Chapter 9 You Will Be Burned to Death
Yu Sui would send messages to Zhong Lique every day.
As the saying goes, taking the initiative will lead to a story. Her initiative was met with a response from Zhong Lique. Gradually, Zhong Lique began to talk to her about things other than studying and shared his feelings.
"Don't you need to exchange inscriptions before you can send messages to each other using the Wind Listening Ruler?"
One day, Zhong Lique, realizing what had happened, asked.
Each Wind Listening Ruler built by the Communications Institute has its own unique inscription number. Wind Listening Rulers must exchange their inscriptions to establish a connection.
Yu Sui tapped the crossword puzzle interface and replied, "I can be unrestricted by inscriptions."
Really?
Zhongli Que, who knew nothing about the Nine Schools of Arts, thought to himself, "Wow, that's amazing."
“I can also keep our communication secret. As long as you replace the twelve Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches with the Black Bird Star Line, even if others get your Wind Listening Ruler, they won’t be able to see our conversation. Only you can find it through the Wind Listening Ruler.”
Because Zhongli Que was forbidden from learning the Nine Schools of Arts, and knew even less about them than Yu Sui, he became Yu Sui's preferred experimental subject.
At this moment, Zhong Lique adjusted the Listening Wind Ruler as Yu Sui had instructed. Any action that went against what was known to be correct would make Zhong Lique feel that she was doing something "bad".
But when she did as Yu Sui said, she felt an indescribable excitement, and her heart started beating faster and faster uncontrollably.
Zhong Lique took a deep breath to calm herself.
Her elder brother, Zhong Lishan, came to see her in the afternoon, bringing her favorite sweets and pastries.
Zhong Lique took the candy her brother brought from the window, and then timidly handed over the Wind Listening Ruler, saying, "Brother, I don't know if my Wind Listening Ruler is broken. A message was sent, but I can't see it."
"Let me see." Zhong Lishan took it and fiddled with it for a moment, then asked her, "Whose message is it that we can't see?"
Zhong Lique poked his head out from behind the window and tapped the wind-listening ruler: "Here."
Zhong Lishan used all three of the unique techniques related to the Wind Listening Ruler, but still couldn't find the message. He wondered, "Did they really send a message? I couldn't find it in the Earthly Branches or the Star Sea."
"Whose message was it? I'll go ask them for you."
Zhong Lique took back the Wind-Listening Ruler and shook her head, saying, "No need, I might have remembered it wrong."
Zhong Lishan seemed uneasy about not being able to help his sister, and said, "I'll take it to the Communications Institute and let them take a look."
"Really, there's no need." Zhong Lique put away the Listening Wind Ruler and began to change the subject.
After her brother left, Zhong Lique breathed a sigh of relief and closed the window. Even though she was alone in the room, she subconsciously walked to the bedside with light steps and breaths.
Zhong Lique gazed at the Listening Wind Ruler with bright eyes and sent a message to Yu Sui: "They really can't see it."
"You're amazing!"
People say that the young princess of the royal palace is mediocre, dull and stupid, but in Zhongli Que's eyes, she is a genius.
With feedback from Zhongli Que on the Listening Wind Ruler, Yu Sui's decomposition of the communication array proceeded smoothly.
Zhong Lique was confined to her courtyard and could not leave. Although her mother and brother would come to see her every day, it was only for a short time. The day was so long that she relied on chatting with Yu Sui to pass the time and not be so bored.
Yu Sui really didn't sleep in class. Instead, she listened to the whole thing before sending it to Zhong Lique. Zhong Lique only chatted with Yu Sui after she finished her homework.
The two would occasionally talk about their families.
“I have three older brothers, and they are all more capable than me.”
Zhong Lique replied, "But I think you are the most amazing."
Yu Sui added, "I also think you're very capable. You can learn what the teacher teaches just by listening and watching, while it takes me several months to learn."
