Chapter 38

Under the dark and tranquil night sky, the Taiping Lake lay still. Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

As the boatman rowed the boat, the sound of the oars echoed, and the small boat headed towards the dark and misty storm on the lakeside. When it neared the shore, he jumped up, thanked the boatman, and a faint song drifted across the lake, as if bidding farewell.

Stepping onto the embankment, the song carried by the wind reached his ears. Ye Qing paused, standing at the boundary between light and darkness, divinity and humanity, and looked back. The Taiping Lake was calm and serene.

A faint aura enveloped him, and the Dragon Lord's praise spread out. The pearl in his arms exuded a cool sensation, seeping into his body.

"With these, a scholar's fortune is more than sufficient. There's no need to pursue other things. Focus on cultivation and prepare for the scholar examination next spring," Ye Qing thought.

As he looked back, the golden pavilion flashed before his eyes, but through the thin rain, what appeared was not the Dragon Lady, but Qianqian's face, brimming with anticipation and joy.

"Go back quickly, Qianqian is waiting anxiously." Ye Qing opened his umbrella and walked up from the ferry.

With no one around, it was the perfect time to observe the aura. He saw a pale green aura swirling around him. As it swirled, a stream of spiritual energy flowed into his body, slowly converted and absorbed by the Six Yang Diagram, accelerating his foundation-building by a third.

"Good," Ye Qing sighed. In the past, it would take at least three years to complete the first step of foundation-building, but with the scholar's position and this aura, it might take only two years.

However, this was not the main path of the aura. Seeing no one around, he took out the golden cup and looked at it. Sure enough, pale green aura dripped into the cup, and after a few hours, it was half full.

This aura was just a drop in the bucket for the Dragon Lord, but it was crucial for Ye Qing. A towering tree might not care about a spring rain, but a young sapling would be particularly concerned. Without the spring rain, it would grow slowly or even wither.

Not only that, Ye Qing could feel that more aura was flowing in from the unknown, a pale white aura, continuous and unending.

Ye Qing was startled for a moment but then understood. "Indeed, it must be that the Dragon Lord has had a stele erected at the lakeside Plum Stone Mountain, and the results of the Dragon Lord's banquet have truly been achieved."

Establishing merit, fame, and virtue was equally effective in this world. The Dragon Lord's granted aura was substantial and of high quality, but it was a one-time event.

Erecting a stele at the lakeside Plum Stone Mountain, while not necessarily making poetry and fame known throughout the world, could at least spread in the three southern provinces. Under the governance of these three provinces, there were a million scholars. Once it was celebrated, the accumulated reputation would be considerable.

Of course, Ye Qing knew that without the support of tangible resources, the aura that could be converted would be limited. But even so, such a large amount would not be inferior to the aura granted by the Dragon Lord in one go.

Moreover, this aura was thin and gradually added to his body, suitable for his thin and single-minded destiny, helping him to pass the scholar and provincial examinations.

The only thing that made him somewhat uneasy was that all of this was based on "Observing Taiping," which was undoubtedly a rebellious poem in this world. Short-term benefits could be gained, but over time, it might lead to many variables...

As he thought, he took out the Chuanlin Notebook and opened to the fifth page. A pale green ripple appeared on the blank page, revealing a palace, the Dragon Palace.

At the top, it read: "In the tenth month of the eleventh year of Pingjing, Ye Qing attended the Dragon Palace banquet and won with 'Observing Taiping,' receiving a hundred taels of gold, a pearl, and three hundred units of pale green aura."

Indeed, it was recorded. Ye Qing was pleased and was about to close it when he noticed the next page was also lit. He was startled and flipped it over.

On the sixth page, a pale white ripple appeared on the blank page, revealing a tiny, insignificant carp. When he saw the line below, Ye Qing was shocked, and his oil umbrella fell to the ground, rolling in the wind.

Ye Qing, ignoring the umbrella, read carefully: "In the tenth month of the eleventh year of Pingjing, Ye Qing's 'Observing Taiping' resonated with the Dragon Palace, and he was personally selected by the Dragon Lord, causing his destiny to mutate, presenting a carp form!"

Ye Qing stood still, having reached the town. The road was almost deserted, and the dense autumn rain fell in the autumn wind, immersing the entire world in an autumn atmosphere.

Ye Qing stood motionless, his eyes cold, and his heart gradually turned cold.

In his previous life, when he first entered this world, Ye Qing had wanted to change it. For this world, immortality was a hope, but for the common people, there was no hope, and it was difficult to make progress.

But as he came to understand this world, his enthusiasm gradually cooled. This was a "scientific" and "rigorous" system!

First, the three Dao Lords were high above, overseeing the world and participating in the Great Dao. The five Emperors of the Heavenly Court controlled the Five Virtues, directly managing the world's aura.

Power comes from the barrel of a gun, and the ability to rule millions of people first requires strength, so all officials practiced Dao techniques.

