Yefutidaolu

Chapter 241 Taotie, the Man-Eating Beast

Gao Jian never expected that on his very first day at the Sutra Repository, he would be told to get out...

However, even now, Gao Jian is not angry; instead, his eyes are filled with curiosity.

“You have already disgraced your classmates before even enrolling, and your character is unqualified. I have already petitioned the higher authorities to verify your character before you can enroll. Until your character is verified, you are not yet a student and naturally have no right to come.”

"Go and verify his character quickly, otherwise... leave Yangjing."

The other party said so.

Gao Jian was about to speak when he saw another Hu man walk up behind him.

He also recognized him; it was Helensabao.

He walked past Gao Jian, lowered his voice, and said as if to greet him, "Trash...trash, being a student of the Imperial Academy is your greatest identity, your greatest reliance...but that's just one of my many identities."

"You had a great time that day, didn't you? Once you leave the Imperial Academy, I'll show you what regret is... I've got my hands on that real dragon."

After speaking, Helunsabao didn't wait for Gao Jian to reply before walking straight into the library, as if showing off that he could enter while Gao Jian couldn't.

Gao Jian didn't get angry, but simply asked, "May I ask who you are? Do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

"Here's the receipt." He tossed out a crumpled piece of waste paper.

The paper ball fell from the fourth or fifth floor, seemingly about to hit the ground.

Gao Jian stood still.

Dansha frowned, gently beckoned, and a breeze arose in the air, lifting the paper ball and placing it in Dansha's hand.

Then Dan Sha opened it and took a look.

Hand trembled.

Throughout the entire Divine Dynasty, all examinations were administered by the Ministry of Rites.

This is common sense. As the core management institution for national etiquette, cultural education, and diplomatic affairs, the Ministry of Rites has long been responsible for organizing and implementing various examinations since the establishment of the Six Ministries system in the Divine Dynasty.

The Ministry of Rites was responsible for various tasks, including formulating examination rules, drafting examination questions, selecting examiners, and supervising examination discipline.

The Ministry of Rites was in charge of all kinds of examinations because it had the mission of "educating the world," and the education of the students of the Imperial Academy was highly consistent with the mission of the Ministry of Rites.

By controlling the examination standards, the Ministry of Rites permeated the ethics and ideology of the Divine Dynasty into all levels of society, becoming an important system for maintaining the centralized power of the Divine Dynasty.

In other words, if your thoughts don't align with the Divine Dynasty, you can't become a high-ranking official in the Divine Dynasty, and you won't have a place in the Divine Dynasty unless you become a freelancer.

This letter was naturally written by the Ministry of Rites.

This is also why the cinnabar hand trembled.

The person named Canghai... said that some bad changes might happen to her in the capital, and these things would be related to the Ministry of Rites.

But before she could even read it, she saw Gao Jian reach out, pat her on the shoulder, and then take the letter from her.

Takashi stared intently at the letter, only to find it read:
"It is crucial to plan ahead early and prevent troubles before they arise. We should govern before chaos breaks out, prevent troubles before they occur, and plan for things before they sprout. Of course, the threat from barbarians is even greater. The four barbarian regions are the lands of ancient barbarian kings. Several emperors in the past spent the wealth of the country and tens of millions of troops to conquer them and establish the four barbarian tribes to control the barbarians and cut off the right arm of the grasslands. Otherwise, the north is inhabited by barbarians and the south by barbarian tribes. If they are not separated and the barbarians unite, there will be no less than hundreds of millions of people, and the border will be in danger. Therefore, the four barbarian regions are indeed important border areas today."

"The late emperor was farsighted and first appointed an inner court official to command troops to guard the region, and established tribes to govern the four barbarian tribes to appease them. As a result, the borders were peaceful and there was no war."

"The relationship with the four barbarian tribes is of great importance. If they are not stable, it will inevitably lead to border turmoil. At present, the four regions are suffering from floods and droughts, the national treasury is exhausted, and there is no guarantee that there will be no treacherous and wicked people. Moreover, the local troops and food are often insufficient. I hereby order Gao Jian to maintain good relations with the four barbarian tribes, so that they can feel at ease. The local officials and troops of the four barbarian tribes should be strong, powerful and vigorous, with strict gates and detailed defenses, which will be enough to subdue people's hearts, eliminate treacherous and wicked people, relieve the court's worries about the border, and ensure the country's long-term prosperity. As for the appointment, there is no failure. Success will be rewarded, and failure will be punished. This is the entrance examination, and there must be no mistakes."

These are very easy-to-understand words.

