Chapter 16

Taihe Hall.

"The ancient teachings are presented, respect the wind and rain, act with righteousness and Dao, the blessing says, the Great Zhou Dynasty's people are vast, the wind and rain are smooth..."

The Great Zhou Emperor Ji Feng was copying the "Wind and Rain Smooth" post at his desk.

The handwriting on the rice paper was powerful, the brushwork was bold and unconstrained, and the changes in the weight of the strokes were natural, fully displaying the brush power of a calligraphy master.

A eunuch walked quietly to the side of the chief eunuch and whispered a few words.

The chief eunuch nodded frequently, waved the person away, and after Ji Feng finished copying the post, he bowed and walked over, saying softly: "Your Majesty, Li Yu, the daughter of the Great Scholar Li Mao, is waiting outside the hall with Lu Fang according to the decree."

"Let them in."

Ji Feng picked up the paper and blew on it, his eyes full of smiles. Just now, he learned about Lu Fang's encounters along the way.

Entering a dream and killing a Fifth-Rank White-Horned Eagle Demon with the "Dream Demon King" brand.

And writing the elegant literature "Dream of the Red Chamber" one after another, being favored by his mentor Xu Xu Han Yi and accepted as a disciple.

For the Great Zhou Dynasty, this was a double happiness, so Ji Feng was overjoyed and started copying the "Wind and Rain Smooth" post.

Li Yu and Lu Fang were waiting outside the hall, and upon hearing the summons, they walked into the hall against the sunset glow.

"See Your Majesty!"

"See Your Majesty!"

Lu Fang bowed and saluted, looking down at his toes.

The people from the Ministry of Rites had taught him the etiquette, and he listened carefully. This Great Zhou Dynasty did not require kneeling to salute, and some tedious formalities should be omitted where possible.

"No need for etiquette."

Ji Feng stroked his beard and looked at Li Yu, saying:

"In the blink of an eye, Minister Li's beloved daughter has grown so big and has become a pillar of the Great Zhou. You have made a contribution by escorting him this time. Do you have any rewards you want?"

Li Yu saluted and said: "It is all what the minister's daughter should do, I dare not claim credit or ask for rewards."

Ji Feng paced with his hands behind his back and pondered:

"You have made a contribution by escorting him, and there should be rewards for contributions. I will reward you with ten jars of 'Bodhi Fruit Brew' from the Western Regions Buddha Kingdom."

Rewards are generally not wine, but Li Yu's two "Ru Meng Ling" poems were both written after drinking, and she is famous in Shangjing for being a good drinker, so rewarding wine is just right.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward!"

Li Yu couldn't help but curl her lips up.

The "Bodhi Fruit Brew" from the Western Regions Buddha Kingdom has a very small chance of entering a certain mysterious state after drinking, which is of great benefit to breaking through realms.

Ji Feng turned to look at Lu Fang and smiled: "To be favored by Master Xu and accepted as a disciple, you are truly a talent."

"The 'Imaging' level Demon-Slaying Lyrics you wrote in the rain, the 'Liaozhai Yi Zhi Nie Xiaoqian' that condensed the Book Spirit, and 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' I have all read them, they are top-notch literary talent..."

"It is all the student's foolish thoughts." Lu Fang took the opportunity to reply and "glanced" at the Great Zhou Emperor.

According to historical records, the Great Zhou Emperor Ji Feng is already fifty years old, but from his appearance and demeanor, he is in his prime, smiling without losing his majesty.

"Foolish thoughts? Hahaha..." Ji Feng chuckled and said:

"You, at the Ninth-Rank Scholar realm, entered a dream and killed a demon genius. I assert that among the younger generation of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, only you can do this."

"You are a piece of top-notch raw jade that needs more carving to live up to your talent."

"I will let you go to Wenyuan Academy to study. Do you have any objections?"

Ji Feng originally intended to let Lu Fang enter Wenyuan Academy and then confer a title, but such thick grace might lead to being too proud at a young age, missing the heart to study upward.

After all, being accepted as a disciple by the Semi-Sage Xu Xu Han Yi is already a unique advantage.

If there is really a grand plan, adding officials and titles is not urgent for a moment.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the grace. The student has no objections."

Lu Fang thanked him and saluted.

"Hmm, go down." Ji Feng waved his hand. After the two people in the hall left, he muttered to himself:

"Could it be that the Prophecy Person is really him?"

Prophecies have been accurate, and there are times when they are not accurate.

It is better to believe it exists than to believe it does not.

The Wan Wan Shu Wang of the demon race is a famous prophet. Even if he is not in the Demon Venerable realm, he belongs to the ancient exotic wood type, his lifespan far exceeds other demon types, and he is also the existence with the most predictive ability.

Otherwise, the prophecy before the Wan Wan Shu Wang's death would not be so valued by the demon race, willing to tear their faces apart to come to the Great Zhou to assassinate the Prophecy Person.

The 29th year of Tianfeng, September 13th.

Chen hour.

The morning sun rises.

A "light luxury" carriage set off from the "Lu Mansion" on Wanfeng Street to the west, heading toward Wenchang Street.

