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Chapter 56

Looking upon the newly built school, Pei Zi Yun then entered the hall of the Ancestral Temple . He picked up a book on the Pei family linage .





The Pei family lineage book was rather thin, and the very first page had already started describing their history . It could be traced back up to 400 years ago . The second page described his paternal grandfather, and the third page was about Pei Zi Yun’s own father . All the males in the family had their names inscribed on this book .

Pei Zi Yun studied it for some time before putting it aside . Third uncle then said, "It’s almost time, let’s return to the village . The shed and the stage are ready . Let’s go have some fun . ”

“Sure!” Pei Zi Yun nodded his head in approval . Once he walked out the door, he saw Pei Qian Shi, whose eyes were puffy and red . There was a brazier where she had been burning paper notes .

Today was the official opening of the Ancestral Temple . By traditional rules, women were not allowed inside today, although they would be allowed in on any other day . Pei Qian Shi was thus outside burning paper notes, tears streaming down her face as she was mumbling to herself .

“Mother, look!”

Pei Qian Shi received the document from Pei Zi Yun, declaring that he was officially a High Scholar . There was the seal of the capital transfixed onto it . Her hands were trembling as she looked at the document . She was thinking about her husband, about how she had hidden his memorial tablet in their house all these years, before the Ancestral Shrine was built . In a blink of an eye, ten years had passed . She started crying once more, "Husband, when you were alive, you always said you wished for Pei’er to become a High Scholar, and bestow glory upon his ancestors . Now, Pei’er has already achieved this . I’ve waited for ten years for this day to arrive . ”

Pei Qian Shi cried miserably, and this touched Pei Zi Yun as well . His eyes turned red as tears rolled down his cheeks as well .

Pei Qian Shi sighed when she was done crying, and looked much more relaxed after . She stood up and said, "I was finally able to prove my worth to you, and to the Pei ancestors . ”

Just as Pei Qian Shi stood up, Pei Zi Yun felt his Plum Blossom tremble abruptly, probably because he had accomplished the mission of achieving High Scholar status . He then said, "I will place this Pei family lineage book on the altar in the temple, so that our ancestors can get a good look at it . ”

Since this made sense, nobody thought anything strange of it . Pei Zi Yun strolled in, and felt that there was something different about this time that he had entered the temple . The previous time he entered the temple, he did not feel anything . Now, he felt that it was much colder, darker and he felt that gloom was overflowing within these halls . A scent of incense wafted through the entire room .

“System!”

A small white plum blossom floated into his vision, as it rapidly transformed into an information interface . There was a red string of words floating right in the middle .

Obtain High Scholar status to fulfil mother’s desire (Completed, Extractable)

“Extract!”

A small white petal became visible on his forehead . Just as that happened, a red transparent petal formed beside the white petal . Both petals were glimmering brightly .





Seeing this happen, Pei Zi Yun took in a deep breath .

“I’ve already obtained half of the second petal . I can now absorb Dao Manuals . ”

“It’s a pity Dao Manual Legacies are much rarer than Wisdom Legacies . ”

“Dao Manual Legacies are not owned by just any normal person . In fact, a person has to spill his blood, sweat and tears and work extremely diligently in order to create such a unique item . Doing all these creates a True Spirit . ”

“When True Spirit meets a mystical or symbolic item, that is how a Dao Manual Legacy is formed . ”

“In a hundred opportunity, if one instance of True Spirit creates a Dao Legacy or Knowledge Legacy, it's considered very lucky . ”

“As for the rogue cultivator from Black Wind Sect, his Martial Arts was laughable . Yet he was able to create True Spirit through hard work . In doing so, he was able to create the Legacy . ”

Pei Zi Yun stood still in the Ancestral Temple, shaking his head in pity, "Now I'm the one who has been taken advantage of . ”

“The original owner had suffered many tribulations . He was afraid that by directly giving me the Plum Blossom, I would not complete any of his missions, and undo his regrets . Hence he set a limit on my powers, and would not grant me further authority until I've met his requirements . This really gives me so much headache . ”

“On the other hand, if the original owner had not set a limit on Authority, I would've cut corners and taken the easy way out everytime . I would've entered a sect right away . Then I wouldn't have any of these responsibilities, which meant I wouldn’t have killed anyone and implicated myself to this extent . ”

After the sorrow he was feeling dissipated, Pei Zi Yun regained his composure as he felt the Plum Blossom on his forehead fading into transparency . He then placed the High Scholar document on the altar and bowed once before turning to leave .

