"…"
Mo Xi crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the pillar behind Gu Mang. "Do you think Ji Hui is familiar?"
"Yes, I think I've seen him before, but I've forgotten about him."
Mo Xi raised his eyebrows slightly. "Ji Hui passed away a few hundred years ago. I'm afraid you've got the wrong person. "
Gu Mang was unwilling to give up. He stared at the portrait and looked it over and over again. Finally, he said with certainty, "I'm sure I've seen someone who looks like him. Do you think he's still alive because he ascended and became an immortal? "
"Impossible."
"Why?"
"Ji Hui died because his spiritual nucleus was damaged. That was also his battle to become an immortal," Mo Xi said. "Since then, Chong Hua didn't have a second 'Hui'."
Both of them had experienced the pain of having their spiritual nucleus destroyed. Gu Mang subconsciously twitched and asked, "Why was his spiritual nucleus destroyed? Was it because he did something bad? "
"Ji Hui has always been a man of honor. If you want to talk about what he did wrong … it's probably that he made an exception and took in a disciple of the school." Mo Xi paused. "He trusted the wrong person."
The man in the portrait was lying in the handkerchief attached to the scroll. His gaze was peaceful and calm, seeming to be compassionate but also gentle.
Gu Mang murmured, "He trusted the wrong person … but it's not written in these books?"
"'The Old History of Chong Hua' is only a brief history book. It doesn't record his life, only the spells he created and his achievements. Naturally, you won't be able to see anything special."
"Then can you tell me about these things?" Gu Mang said as he turned around from the other side of the long bench in the corridor. He crossed his long legs on the bench and looked at Mo Xi expectantly.
Mo Xi said, "… Sit properly. Don't be like a hooligan."
Gu Mang unwillingly put down his long legs.
Since there was nothing else to do, Mo Xi pondered for a moment and organized his thoughts. Then, he told Gu Mang about the past.
"Jun Zihui's name is Chen Tang. She was once the Grand Palace Master and State Preceptor of the Cultivation Academy. During the period when he was in charge of the academy, Chong Hua had produced countless talented generals and grandmasters, and had also created many special techniques and mental cultivation methods. At that time, there was a legend that no matter how untalented a disciple was, as long as they received guidance from Palace Master Chen Tang, they would be reborn and achieve great things. That's why people call him 'the wise man who can turn stone into gold'. "
Gu Mang said, "Doesn't that mean everyone is begging him to teach them?"
"There's no need to beg. Chen Tang taught everyone without discrimination. He himself was the master of the academy. He paid close attention to every disciple who entered the academy." Mo Xi paused. "Even the slaves of the academy."
Mo Xi continued, "At that time, there was a little slave in the Cultivation Academy. He wasn't willing to bow his head to others for the rest of his life. He wanted to be like a cultivator and have the ability to summon the wind and rain. That's why every time Chen Tang gave a lecture, he would use the excuse of cleaning the seats to dawdle around the apricot altar and listen."
"Ah … he was so brazen. Didn't he chase him away?"
"The other elders might have, but Chen Tang wouldn't." Mo Xi said, "That slave knew that Palace Master Chen Tang was kind to others, so he stared at his lecture and listened. Furthermore, he is very intelligent. He can remember almost every word that Chen Tang and disciple say in his heart. "
Gu Mang raised his hand. "I know! After that, the little slave secretly cultivated by himself and became a very powerful person. Furthermore, he fought with Princess Haitang — "
Mo Xi was startled. A rare look of confusion appeared on his usually cold face. "With who?"
"That amazing princess who's like Meng Ze, Princess Haitang."
"… It's Palace Master Chen Tang. Also, the Palace Master and Princess Meng Ze don't mean the same thing. "
Gu Mang said, "Fine. Since they all sound the same, then Princess Chen Tang it is."
Mo Xi's mouth twitched. In the past, when Senior Brother Gu teased him, he liked to call him 'Your Highness'. This guy's hobby of calling other men 'princesses' hadn't changed even now.
