The big ship landed at a port in the south of the Great River Kingdom. The black horse carriage drove onto the land and left silently. It had been more than 70 days since they left the Wilderness. The Great River Kingdom in the south had also received the final news of the war in the Wilderness.
After the black horse carriage left the Wilderness, the West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army suddenly launched an attack on the Tang Army. However, the Tang Army seemed to be well prepared. The Northern Military Camp's cavalry left Helan City and caught the Divine Palace Coalition Army by surprise.
The flames of war once again burned in the Wilderness. But this time, the war had nothing to do with the Desolate. The war lasted for dozens of days. The Tang Army, which was obviously at a disadvantage in terms of the number of soldiers, finally won under the personal command of His Majesty Li Zhongyi.
Because the logistical supply line was too long and there were many powerful Grand Cultivators in the West-Hill Divine Palace, the Tang Army calmly did not continue to move forward after they were sure of their victory. They split into two routes and retreated to Helan City and Tuyang City. The Northeast Border Military Cavalry should have reached the edge of the Wilderness.
What was puzzling was that after His Majesty Li Zhongyi led the Northern Military Camp Cavalry back to Helan City, he did not immediately return to Chang 'an. Instead, he stayed in Helan City.
Some people guessed that the Golden Palace, which had been quiet for too many years, had made a move. More people thought that the Tang Emperor just wanted to take the Empress to a place far away from Chang 'an City to enjoy some quality time.
Although the war in the Wilderness ended with the Tang Army's victory, it was a country against the world. No matter how powerful the Tang Empire was, it still paid a heavy price. As for the West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army, they suffered heavy casualties. It seemed that they would not be able to start another war in a short period of time.
The Headmaster's battle against the heavens should have shocked the entire world. However, because of the West-Hill Divine Palace's strictest blockade and the fact that everyone in the world knelt on the ground and did not dare to look directly at the bright sky, the news did not spread too far, at least outside of the Tang Empire.
During the black horse carriage's journey through the Great River Kingdom, the Headmaster of Academy had once asked Ning Que if he wanted to go to Mogan Mountain to have a look. Now that the Master of Calligraphy had brought the disciples of Black Ink Garden to the battle in the Wilderness and had yet to return, there was only Mo Shanshan on Mogan Mountain. According to the Headmaster of Academy's opinion, it was a great opportunity.
Ning Que understood what opportunity the Headmaster was talking about, but he did not understand why the Headmaster was becoming more and more disrespectful. Sangsang was in the carriage, but the Headmaster still used these words to provoke him, so he firmly refused.
The black horse carriage drove out of the Great River Kingdom and headed northeast. It passed through the hills in the southeast of the South Jin Kingdom and arrived at a lush and beautiful country. It was the West-Hill Divine Kingdom.
Opposite the Taoist Temple in the small town, there was a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes. It was midsummer, and even the West-Hill Divine Kingdom, which was favored by Haotian, was still very hot. The business of the stall should be very bad, but for some reason, the stall was still open, and people would come to buy it every once in a while.
"Eating boiled meat around a stove on a cold and snowy day, hugging ice and eating snow food on a hot summer day. This is admittedly an extremely good enjoyment at the right time, but sometimes, people should not be able to live with themselves. Eating hot pot in the heat of summer, sweating like rain, is for a carefree feeling. Chewing sweet ice in the cold of winter is also for a carefree feeling."
The Headmaster of Academy said, "There are many people who want to try this kind of excitement and pleasure, or should I say, self-abuse. So this stall has been open for more than a thousand years. You should give it a try."
Ning Que bought three roasted sweet potatoes and peeled them with his fingers. He said, "Is there really a roasted sweet potato stall that has been open for more than a thousand years? Isn't it an eternal business? Teacher, don't lie to us. "
The Headmaster of Academy said, "More than a thousand years ago, I often came down from the mountain to eat the roasted sweet potatoes here."
This small town was deep in the West-Hill Divine Kingdom and close to the Peach Mountain. Looking along the river from the stone bridge outside the town, one could see the magnificent West-Hill Divine Palace in the green mountains.
Was the mountain the Headmaster of Academy mentioned the Peach Mountain?
Ning Que was a little surprised and forgot to continue peeling the sweet potatoes.
The Headmaster of Academy took the sweet potatoes from him and quickly peeled them, revealing the soft, yellow, red, and steaming sweet potato flesh. He handed it to Sangsang and said, "I have never seen Haotian before, nor have I dealt with it directly. So I can only guess. But now it seems that my guess is getting closer and closer to the truth. That is why I feel that I am qualified to tell you the story of Haotian. Now that I have finished my story, I want to tell you some stories about me. I wonder if you two are interested. "
Of course, Ning Que and Sangsang were interested.
The world only knew that the Tang Empire had the Academy and the Headmaster of the Academy. The Headmaster of Academy was the highest, but few people knew the story of the Headmaster of Academy. Master Qishan guessed that the Headmaster of Academy had lived for nearly two hundred years. But now Ning Que knew that the Headmaster of Academy had lived for more than a thousand years. How wonderful would a thousand years of life be?
