Granny Sha wanted to hug him, but her hands passed right through Xiang Tianyu's body, grasping nothing but air.
That's right. Her son had died long ago.
That small body had gradually turned ice-cold.
She had wept herself half to death, exhausting every possible thod, yet still failed to revive him.
What had returned this ti was her son's soul.
With a little use of her magic power, she embraced her son's soul. It was still the sa small child as before.
Granny Sha cried aloud, tightly pulling him into her embrace.
"Tianyu, for these thirty years, your mother has thought of you every single day, searching for you constantly. I've scoured the entire underworld, but could never find you!"
Her sorrow welled up from deep within, and all the grievances and tornts she had endured over thirty years were released in this mont.
Chen Shi quietly retreated from the room, leaving the mother and son alone. At a ti like this, it was best to let them pour out the pain of their long separation.
As he turned around, he saw Chen Tang standing outside.
Chen Tang wore a rare smile, saying, "You brought these provincial graduates back alive from the underworld. It must have been very arduous, fraught with great danger."
Chen Shi shook his head. "Not arduous at all, and we didn't encounter any danger either."
Chen Tang slightly furrowed his brows. Thinking of the dangers he and Granny Sha had faced when searching for Chen Shi, and the hardships along the way, he felt there must be so misunderstanding.
Probably Chen Shi had grown up and didn't want his old father to worry. That's what he thought in his heart.
"With Xiang Tianyu back, Granny will have one less major worry. All her busyness in this lifeti was actually just to find her son."
Chen Tang said quietly, "But Xiang Tianyu is already dead. What she brought back is a ghost soul. I don't know how she plans to handle it."
He cited classics, saying, "In the Divine Continent, there is the concept of crafting a golden body. One could craft a golden body for Xiang Tianyu, allowing him to manifest sanctity, receive the incense offerings of the masses, and thus attain the divine path. Another thod is to use lotus root and lotus leaves to recreate a lotus root body. Or one could use puppet thods, Yanshi thods, to craft a fleshly body. Alternatively, one could use the thods passed down by your grandpa, talisman creation, to fashion a body for him."
Chen Shi said, "Perhaps he could also be allowed to reincarnate, or enter the body of a recently deceased child, borrowing a corpse to return the soul. Granny Sha is a master of this path. If we can think of many thods, she will only think of more."
Chen Tang nodded.
Father and son walked outward. Chen Tang said, "I'll go boil the dicine first. You rest for a while. After such intense grief and joy, Granny Sha is bound to damage her Primordial Spirit. I'll prepare the dicine first..."
Chen Shi asked from behind him, "Dad, I want to kill the Young Master and seize the top scholar title. Do you support ?"
Chen Tang's body trembled slightly. He stopped walking, a smile appearing on his face. An imnse joy surged in his heart, making his eyes sowhat moist.
He turned around, his gaze gentle and warm, smiling as he said, "You are my son. Of course I support you."
Even if you tear open this sky, I will still support you!
He said silently in his heart.
Western Capital.
On the twentieth day after the incident occurred, Minister of Rites Yan Guozhi had no choice but to abandon the search for the provincial graduates who had fallen into the underworld.
Three officials from the Shanglin Pasture Office had worked themselves to death, yet they still failed to find any trace of these provincial graduates.
The White-Clad Female Immortal incident had caused six hundred and forty-four provincial graduates to fall into the underworld. They quickly died until only four hundred and twenty-seven remained. By the ti Yan Guozhi gave up the search, another seventy-six had died, leaving three hundred and fifty-one.
However, twenty days had already passed. These three hundred and fifty-one people were probably in grave danger.
They could search no longer.
Yan Guozhi had the Ministry of Rites spread the news: after twenty days of intense rescue efforts, they had managed to rescue a cat nad He Wei from the underworld. It was said to be a cat raised by the Five Armies. On the day of the Martial Test, it had mistakenly entered the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land and ended up in the underworld.
To rescue this innocent little cat, the Ministry of Rites had lost sixteen minor officials and one supervisor, finally saving the kitten He Wei from the mouths of the underworld's ghost gods.
