Chapter 228: The Past, How Much Do You Know (Part 2)
These words were crude, and the reasoning was crude too, like a stone—solid, impossible to refute. The Mausoleum of Books was such a special place: if you disregarded seniority and feared no one, then you need not fear anyone here, because before the Heavenly Book Steles, everyone was equal.
Ji Jin trembled with rage, his voice quivering as he said, "Very good, very good. Which family’s disciple are you, daring to..."
"Want to find out my background, then have someone deal with me outside the Mausoleum of Books?"
Tang Thirty-Six said with a look of utter indifference, "I am the sole grandson of the Tang family of Wenshui. If the Huaiyuan is willing to offend my old grandfather, then by all means, go ahead."
No one wanted to offend the Tang family of Wenshui. Even the Saintess Empress treated that stubborn old man with appeasement, at most scolding him for being antiquated and obstinate. The Tang family had millennia of heritage, their terrifying mechanisms, and most crucially, they had money—a great deal of money.
Only then did Ji Jin realize Tang Thirty-Six’s identity. His face turned ashen, his sleeves trembling violently, but there was truly nothing he could do. Of course, he could ignore the rules of the Mausoleum of Books and strike Tang Thirty-Six directly, but then he would no longer be allowed to stay in the Mausoleum. As a Stele Attendant, he would face extremely severe punishment.
Since entering the National Academy, Tang Thirty-Six often acted rough and swore freely, but that was merely a young man’s rebellion, a complement to Chen Changsheng’s overly steady demeanor. A scion of a noble family like him would never lack wisdom. He knew the principle of quitting while ahead better than anyone. He walked to the Stele Hut without pausing, grabbed Chen Changsheng by the hand, and headed down the Mausoleum path, muttering all the way, "Look at you, can’t even win an argument. You’re a disgrace to our National Academy."
Gou Hanshi shook his head with a wry smile, bowed to Mr. Nianguang to take his leave, and followed the two youths down the mountain.
The people around the Stele Hut exchanged glances. The oil lamp hanging in the tree grew dimmer and dimmer, as if nothing had ever happened here.
Leaving the Mausoleum Forest via the mountain path, they jumped over the ditch beside the main road and entered the orange grove. The night woods seemed somewhat gloomy, but the abundant starlight softened the feeling. Chen Changsheng looked at Tang Thirty-Six’s glittering belt and asked, "Why so flashy tonight?"
"‘Flashy’ is an insult in Wenshui. Please don’t describe me that way in the future," Tang Thirty-Six said seriously, then explained, "I woke up in the middle of the night and found you two gone, so I came looking. I was in a hurry and grabbed a random belt from my bag—didn’t have time to check the style."
Chen Changsheng said earnestly, "Good thing you didn’t grab that fur coat by mistake, or you’d have been mistaken for a bear when you showed up."
Tang Thirty-Six clicked his tongue twice and said, "So you do know how to be sarcastic. Why were you acting like a quail earlier? Or do you only attack your own people?"
Chen Changsheng shook his head, unable to continue. Thinking about everything that had happened from morning to night, he asked in confusion, "Why did Senior Ji Jin act that way?"
"People used to think the Archbishop and the old-timers wanted to use you to revive the National Academy. After the Grand Examination, they realized the Pope also values you. Those loyal to the Saintess Empress naturally got nervous. The Southern Sect has never been obedient to the Divine Temple, so being swayed to suppress you is normal."
When Tang Thirty-Six mentioned the Southern Sect, he glanced at Gou Hanshi.
Gou Hanshi smiled but said nothing.
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "That might be part of it, but Senior Ji Jin’s emotions were clearly off."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Then I wouldn’t know."
"Not all Stele Attendants can keep their hearts as still as water. Even if they could when first entering the Mausoleum of Books, as time passes and their cultivation progress stagnates, some inevitably regret their choice. Yet bound by the blood oath they swore and the Mausoleum’s rules, they dare not leave. Psychologically, it’s easy for problems to arise."
Gou Hanshi added, "And in my view, Ji Jin likely believed that Senior Xun Mei had a good chance of becoming a Stele Attendant. But last night, she made that resolute, heroic move and returned her soul to the sea of stars, effectively leaving the Mausoleum. Though it had little to do with us, he blames us, so it’s natural he vents his resentment on you and me."
Chen Changsheng was about to ask: if Ji Jin didn’t want to stay as a Stele Attendant, then Xun Mei leaving and not becoming one should have pleased him. Why such intense hatred? Then he suddenly understood—it was still that lamentable human nature. He couldn’t help but shake his head.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "There’s always been a saying that the Stele Attendants in the Mausoleum of Books are all a bit twisted and unlikeable. But thinking about it, the rules themselves are twisted."
Chen Changsheng said, "It’s indeed somewhat inhumane. I really don’t understand what they were thinking."
Gou Hanshi said, "The temptation of the Heavenly Book Steles is too great for cultivators. And the Stele Attendants hold a special status in the Mausoleum. Every year, new sect disciples entering can receive their guidance. That Mr. Nianguang was clearly entrusted by some big shots in the State Religion to show up earlier and ease things for you."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "That’s likely, but I don’t trust Nianguang."
Chen Changsheng, recalling how he had been extremely disrespectful to that venerable elder earlier, asked in confusion, "Why?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Mr. Nianguang came from the Temple of Worship. Back then, he was brutally suppressed by the geniuses of the National Academy. In a fit of rage, he made a blood oath to become a Stele Attendant. And you are the hope of reviving the National Academy. How could he genuinely look out for you?"