"I didn't expect to have to study and go to school..."

Lu Fang in the carriage was wearing a moon-white scholar's robe. After lifting the curtain to look at the pedestrians along the way for a while, he sat up straight and uncomfortably re-tied the white silk-trimmed waistband at his waist.

The Great Zhou Emperor named him to enter Wenyuan Academy, and he dared not delay.

Only one night later, he decided to report to the academy first to avoid being criticized.

As the carriage went deeper and deeper into Wenchang Street, they encountered several luxurious carriages coming from the opposite direction. These carriages were returning from outside the imperial palace at the end of the street, and they were the vehicles of major officials who had finished the morning court.

In the center of Wenchang Street is Wenyuan Academy, which contains the Confucian Temple specially built by the Great Zhou Emperor for the Confucian Sage Confucius.

Every morning, there is an hour of holy chanting that spreads from the "Confucian Temple" and resounds everywhere.

Scholars listening to the "Holy Chanting" to read and write have the effect of getting twice the result with half the effort.

Sounds of "reciting books" that seemed to exist or not rang in his ears.

Lu Fang's spirit was lifted when he heard the sound. He did know about the holy chanting, but he didn't expect that hearing it would also have the magical effect of "calming the heart."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

The coachman stopped the carriage and said respectfully: "Young Master, Wenyuan Academy has arrived."

Lu Fang lifted the curtain and got out of the car, looking at the elegant gate archway not far away, on which a plaque was hung with the four characters "Wenyuan Academy" written in a dragon-flying and phoenix-dancing style.

Sending the coachman away, he stepped forward.

The moment he passed the archway, the environment changed abruptly.

The ancient and atmospheric academy buildings disappeared before his eyes, and what met his eyes was a stone-stepped mountain path extending upward. The towering trees on both sides of the road blocked the sky and the sun, and small beasts looked at the outsider with "curiosity" without fear.

Lu Fang saw a three-meter-high stone tablet on the left, with the three characters "Jiezi Mountain" carved on it.

He tried to retreat a few steps, and the quiet mountain path in front of him disappeared.

He looked up and found that he was standing under the archway, and the gate of Wenyuan Academy was a hundred meters away.

After crossing the archway again, he returned to the stone steps of "Jiezi Mountain." There was only an upward mountain path; where was there any academy?

"You are here at the academy for the first time."

A young scholar appeared on the stone steps. The words were a question, but the tone was incomparably firm.

"I don't know how you saw it, brother?"

Lu Fang turned his head to look at the scholar. This person was in his early twenties, with a handsome and upright appearance, wearing a simple gray Confucian robe.

For a scholar who can enter Wenyuan Academy, this attire is a bit too simple.

The scholar did not belittle himself because of his attire, but instead smiled with extraordinary boldness: "I was here for the first time, and I had almost the same expression as you. This is Jiezi Mountain, and Wenyuan Academy is built on the top of the mountain."

"This mountain is set up with a formation, and it cannot be seen from the outside. You can only see a corner of the academy. Once you cross the archway, you will appear here."

"According to records, this mountain was moved here by Sage Jiang in the air, but there are no detailed records."

"No wonder it's called Jiezi Mountain." Lu Fang nodded with a bitter laugh. This is a fantasy world, and it is normal to have such a mysterious existence.

After introducing each other, Lu Fang learned that the scholar in front of him was named Chen Ji and had just entered Wenyuan Academy last month.

Chen Ji made a gesture of invitation, "Go together?"

"I have the same intention." Lu Fang did not refuse and climbed up quickly.

"Brother Lu, have you read today's Great Zhou Literary Report?"

Chen Ji said casually.

"Great Zhou Literary Report?" Lu Fang replied subconsciously, secretly marveling in his heart, Jiezi Mountain must be climbed one stone step at a time. As long as you exceed two stone steps, Vast Righteous Energy will be consumed.

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment and said:

"Are you just coming to Shangjing? At the beginning of the year, the Literary Minister organized the Great Zhou Literary Report, and every day there are national policies, wars, and anecdotes published on it."

"Oh." Lu Fang's face remained calm, but he was shocked in his heart. The Great Zhou Dynasty has newspapers?

"The great literary giant who wrote the 'Demon-Slaying Lyrics' on the literary report a few days ago has the same name and surname as you," Chen Ji smiled.

"Demon-Slaying Lyrics?"

Lu Fang was a bit stunned. Isn't this what he wrote?

No wonder the book fragrance surged violently before. It is estimated that "Liaozhai Yi Zhi Nie Xiaoqian" also made it to the Great Zhou Literary Report and was seen by most people in Shangjing City.

Just as Lu Fang was thinking about whether to reveal his identity directly, Chen Ji recited the Demon-Slaying Lyrics with high spirits and added: "Brother Lu, what do you think of this lyric?"

"It's okay."

Lu Fang replied modestly.

Little did he know that when Chen Ji heard it was just okay, he was displeased:

"What does this mean? Such a good Demon-Slaying Lyric, and you actually say it's okay? On today's Great Zhou Literary Report, that person also wrote the elegant literature 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' which I guess is also 'okay' in your eyes."