Liu Bai's name was still at the top of the second page, followed by Jun Mo, Ye Su, Tang, and Qi Nian. Each of these names represented the most powerful cultivators in the world.
Ye Hongyu looked at the "Ri" Handscroll in front of her expressionlessly. She had lived in the Zhishou Abbey for a period of time, but had no chance to come into contact with the seven volumes of the Tomes of Arcane. As such, she was still a little nervous. The way the "Ri" Handscroll was presented made her feel the greatness of the omnipotent Haotian once again.
She slowly flipped the pages and saw more familiar or unfamiliar cultivators' names appearing in front of her. One of the names made her frown slightly. It was Long Qing's name.
The ink used to write Long Qing's name seemed to have been mixed with a lot of water, so the handwriting on the "Ri" Handscroll was very faint and a little gray. The structure of the two characters was obviously a little unstable, as if it could break out of the paper at any time, or disappear at any time.
Ye Hongyu looked at Long Qing's name and shook her head. She continued to flip the pages, but after reading the "Ri" Handscroll from beginning to end, she still could not find Ning Que's name. She frowned and said, "Is he really dead?"
The middle-aged Taoist was hanging the brush that he had washed on the brush holder, and then he adjusted the position of the brush holder to ensure that it would be exposed to enough but not too hot sunlight. After looking at it for a while, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Uncle, I'm done," Ye Hongyu said.
The middle-aged Taoist walked forward and closed the heavy "Ri" Handscroll. He looked at her and shook his head. He said, "It's a pity to use such a precious opportunity to confirm whether Ning Que is dead or alive."
Ye Hongyu shook her head and said, "In my opinion, the only person in the Academy who can truly threaten Haotian Taoism is Ning Que. So whether he is dead or alive is very important to me."
The middle-aged Taoist frowned slightly and said, "Why do you say that?"
Ye Hongyu said, "People say that the Academy is faithless, but the people inside are still restricted by certain rules, such as morality, the law of the Tang Empire, etiquette, and demeanor. Mr. First and Mr. Second are naturally great people, but the destruction they can cause can be predicted if they are restricted by these rules."
"Ning Que is not restricted by any law. If he wants to do something, morality, the laws of the Tang Empire and etiquette will become meaningless to him. He will not know what demeanor is. If Ning Que was in the position of Mr. First or Mr. Second, he would not have stopped after destroying the Buddha statue and the Lanke Temple. He would have killed Qi Nian and found a way to destroy the Xuankong Temple."
The middle-aged Taoist asked, "Why are you so sure of his actions?"
Ye Hongyu said, "Because we are the same kind of people."
The middle-aged Taoist said, "Perhaps you are right. Fortunately, Ning Que is dead. No matter how terrible he could have become, the possibility has ended."
Ye Hongyu said again, "Other than valuing Ning Que, I am willing to choose the" Ri "Handscroll because I do not care what I can learn from it. Two of the seven Tomes of Arcane have been lost. Ye Su read six of them. It would be meaningless for me to read all five of them, let alone one."
The middle-aged Taoist sighed and said, "After so many years, you still regard your brother as your goal."
Ye Hongyu thought of the thunder by the Blue Lake last autumn and said coldly, "He used to be my only goal. But after last autumn, he is only a temporary goal on my path of cultivation."
The middle-aged Taoist said, "Ye Su should be very happy with your change."
Ye Hongyu looked into the middle-aged Taoist's eyes and said, "But I am not happy … because Long Qing stole the Tomes of Arcane. I really want to kill this thief, but you won't let me. Why is that?"
The middle-aged Taoist did not speak.
Ye Hongyu said, "I used to wonder if Long Qing was the Son of Yama. Since he is not, why doesn't the Divine Hall allow the Judicial Department to enter the Wilderness to kill him? Are you raising a tiger? "
The middle-aged Taoist smiled slightly and still did not speak.
Ye Hongyu stared into his eyes and said, "Actually, what makes me most uneasy is what happened in the Lanke Temple. Why did the Buddhism Sect know that the Daughter of Yama had come to the world, but our Haotian Taoism reacted so slowly? Why did the Divine Priest of Light choose Sangsang as his successor? Did he not see through it before he died? "
The middle-aged Taoist looked at her and sighed. "I know you have doubts. But your Senior Brother, who can answer your doubts, is still traveling in the South Sea. I am as confused as you."
Ye Hongyu walked out of the hut and came to the lake.
She put her hands behind her back and her robe fluttered. She looked at the green mountain in the distance behind the Taoist temple.
When she lived in the temple, she and Chen Pipi were forbidden to go near the green mountain. She did not know what was in the mountain, but she clearly felt that the mountain was dangerous.
Now that she had become the Great Divine Priest of Judgment of West-Hill, her state was profound. Naturally, she was not as afraid as she was when she was young. She even had a strong urge to explore it.
"Do you want to know what is in the mountain?"
The middle-aged Taoist walked to her side and followed her gaze to the green mountain.
