Duosheng Danyuan

"This is the 'Ancient Alchemy Scripture Pavilion,' a comprehensive repository of scriptures. From fragments of ancient, lost secret manuals to the latest cultivation techniques studied in sect exchanges, everything is collected here. My junior brother usually looks after this place. As long as you don't damage the scriptures, and as long as you can understand them, hehe... you can study and browse any of the books here. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Go in and take a look around. We'll leave in half an hour for our last stop."

"Yes."

Just like at the Refining Heart Hall, Elder Jianshan did not lead us into the Ancient Elixir Scripture Building. He stood alone in front of the door, waiting for us to come out.

We then entered the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion.

Only when the last person tiptoed into this "library"-like place did the door gently close behind us, cutting off the eerie green light from the roadside and also the surveillance of Elder Jianshan.

"Phew..." Many people breathed a sigh of relief, especially the girl who had been targeted by that strange man along with me.

However, although we temporarily had the freedom to move around, the overall atmosphere was still oppressive. After all, this wasn't a safe place; it was yet another closed-off and completely unfamiliar place, not a suitable place for us to sit down and talk to each other.

No one knew whether their unauthorized whispers would anger Elder Jianshan outside the door, or Elder Jianshan's junior brother, who was hiding somewhere in the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion.

So, we all just looked at each other for a moment, then silently walked toward the center of the Ancient Elixir Scripture Building.

The building wasn't actually cold or damp inside; instead, it had a kind of stifling warmth that came from being sealed off for so long. The humid air, carrying the bitter scent of books and ink, truly had the feel of a library. Most importantly, the space here finally matched how it appeared from the outside.

"Is this place special?"

Thinking this, I followed the group forward with light steps. The only sound around us was the soft echo of our footsteps, as if we were the only people in the vast Ancient Alchemy Pavilion.

Soon, we passed through a small, empty entrance hall and headed towards the sutra shelf displaying the scrolls of martial arts techniques.

The shelves appear to be made of wood, with two rows rising from the ground to the ceiling, densely filled with old scrolls and thread-bound books.

"Uh! Sorry, sorry..." Suddenly, a slight commotion came from the front of the line.

I stood on tiptoe and strained to see ahead, and discovered that it was that big guy who bumped into someone just as he was about to pass through the prayer rack.

"..." The person who was hit remained silent for a moment, then walked away on their own.

"Hmm..." After watching the person leave, the big guy at the front of the group paused for a moment before continuing to walk forward.

It took us quite a while to pass through the sutra racks and reach the center of the Ancient Danjing Building.

The interior of the building was much more spacious than the entrance hall. In the center stood a bronze cauldron about half a person's height, surrounded by several tables. However, only one senior brother-like person was sitting in the table, blankly flipping through the scriptures that were as high as a small mountain in front of him.

Behind him, there seemed to be a staircase leading to the second floor. It was a narrow and steep wooden staircase, hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see its shape.

I looked up slightly and found that the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion had three floors. Apart from our floor, the furnishings on the upper two floors seemed to be no different from the first floor where we were.

The staircase wasn't hidden, and everyone had probably noticed it, but no one dared to approach. They unconsciously dispersed around the bronze cauldron, tentatively observing the scrolls of ancient books on the shelves, hesitant to pick them up and read them.

"Who?"

A deep, weathered voice suddenly emanated from the bronze cauldron, cold yet tinged with a hint of ferocity, like a large insect disturbed from its rest. Though the voice was not loud, it was filled with a murderous rage.

To our astonishment and fear, a disheveled old man with white hair slowly crawled out of the bronze cauldron, half-lying on its edge and yawning.

"Is the person before me the junior brother Elder Shan mentioned earlier? I just wonder if this junior brother's temperament is as eccentric as his senior brother's." I pondered, trying hard to control the trembling in my body.

"..."

Naturally, none of us spoke, and almost no one dared to look at him. I glanced up at him, but having learned my lesson from being stared at by that strange senior brother last time, I only dared to look at him once this time, and quickly lowered my head before our eyes met.

However, although I lowered my head, I didn't stare blankly at the floor. My gaze wandered around, occasionally landing on the only senior brother sitting upright studying the scriptures beside the bronze cauldron.

Unsurprisingly, he was just like the senior brothers and sisters he had met in the Refining Heart Hall and Nourishing Essence Hall, showing no reaction to the unusual activity in the outside world.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Honestly... you're all unfamiliar faces. Are you new disciples? You! Yes, you, tell me, what are you all doing here?"

"...The disciples were brought here by the Elder of Transmission to study and visit the Ancient Alchemy Scripture Pavilion..."

Looking in the direction of the voice, the one who ordered the slovenly old man to reply was none other than the bespectacled man who had been choked by Elder Jianshan!