Zhong Lique sat on the edge of the bed with her knees bent and her chin resting on them, holding the Listening Wind Ruler in her hands as she replied: "If that's the case, then my brother is the most amazing. He has a photographic memory, and he can learn things on his own without being taught by his teacher. Even swordsmanship is something he can learn in no time."
Yu Sui: "Isn't it going to be a few more years before the National Academy starts teaching swordsmanship?"
“It wasn’t taught by the Imperial Academy, it was my father.” Zhongli Que scratched his head, hesitated for a moment, and then explained, “It’s a unique sword technique of our Zhongli family, only my father knows it.”
“I remember now, I heard my second brother mention it. He said this swordsmanship is very powerful,” Yu Sui lay on the bed, fanning herself with one hand while replying to a message with the other. “Why don’t you learn it with me?”
Zhong Lique's eyes reflected the light of the Listening Wind Ruler, and the characters were also reflected in it. She blinked and stared at Yu Sui's question, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
If it weren't for the fact that the contents of their text messages wouldn't be discovered, Zhong Lique wouldn't have had such frequent exchanges with her, and they wouldn't have become so close.
It was precisely because this wouldn't be discovered that Zhong Lique couldn't suppress her inner desire to confide.
The girl's delicate white fingers hesitated several times on the Wind Listening Ruler before finally slowly tapping on the crossword interface: "I cannot learn. Girls of the Zhongli family cannot practice the Nine Schools of Arts, nor can they touch swords, possess any special abilities or skills, or have the ability to protect themselves."
Yu Sui sat up and looked down at the reply.
Zhong Lique regretted sending the message as soon as she did. She shouldn't have said those things. After feeling annoyed, she quickly changed the subject and asked Yu Sui how her day at the National Academy was.
Yu Sui continued the conversation, not wanting to put Zhong Lique in a difficult position. After a short while, Zhong Lique said she was going to practice calligraphy.
It seems he regrets saying the wrong thing.
Yu Sui did not expose her.
Two months later, Zhong Lique's confinement ended, and he was able to continue his studies at the National Academy.
She arrived at the classroom early, and some of her children greeted her out of politeness and etiquette, which Zhong Lique responded to one by one.
Yu Sui hasn't arrived yet.
Zhong Lique couldn't help but glance outside, wondering what he was waiting for.
When Yu Sui arrived, she still looked like she hadn't woken up yet. Her head was drooping, and when she saw Zhong Lique sitting in her seat, she opened her mouth, but her voice was weak and listless.
Zhong Lique whispered, "Didn't you sleep well?"
After sitting down, Yu Sui slumped onto the table and fell asleep, mumbling in her sleep, "I finally don't have to listen to lectures today."
During this period, in order to tutor Zhong Lique, she listened to both arts and science subjects during the day, and her sleep time was halved. She stayed up for two months in a row.
Seeing that Yu Sui was asleep, Zhong Lique instantly understood what was going on. She perked up and, for the first time, refused to let the tutor disturb her.
Both children carried some burdens of their identities, so they tacitly kept their distance from each other at the National Academy, and their closeness was not apparent. However, they communicated frequently on the Listening Wind Ruler.
They share interesting and fun things that happen in their daily lives.
Yu Sui would occasionally "complain" to Zhong Lique about how troublesome and difficult it was to learn the Nine Schools of Arts. Since Zhong Lique couldn't understand, she would patiently explain the various kinds of knowledge.
Zhongli Que, who understood, felt frightened.
Before she could stop Yu Sui from continuing to "complain," Yu Sui spoke first: "I just feel too tired and want to complain to someone. My brothers are all busy with their own things, and I can't tell my parents. You are the only friend I can talk to about these things."
"If you find what I'm saying too annoying, you can just destroy it so that no one else will know."
"I guarantee no one will know you've seen these."
Yu Sui's guarantee is 100% safe with Zhong Lique.
Zhong Lique convinced himself that he was just listening to his friend's daily complaints, not learning some low-level techniques.
After Yu Sui finished complaining, she would also say, "I'm only venting to you, so please don't tell anyone else."