Ye Hongyu did not hide her thoughts. She nodded.
The middle-aged Taoist said, "That green mountain is the strength of our Haotian Taoism in the past and the glory of the future."
Ye Hongyu vaguely guessed something. She raised her eyebrows and asked, "When will the future come?"
The middle-aged Taoist said, "Probably until the person who made our Haotian Taoism no longer strong leaves."
Ye Hongyu was silent for a long time. Then she said, "No one can see how far the future is."
The middle-aged Taoist said, "Everyone will grow old and die. No matter how great a person is, he can't get rid of the shackles of this rule. Only eternity is truly far in the world. So the future will not be too far."
…
…
No one could live forever. That was why death seemed far away to everyone, but it was actually very close. It often came without any warning and seemed to be understated.
In the autumn of the 16th year of Tianqi era, many things happened in Chang 'an. But what really caught everyone's attention were the funerals that happened one after another.
In winter, the old Grand Secretary Wang passed away. This veteran of three dynasties of the Tang Empire and a bigwig who was extremely important to the balance of the imperial court. It was said that before he died, he held the Chicken Soup Calligraphy and looked at it for a whole night. In the end, he took back his last words of letting the Chicken Soup Calligraphy be buried with him. Then he peacefully closed his eyes forever.
The Old Chancellor, who had fought with Grand Secretary Wang for his whole life, also passed away before the winter snow melted. Jin Wucai, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, conveyed the last words of the Old Chancellor to the officials and students waiting in the manor. She said that since it was too troublesome to move his grave, he should be buried next to Grand Secretary Wang, which would be a good way to have fun.
In the spring of the next year, Chu Xiongtu, the Sixteenth Guard General of the Tang Empire also passed away due to illness. Soon after, several ministers passed away. The white banners on the streets of Chang 'an had no chance to be taken down.
These old ministers and generals who passed away were already very old. It was normal for them to occasionally catch a cold or even grow old naturally. But because they had left for too long, half of the mainstays of the two dynasties in the Tianqi era had passed away in this year, which inevitably made people feel a little uneasy.
What was even more unsettling was that the lung disease of the Defender-general of the State Xu Shi was getting worse. Even if he was forced to return to the southern frontline by His Majesty, the humid air seemed to be unable to alleviate his illness as it had in previous years. And according to the news from the palace, the coughing in the imperial study was also getting lower and lower. His Majesty's temper was getting worse and worse, and the number of times he scolded an idiot was far higher than the average number of years ago.
The students of the front yard of the Academy graduated. Most of the foreign students returned home, and one-third of them stayed in Chang 'an. The Tang students either joined the court or joined the army.
Chu Xiongtu's grandson, Chu Zhongtian, followed his grandfather's last words and started from the basic officer of the Yulin Royal Guards. Zhong Dajun returned to Yangguan City and immediately took over a low-ranking but extremely important official position. The Zhong family was a big family in Qinghe Prefecture. As long as he stayed in Yangguan City and did his job well, and did not make any big mistakes, he would soon be promoted again.
Among these Academy students, the most shocking one was Situ Yilan, the daughter of General Yunhui and a friend of Her Highness the Princess. She actually snatched a place from the Military Ministry and went north to the Gushan Commandery to be a female Lieutenant under Hua Shanyue's command. She had taken the first firm step towards the goal of becoming the first female general of the Tang Empire.
Situ Yilan's decision shocked the whole city of Chang 'an. In the beginning, people didn't understand and even mocked her, but later, they became silent and respectful. People in Chang' an experienced a change in thinking, and they learned or understood something from it.
Hua Shanyue was no longer the County Captain, but the military supervisor of the three states. In the northeast hilly area of the Tang Empire, besides the Northeast Border Military whose main camp was in Tuyang City, he was the most powerful.
After Xian Zhilang returned from the Lanke Temple with the diplomatic corps, he was not affected by the changes in the Lanke Temple. He successfully took over Xiahou's position and became the Great General of the North.
And General Shu Cheng, because of his meritorious service in cooperating with the Academy in dealing with the disguised Horse Gang of the Northeast Border Military in the Wilderness a few years ago, he took over Xian Zhilang's position and became the Great General of the West, facing the Yuelun Kingdom.
Birth, old age, sickness and death were common, and so was the metabolism.
During the Tianqi era, the old people who were like stars in the sky gradually left the world. Naturally, there would be new talents to fill the empty positions. The most powerful thing about the Tang Empire was that this land was most suitable for the growth of towering trees. However, many people had already noticed that as time passed, the new generation gradually took over, and Princess Li Yu's power became more and more powerful.
The only thing that could make the Empress's party feel relieved was that Ning Que, who killed General Xiahou, had disappeared. If that person was still alive, then the Academy would definitely choose to support Li Yu, no matter because of his close relationship with Li Yu or the irreconcilable hatred between him and the Empress.
…
…
(These chapters are definitely mainly narration. I will try to finish the next chapter before 12: 30. Now, well, I won't say anything more. It's just that I'm in a bad situation.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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