Chapter 225: Examining the Stele by Lantern Light at Night (Part 2)
When the middle-aged man arrived, a scholar from Huaiyuan Academy resumed his arrogant demeanor, introducing him to those around the stele pavilion: “This is our Huaiyuan Academy’s uncle-master, Ji Jin, who has served the Dao at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books for over twenty years now.”
Hearing this, the young examinees were greatly astonished and stepped forward one after another to offer their greetings. They knew that Ji Jin had been a renowned talented scholar from the south in his day, gifted by nature, and they never expected he had become a stele attendant.
This uncle-master of Huaiyuan Academy, named Ji Jin, paid no heed whatsoever to the younger generation’s bows and salutations. He walked straight up to Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng, fixing an especially cold stare on Chen Changsheng.
“To refine true essence by taking its form, to move the divine sense by taking its intent, to simulate sword techniques by taking its momentum—these three methods are the only orthodox solutions in the world. All other solutions, no matter how strange or bizarre they may appear, are developed from this foundation. If you truly dare to discard them all and use none, I would very much like to know what other solutions you could possibly employ? Over the years, countless self-proclaimed brilliant minds have always believed their predecessors were mediocre and that they could easily surpass them. How could those people ever understand that harboring such unrealistic thoughts has already led them down a dead-end path?”
He stared at Chen Changsheng, his voice harsh and severe: “Don’t think that just because you took first place in the Grand Examination, you have the right to look down on the sages of old. How many top scorers of the Grand Examination have there been at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books? And yet, who among them dared to be as arrogant as you? Wake up soon, or else you will absolutely smash your head bloody here!”
Silence fell around the stele pavilion, broken only by this man’s cold, oppressive words ringing out. In the eyes of that senior sister from Holy Maiden Peak, the two examinees from Star Plucking Academy, and the other young people, Senior Ji Jin was a stele attendant deeply respected by cultivators, with a far deeper understanding of the Heavenly Book Steles than anyone outside the mausoleum. His words were somewhat harsh, but they did hold truth. Although Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi had thoroughly read the Daoist canon and were considered profoundly learned, they were still young, especially in the field of the Heavenly Book Steles. Faced with such a stern and substantive rebuke, what else could they do but humbly accept the lesson?
Yet, as time passed, the atmosphere before the stele pavilion grew increasingly tense.
Because Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi had not spoken, but it was also very clear they had no intention of admitting fault.
The building of the Teaching Secretariat was unremarkable, completely hidden by the dozens of tall redwoods surrounding it. Only the night sky could not be concealed, so the dozens of stone steps were illuminated by starlight, as if covered in a layer of snow.
Archbishop Melisandre stood by the window, gazing at the white stone steps. His right hand, clasped behind his back, gently twirled a branch of winter plum blossoms. Though it was now early spring, for some reason these winter plums were still in bloom.
“Her Majesty has a broad heart, capable of embracing the world, so she can afford not to care about the National Academy, or about how far that child Chen Changsheng will develop… Of course, the main reason is that Her Majesty is too powerful. Even if that child encounters one stroke of luck after another, in Her Majesty’s eyes, he is nothing more than an ant—one she can crush whenever she wishes. But there are many who are not as powerful as Her Majesty, and naturally, they cannot possess the same breadth of mind. So they will fear, they will dread the events of those days—for instance, that the National Academy might overturn its verdict.”
A faint trace of mockery appeared on Melisandre’s aged face as he continued, “Whether it’s the Tianhai clan or those dogs under Her Majesty’s throne who have bitten many people to death, with the Pope’s declaration, their inner fears grow stronger and stronger, and their vigilance toward the National Academy and Chen Changsheng naturally increases. They certainly won’t be willing to watch him continue to shine. Since they find it inconvenient to act themselves, calling upon the southerners with whom they have long-standing ties is only natural. I just didn’t expect that someone like Ji Jin would also stoop to this.”
Earlier that day, after his conversation with Chen Changsheng at the stone gate of the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, Priest Xin had sensed something amiss. After investigating the situation, he hurried to report. He had been standing all along, and upon hearing this, his heart trembled slightly, the thick flesh on his face quivering as well. Shocked, he asked, “Who would dare to cause trouble inside the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books?”
“Observing the steles and comprehending the Dao at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books—the most crucial element is one’s state of mind. Those people don’t need to strike at Chen Changsheng directly; they only need to disrupt his state of mind to affect his cultivation. You must understand that the experience of viewing the steles for the first time at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books is irreplaceable and irreversible for a person’s cultivation.”
Melisandre’s eyes gradually narrowed, his expression cold as he said, “Even setting aside the long term and speaking only of the present, if Chen Changsheng’s cultivation is affected, he won’t gain enough improvement inside the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books. Even if he enters the Zhou Garden a month later, he will gain nothing and, on the contrary, will be in great danger.”
Only then did Priest Xin realize that the seemingly insignificant hostility and mockery directed at Chen Changsheng by certain people in the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books concealed such peril. He drew in a sharp breath and said with slight urgency, “I will send word immediately, asking Mr. Nian Guang to keep an eye on Ji Jin and the others.”
“Nian Guang, huh… He doesn’t necessarily like Chen Changsheng either.”
Melisandre frowned slightly, a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Back then, if the National Academy hadn’t pushed him so hard, how would he, the most outstanding student of the Ancestral Temple, have been willing to spend his entire life in the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books?”
Priest Xin asked uneasily, “Then what should we do?”
Melisandre said, “Still send word to Nian Guang, but I think, in the end, Chen Changsheng will have to resolve this himself. Actually… I am rather curious. That child spent a day at the Lingyan Pavilion, acted as a tourist for a day, cooked for a day, and now, standing before the Heavenly Book Steles, what can he see?”
Inside a magnificent mansion, music and laughter filled the air. This was not the main residence of the Tianhai clan, but Tianhai Shengxue’s own home, so no elders were around to interfere.
Tomorrow, Tianhai Shengxue would set out again for the Yongxue Pass. The noble sons and young masters of the capital who were friendly with him had all gathered here to see him off. At the banquet, it was inevitable that they would bring up the recently concluded Grand Examination and the batch of young people who had just entered the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books. At first, mindful of Tianhai Shengxue’s mysterious withdrawal from the Grand Examination, the young nobles spoke cautiously. But after several rounds of wine, as drunkenness grew, they could no longer restrain themselves, and their words became filled with mockery and disdain for Chen Changsheng and even the Divine Palace.
Tianhai Shengxue said nothing, only listening with a faint smile. Halfway through the banquet, he excused himself to Prime Minister Yuwen Jing’s son beside him and rose to walk toward the rear courtyard. In the rear courtyard, someone was waiting for him. That person was younger than him, with a more noble bloodline and status, but ordinarily, he would never invite that person to his banquets, and he even avoided meeting him as much as possible.
“The people in my household are nearly going mad. Do you think I’m mad too?” Tianhai Shengxue looked at Prince Chenliu with a slight frown. “Your worry that Chen Changsheng will be suppressed in the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books is completely unnecessary. Her Majesty hasn’t spoken, and the Pope has made his stance clear. Who would dare to touch him? And he hasn’t offended Zhou Tong.”
Prince Chenliu’s handsome brows were filled with worry as he said, “You’re not wrong. Someone is trying to influence Chen Changsheng’s stele viewing inside the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, and Zhou Tong really is waiting for him outside the mausoleum.”
(I’m just too tired today, in terrible shape. No matter how I write, it feels wrong… I’m going to get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, there will be three chapters, and they will definitely be three very good chapters.)