Chapter 221: The Past, How Much Do You Know (Part 2)
Those words were rough, and the reasoning was rough too, like a stone—solid, impossible to refute. The Mausoleum of Heavenly Books was such a special place. If you disregarded seniority and feared no one, then here you need fear no one, because before the Heavenly Book Stele, everyone was equal.
Ji Jin trembled with rage, his voice quivering as he said, "Very well, very well. Which family’s disciple are you, to dare..."
"Want to find out my background, then have someone deal with me outside the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books?"
Tang Thirty-Six said with a look of utter indifference, "I’m the sole grandson of the Tang family of Wenshui. If the Huaiyuan Academy is willing to offend my old man, then by all means, go ahead."
No one was willing to offend the Tang family of Wenshui. Even the Saint Empress treated that stubborn old man with appeasement, at most scolding him for being antiquated and obstinate. This was because the Tang family had a millennium of heritage, they possessed fearsome mechanisms, and most crucially, the Tang family had money—a lot of money.
Only then did Ji Jin realize Tang Thirty-Six’s identity. His face turned iron-gray, his sleeves trembling violently, yet he truly had no recourse. Of course, he could disregard the rules of the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books and directly teach Tang Thirty-Six a lesson, 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 crude and foul-mouthed. In truth, it was merely a young man’s rebellion, a complement to Chen Changsheng’s overly steady demeanor. For someone from a noble family like him, how could he lack wisdom? He knew the principle of quitting while ahead better than anyone. He arrived before the Stele Hut, didn’t pause, reached out, grabbed Chen Changsheng, and pulled him down the path of the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, 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. Nian Guang to take his leave, and followed the two youths down the mountain.
The people around the Stele Hut exchanged bewildered glances. The oil lamp hanging in the tree grew dimmer and dimmer, as if nothing had ever happened here.
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Emerging from the Heavenly Book Forest via the mountain path, they jumped over the ditch beside the main road and entered the orange grove. The night made the woods seem somewhat gloomy, but fortunately, the starlight was exceptionally bright tonight, softening that feeling. Chen Changsheng looked at Tang Thirty-Six’s gleaming belt and asked, "Why so flashy and jewel-laden tonight?"
"‘Jewel-laden’ is an insult in Wenshui. Please don’t describe me like that in the future," Tang Thirty-Six said seriously, then explained, "I woke up in the middle of the night and found you two weren’t there, so I came out to look for you. I was in a hurry and just grabbed any belt from my pack—didn’t have time to check the style."
Chen Changsheng said earnestly, "Good thing you didn’t grab that fur cloak 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 like that?"
"In the past, people thought the Archbishop and other elders wanted to use you to revive the National Academy. After the Grand Examination, they realized the Pope also values you. Those loyal to the Saint Empress naturally started getting nervous. The Southern Sect has never been submissive to the Divine Palace, so being swayed by them to suppress you is perfectly normal."
When Tang Thirty-Six mentioned the Southern Sect, he glanced at Gou Hanshi.
Gou Hanshi smiled but said nothing.
Chen Changsheng thought it over and said, "That might be part of it, but Senior Ji Jin’s emotions were clearly off."
"Then I wouldn’t know," Tang Thirty-Six said.
"Not all Stele Attendants can keep their hearts as still as water. Even if they could when first entering the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, as time passes and their cultivation progress stalls, some inevitably feel regret. 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 might have thought Senior Xun Mei was very likely to become a Stele Attendant. But last night, she made that resolute and heroic move, returning her soul to the sea of stars, effectively leaving the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books. Though it had little to do with us, he blames us for it, 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 make him happy—why such intense hatred? Then he suddenly understood. It was still those lamentable human nature issues. He couldn’t help shaking his head.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "There’s always been a saying that the Stele Attendants in the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books are all a bit twisted and unlikeable. But thinking about it, the rules themselves are twisted."
Chen Changsheng said, "It really is somewhat inhumane. I don’t understand what they were thinking."
