Chapter 554: What Life Cannot Bear...
Popular Recommendations: , , , , , , ,
"I will learn to treat these stone beads as beautiful ornaments, not as Heavenly Book Stele."
Xu Yourong looked at him calmly and said, "And now, I'm a bit hungry."
Xun Mei's thatched cottage had not been lived in for a long time, covered in dust, but all kinds of utensils were still complete.
Chen Changsheng went to the garden to pick two handfuls of greens, plucked a dozen or so chili peppers, cut half a piece of cured meat into slices, layered them with honey, and steamed them. Paired with white rice, it made a fragrant meal.
Xu Yourong ate very contentedly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Afterward, they discussed the Grand Examination and the upcoming Stone Boiling Conference, as well as how to leave the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books.
To avoid being seen and thus having others guess something, which would stir up even more rumors in the capital, they agreed to leave separately. Xu Yourong would go first, while Chen Changsheng would stay an extra day in the Mausoleum. But they never expected this to be a blatant cover-up, impossible to hide from anyone.
Or rather, it was like covering one's ears while stealing a bell.
However, before Xu Yourong could leave, an uninvited guest arrived at the small courtyard.
The visitor was Ji Jin, a Stele Attendant from Huaiyuan Academy. Whether he recognized Xu Yourong's identity or had guessed something, he stood by the wicker fence, his expression somewhat desolate, his face pale. The resentment and unwillingness in his eyes were gone, replaced by something complex and indescribable.
Chen Changsheng was about to say something, but Xu Yourong gestured for him to wait.
Her sleeves fluttered lightly as she walked to the fence. Looking at Ji Jin with an indifferent expression, she said, "I will propose revoking your status as a Stele Attendant and expelling you from the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books."
Sunlight filtered through the branches of the orange grove and plum trees, falling on her face.
That extraordinarily beautiful face instantly gained a few more degrees of sacred solemnity.
Because when she said these words, she was the lofty Southern Holy Maiden.
Becoming a Stele Attendant of the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books was an extremely difficult task, requiring a blood oath of extreme nature, one that truly carried some kind of heavenly power.
Once such a blood oath was sworn and one became a Stele Attendant, they gained the freedom that cultivators dreamed of—to be in constant proximity to the Heavenly Book Stele. At the same time, they lost the freedom to leave the Mausoleum, spending their entire lives studying the Stele within, never taking a single step outside.
Countless years had passed since the State Religion established this rule, and there had been only one exception—when Su Li stormed the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, berated two Stele Attendants from the Li Mountain Sword Sect, and forcibly took them back to Li Mountain.
Those two Stele Attendants later became the two elders of the Li Mountain Discipline Hall, and were also one of the main causes of the internal strife at Li Mountain.
The Mausoleum of Heavenly Books held an irresistible allure for cultivators, like an endless beautiful dream.
The deeper one's mastery of the Dao, the longer they studied the Heavenly Book Stele, the more reluctant they were to leave.
Even a cultivation master of Xun Mei's extraordinary talent took decades to awaken from it.
To revoke a Stele Attendant's blood oath and expel them from the Mausoleum, only the Pope or the Holy Maiden had that authority. Moreover, the Stele Attendant would suffer the backlash of the blood oath, an extremely painful ordeal.
Hearing Xu Yourong's words and seeing Ji Jin's face instantly turn pale, his body trembling uncontrollably, Chen Changsheng felt a sense of alertness.
He thought that Ji Jin, subjected to such humiliation and severe punishment, would surely be furious to the extreme, possibly even going mad and attacking Xu Yourong.
But Ji Jin did not erupt in rage. After a moment, he gradually calmed down and bowed to Xu Yourong from across the fence.
He made a deep, respectful bow, touching the ground, appearing utterly reverent.
His voice trembled slightly, filled with emotion and a hint of bewilderment.
"Thank you for your mercy, Holy Maiden. Ji Jin is endlessly grateful and will repay you with his life."
Watching Ji Jin's figure gradually disappear into the woods, Chen Changsheng was puzzled.
"Why?"
"Because he wants to get out."
"I heard... the backlash of the blood oath is terrifying."
"In the end, it's less terrifying than being unfree."
"But didn't they become Stele Attendants voluntarily?"
"People's thoughts often change over time in ways they never could have imagined."
Xu Yourong walked over to him and said, "For many cultivators, the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books is the most beautiful dream, but also the longest imprisonment."
Chen Changsheng vaguely remembered hearing a similar saying before.
She continued, "Actually, I've had this idea for a long time. I plan to convince the senior masters at the academy to discuss with the Li Palace about changing this rule."
Chen Changsheng looked at her strikingly beautiful features, finding her more and more admirable, and said sincerely, "You're a good person."
Then he added, "If the Li Palace doesn't agree to the Nanxi Academy's request, when I become Pope in the future, I'll also fight to abolish this rule."
Xu Yourong said softly, "You're a good person too."
...
...
The next day, Chen Changsheng left the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books and, escorted by several Red Cardinals, returned to the National Academy.
At that time, the morning light was faint, the western sky still dark as night. It was very early. He was about to go to the newly built kitchen across the lake to find Xuan Yuan Po for some food when he suddenly saw a completely unexpected person on the large banyan tree. Startled, he asked, "What happened?"
Except for very rare special circumstances, Tang Thirty-Six would never get up this early. But now he was standing on the branch of the banyan tree, gazing into the distance. Whether he hadn't slept all night or something else was going on, he didn't look at Chen Changsheng, still staring into the distance, and asked coldly, "Do you know what the most painful thing in the world is?"
Chen Changsheng shook his head.
Tang Thirty-Six sneered and said, "The most painful thing in the world is that while people like us are exhausted like dogs and pigs, some people still have the leisure to go on dates. And on top of that, you have to keep someone's secret. Well done... sneaking a rendezvous in the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books."
After the National Academy's recruitment, the first test the new students faced was the Grand Examination. For the upcoming Grand Examination, both Tang Thirty-Six and Su Moyu were extremely busy. Even Zhe Xiu occasionally gave lessons to the students, using pain and blood to teach them what true combat was.
Yet Chen Changsheng, as the dean of the National Academy, had completely ignored this matter.
Tang Thirty-Six's real pain, however, came down to those two words: keeping a secret.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong had known each other since the Zhou Garden, had mutual feelings, and often met in private. This secret was now known only to him in the capital.
Once a secret was known, the person carrying it often felt much more relaxed, like Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong these days.
But the one who knew the secret but couldn't tell anyone inherited their pain and pressure, even greater than theirs.
Rumors spread throughout the capital. Everyone was saying that Chen Changsheng was hopelessly in love with Xu Yourong but couldn't have her. Tang Thirty-Six wished he could spit in those people's faces, wished he could reopen Cheng Lake Tower, stand on its roof, and tell the thousands of citizens this story, revealing the secret of those two to the world.
But he couldn't do that, so he was in pain, even a bit angry.
Chen Changsheng looked at him, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Back then, you were the one who told me to endure."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and said, "But I can't endure it much longer."