[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291973,4481,"Chapter 10","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>The 29th year of Tianfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The 10th day of the ninth month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the water route from Jiangzhou to Bozhou lies a mountain called Mount Luojia, at its foot a tributary river named Wujiang River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A solitary skiff ascended the river against the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no boatman rowing; only Lu Fang and Li Yu sat side by side in the cabin, one writing Dream of the Red Chamber, the other silently grinding ink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After riding in a carriage for nearly two days, Lu Fang’s bones felt as if they’d been shaken apart—thankfully, they had switched to water travel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve finally finished Chapter Six.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Lu Fang set down his brush, Li Yu snatched the still-damp paper and examined it closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment Lin Daiyu appeared, Li Yu had fallen for the character; noticing her limited screen time, she had earnestly asked Lu Fang to add more scenes for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early part of Dream of the Red Chamber, Lin Daiyu’s role was indeed minor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adding scenes was out of the question; Lu Fang now worried that when Li Yu reached the part where Lin Daiyu dies, she might come after him for a real-life duel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you doing? Keep writing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Lu Fang rise, Li Yu urged him urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even hanging yourself needs a breath, doesn’t it? You read ten lines at a glance—I’ll die of exhaustion before I can keep up with your pace.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stretched yawning out of the cabin, gazing far at the landscape like a painted scroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mount Luojia stretched endlessly, its steep peaks towering straight into the clouds, the thick mist clinging to its slopes like a mysterious veil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tributary’s “Green Pool” rippled gently; a few pairs of wild ducks drifted afar, birds flapping their wings through the waterweeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like a heavy rain’s coming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang looked up—the sky was choked with dark, heavy clouds, as if about to collapse; the grass on the banks stood utterly still, not a breath of wind, just like the calm before a storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patter-patter-patter…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raindrops as big as beans fell, striking the water’s surface and bubbling up—pop! The bubbles burst, sending ripples across the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gale charged in, cold and fierce, churning the once-calm river into rolling waves that rocked the skiff back and forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ahead, in the narrow channel, a violent whirlpool appeared, twisting the river into a bizarre surge several zhang high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the water coalesced into a transparent “water fox” running across the surface; the towering water fox opened its jaws full of fangs and swallowed the skiff whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang had first thought it was Li Yu’s prank—until he sensed the demonic aura within the “water fox,” then he was already swallowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, he felt as if submerged in water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crushing sensation of suffocation hit him—he gasped and swallowed several mouthfuls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Lu Fang shared a mental link with the Book Spirit; as Yan Chixia appeared, the Yingyue Sword shot out with a hiss, slicing through the surrounding water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the water fox dissolved back into the river,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang leapt out with the momentum, landing on the water’s surface and steadying himself; he caught a glimpse of the skiff shattered, and Li Yu standing on the water nearby, face grim as she stared upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He followed her gaze and saw two demonic beings hovering in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was a green-robed scholar with eerie “fox eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was a magnificent eagle demon, crowned with twin horns, bearing a pair of wings, and radiating a powerful aura from the “demon wheel” behind his head—all proclaiming his strength and rarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Jiaoying crossed his arms, glanced once at Lu Fang and Yan Chixia, then looked down at Li Yu with haughty disdain and said in a low voice:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are Li Yu, daughter of Li Mao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Yu could answer, Hu Wei, the Green-Eyed Fox Sage, declared confidently: “No mistake—the portrait matches her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu frowned and shouted loudly: “In the Great Zhou Empire, no demon king above the ninth rank is permitted to appear—violators are executed. Don’t you know that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s heart lurched—he heard “demon king above the ninth rank”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this be any worse?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly the demon king wasn’t after him—he was after Li Yu. What rotten luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Jiaoying laughed uproariously, as if hearing the greatest joke: “How absurd! I’m not just here—I intend to torture and kill the daughter of a great Confucian. Who dares stop me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Torrential rain poured from the sky, lightning and thunder crackled, turning Bai Jiaoying into a demonic god.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Violent demonic energy surged from him, shooting straight into the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without any visible motion, a small wisp of demonic energy transformed into “black feathers” and shot out—not toward Li Yu, but toward Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Bai Jiaoying planned to kill Lu Fang, the one with the Book Spirit, before slowly torturing the Confucian’s daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Watch out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu flashed into a streak of blue light, appearing before Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vast righteous energy erupted instantly, blocking the barrage of “black feathers”; the immense force hurled both of them over ten zhang away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wind Surge—Speed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the recoil, Li Yu channeled her righteous energy into a gale, wrapping herself and Lu Fang as they fled farther.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still trying to escape?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Jiaoying’s face twisted with fury; he vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly before Li Yu’s fleeing path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap between them was simply too vast!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu abruptly halted, spitting out a mouthful of blood—she had been injured resisting Bai Jiaoying’s casual strike, and now, forcing her righteous energy to full power, her wounds worsened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang asked anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She could have abandoned him and fled alone—but she didn’t. It stirred something deep in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu wiped the blood from her lips with her sleeve and shook her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just sorry—I never finished reading your Dream of the Red Chamber. Such a wonderful story should be shared with the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled bitterly: “Life always leaves regrets. Next life—I’ll finish writing it for you then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu smiled faintly: “Are you afraid of dying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded: “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu, taken aback, said: “I’m not afraid either—it’s just death…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused, then stared at Lu Fang in exasperation: “You’re supposed to say you’re not afraid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled bitterly: “But I really am afraid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence fell over the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Jiaoying sneered: “Dying and still flirting? Don’t worry—I’ll make you both wish for death, yet be unable to die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang pointed at Bai Jiaoying and shouted: “You feathered bastard, what are you yapping about? Come catch me if you dare!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qimen Flying Armor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Book Spirit Yan Chixia shot out a golden light that instantly clung to Lu Fang as a dark armor; without hesitation, he bolted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the armor on, his speed skyrocketed—in a flash he became a streak of gold, faster even than Li Yu had been when wounded and carrying someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s secret plan was to provoke and lure Bai Jiaoying away, giving Li Yu a chance to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once scoffed at self-sacrifice—if anyone had urged him to do such a thing, he’d have cursed them as fools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet today, he had done it—“for no reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid—he simply saw no other option left.\u003C\u002Fp>",1239,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","665b9308be1daa23d1a66aa93e8deb1e1d6762a6f82d99acf1bcb1b42c4a8d8d","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-11","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-9",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]