Mo Xi raised his hand and rubbed his forehead with his slender fingers. He didn't want to talk about the princess with Gu Mang, so he calmed down and said, "The first part of your guess was right. That slave was indeed secretly cultivating, but it wasn't that easy. Forming a spiritual nucleus is a dangerous process. The stronger the spiritual nucleus, the more difficult it will be for the cultivator. That slave didn't expect his potential to be so shocking. He went berserk at the beginning of the formation of the spirit core, causing the school to explode. The fact that he was secretly refining magic was exposed, and he was sent to Palace Master Chen Tang. "
Gu Mang listened with rapt attention. Seeing Mo Xi stop there, he couldn't help but ask, "What happened after that? Did Princess Chen Tang destroy that slave's spiritual nucleus? "
"No. That slave's spiritual nucleus hadn't formed yet. It was in the condensing stage, and he was in great pain. Chen Tang knew that if no one helped him, that person would definitely explode and die. So he felt compassion, and in the end, violated the rule that 'slaves can't cultivate' and helped that person pass the tribulation. "
The grass and trees in the courtyard swayed. Mo Xi looked up at the sparkling water and continued.
"After Chen Tang helped that person pass the tribulation, that person repeatedly knelt down and thanked her, saying that he couldn't repay her for saving his life. Chen Tang saw that he had spiritual roots and was a person who knew how to repay kindness. Her heart softened, and she reported to the emperor, making an exception and accepting him as a disciple of the school. "
Gu Mang sighed, "That slave's luck is really good. Right, what's his name? "
"He didn't have parents to give him a name. Usually, the stewards of the school would follow his slave's serial number and call him Shisan-Er. After Chen Tang accepted him, she changed his name." Mo Xi paused, then said, "He's called Hua Poan."
Chen Tang Hua Poan.
As if they were startled by this name, a number of birds in the courtyard flew up and over the eaves of the tall beak, flying towards the sky.
Mo Xi glanced at Gu Mang.
This was actually a very interesting situation. The notoriety of Hua Poan was like a taboo that couldn't be touched. It was as if even saying these three words would cause resentment to curse. Until now, Chong Hua still didn't dare to mention this person. But when Gu Mang heard the name of this great devil, it was as if he heard a cat or a dog. He didn't have any reaction.
He only asked, "Is Hua Poan the person that Princess Chen Tang trusted wrongly?"
"That's right. He is the person that Chen Tang trusted wrongly. At that time, Chen Tang didn't know what kind of evil beast she had accepted. She also didn't know that she had personally given the name of the devil that had plagued Jiuzhou for nearly a hundred years. She only thought that she was doing the same thing as before, doing a trivial thing that couldn't be more ordinary. "
Speaking of this, Mo Xi looked down at the portrait of Chen Tang soaked in the sunlight. Her ink-drawn eyebrows were gentle, as if she was looking at the future generations across the river of time.
"Year after year, Hua Poan really didn't let down Chen Tang's efforts. He became more and more powerful. He repeatedly made great contributions to Chong Hua and was valued and rewarded by Jun Shang. Jun Shang even abolished the ban on slaves not being able to cultivate, hoping to get more talents like him. "
The more Gu Mang listened, the more surprised he became. It turned out that Chong Hua already had the idea of using a large number of slaves at that time? He couldn't help but ask, "Did the abolition succeed?"
"No. Abolishing the order is not such a hasty thing. Jun Shang decided to first allow Hua Poan to go to the common people to select a group of slaves with wisdom roots and teach them to cultivate. "
Gu Mang seemed a little disappointed, but still sighed, "This is also very good. At least they have a chance to prove themselves …"
However, Mo Que seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. "Prove myself? … Yes, they did prove themselves. But what they proved was not their considerable spiritual power, but their wild ambitions. "
As he spoke, his gaze met with the pair of sea-like blue eyes, "Gu Mang, do you know why Chong Hua's aristocrats are so afraid of slave cultivators?"
