Chapter 12

The world of Zhongyuan is very peculiar. From the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, through the Xia, Shang, Yin, and Zhou dynasties, up to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and then the unification by Qin Shi Huang, and the Three Kingdoms and Jin dynasties, the historical trajectory is not much different from that of Earth. However, after the late Three Kingdoms period, when Sima Yi declared himself the Duke of Xuan, history underwent a tremendous change.

Starting from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a hostile atmosphere towards scholars emerged in the Zhongyuan world. After Qin Shi Huang unified China, he extensively abolished heterodox cultures and made the decision to burn books and bury scholars alive, a decision that was inhumane and brutal.

Qin Shi Huang killed countless scholars and destroyed countless classic works. Large numbers of Qin soldiers swept through the countryside, confiscating and burning all materials that could record text, including bamboo slips, grass paper, and silk.

During the Chu-Han Contention, the practices of Qin Shi Huang were continued. The King of Chu destroyed divine beliefs, temples, and totems, while the King of Han severed cultural traditions and banned children from reading and writing. Scholars were repeatedly purged, and the transmission of culture became increasingly weak. Farsighted scholars had to seek out itinerant poets to pass on valuable culture orally.

By the time history reached the Three Kingdoms and Jin dynasties, Sima Yi ultimately seized power and made a shocking decision to continue the large-scale killing of scholars and the destruction of cultural beliefs, with a particular focus on eliminating itinerant poets. This was essentially an attempt to cut off the roots of culture!

Perhaps due to the wrath of heaven and the punishment of the gods, the Zhongyuan world experienced strange phenomena: mountains were destroyed, seas were filled, forests turned into ravines, deserts became oceans, strange stars hung in the night sky, and alien races frequently invaded. The human world was confined to a small area, divided into ten countries, seven mountains, and six islands, with the rest being misty forests and demon beast mountains, full of danger.

This year was called the first year of the divine punishment. From then on, the greatest task of the human world was to fight various demon beasts, resist invasions, build defensive cities and dangerous paths, and engage in military operations to protect the homeland.

After the first year of the divine punishment, the most valued, populous, and in-demand profession—warriors—emerged.

Warriors cultivate external strength, pursuing the limits of human muscles, and can skillfully manipulate various weapons. They fight on the front lines of the battlefield, directly causing damage to various demon beasts. Warriors are easy to earn military merit, and over the centuries, many martial masters and martial saints have been born, becoming the most important core defensive force for humans.

Due to the existence of demon beast mountains and misty forests, humans obtained more and more rare herbs and minerals. Herbs can strengthen the body and stimulate physical limits, while minerals can forge various weapons and enhance divine weapons. The descendants of the Shen Nong clan and the craftsmen of the Spring and Autumn period gradually demonstrated their racial talents, contributing to human warfare.

Another significant product was the beast souls from the demon beasts that died in battle. Wise people found ways to utilize these beast souls, leading to the emergence of the profession of craftsmen.

Craftsmen also worship the Great Emperor Fuxi, but they focus more on studying the skills of Gongshu Ban and Mozi. Over the centuries, skilled craftsmen have emerged in large numbers, and the development of craftsmanship has seen a hundred schools of thought. Ordinary daily machinery can be activated by beast souls, and complex machinery like beast soul carriages is not uncommon. Over the centuries, many high-level puppeteers and divine controllers have also emerged, and even the operation of large siege weapons is not a problem.

In this environment where everything is aimed at fighting demon beasts, scholars became a burden. Warriors could not defeat even a single demon beast soldier, and their skills were inferior to even the lowest-level apprentice craftsmen. They could not carry heavy loads, lift objects, run fast, or do hard labor. Even helping spirit masters plant herbs or pull bellows for blacksmiths was considered a hindrance.

Moreover, before the divine punishment, almost all scholars were massacred, and literary works and classics were destroyed. After the divine punishment, humans had to survive by using violence to counter violence, further promoting the use of force. This led to the decline of scholars' status within two hundred years after the divine punishment, eventually placing them just above low-ranking servants and prisoners, becoming a low-level profession that many people looked down upon.

"Scholars are truly in a miserable state, so low and pitiful, with scarce resources, barely surviving in a narrow space! It seems that Lu Changyuan and others reciting 'The Green Robe' and 'The Gěshēng' over my 'corpse' was really a last resort. They were trying to understand 'being present' and 'the way of the heart,' but it must have been very difficult!"

Yue Heng understood this point, finally resolving a long-standing grievance in his heart. The resentment he once harbored dissipated, and he forgave Lu Changyuan and the other poor students.

He raised his wine glass and clinked it with Min Xuhuai, then drank it in one gulp. He then asked, "When did the situation for scholars start to improve?"