The Four Barbarian Tribes are of vital importance to the security of the border. Although it is not mentioned here, we already know that you have fallen out with the Four Barbarian Tribes.

This could cause a lot of problems.

So you need to get it sorted out.

If you resolve this matter, you'll receive a reward—you'll be able to enroll in school.

If you can't handle it, you'll have to leave.

These are the official statements, but when you factor in the subtext, the meaning behind them can be quite malicious.

The meaning of this task is...

Send Gao Jian to apologize to the four barbarian tribes, to bow his head, and to beg the young master of the Taotie tribe to 'forgive' him, so as not to affect the relationship between the Taotie tribe and the Divine Dynasty.

If you can't even do this, then it means you're a top-tier troublemaker and should just get lost.

Being a troublemaker is one thing, but being incompetent is still being a troublemaker. Making enemies when you don't have enough strength to face their retaliation is just plain ridiculous.

Mouse also finished reading the entire book. He was first shocked, then silent, and then stared at Gao Jian, saying, "How about... I go? I'm somewhat of a figure, he shouldn't..."

Gao Jian interrupted him directly, saying to himself, "No wonder he bowed his head so easily that day; it turns out he was thinking about this behind the scenes."

"I imagine that if he finds out I have some powerful connections, he'll definitely back down and never show his face again. He might even come to apologize on his own initiative."

"But once they discovered that I didn't actually have such a strong background, they started causing me trouble, just like they are now," Gao Jian analyzed calmly.

"So what do we do now?" Dansha asked from the side. "Get the Taotie Clan's forgiveness... this..."

Even cinnabar can be understood to represent many, many things that are difficult to describe.

Especially since the other party initially intended to consume cinnabar.

"So I said, let me..." Shu Jian continued what he had just said.

Gao Jian sighed, "Elder Shu, it's no use. His goal is the cinnabar."

"cinnabar?"

“He only made his move before because he wanted to eat the cinnabar. Now that he’s sure we don’t have anyone backing us up, he naturally wants to eat what he didn’t get to eat before.” Gao Jian raised his head and glanced up.

The man in the red robe, who was of mixed ethnicities, did not leave and continued to stare at Gao Jian.

However, unlike before, Helensabao did not rush to read the book after going up. Instead, he stood next to the red-robed man and stared at Gao Jian.

After all, there will be plenty of time to read books later, but the expression of Gao Jian can only be seen now.

Their eyes met, and Helensabao revealed a faint smile.

The details have been thoroughly investigated.

This person did indeed demonstrate value during the destruction of the Zuo family, but the real mastermind behind the Zuo family's demise was the Li family; he was merely a guinea pig.

Even if someone from a humble background has some talent, they dare to humiliate him, the young master of the Taotie tribe, just because of that title.

Then be prepared to pay the price.

However, after looking at him several times, he found that Gao Jian's expression did not change. He neither had the cold indifference of someone trying to remain calm, nor the stress of someone who had been hurt. As for fear or terror, there was nothing to it.

There wasn't even any anger. What a charade!

Unfortunately, I knew his background perfectly well, and no matter how well he pretended, he couldn't withstand the pressure of reality.

In a few days, he will come begging to me.

Helensabao is determined to get his hands on that real dragon.

So he just stared at Gao Jian.

After about a minute, Gao Jian seemed to have confirmed that he could not enter the Sutra Repository, and Shu Jian could not go either, so he left with Dan Sha and Shu Jian.

Watching the other party slink away, Helunsabao sneered, then led the red-robed man into a private room in the library.

These rooms are meant to provide students with a quiet space to study, and therefore are designed with concealment in mind.

Upon entering the room, he bowed deeply and said to the man in red robes, "Thank you very much, Uncle."

"It's alright. We are all of the same ethnicity, and your father has helped us a lot. Don't worry about this little thing," the red-robed man with the distinctive features of the region said with a slight smile.

Helunsabao patted his chest and said, "Yes, Uncle, once I have established myself at the Imperial Academy, I will definitely pass on my teachings to the Qiongqi tribe to repay this debt of gratitude."

"Haha, then we'll wait for your good news, my dear nephew. You can continue your studies now, I won't bother you any longer," the red-robed man with the distinctive features laughed.

The two men were talking. Although they were both Semu people, and their skin color, hair, and even facial features were significantly different from those of the locals of Shenchao, their speech, mannerisms, and even tone of voice were similar to those of the Shenchao people, even in private.

Aside from their racial characteristics, the four barbarian tribes had long been part of the Divine Dynasty and could no longer be integrated into the original Hu people.

