Chapter 55: Are You Out of Your Mind?

Cheng Xi did not answer this question and returned to her own home.

A day later, Yan Shengyu came to visit to express her thanks, bringing heavy gifts; among them was one item that Yan Yu had asked her to pass on, a box of Talisman Beads.

Cheng Xi had long heard of Talisman Beads, but this was her first time seeing them.

Each bead was the size of a wine cup opening and crystal clear; holding them in her hand, she could feel the spiritual power contained within.

Just as she was examining them closely, she heard Yan Shengyu say, "Xixi, I heard from my brother that the other side of the Seal is a completely different world, and the Talisman Beads we treat as treasures are merely the lowest-grade items over there."

Cheng Xi looked at Yan Shengyu, "Do you want to go there?"

"Anyone who has awakened their talent, who wouldn't want to go? Don't you?" Yan Shengyu said with a grin.

Cheng Xi did not answer; for her, it was the same everywhere.

Having once reached the pinnacle of life like she had, doing it all over again felt somewhat listless; she only wanted to live well.

Seeing that Cheng Xi did not answer, Yan Shengyu assumed she had tacitly agreed and said with a smile, "I heard a secret: anyone who can enter the Four Great Academies and make it onto the Top Hundred Ranking has a chance to go to the other side of the Seal. That is why I must pass the academy entrance exam, and I must go to the other side."

Her life could not be trapped within the four walls of a back courtyard, bearing children for a man for her entire life; she could see what the end of her life looked like just by lifting her eyes.

Cheng Xi looked at her, "You must know that the other side of the Seal may not be what you imagine; in a world of the strong, it is difficult for the weak to survive."

"Then I will become strong."

Cheng Xi smiled; those were very reasonable words.

"Xixi, the entrance exam for the Academy is set for the Mid-Autumn Festival; come with me."

"We'll see when the time comes." Cheng Xi neither agreed nor refused.

"Then I'll come find you when the time comes." Yan Shengyu felt that Cheng Xi had basically agreed; she had no family left here, so what meaning was there in staying?

After Yan Shengyu finished speaking, she rose to take her leave, and Cheng Xi saw her to the door.

No sooner had she sent Yan Shengyu off than Li Zhi'an arrived.

The Talisman Beads were still on the table, and Li Zhi'an saw them; the brocade box containing the beads was stamped with the Yan Family crest.

Cheng Xi invited Li Zhi'an to sit and set the Talisman Beads aside casually, "Why has the Chief of Tongtian come so suddenly?"

Li Zhi'an withdrew his gaze from the brocade box and fixed his eyes on Cheng Xi, "The Prefect of Yunchuan has died suddenly, and the Emperor has ordered the Tongtian Division to thoroughly investigate the case; I am leaving the city tonight and have come to bid you farewell."

Cheng Xi felt it was strange—why come to bid her farewell? But since the other party had said so, she replied, "Then I wish you a smooth journey."

"We shall discuss the matter of the marriage proposal when I return."

Cheng Xi:...

This hurdle was impossible to get past.

Three days after Li Zhi'an left, news regarding Yunchuan began to spread throughout Jindu.

The Prefect of Yunchuan had died suddenly, and since the man was in good health and certainly did not die of illness, there must be something suspicious about the matter.

Furthermore, Yunchuan was close to the second Seal of Tianshuo.

Cheng Xi had a bad premonition, recalling the loosening of the Seal in Jindu previously.

Now, rumors were rampant in Jindu that a Demon was at work, causing the death of the Yunchuan Prefect; others insisted it was man-made, as the location of Yunchuan was extraordinary and many people had their eyes on the position of Yunchuan Prefect.

Because of this incident, the Empress Dowager and the Little Emperor also had a dispute; the Empress Dowager believed it was man-made, while the Little Emperor believed a Demon was at work.

If it were man-made, the matter would fall under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple.

