Chapter 105: Above the Grandmaster

The Imperial Palace, Sutra Library.

Lin Xiaoyi walked slowly and quietly. Beside her, Gu Dan did not seem to be embarrassed at all, and his curious eyes kept looking at the vast sea of ​​books.

The bookcases made of high-quality wood here are like layers of huge waves, and the waves are actually books and bamboo slips arranged one after another, with no end in sight.

Dayue's national history of more than 200 years is not too long, but it has accumulated some power of time. The wealth and knowledge of the world have been continuously converging here for more than 200 years, and finally condensed into this vast sea of ​​books with no end in sight. Individuals in it seem too small.

Even if an ordinary person spends his entire life, it would be difficult to even glance over this vast sea of ​​classics, which represents the hard work of countless generations of great men.

The faint scent of ink fills the tip of the nose. The silent book does not make any sound. Only the slightly yellowed corner of the book greets future generations across the river of time.

Walking into the great waves of knowledge, one can't help but feel the passage of time and the insignificance of the individual. In this vast universe, how many people can leave behind a book or even just a name?

Royal power and wealth, personal honor and disgrace, fame and fortune are all like passing clouds in these classics.

We are like a mayfly in the universe, a grain of sand in the vast ocean. It is nothing more than this.

“It’s a great place.”

Even Gu Dan, who had a lot of opinions about this era, couldn't help but nod slightly in praise that these classics were well protected here.

"It's a great place. We should have come earlier."

A response sounded from a distance, and in the blink of an eye, footsteps came not far in front of him.

An old man with white hair and beard, an aged face and a skinny body stood in front of him.

Gu Dan looked at him carefully.

Judging from his appearance alone, it is hard to tell that this is a martial arts master who outlasted three generations of emperors. Instead, he looks more like an old farmer who has suffered a lot in the countryside for many years.

His face was covered with wrinkles, as if ravines were piled up together. Age spots occupied half of his cheeks. His eyes were dull and weak, lacking vitality and spirituality. His rough skin was the color of sorghum that had been exposed to the sun and then stepped on a few times, with an almost muddy yellow.

Even his white hair and beard were not the moon white that Dayue revered, quite the opposite. It was a grayish white color as if there was no more energy left after the oil had run out. His coarse hair hung down carelessly, some even got tangled, like vines growing freely in the mountains, intertwining with each other. It was neither good-looking nor aesthetically pleasing.

Gu Dan was looking at him, and he was also looking at Gu Dan, the youngest martial arts master in history, as far as he knew, so young that it was unbelievable.

Judging from his appearance alone, Gu Dan looks even younger than his age. He is a martial arts master and an expert in medical skills. He takes good care of himself and ages very slowly. Among the group of martial arts masters, he is only in his thirties or forties, which can be said to be unrealistically young.

He has straight eyebrows, a dignified bearing, and extraordinary elegance. His dark eyes are calm and powerful. Although not obvious, they reveal a power that makes people feel safe. His soft black hair falls down to his shoulders, as dark as night, exuding the vitality and energy of youth. His back is straight. Although he does not have the heart to soar to the sky, he has the intention to soar to the sky.

The sturdy body needs only a plain and elegant green robe to embellish it, and buried within it is a strength like a temporarily dormant volcano. His movements are measured and natural, and one can't help but sigh, what a handsome young man he is!

One old and one strong, both are masters.

It would be better if there was no comparison. Standing in front of each other always makes people feel too real and causes discomfort.

There was a look of surprise in Gu Dan's eyes. He had never expected that the master in the Dayue Palace would be like this.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, but I'm too old and I don't take care of myself. I don't dare to go out and see people on weekdays. I don't care about my appearance anymore."

Mr. Ji naturally noticed Gu Dan's surprise, and spoke half in a self-deprecating and half-joking manner.

Such an opening statement is neither too formal nor aggressive. It carries a bit of playfulness and a sense of seeing through the world. It may not make people feel warm, but at least it will not arouse hostility.

