In the early morning, sunlight spilled through the window lattice into the side hall of Luo Xia Peak.
Lu Fengmian rarely failed to wake up automatically before dawn, but today he had sunk into a long-lost, almost luxurious deep sleep.
He had been busy with the sect’s small competition for nearly ten days, his nerves taut the entire ti, and now it was finally over.
Drowsily, he thought that today he absolutely had to sleep until he woke naturally, and then perhaps do nothing at all, just lie in the courtyard basking in the sun and daydreaming.
To enjoy a perfect morning, with no mad vibrations from the jade communication device, no knocking at the door from junior brothers and junior sisters, and no summons from the Elders…
Even if it were only for a brief hour.
Ideals were always beautiful, but reality was very ager.
Just as his consciousness was about to sink back into dreamland once more, the communication jade slip he had placed beside his pillow suddenly burst out with an urgent and glaring yellow light!
“Weng——weng——weng——!”
The jade slip shook violently, accompanied by a piercing ringing sound that nearly shattered his eardrums, forcibly dragging Lu Fengmian back from the land of dreams.
Lu Fengmian abruptly opened his eyes and stared at the jade slip bouncing on the pillow; his gaze shifted from confusion to numbness.
He had known it all along!
Life would absolutely never let him have a peaceful sleep!
He accepted his fate and reached out to connect the call.
“Martial Nephew Lu! I’m terribly sorry to disturb you so early!” Steward Zhou’s voice ca from the other end of the jade slip, full of obvious anxiety and guilt.
Lu Fengmian rubbed his forehead, trying to make his voice sound less like he had just woken up. “Martial Uncle Zhou, what exactly is so urgent?”
“Well, it’s just…” Steward Zhou’s tone beca even more embarrassed.
“The small competition has already ended, and the rewards have all been distributed. The top ten disciples in the elite rankings can enter the ‘Scripture Repository’ to cultivate for three days.”
“And then?” A bad premonition rose in Lu Fengmian’s heart.
“Well, perhaps these children were inspired by your speech yesterday and ca far too early! As soon as it got light, they gathered outside the Scripture Pavilion, and the noise they made was truly not small.”
There was almost a sob in Steward Zhou’s voice. “As a result, they woke the artifact spirit! The artifact spirit thought they were too noisy and too annoying, so he locked the pavilion doors and told them to go cool off sowhere else!”
His tone grew more and more anxious. “I explained in every possible way that the children were rely eager for knowledge, but he simply wouldn’t listen, and even blad for lax discipline! I truly had no other choice but to co beg you for help!”
Steward Zhou felt indescribably bitter inside.
The spirit of the Scripture Repository’s artifact, “Elder Shu,” had extrely high seniority. Even the Sect Master and Great Elder had to give him so face. His temperant was stubborn and arbitrary, and once he spoke, it was final.
He was nothing more than a steward—how would he dare confront this old ancestor head-on?
After listening, Lu Fengmian was silent for three seconds.
He had once guessed that yesterday’s bowl of “for the sect and the world” chicken soup had been too potent and might have a few side effects, but he had not expected the side effects to co so quickly, and in such a direct way.
Woken at dawn by a group of highly motivated elite disciples.
Lu Fengmian could almost imagine how furious that eccentric old artifact spirit must be at this mont.
If artifact spirits could jump around from anger, that was.
“I understand, Martial Uncle Zhou.” Lu Fengmian helplessly climbed out of bed. “Go calm those disciples first and have them quiet down. Don’t let them keep making trouble. I’ll be there at once.”
“Ah! Good! Good! Many thanks, Martial Nephew Lu! From now on, whenever there’s anything to trouble you with, master—” Steward Zhou felt as though he had been granted amnesty and thanked him repeatedly.
After cutting off the communication, Lu Fengmian looked at the morning light that had only just risen outside the window and felt that even the sunlight carried the scent of “work is coming”.
With resignation, he washed up at top speed, changed into his outer robe, tied up his hair, completely concealing the lingering sleepiness and helplessness on his face, and once again put on the steady expression that a “Perfect Senior Brother” ought to have.
He walked out of the side hall, fastened his longsword, and sped toward the Scripture Repository.
