Big Moon Ballad

Chapter 2629 Succession
Ji Mo looked Zhenshan up and down, "It seems that only you are suitable to be the next chief priest."

Mr. Zhenshan took a step back, his brows furrowed.

"I do not wish to shirk my responsibilities, but I am not qualified to be the head of a palace."

Master Zhenshan looked at his wrinkled hands and sighed deeply, "My hands are stained with the blood of my fellow disciples. What right do I have to stay here and command my disciples?"

“Grand Preceptor,” the old man raised his head and looked deeply into Ji Mo’s eyes, “I killed Hao Ran not to become the Chancellor of the Jixia Academy.”

If he succeeds Hao Ran as the headmaster of the academy after Hao Ran's death, he will never be able to shake off the infamy of killing his fellow disciples to rise to power.

Ji Mo narrowed his eyes; he knew what Mr. Zhenshan was worried about.

When killing Mr. Haoran, Mr. Zhenshan seemed to act extremely swiftly and decisively. But Ji Mo knew in his heart how heavy a sin it would be for a disciple who had dedicated his entire life to the Jixia Academy to do such a thing.

In Mr. Zhenshan's eyes, he was not the savior of Jixia Academy, but rather an unpardonable sinner.

“According to convention, the Grand Master of the Academy can only be selected from the heads of the four upper palaces,” Ji Mo said calmly. “I know you have concerns, but in the current situation, I have no one to choose from.”

“The foundation of the Water Academy is gone. I am now just a headmaster without any disciples. I can barely be an elder,” Master Zhenshan said with a bitter smile. “What ability do I have to be the chief priest?”

“Although the Dean of the Wind Academy and the Dean of the Thunder Academy are temporarily delirious due to the Gu poison, they will recover soon,” said Master Zhenshan. “It would be more appropriate to choose a new Priest from among the two of them, and if all else fails, a new Dean of the Fire Academy can be chosen later…”

Ji Mo waved his hand, interrupting Mr. Zhenshan.

“Since those two people have been affected before, there is a possibility that they can be controlled again,” he said calmly. “The same thing cannot happen again. What I need is a ruler who cannot be controlled by evil magic.”

"This is not for any other reason than the preservation of the Jixia Academy."

"If what happened today happens again, the Jixia Academy will be completely destroyed."

"Sir, why are you willing to bear the sin of killing your fellow disciples in order to kill Haoran?"

Ji Mo looked into Mr. Zhenshan's eyes and said, "This is not for your own reputation or prestige. In the current situation, being this chief priest is not a good job."

"Although your Water Academy has few disciples, it is a family full of loyal martyrs."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Zhenshan abruptly raised his head.

“What do you have to be afraid of?” Ji Mo laughed. “Your eldest disciple is the pillar of the Northern Wei Great Wall, and your last disciple is the current King of the Former Qin.”

"What wouldn't you people from the Water Resources Department dare to do?"

"If you die, there will be plenty of people to collect your body and avenge you."

Mr. Zhenshan stood still, without saying a word.

"With Hao Ran's precedent here, the position of the Jixia Academy's Chancellor is no different from a death warrant, and I doubt many people would dare to sit in that position."

"Even so, are you willing to take on this responsibility?"

Touched by his father's words, Ji Jiashu stared blankly at the silent old man before him.

“That’s enough,” Mr. Zhenshan sighed and bowed deeply to Ji Mo.

"I will accept this position."

……

……

Ying Baoyue received the news three days later that Mr. Zhenshan would succeed as the head of the Jixia Academy.

On this day, an unexpected messenger arrived at the Epang Palace.

"Senior brother?"

Just as Ying Baoyue received the message from Ji Jiashu through the Ji family's intelligence network, she was informed that a guest from the north had come to pay his respects.

This man was stopped outside the martial law-bound city of Guiyang because of his suspicious attire. He was only able to enter the Epang Palace because he happened to be spotted by Gui Chen, who was leading a patrol of the Gui family army. Upon receiving Gui Chen's report, Ying Baoyue had a premonition.

But when the visitor entered the Imperial Prayer Hall and took off his cloak, Ying Baoyue was still taken aback.

The one who appeared before her, looking travel-worn, was Xu Yishan.

"Senior brother, how could you..."

Ying Baoyue originally thought that Xu Yishan would return to Southern Chu with Chen Zichu when Chen Zichu received the letter.

“Zichu has already returned to Jixia Academy ahead of me,” Xu Yishan said, his face still bearing the marks of a sword. He took out a bloodstained letter from his robes. “I have come because a noble person asked me to deliver a letter to you.”

He was also very worried about the situation in Southern Chu, but he couldn't find a trustworthy person to deliver the message, so he had no choice but to entrust the matter to him.

Ying Baoyue took the letter, opened it, and froze.

“Mei Niang…”

This letter was actually sent by the vanished Li Meiniang.

“She is not dead,” Xu Yishan sighed. “General Meihua asked me to apologize to you on her behalf, saying that she failed to defend Lingbi and Shanhaiguan and deserves to die.”

"It's good that she's still alive," Ying Baoyue said, her eyes reddening. "It's good that she's alive."

"What exactly happened at the Northern Wei Great Wall? Were you there, senior brother?"

Xu Yishan nodded, his eyes filled with exhaustion, "That night..."

He fainted before he could finish speaking.

Ying Baoyue was shocked and immediately summoned the imperial physician. At the same time, she placed Xu Yishan on a low couch in the Imperial Prayer Hall and personally treated him.

Xu Yishan, covered in wounds after removing his cloak, had escaped from the fierce battles in the north, nearly exhausting his vital energy and blood.

He was unconscious for almost a day and a night before he woke up.

When Xu Yishan woke up, he immediately saw his junior sister sitting beside his bed reading a letter, but it wasn't the one he had brought from the war.

"Hold me... Your Majesty."

Xu Yishan struggled to sit up, almost calling the wrong name in his daze.

“It’s just the two of us here,” Ying Baoyue said, supporting him. “Senior brother, you can just call me as usual.”

Xu Yishan let out a breath. The little girl who was once disliked at Jixia Academy has now become the King of Qin. Who would have thought?
"Baoyue, what is this letter in your hand...?"

Ying Baoyue lowered her gaze, her expression more complex than Xu Yishan had ever seen before. "It was sent by Jia Shu from Southern Chu."

"Chunhua-jun? Right, where are Zhaohua and Chunhua? Did Chunhua go back to Southern Chu?"

Xu Yishan then noticed something was wrong with Ying Baoyue. In the past, no matter what happened, at least one of Ji Jiashu and Li Ji was always by her side. But now, both of them were gone.

“Yes, Jia Shu has returned to Southern Chu. I told him to go back,” Ying Baoyue said. “He should have returned to Southern Chu earlier than Zi Chu.”

Xu Yishan sensed something from Ying Baoyue's expression. "Baoyue, what happened?"

Ying Baoyue looked up at him and said, "Four days ago, Master succeeded as the Chancellor of the Jixia Academy."

"Master?" Xu Yishan's gaze was somewhat dazed. "Our master?"

For a moment, he thought Ying Baoyue was talking about Da Siming, since it was really hard to associate his down-on-his-luck master with the headmaster of Jixia Academy.

Ying Baoyue nodded.

"What about Mr. Haoran?" Xu Yishan asked, bewildered. "Didn't he only recently take over as the Chancellor?"

“He’s dead,” Ying Baoyue said. “He was possessed by evil magic, slaughtered the disciples of the academy, and died by his master’s sword.”