Chapter 389: Lu Chen

Bianjing, Taofu Street.

The toad moon hung high, its clear radiance like gauze, gently shrouding this ancient street.

At the end of the street, a towering building stood quietly, facing south, five stories high, brick and wood structure, hard mountain roof heavy building style design, the sloped roof with blue tiles like scales, layered upon layer.

It shone with a faint luster under the moonlight, like a garden.

On Taofu Street, whether it was the common people passing by in a hurry or the high-ranking officials who were prominent for a time, everyone bowed slightly upon reaching this place; even those from the Nine Great Surnames who were usually arrogant and domineering did not dare to whip their horses here.

They also let their carriages move slowly, the nobles in the carriages pushing aside the curtains, their gazes silent, carrying a touch of indescribable awe.

Even those playboys did not dare to act recklessly here.

The reason was simple—at the vermilion gate, a simple plaque was hung.

On it were written the two characters "Academy."

Without any gorgeous decoration, just these two simple characters were enough to deter the powerful and noble Bianjing.

Since the Master established the Academy, this place had become a holy land that attracted the attention of the world.

The four teachers of the Academy were famous throughout the world.

Layers upon layers of extremely glorious identities gathered.

The two characters "Academy" had long been heavier than Mount Tai in the hearts of the people of Great Qi.

Today, Taofu Street was exceptionally deserted.

On a normal day, before the hour of the Rat, the streets on both sides would have been brightly lit, the oily smoke and fragrance of various snacks would have permeated the air, and naughty boys would have been laughing and playing, weaving through them, extremely lively.

However, today, the street was desolate, with few pedestrians, and even the lights were dimmed.

This was because the Flower Banquet was being held at the West Wing Tower, and the high-ranking officials, scholars, and elegant gentlemen of Bianjing had almost all flocked there, making this street, usually bustling, rarely quiet.

Just at this moment!

On the bluestone street, a light and slow sound of hooves came.

A black donkey appeared slowly at the street corner, chewing a handful of fresh grass with its head held high.

Its fur was black and shiny, its hooves scratching behind its ears at will, looking leisurely and content.

The black donkey pricked up its ears, sizing up the Academy built with high walls ahead, its eyes carrying a touch of fear.

This black donkey was brought into the Xie Fu by Lu Hua.

It had been eating and living well in the Xie Fu for a month and a half, its body becoming increasingly round and fat.

This donkey was originally an old donkey raised by the Three Truths Sect on Mount Zhongnan, having lived for a hundred springs and autumns, having long since developed spiritual wisdom, possessing immense strength; a kick of its hind hooves could kick a spotted tiger to death.

Because it often listened to the Dao on Mount Zhongnan, it obtained divine strangeness, and its mouth could spit out monstrous flames; even ordinary experts in the Upper Three Realms of martial arts found it difficult to deal with it.

Years ago, this black donkey was once a bully on Mount Zhongnan, running rampant, not only destroying the terraced fields at the foot of the mountain but also wantonly eating the crops in the fields, causing the villagers to complain endlessly.

Helpless!

The villagers reported this matter to Mount Zhongnan.

The previous generation's grandmaster heard this and went down the mountain personally to subdue the demon.

The black donkey had nowhere to escape and was caught red-handed; he wanted to skin it and pull its tendons to warn others. The black donkey knew it was in big trouble and cried loudly in fear.

However, in the Three Truths Grandmaster Hall, the portrait of Grandmaster Lu Chen actually revealed a rare divine miracle, and a spiritual light shone on the black donkey.

Seeing this, the grandmaster spared the black donkey's life and took it into the Three Truths Sect, bestowing upon it the Daoist name "Empty Donkey."

Because its seniority was low, the black donkey's seating rank was still behind Lu Hua, and it was often bullied by Lu Hua.

Now, this black donkey paced slowly to the front of the Academy gate, looked up at the towering courtyard wall, sprayed a puff of white air from its nose, and its face actually revealed a human-like look of contemplation.

It seemed to be both in awe and curious about the Academy, and finally circled to the west wall of the Academy.