She was reminding Zhong Lique that even if she learned it, she shouldn't let anyone other than her discover anything.
Zhong Lique nodded solemnly and replied, "I will keep it a secret."
The girls' secret communication lasted for a very long time.
Zhong Lique made her first friend in her life, and the year passed faster than ever before as she spent time with her friend.
Something happened when they were thirteen years old.
For Zhong Lique, it was a turning point that influenced her entire life.
When the young princess of the royal family was thirteen, her eldest brother Han Bing was already eighteen and her second brother Su Feng was seventeen. Both of them had left the Imperial Academy.
Having celebrated his sixteenth birthday in the spring, Seong-hyeong no longer needed to go to the National Academy.
So, during the sweltering summer days, Yu Sui went to the Imperial Academy alone, occasionally accompanied by Gu Gan.
Fourteen-year-old Gu Gan suddenly grew much taller. Standing next to him, Yu Sui, who was still half a head shorter, felt that she had grown up for nothing all these years.
As the boys grow older, the gap in their abilities becomes apparent, they have more things to compare themselves to, and conflicts intensify.
Because of the significant age difference, Han Bing was able to maintain politeness towards Gu Gan, while Su Feng, although a few years older than him, made no attempt to hide his dislike for Gu Gan.
Of course, the one who hates Gu Gan the most and can't stand Gu Gan the most is Sheng Fei.
Gu Gan also disliked Sheng Fei the most.
The two repelled and loathed each other, never giving each other a friendly look when they met, and even got into a fight several times. Sheng Fei was even reprimanded by Nangong Ming for this, which made it even harder for Sheng Fei to accept Gu Gan's existence.
As the boys' relationship deteriorated, Yu Sui, caught in the middle, was inevitably affected.
Sheng Fei couldn't stand the two of them going to the National Academy alone. Even though he no longer needed to study, he would still pick up and drop off Yu Sui at the National Academy when Gu Gan was around.
Yu Sui could sense that Gu Gan had become more and more knowledgeable in the past two years. Because she wanted to read more books in Gu Gan's study, she became more affectionate towards him.
Sheng Fei argued with her several times about this, telling her to stay away from Gu Gan and Gu Gan to stay away from Yu Sui.
In autumn, the maple trees planted on both sides of the Prince's Mansion driveway turn red, and the cool breeze swirls the red leaves, creating small whirlwinds on the ground.
Today, Sheng Fei went to the National Academy to pick up Yu Sui, but he didn't see Gu Gan, and he still had a stern face.
Yu Sui sat on the side and lifted the carriage curtain to look at the scenery outside.
Sheng Fei suddenly asked Yu Sui, "You like that brat Gu Gan?"
"What?" Yu Sui turned around in confusion.
Sheng Fei said with a stern face, "You are not allowed to like him. I mean, you cannot choose him as your future husband."
Yu Sui lowered her head and played with the wind-listening ruler, giving a perfunctory "uh-huh" response.
Sheng Fei is going through puberty, so his voice sounds a bit hoarse. Plus, he's always been sharp-tongued, so even if he doesn't mean any harm, he still sounds fierce when he speaks.
"He comes from a humble background, is a wild child, has no manners, and relies entirely on the support of the Prince's Mansion. If you like him, he will dare to take advantage of your affection and act arrogantly towards you."
"Look how arrogant he is now!"
"If it weren't for the Prince's mansion helping him, what would he be? He would never have been able to survive in the capital."
On the way back, Sheng Fei criticized Gu Gan harshly, emphasizing that Yu Sui should not be with Gu Gan.
Yu Sui held up her hand to show a number: "Brother, I'm only thirteen years old. Isn't it too early to talk about choosing a husband now?"
For some reason, she felt that Sheng Fei's temper had become increasingly irritable since last year.
"I don't care who you choose, it can't be Gu Gan." Sheng Fei said domineeringly, "I'm going to Taiyi in a few days, and I won't have time to keep an eye on the two of you anymore. We have to make this clear before I leave."
