Chapter 37 Peony Soul Method

"Brother Shao, I've found some good things here." Zhou Jiming's voice interrupted Shao Yanzhe's thoughts.

Shao Yanzhe looked over and saw Zhou Jiming standing in front of a dilapidated wall.

He walked over and asked, "Brother Zhou, what did you discover?"

Zhou Jiming pointed his folding fan at the wall and said, "Brother Shao, take a look."

Shao Yanzhe looked at the wall and, after careful observation, discovered that there were several lines of writing on the white wall. Over time, the writing had been washed away, leaving only a light layer of silver-gray.

He squinted and finally made out the words on the wall.

The poem on the wall was about peonies. To him, it was no different from the poems in his Chinese textbook from his previous life; it was full of spirit, a level he could never reach.

"I wonder who wrote this poem. It is truly a masterpiece." Zhou Jiming snapped open his folding fan and shook his head with a regretful expression.

Chen Yunhe leaned closer and said, "Perhaps it was written by Madam Yin. I heard from my grandfather that she was very good at writing poetry, and no one could match her at the time."

"That's such a pity!" Zhou Jiming exclaimed.

Shao Yanzhe nodded in agreement. Madam Yin's poetry was so exceptional that it could only be described as a testament to her extraordinary talent. Even if one could imitate it to some extent, one could still be considered a master poet.

It's such a pity.

"Alright, stop talking about poetry here. Let's take advantage of Madam Yin's slumber and leave!" Liu Mingyuan wasn't interested in poetry; he was afraid of this place and wanted to get as far away as possible.

"Yes! Let's hurry up!" Chen Yunhe quickly agreed after being reminded.

After being reminded, everyone finally realized what was happening.

"What should we do about Leng Zhijie?" Liu Mingyuan looked at Leng Zhijie with ill intent in his eyes.

"Take it and send it to the authorities."

"Okay." Liu Mingyuan nodded regretfully.

That's such a pity!

He was also thinking of bleeding Leng Zhijie so that when Madam Yin came out in the evening, he could have a good meal.

Leng Zhijie said, "I advise you not to waste your energy. We cannot leave here before Madam Yin is completely suppressed."

Shao Yanzhe frowned and looked at him, asking, "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever heard of being trapped in a maze?" Leng Zhijie leaned against the well railing, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as if watching a good show. When he saw that Shao Yanzhe's face did not show the expression he had imagined, he curled his lips in boredom.

"This house is only for entry during this period; no one can leave. If you want to leave, you need to offer a sacrifice to Madam Yin."

Everyone knew what the offerings he was referring to were.

Zhou Jiming couldn't stand how arrogant this prisoner was. He chuckled, snapped open his folding fan, and stared at Leng Zhijie with a leisurely air.

"Isn't this perfect? ​​Perfect, I can use you as a sacrifice."

Leng Zhijie's expression froze as he realized his predicament. He then calmed down and said, "If you use me as a sacrifice, aren't you the same as me? In that case, what difference will there be between you and me?"

Hey! You're pretty quick-witted!

Zhou Jiming looked at Shao Yanzhe and asked, "What should we do next?"

Shao Yanzhe said, "Let's go outside and see. The carriage and driver should be outside the house. Let's go to the gate first."

They didn't bring Leng Zhijie with them, intending to first verify whether what he said was true.

Following the route they remembered, the four arrived at the entrance of the house. The original three-meter-high wall had collapsed, and through the cracks, they could see the shadows of the trees outside.

Once they left the house, they realized something was wrong.

"Wait! Where's the road here?" Zhou Jiming looked at the place where there should have been a dirt road, but now it was covered with lush trees.

"Perhaps we've remembered the wrong direction? Let's go around the house and check in the other direction," Shao Yanzhe said.

So the four of them walked around the house and returned to where they started.

After circling around, they couldn't find the familiar exit at all. The house seemed to be surrounded by tall trees, isolated from the world.

"That shouldn't be the case! Where are the coachman and the carriage? Weren't they parked here?" Zhou Jiming stared at the place where the coachman had rested last night, but now it was empty.

Yesterday, the coachman needed to watch the carriage, so he parked it in the carriage shed outside the house, which is specifically for parking carriages, and did not enter the house.

After confirming that they couldn't get out, Shao Yanzhe said, "Let's go back first. It seems that Leng Zhijie wasn't lying. We can't get out for the time being."

The other three looked rather grim. It was alright now that it was daytime, but what would they do if Madam Yin appeared at night?

"Damn it! It's all Leng Zhijie's fault!" Liu Mingyuan said angrily.

"That's right!"

“If Madam Yin really appears, I will push Leng Zhijie out first,” Zhou Jiming said expressionlessly.

Shao Yanzhe glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The four of them returned to the house together.

When Leng Zhijie saw the four people walking back from afar, their faces not looking good, he knew that they had not been able to get out.

He tried his best to hide the schadenfreude in his eyes and said, "I wasn't lying to you, was I? There really is no way to leave the house now."

The four ignored him, found their original rooms, retrieved their belongings, and then reunited.

Fortunately, Shao Yanzhe had brought some dry rations with him. The four of them lit a fire and slowly roasted the somewhat cold and hard rations, and began to discuss their next plans.

“In this situation, if there really is no other way, I will sacrifice Leng Zhijie myself. Even if it is exposed afterward, it will not implicate you.” Zhou Jiming took a big bite of the pancake, as if he was eating Leng Zhijie.

Shao Yanzhe disagreed: "No, things haven't come to that point yet. You don't need to do this. There are solutions to the problem."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jiming's eyes lit up as he looked at him and asked, "You have a solution?"

