As the beast chariot drove deeper into the academy, Su Yun felt gloomy and thought to himself, "Mr. Shui Jing said that Zuo Pushe and his men mistook me for an envoy from Dongdu because of the Jie Hui strange case, and asked me to investigate from the Jie Hui Factory. In other words, Tu Ming, Zuo Pushe and Mr. Shui Jing all think that there is something wrong with the Jie Hui Factory."
His eyes flickered as he looked out the window.
Outside the window is the lake of Wenchang Academy. A shirtless man is hanging above the water. A man who looks like a teacher at the academy is adjusting a fishing rod, intending to use the man to catch fish.
—The school of fish below couldn’t wait to jump out of the water.
There were some newly enrolled scholars watching by the lake, and the academy teacher said, "This is the fate of scholars who failed the exam!"
Su Yun retracted his gaze and thought to himself, "They all think that there is something wrong with the Jiehui Factory, so it seems that there is really something wrong with the Tong family's Jiehui Factory. Well, I will do my job as I wish, so I will investigate the Tong family's Jiehui Factory!"
He did not have much good feelings towards the Tong family. After all, the scholars like Lin Qingsheng who assassinated him last night were from the Shuofang Academy, and the Shuofang Academy's Minister Tong Qingyun was also from the Tong family!
Su Yun even suspected that Tong Qingyun wanted to get rid of him as the "Envoy of Tiandaoyuan"!
If there is a problem with the Jiehui Factory, then there is also a problem with Tong Qingyun.
The beast chariot came to a group of buildings halfway up the mountain. Su Yun looked from the car and saw that the area was half building, half mountain and half farmland.
The building was built against the mountain. Half of the cliff was cut away to divide the cliff into two layers. The second floor of the building was built on the second floor of the cliff. There were several acres of gardens on the second floor of the cliff.
From his angle, he could see mountain spring water flowing down the cliff like a thin waterfall and into the fish pond in the garden.
There is a small bridge over the fish pond, which is surrounded by flowers, plants and trees, with water flowing under the bridge.
There are two or three acres of farmland on the first floor, which is finely cultivated without large lumps of soil. Some flowers and plants are planted near the first floor, but they have withered because of the snow.
The beast chariot stopped, Su Yun, Hua Hu and others got off the car and walked into the building. They saw a palace-like living room inside the building, tall and spacious.
Whether it is the doors and windows, or the pillars and walls, they are all carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes. The living room and study are fully equipped with pens, ink, paper, inkstones, screens, murals, piano rooms and kitchens.
Even the Jiehui lamps hanging on the wall are more exquisite than those in other places. They are carved into the shapes of dragons playing with pearls or phoenixes holding pearls. They can be used for lighting as well as as decorations to embellish landscape residences.
Qingqiu Yue, Hu Buping and Li Xiaofan were running around in Shanshuiju, choosing rooms. Huahu also rushed over. Su Yun heard happy screams coming from upstairs and downstairs.
Su Yun came to the second floor, pushed open the back door and looked out. The garden in the building and the mountain behind it came into view. The mountain spring poured into the pond in the garden.
The pond water overflowed and turned into a thin stream. The boy walked through the woods and came to the bridge. He saw six or seven fish, some red and some white, swimming around under the bridge.
"Master, this house should not be where scholars live, right?" Su Yun looked at Shanshuiju, turned around and said with a smile.
Monk Tu Ming walked over and said, "This place is called Shanshuiju. It is indeed not a place for scholars to live, but a house of Zuo Pushe. He has many houses, so you can live here. After all..."
He gave a meaningful smile: "The envoy goes to investigate at night, and he has to go in and out, so it's not convenient for him to stay in Shenxiu Tower. There are too many people there."
Su Yun felt uneasy when he laughed at her.
Monk Tu Ming took his leave and said, "The students will not be able to start school until after the New Year, but there are dozens or even hundreds of students staying in school. Food and drink here are all available, so your Excellency does not need to worry. If you need anything, just let me know."
Su Yun thanked him and stood up to see him off.
He returned to Shanshuiju, and Qingqiuyue ran to him like a gust of wind, her nervous little hands clenched in front of her chest, she bent over and stamped her feet, begging, "Brother Xiaoyun, can I turn back into a fox and have fun?"
Hu Buping and Li Xiaofan also ran over, clasped their hands, raised their heads, and looked at Su Yun pleadingly.
Su Yun had no choice but to nod: "Just for a while."
The three little demon children cheered and immediately turned back into three foxes. They threw their clothes aside and ran around in Shanshuiju while screaming.
"Second brother can also turn back into a fox and have some fun." Su Yun said to Huahu.
