Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 2 Word Techniques and Literary Arts
Jiang Xingzhou suddenly felt his talent surge forth like a floodgate opening, pouring out through his brushstrokes. With each character he wrote, the amount of talent he expended almost doubled.

The desk shook violently, and the ink in the inkstone rippled and spread.

The pine soot ink on the desk was rising in wisps, but it was pressed down as flat as paper by an invisible force.

"All under heaven are one!"

Before the second line was even finished, the ink on the Xuan paper began to distort, unable to withstand the immense power of heaven and earth.

The wolf-hair brush felt incredibly heavy at that moment, and each stroke seemed to drain all his strength.

A hundred strands of talent surged like white mist, swirling around the characters "Six Kings Completed, Four," attempting to forcefully inject those earth-shattering words into the Xuan paper.

However, his talent had long since dried up, and his writing came to an abrupt halt.

Jiang Xingzhou was pale, staggered and fell to his seat, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, and his breathing was disordered.

The four characters he had painstakingly written, having exhausted all his talent, also began to crumble.

The Xuan paper burst open with a "snap," turning into a cloud of dust, the ink fading away and the words disappearing.

"With his limited literary talent and meager abilities, he is indeed incapable of composing a masterpiece like the 'Rhapsody on the Epang Palace'! He would probably need to be at the level of a Juren or Jinshi to be worthy!"

He muttered to himself, his expression showing a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.

With his current literary talent and abilities, it would be like an ant trying to shake a tree to write a masterpiece in this world of literature.

"Fine, if I can't write it, then so be it."

If it were written down and accidentally discovered by outsiders, it might attract unnecessary trouble and prying eyes, which would not be a good thing.

This matter requires careful consideration and should not be rushed.

Jiang Xingzhou put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand, looked at the shattered Xuan paper scraps all over the ground, abandoned the idea of ​​writing a top-level masterpiece with his current strength in the Meng Sheng realm, and smiled bitterly in relief.

"The proper path is still to honestly participate in the imperial examinations of the Great Zhou Dynasty and advance to a higher literary rank. With a matching literary rank and writing ability, I can protect myself!"

Since the new policies of the Great Zhou Empress, in this world where literature and morality are supreme, the imperial examination has been the only way to advance in rank.

Literary talent, literary skill, and moral character are the foundation of all strength.

Jiang Xingzhou gradually calmed down and rested for half a day, during which his physical strength and talent recovered somewhat.

He continued flipping through the bookshelf, trying to find more memories of this life.

His gaze soon fell upon a carefully preserved jade book box. The box was smooth and lustrous, engraved with intricate patterns, and was clearly quite valuable.

Unlocking the jade lock, they carefully unearthed an old, dusty file that had been sealed away for a long time.

The file had a faint scent of pine soot ink, a scent quite different from that of regular ink, more like the scent of northern cedar resin, and a refreshing chill permeated the air.

Jiang Xingzhou flipped through the case file, his eyes sweeping over the words. Soon, his temples began to throb, and his expression changed drastically.

This was actually the file of "his" father, Jiang Yan, in the Great Zhou Demon Suppression Division!
"Jiang Yan, a poor scholar from Jiangyin County, was ranked thirty-second in the first year of the Tian Shou reign. The following year, he was promoted to Supervising Censor of the Demon Suppression Office, where he slew countless demons and made many outstanding contributions."

In the northern counties, demonic calamities frequently occur. Jiang Yan, carrying a bronze compass, travels north to investigate.
Months later, news came from the northern border patrol that the Imperial Censor Jiang Yan had been wounded and disappeared on the icy plains. His body could not be found within a hundred miles, except for a blood-red bronze arrowhead engraved with the emblem of the Hanlin Academy embedded in the ice three zhang deep.

In one night, seven of the Northern Border County Cultural Heritage Cauldrons shattered.

"There is a suspected traitor colluding with the demon race of the Northern Frontier to murder the Censor-in-Chief and disrupt the cultural heritage of the Holy Dynasty's border counties!"

After reading through Jiang Yan's detailed resume and life story in the dossier, Jiang Xingzhou turned pale.

This is not something he should be looking at!

In memory,
During the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Wen Ding was an important artifact that guarded the literary fortune of a region.

Cast from meteorite iron melted by Confucian scholars of the Hanlin Academy, these artifacts are placed in Confucian temples in various prefectures and counties.

Each bronze tripod in the Confucian Temple is engraved with the most essential texts from the local prefecture and county, signifying "leaving the county, reaching the prefecture, becoming famous throughout the state, protecting the nation, and spreading throughout the world."

If the bronze tripod is broken, the literary fortunes of the prefectures and counties will collapse.

Seven of the cultural heritage cauldrons in the northern counties were shattered. This case involves the cultural heritage of at least several counties on the border of the imperial court, as well as the life of a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and the censor. It is a major case that he, a mere young scholar, could not possibly be involved in!

If a mere novice were to rashly get involved, he would likely be crushed like an ant!

No wonder this jade book box has been sealed away for so long; it seems that it has never been opened since it was placed here.

