Chapter 63: Dreams and Dilemmas (1) ...He betrayed the Emperor of Heaven? ...
Thoth, specially recruited by Lucifer from the ancient Egyptian realm, teaches history at the Ghost Academy. While many students find the course dull and tedious, Si Ling finds it quite fascinating. Although she's been a ghost for 30,000 years, she's always been confined to the underworld of China, barely aware of what's happening in the outside world. Listening to Thoth's histories of other Western realms of the gods and the underworld, she feels a sense of amusement, as if her 'neighbors' from the same period were also doing the same thing.
Compared to Si Ling's lively and enthusiastic classmate, Hyun Chi was remarkably silent during this class. His seat was right next to Si Ling, separated only by a narrow aisle. Since Hyun Chi was usually quite quiet, it was practically impossible to get him to engage in small talk during class, but Si Ling still noticed his unusual silence.
Throughout the entire class, his expression was pensive, but it was hard to tell whether he was listening intently or simply lost in thought. He stared at the blackboard, but his gaze was vague, as if he was contemplating something very important but without a clear grasp of it.
Si Ling was curious about what he was thinking, but after careful consideration, she decided not to do anything childish like pass a note. When class was over, she was about to ask him, but he stood up and walked to the podium first: "Professor Toth."
Si Ling looked up and saw that their seats were all in the second row, so she could basically understand what Xuan Chi said.
Xuan Chi asked Thoth, "I would like to ask, how many years ago were you born?"
Thoth said, "Twenty thousand years. To be precise, I'll be celebrating my twenty-thousand and forty-eighth birthday later this year." She paused, as if afraid Xuan Chi wouldn't believe her, and then explained, "I know that even ancient Egyptian civilization didn't last that long, but that's because human civilization took shape much later. The divine realm existed much earlier than the human realm. When I was born, the human realm was only just beginning to take shape."
...In fact, this explanation is not necessary, because the ancient mythical beast in front of him understands very well the "basic settings" of this human world and the divine world.
He just wanted to ask: "Have you heard of Suhuang?"
"Suhuang?" Toth repeated the two words he said in Chinese, and the black pearl-like eyes of the ibis were full of confusion.
"They are an ancient race of mythical beasts." Hyun Chi described them in English as briefly as possible. "They look very similar to the ancient Greek phoenix, but are larger and blue."
"Ah..." Thoth was speechless, "Is it a race from the Porcelain Country?"
"Yes." Xuan Chi said.
Thoth pondered for a moment, earnestly recalling all the knowledge he had accumulated over the past twenty thousand years. Finally, he shook his head, "Never heard of it. The Porcelain Kingdom's divine realm predates ours. The only gods who coexisted with their early deities were probably Atlantis and some ancient gods of South America... Where did you hear about this Suhuang tribe?"
"I've only heard some legends." Xuan Chi lowered his eyes and said softly, "I'm also from the Porcelain Country, but I've never seen any trace of them."
"That's perfectly normal," Thoth shrugged, unsure of the situation. "Although theoretically, the early Protoss were immortal, accidents always happen. Look, the gods of Atlantis have long since fallen, and the ancient Mayan and Incan gods of South America are no longer around. The last of the Aztec gods vanished in the 18th century. The Suhuang tribe you mentioned predates them by a long time, and disappearing from history for various reasons is perfectly normal."
“…” Si Ling suffocated.
Toth did not know that Xuan Chi was Su Huang. This inference was fair, objective and without malice, but precisely because of this, it was probably even more cruel to Xuan Chi.
She held her breath and watched Hyun Chi's reaction. Hyun Chi nodded calmly to Toth and said, "Thank you." Then he turned and walked out.
Si Ling hesitated for a moment, then stood up and followed him out. Glancing around, he saw Hyun Chi had already reached the end of the corridor on the right. There was a stained glass door there, and outside was a small balcony. From the balcony railing, he could see the endless pastoral scenery, perfect for a moment of contemplation. Hyun Chi stood there, his white shirt and blue jeans making him look like a slender college boy from behind.
Si Ling walked over, and the closer she got, the lighter her steps became. After walking out of the stained glass door, she thought for a long time before speaking, "Are you okay?"
Xuan Chi turned around when she heard the voice. The bright morning sunlight shone behind him, and she was somewhat surprised to find that she was greeted by a smiling face.
He sighed: "Did you hear it?" He paused and said, "It can be considered a clue."
"...What?" Si Ling was confused.
Xuan Chi smiled. "Twenty thousand years old, Thoth is twenty thousand years old, but she's never heard of the Suhuang Clan. If her divine status of 'mastering wisdom' is reliable, then this means the Suhuang Clan has been gone for at least twenty thousand years. I've been in the catacombs for no less than that."
Before this, based on the underworld version of "Classic of Mountains and Seas", they conservatively estimated that Xuan Chi had stayed in the cave for at least 13,000 to 14,000 years. Now the time has been pushed back another 6,000 to 7,000 years.
Peers...
