Ancient Secrets

"Bai Ji, do you want to enter the Floating Pagoda?"

Xu Qi'an led the mare to the archway at the foot of the mountain, tied the mare to a pillar, and then asked the little white fox for its opinion.

"No! Her Majesty said I'm going out this time to gain experience and broaden my horizons." The little white fox spoke in a childish voice, with a serious expression.

For some inexplicable reason, a thought flashed through Xu Qi'an's mind:

I wonder what kind of sparks will fly if I put it together with a little kid.

"It's going to get a really bad beating," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

Is your empress beautiful?

Xu Qi'an helped the princess dismount.

"It's absolutely gorgeous," Bai Ji exclaimed in her soft, gentle voice.

Xu Qi'an noticed Mu Nanzhi giving him a cold, sidelong glance.

"You're not truly detached from worldly desires after all," he said, a smirk playing on his lips.

The two men and the fox left the mare at the foot of the mountain and climbed the steps. Clear Cloud Mountain was lush with vegetation, and even in such a cold winter, large swathes of green could be seen.

Seeing her enjoying the scenery along the way with great interest, Xu Qi'an said:

"The plants and trees here, nourished by the Vast Righteous Qi year-round, have undergone slight mutations compared to plants outside. Even in winter..."

Mu Nanzhi interrupted coldly, "Do I need you to explain?"

"I almost forgot, you're the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess!" Xu Qi'an immediately shut up.

Given Mu Nanzhi's level of expertise, she probably saw through it at first glance.

Xu Qi'an never mentioned his identity as the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess, pretending that he didn't know.

Mu Nanzhi pretended not to know.

The two have an exceptionally high level of understanding, like an old married couple who have lived together for many years, enjoying a life where they don't need much communication to understand each other.

Before long, they arrived at the academy along the mountain steps. Xu Qi'an first paid a visit to the three great Confucian scholars, his nominal teachers.

The three erudite scholars entertained Xu Qi'an in a quiet and elegant pavilion.

"Ningyan, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

Xu Xinnian's mentor, the renowned scholar Zhang Shen, greeted her with a smile, then turned to Mu Nanzhi: "And this is..."

"This is my betrothed wife," Xu Qi'an introduced her.

The three Confucian scholars all showed surprised expressions. Even Mu Nanzhi turned her head in astonishment and stared at Xu Qi'an.

Mu Nanzhi quickly clasped her hands together and launched a counterattack:

"This humble nun is a nun; please, Mr. Xu, refrain from speaking such nonsense and tarnishing my reputation."

The little white fox squatted on the coffee table, raised its small face to look at her, and said:

"Auntie, how can a nun have a reputation? You should say, 'Don't ruin this nun's practice.'"

Mu Nanzhi retaliated with a sharp flick on the forehead, enraged and embarrassed:

"You think you know everything?"

"Should we build you a stage so you can perform for three days and three nights?"

Bai Ji is young and at that point, showing off her limited knowledge, and has a strong desire to perform. It has embarrassed Mu Nanzhi more than once or twice, even though it is not aware of it.

Seeing that all four men were staring at her, Mu Nanzhi felt embarrassed and got up angrily to leave.

"Auntie, wait for me!"

The little white fox hurriedly jumped off the table, wagging its fluffy tail like a kitten abandoned by its owner, anxiously chasing after the table.

Xu Qi'an watched the man and the fox leave, shaking his head and sighing:

"My wife has been married before, has a bad temper, and is about the same age as my aunt. Please forgive her, teachers."

She's been married before?!

She's old enough to be his mother?!

The three Confucian scholars seemed to have something more in their eyes when they looked at Xu Qi'an.

"The reason I've come to visit you three teachers is to request a few Law Technique to Law Follows Speech."

Xu Qi'an rubbed his hands together, feeling embarrassed about getting something for free.

The reason for choosing the Law Technique of the three great Confucian scholars instead of Zhao Shou's was that he could withstand the backlash of the fourth-rank "Law Follows Speech".

Dean Zhao Shou was at the peak of the third rank, just one step away from entering the true "Great Confucian" realm. Xu Qi'an couldn't withstand the backlash of Law Technique at this level.

"Law Technique!"

"I see!"

"It's nothing, it's nothing!"

The three esteemed scholars, one after the other, revealed kind and friendly smiles, rubbed their hands together, and said:

Has Ningyan released any new works recently?

"No!" Xu Qi'an shook his head regretfully, then tried to explain.

Unexpectedly, the three Confucian scholars instantly dropped their kind and friendly smiles, revealing expressions of "we've just met by chance," and said:

"Confucian School Law Technique are not to be passed on to outsiders. Xu Yinluo, please go back. Don't make things difficult for us."

This... this is Xu Yinluo? It's too real. You guys just want to get my poems for free. Xu Qi'an thought to himself, then realized that he didn't seem to have the right to criticize others.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "Suddenly, inspiration struck."

The three Confucian scholars' eyes suddenly brightened, and they straightened their backs, adopting a listening and serious posture.

Xu Qi'an said slowly:

"On this day last year, within this very gate, faces and peach blossoms reflected each other's rosy hue."

The three great Confucian scholars listened attentively, pondering the opening two lines of the poem.

These two lines of poetry highlight a vivid and memorable recollection, so clear that it is "today." The second half of the line, with its image of a face and peach blossoms, lets the three great scholars know that what he is about to write is related to emotion.

As highly learned Confucian scholars, they possessed an exceptional ability to appreciate poetry.

Judging from the poem, it seems to focus on imagery and emotion, unlike the poem with the line "A faint fragrance drifts in the twilight."

Furthermore, based on the foreshadowing in the first two lines of the poem, the three great scholars either actively composed the poem in their minds or guessed the emotional direction of the second half of the poem.

Xu Qi'an turned to look out the window and whispered:

"The face is gone, I know not where; but the peach blossoms still smile in the spring breeze!"

The three Confucian scholars remained silent, pondering their thoughts, a sense of melancholy inexplicably rising in their hearts.

The poem uses peach blossoms to highlight the beauty and the phrase "last year" as a prelude, so that when the second half of the poem is presented, it evokes a sense of melancholy, a feeling of "things have changed, but people are no longer the same."

If you are a sentimental person, you will feel saddened upon hearing this.

"What a fine poem! If this poem were to circulate, it would surely be loved and admired by the ladies of the Imperial Academy of Music."

Zhang Shen stroked his beard and sighed with emotion.

Poems that clearly express heartbreak are most likely to strike a chord with the tender hearts of women in the sex industry.

"With this poem, Ningyan can once again indulge in unrestrained spending at the Imperial Academy of Music without spending a single penny."

Li Mubai praised it.

"Ningyan wrote this poem for Fuxiang, didn't he? Spread it around, and all the girls in the Imperial Academy of Music will weep for your deep affection."

Chen Tai sighed.

Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up. "This poem doesn't have a title, so I'll have to trouble the three teachers to help me with that."

As soon as the words were spoken, the three scholars suddenly began to breathe heavily. They scrutinized each other, their eyes filled with vigilance, distrust, and wariness.

Seeing this, Xu Qi'an stood up and bowed, saying, "I have something to discuss with the dean, so I'll take my leave."

They left the attic.

He looked around for a moment but didn't see Mu Nanzhi. Since there was nothing to worry about in Clear Cloud Mountain, he didn't go looking for her.

Xu Qi'an skillfully navigated through the "school area" and "dormitory area," walking for a long time towards the back mountain until the wind carried the rustling sound of bamboo leaves.

Before me lay a bamboo forest, its verdant green interspersed with withered yellow leaves.

And a small pavilion nestled in the bamboo grove.

Dean Zhao Shou had been standing in the fenced yard in front of the attic for a long time, waiting.

"I just paid my respects to the three gentlemen," Xu Qi'an said, bowing.

Zhao Shou returned the greeting; Xu Qi'an now had the right to be his equal.

"Respect for teachers and the importance of education." Zhao Shou smiled approvingly.

He knew that the three great Confucian scholars were Xu Qi'an's nominal teachers.

Xu Qi'an glanced at him. "I wrote poems for them, but didn't give them titles."

The smile on Zhao Shou's face slowly disappeared.

"Alright, just get to the point. What do you want?" Zhao Shou rubbed his temples; he still had to clean up this mess later.

"Why did Duke Wei seal away the Witch God?" Xu Qi'an was indeed straightforward.

Zhao Shou gestured for him to come inside. "Let's talk."

The two entered the house. Zhao Shou glanced at the empty coffee table and said unhappily:

"There should be some tea here."

A flash of light, and two steaming cups of tea appeared on the coffee table.

"This works?!" Xu Qi'an was utterly stunned.

I thought to myself that I had underestimated these Confucian School idioms.

Seeing his confusion, Zhao Shou smiled and explained:

"It wasn't created out of thin air; it was simply a Law Technique summoning of tea from nearby tea drinkers."

He glanced at the teacup and said, "Very good, it hasn't been drunk from."

If I were to mutter to myself in bed at night, "There should be a wife here," it would be wonderful.

Could I summon someone else's wife? Hehehe.

Xu Qi'an said earnestly, "Dean, please give me a few Law Technique that can Law Follows Speech come true."

Zhao Shou took a sip of tea and smiled:

"Because the power of the Confucian sage is waning, and the sorcerer god is about to break free of his seal, in order to prevent the Central Plains and even the entire land from suffering, Wei Yuan chose to sacrifice himself to reinforce the seal of the Confucian sage."

Xu Qi'an suppressed his distracting thoughts and stared intently at Zhao Shou:

You know that's not what I wanted to ask.

"Why did the Confucian sage seal the witch god, and why did he seal the Gu god? The Heavenly Gu Elder conspired with Xu Pingfeng to seize the destiny, also in order to strengthen the seal."

"Because the Confucian Sage statue at the bottom of the Southern Frontier Abyss has also cracked. Confucian School cultivation is related to fortune, and the Confucian Sage carries fortune, so the Heavenly Gu Elder believes that seizing a huge amount of fortune can strengthen the seal."

"Because it shares the same origin as the power of Confucian sages."

Zhao Shou remained silent for a moment, then nodded without refuting.

"The Gu God is an ancient Gods and Devils; it shows no mercy to the common people and is inherently bloodthirsty and belligerent. Such a ferocious creature must naturally be sealed away. As for the Witch God, who is attempting to invade the Central Plains, I need not elaborate on how terrifying a superior enemy he is."

Xu Qi'an shook his head and said with a wry smile:

"Dean, I come from a criminal investigation background, don't try to apply logic to me."

"To prevent the Central Plains from being invaded, the sorcerer god was sealed away. However, the sorcerer god existed long before the Confucian sage."

"If the Witch God wanted to invade the Central Plains, then the Central Plains would have long been under the control of the Witch God's sect. The reason why the Confucian sage sealed the Witch God is not that simple."

Zhao Shou remained silent.

Xu Qi'an continued:

"The era of Gods and Devils has ended. To date, a total of five supreme beings have appeared: the Confucian Sage, the Witch God, the Gu God, the Buddha, and the Daoist Venerable. The Confucian Sage was the youngest, appeared the latest, and died the earliest."

The argument that the witch god was sealed away to protect the safety of the Central Plains is completely untenable.

"Furthermore, Buddhist School also covets the Central Plains. According to your logic, shouldn't the Confucian sage also seal away the Buddha?"

Xu Qi'an stared aggressively at Zhao Shou.

The room was quiet. The two faced each other in silence for a moment before Zhao Shou slowly said:

"Who told you that the Confucian sage did not seal away the Buddha?"

In an instant, Xu Qi'an felt an electric current sweep across his back, and his scalp tingled.

P. S.: I'll continue writing the next chapter. As usual, I'll read it tomorrow.