Chapter 60 Standoff at the Thousand Silk Mound
The carriage traveled on for a long time and finally arrived at its destination.
As Shao Yanzhe stepped down from the carriage, he saw the enormous willow tree in the distance, which resembled a towering mountain, exuding an oppressive aura and inexplicably inspiring fear.
"Are we really going to go?"
When Zhou Jiming looked at the willow tree, his eyes were filled with fear.
Shao Yanzhe glanced at him: "You can wait here."
After he finished speaking, he turned around, took an iron shovel from the carriage, and walked towards the willow tree.
Zhou Jiming watched his retreating figure, glanced at the equally trembling coachman, gritted his teeth, took an iron shovel from the carriage, and followed him.
The coachman, who was left behind, glanced around fearfully, then reached out and hugged the horse's neck, which made him feel less scared.
Using the light from the jade hairpin pen in his hand, Shao Yanzhe stumbled to the willow tree, and Zhou Jiming arrived shortly after.
"Brother Shao, are we really going to dig up his tree roots next?" Zhou Jiming asked in a low voice.
"That's right!"
Shao Yanzhe nodded, then lit several torches around the area and began digging.
Zhou Jiming looked up and felt as if something was watching him from the darkness above, so he quickly looked down.
He glanced at Shao Yanzhe, who was digging in the soil, and, confirming that he really wouldn't change his mind, could only accept his fate.
He walked over to him, picked up a shovel, and started digging too.
He would dig a shovelful, then look up to see if there was anything unusual, before continuing to dig.
So he would dig a shovelful, look up, dig a shovelful, look up again, and maintain this rhythm. Together with Shao Yanzhe, they quickly dug a not-so-shallow pit around the willow tree.
Zhou Jiming dug for a long time but found nothing, so he said, "Brother Shao, are you trying to dig this willow tree down?"
Shao Yanzhe was also a little tired, so he stopped to rest: "No, this willow tree has been rooted here for thousands of years. Its root system is very developed and difficult to dig out. I just want to find something."
"What are you looking for?" Zhou Jiming asked curiously.
"I'd also like to know, what are you digging for here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" A familiar, aged voice then rang out.
Shao Yanzhe: ...
Zhou Jiming: ...
The two men instantly raised their shovels and turned to face the direction from which the sound came.
The two then realized that Mr. Liu had been standing by the torch for an unknown amount of time.
"Mr. Liu, what are you doing here?" Shao Yanzhe asked.
Mr. Liu took a few steps closer, his face expressionless: "I have always lived here."
Shao Yanzhe stared at him and said, "No, Mr. Liu, what I mean is, shouldn't you be lecturing those scholars whose souls have left their bodies right now?"
Mr. Liu was taken aback, then chuckled softly: "You knew?"
Shao Yanzhe nodded: "Yes, I know you are the same person, just in different times and spaces."
Zhou Jiming's eyes widened. He had always believed that the Mr. Liu at night and the Mr. Liu during the day were not the same person. Now, listening to their conversation, it sounded like they were saying that no matter how many Mr. Lius there were, they were actually the same person.
Mr. Liu smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
But it was this attitude that made everyone present realize that what Shao Yanzhe said was true.
Shao Yanzhe also laughed: "I also know that your current power resides in another version of yourself, so you have no way to stop me right now."
As he spoke, the shovel in his hand fell to the ground again.
The shovel struck the soil with a soft sound.
Zhou Jiming, who was standing to the side, was startled. He glanced at Shao Yanzhe and then quickly glanced at Mr. Liu. He found that the other party did not seem to have changed, but he had a feeling that the other party was angry.
He quickly looked away, feeling a pang of sympathy, but when he realized that Mr. Liu was only staring at them, he understood that what Shao Yanzhe had said was true, so he silently followed him and continued digging.
After an unknown amount of time, when Shao Yanzhe dug down with his shovel again, it seemed to collide with something, making a sound completely different from before.
He looked down and saw something sticking out where the shovel had been.
He quickly squatted down and began to dig away the clods of earth with his hands. Then, he saw jade-colored branches with roots intertwined together.
These branches are completely different from willow branches. They look like hard stones and have a texture similar to jade. When you touch them, something seems to flash before your eyes.
"What are these?" Zhou Jiming squatted down and asked curiously.
"have no idea."
As Shao Yanzhe spoke, his hands moved quickly. He grabbed one of the pieces, expecting it to break under his strength, but to his surprise, it was very sturdy and quickly detached from the group, ending up in his hand.
"I advise you to put your things back," Mr. Liu's voice rang out, seemingly carrying a hint of anger beneath its calm surface.
Upon hearing this, Shao Yanzhe obediently put the item back. As soon as it was put back, the detached part quickly merged back into the others.
"Mr. Liu, why don't you give up?" he said.
Mr. Liu shook his head: "No, this old man will not give up halfway!"
Shao Yanzhe sighed, "Mr. Liu, you've become possessed. Are you still going to follow the original plan?"
Mr. Liu remained silent, but his expression was unusually firm.
"It's almost dawn," Zhou Jiming whispered a reminder.
Shao Yanzhe nodded to indicate that he had heard. He knew that Mr. Liu was stalling for time, and that he would probably be able to control the power belonging to the willow tree spirit by dawn.