From then on, the entire capital knew about this cat nad He Wei. As for those six hundred and forty-four provincial graduates who had fallen into the underworld, who knew their nas? They were probably just numbers.
Yan Guozhi smoothed over this matter, secretly resolving that this incident must be pinned on the Five Military Commissions. He absolutely must clear himself of any bla and definitely not let those two bastards from the Xia Family sar him with dirt. Of course, on the surface, the Ministry of Rites still had to continue searching for those provincial graduates to avoid being attacked by the pure stream faction.
However, what happened in the following days made Yan Guozhi understand what true human malice was.
In the imperial court, he was impeached by the two brothers Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying. They said that the Ministry of Rites, in charge of this major examination, had failed to plan properly beforehand, had not paid attention to the dangers, leading to the deaths of so many provincial graduates and Five Armies warriors, implicating many seniors, and nearly causing disaster for the Western Capital.
The Five Armies' precious treasure, the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, was also lost. The Ministry of Rites must also take responsibility for this!
"You're talking nonsense!"
Yan Guozhi trembled with rage. In the court, he argued on the rits, angrily denouncing the two Xia brothers for harboring selfish motives, altering the geography of the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, causing it to lose control and collide with the Ghost and God Domain of Qixia Taoist Temple, thus provoking such a huge disaster.
Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying sneered, demanding he produce evidence.
Naturally, he couldn't produce any.
Then, a group of pure stream officials from the Hanlin Academy attacked the Ministry of Rites in court for treating human life as worthless, causing the deaths of nurous provincial graduates participating in the Spring Examinations, and the incompetence and ineffective rescue efforts of the Minister of Rites. Enraged, Yan Guozhi started cursing on the spot, shouting, "All these days, only my Ministry of Rites has been working hard to rescue people. Where the hell were you when we were saving people?"
The pure stream faction then stopped ntioning his ineffective rescue efforts and began attacking his character, bringing up how he had taken many concubines, and the fights and deaths among the concubines due to jealousy.
They also said he kept many mistresses, and how his madam and concubines led servants to beat a mistress to death.
Then they ntioned his unclear entanglents with certain married won, even implicating other officials in the court.
Yan Guozhi's heart turned cold. These Hanlin academicians were raised by the Xia Family. Clearly, the two Xia brothers had prepared in advance. To shift the bla, they were accusing him first, preparing to pin the cri on his head.
These two brothers were first-rank officials. He was second-rank. Clearly, the Xia Family would absolutely not give up two first-rank officials, but the Yan Family could abandon him, a second-rank official.
It was laughable that all these days he had been thinking of ways to save people, only to likely be abandoned.
Sure enough, in court, the Cabinet announced that he, the Minister of Rites, was suspended pending investigation. The Left Vice-Minister of Rites, Yang Shaoqing, would temporarily act as Minister, handling the aftermath of the Spring Examinations.
Acting as Minister of Rites, Yang Shaoqing acted swiftly and decisively. He soon announced the Golden List for the Spring Examinations, setting the rankings for those who passed the tropolitan examination.
The Young Master was the top graduate. Next, three hundred Presented Scholars were selected to remain in the capital awaiting orders.
The remaining provincial graduates could return to their hotowns or receive other appointnts.
Yang Shaoqing then issued an order: the three hundred Presented Scholars would take the palace examination at Zhongji Hall on May twentieth.
The entire Fu Zheng Pavilion was overjoyed.
"The Young Master is destined by fate. This ti, it's as if the gods are helping him."
Secretary Cao wept with joy, saying, "The Young Master's two major opponents, Chen Shi and Zhang You, have both fallen into the underworld. Their fate is unknown. In this palace examination, the Young Master is bound to take the top spot!"
The various Chief Administrators, Sacrificial Officers, and Chief Clerks of Fu Zheng Pavilion were all ecstatic. Shui Xuanzhi couldn't help but smile, saying, "Actually, I think it would be better to leave one or two opponents. Having a brilliant, extraordinary battle where the Young Master triumphs would make his fa even greater."