"Shi Ji, a rare genius scholar who appeared once in a thousand years, is said to be a collateral descendant of the Great Emperor Fuxi. According to historical records, Shi Ji carried the Fuxi Code, transformed writing into dragons, recited the Book of Heaven and Earth, and invoked the power of the stars. The divine palace gave birth to dozens of literary symbols, easily slaying beast kings, destroying demon mountains, burning evil forests, and flooding ghost valleys, saving humanity from the flames. He ultimately achieved the status of a literary master! From then on, scholars who worshiped the Great Emperor Fuxi began to rise. After opening the divine palace, they could give birth to various literary symbols, strengthening their bodies and borrowing the power of the divine emperor. They had diverse and flexible means, gradually entering the military battlefield and participating in state governance, rising for three hundred years!"

After saying this, Min Xuhuai looked at Yue Heng with interest. The stories he told were recorded in the sect's classics, and as a spirit master, they had to read and study such common knowledge and major events to navigate the world independently.

Min Xuhuai used the opportunity to raise his wine glass to naturally conceal his gaze, observing Yue Heng's expression.

It seemed that Yue Heng was a poor student who had never had the opportunity for systematic learning and had not read many classics, so it was normal for him to be unaware of these situations.

But such a poor student could give birth to restorative literary symbols on his own before the spring examination, which made Min Xuhuai feel puzzled. There must be some secret.

He knew that high-level scholars were also quite powerful. As a sought-after second-level spirit doctor, he had the opportunity to participate in some demon beast mountain explorations and wars. Even those fourth- and fifth-level scholars did not dare to run out of his sight, as they would need his treatment if injured.

If scholars could widely master restorative literary symbols, the rise of scholars was inevitable. As for other scenarios, Min Xuhuai, being a low-level spirit master, did not dare to think too deeply.

Yue Heng's hand paused, the wine glass lingering at his lips as he slowly interpreted the words.

"Shi Ji, what a unique name. He is the strongest scholar to appear after the first year of the divine punishment. According to the literary master standards in the 'Collection of Literary Masters,' a first-level child scholar has one literary symbol, a second-level student has two, a third-level scholar has four, and from fifth to eighth level, there are minor and major advancements. To become a ninth-level literary master, Shi Ji must have given birth to at least sixty-four literary symbols."

The thought of giving birth to sixty-four literary symbols made Yue Heng feel his scalp tingle: "Furthermore, the 'Collection of Literary Masters' speculates that a scholar who gives birth to one hundred and twenty-eight literary symbols in the divine palace can be revered as a tenth-level literary sage. Perhaps only the Great Emperor Fuxi, who created the oracle bone script, could understand so much. In the past five hundred years, no one has ever reached the tenth level!"

But Yue Heng also noticed another issue that had puzzled him before: the printing and distribution of books were not complicated, so why were there so few scholars in this world?

So he asked, "The tenth-level martial saints and spirit gods appear in historical records, and I've heard that there are ninth-level master craftsmen striving to become tenth-level divine craftsmen. Why is the most talented scholar in our history, Shi Ji, only a ninth-level literary master and not a literary sage? It can't be because he was ugly, right?"

Min Xuhuai smiled and said something that Yue Heng didn't understand: "Because you are scholars! Let's not talk about this, let's drink!"

Because they were scholars, they couldn't reach the tenth-level peak?

How strange that sounded!

But since Min Xuhuai didn't explain, Yue Heng couldn't press further and had to let it go for now.

Free rides in beast soul carriages, free food and drink, free medical treatment, and free conversation, without any demands, Min Xuhuai was too generous, generous to the point where Yue Heng thought he was sick.

Min Xuhuai was a spirit master, and fools couldn't become spirit masters. Thinking of this, Yue Heng felt a natural resistance.

"I hate dealing with smart people; it makes me feel like I'm not smart enough!" Yue Heng thought to himself.

Since Min Xuhuai was being mysterious, Yue Heng decided to play dumb, adhering to one principle: he could share benefits, but not information.

An hour later, the aftereffects of the spirit wine made Yue Heng a bit tipsy, but he didn't reveal any changes about himself. Min Xuhuai didn't ask any questions about the "life" literary symbol, showing no urgency.

After Yue Heng passed out, Min Xuhuai smiled and had him carried to the carriage, personally sending him back to the Drunken Immortal Tower.

...

On the day of the examination, there were still many tedious tasks to handle, such as appeasing other officials, communicating with the higher-level literary department, organizing the spring examination essays, and transcribing the list of successful candidates.

After entertaining Inspector Su and settling the many supervisors from Qi County, the literary chancellor finally finished his work. He left the county office, sat in his carriage, and returned to his residence, deep in thought.

Waiting for him were the brothers Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun, who had been anxiously waiting in the literary chancellor's reception hall all afternoon and part of the evening. Seeing their teacher return, they respectfully greeted him.

"Teacher Wen..." Kuang Qing was just about to bow when he was interrupted by the literary chancellor.

"Go back and prepare for the re-examination the day after tomorrow!"

Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with joy. They responded in unison, "Thank you, Teacher Wen! We will take our leave..."

As they respectfully retreated, they noticed that the literary chancellor, unlike his usual calm demeanor, seemed somewhat anxious.

Before they had completely left the hall, they saw the literary chancellor hurriedly enter the inner room and call out loudly, "Xiaoyue!"