Chapter 84: Within the Book Lies a World!

Xu Boqing fled in the night.

Held in the arms of a woman—no, a female demon—who comforted him as one might soothe a child, whispering, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.” Even with his thick skin, his face burned with embarrassment.

Infuriating, truly.

Meanwhile, Zhu Sisi watched his hurried escape through the window, a sly, vengeful smile tugging at her lips. Only after Xu the scoundrel’s figure vanished into the night did she shut the window.

Something seemed to cross her mind then. With a slight furrow of her elegant brows, she walked to the wine table, bent down, and picked up a crystal-clear ruby.

Earlier, Xu Boqing had inexplicably lost himself, shedding a single tear of blood, which slid down his cheek and solidified into a blood-tinged crystal.

She had noticed all of this.

Yet, after being held by Xu the scoundrel for warmth, she had lost her composure and forgotten the matter. Now that he had regained his senses and fled in shame, she remembered.

Zhu Sisi, brows knitted, pinched the blood-colored crystal. In over three centuries of cultivation, she had never witnessed such an occurrence. She was very curious about what Xu the scoundrel had thought or seen, and what this crystallized blood tear meant.

As she brought the crystal closer for inspection, it suddenly radiated a rosy, blood-red glow.

In the next instant, the light darted from her hand straight into her crown.

Startled by this sudden change, Zhu Sisi had no time to examine her body for abnormalities before her consciousness scattered uncontrollably.

Her mind became a canvas for endless visions.

She stood motionless, her spirit seemingly merged with the earth, perceiving soaring mountains and vast rivers, the bustling dust of the mortal world, and the boundless, eerie realms of the dead.

Countless scenes played out in her eyes.

From the center of her brow, six tiny red dots slowly emerged, linking together to form a flamboyant red flower-shaped sigil.

Soon the sigil faded, as if it had all been a dream.

When she came to her senses, she quickly touched her brow, found nothing amiss, and fetched her dressing mirror for a careful inspection.

After repeated comparisons, confirming she was unchanged, she sat at the table, brows tightly locked, lost in thought.

...

Xu Boqing leaned back in his chair, one hand propping his cheek, the other leafing through "On the Essence of Qi," his expression dark.

First, what he saw and heard with the “Heavenly Eye” was truly terrifying—an unraveling of order, an endless silence, so chilling that a mere glance left him breathless.

Second, there was Zhu Sisi.

He sensed a karmic entanglement between them—an enormous one.

If not for waiting on Zhang Taixu’s books, he would have escaped to Jiangling Prefecture last night.

Since his encounter with this demoness, he had always held the upper hand. Now, thinking of the humiliation he suffered in her hands, his teeth itched with frustration.

He vowed that, given the chance, he would make her pay.

“At the very least, she’ll have to call me ‘Father’…”

Lost in such wild thoughts, he was interrupted by Kong Qing, who entered carrying a book chest, bowed, and reported, “Master, I am here to deliver your orders…”

“Mm.”

Xu Boqing responded with a nasal hum, his attention drawn to the chest. “Just a few books—why the fuss?”

“Hehe…”

Kong Qing chuckled awkwardly, opened the chest, and laid out the books one by one, explaining, “The old fellow insisted, since they were for the Master, on sending all his treasured books. He’d have been furious if I refused.”

“And the payment?”

“I’ve given it. I couldn’t take advantage of them.”

“Good…”

Xu Boqing nodded slightly, then pulled out Zhang Taixu’s works—“Dialectics,” “Epistemology,” and “On Human Nature”—examining them one by one. Though these were printed editions, they were well preserved thanks to careful collection.

The core concept of “On the Essence of Qi” was “The Void is Qi; Qi transforms all things,” and all exposition expanded from this foundation.

“Dialectics” centered on “One thing, two forms; movement implies mechanism.”

The book explained that the life and death of all things, the changes between motion and stillness, were manifestations and results of Qi’s myriad transformations.

The reason the Void’s Qi could endlessly move and change was that it was a combination of yin and yang.

“One thing, two forms… movement implies mechanism…”

Xu Boqing read the exposition, brows furrowed, murmuring, “The Void is a state of undivided chaos, also called the Infinite?

Yin and yang divide to form the Supreme; the Infinite transforms into the Supreme; the Supreme produces the Two Modes—Yin and Yang.

Yin and yang interact and transform to create all things...

The Void’s Qi contains both yin and yang, two opposing aspects.

Yang’s qualities: clear, floating, rising, active...

Yin’s qualities: turbid, sinking, descending, still...

Within a unified body, yin and yang oppose and struggle, clash and connect, rely and permeate, nurture and give rise...

Thus... pure yang cannot give birth, solitary yin cannot grow..."

Perhaps because this "Dialectics" was a printed edition and not Zhang Taixu’s handwritten manuscript, Xu Boqing felt none of the immersion or revelation that he had with the other book.

But even from the text alone, his mouth was dry, and his scalp tingled!

He couldn’t help but wonder—was Zhang Taixu another transmigrant?

After all, some descriptions of heaven and the universe in "On the Essence of Qi" and "Dialectics" would make perfect sense in his previous life, under the label “science.”

...

Yet these books were born in a world of spirits and demons—their ideas so far ahead of their time, they were incomprehensible to ordinary people!

Just then...

Jiang Jin appeared at the doorway, saw the Master reading, and decided to wait.

Kong Qing, standing nearby, felt uneasy. He wanted to leave lest he disturb the Master, but feared interrupting. Seeing Jiang Jin peering in, he latched onto him like a savior.

“Master, Jiang Jin seems to have something to report…”

Jiang Jin glared at him, cursing inwardly—Kong Qing looked honest, but was sly as a fox.

“There is a world in these books!”

Xu Boqing let out a long breath, murmuring, “Zhang Taixu... truly a sage!”

Regaining himself, he glanced at Jiang Jin in the doorway, noted the time, and guessed his purpose.

“It’s all handled?”

“Master!”

Jiang Jin bowed. “Li Lezhi’s assets have been inventoried. I’ve sent men to deliver them to the capital for confiscation. Both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel have responded—they’ll appoint a new magistrate for Hongyang City soon.”

“Mm…”

Xu Boqing nodded thoughtfully, saying, “Then there’s nothing left for us. Prepare to depart!”

“Yes!”

Jiang Jin withdrew from the study.

After giving instructions, he met briefly with the other supervisors of the Western Bureau, then left the city magistrate’s residence.

But as soon as he stepped out, he saw a crowd of country folk in coarse clothing gathered at the gate, negotiating politely with the guards.

“What’s going on?”

“Greetings, Supervisor…”

The guard saluted, then, with a troubled look, gestured to the farmers, explaining, “Supervisor, these are farmers from villages outside the city.

They say we returned their land and confiscated the corrupt official’s property—that we’re upright officials. They’ve come to offer gifts…”

“Gifts?!”

Jiang Jin exclaimed in surprise, only now noticing that the farmers carried eggs, baskets of vegetables, and fruit.

The leader, an old man, held a large umbrella sewn from scraps of cloth, its edges adorned with ribbons of various colors.

Seeing this, Jiang Jin couldn’t help but feel at a loss.