If cultivators could grow infinitely, Ye Qing wouldn't be afraid. In such a world, thousands or even tens of thousands of cultivators would consume the world like locusts.

But the upper echelons knew the world's limits, so they cleared the mountains and controlled the power of immortality, leaving the officials with only Dao techniques, not immortality, and they would still enter the world's cycle after a hundred years.

Of course, if immortality were monopolized and no opportunities were given to the masses, it would be a disaster.

It is said that inequality, not scarcity, is the problem. In a world without the opportunity for immortality, everyone would be equal before death, and there would be no resentment.

But in a world of immortality, where the opportunity for immortality is not given to the masses, the accumulated resentment and jealousy would become a flood.

The thirty-three immortality slots every three years, not guaranteed to succeed, were just right, enhancing the Heavenly Court's strength, giving hope to millions of people, and avoiding a shortage of resources.

The imperial court was at the center, and the vassal states were around it. When the dragon's power waned, a vassal state would rise, carrying out the mandate of heaven, releasing the accumulated resentment of hundreds of years of rule and corruption, sweeping it away, and then dividing the land to vassal states, hoping for a chance to rise again.

This change of dynasties was not thorough, and after a long cycle, the accumulated karma of several dynasties, which even the vassal states' reforms could not clear, would rise from the grass, like dragons and snakes, sweeping the world clean, called a "great calamity"!

Such a powerful Dao court could still be cautious, like walking on thin ice, always correcting the flaws of the times, and the imperial examination was the most obvious example.

It is said that ordinary people without the aptitude for cultivation could only do secular work. The Red Emperor opened the imperial examination to give the talented in the folk a chance to rise, so for tens of thousands of years, the folk remained stable.

Not even a spark was left unextinguished, just like modern technology, controlling the world's power, the mandate of heaven, the will of the people, and the rise of the masses, all within a system.

This is called the "Dao."

For tens of thousands of years, the cycle has been thorough, from top to bottom, from bottom to top, from the center to the sides. When Ye Qing realized this, his heart turned gray.

Even a thousand or ten thousand people with the courage to change the world would only last a hundred years.

So he gave up the idea of building a great cause.

But now, how could just one poem lead him down this path?

For a moment, his heart was filled with indignation, ready to burst out, to point at the deep, unfathomable sky and curse, "I will make the sky unable to blind my eyes, the earth unable to bury my heart, the masses understand my intentions, and the Buddhas disappear!"

Or, "Let everyone be like dragons, shattering the rules of heaven and earth!"

But a last bit of reason held back this impulse, and he tightly closed his trembling lips. Ye Qing knew that if he shouted these words, he would immediately meet a grim end.

Lu Xun once said in "In Memory of Liu Hezhen," "In an instant, Liu Hezhen was shot several times and lay in a pool of blood... Alas, I cannot speak."

"Is the ruler of millions, who holds the power of heaven, more merciful than a black gun barrel?" The coldness in Ye Qing's lips mixed with the autumn chill, and after a long time, he laughed and sighed, "Like Lu Xun... I cannot speak!"

This is the will of heaven, which does not consider any individual.

After a moment, Ye Qing calmly picked up the oil umbrella, which had blown several meters away, and continued to walk towards the town, each step accompanied by a mist of water.

Even with a small amount of power, this small trick was still possible.

In the town, at the inn

An hour after dinner, the rain was light and refreshing. The innkeeper was calculating the accounts when he suddenly heard a clear and elegant recitation from outside:

"Green water bathes mandarin ducks, red beans on the flat sand. Clouds and peaks rise layer upon layer. Sails lower in the wind of falling flowers.

Pale clouds veil the moon, fine rain sprinkles the boat. A solitary boat moors in the sound of waves. No place to ask for news and appearance."

In the quiet autumn night, hearing such elegant poetry was truly refreshing. Although the innkeeper did not understand it, he still listened. When he saw the person enter, he bowed and said, "Sir, please come in!"

He quickly recognized Ye Qing and smiled, "You are the guest in the upper room, please come in. What can I do for you?"

Ye Qing smiled and said, "Contact a carriage for me, to go directly to Cangzhou, and it must be safe and reliable!"

The innkeeper was surprised and said, "That's easy. The most famous in this town is the Ji family carriage service, with a good reputation. Or, our inn can provide carriage services, but the price will be higher."

"How much does your inn charge?"

"A single ox cart, round trip, costs a total of seventeen taels of silver," the innkeeper calculated and gave a price.

Ye Qing heard this and threw out two silver ingots, saying, "Here are twenty taels. This is ten taels as a deposit, and the rest will be settled when we return. I will provide food for the journey."

The innkeeper was surprised and thanked him, "Thank you, sir. Shall we start tomorrow?"

"No, we will start tonight. Otherwise, why would I give you three extra taels?" Ye Qing's expression was somewhat cold, and he waved his hand, "I will give you half an hour to prepare. We will set off tonight, following the main road, which can be seen even at night!"

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