by Mao Ni
However, in the end, it still made people feel very unhappy. At times, Chen Changsheng, himself, would forget that he was only fourteen years old. In the end, he was still a youth, possessing his own pride and dignity. After being humiliated, there would always be some emotion.
He walked down the bridge and bought two sesame seed cakes from a stand by the street. Crouching on a stone by the stream, he nibbled on the sesame seed cakes while gazing at the distant Divine General's estate. His mood was a little sour. He knew where this emotion had arisen from, but he also understood that if he let this emotion flood through him, it would harm his body and would be of no help in resolving this problem.
* * *
On the distant Luo River, reflections sailed across the surface of the water like clouds. On the long street opposite the river were wolf riders who had come from the west. Even separated by such a distance, it was still possible to smell the rancid stench arising from the mouths of these massive wolves. A dark shadow drifted across the river. He lifted his head and saw the snow-white wings of a Pegasus as it towed a grand and luxurious carriage north. In an arrow tower on the distant city wall, Red Falcons entrusted with carrying military information were constantly flying in and out. In the even more distant azure sky, the city guard's flying carriages were on patrol, looking just like those bothersome dragonflies outside a temple.
This was the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. There were countless mystical scenes that someone from the rustic countryside would find very difficult to imagine. Chen Changsheng gnawed on the sesame seed cakes and opened his eyes wide, taking in these scenes with relish while comparing them to the records in the Daoist Canon. He didn't know if he would get the chance to see the legendary mystical spirits, like the Spirit Tortoise, which was said to have supported the stone pillars of the Li Palace for more than three thousand years. Maybe there were still those incomparably noble and awesome dragons spoken of in legends inside the Imperial Palace. It was said that the rarest and most respected Golden Dragon had not appeared amongst humans for tens of thousands of years. Would he have an opportunity to see it in the future? That's right, there was also the legendary Phoenix…
The sesame seed cake was delicious and very hard, so eating it was quite the chore. Chen Changsheng originally thought that he had cast the bitter experience he had in the Divine General's estate to the back of his mind and successfully dispelled his sour mood, yet when he thought of the word 'Phoenix’, he thought of the true blood of the Phoenix he had heard about today. He thought about that young lady Xu, who possessed the true blood of the Phoenix, and he thought about those little gifts he received all those years ago.
He looked at the final bit of the sesame seed cake in his fingers and vacantly stared at it for a while. Only then did he put in his mouth, carefully chewing it thirty-two times before swallowing. From his sleeve, he removed a handkerchief, which he used to wipe the crumbs off his hand. Standing and taking up his luggage, he disappeared into the crowd.
He had not noticed that, not far from him in the corner of a street, an unremarkable carriage was parked. On the shaft of the carriage, in some unremarkable place, the dimmed crest of a blood-red Phoenix could be seen. Of course, even if he could see it, he would still not know that this crest represented the estate of the Divine General of the East. After the young lady of the Xu Estate was born, the Divine Empress bestowed the blood-red Phoenix on the Divine General's estate as a new crest. This was a supreme honor and a sort of proclamation.
The war horse hitched to the front of the carriage had the blood of a Unicorn. Its eyes, which looked at the flowing water under the bridge, seemed cold. The eyes of the old lady in the carriage were also cold, but hidden within them were astonishment and wariness.
She had been following Chen Changsheng ever since he left the Divine General's estate. She had not imagined that the youth would be so calm after seeing the capital of the Great Zhou. He was completely unlike an inexperienced child from the countryside. This was because she did not know this youth had grown up with countless scrolls. Within these scrolls, he had seen countless sights, and traveled countless li of roads.
* * *
Xu Shiji sat in his study. His body, which was tall and sturdy as a mountain, emitted a faint smell of blood. In a tree more than ten zhang away on the other side of the window, a kingfisher bird was so alarmed that it buried its head in its wings and didn't dare make a single noise. That powerful Qi, which carried a bloody scent about it, was proof of this Great Zhou Divine General's power and indicated that his current mood was terrible.
What had made his mood so violent was the half of a jade pendant on his table.
"Back then, when Father was Grand Minister, he had the deep trust of the Divine Empress and, following orders, was sent to Mount Tai to preside over the book burning ritual of reporting to the Heavens. The demons wanted to disrupt this affair and sent Gong Yangchun to assassinate Father. Father was heavily wounded. Even when His Holiness the Pope personally came to Mount Tai, Father could not be cured. It was only when a traveling Daoist passed through Taishan County that father's injuries were finally cured. Thus, we have this marriage contract."
Madam Xu said in a low voice, "From the looks of it, that Daoist truly does seem to have some skill."
Xu Shiji lifted his head and looked out the window at the azure sky. "In this boundless universe, the winds follow the tiger and the clouds follow the dragon, and there exist an innumerable number of experts. In the field of medicine, that Daoist could be called a saint, so naturally he can't be ordinary. Otherwise, why would father betroth Little Rong to that person's descendant?"
Madam Xu was somewhat uneasy and advised, "At the moment, the most important thing is that marriage contract…If that Daoist's background is not impressive and if he isn't someone important, it's not necessary to be overly cautious."
