Chapter 41

Fang Yun sat in the carriage, closing his eyes to rest. After reciting "Butterfly in Love with Flowers - Spring Scenery," he felt a loss of talent and energy, needing some time to recover.

Huo Yutang, who was in the same carriage, grew increasingly excited and said, "I'll take this poem back to the clan school right away. The teachers and students will surely be delighted. I never thought that not only are your poems excellent, but your lyrics are also astonishing. This poem is truly marvelous. 'Where in the world is there no fragrant grass?' What a wonderful line, it will surely be remembered for generations."

Fang Yun did not respond, just nodding.

"With 'The Pillow Story' and this 'Butterfly in Love with Flowers,' your next month's 'Sacred Way' will feature two literary works. If you put in more effort and write two more poems, it will be a quartet of brilliance!"

Fang Yun remained silent, and Huo Yutang continued, "Nine days from now, the top scholars from the nine counties and the top five students from the prefecture will enter the Prefecture Literary Academy. You are one of them. Although the Lishan Society can help you, it is ultimately dominated by the Ying Society. Liu Zicheng studies at the Prefecture Literary Academy. From what I know about him, he will definitely try to intimidate you on the first day, making you a laughingstock in the academy."

"Does he dare to cause trouble in the Prefecture Literary Academy?"

"You don't know? The head of the Prefecture Literary Academy is a supporter of the Left Chancellor, while the Prefect is a supporter of the Right Chancellor. All ten countries have similar rules: the chief literary official of the prefecture and the head of the literary academy can never be from the same faction, to maintain balance. If you enter the State Literary Academy, it would be much better. Although Lord Li Wenying is not from the Right Chancellor's faction, he is a military man and detests the Left Chancellor. Can you find a way to enter the State Literary Academy?"

"Can a child scholar enter the State Literary Academy? It has happened in some major countries, but never in Jing. Do I have the qualifications?" Fang Yun asked.

Huo Yutang thought for a moment and said, "Your literary reputation is enough, but you have never studied at the county literary academy, nor are you from a family of sages. It's too difficult for a child scholar to directly enter the State Literary Academy. Generally, only those who pass the provincial examination and the top scholars from each prefecture can enter the State Literary Academy."

"Hmm."

Fang Yun closed his eyes to rest for a moment, his mind entering the Literary Palace.

Another star appeared in the Literary Palace, adding a bit more starlight to nourish his talent, but it was still very thin.

The thread of talent grew again, reaching seven and a half inches, still two and a half inches away from becoming a scholar.

Fang Yun continued to think deeply.

"The prefectural examination is around June 15th, more than two months away. This is the best time for Liu Zicheng to strike. Even if I endure, I may not be able to get through it. Therefore, I must become a scholar before the prefectural examination and master the art of 'talking on paper.' Otherwise, even if Liu Zicheng doesn't kill me, with a scholar's physique and the art of 'talking on paper,' he has countless ways to humiliate me."

"But if my talent grows too fast without sufficient tempering, it might be impossible to condense a literary gallbladder or it might be inherently weak, which would be a complete waste. Writing more poems and essays cannot make up for it. According to the records of the Sage Chen, Tao Yuanming was too absorbed in the countryside and neglected to temper his literary gallbladder, never achieving sainthood. Only in his dying years did he realize his mistake, writing 'Peach Blossom Spring' to reaffirm his resolve, no longer avoiding the world but creating a utopia, eventually becoming a half-saint and extending his life by eighty years."

"From today, I will reduce my sleep to four hours. With my talent, I can maintain peak mental vigor for two months. I can rest after becoming a scholar."

"Virtue is the bone of literature, nature is the heart, aspiration is the root, and words are the body. I must continue to practice writing and read the classics of sages even more diligently, which is the best way to stabilize my talent. However, I cannot neglect the lessons at the clan school, as teaching them is like explaining the Sacred Way in the simplest terms, which greatly benefits my cultivation."

His mind withdrew from the Literary Palace, and Fang Yun asked, "Brother Huo, what does your Literary Palace look like?"

Huo Yutang smiled, "Your Literary Palaces, being those of great talents, each have their unique features and should not be overly publicized. Mine is no different from an ordinary scholar's, so there's nothing special to say. Calling it a Literary Palace is a bit of an exaggeration; it's actually just a dilapidated thatched hut with nothing inside, just a statue of myself. No legendary Literary Palace starry sky or murals of the sages. I'm the worst, a bit better is a pavilion, and even better is a stone house. As for you, who have the potential to become a great scholar or even a sage, your Literary Palace might be like the imperial palace or the temple of the literary academy, of course, varying in size."

"Is that so?" Fang Yun said.

"Your Literary Palace must be at least a princely mansion, right? With your talent, you must have a Literary Palace starry sky, though you might not have the murals of the sages. It's said that only the four great talents or the top scholars of a country can have them."

Fang Yun thought for a moment but did not speak. He had the murals of the sages when he paid homage to the temple of the sages.

Huo Yutang became excited and continued, "There are rumors that there are other extraordinary Literary Palaces besides the temple of the sages. According to the fragments left by Confucius, one must transcend the Holy Yuan Continent and look at the starry universe. One must have particularly profound insights, such as the sages saying that the Holy Yuan Continent is not flat but a large sphere, and that the sun is a million times larger than the Holy Yuan Continent. We can't even understand that the Holy Yuan Continent is round, let alone talk about the starry universe."