Yu Sui was taken aback, then her focus shifted: "Are you going to Taiyi too?"
The eldest brother, Han Bing, also went to Taiyi Academy to cultivate when he was sixteen years old. Su Feng, who had already joined the military school, stayed in Qingyang and did not leave. He only joined the military school's Chongtai training camp and only returned to the palace during festivals.
Sheng Fei said, "I have received an invitation from Taiyi and will be going to the academy to cultivate next month."
The Xuan Gu Continent not only has a hundred schools of thought, but also six kingdoms that divide up resources.
The number of cultivators in these six countries is countless and endless. The strength and size of the six countries vary, and their cultivation resources are also different. For the sake of cultivators all over the world, the peak saints of the Nine Schools of Arts established the Taiyi Academy at the southernmost part of the continent.
Although it is called an academy, it is as large as a country, just to accommodate sorcerers from six countries who have reached the lowest ranks of cultivation.
Taiyi Academy has been established for thousands of years. During this time, two-thirds of the nine ranks of saints with names and surnames have come from here. It was built by hundreds of saints from thousands of years ago. Here, there are no six countries, only academy disciples.
When talking about Taiyi Academy, one cannot help but mention the "no war oath" of the six kingdoms.
First, the six nations formed an alliance and made a "no-war pledge," which led to the Taiyi Academy accepting cultivators from the six nations and integrating them into one.
The so-called "no war oath" means that the six countries will never attack or wage war against each other, and each will guard its own territory. No matter how much they want to seize the resources of neighboring countries, they are bound by the power of the oath and cannot cross the border to annex them.
Qingyang ranks high among the six kingdoms and is a superpower with over a hundred vassal states. It fights wars almost every few years to subdue rebellious or suppress dissenting vassal states.
Zhongli Ci earned his title as a military strategist and war god on the battlefields of the Qingyang vassal states.
Taiyi Academy states that it does not discriminate based on talent or background. As long as you have the will to cultivate, even if you have mediocre talent or are a prince or a beggar, you can try to apply for admission.
Whether they agree or disagree depends on them.
Some exceptionally talented individuals may receive invitations from Taiyi Academy.
Of course, even if you have no talent at all and are just an average person, you can still apply for admission, but you have to bribe someone—a huge sum of money for admission.
This rule was intended for nobles and royalty who lacked talent but still wanted to gain prestige through academy.
Yu Sui felt that this rule was tailor-made for her.
Her eldest brother, Han Bing, received an invitation from Taiyi Academy at the age of sixteen to cultivate there, and now her third brother, Sheng Fei, is also going.
Although Taiyi Academy does not discriminate based on talent or background, it does discriminate based on age. Those under the age of sixteen are not accepted; the lower limit is sixteen, and there is no upper limit.
The next day, while having lunch at the National Academy, Gu Gan learned that Sheng Fei would be going to Taiyi Academy for cultivation next month. He sneered and said that he would go there in two years.
Yu Sui, who was focused on eating, looked up after hearing this. It seemed that Taiyi Academy was also his goal.
Quite a few people know that Sheng Fei received an invitation from Taiyi Academy.
Even Zhong Lique would talk about this with Yu Sui.
Over the past few years, the girl who used to be shy when chatting with her has become more and more lively.
"Sui Sui, is your third brother going to Taiyi Academy too?"
"Uh-huh."
"I envy them so much. I also want to go to Taiyi Academy. I heard that the road to the academy crosses the sea. Instead of taking a boat, there are star trails made of mechanical art in the sky, and flying dragons carry them there."
Zhong Lique said longingly, "The scenery must be very beautiful. When my brother told me about it, I even wanted to beg him to take me with him."
"If my dad finds out, he'll definitely punish me by grounding me again."
Yu Sui had just finished bathing and was getting dressed. The little girl in the mirror was wearing a colorful dress, with ribbons hanging smoothly down the hem. Because it was already night, she was wearing a rather revealing dress, which showed off her slender white calves and half of her arms.