Xu Shiji's expression was cold, "Let that young Daoist wake up a little."
Madam Xu's voice dropped even lower, such that one would have to listen carefully to hear her clearly, "That little Daoist doesn't seem to be someone who will take his leave for any random benefits. If he continues to harass us, what then? During next year's opening of the Mausoleum of Books, the southern sects will definitely send a diplomatic mission. At that time, I'm afraid they will formally go to the Imperial Court to propose. We can't let anything go wrong."
Xu Shiji narrowed his eyes like a fierce tiger about to sleep, "Then we just burn him into ashes and toss them into the Luo River."
The rainy season would arrive in the next few days and the Luo River was on the verge of rising. Whether it was bones or ashes, when thrown into the Luo River, they would all quickly disappear.
Chapter 4 – Heavenly Dao Academy
Just like every morning for the past fourteen years, Chen Changsheng woke at five o'clock. Before he opened his eyes, he took five breaths to calm his mind. He got out of bed, put on his shoes and clothes, made the bed, then began to wash his face and rinse his mouth. This done, he went to the front hall of the inn and ate a bowl of duck meat porridge and four meat buns, piping hot from the first batch. He returned to his room and used last night's old tea to rinse his mouth. He looked at a copper mirror and tidied his clothes before he walked out into the small courtyard.
This was not Xining Village's small temple, so he didn't need to cut firewood and fetch water. He turned to the newborn morning fog and the distant daylight which passed through it, closed his eyes, and began to calmly think. In his mind, he silently began to recite the scrolls of the Dao. Only when he felt refreshed did he consider his homework complete. He exited a side door and walked onto the street, which was gradually beginning to grow livelier. In an extremely unremarkable fashion, he mixed into the crowd and started his day.
In his hand was a list of various schools in the capital. After asking for directions to the first school from the market manager, he quickened his steps. He did not notice a carriage following behind him, nor did he re
alize the horse had the blood of a Unicorn. He also didn’t notice the shaft of the carriage carried the gloomy crest of a blood-red Phoenix.
Countless years ago, the Heavenly Tomes descended to the earth, and the minds of the people were opened. They developed countless areas of study, but despite numerous changes, none of them wandered far from the original. They were all chasing the original source, and they were all included in the Daoist Canon: agriculture, business, and every other subject. As for the standard for evaluating these things, it was publicly acknowledged that the most authoritative standard was the Grand Examination held by the Great Zhou Dynasty each year.
The Grand Examination was first created by Emperor Taizu of the Zhou Dynasty. Whether entering the court to become an official, entering the army to become a general, or entering the Orthodoxy to become a priest, the scores from the Grand Examination were the most important criteria. Crucially, Emperor Taizu decreed that only those who ranked in the three banners had the qualifications to enter the Mausoleum of Books and look upon the Heavenly Tomes. Because of this rule, innumerable experts from around the world would congregate at the beginning of the year in the capital. In the very first Grand Examination, Emperor Taizu stood on the city wall and looked down at the geniuses of the various sects of the continent as they swarmed like fish to get in. He laughed and said a set of very famous words that also established the status of the Grand Examination.
The various kingdoms of the south, especially the Longevity Sect and other sects, were extremely displeased by this rule. In their view, although the Mausoleum of Books was in the capital of the Great Zhou, the Heavenly Tomes were divine rocks that had descended to earth, so it was only natural to think that they were the shared wealth of the entire continent. For this reason, the south boycotted the Grand Examination several times, and relations between both sides grew even worse.
However, the Mausoleum of Books was far too important to cultivators. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty was powerful, it could not risk facing condemnation for its monopoly over the mausoleum. The various powers of the south were also incapable of resisting the enticement of entering the Mausoleum of Books and viewing the Heavenly Tomes. Even in the period when the demons were pushed back and the two sides began to gradually distance themselves from each other, the south continued to resist on the surface, but there were still many experts from various sects who came in a private capacity to participate in the Grand Examination.
Finally, when the Divine Empress took power, the Zhou Dynasty, at last, reached an agreement with the southern powers. The various kingdoms and sects of the south could voluntarily send a diplomatic mission to take part in the Zhou Dynasty's Grand Examination. The evaluation would also be performed jointly by both sides. In addition, the students from the south could not accept the titles and offices conferred by the Zhou Dynasty. Everything else was considered equal. In the same way, under this new agreement, the Grand Examination received a new name.
Over countless years, the Grand Examination had selected countless experts. It was said that every one of the present experts who stood at the peak of the continent had once come to the capital of the Great Zhou and participated in the Grand Examination. Everyone knew for a fact that the present Pope of the Orthodoxy and the elder of the south's Holy Maiden Peak had both once been well-known figures in the Grand Examination. Several geniuses from the Demi-human race in the west had transformed into humans and taken part in the test. Even a certain prince of the demons risked coming to the capital, but the previous Pope saw through his disguise, and the demon prince was turned into gray ash by the Pope's divine techniques.