Shao Yanzhe thought for a moment and said, "With Xuan Yao and me here, Madam Yin can't do anything to us."

As he spoke, he reached out and gently patted Xuan Yao's back. Madam Yin looked powerful, but in reality, the conflict between the evil energy and spiritual energy within her body meant that she could only unleash about 40% of her full strength.

In the unlikely event of a conflict, he and Xuan Yao could easily fight to a draw.

"Um, have you all forgotten? The provincial examination is starting in less than seven days," Chen Yunhe said weakly.

“It’s alright, we can wait for next time. My teacher said my writing is still lacking, and I might not pass the provincial examination this time. It’s just a pity for Brother Shao. If he misses this time, he’ll have to wait another three years,” Liu Mingyuan said.

Chen Yunhe hesitated before speaking, "Waiting another three years won't hurt me. I'm not very confident about this year's provincial examination either."

Shao Yanzhe broke the dry firewood in his hand and threw it into the fire, letting it burn.

He stared at the leaping flames, chuckled, and said, "Don't worry, I'll definitely make sure you make it to the provincial examination."

He paused for a moment, then casually said, "At worst, we can just dig up Madam Yin's remains and restore her freedom. At that time, she will definitely seek revenge on her enemies as soon as possible, and she won't have time to cause trouble for us."

Then, as if he had just thought of something, he added, "I can also help her deliver the goods to her door."

Zhou Jiming and the other two immediately looked at him, their pupils dilating in shock.

What should be delivered to your door?

What kind of door will the delivery be made to?

Leng Zhijie, who was tied to the well railing, had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Upon hearing Shao Yanzhe's words, cold sweat immediately broke out on his back.

What incredible luck he has to have managed to offend such a ruthless person!

For a moment, only the crackling sound of burning firewood filled the air.

Shao Yanzhe calmly added a few dried fish back to Xuan Yao's empty bowl, his eyes gentle.

Zhou Jiming's utilitarian thoughts faded. He had never met such an interesting person before, and instead, he felt a desire to become close friends with him.

Suddenly, Shao Yanzhe looked at Leng Zhijie and asked, "What's your father's name?"

Leng Zhijie's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously answered, "Leng Yanshan!"

He almost bit his tongue as soon as he finished speaking, and secretly regretted that he had said his father's name.

However, the thought that if he told Shao Yanzhe, Shao Yanzhe would probably have to deliver the goods to his door.

"Better to die than to die myself," he thought, now he could only pray that his father could bear this great gift.

Soon, the four of them had eaten and drunk their fill.

Liu Mingyuan and Chen Yunhe were staring blankly at the bonfire when suddenly a sheet of Xuan paper covered with writing appeared in front of them.

They followed the hand holding the Xuan paper and saw Shao Yanzhe smiling.

"What is this?" Liu Mingyuan asked instinctively.

Shao Yanzhe answered: "Test questions."

Looking at the densely packed small print, Liu Mingyuan swallowed hard and said, "What I mean is, why are you giving me test questions?"

Chen Yunhe, standing to the side, felt dizzy as he looked at the small print above.

Shao Yanzhe said matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's answering questions! I just heard you say that you're not very confident about this provincial examination, so I'll take advantage of the time now to consolidate my knowledge."

Liu Mingyuan took a step back imperceptibly: "No need, I think the most important thing for us now is to solve the current predicament."

While at the academy, with a teacher watching over him, he had no choice but to work hard.

Now that no one is watching him, he avoids studying whenever possible.

Chen Yunhe shared the same thought. Compared to other scholars, his aptitude was relatively poor, and he was lucky to pass the county-level examination. He only participated in the provincial-level examination with the intention of gaining experience and never thought he could pass.

"Hasn't there already been a solution? Brother Liu, give me the answers to this test at 5 PM, and I can help you with some analysis."

Liu Mingyuan protested, "Can't I just not write it?"

Shao Yanzhe smiled: "What do you think, Brother Liu?"

Liu Mingyuan: ...

Finally, he resigned himself to his fate and took the test questions: "Fine, I'll write them!"

Shao Yanzhe looked at Chen Yunhe.

Before he could speak, Chen Yunhe reached out and took it: "I'll write too!"

Shao Yanzhe nodded in satisfaction, then casually handed a test paper to Zhou Jiming without asking for his opinion.

"Brother Zhou, since you're free anyway, why don't you do some practice questions to pass the time?"

Zhou Jiming: ...

Okay!

Shao Yanzhe himself was not idle either. He took out the imperial examination poem topic that his teacher had specially given him, and began to write with a frown.

So, instead of living in constant fear and anxiety, the people trapped in the maze of delusion were frowning, scratching their heads, and racking their brains to figure out the best way to answer the questions in front of them.

As the hour of You (5-7 PM) approached, dark clouds gradually gathered in the sky, blocking the setting sun.

Those focused on the article in front of them didn't notice, but Leng Zhijie, who was tied up, did notice but didn't warn them.

The next moment, a woman dressed in a red dress embroidered with gold peonies suddenly appeared. With her appearance, time seemed to flow backward in this dilapidated mansion, restoring it to its most dazzling moment.

Madam Yin smiled and raised her eyes. The scene she had imagined—a few panicked and frightened scholars—did not appear. Instead, she saw four students who were completely absorbed in writing.

Lady Yin: ? ? ?

Author's Note: Mini-Theater:

Shao Yanzhe: [Sunglasses] Open the door, I'm delivering a package!

Madam Yin: [Glasses] Smiling.JPG

Leng Yanshan: [Frightened]!!!