[{"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-7":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},2291970,4481,"Chapter 7: Chapter Seven: The Scent of Book Fragrance","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>Shangjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imperial Palace · Taihe Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light night breeze stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Zhou Son of Heaven Ji Feng sat before his desk, pen in hand, meticulously reviewing memorials; each one he studied with great care, often pondering long before putting pen to paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Feng, fifty years old, ascended the throne at twenty-one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having ruled for twenty-nine years, he managed state affairs with tireless diligence, earning the reputation of a hardworking monarch; the only criticism leveled against him during his reign was the “marriage alliance with the demon clans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the former emperor died suddenly, the Zhou dynasty teetered on the brink, beset by internal strife and external threats, with both demon and barbarian clans watching hungrily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Ji Feng was forced to designate several palace maids as princesses, using marriage alliances to stabilize the demon clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now that the realm was secure and no longer needed such alliances, Ji Feng still harbored guilt, feeling he had betrayed the ancestral spirits of Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Feng picked up another memorial, gradually lost in its contents, his face breaking into smiles, nodding repeatedly in approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not even hear the chief eunuch announce that Empress Jiang had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, what has you so delighted?” Empress Jiang stepped forward, offering a bowl of “silver ear and pear soup,” her voice soft: “The air is dry—drink some pear soup to soothe your throat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, Empress, take a look at this memorial co-signed by Li Mao and Wang Fu,” Ji Feng took the bowl, sipped twice, then set it down, beaming:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Confucian scholar, Lu Fang, is truly a pillar of the state!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ‘Exterminating Demon Poem…’” Empress Jiang recited the full poem, then read the memorial’s contents, instantly understanding why Ji Feng was so elated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Feng’s wish was to see the Zhou dynasty flourish during his reign, so the chaos of his predecessor’s sudden death would never recur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he could not eradicate the demon and barbarian clans, he must prevent their power from rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prophecy of the demon clan’s seer, “Wan Shu Wang,” resonated perfectly with Ji Feng’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, here was another outstanding Confucian scholar, Lu Fang—no wonder he was so delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He must be rewarded!” Ji Feng stroked his beard and laughed heartily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had intended to grant Lu Fang a noble title, but after a moment’s thought, he deemed it inappropriate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang was indeed a literary genius—he had composed elegant prose that summoned a Book Spirit, and written a Manifest-Level Exterminating Demon Poem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he had performed no official service; granting him a title would be unjust and unwarranted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, admit him to the Wenyuan Academy. Send a verbal decree to…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the “Great Zhou Literary Gazette” publicly announced the demon clan seer “Wan Shu Wang’s” prophecy, the demon assassination plot targeting the prophet, and the court’s anti-demon campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bold and stirring “Exterminating Demon Poem” emerged, met with applause from the people of Shangjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another elegant prose piece, “Liaozhai Miscellany: Nie Xiaoqian,” appeared in the Gazette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who read it offered mixed reviews.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet all of them, without exception, raised their thumbs in admiration for the Confucian scholar Lu Fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stared at a strand of colorful, silk-like Book Fragrance coiled around his hand, grinning broadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That morning, he had been struggling to think of ways to make more people read “Liaozhai Miscellany: Nie Xiaoqian,” when an abundance of Book Fragrance suddenly appeared out of nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This proved many had read “Liaozhai Miscellany: Nie Xiaoqian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What’s going on?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang could not fathom it; two hours had passed, yet the Book Fragrance continued to grow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first foot-long strand of Book Fragrance completed its formation, a second strand split into eighteen colored threads, still twisting and winding without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master!” Xiao Tao shouted at the top of her lungs, shaking Lu Fang vigorously: “Master, are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you keep shaking me, I really will be in trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang replied irritably, though he wasn’t worried she could see the Book Fragrance—it was visible only to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, Lu Fang had returned from the county office to the Lu residence, bringing Li Yu along as a personal bodyguard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, he had boldly slept on the floor of Lu Ling’s chamber, speaking at length with his sister—about Wan Shu Wang’s prophecy, and how the Li household must soon relocate to Shangjing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dawn, Lu Ling had set about selling the Lu family’s farmland and businesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you were just smiling foolishly and staring at your hand—I thought you… Master, don’t be angry, you know I’m stupid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Tao sheepishly withdrew her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stupid?” Lu Fang glanced sideways at the playful “round face” before him, then reached out and pinched her cheek, lifting it slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Tao, her cheeks pinched, blinked her jet-black eyes in utter disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ouch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coincidentally, at that moment, Xiao Tao slipped on the floor, lunging forward with a head-first “head-butt” aimed straight at Lu Fang’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang, as if he had anticipated it, reached out and pressed his palm against her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Tao froze for a moment, then laughed nervously and stepped back two paces, repeating the same clumsy head-butt attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, Lu Fang caught her head, teasing: “Xiao Tao, you were clumsy as a child—but now you’re not clumsy at all. Is your bad luck specifically targeted at me? No more of this from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Tao feigned ignorance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang didn’t mind—he suspected this trick was Lu Ling’s idea. Who ever heard of someone being unlucky the moment they met their past self?