Chapter 64

Impressionism refers to a certain school of painting in the era of Qinglong. Seeing Xun Yi's painting, Qinglong could only express it so tactfully.

Xun Yi thought it was a compliment and smiled contentedly, "Tomorrow, I'll have someone frame my painting."

Putting the painting aside, Xun Yi took out his manuscript.

Although the Xun family bookshop employed many writers, due to efficiency issues, they often had to take breaks, so Xun Yi himself had to rush to fill in the gaps.

"Mountain Ghost." Xun Yi scribbled on a blank sheet of paper, outlining the next plot.

Writing a novel involves four crucial steps: soul, bone, flesh, and skin.

The theme is the soul of a novel, the idea one wants to convey, using literature to carry the way, which is the realm all literati aspire to.

The outline is the skeleton of a novel, the main plot and subplots, all of which need to be listed in advance. Only with a clear outline can a novel be written in one go.

The plot is the flesh and blood of a novel. Without a plot, relying solely on literary style and rhetoric makes it tasteless and regrettable, merely a spectacle for outsiders.

When writing a novel, the first step is to choose the spirit one wants to express, what one wants to narrate with this piece, which is the most important.

Secondly, list the outline, then fill in the plot chapter by chapter. As for the final polishing and description, that is the step of painting the skin. Don't underestimate this last step; without the final packaging, even a narrative story is just a dry bun. But if it is meticulously crafted, coated with honey, and carefully packaged, a common steamed bun worth one copper coin becomes a red sugar bun worth three copper coins, immediately highlighting its value.

When Xun Yi started "Mountain Ghost," he merely wanted to fill the gap left by two authors who were behind schedule, not intending to write it well. But now, after a trip to the library, Xun Yi had the intention to carefully outline this book.

Qinglong was flipping through the drafts and asked, "What kind of story do you want to tell?" Qinglong read the beginning, which told of an ordinary woman who, after death, transformed into a mountain ghost and descended the mountain to seek her identity due to unfinished business.

Xun Yi countered, "At the Danxin Minghu realm, anyone who reads my books can transmit literary qi to me. So, if they act according to what is written in the book, would it benefit me?"

"Ancient sages taught through virtue. If you can use your books to enlighten people and guide them to good deeds, that is also a way of teaching. Naturally, you will earn merit."

"Then, the theme is the word 'goodness.'" Xun Yi wrote the word in seal script on the white paper, and in the distance, the heart of heaven trembled, and the merit tree on the spiritual platform responded with light.

"Since the chaos of the previous dynasty, the culture of foreign tribes has been introduced to our dynasty. Money comes first, violence is supreme, morality has declined, and rites and music have collapsed. Now, our dynasty, under the mandate of heaven, is rectifying the chaos, but the customs of the previous dynasty still linger among the people. Parents sell their children, children do not support their parents, filial piety has been destroyed, and complaints abound."

Although the Great Zhou established village schools and forced all children to receive education, some customs of the previous dynasty still remained.

For example, children, after growing up, would kick their parents out, leaving them to the elements, ultimately dying of hunger and cold in the wilderness. They would say, "Parents raised me for twenty years, and I have taken care of them for twenty years, so the debt is settled, and I no longer need to worry about their fate." Thus, after twenty years of care, they would kick their parents out of the house.

Another example is parents selling their children, using them as laborers, sacrifices to foreign gods, or even as food on the table.

In that era, human relationships were extremely cold.

Cannibalism was the most famous "Yangyang Feast" of the previous dynasty.

"Yang" here does not mean pretending. It refers to people being as docile as sheep, eating and using people as if they were sheep with two legs.

"Do you know about roasted duck feet?"

"The one where live ducks walk on an iron plate?" Qinglong had an unpleasant association: "Could it be that..."

"The Dolan people applied this dish to humans, calling it roasted human hooves." Hooves refer to human feet like sheep hooves.

"There is also the custom of eating what you lack, so the emperor of the previous dynasty would use live people as dishes to entertain the Dolan people, breaking open their skulls to drink the brain fluid."

