"I will learn to treat these stone pearls as beautiful ornaments, and not as Heavenly Tome Monoliths."
Xu Yourong looked at him and calmly said, "And then, I'm a little hungry."
Xun Mei's grass hut had been uninhabited for a very long time. It was very dusty, but all sorts of utensils were still present.
Chen Changsheng went to the garden and picked two handfuls of vegetables, a dozen or so peppers, and cut up half of a piece of cured meat. He covered it in honey and steamed it. Together with white rice, it was a fragrant and sweet meal.
Xu Yourong was very satisfied with the meal, but she was a little embarrassed.
Afterwards, they discussed the Grand Examination and next year's Boiling Stone Summit, as well as how to leave the Mausoleum of Books.
In order to prevent others from seeing them and guessing what was going on, which would make the rumors in the capital even more fervent, the two decided to leave separately. Xu Yourong would leave first, while Chen Changsheng would stay in the Mausoleum of Books for another day. However, they did not think that this was a complete cover-up. How could it be hidden from others?
In other words, this was called deceiving oneself while stealing a bell.
However, before Xu Yourong had time to leave, the small courtyard welcomed an uninvited guest.
The guest was the Monolith Guardian from Scholartree Manor, Ji Jin. Perhaps because he recognized Xu Yourong's identity, or perhaps because he had guessed at something, he stood by the fence. His expression was somewhat lonely, his face somewhat pale, and the resentment and unwillingness in his eyes had disappeared. It was very complicated, but indescribable.
Chen Changsheng prepared to say something, but Xu Yourong indicated for him to wait a moment.
Her sleeves fluttered as she walked to the fence. She looked at Ji Jin with an indifferent expression and said, "I will request that your qualifications as a Monolith Guardian be revoked and that you be expelled from the Mausoleum of Books."
Sunlight seeped through the branches of the plum trees in the orange grove and fell on her face.
That extremely beautiful face immediately added a sense of holiness and solemnity.
Because when she said those words, she was the aloof Holy Maiden of the south.
To become a Monolith Guardian of the Mausoleum of Books was an extremely difficult task. One needed to make an extremely extreme blood oath, one that seemed to contain the power of the Heavenly Dao.
Once they swore a blood oath and became a Monolith Guardian, they would obtain the freedom that cultivators yearned for day and night, the freedom to interact with the Heavenly Tome Monoliths. At the same time, they would also lose the freedom to leave the Mausoleum of Books. For the rest of their lives, they could only study the Heavenly Tome Monoliths in the Mausoleum of Books and study. They could not take a step out of the Mausoleum of Books.
Countless years had passed since the Orthodoxy had set down this rule, but there had only been one exception — that was when Su Li had charged into the Mausoleum of Books, berated the two Monolith Guardians from the Mount Li Sword Sect, and then forcefully brought them back to Mount Li.
Those two Monolith Guardians were the two elders of Mount Li's Discipline Hall, and they were also one of the main reasons for Mount Li's internal strife.
The allure of the Mausoleum of Books to cultivators was far too great. It was like a beautiful dream that could not be ended.
The more profound one's Dao was, the longer one studied the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, the more reluctant one was to leave.
Even Xun Mei, who was a great cultivator with extraordinary talent, needed several tens of years to wake up.
To cancel the blood oath of a Monolith Guardian and expel him from the Mausoleum of Books, only the Pope and the Holy Maiden had the right to do so. Moreover, the Monolith Guardian would suffer the backlash of the blood oath, which would be extremely painful.
Hearing Xu Yourong's words and seeing Ji Jin's face instantly pale and his body incessantly trembling, Chen Changsheng grew wary.
In his view, Ji Jin had suffered such humiliation and such a heavy punishment. He would assuredly be enraged to the extreme, perhaps even go crazy and attack Xu Yourong.
However, Ji Jin did not attack in rage. After a while, he gradually calmed down and bowed to Xu Yourong through the fence.
He clasped his hands to the ground, appearing incomparably respectful.
His voice was somewhat trembling, very excited, and also somewhat perplexed.
"Many thanks for the Holy Maiden's pity. Ji Jin is endlessly grateful and will definitely repay it with his life."
Seeing Ji Jin's figure gradually vanish into the forest, Chen Changsheng was somewhat confused.
"Why?"
"Because he wants to leave."
"I hear … the backlash of the blood oath is very frightening."
"In the end, it's even more frightening than not having freedom."
"But, didn't they become Monolith Guardians of their own volition?"
"As time passes, a person's thoughts will often undergo changes that they would have never imagined at the beginning."
Xu Yourong walked up to his side and said, "To many cultivators, the Mausoleum of Books is the most beautiful dream, and also the longest imprisonment."
Chen Changsheng faintly remembered that he had once heard a similar saying.
She continued, "In truth, I had this idea a long time ago. I was prepared to persuade the martial uncles of the temple to discuss with the Li Palace and change this rule."
Chen Changsheng gazed at her incomparably elegant face and felt that she was becoming more and more beautiful. He sincerely said, "You are a good person."
Then he added, "If the Li Palace does not agree to South Stream Temple's request, once I become Pope, I will also strive to abolish this rule."
Xu Yourong softly said, "You are also a good person."
… …
… …
On the next day, Chen Changsheng left the Mausoleum of Books. Under the escort of several cardinals, he returned to the Orthodox Academy.
At this time, the morning light was bright and the western sky was as dark as night. It was still very early, he was preparing to go across the lake to the newly repaired kitchen to find Xuan Yuan Po for some food, but he suddenly saw a completely unexpected person on the great banyan tree. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What happened?"
Apart from a few special circumstances, Tang Thirty-Six would never get up so early, but at this time, he was standing on the arm of the great banyan tree, gazing into the distance. Whether it was because he hadn't slept all night or something else, he didn't look at Chen Changsheng. He continued gazing into the distance, his expression indifferent as he asked, "Do you know what the most painful thing in the world is?"
Chen Changsheng shook his head.
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "The most painful thing in the world is when all of us are as tired as pigs and dogs, yet some people still have the leisure to go on dates. Moreover, you have to keep a certain person's secret. Not bad … to actually have a rendezvous in the Mausoleum of Books."
After the Orthodox Academy accepted new students, the first test the new students faced was the Grand Examination. For the sake of the upcoming Grand Examination, both Tang Thirty-Six and Su Mo Yu were extremely busy. Even Zhexiu would occasionally give lessons to the students, using pain and blood to teach them what true battle was.
Yet Chen Changsheng, as the Principal of the Orthodox Academy, paid no attention to this matter.
Tang Thirty-Six's true pain still had to be related to keeping a secret.
Chen Changsheng and Xu You Rong had gotten to know each other in the Garden of Zhou. They had feelings for each other and would often meet in private. This secret was something that only he knew of in the capital.
Once a secret was known, the person with the secret would often become much more relaxed, just like Chen Changsheng and Xu You Rong in the past few days.
But the person who knew the secret but could not speak of it to others would inherit their pain and pressure, perhaps even a little more.
Rumors spread throughout the capital. Everyone said that Chen Changsheng was bitterly in love with Xu You Rong but could not. Tang Thirty-Six wanted nothing more than to spit on those people's faces. He wanted nothing more than to reopen Clear Lake Restaurant and stand on the roof to tell this story to the tens of thousands of people, to announce the secret of those two to the world.
But he could not do this, so he was in great pain, even somewhat angry.
Chen Changsheng looked at him and said in confusion, "Back then, it was you who said that I had to endure it."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and said, "But I'm almost unable to endure it anymore."
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
