“On me?”
Shao Yanzhe asked in confusion, examining himself from head to toe. There was nothing particularly special about his original body – not even a birthmark, nor a single mole.
Recalling the original body’s memories more carefully, aside from some vague memories before the age of one, all memories from childhood to adulthood were clear. The original body was just an ordinary human, definitely not some spiritual creature that had gained sentience.
“I’m not a monster, I really am just a human,” he answered seriously.
Hearing Shao Yanzhe’s earnest response, the Court Lady couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her mouth.
“Who said you were a monster?” she retorted.
“Where exactly is this pure positive energy you mentioned on my body? Stop beating around the bush!”
Shao Yanzhe glanced at the Black Cat, whose breathing had become increasingly labored, its condition visibly deteriorating.
Growing impatient, he finished speaking and raised the oil lamp in his hand, his meaning unmistakable.
The Court Lady sneered, “As a Tongsheng, don’t you know this? Since you embarked on the path of the Imperial Exam, you’ve naturally become bound to the government. Just by taking the Imperial Exam once, the inherent trace of National Luck protection you possess increases, making you immune to all ghosts. Of course, that’s an exaggeration – the National Luck protection you currently possess only works against wandering spirits. To me, it’s like a layer of paper.”
After hearing this, Shao Yanzhe said thoughtfully, “So what you call pure positive energy is actually the National Luck on me?”
The Court Lady nodded, “Correct.”
Shao Yanzhe asked, “Then how do I use the National Luck on me to treat the Black Cat’s injuries?”
Hearing his question, she carefully examined his expression, confirming that he wasn’t merely curious about the method but genuinely intended to share his National Luck with the Black Cat. She was momentarily stunned.
Thinking Shao Yanzhe might not understand the importance of National Luck, she asked bluntly, “You should know how important National Luck is to you. Are you sure you want to share your National Luck with that stinky cat?”
“Absolutely! Please tell me the method, thank you!”
Shao Yanzhe nodded firmly.
The Court Lady stared at Shao Yanzhe for a long moment before explaining with a complicated expression, “The method is actually quite simple. Because National Luck has strong exclusivity, you need to write a reasonably good article. Such articles naturally possess Literary Qi, which originates from you. Therefore, the article will carry some of the National Luck’s energy. Afterward, you just need to burn the article while silently thinking of the stinky cat, and the energy from the article will be absorbed by it.”
Shao Yanzhe listened carefully, then solemnly thanked the Court Lady, “I’m grateful for your guidance, thank you!”
He returned to the desk, spread out a blank sheet of xuan paper, picked up the brush with his right hand, and while contemplating what to write, dipped the brush tip in ink and carefully shaped it.
Thanks to the Court Lady’s earlier guidance, he now knew that the original body’s articles contained many errors and omissions, with somewhat rigid writing. After all, he was a modern person and wasn’t particularly skilled in policy discussion essays.
But after reading the two articles the Court Lady had written earlier, he roughly understood how to approach policy discussion essays. Combining this with the knowledge the original body had accumulated through past studies, he began attempting to write his first article.
The topic remained the same as before: “The gentleman is ashamed when his words exceed his actions, while the petty man acts without restraint.”
Soon, he had gathered his thoughts and began writing on the rice paper with his brush.
[When sages discuss the distinctions in human character, they must examine them through words and actions.
……
……
……
……
……
May all under heaven share this understanding.]
As Shao Yanzhe lifted his brush after finishing the last stroke, the eight-hundred-word policy essay suddenly emitted a burst of white light, interspersed with golden specks.
He couldn’t help but widen his eyes. Such a dazzling scene was something he had only ever seen in movies or television dramas—this was the first time he had witnessed it so closely in reality.
The Court Lady, who had been keeping an eye on Shao Yanzhe’s progress, also saw this phenomenon. A flicker of astonishment passed through her eyes. It wasn’t that she had never witnessed such a scene before, but it was the first time she had seen an essay written by a Tongsheng possess such dense Literary Qi.
In the past, the essays composed by scholars she had observed rarely contained even a fifth of the Literary Qi displayed now.
Suppressing the surprise in her eyes, she carefully read the content of the essay on the rice paper, word by word.
The more she read, the harder it became to contain her amazement. The previous policy essay Shao Yanzhe had written was not only riddled with misinterpretations and errors but also somewhat rigid in style, perfectly matching his status as a Tongsheng.
But this essay was different. It strictly adhered to the eight-legged format, featured balanced parallelism, and made extensive use of classical allusions from the classics and histories. The writing was smooth, elegant, and dignified, with clear logic—truly a work of superior quality.
If this policy essay were submitted for the Imperial Examination, he would undoubtedly be the Top Candidate.
She had only given Shao Yanzhe some guidance earlier and written two sample essays for reference, nothing more.
Now, it seemed his progress was so remarkable, it was as if he had become a different person.
The Court Lady stared at Shao Yanzhe, deep in thought.
Could it be that he was a genius?
“So, all I need to do now is burn this essay and silently recite the Black Cat’s name, right?”
Shao Yanzhe’s voice interrupted her contemplation. She snapped back to reality and nodded. “Yes.”
Shao Yanzhe dragged an earthen basin from the corner of the study—the same one the original owner had used to burn waste paper. He placed his finished policy essay inside and was about to light it with the oil lamp in his hand when he paused and looked up to ask, “What is the Black Cat’s name?”