Huahu snorted and raised his head: "I'm not a child, why are you still playing around? I'm one year older than you!"
After a while, the flower fox saw that the three of them were playing too crazy, and the wildness in himself began to stir. He couldn't help but said, "I'll just play for a little while!" After saying that, he turned back into a fox and left shouting.
Su Yun let out a long sigh and sat down. He heard the noisy sounds of the little foxes and his heart was filled with waves.
"There are too many dangers I have to face now. At the same level, I am no match for the human demon Wutong. The reason I can defeat her is that I am one level higher than her, and I can use the sword technique of the Immortal Sword to slay the demon dragon! If the witch cultivates to the Soul Condensation Realm, it will be easy for her to kill me! She will definitely take revenge!"
"Another threat is Saint Young Master Bai Yue Lou. Although not as threatening as the human demon, after he entered the Soul Enrichment Realm, Saint Shuofang personally taught him the Soul Enrichment Realm Technique. If I don't have a technique that's similar to the Saint's, I'm sure I'll be defeated by him!"
"And then there is Lin Qingsheng! After all, he was the first in the exam two years ago. He is extremely powerful and has a very high level of attainment in the art of music! I must be fully prepared for the battle in two months, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous!"
"There is also a world behind the Heavenly Gate, and that immortal sword is still waiting for me. If I can't significantly improve my strength, I'm afraid I will die if I go in again!"
"Plus, there are quite a few people targeting me now, and even more who want to get rid of me. After all, some people have speculated that I am an envoy sent by the Emperor of Dongdu."
"And I have to investigate the strange case of the robbery!"
Su Yun developed a strong sense of urgency. After the witch Wutong was reincarnated, she did not choose the path of wanton killing to increase her strength. After her reincarnation, she should need to practice step by step.
But she is a human demon after all, with many methods, and she was able to die together with the real dragon one hundred and fifty years ago!
She has extremely high aptitude and comprehension, and poses the greatest threat to Su Yun!
"I must improve my cultivation and strength as soon as possible! Yes, Tiandao Academy, I will go to learn the Yunling Realm exercises from Tiandao Academy!"
As soon as he thought of this, Su Yun immediately mobilized his qi and blood to activate the Heavenly Dao Order.
In his spiritual world, Su Yun's soul came to the gate of Tiandaoyuan, pushed open the door of the sacred temple with both hands, and strode in.
"I hope I won't meet that scholar named Di Ping again this time."
Su Yun walked into Tiandao Academy. The surrounding scenery appeared from nothing. Palaces emerged out of thin air. The scholars of Tiandao Academy also came into his sight as if they had walked out of the void.
"Shuofang Suyun!"
When Su Yun heard the voice, he thought to himself, "Oh no!" He looked in the direction of the voice and saw, as expected, the sickly young man "Di Ping" was standing under a gate not far away.
"Scholar Su Yun, we meet again!" Di Ping waved at him excitedly.
Su Yun stepped forward, and Di Ping smiled and said, "I knew you would come back, so I waited here."
Su Yun looked around and saw no one around. He thought, "If he keeps talking nonsense, I'll beat him up..."
Di Ping looked up at the gate and said with a smile, "Tian Dao Yuan is the largest and most powerful holy land in Yuan Shuo. It gathers the smartest people in Yuan Shuo, with all kinds of talents. Scholar Su Yun, what is your talent that impressed Qiu Shuijing?"
Su Yun was slightly startled, then shook his head and said, "Mr. Shui Jing never told me, so I don't know."
Di Ping looked at him in surprise and said, "Qiu Shuijing has always been aloof and self-righteous. He looks down on others and thinks that others are dumber than himself. He is the smartest one. You must have something extraordinary to be able to gain his approval and enter Tiandao Academy."
He looked up at the gate again and said, "Look at this gate, what can you see?"
Su Yun looked up at the gate and saw that it was somewhat similar to the Eight-Sided Tower he had seen, but the reliefs on it were different.
In his eyes, the reliefs on the eight-sided imprint of the sky-facing palace were lifelike and full of spirit, but the reliefs on this side of the palace gate lacked verve and were not perfectly carved.
Moreover, the types of mythical beasts in the relief facing the sky are also different.
He was confused but didn't say it out loud.
Di Ping raised his hand to cover his mouth and coughed violently. After a while, he calmed down and said, "Back then, the emperor sent the strongest masters of Yuanshuo to Tianshiyuan to study the Tianmen Ghost Market. These masters sent their research results to Tiandaoyuan. Later, these people created the Eight-sided Chaotian Tower in Tianmen Town. Unfortunately, Tianmen Town was destroyed and the real Chaotian Tower has disappeared."
