Chapter 122: Great Vow (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Votes)

"The High Ancestor Emperor was once a commoner, farming and tilling the land at home."

"But his father had once served as an official in the previous dynasty; although he was later demoted and returned home, he taught the High Ancestor Emperor basic reading and writing before he passed away early."

Although Li Qiushui did not have much affection for men, she never begrudged her admiration for true heroes who could reshape the world.

"The High Ancestor once said: 'If not for the previous dynasty losing its virtue and throwing the world into chaos, forcing Me to raise a banner in revolt to save the common people, I might have become a scholar instead.'"

When mentioning the High Ancestor, she could not help but feel deeply moved.

"He wrote in his autobiography that on the night before he decided to join the army and start an uprising, he wrote down his Great Vow in his study."

Hearing this, Ren Yidao also became interested and asked curiously:

"What Great Vow did he make?"

Li Qiushui shook her head and sighed softly:

"No one knows."

"The High Ancestor never told anyone, and this matter has become an eternal mystery that Li Family disciples have wanted to solve."

Looking around at the furnishings and displays in the small study, she said softly:

"Legend has it that the High Ancestor left the paper on which he wrote his Great Vow inside the Qian Mirror, but that paper has already become a Book Spirit and cannot be captured by anyone."

"It is unwilling to interact with Li Family disciples; only when someone writes down a Great Vow will it show some reaction."

"But after so many years, successive generations of Li Family disciples and Emperors have all made Great Vows within the Qian Mirror; although a few people's Great Vows were able to stir the Book Spirit, no one has ever reached the height of the High Ancestor."

Picking up the brush on the desk, Li Qiushui handed it to Ren Yidao.

Ren Yidao did not take it, but instead asked in return:

"Aren't you going to do it? Didn't you say this is a forbidden area for you Li Family disciples? What use is the Great Vow of an outsider like me?"

Li Qiushui shook her head and placed the brush directly into Ren Yidao's palm.

"I don't need to; I have already made a Great Vow before, but I failed to stir the Book Spirit."

"And before I achieve it, I will not make a new Great Vow."

She had already made a Great Vow when she was young; although she did not successfully stir the Book Spirit to appear, she was still ranked among the best of the past generations.

That was also the first time she had stood out among her peers.

"I don't know what His Majesty is thinking this time, to actually open the Li Family's forbidden area to an outsider..."

"His Majesty acts in unpredictable ways, but there must be a reason behind it; perhaps he wants to test the thoughts of an outsider."

Li Qiushui gazed deeply into Ren Yidao's eyes, wanting to see through his heart, but once again gained nothing.

"I, too, want to see your Great Vow."

Ren Yidao: "..."

Unpredictable ways, my foot; I think your father just does whatever pops into his head.

You want to know how I know?

Well, your father and I can generally be considered the same kind of person, so how could I not know?

Ren Yidao had an exceptionally clear self-awareness.

"Since that's the case, then let me give it a try."

Holding the brush, Ren Yidao did not act coy or decline further.

Without much hesitation, he waved the brush and wrote on the white paper on the table:

"To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure life for the people, to inherit the lost teachings of past sages, and to create peace for all generations."

This was the first Great Vow that came to his mind, and it was also a sentence that was about to be worn out in various "transmigration-copycat" scenarios.

But even if its high frequency of appearance caused people to feel aversion toward it, no one could deny that this was an astonishing Great Vow.

For Heaven and Earth, for the people, for culture, for the world.

Whether from a personal perspective or for all things in Heaven and Earth, this was a top-tier Great Vow.

Sure enough, after Ren Yidao stopped his brush, changes appeared immediately.

Boom!

It was not just Ren Yidao's room; all the other contestants who had entered the civil official area heard a sound like a thunderclap.

"What!?"

"Who made a Great Vow? To be able to stir the Book Spirit?"

Then, after the thunder, they also heard the sound of book pages turning.

Rustle, rustle—

"The Book Spirit has reacted? How could it be so fast!"

"Damn it, I haven't thought of a new Great Vow yet!"

"No, impossible, my Great Vow should have been the one to..."

They were anxious, not knowing which brother or sister had made the Great Vow.

In one of the rooms, Li Long, who was standing behind the prince with his hands behind his back, frowned and looked in one direction.

"It was actually you."

"Such a great vow... so you are also a scholar?"

The sound of the pages turning was frantic, as if it were about to appear before their eyes.

But in the end, the sound gradually returned to silence, and the space within the Qian Mirror returned to calm.

"Phew... haha, just as I thought."

"Alright, alright, I still have a chance!"

"He has made his Great Vow, so he has no more chances; as long as I surpass him, that will be enough."

"It didn't succeed."

And just when they breathed a sigh of relief, Ren Yidao blinked and muttered:

"Hmm... so that's how it is?"

Ren Yidao thought about it, and this did not exceed his expectations.

The High Ancestor of the Li Family must have been a ruthless character who was a "man fallen from Heaven."

And for a person like that, the Hengqu Four Sentences seemed somewhat insufficient.

Or rather, it did not quite fit his state of mind back then.

To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish a life for the people, to carry on the lost teachings of past sages, and to open up eternal peace for all generations.

These four sentences are indeed regarded as a golden rule by countless scholars, taken as a goal to strive toward.

But this is the realm that scholars want to reach.

Although the High Ancestor of the Li Family understood some of it, he did not understand much.

At the end of the day, he was a martial man.

To put it bluntly, his level of education was limited.

Such a grand aspiration was too ethereal for him; only the last sentence could resonate with him at all.

As for things like "If Hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha; only when all living beings are saved will I attain Bodhi," that was even less relevant.

Ren Yidao did not care about the result, but he forgot there was another person beside him.

Li Qiushui's eyes widened, and she looked at Ren Yidao's profile in disbelief.

She had indeed wanted to see what kind of grand aspiration Ren Yidao would set, but she had not expected that he would not even think about it and would write it down directly with his brush.

Was this grand aspiration something he had been thinking about in his heart for a very, very long time?

To be able to harbor such a great vow...

She had a new understanding of Ren Yidao.

Watching the youth's furrowed brows, Li Qiushui worried that he would get stuck in a dead end, so she hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.

"Do not be discouraged..."

Although still cold, for those who knew her, this tone could already be called gentle.

"Although it did not trigger the Book Spirit, this is already very surprising... what are you doing?"

After a moment of contemplation, Ren Yidao ignored her and rose from the table.

He did not write on the white paper again, but instead took his brush and walked to the wall, waving it to write.

Li Qiushui did not know why Ren Yidao was not writing on paper, but when she read it, she felt her heart and soul tremble.

"Wails of misery everywhere, the city filled with blood; it is all for the single thought of saving the common people."

The short two lines of text gave her an incomparable, massive shock!

The next moment...

The Qian Mirror shook violently!

Boom, boom, boom!!!

The last two lines of poetry are from the Chairman's "Seven-Character Verse: Recalling the Chongqing Negotiations."

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