Si Ling had mixed feelings. She no longer had any "peers" around her. There weren't even twenty ghosts in the underworld over five thousand years old. There were only five or six at most over ten thousand years old, including Yama himself, who politely avoided her. Counting further back, there wasn't a single ghost over twenty thousand years old.
Si Ling looked at Xuan Chi, unable to explain his current mood. He coughed, forcing his thoughts back to reality, and looked at him carefully before asking, "Well, so... you're not sad?"
"There's nothing to be sad about." Xuan Chi looked back at the scenery outside the balcony and smiled. "There's no point in dwelling on sadness. Besides, compared to the fragile life of humans, we're basically immortal. We have endless time to slowly achieve our wishes. Why should we be as melancholic as ordinary people?"
"That's right!" Si Ling nodded vigorously. Xuan Chi's views coincided with her long-held views.
She walked over to him and stood with him at the railing to admire the scenery. In the silence, that indescribable feeling came over her again. She savored it silently and finally let out a laugh.
Xuan Chi turned his head: "What are you laughing at?"
"Haha, I have someone my age now." Si Ling didn't look at him. She stared straight ahead with a smile on her face. "Although age isn't that important in the underworld, it's hard for an 'old thing' like me to fit in. Many little ghosts avoid me when they see me."
Xuan Chi chuckled: "Tsk, I don't know who is older between the two of us."
"Ha." Si Ling raised an eyebrow, "You're quite competitive."
"No." Xuan Chi shook his head quickly, "You are old, you are the oldest."
“…” Si Ling was silent.
Xuan Chi was also silent for a moment: "It seems a bit strange."
Si Ling muttered, "Yeah."
.
Bright golden light, so bright that it dazzles the eyes...
It is reflected in the sky, on the lake, on the pavilions, and on the long steps in front of the temple.
Long steps...
Xuan Chi raised his head and saw a long staircase with countless steps, which made the towering palace at the end seem blurry.
He was very tired, so exhausted that he couldn't open his eyes. Looking up for a long time seemed even more strenuous, so he simply stopped looking and climbed up the stairs in a daze, going up one step at a time.
What...place is this?
It is heaven.
He is going to see the Emperor of Heaven...
What does the Emperor of Heaven look like?
He doesn't remember.
He didn't remember, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall it. Whether awake or dreaming, the Emperor of Heaven was only a vague shadow.
He continued to climb, only the white steps swaying in his sight. His fatigue grew stronger, but at some point, fear and anxiety suddenly took over his mind, and the fatigue disappeared in an instant.
His gaze was still fixed on the ground, and at a certain moment, he suddenly held his breath - because the white steps that filled his vision completely disappeared, and under his feet became a dark stone floor with some patterns and words engraved on the stone surface. There seemed to be something in front of him... but he could only catch a glimpse of it in his peripheral vision, and he could not remember what it was.
Subconsciously, Hyun Chi knew what would happen next. The panic in his heart quickly grew, making his breathing become rapid.
Finally, he raised his head inch by inch.
The sky was dark, and the thick, dense clouds were being whipped into a vast vortex by the swirling wind, swirling directly above him. Lightning and thunder flashed within the vortex, and the sound of sand and gravel clashed and fell, turning into a blinding dust storm.
It took him some effort to focus his eyes and see the scene in the clouds clearly, and he saw several figures among the whirlpools, lightning and sand and gravel.
Although they were just silhouettes whose faces could not be seen, the one in the lead was obviously wearing armor. He seemed to know who that was, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
He only heard the other party's voice, which enveloped the sky and the earth in a thick cloud: "The traitor Xuan Chi—"
Xuan Chi was stunned. The deep voice that resounded through the heavens and earth was still saying something, but he could no longer hear it.
When everything became clear again, he suddenly became a bystander, appearing not far from "him". Seeing him anxiously arguing, he said, "I am here on the orders of the Lord! There must be a misunderstanding. I will explain it to the Lord!"
Run away...
Xuan Chi wanted to shout to himself: Run away!
But he couldn't make a sound.
The next second, he became "him" again. He spread his blue wings, as if he wanted to rush into the clouds to explain to that person, but suddenly something came into his sight.
Xuan Chi suddenly looked up and saw the Emperor's heavy sword coming down from the sky! His pupils suddenly shrank, and he subconsciously wanted to dodge, but in the end he was a step too late.
As a sharp pain shot through his chest, his gaze dropped back to the dark stone floor. He watched as the bronze sword pierced the stone, cracking the surrounding ground. Blood trickled down the blade like winding silk ribbons. "No!" Hyun Chi sat up with a start, gasping for breath and looking around in panic.
It took him a long time to see the bedroom's furnishings clearly from the darkness, and he slowly calmed down. Then his thoughts returned and he remembered that this was the Ghost Academy.
"The Rebellious Minister's Edict"...
These four words echoed in his ears. They were so powerful that even now that he was awake, they were still clearly circling in his mind, over and over again.
What happened...
He buried his face in his palms, trying to recall what had happened in the deeper darkness.
Still can't remember anything.
But……
...He betrayed the Emperor of Heaven?
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