Dafu spent ten years in the military before he finally stood out. It is said that when he later mastered the ‘Life’ character, he sighed to the sky, saying he had wasted several years, which was truly a pity!"

The three of them looked at the head of the literature academy, not understanding why he suddenly mentioned the ‘Life’ character.

Magistrate Qi seemed to think of something and hesitantly asked, "Could it be that you, Sir Wen, are saying that this ‘Life’ and ‘Spring’ have some intrinsic connection?"

The others were shocked by Magistrate Qi's question, and when they considered the head of the literature academy's position, they became even more suspicious.

"Perhaps you do not know, but our divine palace has been trying to conceive the ‘Spring’ character for nearly ten years."

The head of the literature academy sighed, turned around, and asked Magistrate Qi, "Do you still remember? Before I moved into the county academy fifteen years ago, I once suffered a great calamity. I was on the brink of death and was fortunate to be saved by a friend, thus saving my life."

After a moment of recollection, Magistrate Qi remembered. He had heard it was because of Wen Xinyue, but as an outsider, he did not feel it was appropriate to say more, so he just nodded.

The head of the literature academy continued, "Because I was on the brink of death, I had a deep impression of that feeling. From then on, I began to slowly collect documents and classics related to the ‘Life’ character, hoping to eventually understand the precious ‘being there’ and ‘heart path.’ Unfortunately, I never succeeded, and I realized that this character is indeed rare and difficult to learn. I have managed the county academy for fifteen years, read extensively, and found that many of the great talents who understood the ‘Life’ character also learned the ‘Spring’ character, which is considered a waste. I speculated that this might be a prerequisite, so I decided to try. The divine palace split, and I conceived the ‘Spring’ character for another ten years until two years ago, when I encountered another great calamity."

Magistrate Qi and County Magistrate Cai exchanged glances and asked in shock, "Is it related to the incident in Chunan?"

The head of the literature academy nodded, "Two years ago, eighteen of us, the literary and military officials of Hong County, were dispatched to the Chunan demon beast mountains for duty. We were surrounded by wolf demons and only managed to escape after many casualties... That great calamity made me feel the meaning of life and death for the second time. I had already understood ‘being there’ and ‘heart path’ to the extreme, but I never had the opportunity to break through."

Everyone was tense and asked in unison, "Now that you have conceived the ‘Spring’ character, do you have any insights into the ‘Life’ character?"

The head of the literature academy finally smiled and said mysteriously, "I..."

"Silence!"

A loud shout erupted from the Fuxi Disc in the hands of Inspector Su, and a powerful spiritual pressure pinned the four of them down. The head of the literature academy was shocked and could not say another word!

Ministry of Literature!

Only the Ministry of Literature could control the Fuxi Disc from a thousand miles away!

And such a powerful spiritual pressure could not have been transmitted by the Ministry of Literature in Qi Prefecture; it must have come directly from the highest Ministry of Literature in the State of Chu!

The Fuxi Disc floated in the air, and the four examiners knelt, their hearts in turmoil. A stern voice came from the Fuxi Disc, "Who is in charge of the Hong County examination?"

Inspector Su hurriedly replied, "I am Su Tan, a third-rank scholar of the Ministry of Literature in Qi Prefecture, in charge of the Hong County spring examination!"

The voice said coldly, "This ‘Resonance Text’ has been archived in the Ministry of Literature of the State of Chu and is classified as a high-level secret. No one is allowed to discuss, spread, or leak this text without permission. If anyone violates this, all those who know will be exterminated!"

The faces of the four examiners changed dramatically. None of them dared to defy the order of the Ministry of Literature. They trembled and replied, "We will strictly follow the order!"

The voice asked again, "Who was silenced?"

A flash of light, and the head of the literature academy was released from the seal. He knelt in terror and replied, "I am Wen Qi, a third-rank scholar and head of the Hong County academy..."

The voice grunted, and the others heard nothing, but they saw the head of the literature academy's face contorted in pain, as if he had heard a terrible warning. He repeatedly bowed and shouted, "I dare not! Absolutely not! I am willing to swear to the great Fuxi Emperor that I will not reveal any content!"

The deep voice continued, "Inspector Su!"

Su Tan immediately replied, "I am here!"

"The author of the ‘Resonance Text’ in the Hong County spring examination must be kept low-profile and hidden. Under no circumstances should any information be leaked. Once he becomes a child scholar and his name is registered, we will carefully consider whether he is a promising talent and report to the Ministry of Literature. If anything happens to him in Qi Prefecture, the Ministry of Literature will hold you responsible!"

"I will comply!"

The Fuxi Disc glowed and returned to a normal instrument in Inspector Su's hands. The power of the Fuxi Disc to transmit sound over a thousand miles was controlled from a distance, and the spiritual energy consumed would be replenished by the divine palaces of the four examiners.

The four examiners held the disc and used their divine palaces to replenish its spiritual energy. They looked at each other, their faces bitter, and no one could say a word.