The black donkey kicked its four hooves, its figure leaping lightly, actually crossing the high wall easily and landing steadily inside the Academy.

A look of pride appeared on its donkey face.

It carefully took steps, walking toward the "Self-Cultivation Building" at the highest point of the Academy.

The highest point of the Academy was that five-story "Self-Cultivation Building."

Legend has it that this was where the Master studied in his early years, and because it only had five stories, other buildings in the Academy, and even the entire Taofu Street, had never had buildings higher than five stories, to show respect for the Master.

Today, the Academy was exceptionally quiet.

Most of the teachers had followed the Third Senior to the Flower Banquet, leaving only a few teachers on duty today.

Inside the front courtyard's rooms, the sound of students reading by candlelight could be heard vaguely, adding a touch of vitality to the quiet night.

The black donkey's steps were light, landing without sound, even when leaping over the eaves, it didn't make half a sound.

It looked up at this five-story building, a flash of wariness and hesitation in its eyes.

It leaped lightly and landed not far from the main gate, without alarming anyone.

However!

The black donkey always felt that there were a few pairs of eyes staring at its butt, so it couldn't help but flick its tail, trying to dispel that vague feeling of being watched.

The black donkey took a deep breath, locked its gaze on the Self-Cultivation Building, and was just about to leap again—

Suddenly!

Its fur stood on end.

A sharp sword was pressed against its neck.

The cold iron brushed against the black donkey's fur, the chill piercing to the marrow.

The black donkey had no doubt that this sword could easily cut off its head.

The person holding the sword was a middle-aged scholar wearing a high crown, his gaze like frost, staring coldly at the black donkey.

"What kind of demon is this, daring to trespass on the Academy's Self-Cultivation Building?"

The black donkey was already so scared that its three souls and seven spirits had almost left its body.

The other party could appear beside it without a sound, his strength clearly far from what it could contend with.

Fortunately, it had been prepared.

The black donkey hurriedly spat out a letter from its mouth, then sat on the ground regardless, its two front hooves clumsily bowing, its mouth making "humph-snort" sounds.

In its heart, it had long forgotten Lu Hua's instructions not to lose the dignity of the Three Truths Sect.

Seeing the black donkey like this, the high-crowned scholar was stunned, his gaze falling on a yellow-skinned letter it had spat out.

It was covered in wet saliva, and seeing this, the black donkey sensibly used its hooves to wipe it.

The scholar put away his long sword, picked up the letter, and unfolded it, only to see a few words, but the brush and ink carried a touch of familiarity.

The letter read:

"For Yu'an to open personally!"

The signature was—Xie Hong!

The high-crowned scholar's eyes condensed; no one in the Academy knew the Second Senior's name, only that his courtesy name was Yu'an.

Few in the Academy even knew the Second Senior's courtesy name.

The high-crowned sword-holding scholar was an unnamed disciple serving by the Second Senior's side.

He couldn't help but mutter, "It's actually a letter from Master Hong."

The scholar frowned, his gaze scanning back and forth between the black donkey and the letter, and after a moment, he snorted coldly.

"Since it is entrusted by Master Hong, why not enter through the main gate, but instead climb over the wall?"

Hearing this, the black donkey's eyes turned.

But he saw the scholar had already put away the letter and said indifferently: "Forget it, forget it, since there is a letter as proof, you wait here, I will be back shortly."

The black donkey felt relieved, hurriedly turning over to stand up, its donkey face piled with a flattering smile.

It didn't dare to delay, and spat out another letter from its mouth, carefully pushing it to the high-crowned scholar with its hooves.

The high-crowned scholar looked down, and the wax seal of the letter was stamped with an ink-black seal, on which were carved five ancient characters: "Three Truths Lu Lu Tian Shi Seal."

The scholar frowned, his tone turning cold again: "Three Truths Sect of Mount Zhongnan?"

The black donkey was so scared by this tone that it almost collapsed again, hurriedly nodding and bowing, its donkey eyes full of panic.

The high-crowned scholar hesitated slightly, but finally picked up the letter, turned, and walked into the Self-Cultivation Building, leaving behind a sentence without looking back:

"You wait here, I will go and report to the Teacher first."