Officials from all sides in the Western Capital also ca to Jiexiu Hall to visit the Young Master. From high-ranking officials like the Five Military Commissioners down to vice-ministers and assistant ministers of the Six Ministries, as well as officials from the Court of Judicial Review, Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Court of Imperial Entertainnts, Office of Transmission, and Court of State Ceremonial, all ca to pay their respects.
Qin Su intended to use the Young Master's need for cultivation to block these people, but Shui Xuanzhi shook his head and said, "The top scholar is already decided. Now is the ti to let the Young Master et the various officials to settle people's hearts."
Thus, the Young Master received officials from all sides.
Shui Xuanzhi added, "Before the palace examination, we must first build montum."
The people of Fu Zheng Pavilion then released the Young Master's essays from the tropolitan examination, buying off so scholars to interpret and deconstruct the aning of the essays word by word, sentence by sentence. Every phrase had to cite classics and produce a grand, eloquent thousand-word masterpiece, repeatedly argued.
Most of those Xiucai and provincial graduates were poor and without power. Given a few scraps, they happily ca. Even cow dung could be blown into a flower, let alone these essays written by minor officials of the Ministry of Rites, which were originally extrely outstanding.
Fu Zheng Pavilion also bought off so monks and Daoists from the Monastic Records Office and Daoist Records Office, having them spread the Young Master's rits and virtues throughout the Western Capital, stories of rewarding good and punishing evil, various legendary experiences, even having three or five versions of the strange phenona at the Young Master's birth.
So said golden lotuses sprang from the ground when the Young Master was born. So said before the Young Master's birth, his mother dread of the Polaris star streaking across the sky and falling into her womb. Others said red light swirled around the Young Master at birth, not dispersing for three days. That the Young Master had a True God protecting him at birth, a Celestial True God bestowing blessings, and so on.
Then they had a Battalion Commander challenge the Young Master, only to be righteously defeated by him. The Battalion Commander willingly admitted defeat, kowtowing to the Young Master in public, thanking him for his guidance.
They also had generals from the Guard Commander Office, Regional Commander Office, Capital Guard Commander Office, Five Military Commissions, Divine chanism Battalion, and Divine Pivot Battalion challenge the Young Master. Those defeated by the Young Master, or those he gave a word or two of advice to, were either moved to tears or thanked the Young Master for sparing their lives.
There were also many rumors that the Young Master was not the son of Minister of War Ren Xiao, but an adopted son. The Young Master did not bear the surna Ren, but actually the surna Zhu, a descendant of the True King, a genuine prince with proper lineage.
This ti the Young Master ca to the capital was actually because the Western Ox New Continent's great fortune was at its peak, calling for a True King to lead the people of the Western Ox New Continent out of misfortune.
Then, on the streets, fortune-telling old n said, "Purple qi cos from the east; there is a True King in the world."
Outside the Western Capital, foxes cried out at midnight, "When the top scholar erges, the Ming Dynasty prospers!"
Many people heard it.
Within a few days, the Young Master's fa filled the capital. No one didn't know of him, no one hadn't heard of him. Throughout the Western Capital, people were discussing him.
On May twentieth, the palace examination began.
Inside and outside Zhongji Hall, heavy troops were stationed. The Divine chanism Battalion warriors switched to Bowl-Mouthed Blunderbusses, the Divine Pivot Battalion set up formations, and the Five Armies guarded outside.
Great officials from the Hanlin Academy, Imperial College, Six Ministries, Cabinet, Three Dukes, Three Solitaries, Three Preceptors of the Heir Apparent, Three Junior Preceptors of the Heir Apparent, and others gathered together. The Cabinet set the questions for the literary test, followed by the martial test.
The major examination lasted three days.
In the literary test, the Young Master wrote his essay. Brilliant light filled the sky, the characters like pearls, actually floating in the sky, bright as stars, causing the people of the Western Capital to look up and recite them. When they heard it was the Young Master's essay causing this phenonon, they were even more excited.