If it were a Demon, it would fall under the jurisdiction of the Tongtian Division and the Demon Suppression Pavilion, but Yan Yu had only just recovered from severe injuries and clearly could not shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

The Empress Dowager did not want to see Li Zhi'an earn another merit, so she obstructed it and defined it as man-made.

The Dali Temple and the Tongtian Division were at loggerheads in the imperial court, but in the end, the Tongtian Division prevailed because the Little Emperor summoned the Director of the Imperial Observatory, who measured that there was a Demon in Yunchuan; the Empress Dowager naturally had to concede.

Having lost this round, the Empress Dowager was in a very bad mood, so she decided to go to the Dazhao Temple, a royal temple, to pray for blessings and clear her mind; many noble ladies of the capital accompanied her.

What Cheng Xi did not expect was that she, too, received an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager.

Her mood was terrible; at that moment, she felt that Yan Shengyu's words also made sense—if she reached the other side of the Seal where the strong were respected, then if she recovered her strength, no one would dare force her to do things she did not want to do.

The day they set out was a sunny one, with a clear blue sky and not a cloud in sight.

Dazhao Temple was situated halfway up Wansheng Mountain, southeast of Jindu, surrounded by mountains and lush pines and cypresses; the temple buildings were visible intermittently among the pine forest.

It was said that there were countless spirit tablets of immortals on Wansheng Mountain, and building a royal temple here was also for the convenience of the imperial family to come on pilgrimages.

The stone steps wound all the way up from the foot of the mountain; since it was a pilgrimage, one had to be sincere, so even the Empress Dowager had to walk up the mountain from the foot to show her sincerity.

Cheng Xi was traveling with Yan Shengyu, and before they had even walked halfway, she was already drenched in sweat. Looking up ahead, she saw an endless stream of figures.

Cheng Xi was panting and sat on a bluestone by the side of the road to rest; Yan Shengyu was in much better physical condition than her, not red-faced or out of breath. Looking at Cheng Xi, she said with great concern, "Xixi, this won't do; with your current physical condition, I'm afraid it will be difficult to enter the Four Great Academies."

Cheng Xi nodded solemnly, "Yes, that's why I..."

Before the words "don't plan to go" could be spoken, she heard Yan Shengyu say, "It doesn't matter, I'll accompany you in body refinement later; as long as you aren't afraid of hardship, you'll see results very soon."

Cheng Xi:...

"Shengyu, over here!"

No sooner had Yan Shengyu finished speaking than she heard someone calling her; she turned her head and saw a stone pavilion at the bend ahead, where many ladies were resting inside.

Fang Huiru was sitting on a goose-neck chair, waving at them, and the two rose and walked over.

Fang Huiru pointed to the seat beside her and said with a smile, "Hurry and sit, I saved a spot for you."

Yan Shengyu gave a giggle of thanks, pulled Cheng Xi to sit down, and said to Fang Huiru, "How are you willing to come out today? Has your brother returned recently?"

"No, he went out on a tour with the Dean again," Fang Huiru said. "However, I heard that the rules for selecting disciples for the Four Great Academies have changed somewhat this year."

"Really?" Yan Shengyu frowned, "What changes?"

"My brother didn't write it very clearly in his letter, but I heard it has something to do with the loosening of the Seal," Fang Huiru said in a low voice.

Cheng Xi was listening from the side but was not interested, so she turned to look at the scenery.

"Cheng Xi, I heard you have been pestering the Chief of Tongtian recently; is this true?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the pavilion fell silent.

Before Cheng Xi could speak, Yan Shengyu was the first to get angry, "Jiang Miao, what do you mean by that?"

"Yan Shengyu, what does this have to do with you? Stop meddling in other people's business," Jiang Miao said with a gloomy expression.

Yan Shengyu sneered, "Jiang Miao, who in all of Jindu doesn't know you like Li Zhi'an? If you have the ability, go make him marry you; why are you acting crazy here!"