To Chen Changsheng, the National Academy was a dilapidated old garden, a desolate ruin. He couldn’t imagine such a historical scene.
"The National Academy was incredibly arrogant back then, you know?"
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at Gou Hanshi and said, "More arrogant than the current Mount Li Sword Sect."
Gou Hanshi said nothing. He didn’t think the Mount Li Sword Sect was arrogant, but he tacitly agreed with the sentiment.
Tang Thirty-Six was silent for a moment, then said, "But those once-arrogant geniuses are all dead now."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng looked dazed. After a moment, he recalled something and turned to Gou Hanshi, asking, "There are no Stele Attendants from Mount Li in the Mausoleum?"
"There were before," Gou Hanshi said. "Later, the Grandmaster’s Junior Uncle stormed the Mausoleum, gave those two seniors a thorough scolding, and brought them back to Mount Li."
Chen Changsheng was astonished. Someone dared to defy the Mausoleum’s rules? The Grandmaster’s Junior Uncle he mentioned—was that the legendary Little Junior Uncle of Mount Li?
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression didn’t change; he had clearly heard this story before.
Chen Changsheng asked curiously, "What about those two seniors now? No punishment?"
Gou Hanshi said, "Those two seniors are now elders of Mount Li’s Discipline Hall."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Hear that? Whoever’s sword is fastest makes the rules."
What interested Chen Changsheng more was how the Little Junior Uncle of Mount Li had scolded those two fellow disciples in the Mausoleum.
Gou Hanshi said, "The Grandmaster’s Junior Uncle said, ‘Don’t waste your finite life on infinite nonsense.’"
Chen Changsheng was puzzled. "Nonsense?"
Gou Hanshi said, "Yes. The Grandmaster’s Junior Uncle always believed that cultivation itself was nonsense."
Chen Changsheng fell silent.
Thinking of that legendary Little Junior Uncle of Mount Li, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, as if the starry sky were covered by shadows.
In the Mausoleum of Books, they shared a roof with the Mount Li Sword Sect, but the two sides couldn’t truly turn enemies into friends. Gou Hanshi’s calm gentleness didn’t mean much. Guan Feibai and Qijian clearly harbored hostility toward the National Academy, because the name Qiu Shanjun still loomed between them, with no hope of reconciliation.
At the thatched cottage, as they passed the fence, Gou Hanshi suddenly said to Tang Thirty-Six, "I am not a gentleman."
Chen Changsheng was startled. Tang Thirty-Six raised an eyebrow and spread his hands, saying, "You admitted it yourself."
Gou Hanshi said calmly and firmly, "So, I cannot be a hypocrite."
Tang Thirty-Six was silent for a moment, then said, "And then?"
Gou Hanshi smiled and said, "If you call me a hypocrite again in the future, I’ll hit you."
The next morning at five, Chen Changsheng woke up on time. He went to the kitchen, cooked a large pot of porridge, ate two bowls, but didn’t go to observe the steles. Instead, he took out Xun Mei’s notes and began reading by the morning light, holding a pen in his right hand, constantly writing and drawing on paper—though it wasn’t text, just scribbles.
The youths in the cottage gradually got up, ate their porridge, and headed to the Mausoleum. Gou Hanshi greeted him as he left. Guan Feibai said as he left, "Don’t think that just because you cook for us every day, I owe you anything." Qijian said nervously, "I’ll owe you, but I won’t be your friend." Chen Changsheng asked why with a smile. Qijian said, "Because the Senior Brother won’t like you." Tang Thirty-Six was clearly awake but delayed until last to leave. Meeting Chen Changsheng’s puzzled gaze, he replied seriously, "It’s definitely not because I’m afraid Gou Hanshi will hit me."
To Chen Changsheng’s surprise, not long after, Tang Thirty-Six returned to the cottage with a grim face and dragged him outside.
"What’s wrong?"
"Zhong Hui... is breaking through."
The Stele Hut was already crowded with people, a dense sea of them. Chen Changsheng took a rough look and estimated at least a hundred people. Over forty were candidates from this year’s Grand Examination top three. Five Stele Attendants in white robes stood at the periphery. The remaining dozens were likely previous observers who had stayed in the Mausoleum without leaving. In the past two days, these observers had been cultivating at different Stele Huts and hadn’t crossed paths with this year’s newcomers. Now, they had all gathered before the Zhaojing Stele. It was obvious something major was about to happen.
Zhong Hui sat cross-legged on the ground before the Stele Hut, eyes tightly shut, a mist swirling around him.
Ji Jin stood expressionless behind him, clearly guarding him. But for some reason, this senior from the Huaiyuan, with his profound cultivation, looked unusually pale today, as if he had expended a great deal of true essence.
Chen Changsheng’s brows slightly furrowed, vaguely guessing at a possibility.
Suddenly, a gurgling sound of water came from before the Stele Hut.
There was no waterfall or clear spring here. The sound came from Zhong Hui’s body.
The water sound grew louder, as if about to boil.
During the Grand Examination, Chen Changsheng had a similar experience in the Xichen Pavilion and knew this was the precursor to breaking through to the Thorough Understanding realm.
He didn’t look at Zhong Hui but turned his gaze to Ji Jin.
In one night, Zhong Hui was about to cross the threshold of Thorough Understanding. There must be a reason. Ji Jin’s pale face likely stemmed from this.
Just then, Ji Jin also looked at him, his eyes cold and contemptuous.
(Three chapters done, closing up. Two chapters guaranteed tomorrow. The stuff I like is coming.)