Chapter 127: The Storm Intensifies

"In reply to you, my lord, when I was in a fishing village, I noticed that while most children were illiterate, they were all very eager to learn. I happened to discover that they all knew nursery rhymes by heart, reciting them with ease and accuracy, even those over a hundred characters long."

"That was what gave me the idea. Since children have short breaths but long sentences, I composed it using three-character verses."

Song Mu blinked, slightly confused, but immediately explained this to Qiu Buchu. Fortunately, there was a basis for this, which prevented the *Three-Character Classic* from appearing to have been conjured out of thin air.

Upon hearing Song Mu's explanation, Qiu Buchu nodded, his eyes now practically glued to Song Mu's face.

That unblinking, contemplative gaze made Song Mu feel as though the man were looking straight through him.

A moment later, Qiu Buchu let out a long breath and turned his head to look at the scroll embedded deep into the ground.

He strode over to the pit in two or three steps, reached out, and a stream of literary power wrapped around the *Three-Character Classic* scroll.

"Hmm?"

A moment later, Qiu Buchu let out a sound of surprise. Seeing that the scroll, despite being bound by his literary power, did not budge, he was stunned. He intensified his output of literary energy, and the scroll in the pit finally moved.

"This piece of paper must weigh as much as ten thousand jun!"

Xiao Li, standing nearby, voiced his doubt and stepped forward, eager to try. By now, the scroll had fallen into Qiu Buchu's hands. Under the influence of his literary power, it unfurled perfectly straight, and the characters, shimmering with brilliant light, pulsed before him.

The gazes of those in the Academy converged on Prefect Qiu's face. They saw his expression growing increasingly stirred; a moment later, he looked up at Song Mu with a slight tremor, then glanced at Academic Commissioner Fan.

Commissioner Fan's expression flickered; he was now certain that the Prefect had undergone a radical change in his opinion of this *Three-Character Classic*.

Qiu Buchu, still visibly moved, read the work through three full times before letting out a long sigh and remarking with great emotion:

"Truly, heroes are born young."

With that, Qiu Buchu used his literary power to roll up the scroll and walked toward Song Mu. Song Mu hurried to stand, but Qiu Buchu waved a hand, holding the item as he spoke to him.

"I shall submit this *Three-Character Classic* to the capital without delay, via the eight-hundred-li urgent post."

Song Mu was stunned, taken aback by this news. He glanced at Commissioner Fan before speaking to the Prefect.

"My lord, I only came here to ask the Academic Commissioner for permission to have it published as an official text."

When Song Mu said this, the Commissioner stepped forward with a smile and shook his head.

"Song Mu, this is no longer a matter of whether it becomes an official text. Do you not yet realize the significance of this book?"

Song Mu was speechless. Qiu Buchu nodded and added:

"Exactly. This is no longer a matter for you to worry about. Your book may very well be presented to His Majesty and the great Confucian scholars."

"What?"

Hearing this, Song Mu widened his eyes, his expression one of disbelief.

Although he had anticipated that the *Three-Character Classic* would be an extraordinary work, he had expected that after his many revisions, much of its original charm might have been lost, perhaps even halving its potential as a masterpiece. He had not expected such a situation—it was truly staggering.

Qiu Buchu and Commissioner Fan smiled, offering a few words of encouragement to Song Mu before speaking with great seriousness:

"Regarding this matter, do not reveal anything to anyone."

"Perhaps one day, when you have achieved success in the imperial examinations, this will serve as the crowning jewel."

Song Mu swallowed hard and nodded solemnly.

Qiu Buchu was right. As a mere Xiucai, to have produced such a monumental work—no matter how he tried to hide it—would inevitably draw the eyes of the world if it were exposed.

This was not just about the human race; it was about the demons, who would never want the human race to grow stronger.

This was a matter of life and death.

With that settled, Qiu Buchu hurried away with the scroll. Xiao Li and the others, left standing in the courtyard, looked at one another in bewilderment, their faces twisted with frustration.

"Song Mu, what exactly did you write in your *Three-Character Classic*?"

"We haven't even seen it yet!"

Song Mu felt a cold sweat, but with Qiu Buchu gone and the others looking at him with pained smiles, there was nothing he could do.

Lin Jie, who had been standing to the side, rolled his eyes and suddenly looked at the deep pit.

Although the stone table had shattered, the large fragments remained, and they seemed to bear imprints.

When the *Three-Character Classic* had surged with vast literary energy, the heavy characters had pressed deep indentations into the stone table.