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being infused with Talent Qi, how could he not see through deliberate or accidental collisions?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eliminating the demon ghost last time, when Xiao Tao bumped into him, he had understood everything—he simply chose not to expose her then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never mind if you don’t understand. Go buy two jars of premium osmanthus wine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang instructed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female Confucian Li Yu enjoyed osmanthus wine, so he sent Xiao Tao to buy some to cultivate goodwill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had felt familiar with Li Yu’s name when he first heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only last night, during idle chat with Lu Ling, had he remembered: this female Confucian was a famed literary talent of the Zhou dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poem “Ru Meng Ling: Last Night, Rain Fell Lightly, Wind Blew Strongly,” composed when she was sixteen, he had read in his past life—and had joked then: “How delightful it would be to sip wine and converse with a talent like her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never had the chance to meet Li Qingzhao of his past world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, having been unexpectedly transported to the mysterious Zhou dynasty, he had encountered Li Yu of this world—fulfilling that old wish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Xiao Tao left, looking guilty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sniffed the Book Fragrance on his hand—no scent at all. He molded it into a pill-sized ball, placed it in his mouth, and it dissolved instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, powerful energy flooded his limbs and marrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt invigorated, his entire body brimming with strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just consuming a little Book Fragrance doesn’t seem enough to break through a realm—but restoring physical vigor and ‘Qi Momentum’ is remarkably effective.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang murmured to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After composing the Exterminating Demon Poem, he had been infused with Talent Qi and Righteous Qi, leaping directly from Ninth Rank First Stage to Ninth Rank Third Stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could now manifest defensive and offensive formations using individual lines of poetry, powered by Righteous Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because the Exterminating Demon Poem was not truly his own creation, even as a Manifest-Level poem, the Talent Qi and Righteous Qi it summoned were exceedingly scarce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yu said such cases were rare, and she herself did not fully understand why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This had dashed Lu Fang’s hope of using poems unknown in the Zhou dynasty to elevate his realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only were such poems scarce, but even if they were abundant, the minuscule amount of Talent Qi and Righteous Qi they generated would hardly raise his realm at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason he had leapt two ranks this time was because the Ninth Rank’s “Flower-Born-from-the-Pen” realm required relatively little Righteous Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, it was better to wait for the right moment to astonish the world with a poem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘With so much Book Fragrance, perhaps I can summon a second book.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stretched, walked to the outer room’s bed, lay down, closed his eyes, and silently recited “Ink Brush Book Realm” three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, he fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a hazy dream, Lu Fang appeared in the Ink Brush Book Realm, where the Book Spirit Yan Chixia stood beside him—now elevated to Eighth Rank Third Stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Book Spirit would rise with Lu Fang’s own realm; in time, he would become a powerful warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang approached the horizontal streak of seven-colored ink, gritted his teeth, and with resolve, poured out all his Book Fragrance, shaping it into a ping-pong-ball-sized “bait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He summoned the Ink Rod and placed the bait on the ink hook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Book Fragrance bait worked wonders: as soon as he cast it above the Book People, three of them leapt simultaneously. Upon contact with the bait, they froze mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yi Hui Xin Er.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wood and Stone’s Prior Alliance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I can’t drink wine or think of women, and must endure insults without retaliation—what kind of man am I? Better to die quickly and be done with it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words spoken by the three Book People sounded strangely familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?” Lu Fang realized he could no longer move the Ink Rod freely—he could only shift slightly within the small space around the three frozen Book People.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After studying it, he concluded: he could choose only one of the three frozen Book People.\u003C\u002Fp>",1636,"2026-06-20T03:56:21.568Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e757bc4541f87132ff57d27732def621c5b88b133c84ddb010c0986b0b3bc7d2","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-8","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-6",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]