Sigh, as their senior brother, I not only had to manage people, but also non-humans; I even had to be responsible for soothing an artifact spirit’s bad morning temper.
The Scripture Repository was located in a quiet valley behind the main peak. It was a lofty ancient nine-story tower, built entirely from a rare kind of “Peaceful Heart Jade”, which was said to help those who entered it attain inner calm and better comprehend the classics.
At this mont, the heavy doors of the Scripture Pavilion, engraved with countless profound runes, were tightly shut, not a single ray of light leaking through the cracks.
On the small plaza outside the doors, the anxious Steward Zhou was quietly trying to soothe ten young disciples.
These ten were the top ten in this year’s small competition elite rankings, each one a future hope of the sect. Yet now, they all stood there like frostbitten eggplants, heads lowered, not daring to make a sound.
They had never expected that, filled with enthusiasm and longing for the future early in the morning, they would rush to the Scripture Repository intending to receive jade slips and imdiately enter closed-door cultivation…
…only to offend the legendary artifact spirit inside before even stepping through the door.
He Shi’an’s expression was sowhat awkward; as the one ranked first, he felt he ought to say sothing, but under Steward Zhou’s repeated signals of “absolutely no more sound,” he could only remain silent.
Just then, a streak of light descended, and Lu Fengmian’s figure appeared before everyone.
“Senior Brother!” Steward Zhou and the disciples looked as though they had seen a savior, their eyes lighting up.
Lu Fengmian nodded to Steward Zhou, then swept a stern gaze across the ten disciples and said, “Junior brothers and junior sisters, seeking knowledge is certainly a good thing, but you must also understand courtesy and abide by the rules. The Scripture Repository is an important place of the sect and must be kept quiet. Making noise at dawn was truly inappropriate.”
He Shi’an and the others lowered their heads one after another, their faces full of sha.
“Senior Brother’s teaching is correct; it was our lack of consideration, and we were too excited.” He Shi’an was the first to admit his mistake.
“It is good that you can recognize your mistake.” Lu Fengmian’s tone eased sowhat. “Wait here a mont. I will first go apologize to the artifact spirit.”
Having said this, he no longer looked at the group and turned to walk toward the tightly shut doors of the Scripture Pavilion.
Lu Fengmian took a deep breath and, facing the doors, respectfully cupped his hands in salute.
“Disciple Lu Fengmian pays respects to Elder Shu. Today, the disciples acted rashly and disturbed Elder Shu’s peace, which is indeed a grave offense. On behalf of my junior brothers and junior sisters, I offer Elder Shu my apologies and respectfully ask you to calm your anger.”
There was no response from the doors.
Lu Fengmian did not lose heart and continued, “I know Elder Shu has guarded the Scripture Repository for ten thousand years, loves tranquility, and dislikes disturbance. Today, I have specially brought three sticks of ‘Millennium Soul-Calming Incense’ as an apology. In addition, I happened by chance to obtain an ancient jade slip engraved with a fragnt of ‘Void Rune’, whose aning is obscure and difficult to understand, and I respectfully ask Elder Shu for guidance.”
The mont his words fell, the runes on the tightly shut doors faintly lit up.
An aged, hoarse voice, carrying obvious dissatisfaction, seed to co directly from within the doors—no, from every brick and stone and every thread of air in the entire Scripture Pavilion.
“Hmph! Brat Lu, stop the nonsense! Trying to fool this old man with so soul-calming incense and a broken jade slip? Where are those little whelps? Tell them to get in here!”
Although the atmosphere was still poor, the door quietly opened a crack.
Lu Fengmian’s heart settled, knowing this obstacle had been overco.
He turned around and gave a slight nod to the eagerly waiting Steward Zhou and the ten disciples, signaling that they could co over.
Steward Zhou hurriedly led the disciples forward with light steps, holding their breath as they walked toward the entrance.
Lu Fengmian pushed open the door and entered first.
A rich fragrance of books and the aura of ten thousand years of accumulation enveloped him.
The first floor of the Scripture Repository was spacious and bright. Towering bookshelves rose like a forest straight into the clouds, filled with countless jade slips, books, bone fragnts…
Before the giant wall directly facing the entrance, which seed to have been condensed from starlight itself, there erged the blurry outline of a figure made of light.
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