Chapter 31 Good and Evil "Don't touch me!"
Pei Wenjing spent many days finally finishing copying the three hundred precepts. He originally intended to hand the copied precepts to the disciples of the Cliff of Contemplation, but Shen Cangyu stopped him and said, "I will deliver them."
Pei Wenjing looked at her, somewhat hesitant: "It's not good to trouble you."
“This is no trouble at all. I was just going to the Hall of Good and Evil anyway, it was just a small favor,” Shen Cangyu said with a smile.
Pei Wenjing looked at her and knew she was up to something again, but he couldn't stop her. She was the kind of person who wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted. He could stop her once, but not a second time. If he stopped her too many times, she would start to resent him too.
He could only advise, "Don't get into arguments with people."
Shen Cangyu responded verbally, but Pei Wenjing, looking at her expression, knew that she had probably forgotten what he said again.
Why do they have to learn from Qiu Sheng instead of learning good things? What are we going to do about this...?
The three hundred copies of the precepts were a thick stack, the thin sheets of paper tied together, taller than Shen Cangyu himself.
She could have easily carried the precepts in her sleeve, but instead, she carried them with her, swaggering from the Cliff of Repentance to the Hall of Good and Evil. For every mountain she crossed, countless people turned back to look at her.
"Who's there?" Qiu Sheng heard the noise and peeked out.
“Your new junior sister from Dragon Ridge Mountain.” Liang recognized her at a glance.
Reminded by her, Qiu Sheng also realized: "Ayu, what is she holding in her hands?"
“It must be the precepts copied by Wenjing,” Liang Duo said. “She’s dissatisfied and is clearly protesting to Master Huang.”
"Big Beard... I'll go check it out!" With that, Qiu Sheng took off running. Liang Duo quickly grabbed her clothes: "Don't get involved, we still have to work on recruitment, there's not much time left."
“You said she’s my junior sister, so of course I have to go and support her. I can tolerate that bearded man bullying my junior brother, but I can’t let him bully my junior sister.” Qiu Sheng rolled up his sleeves.
"You really are..."
Liang sighed and was about to grab her by the neck and drag her backward. But as soon as her hand touched her, Qiu Sheng's longsword was drawn from its sheath with a buzzing sound and slashed backward without hesitation.
Liang was startled by her reaction and quickly backed away, his hands forming a rapid hand seal: "Binding!"
The golden character "束" transformed into chains that bound her sword. As the sword cleaved down, it shattered into countless pieces of "一丨丿乀丶丶丶".
"You hit me?" Liang Duo looked at her, his eyes filled with shock. The four of them had grown up together since childhood, and were as close as siblings. Although they would fight and bicker when they were young, they had never laid a hand on each other since they grew up, let alone drawn their swords against each other like this.
Qiu Sheng snapped out of his daze and quickly sheathed his sword. Knowing he was in the wrong, he still stubbornly said, "Who told you to touch my neck? We martial artists can't let our weaknesses be exposed..."
Before she could finish speaking, Liang Duo snorted coldly and turned to leave.
"Shizi, I was wrong! Shizi! Calm down!" Qiu Sheng quickly chased after him, having long forgotten the heart palpitations he had just felt.
*
Shen Cangyu stepped on the threshold of the Hall of Good and Evil, placing the precepts on the ground.
A crowd had gathered in the square behind her, all of them having followed her up the mountain to see what was going on.
"Who is she? What happened?" someone asked in a low voice.
"She's a disciple from Penglai, here in Kunlun to study. A few days ago, Hall Master Huang punished Pei Wenjing, and I guess she's holding a grudge and is now looking for an opportunity to avenge Pei Wenjing."
Upon hearing the name of Hall Master Huang, the man immediately grinned: "Looking for trouble with Hall Master Huang? I'll have to take a good look at you then."
Over the years, Master Huang has offended more and more people. Because everyone respects the elderly, cherishes the young, and values teachers, they haven't done anything to him out of respect for his elders. They only dare to speak ill of him behind his back.
Now that someone actually dared to cause trouble for Master Huang to his face, the onlookers were practically applauding.
The disciples of the Hall of Good and Evil heard the commotion and rushed out to see what was happening. They found the square crowded with people and Shen Cangyu standing at the entrance to be extremely troublesome.
What brings you to the Hall of Good and Evil?
Hearing their words, Shen Cangyu scoffed, thinking to herself, "The people from the Hall of Good and Evil didn't treat me like this just a few days ago."
During her time in Kunlun, many Taoist disciples came to see her, all wanting to invite her to visit their temples and halls to see if she had any affinity with their Taoist practices.
The Hall of Good and Evil naturally sent someone to invite her, and the person greeted her with a smile and great enthusiasm. However, as soon as she heard that the Hall of Good and Evil was backed by the Taoist Judge's Pen and that the person in charge was the bearded Hall Master Huang, she immediately said she wouldn't go. They even came to persuade her several times because of this.
Now, the people in the Hall of Good and Evil want to drive her away as soon as they see her.
“All three hundred sets of precepts are here,” Shen Cangyu patted the thick paper beside him, “not a single one is missing.”
“Alright, alright.” The disciples of the Hall of Good and Evil quickly agreed. Someone tried to take the precepts from beside her, but Shen Cangyu stopped him: “This is a punishment personally ordered by Hall Master Huang. I want to hand it over to him personally.”
The disciples of the Hall of Good and Evil looked at each other in bewilderment: "But..."
Shen Cangyu pressed her hand on the paper, refusing to let go no matter what.
