ASER - Chapter 204
Chapter 204: Kunlun
With Tang Song dealing with major events like the old emperor's death and the new monarch's ascension, the nation's atmosphere was solemn. Lie Qin and Nan Jin stirred slightly, showing subtle signs of probing, but those were the Imperial Family's messes. A'Diao had no intention of getting involved, and clearly, Old Man Yu also felt this was the Imperial Family's old dogs' problem; Lushan Academy had no need to interfere.
He didn't follow the traditions of Lushan's previous Mountain Heads; his mindset was unconventional, somewhat like A'Diao's in a way.
Shrewd, cunning, and also ruthless.
The ruthless A'Diao paid no mind to these matters. Upon returning to her residence, she began tinkering with the Book of Civilization, and the result thoroughly disgusted her.
"What the hell, it's truly useless! Toilet, can a Book of Civilization actually be useless?"
Toilet: "I don't know. Generally, a Book of Civilization is superior to a Dao Tablet. It's usually created when a Great Spirit King level cultivator has formed complete spiritual Dao rules for the power they've mastered. For example, one who masters the lightning element would create a Book of Lightning Civilization, and one who masters space would create a Book of Space Civilization. Your Book of the Yellow Springs is high-end because it's related to time, making it more prestigious than elemental Books of Civilization. But theoretically, if a Book of Civilization becomes useless, it's usually because it perished and dissipated along with its creator, making it very difficult to survive. If it does survive, it would become scattered fragments of civilization. It's impossible for it to become a complete, yet discarded and useless, Book of Civilization body, unless it's the last possibility."
A'Diao: "Like being sealed?"
Toilet: "Yes, it's been sealed. And for the Imperial Family to hide it here, using restrictions from that temple, it's likely related to the Celestial Clan."
After her outburst, A'Diao calmed down and also thought of it, "Could it be a Book of Civilization from the Celestial Clan? The Imperial Family obtained it but couldn't use it, so they've kept it in their treasury all this time."
That was most likely the only reason.
Then it was indeed a treasure, but she fumbled around and couldn't find the seal, let alone break it.
"Or perhaps it's incomplete?" A'Diao inexplicably thought at last. If that was the answer, then obtaining it was no different from not obtaining it at all.
After all, where could one find an incomplete Book of Civilization? And even if found, could a Book of Civilization from the Celestial Clan even be used by humans?
A waste of effort!
A'Diao felt displeased and grew even more resentful towards the Imperial Family.
Three days later, after the conferment of titles was completed, upon returning to the Sixth Heaven, she saw a person waiting at the entrance of Langya Courtyard.
"Mo Yuwo?"
Mo Yuwo had been looking at the red apricot blossoms peeking over the courtyard wall. He turned to A'Diao and raised his hand in a salute.
"Greetings, Junior Sect Master."
A'Diao raised an eyebrow. "You're looking for me for something?"
"I wanted to give this to you."
Mo Yuwo took out the hairpin, explained its origin, and also mentioned the secrets of the Helian Clan in Diannan and their treasured Long Zither.
"After coming to Lushan, I originally intended to give it to you, but I realized your situation was also perilous, so I gave up on the idea."
"But now that Sister Jiangnan and the others have been revived, and you have dealings with them again, after some thought, I still want to give it to you. Perhaps it can help uncover some of the Imperial Family's schemes."
Mo Yuwo was very clever. From A'Diao's actions, he could see that the trajectory of her rise pointed directly towards the Imperial Family's hierarchy, and he also knew how to choose the right moment.
A'Diao had indeed known back when she was with the Chen family that this person sought something from her, but at that time, she was aware of her own circumstances and couldn't be bothered to invite karmic entanglements. But things were different now.
Her wings had fully grown. Moreover, the Qu Xia'er sisters were currently even stronger than her, so they could naturally handle this matter.
A'Diao took the hairpin. Just as Mo Yuwo was about to take his leave, she suddenly said, "Have you ever thought about killing someone yourself?"
Mo Yuwo turned back and saw the Junior Sect Master, smiling brightly under the red apricot blossoms, her thin lips moving slightly.
"I can make you far stronger than you are now."
"But the prerequisite is—unconditional submission to me."
After Mo Yuwo left, A'Diao went to Diannan. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it had been arranged back when she was at the border.
In the deep mountains of Diannan, the place where Qu Jiangnan had once fallen and Qu Xia'er had been revived, the deathly aura in the mountains still lingered, but an old house now stood tall.
Green mountains and clear waters, distant and elegant.
When A'Diao entered the house, Qu Xia'er was calculating something, while Qu Jiangnan was making coffee.
They were naturally aware that the old emperor had passed away.
"Finished dealing with it?"
A'Diao: "It's not like I needed to carry the coffin or attend the funeral. What was there for me to handle? It's just a shame there's no custom of having a feast; that's not good."
The pencil under Qu Xia'er's fingers paused. She took off her glasses and gave A'Diao a cold look.
"You have something of my family's on you."
You have a dog's nose.
A'Diao was surprised and silently cursed that the Corpse Spirit King was indeed formidable. So, she took out the hairpin and told them about Mo Yuwo.
