After visiting the school, Pei Zi Yun then entered the side hall of the Ancestral Hall and flipped through a book on the Pei Clan Records.
The Pei Clan's genealogy was very thin. The first page recorded the history of the Pei Clan, dating back four hundred years. The second page recorded his grandfather's generation, and the third page recorded his father's generation, as well as the current generation of men.
Pei Zi Yun looked at it for a long time before putting it down. Third uncle then said, "It's about time. Let's return to the village. The shed and stage have been built. Let's enjoy the show."
"Alright!" Pei Zi Yun nodded his head and walked out. When he walked out, he saw Pei Qian Shi. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was burning some paper in a brazier.
Today was the opening of the Ancestral Hall, and according to the rules, women were not allowed to enter. However, they were allowed to enter during normal times. Pei Qian Shi was standing at the entrance, burning paper money and crying as she spoke.
"Mother, look!"
Pei Qian Shi received the High Scholar's document and saw the seal of the prefecture. Her hands trembled as she thought of her own husband. Before his memorial tablet was placed in the ancestral hall, it had been kept in secret at home. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed. She then cried out, "Husband, when you were still alive, you said that you hoped that Pei 'er would become a High Scholar, and bring honor to our ancestors. Now that Pei' er has become a High Scholar, I have waited for more than ten years, and finally this day has come."
Pei Qian Shi's eyes turned red as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Pei Qian Shi choked on her sobs for a moment before she stopped crying. She then looked relieved and stood up, "Husband, I've finally done you justice, I've done justice to the Pei family."
The moment Pei Qian Shi stood up, Pei Zi Yun could feel his Plum Blossom vibrating. He guessed that the task of becoming a High Scholar had been completed. He then said, "I shall place this document on the table, and show it to the ancestors."
This was to be expected, and no one felt anything strange about it. They watched as Pei Zi Yun walked in. Speaking of which, it was strange. This ancestral hall had just been built, and when he first walked in, he didn't feel anything. But now, he felt something different. It was cold and gloomy, as well as spacious and gloomy. A fragrant aroma filled the air.
"System!"
A small White Plum Blossom appeared in front of his eyes. It quickly grew bigger and became a translucent information interface. A line of red words appeared: "Pass the High Scholar Exam and fulfill your family's wish (Completed, can be extracted)"
"Withdraw!"
A white flower petal appeared between his eyebrows, and a moment later, a red but transparent flower petal appeared beside it. Specks of spiritual light resembled starlight.
Seeing this, Pei Zi Yun sucked in a deep breath.
"I've obtained half of the second petal. I can absorb the Dao Aura now."
"It's a pity that this legacy is even rarer than thinking."
"This isn't something that everyone has entrusted themselves to. It's something that a person has worked hard for more than ten years before finally condensing. This is simply sincerity."
"With sincerity, the metal and stone will have a spirit. This is what sustenance is."
"It's already not bad if one out of a hundred is sincere in literature and the Dao."
"But the rogue cultivator from the Black Wind Bandits last time didn't even have a cultivation technique worth laughing at. But he kept his sincerity in his heart and in his actions. That's why it became a burden."
Pei Zi Yun stood in the middle of the ancestral hall and shook his head, "Now, it's all mine."
"The original owner had suffered many trials and tribulations. He was afraid that if he gave me the Plum Blossom, I wouldn't fulfill his wishes. So he set a limit in this life. If I couldn't fulfill his wishes, he wouldn't give me the authority. This really gave me a headache."
"But that's true. If the original owner didn't set up the restrictions, I would've found a loophole and entered the Immortal Sect. Why would I have to bear all the responsibilities, killing day and night, and people coming to harm me?"
After sighing for some time, Pei Zi Yun regained his senses. The Plum Blossom between his brows disappeared. He placed the scroll on the table and bowed before turning around to leave.
The memorial tablet was a temporary place for the soul to reside in. Placing it in the ancestral hall was akin to placing it in a mansion. Placing it in a house would make one feel uneasy. Hence, the ancestral hall was a place of Yin energy, and one could not stay in it for long.
The memorial tablet glowed brightly, and a shadow of a person appeared on it. It looked like it was made out of smoke, and its body was covered with black Qi. If it wasn't for the talisman, it would have turned to ash long ago.
When the High Scholar's scroll was placed on top of the tablet, it started to emit a white light with a tinge of red. The black Qi was reduced by several degrees, and a thin layer of light enveloped the tablet, preventing the black Qi from corroding it.
The shadow on the memorial tablet looked similar to Pei Zi Yun. As it watched Pei Zi Yun leave, it called out softly, "Mother Ping, Yun 'er."
There was a talisman attached to the memorial tablet. As the talisman appeared, it started to burn and turn into ashes.
The shadow of the middle-aged man also turned into ashes along with the talisman, and disappeared into the tablet. At the same time, a middle-aged Daoist was meditating in a Daoist temple. He sighed, "Brother Yuan Shen, your bad karma has been resolved. This is a cause for celebration."
When Pei Zi Yun stepped out of his house, he heard the sound of firecrackers being set off. He then headed back to the village together.
The last time he became an Elementary Scholar, it was already very lively. This time, the scale of the hut was even bigger. Fish, chicken, meat, meatballs, and the aroma of meat permeated the air. When Pei Zi Yun reached the entrance of his house, he saw an empty field. In front of the field, there was a table set up. This was where the nearby Elementary Scholars were seated.
Pei Zi Yun smiled and clasped his hands in acknowledgement. He then turned to the Chief Patrol Officer, "Your excellency, please take a seat."
"Master Top Scorer, please!" After exchanging pleasantries, they took their seats.