It is said that there cannot be two tigers in one mountain, but when facing Gu Dan who came to his territory, Master Ji could be said to be very considerate, and he did not have the wild look he had when he said he wanted to take him as a disciple.

The Grand Master cannot be insulted! It was fine to mention it behind his back before, but if he really said that to his face, I'm afraid there would be a fight to the death, so there's really no need.

"The senior is free and easy, not bound by rules, which is admirable."

It is a habit not to hit a smiling person. Since Mr. Ji gave him such face, Gu Dan did not belittle him. He was not the kind of person who liked to show off his verbal skills. It would be best if they could have a calm and peaceful conversation.

Ji Lao waved his hand, signaling Lin Xiaoyi to leave first, then turned around and exposed his back to Gu Dan without any psychological burden, and said casually: "Would you like to walk together?"

"sure."

Gu Dan was fearless and nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked slowly in the jungle of rows and rows of books, as volume after volume of secret books that were priceless in the outside world and might even have been lost passed before their eyes.

There are books with a strong scent of ink that were printed not long ago, there are ancient and simple bamboo slips with inscriptions, there are dense and tiny characters written on jade the size of a palm, and there are even crude stone tablets with most of the characters worn away by wind and sun. Walking here is like walking in the long river of time. Thousands of books silently imprint the appearance of time and leave traces of the existence of predecessors.

"What did you see, my friend?"

Mr. Ji, who was walking in front, suddenly asked.

"Books." said Gu Dan.

Mr. Ji asked again, "Only books?"

"Aren't books enough?" Gu Dan answered again.

Old Ji slowed down his pace again and picked up a jade plate from the bookshelf. There were hundreds of small characters carved on the jade plate. He said again: "My friend is not honest enough."

"Are you not honest enough, or are you just not wanting to hear this?" Gu Dan asked back.

"Ha, why don't we all be honest? When my friend saw so many books, did you really only see the books?" Old Ji asked again as his dry fingers ran over the smooth words on the jade plate.

“Isn’t this just a book?”

Gu Dan looked around and said, "He has collected countless books from all over the world, but he puts them away for show. He has won the hearts of millions of people with his own heart, and won the hearts of millions of people with his own selfishness, but he is unwilling to make full use of them. What can I do? Do you want me to praise his great talent and strategy for taking all the books in the world into his private collection?"

"oh?"

Ji Lao's eyes lit up. Gu Dan's answer aroused his great interest. He put down the jade plate in his hand and said excitedly, "Different people always have different opinions when they come here. I have seen the top scholar, the son of the emperor, the emperor before he ascended the throne, and even other martial arts masters. Different people always have different feelings when they come here. Some are shocked by the rich collection of books, some are shocked by the profoundness of the classics, and some like the quietness of this place that is independent of the outside world. Only you expressed this view for the first time, which is refreshing."

He continued walking forward, "Based on the opinions of different people, it is enough to see their expectations and ideals. Since you feel that the library is not being used to its full potential, you should have the heart to rebuild the world. Why has it been so mediocre in the past and has achieved almost nothing? Apart from curing diseases and saving lives, there is nothing worth paying attention to!"

A martial arts master appeared right under the nose of the imperial capital, and he was a martial arts master with a traceable background. The information about Gu Dan had long been gathered here, and all the details that could be found had been turned over.

However, it is impossible to tell from the information what this young martial arts master is thinking.

Even apart from the one major event worth noting when the previous emperor gave him the elixir, if it weren't for the involvement of Mo Qiu in the murder of the emperor, it is unknown how long the subsequent events would have been hidden.

I've seen unique ones, but I've never seen one so unique! Even if it's a clay puppet, after more than a decade of wind and rain, it should make some noise, right? It's really hard to guess! "Restore the world? How long will it take? The founding ancestor of Dayue also came from hardships. More than two hundred years later, could he have imagined that his descendants would bring Dayue to this point?" Gu Dan said expressionlessly and mercilessly.

"That's wrong. Is there anything in this world that is immortal and everlasting? The same is true for a country. A pine tree will eventually decay after a thousand years, but a hibiscus flower will bloom for a day!"

