C161 (2/2)
Fang Zishu smiled and explained to Pang Dun, ”How can there be a real Heavenly Palace in this world? The Heavenly Palace is just a stunt created by the ancient emperors in order to live together with the immortals after death due to their infatuation with the ancient legends. ”
”Let's go, we should take a look at these so-called 'Heaven Stairway'!”
After Qi Sanbiaozi had finished taking care of the strips, Fang Zishu and Qi Sanbiaozi each held one of the strips's arms. The two of them dragged the strips one after another as they walked towards the white jade steps at the end of their line of sight.
In just a few minutes, Fang Zishu and the rest had passed through the hundred meter tall barricade, passing through several streets within the black city. Finally, they arrived at the end of the city, where the white jade steps were laid out.
Because there were too many white jade steps, it was easy to confuse the number and specifications of the steps when looking from afar. Now that he was right in front of him, Fang Zishu realized that the number of white jade steps and the corresponding platform all had a certain pattern.
”It is indeed a 'Heaven Stairway'. Seems like even if this Monarch of the Northern Wei Dynasty is dead, he still wants to live with the heavens and earth. He actually used so much white jade and created such a grand 'Heaven Stairway'.”
Fang Zishu clicked his tongue in wonder, pointed to the white jade steps, and laughed: ”Did you notice the rules of the white jade steps?”
Under Fang Zishu's guidance, Da Zeng quickly discovered the problem, ”I see. Starting from where we are, there are a total of nine white jade steps that lead from the first white jade platform to the second white jade platform.
”You're right!”
Fang Zishu said: ”In [Luo Shu], there was a legend regarding 'Heaven Stairway', it said that in the Xia Qi era, when the husband was sick, it was difficult to cure him even if he was in the ocean. After hearing from a fisherman in the Penglai Mountain, he said that if you want to cure the victim's injuries, you have to go up the 'Heaven Stairway' to the closest place in the heaven and earth, and take the morning dew when the sun was rising, and share it with Sang Gui. ”In order to save his wife, the man began climbing the 'Mt. Tai' of the five mountains. In the end, after walking through ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, he finally found the morning dew and rescued his wife.”
”Of course, this is only one of the earliest legends regarding the 'Heaven Stairway'. The true record of the 'Heaven Stairway' is still in the Qin Dynasty. Since the Emperor of Qin wants to live forever, he ordered his subordinate, Xu Fu, to cross the ocean and find the Golden Crow that appeared in the Fusang Country. He wanted to refine the Golden Crow's blood into medicine. ”
After pausing for a moment, Fang Zishu continued, ”On the other hand, Prime Minister Li Si, under the command of the Qin Emperor, suggested that the Qin Emperor use the meteorites found in the eastern corner as a combination of the immense strength of the Great Qin Empire and build his own Immortal Palace. This would allow the Qin Emperor to become the hegemon of the Immortal Palace and allow him to compete with the immortals of the legends!”
”I never thought that there would be so many legends behind the 'Heaven Stairway'!” Pang Dun's face was filled with excitement, ”Then Master Fang, why is there only nine steps to each floor? Is there some kind of special meaning to it? ”
”Of course.”
Fang Zishu nodded: ”In the ancient times, nine was the extreme. Each of these platforms that are connected to the white jade stairs are built from nine white jade steps. I think that the Sovereign King of the Northern Wei wants to use one platform to represent one of the stages in the Immortal World, and if my guess is not wrong, the total number of white jade platforms should be thirty-six, and each platform has nine white jade steps between them. ”
”Then should we go up?”
Da Zeng rubbed his hands together, as if he wanted to try the legendary 'Heaven Stairway'.
Fang Zishu didn't even think before opening his mouth, ”Of course we need to go up. As long as we finish walking this' Heaven Stairway ', we will be able to reach the Main Tomb s of the Monarch of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and that will be the true location of the third layer of the tomb. Everything else, whether it be the moat outside, or the numerous wine shops inside the city, or even the entire Stone City, are actually just decorations with the' Immortal Palace '.”