She is Jianxiu

Chapter 1468 Zhang Erba's Mind is Settled

When Gong Huaxu stepped through the door, he was met with a pair of eyes as still as a pool of water.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously pursed her lips, making her posture even more dignified before stepping forward with a friendly smile, greeting the other party: "My name is Gong Huaxu, a master of rites and music, currently teaching in the inner dormitory. I heard that you come from beyond the heavens, so I have taken the liberty of visiting you today, disturbing your peace."

Since the other party was being so polite, Zhao Chun greeted them with a smile and stood up to return the greeting, saying, "That's no problem. I'm just afraid that I've only just moved to a new place and don't have any good tea to offer, which would be too stingy for you, my fellow student."

Gong Huaxu repeatedly said he dared not, but then he saw Zhao Chun call over a servant, casually toss a brocade pouch out of his sleeve, and instruct the servant to make tea, saying, "I brought tea from my hometown, my friend, you may want to try some."

The old place? That must be the spiritual tea from beyond the heavens. Gong Huaxu's heart stirred, and he became quite interested in it, so he immediately agreed.

She sat down below Zhao Chun, lifting her eyelids to examine the person in front of her. She felt that in terms of appearance, he was no different from the locals of Qianming Realm. Only from his aura could she sense a slight difference in his divine nature.

Gong Huaxu considered himself knowledgeable and experienced. His clan had recruited people from beyond the heavens to be their retainers. Most of these people would go on to study the teachings of sages after ascending to the upper realm. A few who had already achieved success were unwilling to let their previous efforts go to waste, so they stuck to their own path and continued to uphold their own tradition.

Among these people were those with boundless blood and fierce courage, no less than wild beasts; those with abundant energy, capable of manipulating wind and rain with a mere gesture; and those with powerful souls, able to detach from their physical bodies and travel in spirit. In terms of supernatural abilities, they were no less than ordinary scholars. Gong Huaxu had seen many such people.

But she had never met someone like Zhao Chun.

Gong Huaxu couldn't find anything outstanding about her, whether it was her physical body, her energy channels, or her soul. Therefore, he couldn't discern what she was good at or what school of Taoism she followed.

She is like a calm lake, encompassing all the sharp edges that should have been revealed.

Gong Huaxu dared not underestimate her. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhao Chun, he did not get straight to the point. Instead, he continued talking about the otherworldly place, "When we first heard that you came from beyond the heavens, we made a bet among our colleagues. We were betting on where you came from. Was it a place under the jurisdiction of my Gushe lineage, or one of the other three academies, a group of minor heavens that also enjoy the teachings of the sages?"

She paused, then suddenly smiled and said, "Now that I've seen your true face, I don't think it's anything like that anymore."

All those who have been taught by sages, no matter how stubborn they may be, will inevitably bear traces of the teachings of the sages. Therefore, as soon as Gong Huaxu saw Zhao Chun, he knew that this person must have come here illegally.

The Qianming Realm is vast, and within it are three Great Saints who stand on equal footing. Among them, Saint Danqiu is the most special. She is the only one who attained the position of Saint with a mortal body. At this level, she is already as old as the heavens and as old as the earth, and is no longer bound by the cycle of birth and death.

Furthermore, the Great Sage Baiyue was born from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and was the first living being in the beginning of chaos. Later, as the world evolved, it took the pure energy as its consciousness and the turbid energy as its body, giving birth to hundreds of people. This is the origin of the giant beast that Zhao Chun saw that day.

As for the sages of the Confucian school, they are entirely the formless and shapeless rules of heaven and earth. The reason they oppose the school of mind lies in the fact that the main purpose of the school of mind is to liberate people from the Confucian school and achieve a state of carefree freedom from the constraints of nature. In this respect alone, they resonate with the philosophy of the Xuanmen Daoist sect, which is to break free from the way of heaven and cultivate oneself in defiance of fate.

However, the ultimate goal of the School of Mind has a clear direction: the position of attaining sainthood and enlightenment has already been taken by others. In Zhao Chun's view, this can hardly be considered a state of carefree existence.

Gong Huaxu believed that the homeland Zhao Chun mentioned was very likely another realm that was scattered and not under the control of the sage. Although this was rare in Jinlai Kingdom, it could not be said to be completely nonexistent.

After a moment's thought, she said, "Forgive my impertinence, but you have come from afar and your status is different from before. When the Grand Master asks about this in the future, he will surely inquire about it to see if you have any malicious intentions. You should make plans in advance."

Her words seemed to be for Zhao Chun's sake, but upon closer inspection, wasn't the head of the Ritual and Music Department none other than Gong Hua herself? If Zhao Chun felt even slightly guilty, Gong Hua Xu could then easily reveal the identity of this head of the Ritual and Music Department to her, and persuade Zhao Chun to change her mind and join her in the field of ritual and music.

Unfortunately, today's events are going to disappoint her.

Zhao Chun did not hide anything, but instead revealed his intentions, telling Gong Hua half of the truth: "My friend Gong Hua, you may not know this, but my homeland is ravaged by war and is in danger of extinction. I have come here to seek refuge and find a way to break free from this predicament."

Gong Huaxu's eyes flickered, and she thought to herself that before she set off, the High Priest had given her a spirit jade containing a soul thought that could distinguish truth from falsehood. Now that the soul thought had not moved, she knew that what Zhao Chun said was true. She was indeed seeking the Dharma in the mortal realm because her homeland was in trouble, and she was definitely not the kind of person who would steal the Dao and change the world.