Behind them, there were no more huts. Cao San, who had followed the Chief Patrol Officer, led a group of archers to the table. There were also some landlords, students and doctors. A stage was set up in the middle of the hall. Seeing that the guests had taken their seats, the Chief Patrol Officer shouted, "Let the show begin!"
Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but laugh. Seeing that everyone had taken their seats and the show was about to begin, the dishes were served.
Pei Zi Yun toasted each and every one of them. Even though he was the Chief Patrol Officer, he was still a martial artist. Initially, he was seated high up in the hall, enjoying the scenery and chatting. He talked about things like 'Today's laws and taxes are equal and the people are peaceful'. Then he talked about 'Our county's goods are becoming more and more plentiful'. After a few cups of wine, he was intoxicated and could only stare at the stage.
Towards the end, they started to play finger-guessing games and guessing the riddles. Everyone's faces were flushed red. The banquet lasted from dusk until night fell.
At night, Pei Qian Shi was a little talkative as she pulled Pei Zi Yun aside to talk about many things. Most of them were about Pei Zi Yun's father. Only when it was late did she finally go to sleep. Pei Zi Yun wasn't annoyed at all. He patrolled around and saw that the Chief Patrol Officer was snoring in his room.
Cao San and the other archers were in the same room. There was a blanket on the floor and he was snoring as well.
"This Chief Patrol Officer is really capable. He knows when to yield and when to stand tall." Many people thought that martial artists were straightforward. However, this impression was wrong. Didn't you notice that the Chief Patrol Officer's attitude towards Pei Zi Yun had changed so many times?
However, this was human nature. If Pei Zi Yun were to become a Grand Scholar, there was no need for him to be friends with the Chief Patrol Officer.
However, if he were to enter an immortal sect, he would only be a Grand Scholar. That would be a fitting role for him. On one hand, he would be a law enforcer in the county. On the other hand, he would be a famous Top Scorer.
Thinking about this, Pei Zi Yun turned around. Although he could spend more time thinking about this, it wasn't the most important thing right now. What he needed to do now was to absorb the Spiritual Host, form his spiritual roots, and complete his Dao arts. He then entered his room.
At this point, although the house was a little narrow, Pei Zi Yun already had the intention of demolishing it and building a new one. However, the interior of the bedroom was very elegant. The walls were lined with mulberry paper, the bed was in the middle, the screen was in the middle, and the bookshelf was by the window. Pei Zi Yun ran towards the bookshelf and took out a book.
He placed the old book under his pillow and lay down. As soon as his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
…
There was no one in front of him. Voices came from afar.
Standing in the middle of the crowd and looking ahead, the sound of firecrackers could be heard. People were crowding around, shouting, "The bridal sedan is here, the bride is here!"
The sound of trumpets, gongs, and drums rang out continuously. The wedding procession was getting closer and closer. It was a sea of red that stung people's eyes. On the street, they saw the groom.
The groom rode on a white horse with a big red flower tied to his chest. He smiled and cupped his hands to his left and right. Behind him was a bridal sedan chair.
He seemed to want to move forward, but he could not move a single step.
"Wen Niang …"
It sounded like someone was shouting. It was so weak that even he could not hear it. However, the bridal sedan chair seemed to move slightly, revealing a corner of the sedan chair.
When he looked up, he saw a pair of eyes filled with tears.
In a split second, they saw each other. In another split second, someone bumped into the sedan chair, pushing it to the side. When he looked up again, the bridal sedan chair had already passed by.
The crowd dispersed in twos and threes, taking a deep breath. The sky had turned dark, and the wind was getting stronger.
"Don't you regret it?"
"This is the lady you love the most."
"..." He hurriedly left. For the sake of cultivation, how could he look back? His tears mixed with his footsteps. After some time, he could hear voices from afar. He arrived at a house. It was quiet inside, and nobody was inside. He pushed open the door, and saw a person weaving. Her hair was white, and her movements were laborious.
"Mother!"
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and blood stained his face. He stretched out his hand to touch it, and saw her white hair. He leaned closer and stretched out his hand, "Mother!"
The night was raining. Just as she raised her head, everything was gone.
…
"Ah!" Pei Zi Yun flipped over and sat up. He realized that he had only slept for a short while. The newly lit candles were burning, and tears rolled down his cheeks. An indescribable feeling filled his chest, and his body trembled slightly.
Indeed, he had a dream, just like the previous few times.
He was a student who had hopes of becoming an Elementary Scholar. One day, he came across a Dao book. This Dao book ignited the flames of his desire to become an Immortal.
He did not care about his old mother, and did not see the tears of his beloved. He focused on cultivation, and struggled to become an Immortal. In the blink of an eye, everything had left him.
As time passed, he decided to go against the flow. His sick mother passed away, and he lost her. He threw himself into the path of cultivation, even if he was a thief, even if he practiced evil techniques.
In the blink of an eye, tens of years had passed. However, the breakthrough was like a dream. When he died, he felt a deep sense of hopelessness.
"Do you regret it?"
Yes, he regretted it. All he wanted was to return to the past. He burned the Dao books, read the books, and made his mother laugh. He wanted to marry the lady he loved, and never walk the path of cultivation again.
When he awoke from his dream, Pei Zi Yun touched his face, and felt his own tears. A sense of hopelessness lingered in his heart, and could not be shaken off. This was his unwillingness to die.
After calming himself down, this feeling slowly dissipated.
Although it was still midnight, there were crickets chirping outside. He pushed open the window, and saw a bright moon hanging in the sky. The moonlight shone in, and Pei Zi Yun pointed at a tree.
The tree moved without any wind. He already had spiritual roots.
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