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Mr. Ji returned to his recliner and found a comfortable position to lie down. "My friend is so young, how come your thoughts are more decadent than those of an old man like me?"

Gu Dan did not continue to answer.

Because he really can live forever.

For ordinary people, time is nothing, but for him it is nothing.

As a result, he couldn't think about many problems like ordinary people.

Before, he didn't have the ability, and he was lucky enough to be able to take care of his own business, so he didn't care about other people's troubles. Now that he has the strength, he is also eager to make some moves.

But he also knew that all his efforts would inevitably lead to a dead end in the end. The clear understanding and the torture of reality made it difficult for him to be happy and unable to make up his mind.

In addition, there are indeed immortals in this world. If he meddles in matters that the immortals don't care about, he might as well not know how to write the word "death"! What really makes him uneasy and even makes him not act rashly is not the imperial power that he regards as a rag, but the immortals who have always been hidden but have left traces.

He has a big secret, and until he finds out the reason behind it, he has to be cautious in everything. Even if he can't stand it, there is no need to rush.

These hidden worries are unknown to outsiders. Even if you reveal them a little, people will probably say that you are worrying too much, so why bother talking about them?

But being pestered and asked over and over again was frustrating, so Gu Dan asked, "Old Senior, you have experienced three dynasties, and watched with your own eyes that Dayue was gradually sinking into the mire and about to collapse. I wonder how you feel?"

Facing this tricky question, Mr. Ji said calmly, "I am old now. These are not things I need to care about. If the future generations cannot walk their own paths, do they still need me to support them? I am over a hundred years old and will soon die. I will leave these problems for the future generations to solve themselves."

"Then I wonder what the old man is still concerned about at his dying age?"

Gu Dan looked at him, and it seemed as if they had switched roles, and now it was his turn to ask questions one after another.

"I no longer care about the affairs of the world. The only thing that still bothers me is one question." Elder Ji raised his head, and his eyes, which were inevitably a little dull due to the dimness, burst into a light that was enough to attract people's attention. "In this world, is there a realm above the Grandmaster?"

Gu Dan was slightly stunned.

I never expected that at his age, he would still be thinking about these trivial things.

"Before you came here, there should have been another martial arts master in the palace who was young and strong enough to guard Dayue for another few decades. But some time ago, he died in the Jingzhe rain."

Old Ji was talking to himself, "Back then, I led him here just like I led you. At that time, he said that what he saw was the power that dominated the world and the unparalleled power. If he couldn't command the world, how could he gather enough books to read throughout his life?"

"A Grand Master died?"

Gu Dan didn't know this news. No Grandmaster is a nobody. How could he die in obscurity and without a sound? "On that rainy night, he tried to reach a higher level than Grandmaster, and died right in front of me." Old Ji didn't hide his thoughts at all, and said it directly, "He died miserably. His heart was broken, his internal organs were burned, and even his blood dried up."

"Why are you suddenly telling me this?"

Gu Dan seemed to understand why Master Ji insisted on seeing him and even shamelessly wanted to take him as his disciple.

"Because you are very young, very young. Much younger than any martial arts master!" Elder Ji's eyes were bright and sharp, how could he look old? He stared at Gu Dan as if he was looking at a unique treasure, and said confidently: "If there really is a realm above the master in this world, the person most likely to reach it is you!"

The real purpose is revealed!

The initial test was over, the bait had been thrown out, and Mr. Ji finally revealed his true intention.

A master does not need to worship another master, but what if it is for another higher level? "I have also heard the story of the innate martial arts, but it was only in the storybook novels."

Gu Dan stared at the extremely excited Ji Lao, and said carefully: "If you only want to talk about this matter, then forget it!"

He is alive and well, and it has been less than a year since he became a martial arts master. He is far from being so desperate as to seek death!

Even if you really have that level, you should slowly polish yourself and let it come naturally. Why rush? "Don't reject it so early."

Ji Lao seemed to have guessed Gu Dan's reaction long ago, and said without hesitation: "I have enough evidence here!"

(End of this chapter)