This matter had really escalated. A small ‘Resonance Text’ had been classified as a high-level secret by the Ministry of Literature of the State of Chu, and the examiners who knew about it had been silenced. The head of the literature academy had been warned to the point of almost being terrified, and the other three did not dare to ask any more questions.

However, it was not without gain. From the head of the literature academy's expression, it was clear that ‘Spring’ and ‘Life’ were closely related; otherwise, he would not have been silenced. The three of them were excited and knew that they all had the same thought.

They remained silent, their eyes meeting, and they had already agreed that after the spring examination, they would gather documents and classics related to the ‘Spring’ character and try to conceive it. Perhaps within ten years, they could reach a height they had never dared to imagine!

With a direct order from the Ministry of Literature of the State of Chu, the Hong County examination was much easier to manage.

Inspector Su and Magistrate Qi discussed for a long time and finally reached an initial agreement.

"The author of ‘Early Spring,’ Yue Heng, should not be listed on the honor roll but can participate in the child scholar examination, to be specially recruited by the head of the literature academy and registered as a scholar. What do you think?"

"The poem must be made public, but we must keep Yue Heng's name and the poem secret. This arrangement is excellent!"

"Inspector Su, thank you for your efforts. We will strictly supervise in Hong County and will not be negligent in the slightest!"

"I will not let you down! This boy has done me a great favor, and I will take good care of him and ensure he is not harmed in any way!"

Yue Heng must be kept low-profile and hidden, his enthusiasm must not be dampened, and he must be treated as if nothing has happened, allowing him to participate in the second round of the child scholar examination. They must find a way to help him pass the retest, activate his divine palace, conceive any character, and become a child scholar, whose name will be registered and reported to the Ministry of Literature. In the future, he must be carefully protected, at least within the jurisdiction of Qi Prefecture, to ensure he is not harmed.

These requirements were extremely high, and the examiners did not dare to relax. They racked their brains but could not come up with a perfect plan, so they could only take it one step at a time.

After the examination, Inspector Su lifted the seal and turned off the Fuxi Disc. Everyone felt as if they had just escaped a life-and-death situation, their legs weak and unable to stand steadily.

The four examiners sighed, saying that the ways of heaven were unpredictable, and even the great Fuxi Emperor could not protect every literati believer. If a literati wanted to conceive a character, besides the ‘Resonance Text,’ ‘being there,’ and ‘heart path,’ ‘opportunity’ was the uncontrollable factor that could not be controlled!

The head of the literature academy had obtained ‘opportunity’ over a decade ago, endured several calamities, and could now enjoy success.

The other three had not yet encountered ‘opportunity.’ They had read a rare ‘Resonance Text’ but could not resonate with it, thus wasting the first opportunity to break through by appreciating a ‘Resonance Text’!

This was what ‘opportunity’ was!

The examiners sighed in unison, "It is hard to be a literati!"

...

Yue Heng, at the center of the storm, was completely unaware. He was savoring the wine, and the Lingxi Tower's signature Lingxi Wine was truly excellent. It was smooth and sweet, leaving a lingering fragrance, refreshing the mind and eyes, and endlessly enjoyable.

"How does it taste?"

"It has a unique flavor, very comfortable, and makes me feel refreshed and invigorated!"

"Lingxi Wine can cleanse the body of impurities, enhance the physique of warriors, nourish the divine palace of literati, and increase the control of spirit masters. It has many other benefits and is entirely beneficial with no drawbacks."

Yue Heng said with a sigh, "If it weren't for you, Brother Min, I could never afford such a precious wine! It doesn't seem to be made from grains, and its taste is truly unique. Why have I never heard of this wine before?"

Min Xuhuai smiled and poured another small cup for Yue Heng, continuing, "The ingredients for Lingxi Wine are harvested from deep within the demon beast mountains in the south, from the fruit of the Qizhen tree. It is then mixed with seven types of fragrant fruits and flowers cultivated by spirit masters and fermented for forty-nine days. Because the Qizhen fruit is difficult to harvest and the Qizhen tree cannot be transplanted by spirit masters, the production of Lingxi Wine has always been low, and few people know about it."

Yue Heng put down his cup and sighed, "This Lingxi Tower must only serve you spirit masters. A low-ranking literati like me would never be able to enter, let alone drink this fine Lingxi Wine, if you didn't bring me here!"

Min Xuhuai laughed, "Brother Yue, don't underestimate yourself. I believe you are a genius and will become an elite literati in a few years. At that time, you can enter the Lingxi Tower at any time, and soaking in Lingxi Wine will not be difficult!"

"Ha ha!"

The two of them chatted, drank, and had a pleasant conversation.

Yue Heng's skill in probing was not particularly high, but Min Xuhuai's intelligence was even greater. Whatever Yue Heng asked, Min Xuhuai answered, even revealing secrets of the literati world, which he claimed were common knowledge.

But Yue Heng knew very well, why would a spirit master care about the literati world?

Through Min Xuhuai's narration, Yue Heng gradually formed a more complete worldview.

---

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