He looked at Mr. Liu and shook his head regretfully: "It seems that Mr. Liu is unwilling to give up on his own."
As he spoke, he took out a jade hairpin pen from behind his back, and his literary energy surged out through the pen, crashing down onto the things under the tree.
"stop!"
Mr. Liu's expression changed drastically, and he immediately rushed forward to try to stop him, but Zhou Jiming, who was quick-witted and agile, grabbed him around the waist. With his body now no different from that of an ordinary human, it was difficult for him to break free from Zhou Jiming's grip.
Shao Yanzhe ignored him and continued what he was doing. When his spiritual energy collided with the tree roots and those things, suddenly, a huge cloud of black mist flew out, and those things changed their appearance.
Facial faces seemed to appear, cold and crazed. They had no intention of attacking, but opened and closed their mouths, making small but very clear sounds.
"I want to pass the imperial examination! I want to pass the imperial examination!"
"If you fail the imperial examination, you shall die!"
"You've passed the imperial examination!"
"If you fail the imperial examination, you shall die!"
"If you fail the imperial examination, you shall die!"
"If you fail the imperial examination, you shall die!"
These sounds are so captivating that they make you want to listen and are deeply etched into your memory.
Shao Yanzhe shook his head; he had a scholarly air about him, and he regained his senses in just a moment.
But Zhou Jiming was different. He was just an ordinary person, and these voices pierced his mind, making him feel disoriented.
His eyes glazed over, and he muttered to himself, "If I don't pass the imperial examination, I'll die!"
Helpless, Shao Yanzhe flicked Zhou Jiming on the forehead, taking advantage of the momentary clarity he experienced due to the pain.
He reminded him, "You are the heir of the Marquis of Changping, so you don't need to take the imperial examinations; you only need to inherit the title of Marquis."
Zhou Jiming paused for a moment, then slowly regained his composure.
He recalled the feeling he had just experienced; he felt as if he had been possessed, with only passing the imperial examination on his mind.
“What are these?” he asked.
Shao Yanzhe looked up at the black mist drifting around him and guessed, "This is probably the resentment of those dead scholars!"
His mind was racing, but he couldn't help but look at Mr. Liu, recalling his earlier statement, "If I don't pass the imperial examination, I'll die," and a guess began to form in his mind.
It's likely that Mr. Liu's current state is influenced by the resentment of those deceased scholars, which is why he has become so paranoid.
Those scholars who failed the imperial examinations died filled with resentment for not passing. This resentment influenced Mr. Liu, giving him the idea to help the scholars pass the examinations. At the beginning, he really did help them.
But later, the resentment of those scholars who died and failed the imperial examinations only intensified when they saw that some scholars had actually passed the examinations under Mr. Liu's tutelage.
Why were they able to pass the imperial examination?
With this idea in mind, the conflict between the desire to pass the imperial examination and the desire not to pass it led Mr. Liu to be very serious when teaching the scholars, but at the same time he set higher thresholds, which prevented the scholars from passing the tests and caused them to die.
This cycle has continued, and by now, probably not many scholars have passed the test.
"What should we do? Can you handle this?" Zhou Jiming looked warily at the black mist, afraid that he would be entangled by it.
Looking at the thick resentment in front of him, Shao Yanzhe shook his head slightly: "This resentment is very difficult to purify, there's just too much of it!"
He looked at Mr. Liu and saw him standing amidst the blackness, seemingly unaffected.
That's true. He's been immersed in these resentments for so long that they've probably seeped into his very bones.
Mr. Liu smiled and approached the two of them: "You have no other choice but to give up."
Shao Yanzhe and Zhou Jiming stepped back; Mr. Liu seemed a little off now.
They glanced around, their eyes narrowing, and realized that it was already daylight, meaning the lesson in the other space must have ended long ago.
Mr. Liu walked slowly toward them, his posture leisurely, as if he were taking a stroll.
In contrast, Shao Yanzhe and Zhou Jiming appeared somewhat nervous.
With each step Mr. Liu took, a portion of the black mist floating in the air was absorbed, and soon, the released black mist was completely absorbed.
“Shao Yanzhe, you are exceptionally talented. You shouldn’t have come here at night. If they’ve got their eyes on you, you might not be able to leave.”
His expression was helpless, as if he was genuinely considering Shao Yanzhe's well-being.
Shao Yanzhe remained unmoved. He looked at Mr. Liu and said, "Mr. Liu, is it you who doesn't want me to leave, or are they the ones who don't want me to leave?"
Mr. Liu remained silent.
"I'm afraid it's you!" Shao Yanzhe looked at him mockingly.
Mr. Liu's expression turned slightly unpleasant. He controlled the willow branches and moved them towards the two of them.
Shao Yanzhe and Zhou Jiming retreated. As they did so, Zhou Jiming accidentally bumped into a lit torch. He hurriedly steadied it, and the violently leaping flames on the torch inadvertently touched the willow branches, causing the fiercely poised branches to suddenly retract.
Mr. Liu's expression was rather unpleasant as he looked at the torches. He wanted to urge the willow branches to continue their attack, but they hesitated and appeared somewhat cautious.
Shao Yanzhe's eyes lit up when he saw this; they were actually afraid of fire!
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