"Boom~!"

The sound of the water clock at the third quarter of the hour of Yin in the Xue residence startled him awake.

"Who took this file from the Demon Suppression Bureau and placed it on my bookshelf? Fortunately, my predecessor was also mature beyond his years."

I didn't impulsively try to investigate this matter!

Jiang Xingzhou slammed the file shut and saw his reflection in the bronze mirror on the desk, his face ashen.

I am currently in the Xue residence and am safe for the time being!
The Xue family is a family of meritorious figures who helped found the Great Zhou Dynasty. It has been passed down for generations. The head of the family, Xue Chonghu, is currently the Prefect of Jiangzhou, holding a high position and great power, and is renowned.

The head of the Xue family was a classmate and old friend of Jiang Xingzhou's father, Jiang Yan. They were sworn brothers and both passed the imperial examination in the first year of the Tian Shou era.

After Jiang Yan disappeared in the Northern Border,
The head of the Xue family then took in the young orphan Jiang Xingzhou and raised him at the Xue residence, providing him with education, spiritual cultivation, and opportunities to pass the imperial examinations, as well as much care and protection.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xingzhou felt a little more at ease.

The file was placed back into the jade box, the jade lock was relocked, and it was carefully placed in a hidden spot on the bookshelf and sealed away.

He stood quietly in the study, lost in thought.

Don't think about anything else!

"There's only a little over half a month left until this year's county examination. I should think more about how to give it my all and pass the preliminary examination for the young scholars!"

Jiang Xingzhou took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the upcoming county examination.

He understood that only by passing the county examination and becoming a student could he gain a foothold in this world of supreme scholarship.

At this time, his talent had recovered somewhat, and after a little deliberation, he began to practice the "Wind" scripture.

"Sound and Rhyme" is a basic literary classic used by the Great Zhou Dynasty to enlighten students. Every character in it can be used to perform literary arts at the "single character" level.

Phrases like "clouds against rain, snow against wind" are examples where every word—cloud, rain, snow, and wind—can be used to express literary artistry!
"wind!"

Jiang Xingzhou concentrated and calmed his mind.
The energy in his palm was like mist, quickly condensing into a short wind blade. The wind blade spun rapidly, making a "hissing" sound!
"Sizzle—!"

A streak of bluish-white light flashed by like lightning, and the paperweight snapped in two, leaving a deep knife mark, about an inch deep, carved into the rosewood desk.

The air outside was bitterly cold; your breath turned to frost.

Jiang Xingzhou was concentrating on his cultivation when he heard the rustling of the green bamboo forest in the cold wind outside the study window, followed by the crisp sound of footsteps crushing thin ice.

His heart moved,
Pushing open the door and looking out,

But then he saw two direct descendants of the Xue family walking through the snow to invite him to attend a class at the Xue family's private school.

"Brother Jiang, the county examination is just around the corner. Today, Master Pei will be testing our writing skills and literary abilities. We mustn't be late!"

Xue Funian, about fourteen or fifteen years old, greeted him warmly with a big smile.

He wore a cloak, and the silver embroidery on his snow wolf fur coat shimmered with frost-like patterns, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight. He held a Xiangfei bamboo folding fan in his hand, and his demeanor exuded the air of a noble young master.

The younger brother, Xue Gui, was twelve or thirteen years old. His face was still somewhat childish. He wore a silk sword at his waist, and the mutton-fat jade pendant tied to the sword tassel kept swaying, making a crisp clinking sound as he moved.

Jiang Xingzhou had known the two men for many years. He smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and walked side by side toward the Xue family's private school.

"My two virtuous brothers! I wonder if the Master could select a particular character from the *Primer of Prosody* for examination?"

"The book 'Primer of Prosody' is divided into two volumes, and every word is a gem, like a palace with thirty layers of heaven and eight thousand stars."

Last year, during the county examination, three thousand students from my Jiangyin County almost failed because the examiner chose the obscure character '笥' (si) for the literary test.

This year's county examination will likely be difficult to pass!
Master Pei has gone to great lengths to ensure that more students from our private school pass the imperial examinations!

Xue Fu shook his head and sighed, lightly tapping his palm with his folding fan.

Jiang Xingzhou nodded slightly, feeling somewhat worried.

The Primer of Prosody consists of eight thousand characters, which seems simple but is all-encompassing.

Clouds and rain, thunder and lightning, flowers and trees, birds and beasts, ancient people, objects, astronomy and geography—these can be used to unleash thousands of "single-word" spells and "multi-word" spell derivative combinations, changing between reality and illusion, unpredictable and divine.

The single-word formula is undoubtedly a crucial cornerstone for the cultivation of literature and Tao.

If you can't master the single-character memorization, there's no point in discussing the more difficult idioms, poems, lyrics, essays, and prose that follow.

The three of them walked slowly through the bamboo corridor in the mansion, amidst the snow.

In a short while, the outline of Xue's private school was already faintly visible in the distance.

Snow covered the eaves and brackets, and the vermilion-lacquered bronze door stood out like a flame against the silvery white snow.

(End of this chapter)