The memorial tablets were a place for the souls to temporarily reside in, away from the Underworld . When the memorial tablets were placed within the ancestral hall, they were able to roam the entire hall . That was why many people did not feel safe placing the memorial tablets within their own homes . The ancestral halls were therefore more Yin than Yang, and nobody should stay inside for extended periods .

There was a glow of spiritual light within the memorial tablet . After some time, the glow transformed into a faint shadow of a man . It seemed he was made out of mist and smoke, with several black threads of Qi around his body . If it weren’t for the amulet separating the black Qi from his body, it would’ve completely engulfed him .

And yet when the High Scholar’s document was placed onto the altar, it radiated threads of white energy followed by red energy . This energy combated the Black Qi, and forced it to be reduced by a considerable bit . In fact, this white and red energy now enveloped him, expelling the black Qi away from his body .

The shadow of the man inside the memorial tablet bore an uncanny resemblance towards Pei Zi Yun . Just as he saw Pei Zi Yun turn around to leave, he said softly, "Mistress Ping, Yun’er . ”

There was an amulet placed behind the memorial tablet . It gradually became brighter and brighter before it was completely engulfed in flames . After some time, it turned into grey ashes .





The middle-aged man’s faint shadow turned into ashes, along with the amulet, as he disappeared from the memorial tablet . At the exact same time, in a monastery some distance away, a middle-aged Daoist was meditating . He suddenly felt a strange feeling in his chest and sighed, "Brother Yuan Shen, your bad karma has past . This calls for a celebration . ”

As soon as Pei Zi Yun left the Ancestral Temple, he heard the sounds of firecrackers in rapid succession . They then made their way back to the village together .

The last time he returned to the village as an Elementary Scholar, there was some celebrations . This time, the celebration was on much bigger scale . They had prepared fishes, poultry, different kinds of red meat . The delicious aroma of the meat wafted through the entire village . When Pei Zi Yun reached the entrance of the village, there was a big plot of open area before him . Many tables were arranged neatly, where several Elementary Scholars from other villages were guests, and thus the front row seats were reserved for them . They smiled and welcomed him .

Pei Zi Yun returned the smile, and clasped his hands to acknowledge them . He then said to the Chief Patrol Officer, "Your excellency, please sit . ”

“Master Top Scorer, please sit!” The both of them were equally courteous to one another as they took their seats .

Cao San followed behind the Chief Patrol Officer . He led a group of soldiers as they took their seats . There were several landowners, scholars, and physicians, all present for the celebration . Seeing that everyone has taken their seat, there was a shout, "Begin!”

The performance was a play, displaying the role of a government official in a comedic fashion . Pei Zi Yun could not help but smile . Seeing that everyone has already been seated, and the show has begun, the dishes were served .

Pei Zi Yun received several toasts from people around as they celebrated his new title . The Chief Patrol Officer and Pei Zi Yun were having casual talks as they turned to their drinks during the short pauses between . After just several drinks, both of them were flushed red from the alcohol, and were just staring wide eyed at the stage .


As for people at the back, they were playing number games and had to drink whenever they lost . Most of them were red faced from having too much drinks . It was a huge banquet, and everyone had started drinking from early in the day, all the way till nightfall .

At the end of the night, Pei Qian Shi was in a talking mood . She dragged Pei Zi Yun to a corner and started talking to him . She spoke of many issues, mostly about Pei Zi Yun’s father . Only after the night got deep did she head back to the house to sleep . Pei Zi Yun did not feel bothered by this at all . He walked past the guest room, and found the Chief Patrol Officer snoring within .

The other room was occupied by Cao San and the rest of his troops . They were sleeping on the floor, snoring soundly as well .

'This Chief Patrol Officer is really something . He’s able to command and able to submit . ' People always assume that military people were always straightforward . This impression however, is not true . Pei Zi Yun realized how this Chief Patrol Officer had changed his attitude towards him numerous of times .

Pei Zi Yun realized this was human nature too . If he were to take and pass the Grand Scholar Examination, the Patrol Officer wouldn’t even bother talking to Pei Zi Yun, his status was too low to match Pei Zi Yun’s .

However, if he had chosen to join a sect, although he was a mere High Scholar, it would complement the Chief Patrol Officer in many ways . One was a powerful military official within the county, and the other was a Top Scorer, a High Scholar whose fame was vast .