Su Yun asked in confusion: "Then what's going on with this Facing the Sky?"
“Imitation.”
Di Ping sighed and said, "Tian Dao Academy sorted out the research results they sent and imitated many Chaotianque. This is one of them. There are rumors that it contains the secret of immortality. Unfortunately, the eight-sided Chaotianque was stolen..."
Su Yun's heart was pounding.
Chao Tianque is nowhere to be found, but there is the mark of Chao Tianque in his eyes!
This man named Di Ping seemed to know his origins, and seemed to know that he came from the uninhabited area of Tianshiyuan, so he mentioned the origin of Chaotianque to him!
"In the past six years, scholars from the Tiandao Academy have studied Chaotianque and created many extraordinary skills."
Di Ping's face turned pale and he panted, "But these techniques all have flaws and drawbacks to a greater or lesser extent. No one can unify all the techniques. I was injured because I tried to unify all the techniques."
Su Yun was puzzled and asked, "Since you know it's not good, why do you continue to practice?"
“Because it can make you live forever.”
Di Ping said in a mature manner: "You are still young and don't understand these things. So, let me ask you, how many years does it take for a poor family to cultivate a scholar and for the poor scholar to rise to prominence and glory and be on an equal footing with the children of the aristocratic families?"
Su Yun was slightly startled, thought for a moment, and said, "It will take twenty to thirty years."
"Wrong."
Di Ping sneered, "It takes at least three generations. The first generation of scholars worked hard to climb up, even if he climbed to the top of the officialdom, even if he had the most power in the world, he was not from an aristocratic family. In front of the aristocratic families, he was still inferior. Only his descendants could inherit his family business and make sure that his family business would not fail, and his grandchildren would be qualified to sit on an equal footing with the children of the aristocratic families. Therefore, three generations are needed, and those of three generations must be capable and accomplished."
Su Yun fell silent. He also wanted to move up and he had ambitions.
But it is too difficult to jump from his level to the next level.
Di Ping continued, "It is so difficult for a poor scholar to become a noble family. It is almost hopeless. It is equivalent to ascending to heaven! It is even more difficult to become an immortal and live forever! For those who have already stepped onto the top of this world, this is also an improvement!"
He started to cough violently, but his eyes sparkled with an unusual brilliance: "I want to live forever! I will grab even the slightest bit of hope!"
He turned around abruptly and stared at Su Yun: "Scholar Su Yun, do you want to live forever?"
Su Yun was at a loss.
Di Ping grabbed his shoulders and said frantically, "The skills sorted out from Chaotianque are in Wenyuan Pavilion! You only need to go to Wenyuan Pavilion to get these skills!"
Su Yun broke away from him and shook his head, saying, "I just want to learn a technique for the Soul Condensation Realm. Immortality has nothing to do with me."
"Wenyuan Pavilion is over there!"
Di Ping raised his hand and pointed to the front right, laughing: "You will see it, you will definitely see it!"
Su Yun walked away quickly, thinking: "This Di Ping, is he a lunatic? You've driven yourself crazy, so why would I go and look at those incomplete exercises?"
Wenyuan Pavilion is a five-story building. The keeper of the Wenyuan Pavilion on the first floor is a white-haired old man. He said to Su Yun, "You look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here? There is a book monster in Wenyuan Pavilion. Her name is Yingying. If you call her, she will appear and help you find the books. If you want to read a book, just ask her."
Su Yun was extremely surprised and asked, "Can books also turn into monsters?"
"Books can be monsters, but they cannot be demons."
The keeper of the collection was also well-read. He said, "When a spirit attaches to an animal, it's a demon. When it attaches to a plant, it's a spirit. When it attaches to an inanimate object, it's a monster. Some spirits loved reading when they were alive. After they die, their spirits are immortal and attach themselves to books, turning into book monsters. Yingying was a girl who loved reading when she was alive. After she died, she turned into a book monster."
Su Yun thanked him, walked into the first floor of the library, and called out, "Yingying!"
“Here I come!”
There was a bang from the bookshelf behind him. Su Yun looked hurriedly and saw a thick book suddenly turned into a puff of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, the book disappeared. A girl who was only as tall as the book floated between the bookshelves and flew back and forth in front of the rows of books.
The girl's hair was flowing, and her clothes were changing colors like neon. She flew around Su Yun for a few weeks, then suddenly stopped and sat on Su Yun's shoulder. She held her chin with her right hand, looked at Su Yun's profile, and asked with interest, "What book do you want to read?"
Zhaizhu: Happy New Year, here is a 4,000-word chapter for you!