The wind-listening ruler is hung from the waist by a red thread through a hole, and makes a pleasant crisp sound when it hits the tassel accessory.
Yu Sui replied to the message and walked out.
"I'll have a chance to go see it sometime."
"My third brother's friends are celebrating at Juxianlou tonight that he received an invitation from the academy, and they invited me to join them."
"Juxianlou is very close to the super-large communication array to the west. I'll go over there and see if I can crack it tonight as well."
After cracking the National Academy's super-large communication array, Yu Sui began to crack the ones in other parts of the capital, dreaming of cracking all the communication arrays in the capital.
She didn't keep Zhong Lique's plan to crack the communication array a secret, because she needed someone to cooperate with her to test whether it was successful.
Zhong Lique was the one who received Yu Sui's message.
In the past two years, Zhong Lique's tolerance has greatly increased due to the stimulation of Yu Sui's "bad boy" behavior in private. It seems that as long as she is with Yu Sui, she has the courage to face the consequences of the "bad boy" doing bad things.
But if it were her alone, Zhong Lique knew she couldn't do it.
"Go ahead, be careful." After replying, Zhong Lique collapsed onto the bed. She was a little sleepy, and when the light of the Listening Wind Ruler dimmed, she couldn't stay awake any longer and closed her eyes.
As she closed her eyes, Zhong Lique felt a strange force surge within her, bringing fear that made her hair stand on end.
Zhong Lique suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Her heart was pounding, and the information she had foreseen deep in her mind made her hands tremble uncontrollably.
Just like back then, when we told Yu Sui not to leave the classroom, because she would run into Young Master Lin and get slapped by Nangong Ming.
Zhong Lique picked up the Wind-Listening Ruler to send a message to Yu Sui, but her mother's words suddenly echoed in her mind:
"You must remember that you must never let anyone else find out, not even your father."
She remembered how she had only picked up an arrow, yet the adults were staring at her with judgmental eyes, as if she would be torn to pieces if she uttered a single wrong word.
The oppressive feeling from the adults was relentless, like a long rope tied around her neck, suspending her high and making it hard for her to breathe.
Zhong Lique's hand holding the wind-listening ruler was trembling. She bit her lip and was covered in sweat.
My mother said that no one should know, it's too dangerous.
Zhong Lique slowly lowered the hands that were holding the Listening Wind Ruler.
But... but this is different from what I predicted last time.
Last time, Nangong Sui only received a slap, but this time she was burned by raging fire. Her body melted in the sea of fire, revealing a sinister white bone that was also stained with the flames. It was so frightening that she had nightmares for a month.
Am I just supposed to watch her die?
Will she die?
Zhong Lique's mind was buzzing with thoughts of this. Suddenly, she found the courage she didn't know where it came from, and her fingers flew across the crossword puzzle screen to send a message to Yu Sui:
"Don't go to Juxianlou!"
"Go home quickly!"
"You'll be burned to death if you go to Juxianlou!"
Yu Sui, who usually replied to her messages quickly, remained silent.
Zhong Lique took a deep breath to calm her trembling hands. She steeled herself, grabbed the Listening Wind Ruler, got up, and ran outside.
Earlier, Yu Sui had been looking at the Wind Listening Ruler in his hand.
Juxianlou was booked out by the young men who came today.
Yu Sui sat by the window, which was wide open. She looked down at the bustling street below, brightly lit, with a gentle night breeze that reduced the heat brought by the strange fire.
Despite being separated by several screens, Yu Sui could hear the sounds of cups and goblets, the laughter and chatter of the boys, and someone calling her name, calling her Sui Sui, as if wanting to come over, only to be scolded away by her brother.
Yu Sui gazed at the instrument disc on the Wind Listening Ruler, adjusting the positions of the characters. In the next star orbit, she would connect to the nearby communication array. As she concentrated, a small black dot appeared in the strange fire deep within her consciousness.
A familiar yet unfamiliar male voice echoed in her mind:
"Who the hell is so careless while wandering the world and is about to die again?"
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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