Fang Yun wanted to laugh but couldn't, thinking that knowing these things was not profound insight. He then thought of his own Literary Palace.

His Literary Palace was neither a palace nor a temple, nor an ordinary stone house, but a grand and ancient hall made of huge stones, a thousand feet long and wide, larger than a small town, and it continued to expand as his talent grew.

Huo Yutang continued, "It is said that the larger and stronger the Literary Palace, the greater the possibility of the Literary Star moving. No one knows what the Literary Star is, but some half-saints speculate that the essence of the Holy Yuan Continent comes from itself, but talent comes from the Literary Star. However, since the fall of Confucius, the source of talent in the world has increased to two: one is the Sacred Academy, and the other is the human race itself. As long as people read and write, they will continuously create talent. However, to obtain the purest talent, one must receive the movement of the Literary Star. As for the light of the Literary Star shining on the body, only Confucius and King Wen of Zhou have achieved it. Oh, right, Yi Zhishi might be possible."

Fang Yun heard Yi Zhishi's name again. This person was also a genius of the age, only slightly proficient in poetry, but the best in studying the classics of the sages, and it was said that he could make his voice resonate even before becoming a great scholar.

Outside, Fang Daniu couldn't help but shout, "My young master can do it too! What Yi Zhishi and Er Zhishi, is he a double-methane scholar before the sage?"

Fang Yun smiled, and Huo Yutang laughed, "Alright, your young master will definitely become a half-saint, okay?"

"At least a sub-saint! In the future, I will be the one driving the carriage for a sub-saint, how impressive that will be," Fang Daniu said.

Huo Yutang laughed and said to Fang Yun, "Your cousin is really simple. Sub-saints don't ride in carriages; they ride in literary treasure carriages, which don't need a driver."

Fang Daniu muttered outside, "That's true, I'll just be a gatekeeper in the future."

Fang Yun became interested in literary treasures and asked, "Are there any for sale?"

"There are, but they are very rare. After all, a scholar can only create one basic literary treasure in their lifetime. In the entire Jiangzhou, there are at most forty to fifty scholars a year. After removing those who die in battle or from accidents, how many literary treasures can Jiangzhou produce in a year? Most literary treasures are obtained by the court and the Sacred Academy, and very few are available for trade. It is said that seventy percent of the privately traded literary treasures come from the bodies of those killed by demons. The demons have no use for them, so they sell them to human merchants for what they need."

"What do the demons need?" Fang Yun asked.

Huo Yutang's expression changed, and he said helplessly, "Most merchants only sell cattle and sheep to the demons, but a few unscrupulous merchants also sell live humans and the bodies of those with literary positions."

"Is that true? I thought it was just a rumor."

"Of course it's true! The demon blood can be made into blood ink, and the demon bones and hair are materials for making sacred pages. The bodies of those infused with talent are also the demons' favorite, alive or dead. It is said that they can enhance their cultivation and help them absorb the essence of the sun and moon, as talent comes from the Literary Star."

"So that's the case." Fang Yun's expression became serious.

Huo Yutang continued, "Because the demons eat humans, the countries issue literary treasures to the counties, and each prefecture has a garrison. We in Jiangzhou are unlucky; to the south is the Yangtze River water demons, to the east are the sea demons, and to the southwest is one of the Five Demon Mountains. Fortunately, the demon mountain in our territory is a branch, with only small demons. The Yangtze River water demons are always being cleared by the navy, or it would have been chaos long ago. The sea dragon clan usually trades with us, but they take humans for military training every year."

"Are you talking about the demon-suppressing poetry gatherings?"

"Yes, the sea demons use us for training, and we use them for training. Generally, neither side loses. The most feared are the dragon princes and princesses who want to earn merit, which leads to major battles, and a few scholars and scholars die."

"I would like to see it," Fang Yun said.

"I have seen it; it is truly spectacular. One year, a dragon prince led the charge, and his mount was a giant demon turtle ten miles long. The demon turtle and the dragon prince appeared on the sea surface without using their demon powers, yet they caused a storm. When the demon turtle moved slightly, a wave three feet high came over. If not for the combined efforts of several graduates, the sea dike would have been breached. Although the dragon prince was powerful, he was no match for Sword Brow. Sword Brow's original masterpiece was 'The Sword Poem in Wind and Rain.' The dragon prince insisted on controlling the wind and rain, but was cut to pieces by the countless wind and rain swords and fled into the deep sea. The strength of a demon king is slightly higher than that of a university scholar, so that battle greatly enhanced Sword Brow's reputation, making him famous throughout the ten countries and earning him the position of head of the State Literary Academy."

Fang Yun nodded and said, "They say that the sea demons have been well-behaved in recent years mainly due to Lord Li Wenying's efforts."

"Of course, it's Sword Brow's efforts."

"Does Lord Li have a lot of dragon blood ink?" Fang Yun asked curiously.

"Yes! Even if seventy percent is handed over to the court, ten percent to the military, and ten percent to the State Literary Academy, he still has ten percent. Many people have been eyeing his dragon blood ink, so he appears at literary gatherings every year, setting a block of dragon blood ink as the top prize."

"I'll have to pay attention."

At this moment, Fang Daniu said outside, "Young master, we're about to enter the city. The carriages behind us seem to be following us."

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