She nodded secretly, thinking that the other party was quite powerful, but had no background. If she could recruit him, his loyalty would be far superior to that of people from aristocratic families.

Thinking of this, Gong Huaxu's enthusiasm surged, and he forced a hint of pity and admiration onto his face, saying, "Your sincerity is truly admirable. To be honest, one of my elders in the Gong Hua family is currently in charge of all matters concerning the Department of Rites and Music. If you, Zhao, are willing to join our school of Rites and Music, your future prospects will certainly not be inferior to those of the Martial Arts Department." After saying this, Gong Huaxu feigned a mysterious expression and advised, "It's not good to tell you much about this matter. I've only heard that Master Suotu is not very tolerant. If you are determined to go to the Martial Arts Department, you must be careful and not show your face too quickly."

Zhao Chun listened without expression, as if she was deep in thought. She thought to herself that after this round of coercion and enticement, if he was really such a person without any background, he would probably back down and switch to the Ministry of Rites.

However, while others feared Suotu Yi, she had few concerns. At worst, she would add another soul to her sword and send him to reunite with his brothers.

Seeing that she remained silent, Gong Hua assumed that Zhao Chun was wavering and was about to press her advantage to persuade her further when he heard her say in a flat tone, "Don't worry, fellow student Gong Hua, once I enter the martial arts department, I will certainly act carefully and do my duty. As for the ways of etiquette and music, I am indeed not very good at them, so I will have to disappoint your good intentions."

Gong Huaxu was taken aback when Zhao Chun refused him outright. His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a word.

Just then, the servant who went down to make tea pushed open the door and entered, breaking the silence between the two.

Zhao Chun nodded and said, "The tea is ready, why don't you try some, my friend?"

This concluded the preface, implying that he did not wish to mention it again. Gong Huaxu's eyes darkened, feeling a pang of regret. Just as he was about to pick up his teacup and take a sip, he exclaimed in surprise.

She exclaimed, "What a refreshing scent! It truly is something from another world."

He was somewhat surprised, thinking to himself that after drinking this spiritual tea, he immediately felt comfortable all over, not only was his mind clear, but his energy was also greatly enhanced. One sip was just as effective as a elixir.

Gong Huaxu had no idea that the Taoist cultivators of the Xuanmen had long lifespans, and the tea plants and flowers they cultivated were often hundreds or thousands of years old. With careful care, irrigation from spiritual springs, and the nourishment of the sun, moon, and earth's spiritual energy, they were in themselves rare treasures.

The scholars of Qianming Realm are fond of elegance and enjoy life, but little do they know that in the Three Thousand Worlds, those great cultivators who do not seek immortality but only carefree life truly exemplify the meaning of "extravagantness".

Although Zhao Chun did not concern herself with worldly affairs and had long since entrusted the management of her cave dwelling to the stewards below, she still had some understanding of the standards and treatment of Zhaoyan disciples. Not to mention the external transmission of true teachings, even ordinary disciples who were assigned to cave dwellings from the sect after formally entering the sect had demon servants under their command, numbered by clan, who could be dispatched at any time to manage businesses. In addition, they would receive a few tributes from Wenxian Valley on weekdays, making them extremely wealthy!

She knew in her heart that the scholars of Qianming Realm had too short a lifespan, which was why they could not build up a power that lasted for thousands of years like the Taoist cultivators of Xuanmen. Some things, however, could only be built up over time.

For example, Zhaoyan, and the four major academies.

How can a group of people struggling within their limited lifespan possibly withstand the vastness of heaven and earth?
This is precisely where the sage Danqiu's cruelty and wisdom lie. By simply relying on the length of one's lifespan, he firmly grasped this world, ensuring the perpetuation of his lineage.

Zhao Chun sighed inwardly, and noticing Gong Huaxu's fondness for the spiritual tea, she simply took a hundred catties as a gift, which made the latter feel indebted and unable to persuade her to switch to the path of rites and music.

However, Zhao Chun's conversation with Gong Huaxu also gave her a better understanding of the four major academies.

She then learned that the realms under the sage's control also had a fixed number of years, with each cycle lasting thirty-six years. During this time, literary fortune would emerge and be transformed into the sage's writings. Therefore, the more realms allocated to the academy, the more sage's writings it would receive. Afterward, scholars would refine these writings into their literary veins, causing their cultivation to increase exponentially, and even prolonging their lives and granting them immortality.

This is the real nourishing substance; no wonder the four great academies fought tooth and nail over it.

For example, in the previous session, the Jiuyi Academy, which won first place, received half of the number of Boundary Heavens from the Sage's control. When it was the turn of the Shaoshi Academy, which came in second, it had to take half of the remaining half, which was a quarter of the original amount. Following this pattern, the resources received by each academy would decrease.

Gushe Academy is ranked third, but if it moves up one place, the number of Boundary Heavens it possesses will double!
However, what Zhao Chun was concerned about was the "literary fortune" itself.

Both were imbued with the word "luck" and originated from the lower realms. She had a slight suspicion that the sage's brushstrokes were actually harvested luck from the realms under his rule, and that the so-called minor realms were nothing more than domesticated animals raised by the School of Mind.

Ming Yougeng