Only then did the black donkey breathe a sigh of relief, its eyeballs turning; the letter had been delivered, it could slip away.

However!

Just as it raised its hooves, it sensed a few vague auras hidden in the dark around it.

The black donkey had to resentfully retract its hooves, honestly standing in place, not daring to act rashly.

The high-crowned scholar climbed all the way to the fourth floor of the Self-Cultivation Building, but did not continue upward.

The fifth floor of the Self-Cultivation Building was a forbidden area of the Academy, and even he did not dare to step into it without authorization.

And regarding the fifth floor, he, who was already at the Ninth Realm of martial arts and Eighth Realm of Primordial Spirit, felt a hidden fear in his heart, as if there were something extremely terrifying within it.

He stood at the entrance of the stairs, his expression respectful, and bowed, saying: "Teacher, a black donkey has come specifically to deliver a letter."

From above the fifth floor, it took a long time for a hoarse voice to come, its tone carrying exhaustion:

"Is it... Xu Zhi? Why didn't you follow them to... the Flower Banquet?"

Hearing this familiar voice, the high-crowned scholar's expression was somewhat excited, and he said in a low voice:

"We three fellow disciples are willing to guard the Teacher."

A sigh came from upstairs.

Although the Second Senior had lived in seclusion on the fifth floor of the Self-Cultivation Building for many years, he had three unnamed disciples under his tutelage, all of whom were experts in both books and swords, at the Ninth Realm of martial arts.

Although they had not formally become disciples, they respected the Second Senior like a god.

Xu Zhi stood at the entrance of the stairs, holding the two letters in his hand, feeling a hidden unease in his heart.

It seemed these two letters would break the long-standing silence of the Academy.

The voice from upstairs came again.

"Whose letter is it?"

The high-crowned scholar's Adam's apple moved, his fingertips gently stroking the ink-colored Lu Lu Tian Shi Seal on the wax seal:

"One is a letter from Master Hong."

As soon as the words fell, the entire fourth floor fell silent, as if even the air had solidified.

"Clang—"

The bronze sword box hanging from the eaves of the fourth floor suddenly trembled, and the nine unsheathed ancient swords hummed in unison.

The bamboo curtains hanging from the fourth floor were half-rolled up by the sword energy, revealing the books piled like mountains inside, each scroll tied with faded red rope.

Although the high-crowned scholar had long expected it, he was still shocked by the Second Senior's reaction.

He held his breath, not daring to make the slightest movement.

"It's a letter from Zhongshan!"

A touch of warmth seeped into the Second Senior's hoarse voice, like a wine jar frozen for thirty years suddenly cracking.

The high-crowned scholar looked at the falling dust and added: "And a letter from Mount Zhongnan."

From above the fifth floor, the Second Senior's voice carried a trace of suspicion:

"Mount Zhongnan?"

The two letters suddenly flew into the fifth floor along the trajectory of the sword energy like tired birds returning to their nests.

The letters disappeared at the end of the stairs, and the sword energy on the fourth floor also converged, returning to calm.

The high-crowned scholar stood in place, secretly pondering, the fact that Master Hong's letter could move the Second Senior so much meant the rumors were indeed true; the Second Senior and Xie Hong were close friends.

He looked up at the direction of the fifth floor, and although he was curious, he didn't dare to ask more, just silently retreated, returning to outside the Self-Cultivation Building, continuing to guard that black donkey.

Above the fifth floor, the bead curtains swayed lightly.

The moonlight spilled through the gaps, revealing two low white beds.

As the footsteps on the fourth floor drifted away, the fifth floor fell into silence again, with only the faint sound of bead chains colliding.

The curtain was slowly lifted by a withered hand, revealing the scene inside.

The owner of that hand was lying on the outer bed, a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a thin figure.

He was naked from the waist up, his ribs protruding, as if he were skin and bones, his right arm severed, leaving only a left hand.

However!

This left hand was covered in densely packed eyes, each eyeball constantly turning.