Lin Jie silently walked to the edge of the pit, appearing to inspect something, before suddenly acting with lightning speed. He grabbed two plate-sized stone fragments and turned to leave.

"Lin Jie, what are you doing!" Commissioner Fan was the first to notice, shouting out, but Lin Jie vanished into the air.

"It's just a stone, why be so stingy, my lord!"

With that, Lin Jie’s figure disappeared.

"Hey!" Xiao Li, on the other side, finally snapped back to reality. He vanished from before Song Mu and appeared by the pit, acting even more ruthlessly. A stream of literary power flowed from his sleeves, scooping up several stone fragments before he, too, immediately fled.

"Don't run, Xiao Li! That belongs to my Academy!"

Commissioner Fan regretted his delay, shouting in frustration. Feeling he had suffered a great loss, he chased after them without a second thought.

Song Mu watched the scene, dumbfounded. Finally, only he and Tao Fengming remained in the back courtyard of the Academy.

Tao Fengming had appeared in the Academy long ago, but he had spoken only that one sentence, watching from the sidelines the entire time. Seeing Song Mu look at him, he remained leaning against the wall, pulled a piece of dried meat from somewhere, and tossed it into his mouth.

"Jingzhao, Saint Du did not misjudge you."

Tao Fengming said this calmly. Song Mu pursed his lips and bowed respectfully.

However, a thought occurred to him, and he hurried toward Tao Fengming, his expression excited.

"Master, I feel that the literary power within me has grown significantly, and some things I previously struggled with seem to have suddenly become clear."

Tao Fengming’s face remained calm, and he simply nodded silently.

"The literary energy you stirred up today was enough to elevate a student from a mere scholar to a Juren."

"Under the infusion of such vast literary energy, your internal power has naturally become much more refined. However, I suspect most of it was wasted." A rare hint of regret appeared in Tao Fengming's eyes.

"With such a heavenly descent of literary energy, had you been in the imperial examination hall, you would have surely ascended directly to the rank of Juren."

"As for your enlightenment, that is an unexpected blessing."

Hearing Tao Fengming say this, Song Mu couldn't help but gasp. This *Three-Character Classic* actually possessed such heaven-defying power.

If he were to write a few more such pieces, wouldn't he...

Song Mu thought this, then shook his head inwardly. It would be very difficult to write another work like the *Three-Character Classic*.

Still, this was an unexpected windfall. For Song Mu, who had only attained the rank of Xiucai a month ago, such an improvement was a rare opportunity.

The literary energy from the *Three-Character Classic* had stabilized his foundation significantly. Now, his literary power was as solid as rock; even compared to Xiucai who had spent years in hard study, he was likely no longer at a disadvantage.

While Song Mu was rejoicing, Tao Fengming finished his dried meat and finally pushed himself off the wall, walking directly toward the exit of the Academy.

He paused, seemingly remembering something, and turned to look at Song Mu.

"Remember to pack your belongings. We leave tomorrow morning."

Hearing this, Song Mu quickly nodded. As Tao Fengming turned to leave, he seemed to think of something else and added:

"Travel light, but remember to bring your brush, ink, paper, and inkstone."

Song Mu acknowledged the order and stepped forward, asking Tao Fengming again.

"Master, where in the Southern Frontier are we going?"

"I don't know. Perhaps Yue Prefecture, perhaps as far as Qiong Prefecture."

"Wherever there are demons, that is where we shall go."

Song Mu paused, his heart surging with excitement, and hurried to catch up with Tao Fengming, exiting through a back gate of the Academy.

Only after leaving the Academy did Song Mu realize what a commotion he had caused. The many maple trees surrounding the Academy had shed their leaves, covering the ground in a thick layer, yet new buds were already sprouting on the branches.

Outside the Academy, over a dozen Juren were patrolling, preventing any students from approaching.

A thick, powerful voice rang out from the side, stopping Song Mu and Tao Fengming as they hurried out with their heads bowed.

"You two—wait, is that Mr. Fengming..."

Song Mu looked up to see Xiao Xiong, the instructor who taught him martial arts. The man held a staff, his naturally stern face full of vigilance, but upon seeing Tao Fengming, his attitude shifted immediately.

"Mr. Fengming, there is a disturbance in the Academy. Please, do not linger here."

Tao Fengming simply gave a grunt of acknowledgment and drifted away with Song Mu in tow.

Xiao Xiong watched them leave, looking puzzled. He scratched his head, looked around, and saw a courtyard gate left open not far away, his brow furrowing deeply.

Did those two just walk out of the Academy?

And that person beside Tao Fengming... was that the top-ranked student among the newly promoted Xiucai... Song Mu?