Of course, before the widespread practice of cannibalism, only the Dolan people from foreign lands had the privilege to eat this way. The previous dynasty idolized foreign cultures, feeling ashamed of their own origins, and revered the Dolan Empire as their fatherland.

One emperor even said, "With the strength of the entire clan, we will please our fatherland, hoping to be reborn as Dolan in the next life, no longer as the lowly people of Xuanyuan."

"Did the previous dynasty really say such things?" Qinglong was shocked by Xun Yi's description: "The bloodline of the Xuanyuan and Yan Emperors flows into the human race, and every descendant of Yan and Huang has the blood of the two emperors. If we talk about nobility, only the descendants of the gods in the foreign lands can compare. But even the strongest of the Nine Divine Kings would not dare to look down on the descendants of the emperor!"

Xun Yi only learned about the dark history of the previous dynasty when he was the city god. In the current dynasty, when compiling history books, they refused to acknowledge the previous dynasty, claiming to inherit from ancient Zhao, erasing the records of the previous dynasty. Therefore, the common people did not understand the history of the previous dynasty.

"The previous dynasty idolized the martial culture of the foreign lands. Officials were chosen based on strength or wealth. With their character, how could they govern the country? How could they understand governance? In just thirty years, the entire dynasty's unity collapsed, entering an era of warlord chaos. Martial artists established their own forces and ruled regions. Because everyone idolized martial power, they neglected agriculture, and eventually, there was a tradition of 'exchanging children to eat.'"

"Of course, our dynasty made human sacrifice and cannibalism taboos, ironclad laws that cannot be violated."

"..." Qinglong listened, feeling cold inside. Every descendant of Yan and Huang has the blood of the two emperors.

"Zhao, being the surname of the ancient Zhao, traces back to the descendants of the emperor. And..." Qinglong couldn't help but glance at Xun Yi, whose Xuanyuan imperial blood was very strong, on the verge of awakening. Not only on the paternal side, but also on the maternal side, he definitely had Xuanyuan blood.

"The ancient Zhao fell, and the previous dynasty revered foreign gods, causing such harm to the descendants of the emperors? What were the people of the Heavenly Court doing? The battle during the Xuanyuan era was not so dire."

Since the Xuanyuan era, the balance of power in the interdimensional war has tilted in favor of the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court could field dozens of Nine Divine King-level beings. How could the enemy have the strength to invade the Central Plains?

"Except for the initial advantage gained by the enemy's surprise attack during the Yan Emperor's era, we have always had the upper hand." Qinglong couldn't understand where the enemy got such combat power.

"Unless our people were letting them win... wait..." Qinglong's heart tightened, thinking of a possibility.

The Yan Emperor governed the world as a god of blessings, and the Yellow Emperor governed the world as a god of kings. The god of kings is the way of the human emperor.

Xuanyuan scattered his bloodline among the human race, and the rulers of the Xuanyuan era all had Xuanyuan blood, using the power of the people to cultivate, which could produce a large number of Fifth Heaven Tai Chang gods. Kings like Yu, Wen, Qin, and Han were all of human royal descent.

Any human king would call themselves "Son of Heaven." The pride of heaven, this is the lineage of the descendants of the Xuanyuan Emperor. Since Xuanyuan ascended to the position of emperor, the imperial lineage has been passed down through his descendants.

Every descendant of Yan and Huang has Xuanyuan blood, which is not an exaggeration.

"Every ruler who sacrifices to the emperor receives the blessing of the emperor, awakening their Xuanyuan blood and walking the path of the human king. Even after the death of the Xuanyuan Emperor, during the reign of the Dragon Emperor, it should still be the era of the Xuanyuan god of kings."

The ancient Zhao was a descendant of Xuanyuan, which cannot be faked.

Qinglong tentatively asked about the previous dynasties before the ancient Zhao, and Xun Yi recited many names fluently.

The Yan Liu, Li Tang, and others were all royal families of human kings in his era.