Just then, a voice came from afar inside the hall, and the person said in a high-pitched voice, "Who wants to see me?"
Hearing the voice behind him, the disciples of the Hall of Good and Evil quickly bowed to him: "Hall Master!"
Master Huang looked at Shen Cangyu and the stack of thick papers in her hand, stroked his beard and nodded: "These are the precepts copied by Wen Jing, right? Alright, I'll accept them. You can go back now."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, about to have the precepts taken away.
But Shen Cangyu refused to leave. She pressed the rules beside her, stared straight at him, and said, word by word, "You haven't counted them, how do you know there are three hundred portions here?"
Upon hearing her words, Hall Master Huang's expression changed, and his thick eyebrows stood up. But Shen Cangyu did not back down: "Isn't Hall Master Huang the most impartial? I want you to count them now."
The people gathered in the square exchanged glances upon seeing this scene. Although they dared not say anything, their desire to watch the spectacle reached its peak, and they could hardly suppress the smiles on their faces.
"you!"
Master Huang's eyes were wide open, and he looked like a tiger in a magazine.
"Just count them, it's only three hundred portions. You've counted them before." At that moment, a lazy voice came from afar, and someone inside the hall lifted the curtain and walked out.
Hearing the familiar voice, Shen Cangyu turned her head and saw that it was Elder Huang from the Scripture Pavilion. Sure enough, she hadn't guessed wrong; Elder Huang and Hall Master Huang were indeed related.
"Girl, have you finished reading the book I gave you?" Elder Huang looked at Shen Cangyu with a squinting smile.
As soon as Shen Cangyu saw her, he was reminded of the books piled up all over the floor of his room, and his tooth started to ache.
Maybe she should just leave.
Just as she was about to back out, Elder Huang, with his sharp eyes, guessed her thoughts and floated over to embrace her: "Since you're here, why not take a good look around our Hall of Good and Evil? It just so happens that you've never been here before, so why not seize the day? Maybe as soon as you step into the Hall of Good and Evil, the judge will take a liking to you and bestow upon you a pen."
She pushed the person inside, glancing at the disciple of the Hall of Good and Evil beside her: "Xiao Liu, close the door."
With a creak, the door to the Hall of Good and Evil closed, blocking the view of those watching the commotion outside.
The Hall of Good and Evil, with its doors closed, was eerily dark and looked just like the underworld.
Shen Cangyu wanted to run away as soon as she arrived, but Elder Huang insisted on dragging her inside.
The crowd around them dispersed, and the road in front of them was long, dark, and bottomless. As they walked, only the two of them remained.
“You have a prejudice against the Hall of Good and Evil,” Elder Huang said.
Shen Cangyu did indeed harbor prejudice against the Hall of Good and Evil.
She had her own standards for good and evil; those she liked were good people, and those she disliked were evil people. She hated Master Huang, and by extension, everyone in the Hall of Good and Evil was evil in her eyes.
"Are you from the Hall of Good and Evil?" Shen Cangyu asked.
"No, I am Xiaoyao You. But Huang Guangming is my elder brother, so I come here occasionally." Elder Huang smiled.
Smelling the peach blossom fragrance emanating from her, Shen Cangyu couldn't help but say, "Aren't you, the Free and Unfettered Wanderers, supposed to be the most detached from worldly affairs? Why are you getting involved in these matters?" Giving her books was one thing, helping Hall Master Huang smooth things over was another…
This Elder Huang loves to meddle in other people's business and doesn't seem to have any carefree attitude at all.
"Therefore, my cultivation is shallow, and I am but a commoner." Elder Huang acknowledged this readily, effectively silencing Shen Cangyu's next words and leaving her with no rebuttal she had prepared in her mind.
Seeing her discomfiture, Elder Huang smiled and put his arm around her shoulder: "My brother is a stubborn man. In his eyes, everyone is either black or white, and everything is either right or wrong. If it's not completely right, then it's completely wrong. That's his way."
As Shen Cangyu listened to her convoluted words, he frowned and tried to decipher their meaning.
Seeing her deep in thought, Elder Huang couldn't help but ruffle her fluffy head: "That's why I said the Judge's Pen suits you." Because Shen Cangyu is also that kind of person.
The moment her hand touched Shen Cangyu's head, she suddenly slapped her hand away: "Don't touch me!"
Elder Huang could have blocked it, but looking at her eyes, he let her slap his hand away.
The crisp sound echoed through the corridor.
Elder Huang spoke up: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to dislike him so much. I apologize on his behalf." She bowed her head in a gesture of respect.
Shen Cangyu's body was still trembling.
The moment Elder Huang touched her head reminded her of the moment in her past life when her soul was searched, and sharp fingers pierced through her head, forcibly pulling out her memories and soul.
Even though so much time has passed, she still can't forget it. Whenever someone touches her head, she subconsciously recalls that scene.
She looked at Elder Huang in front of her, her mind a jumbled mess. She had no time to think about the Judge's Pen or Hall Master Huang anymore; she just wanted to move forward.
She turned and ran, her footsteps echoing in the narrow passageway. The light in the distance gradually brightened, and she emerged from the darkness. The scent of sandalwood, carrying the damp smell of dust, wafted towards her. She looked up and saw the towering candlelight and the Ten Kings of Hell surrounding her.
The King of Hell glared at her, his round eyes gleaming with an eerie light.
She was like a wandering soul clinging to life, finally exposed to the gaze of Yama, the King of Hell. It seemed that at any moment, the grim reaper would grow from behind her, strangle her with chains, hook her soul, and drag her back to the underworld to be burned and boiled.
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