Helensabao bowed and said, "Yes, I respectfully see you off, Uncle."

The man in red robes made as if to leave, but after taking two steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back to say, "Oh, right, my dear nephew, you're new to Yangjing and must not know the way. I've arranged a guide for you, and also a gift."

"No need for a gift, Uncle... I—"

“Hey, don’t refuse, it’s all from the heart. The Gluttonous Clan needs to eat more good food for their cultivation. You’ve probably been abstaining from a lot of food these past few days in Yangjing, so you should eat more meat. The food is at your residence and should have arrived by now. After you finish your studies and work hard, you can enjoy it when you get home. I’ll be going now.” The man in red robes said.

Helensabao remained silent, simply placing his hands together above his head as a sign of respect.

This posture is gentle and serene, respectful and courteous.

But judging from etiquette alone, there is not a single fault to be found. He is even more divine than the people of the Central Plains. At first glance, he seems to be a gentleman.

This young master of the Taotie tribe, who was as modest as a gentleman, began his studies after his uncle left.

He read very carefully and studied very diligently.

After all, everyone is studying at the Imperial Academy, and such opportunities are rare. I imagine that Gao Jian is now regretting it so much he can't stand it anymore.

Haha, he's just a peasant who acted as a front man once and now thinks he's on the high deck and starts putting on airs.

Shouldn't they give them a talking-to?

Let's wait until he personally comes to apologize and offers up the real dragon for us to eat, then we can talk about the future.

Soon, the day was over.

In the evening, Herunsabao rubbed his temples.

He had been reading all day, and all of them were of the "spirited" type, which left him feeling dizzy and exhausted.

As I stepped out of the Imperial Academy, servants were waiting outside, and carriages and horses were already prepared.

These were the real servants, who were not allowed into the library; they waited outside all day.

Besides them, there was a stranger waiting respectfully.

This must be the guide my uncle was talking about.

So Helensabao naturally sat on the carriage and said, "Let's go back to the manor."

The carriages and horses were then set up.

The cart was pulled by two black birds, each ten feet long, followed by dozens of attendants. The cart floated in the sky, moving slowly along with various flying boats.

Helensa could have simply rammed through these people without a care; he had that privilege. However, before coming here, his father had instructed him to be humble even before the gods, to be careful, and not to overstep the rules.

In the capital, there's no shortage of powerful and influential people; be careful or you'll suffer losses.

He walked all the way back to his own mansion, a newly purchased house that he hadn't yet gotten used to living in.

Upon returning to the mansion, I saw a pile of cages in the courtyard.

Inside the cage were a bunch of young children from all the different races.

You can see piglets, puppies, fish fry, chicks, calves, lambs, tiger cubs, baby elephants, and so on—a whole hundred tribes, a hundred different kinds of young and weak children.

At the very front, naturally, is one of the most intelligent of all creatures, a human infant, babbling and constantly looking around with its eyes open.

Including humans, cows, dogs, and so on, a total of one hundred kinds, all with tender skin, sweet bones, and clean meat.

The primordial energy arises from the depths of the earth along with the handle of the Big Dipper, circulates throughout the six directions, and creates all things. Therefore, all things possess primordial energy within their bodies, though the amount varies.

The most numerous, of course, are the infants, who are just born and whose innate energy is most abundant.

Practitioners regard essence, qi, and spirit as their three treasures. Primordial qi is transformed into qi and then into essence by spirit. Acquired qi is transformed into qi and then into spirit by essence. These three are mutually dependent, and are fundamentally of the same qi.

In this way, absorbing this innate energy would be extremely beneficial to his cultivation.

This must be a gift from my uncle, right?
It's really good.

Thinking this, the Taotie tattoo on his back moved, and he reached out to grab the first human infant. He opened his mouth wide, bit the still-babbling infant in two, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed it.

To him, there was no difference between these infants from all races.

Is there a difference between humans and dogs? Is there a difference between calves and lambs? Is there a difference between tiger cubs and baby elephants?
No, they are all just carriers of innate energy, only the nature of innate energy is slightly different.

As for saying that cannibalism is wrong...

Haha, as a sage once said: "Some labor with their minds, some with their bodies. Those who labor with their minds govern others, those who labor with their bodies are governed by others. Those who are governed by others feed others, those who govern others feed others. This is the way of the world."

Those who are governed by others eat others, and those who govern others eat others. The fact that others eat others is exactly in line with the wisdom of the sages.

Then came beef, mutton, tiger meat, fish...

It's delicious!

I really want to taste what dragon meat tastes like soon.

(End of this chapter)