"So, the previous dynasty appeared to cut off the lineage of the Xuanyuan emperors?" Qinglong felt a chill, remembering that the current Gaozu Emperor of the Great Zhou had the blood of the Dragon Emperor.

"Using foreign tribes to cleanse the Xuanyuan lineage, then supporting their own bloodline to ascend, and continuing the lineage of the god of kings?"

What chaos in the previous dynasty, this is clearly using the foreign gods as a knife, using the rise and fall over hundreds of years to gradually eliminate the power of the Xuanyuan lineage.

"Is the relationship between the current dragon race and the human race this bad?"

In Qinglong's era, during the middle of the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor's reign, the relationship between humans and dragons was excellent. The current Dragon Emperor was personally enlightened by the Xuanyuan Yellow Emperor, and the emperor even married his princess to the Dragon Emperor.

Qinglong originally intended to use Xun Yi's help to revive and then leave for the Heavenly Court to find his old companions. But seeing this situation, he hesitated. Is the current dragon race still the same as he knew it?

Xun Yi, unaware of Qinglong's thoughts, picked up his pen and wrote: "The previous dynasty ultimately incurred the wrath of heaven and man, and the royal family of the previous dynasty was cast into the netherworld, now suffering in the bottomless hell." Xun Yi continued, "But the impact of the collapse of rites and morals in the previous dynasty was too great. Using literature to carry the way, if I can influence some people through my books, it would also be my merit."

The way changes with the times. The so-called practice of the way is not about rigidly passing on one's own way, but observing the world, adapting to the great way, and choosing what is needed.

Now that rites and morals have collapsed, promoting morality is a good deed that aligns with the heavenly way and human ethics.

After the initial word "goodness," he wrote "righteousness," "filial piety," "trust," "friendship," and "sincerity."

This is Xun Yi's theme, the core of the entire story.

After setting the theme, he compiled the outline, telling the story of the mountain ghost's search for her identity in the human world, experiencing various joys and sorrows, and using small stories to enlighten others and spread the way of goodness.

"To write like this, you need a rich accumulation of life experiences. But you, a mere child, where do you get the insight to conceive these stories?"

"I don't have it, but I can buy it." Xun Yi rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a pile of manuscripts: "In the past, I would go to the market to listen to people tell stories and buy them with money. Now, I have enough accumulated."

Seeing the thick stack of story collections, Qinglong was amazed. Opportunities are always for those who are well-prepared.

From the story collections, Xun Yi selected nine small stories to interweave with the main plot of the mountain ghost's search for her identity.

"The first story, the headless ghost."

"Headless ghost? This isn't from your story collections, is it?"

"A recent personal experience." Xun Yi thought of Hu Daling and Liu Xun, his face showing a complex expression. He wondered how their families were doing now.

He wrote the detailed outline of this story. This story is the first event the mountain ghost woman encounters after descending the mountain. In the wilderness, she meets a headless ghost, helps him find his head among the rocks, and listens to his story.

Roughly, it tells of a ruler who enjoys eating human brains, selecting people to eat every year. This year, he chose the man's son. To protect his son, the man stepped forward, allowing his wife to escape with their son.

"Fatherly love?" Qinglong muttered, would anyone believe such a story? But seeing the name of the ruler, Qinglong's heart stirred. Is this a reference to the previous dynasty?

Xun Yi seemed to realize this and immediately crossed out the name of the ruler from the previous dynasty, replacing it with "King Wu of Ji," implying a nonsensical story.

Incorporating the history of the previous dynasty into the novel, he satirizes the previous dynasty's destruction of families and, through the mouth of the headless ghost, initially reveals the mountain ghost's identity, setting the stage for the next plot.

Xun Yi wrote for two hours, then spent time transcribing it onto white paper. Yawning, he could no longer resist the sleepiness and went to bed.

Qinglong floated around, seeing the literary qi flowing on the paper, besides the white cloud-like literary qi, there were also five-colored rays. These five colors belonged to the human way, reflecting the promotion of goodness and merging with Xun Yi's literary thoughts.

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