Qu Jiangnan recognized the hairpin immediately. "It's true, I gave it to him before the resurgence of spiritual energy... After all, I feel very guilty towards his family. But does this hairpin hold any secrets?"
She asked Qu Xia'er, as the latter was older than her.
Qu Xia'er took the hairpin and pondered for a moment, then said: "I mentioned this to Mo Xuanyu. He knew it was an heirloom and didn't dare reveal his identity, but he wanted me to feel better, so he specifically asked me to describe the hairpin's appearance, then found a craftsman to make one and give it to me. Actually, I already knew his identity back then, and I also knew he had the real hairpin, but I had no intention of taking it back. The fake hairpin was destroyed with my remains when I died. This one is the real one."
"Mother was unwilling to talk about these things, but this was very important to her. She once cherished it carefully but never showed this hairpin to Father. I suppose there are some secrets hidden within it."
A'Diao had to bring up another matter, the Royal Treasury. "I saw some ancient documents and books inside. The covers and binding styles were a bit special. I know some ancient families with primordial era legacies have their own distinct styles for binding documents. Take a look and see if they're related to you."
"It was sealed within a secret space, placed together with some Dao Tablets of Great Spirit Kings. Clearly, the secrets they contain are of a high caliber, and the Imperial Family is unwilling to let them leak."
She showed the recorded images of the books to the two women.
With just one glance, both of them recognized it.
The Helian Clan was a great literary family from the primordial era. The documents and collections they left behind were a component of the civilization's system; these books all signified treasures of their time.
"They're from our family. When we were young, Mother even taught us how to make them, from the book materials and the script... You can't see them?"
"I can't see them, there are restrictions. Otherwise, I would have read the contents back then. You haven't seen them either?"
"No."
Qu Jiangnan frowned and said in a low voice, "Previously, those old fogeys in the clan were unwilling because we weren't boys. They could tolerate Mother being the sole heir because they really couldn't find anyone else, but later, when the collateral branches had a few sons and nephews, they started having other ideas."
"However, Mother actually thought it was better for us not to get involved. Perhaps she felt the matters involved were very dangerous, so she went along with them."
A'Diao rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. After all, those old fogeys were all dead, so what was there to say?
But their mother was quite wise, just had bad taste in men, falling into the Qu family's pit. Nevertheless, as the legitimate heir, she still left the hairpin to her own daughter. Probably, those old fogeys didn't even know the real secret was in the hairpin.
Qu Xia'er toyed with the hairpin and suddenly said, "The shape of this hairpin might correspond to a terrain."
Huh? Both A'Diao and Qu Jiangnan looked as Qu Xia'er's slender, jade-like fingers released the hairpin. The hairpin floated, and as black energy was released from her fingertips, it sketched out the contours of Diannan's terrain like an ink wash painting.
"The 'eye' of the hairpin corresponds to this mountain, but the secret definitely isn't in the mountain, or the Qu family and the Imperial Family would have turned it upside down and found it long ago. And the place its tip points to... this tip, it's Moon Heart Lake in Diannan."
If one wasn't observant, who would have thought that the shape of a hairpin could correspond to a terrain? Qu Xia'er was indeed sharp.
The three of them quickly teleported to Moon Heart Lake, several hundred kilometers away from the mountain.
This was the largest lake in Diannan.
Apart from its size, Moon Heart Lake looked ordinary. But after the three dived into the lake and reached the bottom, they found nothing. However, Qu Xia'er handed the hairpin to Qu Jiangnan.
"It's made from the heartwood of a thousand-year-old peach tree, refined with the heart's blood of Mother's lineage. Mother taught us the incantation when we were young."
She was a Corpse Spirit King; her body was no longer living and had no living blood, making it unsuitable for the refinement. But Qu Jiangnan could do it.
Qu Jiangnan took it and performed some actions. Soon, it came alive and automatically pulled towards a certain direction.
In such a vast lake, even with a direction indicated, searching was still necessary. All three used their spiritual sense, quickly covering all areas in that direction... continuously being pulled, continuously searching.
"It's here."
From beneath the thick mud, A'Diao pulled up a heavy wooden box.
The three quickly returned to the old house. The wooden box had been cleaned, and Qu Jiangnan, without shying away from A'Diao, opened the box.
Inside the box was a folded dimensional space.
A Long Zither, an Almanac, and also a Book of Civilization.
The Helian Clan's treasured Long Zither! Qu Xia'er glanced at it—Transcendent Superior Grade. Such an item would be among the top treasures even in Lushan Academy. Old Man Yu possessed similar equipment, though Lushan Academy had more of them.
Her own family's foundation was deeper than she had imagined.
"It's a mental attack type. A'Diao, this is for you." Qu Jiangnan instinctively handed the Long Zither to A'Diao upon seeing its attributes.
A'Diao rolled her eyes. "I don't even know how to play the zither. Why give it to me? You two use it yourselves. I'm not your family's live-in son-in-law."
With one sentence, she had offended two elders.
