[{"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-258":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},2292221,4481,"Chapter 258","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-258",258,"\u003Cp>Those who aren’t specifically seeking to enter the Scorched Lands wouldn’t appear here, though in this place you can see any kind of non-human race.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang emerged from the Scorched Lands, fixed his direction, and headed south; this area, being a special zone, had a primitive forest to the north—extremely dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the primitive forest lay direct contact with the demon race’s territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heading south from here, after a long journey, one would enter the northern city of the Great Zhou Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang hadn’t planned it this way—he only realized it after emerging—if he traveled this way, he might encounter Li Yu, who was also wandering the northern reaches of the Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Zhou’s territory was so vast; it was unlikely they’d meet by chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sighed and moved swiftly through the remote, uninhabited lands until, three days later, he finally saw signs of human habitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s start here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang used the Infinite Secret to seal his cultivation base at Sixth Rank, First Stage—a level considered quite formidable in the Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated, then decided to seal part of his memories as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, he was no longer a transmigrator, had never attained the Scholar’s Aura, was no longer the Marquis of the Literary Crown, and he communicated with the Demon Heart, instructing it to remain silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the Infinite Secret, he also altered certain memories—now he was a wandering Confucian scholar, orphaned, single, with no family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His appearance had changed slightly: he widened the gap between his eyes, making him look less nimble and more foolish, though still overall respectable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His name, naturally, had changed too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His new name was Lu Yunzhan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!” Lu Yunzhan let out a long yawn, blinked drowsy eyes, scratched his head, and gazed at the wild mountains around him; he hunted as usual, lit a fire, roasted meat, ate his fill, then continued southward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he wandered, he had no goal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wherever he went, he stayed awhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before dusk, at the last possible moment, he successfully entered Beiyacheng, the northern city of the Great Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This city was the only one within a hundred li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though located in the remote north and close to the Northern Frontier, Beiyacheng was still prosperous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the Northern Frontier had seen no war for a long time; second, nearby mountains housed many demonic beasts, and specialized hunter-cultivators frequently ventured there to hunt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them lodged in Beiyacheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the streets, you could see caravans everywhere—traders bought demonic beast materials from hunter-cultivators and transported them elsewhere for sale, earning steady profits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, near Beiyacheng lay several mines; they bought minerals cheaply and shipped them south for high profits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yunzhan found a nearby inn and settled in; his storage pouch held a few scraps of demonic beast remains—he planned to sell them tomorrow and explore Beiyacheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learn some local customs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night passed without incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early the next morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Yunzhan descended the second floor of the inn, the shopkeeper smiled and said: “Sir, we have the latest Great Zhou Literary Gazette—would you like a copy? It features many scholars’ opinions on the Marquis of the Literary Crown’s elegant text, Journey to the West.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One, please.” Lu Yunzhan bought a copy of the Great Zhou Literary Gazette, sat downstairs, ate breakfast, and read it; for some reason, upon seeing the literati’s interpretations of the new elegant text, Journey to the West,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he felt an urge to criticize it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn’t say exactly what he wanted to criticize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By memory, Lu Yunzhan had read every single elegant text written by the Marquis of the Literary Crown; though he hadn’t attained the Scholar’s Aura, he felt the Great Zhou Literary Gazette’s interpretations of the new Journey to the West were wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh! Why is the Marquis of the Literary Crown writing Journey to the West so slowly? He used to write quickly—how come only the first two chapters have come out after so long?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Yunzhan couldn’t help but complain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s already quite good,” said a fat Confucian scholar, rising from a nearby table and sitting down at Lu Yunzhan’s without invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, think about it—the Marquis of the Literary Crown is the legendary figure who produced so many elegant texts at once; who in history has matched him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t complain about his slow pace—haven’t you heard? A few months ago, when the Marquis wrote the three characters ‘Journey to the West,’ the capital erupted in celestial omens, shocking the entire realm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I too wish the Marquis would finish Journey to the West quickly, but you and I both know such things cannot be forced.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you had to choose—one, the Marquis writes fast; two, he writes slowly but produces something exquisite—which would you pick?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it were me, I’d pick the second.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat Confucian spoke rapidly; Lu Yunzhan stared blankly as the man’s mouth opened and closed, unable to interject a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself—I’m Ceng Wan. What’s your name, brother?” The fat Confucian bowed politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Lu Yunzhan, from Jiangzhou,” Lu Yunzhan studied Ceng Wan—he was also a Confucian scholar, at Sixth Rank, Second Stage, one level higher than Lu Yunzhan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t from Beiyacheng either; Lu Yunzhan had seen him once downstairs at the inn yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m from Xuegu City,” Ceng Wan said, surprised. “Jiangzhou is far south in the Great Zhou—how did you end up here, Brother Lu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Wan spoke quickly, like beans tumbling from a bamboo tube.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surprisingly, Lu Yunzhan liked him—he could tell Ceng Wan meant no harm; he was simply a devoted fan of the Marquis of the Literary Crown, chatting with another fan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He accepted Ceng Wan’s familiarity; after all, as a wandering traveler, he’d met many kinds of people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Ceng, you don’t know—I wander everywhere, with no fixed home,” Lu Yunzhan said, addressing him as “brother” since he was older.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Wan chuckled, exchanging compliments: “The moment I saw you, Brother Lu, I knew you weren’t ordinary. Wandering freely—I’ve thought of it too, but I couldn’t let go of some things; I’m not as carefree as you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s hard to explain,” Lu Yunzhan sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Ceng Wan didn’t press further but changed the subject: “Brother Lu, you just arrived yesterday, so you probably don’t know—something big will happen in Beiyacheng today.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1061,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","99c640db9dedcd9b2d04f586e50973cd58c6714dc585d6fbec5aeccbd73052d7","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-259","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-257",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]