Just as he was thinking, he spun around . Although more thought and deliberation should be placed into this matter, now was not the time for it . In fact, it was now time for him to absorb the contents of the Legacy, since his new authority permitted it . Once the legacy had been absorbed, it would create spiritual roots . Then, he would be able to cultivate the Dao arts . He then left the room .

He realized that this house was rather narrow, and made plans in his head to rebuild his house . He walked into the bedroom and noticed that the layout of it was tidy . The walls were lined with decorative wallpaper and the bed was within . There was a screen in the middle, dividing the room into two sections . Pei Zi Yun ran straight for the bookshelf and took out a book .





This book was old and slightly torn . He placed in under his pillow and placed his head down on the pillow . Once his head touched the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep .

…………

He was staring into nothing, and the sound of people could be heard some distance away as they converged upon him .

Standing in a crowd of people, his eyes were looking forward . Then came the sound of firecrackers . People were jostling around him, as they shouted in excitement, "The bridal sedan is coming, the bride is coming!”

The sound of drums beat in rapid succession, unceasing . Everything around him was red . It hurt the eyes to see so much red everywhere . When he looked at the streets, his bride was there .

The bridal sedan was perched on a glorious white horse . The horse wore a huge rose around his neck .

It was almost as if he couldn’t move a muscle regardless of how much he wanted to .

“Miss Wen . ”

It was like a scream, but so weak and soft that he couldn’t even hear it himself . Just then, the bridal sedan trembled, as it revealed the opening end of the sedan .

When he gazed in the direction of the sedan, his eyes met a pair of tear-filled eyes .

In the first moment, they laid eyes on each other . In the next moment, someone bumped into him, amidst the jostling crowd, and broke their gaze . When he looked up, the bridal sedan had already past by .

Everyone dispersed in groups of two and three . He looked at the sky and took in a deep breath . The sky has become overcast with clouds as the wind grew bigger .

“Don’t you regret?”

“That was the woman you’ve loved your entire life . ”

“ . . . ” He walked away hurriedly . In order to cultivate Dao, how could he turn back . Tears welled up within his eyes . Before long, he heard a faint voice calling from afar . It led him to an old hut . He pushed open the door, and saw a woman weaving fabrics within . Her hair was white and her movements were slow due to old age .

“Mother!”

The wind grew stronger, as it made loud sounds . He realized there was blood on his cheek as he touched it and looked at his hands . He could only see her white hair as he approached her, reaching out his hands as he shouted once more, "Mother!”

The rain was heavy in the middle of the night . Just before she could raise her head, everything turned into dust and smoke .

…………

“Ah!” Pei Zi Yun jolted awake in shock . He felt like he had only been asleep for a short while . The new candle that he had lit before going to sleep had only a small portion that was melted . A single tear rolled down his eyes . A strange, inexplicable feeling came over his chest . His entire body was trembling in shock .

Indeed he had entered a lifelike dream . Just like the past few times .

A scholar, with dreams of eventually becoming an Elementary Scholar . One day, he obtained a book pertaining to the Dao Arts . This book had ignited the spark, kickstarted his dreams of cultivating, and becoming a Daoist .

Without any concern or care for his aging mother . Hardening his heart towards his woman’s tears . He struggled and persevered on towards the Immortal Path . In the blink of an eye, everything that he once held dear had left him .

The sunset was still a long distance away, and he had done everything wrong . He had lost his mother to sickness, and lost his beloved woman to another man . And yet he persisted in his crazy endeavors to cultivate . Even if his motive for cultivation was to rob and plunder, and to attain evil and dark Dao Arts .

In the blink of an eye, ten years had gone by . In his old age, the glass had been shattered and he had realized all the madness, all that he had lost . A deep sense of despair permeated through his entire body, from his bones to his stomach .

“Did he regret?”

He regretted every bit of this . If only he could turn back time, he would’ve burnt that book of Dao Arts that he had found . He would focus on his academic studies, and make his mother laugh in pride and happiness . He would’ve married the love of his life, and not thread along the Dao, and reject cultivating .

When he woke up from the dream, Pei Zi Yun touched his face, and felt tears on his cheeks . He felt the exact same despair deep down in his heart, and could not shake it off for a long time . This was how he felt, all the way till the time he died .

Only after trying to keep his composure, Pei Zi Yun managed to get a grip over his feelings .

Although it was still late in the middle of the night, cicadas were croaking just outside . He pushed open the windows, and glanced at the full moon overhead . The moonlight shone in, and Pei Zi Yun pointed at the tree outside .

There was no wind, yet the tree shook violently . He had finally acquired spiritual roots .





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