Those were all stories from many years ago. Now, there were different questions on everyone's minds. Would the Longevity Sect's Qiushan Jun take part in next year's Grand Examination? How many of the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws would enter the first banner? Would Xu Yourong break through beforehand and leave Holy Maiden Peak to return to the capital? Would that cold-blooded and mysterious genius expert in the wastelands of the demons appear before the common people for the first time, or would he continue his bloody mutual chase with the demon experts? Besides these things, what most concerned the people of the capital was which geniuses from the schools of the capital would cause their eyes to light up.
Yes, the capital had many schools. When the Divine Empress took power, the government was a harsh ruler, but the style of government was well-ordered and the lives of the people began to gradually improve. Over the past several decades, the world had been at peace and entered a period of prosperity. Many schools had popped up like spring bamboo after the rain. In the last few years, there were even many private schools that especially focused on the Grand Examination, taught in secrets by experts of the Orthodoxy. Of course, the most famous schools were either the most powerful, or those whose history was the longest. Amongst them, there were two schools whose history was even longer than that of the Zhou Dynasty.
Chen Changsheng's list had six schools. The Heavenly Dao Academy, which he was heading to, was ranked first on the list. The fact was that, in the entire continent, the Heavenly Dao Academy had the qualifications to be ranked far in front; in the last two hundred years, students of the Heavenly Dao Academy had obtained the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination twenty-four times. The students who studied there were all extraordinarily gifted. This academy had produced many priests for important positions in the Orthodoxy and consecrated countless cultivating geniuses for various sects. Most importantly, the current Pope of the Orthodoxy had once been a student of this academy.
The Heavenly Dao Academy’s students had obtained the best scores throughout the history of the Grand Examination; naturally, it was the most difficult to enter, yet it still had the greatest number of people attempting its examination. Chen Changsheng walked to the entrance of the Heavenly Dao Academy and saw the majestic and imposing school gate constructed of dark jade. When he saw the academy name, which had been personally written by Emperor Taizu, he began to feel his admiration and yearning rise. However, soon after, this sensation was completely dispelled by the bustling market-like environment around the gate and the pungent smell of sweat and ink. He subconsciously lowered his head.
Before he left Xining, he already calculated the time. The moment when he arrived in the capital was precisely when the great schools were recruiting new students for the springtime. He could also imagine that there would be many people applying for the Heavenly Dao Academy, but he could not imagine that there would be such a frightening number. Especially the crowd of youths leaning around by the gate with naughty expressions, pointing at people in the crowd. Their presence made him feel somewhat out of place.
The clothing those youths were wearing were all very similar. It was mostly black with a golden belt tied around the waist. It was probably the uniform of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Chen Changsheng knew these youths were likely those old students who had failed the Grand Examination at the beginning of the year. These people were proud and arrogant, but they had rather foul moods because they failed the Grand Examination. They would definitely not show a good face to these new students who came to take the examination for the Heavenly Dao Academy. Hearing their sharp and unkind words, seeing the mockery in their eyes, he inadvertently lowered his head even more.
He didn't lower his head because he was afraid, but rather because he was somewhat of a clean freak, both physically and mentally. So, he did not want to smell the stench of sweat coming from the crowd, nor did he wish to hear those words.
"Look at that idiot over there; he looks just like a pig! There are even some pockmarks on his face! Why does he want to stick a fan in his neck? Does he think he's Lord Huanyu? He didn't even think about how those layers of fat on his neck are almost about to snap that fan in two."
"You're right, look at how unstable and weak his footsteps are. At most, he only went through Purification two months ago. It's highly likely that he hasn't even toughened his muscles and bones
yet. To actually dare test for my Heavenly Dao Academy, just what does he think this place is? The Orthodox Academy? Haha…I really don't understand just what all these idiots are thinking. Could it be that with that weak and pitiful spiritual sense, they can become well-read in the Daoist Canon?"
"Well-read in the Daoist Canon? Even that bookworm Gou Hanshi would not dare say these words, right? You sympathize with the bitter experience that idiot will go through in a while, but I sympathize with his father and mother. To suffer some humiliation is only second in importance, while the money spent beforehand can't be gotten back. If I were that idiot fatty's parents, I might as well take the money and go to the altar and buy a few pills for him to eat, make him lose some weight and, at least, get him a wife."
"So what if he gets a wife? Even the Cold Plum Pill only affects himself. In the future, when he has seven or eight sons and daughters who are all as fat and stupid as he is, raising a pack of pigs, are you telling me that's a good thing?"
Those students were heartily laughing while unrestrainedly discussing these examinees. Their words were exceptionally difficult to listen to, and they didn't even attempt to control their volume. Perhaps they even meant for the targets of their jeers to hear their commentary. It was extraordinarily repulsive. The fat youth, who was the subject of their discussion, was blushing, but he didn't dare protest; what those students said was the truth. He had only gone through Purification some ten-odd days ago. To get into the Heavenly Dao Academy had always been a near impossibility. Crucially, even if his luck was so good that it defied fate and he was able to enter the academy, he still would not be able to offend these seniors.