On the third day, the martial test. Many Presented Scholars bowed in submission, not daring to compete with the Young Master.
As for the second-place graduate, third-place graduate, and the rest of the second and third class, their rankings in the martial test among the Presented Scholars were already decided; this was just going through the motions.
Chief Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Zhang Fuzheng took a long breath, stood up, and said solemnly, "The palace examination is over. Today's first place in the martial test is..."
"Who says the martial test is over?"
A loud, resonant voice ca, startling all the great officials in the Western Capital. They all looked toward the source. Zhongji Hall was situated quite high. Looking down from above, they saw righteous energy like a rainbow between heaven and earth, coming from afar, stretching over a hundred miles, reaching the Western Capital. And at the end of that righteous energy of heaven and earth, a young man was walking toward Zhongji Hall.
Behind him were young provincial graduates, n and won, each full of vigor and vitality, their montum piercing the sky, connecting with the righteous energy of heaven and earth.
Several hundred provincial graduates walked through the long street. On both sides of the street were the common people of the Western Capital, casting astonished and curious glances at them.
People were utterly shocked. These people, destined to be dead, who had fallen into the underworld for a full month, were actually coming back alive!
Once, these provincial graduates who fell into the underworld had tugged at people's hearts. Later, they were replaced by a cat. But how could these people, destined to be dead, co out alive?
The provincial graduates' montum was majestic. When over three hundred of them walked together, united as one, they gave a sense of a thousand troops and ten thousand horses pressing upon the capital.
Their steps subtly aligned with a formation, carrying a kind of chilling, murderous aura.
The Five Armies warriors guarding the inner city, provoked by this murderous aura, involuntarily drew their talisman-weapons, standing ready for battle.
The Divine chanism Battalion warriors also couldn't help but raise their Bowl-Mouthed Blunderbusses, aiming at these provincial graduates.
Jin Hongying flew into a rage. She kicked over one soldier, punched another, and shouted, "Why are you raising your guns? Did I tell you to raise your guns? Those are provincial graduates! Are you trying to rebel? Put them down! All of you, put them down!"
The Divine chanism Battalion warriors lowered their guns.
Several Commanders of the Five Armies turned back to look at the Five Military Commissioners Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying. However, the two Commissioners were currently in Zhongji Hall. They received no instructions.
Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying's faces also flickered uncertainly. If they gave the order now to kill these provincial graduates, they could definitely clear a major obstacle for the Young Master.
But, ordering the killing of provincial graduates, and over three hundred of them at that—they wouldn't be able to keep their heads!
The two brothers remained motionless. Even though Shui Xuanzhi repeatedly glanced at them, they pretended not to see.
Chen Shi led the provincial graduate army straight in. Under the watchful eyes of all, they entered the ridian Gate. The righteous energy of heaven and earth was as bright as the sun and moon hanging in the sky, giving a feeling that righteous energy endured forever between heaven and earth.
The lingering gloom over the inner city also seed to be swept clean in an instant!
Chen Shi and the three hundred and fifty provincial graduates ascended the steps of Zhongji Hall, walking upward step by step.
"Student Chen Shi!"
Before Zhongji Hall, the civil and military officials of the Western Capital looked at the stone steps. They heard a firm, powerful voice coming from below the steps. The voice wasn't loud, yet it spread throughout the entire Western Capital, inside and out, clear and distinct.
"A month ago, encountering a great calamity, I and the other provincial graduates fell into the underworld. We traversed mountains and forded dangers, battled ghost gods, slew ghost monks, cleansed the demonic atmosphere, fought and killed across ten thousand miles. After enduring countless hardships, today we return to the capital to participate in the palace examination!"
Chen Shi's face entered the officials' line of sight, followed by his upper body, his whole body, and then the faces of the provincial graduates one by one—young, full of vitality.
Chen Shi's gaze passed over the civil and military officials, landing on the Young Master kneeling below Zhongji Hall. His voice resonated, like the clashing of tal, unable to conceal its murderous intent.
"Without fighting , who deserves to be called the top scholar?"
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