He lifted his head slightly, revealing an extremely bizarre face—that face had no facial features at all, only a mouth, pale as paper.

This face looked particularly ghastly in the moonlight, making one's hair stand on end.

What was even more shocking was that when he slowly stood up, he revealed his back.

On his back, there actually grew the face of an old man!

That face had deep wrinkles, clear brows and eyes, as if the voice just now had come from here.

The old man's face had its eyes tightly closed, but its lips were slightly moving, as if whispering something.

"Zhongshan... you finally wrote."

The moonlight shone behind the bead curtain.

On the other bed lay an old man.

Lying on the bed was a tall old man wearing Confucian robes, his face rosy, his appearance kind, his expression peaceful, as if he were just sleeping, yet he had no heartbeat or breathing.

It was actually a corpse!

If Lu Hua and the others were here, they would be able to recognize at a glance that this looked almost exactly like Old Master Dong.

Only the old man was missing an arm, on which there were densely packed tooth marks.

Extremely terrifying, making one's hair stand on end.

The Second Senior, carrying the old man's face on his back, walked with disheveled hair into the study on the fifth floor, where a broken sword was placed.

He placed the two letters on the table, first opening the letter with Xie Hong's name.

The moonlight shone like water upon it, reflecting a few words.

"Shatter the God-Startling Array!"

The Second Senior touched the handwriting on it, his body trembling slightly.

The Second Senior was silent for a moment, then opened the other letter.

There were only four words on the letter paper!

"Lu Chen's Edict!"

The old man's face on his back suddenly opened its eyes wide, a flash of shock and complexity in its pupils.

"Lu Chen... Lu Chen..."

Immediately, the old man's eyelids slowly closed, his lips parted slightly, and he actually uttered a completely different voice—this was the voice of a middle-aged man, resonant and loud, full of heroic spirit.

"How to get the Heaven-Leaning Sword..."

The Second Senior's hand gently brushed over the broken sword on the table, his fingertips gently touching the cracks on it.

Under the moonlight, the broken sword trembled slightly, emitting a deep hum, as if responding to the call in his heart.

The high-crowned scholar walked slowly down from the fourth floor, his gaze falling on the black donkey, seeing its cautious expression, quite human-like.

This made the high-crowned scholar secretly mutter in his heart: Where did this donkey come from? It actually has such spiritual nature!

"Boom—"

The Self-Cultivation Building shook violently, the entire Academy seemed to be shaken by an invisible force, blue tiles fell with a rustle, and the bronze bells on the eaves shook wildly, making a harsh sound.

"It's... the Teacher!"

The high-crowned scholar's expression changed drastically, and he looked up at the fifth floor.

The next instant!

A majestic sword intent shot up from the fifth floor!

The sword sounded like a dragon's roar!

The black donkey's fur stood on end, its four hooves deeply embedded in the bluestone, its eyes full of horror.

～

～

Deep in Lu Chen's heart-sea, the great cauldron roared, trembling unceasingly.

With a boom, the great sound was silent, deafening.

The four-legged great cauldron rotated slowly, ten thousand rays of rosy light spraying out, the inscriptions on it lifelike, as if they wanted to break out of the cauldron and come alive.

The Master looked up abruptly, looking at the horizon of Bianjing.

Outside the "God-Startling Array," which was like blue glaze, a snow-covered mountain range was actually projected.

Continuous great mountains, the dragon's veins, with one peak standing alone!

The mountain peak was towering, piercing the clouds.

The cliffs were like knife-cut and axe-chiseled, the rocks exposed, the textures crisscrossing.

Streams gurgled between the mountains, ancient trees towered, branches and leaves lush, blocking the sky and sun.

The stone steps on both sides wound and twisted, like a heavenly ladder, leading straight to the peak.

The peak was covered in snow all year round, and the mountainside was shrouded in clouds and mist.

An ancient Daoist temple appeared vaguely, with blue tiles and red walls, flying eaves and pavilions.

The entire mountain peak stood out of thin air between heaven and earth, like a dream and illusion.

"This is..."

Lu Hua also looked up, full of shock, blurting out.

"Mount Zhongnan!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 390 =====