Qu Jiangnan was used to her teasing and tapped her on the forehead. "No respect for your elders."
Qu Xia'er, however, wasn't angry. She picked up the Almanac and flipped through it. After finishing, her face darkened, and she handed it to A'Diao.
Why give everything to me? Do you really see me as a live-in son-in-law?
A'Diao was puzzled. She took it and read. Upon seeing the records inside, her expression froze slightly, as if she had eaten shit.
An Almanac, it records history.
The Helian Clan had a deep foundation and knew some secrets. The Imperial Family couldn't tolerate them and coveted their foundation, so they used the Qu family as a cover to swallow them up.
But history was still recorded.
The reason Qu Xia'er gave the Almanac to A'Diao was because although it was recorded by the Helian family, the people involved were actually more related to A'Diao.
Qu Jiangnan was truly curious and also took it to read. After finishing, she pressed her temples and looked at A'Diao. "So, what do you plan to do now?"
This child, truly has suffered too much.
A'Diao had a distressed expression and repeated the records above like a broken record: "The Three Gentlemen of the Primordial Tang Song era, ranked among the top one hundred on the Celestial List in the several thousand years of primordial history. The three became sworn brothers of different surnames, their bond deep and profound, serving as a model of sworn brotherhood at the time."
"The eldest brother, Lord Changting, hailed from the Langya Clan, one of the scholar-official clans of the Three Kingdoms. His name was Langya Changting. His talent was exceptional, his status noble and extraordinary. From the age of fifteen when he topped the Celestial List, his ranking never changed. At twenty, he entered the Great Spirit King level, dominating all others of the same rank. He was a shining gentleman, unparalleled in human history, second to none."
"The second of the three brothers was Lord Yinling, named Chen Gui. He came from the humble Chen Clan. The Chen Clan was once an upper-class family and had its glory days, but later declined due to chaotic times, and the entire clan faced hardship. Chen Gui's cultivation aptitude was not top-tier, and he originally wouldn't have made the Celestial List. However, due to his outstanding talent, profound knowledge of the world, and mastery of all subjects, he was hailed as a contemporary treasure of civilization. He once verbally sparred with Lie Qin and Southern Song for the Tang Song literary world, seizing karmic luck of civilization for Tang Song. Moreover, he was morally upright, his actions consistent with his words, and he was highly esteemed and supported by the scholars of his time. Thus, even though his cultivation was not high, he was ranked tenth on the Celestial List and revived the Chen Clan, becoming a celebrated story for a time."
"The youngest of the three brothers, Lord Kunlun, was once a beggar. By a twist of fate, he was rescued by Changting and subsequently followed him. Having no name, Changting named him Kunlun, meaning 'Kunlun jade,' and also had him take the Langya surname, granting him the status of an adopted younger brother. Kunlun was solitary by nature, disliked contact with people, was taciturn and cautious. However, in terms of cultivation talent, he was hailed as a prodigy of creation. Changting once said that given another ten years, Kunlun could shatter the Nine Heavens and sweep through the Demon Abyss. True enough, Kunlun reached the Star Realm in three years of cultivation, created a Spirit King level Dao Tablet, later advanced to Great Spirit King, and single-handedly charged into the Demon Cave, entering and exiting three times unscathed. Because the Tang Song Nation lacked a dominant cultivation sect and was weaker than Lie Qin and Nan Jin, he single-handedly founded Lushan Academy, thereby guiding the karmic luck of Tang Song's spiritual cultivation, enabling it to stand strong in the tripartite balance of the three kingdoms. He was hailed as Tang Song's first great Sect Founder. But corresponding to this was his androgynously beautiful, peerless appearance. It was once said by someone who saw them that the Three Gentlemen could be described by a proverb."
"In terms of talent among celestials, Changting was number one, Kunlun number two, and Yinling ranked tenth. At that time, Tang Song gathered the karmic luck of both spiritual cultivation and civilization, dominating the Three Kingdoms because of these three men."
My goodness, among the hundred celestials of the Three Kingdoms, Tang Song occupied the top two spots, plus the tenth. Weren't they dominating then!
"But in terms of appearance: with Changting, the world had no other gentlemen. With Yinling, the world had no other scholars. And with Kunlun, the world had no other beauties; only a Celestial Maiden could compare to him."
Reading up to this point, A'Diao felt she had misunderstood Chen Gui, this "peerless pretty boy." She hadn't expected her ancestor to be truly formidable and capable. Perhaps Chen Xun inherited his brains from Chen Gui.
She also suddenly realized that the founder of Lushan Academy truly knew Chen Gui and even had to call him Second Brother.
This was great! Could she perhaps leverage this connection and call the peerless beauty founder "Third Grand-uncle"?
This Third Grand-uncle was the number one beauty of the primordial Three Kingdoms, the kind who captivated both men and women. Acknowledging this Third Grand-uncle wouldn't be a loss at all.
No wonder the first Dao Tablet he created was called Kunlun.
But as A'Diao read on, she mentally exclaimed, "Holy crap!"—this Third Grand-uncle had a feud with Chen Gui.
Brothers turned against each other, a blood feud.
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