The black horse carriage drove out of the town, crossed the stone bridge and continued along the river. The Peach Mountain where the West-Hill Divine Palace was located appeared in their sight as the road curved.
The Headmaster of Academy finished the roasted sweet potatoes and took the wet towel from Sangsang. He wiped the potato flesh off his lips and beard and wiped his sticky fingers clean. He pointed to somewhere in the east outside the window and said, "Many years ago, there was a country called Lu to the east of the West-Hill Divine Kingdom."
Ning Que said, "Why have I never heard of it?"
The Headmaster of Academy said, "That was a country more than a thousand years ago. It is long gone now."
Ning Que said, "It seems to be a small country and not very famous."
The Headmaster of Academy said unhappily, "That's because you are ignorant and have not read any history books. If you ask those Senior Brothers and Sisters in the Back Mountain, who doesn't know about Lu?"
Ning Que found that he, who was always good at flattery, had made two consecutive mistakes today.
First, he forgot to help his teacher wipe off the food crumbs on his beard. Then, he didn't understand. Since his teacher mentioned the State of Lu at this time, he must have a great relationship with the State of Lu. His casual words were like a slap to his teacher's face. So he hurriedly apologized.
The Headmaster of Academy ignored him and looked at the country that no longer existed. He said, "I was born in Lu …"
Ning Que thought that the feelings of his homeland were indeed inviolable.
The Headmaster of Academy said again, "I am a very ordinary person …"
Ning Que thought that his words were like a slap to the face of everyone in the world.
The Headmaster of Academy did not know that his student had been adding lines in his heart. He continued, "I was originally an ordinary person, so I was like an ordinary person. I studied and learned from a young age. Then I took the exam and worked hard to become an official. Unexpectedly, I offended a powerful official after I tried a case and was forced to resign."
Ning Que asked curiously, "What kind of case?"
The Headmaster of Academy simply said a few words. From his expression, it was obvious that he still felt indignant about what happened in the past.
"You just chopped off that person's head? Do you have any evidence? "Ning Que asked carefully.
The Headmaster of Academy said, "No evidence, but everyone knows that he is an evil person."
Ning Que said sarcastically, "You judged a case without evidence. I don't know how the law of the Tang Empire became the rule of the Academy. Teacher, why did you kill that person? Is he an eyesore to you? "
The Headmaster of Academy said angrily, "I said that Haotian did not have any evidence, but he still went against it."
Ning Que said nervously, "That's because you also did not like Haotian."
The Headmaster of Academy was stunned. After a long silence, he suddenly laughed and said, "Maybe you are wrong. I was still young back then, and my temper might have been a little bad."
Ning Que did not forget to take advantage of the Headmaster of Academy. He laughed and said, "Teacher, you have lived for more than a thousand years, but your temper is not much better."
The laughter stopped abruptly. Ning Que touched the bump on his head caused by the rod and felt that he was such an idiot. He knew that the Headmaster had a bad temper, but why did he still say such things?
…
…
The black horse carriage arrived at the foot of the Peach Mountain.
Ning Que became a little nervous, excited and expectant. However, he was disappointed that the priests and deacons of the Divine Hall did not notice the existence of the black horse carriage. The Headmaster of Academy did not seem to want to go up the Peach Mountain to cut off the peach blossoms. He stopped the horse carriage under a big tree to enjoy the shade.
"I had nothing to do after being stripped of my position. I always felt that it was inappropriate to manage the affairs of the clan. Moreover, the world was chaotic at that time, so I had to live in seclusion."
"I remember that I was already in my thirties. I did not know why, but I suddenly became interested in the Classics of Haotian Taoism. So I began to read and cultivate. I successfully reached the Initial Awareness State and then the Perception State.
"As I said before, I was just an ordinary person. My comprehension and aptitude were very ordinary. Just like ordinary cultivators, I broke through the state step by step. But when I reached the No Doubts State, I began to stagnate."
"In the eyes of ordinary people, even the most ordinary cultivator was great. Therefore, I was not dissatisfied with my cultivation speed. Even if I stagnated, I felt that it was normal."
"The clan had a lot of opinions about me being stripped of my position. But when I could cultivate, their attitude towards me suddenly changed. They sent me to the Peach Mountain to be a deacon."
The Headmaster of Academy pointed at the Divine Hall outside the window and said, "When I arrived at the Divine Hall, a deacon asked me what I wanted to do. I thought that the clan must have spent a lot of money, so I might as well buy an official position with the money."
Sangsang nodded. She felt sad and thought that it would be good to buy cosmetics.
Ning Que also felt that it made sense. He was even more curious about the Headmaster's choice. He asked, "What did you choose?"
The Headmaster of Academy said, "I thought that since I liked reading Classics of Haotian Taoism, I wanted to be the manager of the library."
Ning Que slapped his thigh and said, "Good choice!"
The Headmaster of Academy looked at him in confusion.
Ning Que praised, "All the most powerful and nature-defying figures must have been a librarian. Teacher, you did not like Haotian. I think it was destined from then on. "
…
…
(There is one more chapter.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