Gu Mang shook his head.
"Because Hua Poan did this before. Jun Shang gave him the power to build an army, but in the end, he used this sharp knife to stab Chong Hua's royal city." Mo Xi's expression darkened, "The cultivators that Hua Poan brought out didn't want to serve the state, but wanted to change the world and turn the whole Chong Hua upside down. He rebelled. "
Gu Mang fell silent for a moment, slowly coming to a conclusion. "… So the army I used to have was very similar to Hua Poan's, right?"
"… Yes." Mo Xi was silent for a while, and then said slowly, "Many people saw Hua Poan's shadow in you. Back then, when Hua Poan plotted, even Palace Master Chen Tang stepped in to stop him. If you do it again, Chong Hua is bound to face another great calamity, and this time, no one will be able to stop it. "
Gu Mang's expression changed slightly, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the bamboo slips. He asked in a low voice, "Am I similar to him? Hua Poan and I? "
"…" Seeing Gu Mang's uneasiness, Mo Xi's tone softened, and he said, "You are different from him. Although you did commit treason, Hua Poan is an unreasonable madman. In order to quickly strengthen the slave cultivators in his hands, he captured many Butterfly Bone Beauties and kept them for his army. "
"What are Butterfly Bone Beauties?"
"A special kind of person." Mo Xi seemed to be disgusted by this, and didn't want to say more. He simply said, "They can be used as sex furnaces for dual cultivation, or directly used to drink blood and eat meat. As long as they eat these people, even the most ordinary Xiao Xiu can quickly improve their cultivation. Hua Poan relied on this cruel method of eating people to quickly cultivate a group of slaves who were loyal to him to the death. He even founded a country and declared himself the king of the northern territory of Chong Hua. "
As Mo Xi spoke, he raised his hand to cover the Old History of Chong Hua that was spread out on Gu Mang's knees. He lowered his head and said, "After talking so much, let me ask you, now do you know which country Hua Poan was the founder of?"
Gu Mang was stunned, and hesitated, "… It was … Liao, Liao …"
"That's right." Mo Xi's expression slowly became serious. "The founder of Liao Country, Hua Poan. He was the consequence of Chong Hua trusting slaves for the first time. "
Mo Xi originally only wanted to talk about the history of Chong Hua and Liao Country with him. He didn't have any intention of insinuating Gu Mang. But the speaker didn't mean it, but the listener did. Gu Mang suddenly fell into an awkward and embarrassing situation. He felt as if his throat was strangled, and he couldn't say anything for a while.
During this time, the more he learned, the more he felt that he was unreasonable before he lost his memory. Although Chong Hua had many unsatisfactory aspects, at least it once tried to reform and improve, but it was schemed against — for example, it trusted Hua Poan, but Hua Poan backhanded the nobles led by Chen Tang.
If it were him, would he be able to trust a slave again without any scruples?
No one could say whether he would be the next Hua Poan, or whether he would create a second Heimo Liao Country.
Under these circumstances, Chong Hua still gave them a second chance. Whether it was for checks and balances, exploitation, or some other reason, Chong Hua gave power to a slave for the second time. That was him and his army.
When the Grand Supreme Elder made this decision, how much determination and courage must he have used?
But in the end, Gu Mang still became the inferior Hua Poan. Although he didn't lead the army in an uprising, he defected, and even fled to the country founded by Hua Poan.
He still walked the same path as Hua Poan.
Gu Mang was speechless. After arguing for a long time, he silently put down the bamboo scroll in his hand.
He said, "… I'm sorry …"
Sorry was the most powerless word in the world. Gu Mang had already repeated it thousands of times in front of the martyr's tombstone.
Mo Xi was startled. He understood Gu Mang's meaning, but he didn't know what to say. At this time, he heard Gu Mang ask in a low voice, "Then what about Princess Chen Tang? In the end, how did he … destroy his spiritual nucleus? "
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