Chapter 219 – How Much Do You Know About the Past? (Part Two) (2/2)

“In the past there were, but then Martial Granduncle broke into the mausoleum, gave a tongue-lashing to those two seniors, then took them back to Mount Li.”

Chen Changsheng was completely taken aback. There was actually someone who so flagrantly disregarded the rules of the mausoleum, he thought to himself. Was the Martial Granduncle he mentioned Mount Li’s legendary Junior Martial Uncle?

Tang Thirty-Six’s expression did not change. Clearly he had heard this story before.

Chen Changshang curiously asked, “And those two seniors? They didn’t receive any sort of punishment?”

Gou Hanshi, replied, “Those two seniors are now elders of Mount Li’s disciplinary hall.”

Tang Thirty-Six, “Haven’t you heard the phrase, whoever’s sword is fastest, whoever’s rules are followed.”

What Chen Changsheng was even more interested in was the words the Mount Li’s Junior Martial Uncle had used to scold his two fellow sect members.

Gou Hanshi replied, “Martial Granduncle said that they couldn’t waste their limited lives on unlimited trifling matters.”

“Trifling matters?” Chen Changsheng questioned.

“Yes, Martial Granduncle always believed that cultivation was a trifling matter.”

Chen Changsheng had nothing to say to these words.

As he thought about that legendary Junior Martial Uncle more, he suddenly felt like the weight on his shoulders had become much heavier, as if a shadow had covered up the starry sky.

In the Mausoleum of Books, they lived with the Mount Li Sword Sect under one roof, but that did not mean that their enemies would suddenly become friends. Gou Hanshi’s calm and gentle manner symbolized nothing. It was more similar to Guan Feibai and Qi Jian, who both clearly resented the Orthodox Academy, and the reason for this resentment was the name Qiushan Jun, dividing the two sides and ending all hopes of reconciliation.

When they arrived at the grass hut and walked past the fence, Gou Hanshu suddenly turned to Tang Thirty-Six and said, “I am not a noble man.”

Chen Changsheng was at a loss for words as Tang Thirty-Six’s eyebrows leapt up. He spread out his hands and said, “You’re the one that said it, not me.”

Gou Hanshi calmly and firmly continued, “So, it is impossible for me to be a hypocrite.”

TL: Basically, 君子 is a nobleman, but 伪君子 is a hypocrite. They are antonyms in Chinese

After a moment of silence, Tang Thirty-Six asked, “And then?”

Gou Hanshi smiled. “The next time you call me a hypocrite, I’m going to beat you up.”

On the next day at five in the morning, Chen Changsheng woke up on schedule. He went to the kitchen and cooked up a large pot of porridge, ate two bowls, but did not go to view the monoliths. Instead, he took up Xun Mei’s notebook and began to read it with the morning light. In his right he held a brush, which he used to incessantly write on a piece of paper. Yet he did not know exactly what he was writing, but at the very least they were not words.

The youths in the grass hut began to wake up, one after the other. After they ate some porridge, they set off for the mausoleum. Before Gou Hanshi took off, he made sure to greet Chen Changsheng. As Guan Feibai was leaving, he told Chen Changsheng, “Don’t think that if you make food for me every day, that I’ll become your acquaintance.” Qi Jian somewhat nervously said, “I’ll become your acquaintance, but I won’t be your friend.” Chen Changsheng chuckled and asked why. Qi Jian said it was because eldest brother would not like that. Tang Thirty-Six had woken up long ago, but he delayed until he was the last to leave. Under Chen Changsheng’s inquisitive gaze, he very solemnly said, “It’s absolutely not because I’m afraid Gou Hanshi is going to beat me up.”

Then to Chen Changsheng’s surprise, after not much time had passed, Tang Thirty-Six returned to the grass hut, his face grim, and dragged Chen Changsheng outside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Zhong Hui…is breaking into the next Realm.”

The front of the monolith hut was already crowded with people, forming a dense mass. Chen Changsheng took a cursory glance and estimated that there were nearly a hundred people here. Around forty of them were this year’s Grand Examination examinees, five were white-robed Monolith Guardians, and the rest were those who had entered to view monoliths in the past and never left the Mausoleum of Books. In the previous two days, those people were all at different monoliths huts individually cultivating, not interacting with the new entrants. Yet now, they all suddenly showed up in front of the Reflecting Monolith. Unexpectedly they had known that something big was about to occur.

Zhong Hui sat cross-legged in front of the monolith hut, his eyes closed, his body pervaded with mist.

Ji Jin stood expressionlessly behind him, obviously watching over him. Yet for some reason, this Scholartree Manor senior, with a profound cultivation, was very pale-faced today. It was almost as he had consumed a great quantity of true essence.

Chen Changsheng brow creased as he faintly guessed what had occurred.

Suddenly, the gurgling sound of water arose from the front of the monolith hut.

There was no waterfall or spring here. This sound came from Zhong Hui’s body.

The sounds of water grew increasingly louder, as if it was about to boil over.

During the Grand Examination, Chen Changsheng had experienced something similar in the Tower of Purging Dust. He knew that this was the prelude to breaking into the realm of Ethereal Opening.

He did not look at Zhong Hui, but at Ji Jin instead.

In one night’s time, Zhong Hui had crossed the threshold into Ethereal Opening. There must be a reason, and Ji Jin’s pale complexion was most likely a result of this.

At this time, Ji Jin turned to him, his eyes cold and full of contempt.