The Court Lady let out a light laugh, flicked her sleeve, and turned her back to him. “Hmph! This humble lady does not know that stinky cat!”
Shao Yanzhe turned to the Black Cat and was surprised to meet its heterochromatic eyes—one gold, one black. Delighted, he exclaimed, “You’re awake!”
“Meow.” The Black Cat let out a weak cry.
“Um, the person in the painting said my essay could heal your injuries. Is that true?” Shao Yanzhe asked softly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard an angry snort in his ears. Paying it no mind, he waited for the Black Cat’s response.
The Black Cat glanced at Shao Yanzhe and gave a slight nod.
“That’s great! But I don’t know your name. Can you tell me?” Shao Yanzhe asked.
The Black Cat hesitated for a moment before extending a paw and writing two characters on the ground.
Xuan Yao.
Shao Yanzhe read them and nodded. “Alright, I understand.”
Only then did the Black Cat erase the two characters from the ground. It watched the human’s back, its pupils deep and enigmatic, the sharp, silver-hook-like claws on its paws faintly visible.
“Tch! You actually told a human your real name! Aren’t you afraid he might harm you? Don’t you know that for humans, not only is the demon core inside a spiritual being like you highly nourishing, but your flesh is equally valuable? Once he finds out, he’ll surely kill you to take your core and devour your flesh!”
The Court Lady’s voice echoed in Xuan Yao’s mind.
Xuan Yao pressed its ears down and shook its head, casting a gaze filled with sharp killing intent toward the Court Lady.
Startled, the Court Lady stepped back, her back bumping against the hard edge of the table behind her. Instantly, she grew furious.
“Hmph! I’ll just watch as that human dismembers you, skins you, and extracts every bit of your value!”
Xuan Yao shifted its gaze away and looked back at Shao Yanzhe, who was burning the essay. It rested its head on its front paws.
Hmph! This great one is no fool!
If the two-legged creature truly had such intentions, it would leave immediately, without a doubt, and certainly wouldn’t end up skinned and dismembered!
Soon, Xuan Yao closed its eyes. It could clearly feel a special energy slowly emerging within its body.
It knew this energy belonged to the unique Literary Qi and National Luck possessed by humans, which precisely countered the Baleful Qi inside it.
With these two types of energy, the Baleful Qi within its body quickly dissipated. All that remained was to slowly recuperate from its injuries.
Shao Yanzhe watched as the white rice paper in the basin turned completely to black ash. He even used a small wooden stick to poke at it a few times, making sure everything underneath had burned thoroughly, before he was satisfied.
He walked over to Xuan Yao and could clearly see that its condition had improved significantly. Not wanting to disturb its rest, he left it alone.
He went and sat down in front of the scroll, looking up at the Court Lady.
“Speak. Why did you target me?”
Hearing this question, the Court Lady’s eyes flickered. She averted her gaze and said, “Of course, it’s because of the Literary Qi you possess. As long as you willingly give me your Literary Qi, my power will increase. Once I’m strong enough, even entering the imperial palace wouldn’t be out of the question.”
After listening, Shao Yanzhe neither agreed nor disagreed. He could tell the Court Lady wasn’t lying, but he had a vague sense that there was another reason.
Since the Court Lady didn’t want to say, pressing further wouldn’t yield anything. He decided to set the matter aside for now, planning to ask how to deal with her once Xuan Yao had recovered a bit more.
The Imperial Examination was approaching, and Shao Yanzhe needed to fully master the required content within half a month. After all, the original body’s knowledge was just that—the original body’s.
Having the memories of the original body seemed like a great advantage for Shao Yanzhe, but in reality, it posed a challenge.
Due to the original body’s humble background, constrained by its environment, its knowledge, insights, and perspective were all quite limited.
Shao Yanzhe pushed the original body’s memories to the deepest recesses of his mind and then revisited all the books needed for the examination, such as the Three Character Classic and the Four Books and Five Classics.
Only after confirming that the content aligned closely with what he had learned did he take out a test paper the original body had once worked on and bury himself in answering it.
As he focused on the test paper, he didn’t notice the Court Lady on the scroll behind him, her eyes fixed on the essay he was writing.
At times, her expression showed admiration; at others, she wore a pained mask; and occasionally, she would suddenly look enlightened.
She couldn’t understand why someone’s writing could be so uneven—some insights were penetrating and profound, while other arguments were crude and careless.
This caused her great distress.
From these writings, she could see that Shao Yanzhe’s literary style was still immature, but it was like a pearl covered in dust. With proper guidance, he would undoubtedly have the potential to become a Zhuangyuan in the future!
“Men are all ungrateful wretches!”
“I’ve already died once—must I end up utterly annihilated?”
The Court Lady’s eyes gradually darkened to a deep crimson, her face contorted with fierce resentment.
“But can I truly bear to let such a precious gem be tarnished and hidden away?”
“If I do that, how am I any different from that man!”
The ferocity on the Court Lady’s face slowly faded.
“This policy essay you’ve written is truly crude in its argumentation! If you were to submit this in the Imperial Exam, you would undoubtedly fail!”
Her resolute voice echoed through the silent study.
Author’s note: