The cold wind was howling outside, and the winter snow had not yet melted away completely, piling up in the corners. This was not a very large school, with only five or six large rooms. Tang Li was sitting in the main hall in a daze at this moment, sitting on the floor at the last seat, just like a child seeking education.
In front of him, there were already twenty-four people kneeling and waiting, as if they were waiting for someone. Among them were old and young, some were sitting upright, and some were reading books silently.
Some of them were dressed in gorgeous clothes, while others were in coarse linen. Although it was cold outside, there was floor heating in the house and charcoal fire burning under the mezzanine, allowing the students to study in peace.
But at this moment everyone was very serious, as if something was going to happen today.
"Where is this?"
Tang Li turned around with a blank look in his eyes and looked outside the house. There was a not very tall osmanthus tree in the yard, which had just sprouted new buds.
The rising and falling houses in the distance are all covered with thatched roofs. The architectural style looks ancient and reveals a sense of barbarism. It has the simplicity of the tribal era and the prosperity of the civilized era.
This is a period of great change, and humanity is moving from ignorance and barbarism to a new era.
The noisy sounds on the streets are the ancient Xun language, which is the closest to the spiritual language and is called the elegant language. By the time of Tang Li, only the nobles and doctors, as well as the ancient witch-priest families and monks knew how to speak this ancient Xun language.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
The drums were beating loudly and there were loud chants. If one listened quietly, it seemed as if one could hear thousands of people dancing a sacrificial dance. Tang Li could even feel that they were moving forward with exaggerated steps, carrying the tall statue of the witch god.
This sacrificial ceremony is full of wild atmosphere, and the sacrificial words carry a heavy flavor of vicissitudes.
“The mandate of Heaven is in the Xun! It descends and gives rise to flowers, Heaven has…” The dry and long sacrificial voice of the shaman begins, full of rhythm.
Tang Li was sitting on the ground. After hearing the sound, he felt as if his head was about to explode and he immediately knew where he was.
"Dahuan!"
"Xundu!"
Tang Li pronounced the two names almost word by word, as if the four words were extremely heavy.
Born in an era of war among various nations, he had only heard of the long-extinct Dahuan Dynasty in books and legends. That dynasty unified the world and led humanity out of barbarism and ignorance and towards civilization. Every civilian caught in the war missed the period of the Dahuan Dynasty immensely.
Especially the disciples and students of the academy, each of them hated the actions of the last King Huan, and cursed King Huan who forced the last teacher of Xundu Academy to death, but they also missed that prosperous and flourishing dynasty country very much.
After uttering those two words, Tang Li turned his head as if reflexively, staring blankly at the twenty-four people sitting in front of him. Only then did he remember why this number seemed so familiar.
"Feng Sheng, who founded the academy, and his twenty-four sage disciples!"
He looked at the backs of those people and recognized quite a few of them. To this day, their portraits are still hung in the Shangxian Academy and its branch academies, and there are their god tablets and even statues in the Confucian Temple.
"This is the Xundu Academy, the same place where Feng Sheng was still preaching!"
"The Annals of King Huan!"
“Squeak!”
At this moment, the side door was pushed open, and a young man in a teacher's robe walked in with his hands behind his back, holding a white jade scroll in his hand. His face was as white as jade, and his long black hair was tied behind his head with a straw rope. He was tall but did not look oppressive.
Tang Li looked at the familiar face and couldn't help but open his mouth wide, even his fingers trembled involuntarily.
Just like the man who rode in a carriage passing through Gao State's capital Gaoyang more than 20 years ago, with exactly the same appearance and the same scholar's robe, but his eyes had become deeper and more vicissitudes of life.
At this moment, Tang Li straightened his spine and trembled with excitement, listening to the saint on the stage imparting the great principles and morals of mankind together with the ancient sages. It seemed like a scene that traveled through the long river of time, and he was probably the only one in the world who could see it again.
However, Zhu Xian and Tang Li, who were sitting cross-legged at their desks, did not notice that it had gotten dark outside.
"well!"
Feng Sheng suddenly put down the jade slip in his hand, let out a long sigh, and looked at everyone below.
He swept his eyes over, looking at everyone below. There was wisdom and vicissitudes in his gaze that penetrated the cycle of time, as if at this moment, this gaze had already seen through the life destiny of everyone below.
"A teacher is someone who teaches, imparts knowledge, and resolves doubts!"
"My teachings have been passed on to you. I hope you can bring glory to Xundu Academy!"
Feng Sheng looked at the man sitting in the middle below and smiled with satisfaction.
"Zhuang Li! After I leave, you will be the next generation of Master!"
Tang Li immediately moved his gaze over and stared at the young man who looked a little thin. He vaguely found the shadow of the old Zhuang Sheng in the portrait.
The young Zhuang Sheng immediately stepped forward, knelt down in front of Feng Sheng, took the preaching jade slip in his hand, and officially opened the era of Xundu Academy.
"Today, no matter what noise you hear, don't come out!" After saying this, Feng Sheng gradually disappeared in front of the crowd like starlight. The twenty-four sages knelt on the ground and kowtowed together, and Tang Li followed suit involuntarily.
"Farewell, Master!" the twenty-four sages shouted in unison.
Tang Li also shouted excitedly, but when he stood up, he found that there was no one in the entire academy.
"roar!"
Tang Li was at a loss as to what to do when suddenly a shrill ghost howl from the Xundu outside startled him. Tang Li looked outside and saw a beam of blood rising into the sky and instantly spreading to the entire Xundu.
Tens of thousands of ghosts howled in the sky, and tens of thousands of evil spirits poured out from the earth.
Tang Li immediately thought of the rebellion of the great witch Yun recorded in the Annals of King Huan Hua. In the past, there was a great witch named Yun, who brought chaos to the world and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of people in the royal capital in order to seek immortality.
This scene, recorded in history, reappeared before his eyes.
He walked out of the yard and suddenly saw another Feng Sheng standing in front of the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, as if waiting for him.
Feng Sheng turned around and looked at Tang Li: "Tang Li, in the past, King Huan Hua used great perseverance to drive out demons and foreign races, and conquered the east and west for decades, and finally unified the world."
"And now, Dahuan has been destroyed for a hundred years, and this turbulent world is about to end.
"You, what choice should you make?"
Tang Li bowed respectfully: "Why is Feng Sheng teaching me? Who in this world is the true dragon? Who has the destiny to unify the world?"
Feng Sheng laughed loudly and looked at Tang Li: "Destiny?"
"Where does destiny come from in this world? Even if there really is destiny, it cannot overcome the will of the people and the great trend of the times."
"You are like the one who is in charge of the academy. You will naturally choose the person you think can stabilize the world and end this chaotic world. This person is the true dragon and the destiny."
Tang Li bowed and said, "I am grateful for your teaching!"
"Tang Li will definitely put an end to this chaotic world, let the academy stand tall in this world again, and create a new prosperous era."
Feng Sheng looked at Xundu in the distance. Huan Wanghua was just like him back then, full of vigor and majestic.
"When this chaotic world is settled and prosperity arrives, I will come to greet you in person!"
"By then, you will be the fifth saint of the Way of Literature!"
When Tang Li looked up, he saw that there was only one osmanthus tree left in front of him, but its new buds had already bloomed and turned into flowers.
At this time, above the sky of Xundu, a God Emperor wearing an extremely majestic imperial robe, a dragon crown on his head, and a face as white as jade, was riding a bronze chariot pulled by eight dragon horses across the sky. The emperor exuded endless power, and his eyes like stars swept across, and everything submitted to his gaze.
Millions of ghost soldiers and generals followed the bronze chariot. The ghost soldiers were wearing armor and holding sharp weapons. They were as mighty as a cloud covering the sky, and went towards the sky.
Following their emperor, they headed towards the unknown and mysterious underworld.
The world completely collapsed when the emperor passed by with millions of ghost horses and underworld soldiers. Tang Li opened his eyes and found that he was still in the Shangxian Academy in Budi, holding a volume of Feng Sheng's "Preaching" in his hand.
"Emperor Longqiu!"
"Huan Wanghua!"
“What a turbulent era!”
A smile appeared on Tang Li's lips. He carefully put the volume of preaching into the bookshelf and strode out.
Because he was confident that he could create a new world that was no less powerful than the Huan Dynasty, and that hundreds of millions of people in later generations would remember his name as they would praise King Huan Hua.