"This guy is really unlucky... I definitely need to stay away from him." I shook my head inwardly for the bespectacled man and pursed my lips speechlessly.

"Transmission Elder? Which Transmission Elder? Hey, speaking of which, does our Shengdan Academy still have any Transmission Elders?"

Well...

Um...

Um?"

For a long time, the slovenly old man remained deep in thought, completely ignoring us.

I turned my head and glanced at the big guy who had been sticking out the front, only to find that his expression was somewhat solemn, as if he was trying hard to recall something.

"Damn it, has he forgotten the old man's name outside?" I thought helplessly.

"Yes, it was your senior brother who let us in." Sure enough, after thinking for a long time, the big guy could only remember that Elder Jianshan outside the house was this slovenly old man's senior brother!

"Senior brother? I have a bunch of senior brothers. I'm the youngest among the elders of my generation. Which senior brother? The sect leader is also my senior brother!" The slovenly old man snorted coldly, then said contemptuously, "Where did you come from? If you can't give me a specific name, then get lost. I'm going back to sleep."

"..."

Upon hearing that we could leave, I clearly noticed that several of the disciples accompanying me breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, Elder Jianshan had not asked us to stay here for long, and being kicked out by his junior brother was not a bad way to end the visit quickly.

Just as I was about to leave with the slovenly old man, I suddenly noticed several figures flashing by in the shadows of a sutra shelf.

"Is that the senior brother Chen Yu bumped into earlier?" I looked around in confusion, then noticed some figures moving about on the second floor. My heart pounded. "Elder Jianshan said before that activities outside of Mingling Residence are organized according to class schedules. It seems that the Ancient Alchemy Scripture Building is no exception... Wait!"

In an instant, my thoughts were connected as if struck by lightning, and a hidden puzzle, seemingly laid out on the surface of the riddle, suddenly exploded in my mind.

"We are disciples of Elder Jianshan, newcomers who just entered the sect today." I spoke softly before the group was scolded by the slovenly old man and prepared to leave the Ancient Pill Scripture Building.

"Jianshan?" Upon hearing this name, the slovenly old man finally reacted. The next second, he instantly appeared in front of me. "You're Jianshan's disciple?"

"It's not just me, we are all disciples of Elder Jianshan who just started today." I said, keeping my head down and trying to remain calm.

It's really risky for me to be the first to stick my neck out, but in order to verify my conjecture, I must stay in the Ancient Alchemy Pavilion for now.

"I see... Alright then, come with me to the fourth floor. Don't disturb the senior students who are borrowing ancient books." The disheveled old man pondered for a moment before speaking.

Then, he took the lead and walked up the stairs behind his senior brother, going upstairs alone.

"Are you crazy?" Bespectacled asked me in a low voice, his voice filled with resentment. I turned around and met his gaze. I could see the resentment in his eyes. Looking around, I saw that most of the people around me had the same look in their eyes—the same resentful look of people who could have escaped death but were dragged into the abyss by me.

I never imagined that our first conversation, with everyone in our similar plight, would begin in this way. After scanning everyone around me, I followed the disheveled old man and entered the elevator first.

"Hey! Didn't you hear me?!"

Because I ignored him, the bespectacled man's voice grew several decibels louder, drawing the attention of everyone present. I stopped and turned to look at him, my eyes cold.

"Actually, if I remembered Elder Jianshan's name, I would have answered too, so it has nothing to do with him." Patting his bespectacled shoulder, the burly man explained. After speaking, he looked around at everyone and chuckled, "Didn't you all always treat me as the leader, or rather, your guinea pig? What, now that someone else is willing to be your guinea pig, you're complaining?"

"..." The big guy's words left everyone speechless, and even some people who were originally full of resentment towards me began to look ashamed.

I've witnessed all these changes, but I don't hold any expectations for their conscience. The reason is simple: the remorse they show isn't remorse towards me, but rather a basic sense of shame forced upon them by the pressures of the group environment—nothing more. Without this basic sense of shame, they would be ostracized or even hated by others in the group, ultimately leading to isolation.

In other words, their shame is not for me, but for themselves. These people are selfish even when they feel remorse.

Everyone was silent for a while. I looked at Glasses, who hadn't spoken for a long time, then turned and went up the stairs again. They followed me, rustling softly.

The stairs were old, creaking with every step. Even after the brief argument, the slovenly old man hadn't left us too far behind. When we went up to the second floor, he was still lingering at the top of the stairs, about to step onto the third floor.

We quickly followed him and soon arrived at the third floor. Passing through rows of prayer shelves on the third floor, the disheveled old man in front of us suddenly stopped, turned around, and opened a hidden door.

"Come in, I have something to tell you."