Gou Hanshi said, "The temptation of the Heavenly Book Stele is too great for cultivators. Moreover, Stele Attendants hold a special status in the mausoleum. Every year, new sect disciples entering can receive their guidance. That Mr. Nian Guang was clearly entrusted by some big shots in the State Religion to step in and ease things for you earlier."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "That’s likely, but I don’t trust Nian Guang."
Chen Changsheng, recalling how he had been extremely disrespectful to that venerable senior earlier, asked in confusion, "Why?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Mr. Nian Guang came from the Ancestral Temple. Back then, he was brutally suppressed by that batch of geniuses from the National Academy. In a fit of anger, 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 simply 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 acknowledged the comparison.
Tang Thirty-Six was silent for a moment, then said, "But those once-arrogant geniuses are all dead now."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng’s expression grew dazed. After a moment, he remembered something and looked at Gou Hanshi, asking, "Are there no Stele Attendants from Mount Li in the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books?"
"There were before," Gou Hanshi said. "Later, the Grandmaster’s Junior Brother stormed the mausoleum, gave those two seniors a thorough scolding, and brought them back to Mount Li."
Chen Changsheng was astonished, thinking someone dared to defy the mausoleum’s rules. The Grandmaster’s Junior Brother he mentioned—was that the legendary Mount Li Little Junior Master?
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression remained unchanged; he clearly knew this story.
Chen Changsheng asked curiously, "What about those two seniors now? Were they punished?"
"Those two seniors are both elders of our Mount Li Discipline Hall," Gou Hanshi said.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Hear that? Whoever’s sword is fastest makes the rules."
What interested Chen Changsheng more was how that Mount Li Little Junior Master had scolded his fellow disciples in the mausoleum.
Gou Hanshi said, "The Grandmaster’s Junior Brother said, ‘You can’t waste your finite life on infinite nonsense.’"
Chen Changsheng was surprised. "Nonsense?"
Gou Hanshi said, "Yes. The Grandmaster’s Junior Brother always believed that cultivation itself was nonsense."
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
Thinking of that legendary Mount Li Little Junior Master, he suddenly felt a heavy weight on his shoulders, as if the starry sky were covered by shadow.
In the Mausoleum of Heavenly 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. People like Guan Feibai and Qijian clearly harbored hostility toward the National Academy, because the name Qiu Shanjun still stood between them, with no hope of reconciliation in sight.
When they reached the thatched cottage and 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, "So you admit it yourself."
Gou Hanshi said calmly and firmly, "Therefore, 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."
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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 stele. Instead, he took out Xun Mei’s notes and began reading by the morning light. In his right hand, he held a pen, constantly writing and drawing on paper, though it wasn’t clear what he was writing—definitely not words.
The youths in the cottage got up one after another, ate their porridge, and headed for the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books. 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 become your friend." Chen Changsheng smiled and asked why. Qijian said, "Because the Senior Brother won’t like you." Tang Thirty-Six was clearly awake but waited until last to leave. Meeting Chen Changsheng’s puzzled gaze, he answered very 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 surrounded by a dense crowd. Chen Changsheng took a rough look and estimated at least a hundred people. Among them were over forty examinees from this year’s Grand Examination’s top three ranks. Five Stele Attendants in white robes stood at the periphery. The remaining dozens were likely previous stele observers who had stayed in the mausoleum without leaving. In the past two days, these former observers had been cultivating separately at different Stele Huts, not meeting this year’s newcomers. But today, they had all gathered before the Zhaojing Stele. Clearly, 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 acting as his protector. But for some reason, this senior from the Huaiyuan Academy, who was of high 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 here, no clear spring. This sound came from Zhong Hui’s body.
The water sound grew louder, as if about to boil.
During the Grand Examination, Chen Changsheng had experienced something similar in the Xichen Pavilion and knew this was the precursor to breaking through to the Tongyou realm.
He didn’t look at Zhong Hui but instead at Ji Jin.
In just one night, Zhong Hui was about to cross the threshold of Tongyou. There must be a reason. Ji Jin’s pale face was likely the cause.
Just then, Ji Jin also looked at him, his gaze cold and disdainful.
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