Chapter 36 Time passed second by second, above…
Time passed slowly, and the two players on the chessboard remained silent, seemingly engrossed in their game.
Others were also watching them with bated breath, waiting for the outcome.
Gu Sheng observed his surroundings and found that the courtyard seemed to be a miniature version of the old town of P City. The entire courtyard was also shaped like a pentagram, with an obelisk standing in the center and twelve angel statues similar to those in the Preaching Square arranged around it.
However, upon closer inspection, one will find that some of the statues are slightly different from those in the square.
The surrounding walls are covered with reliefs, which echo the five churches located at the apex of the pentagram.
All of this was accomplished by the first Patriarch, He Tianyou.
There are rumors that the first patriarch left a secret chamber when he built the city. Some say that the chamber connects to the realm of the gods, while others say that it contains treasure.
Religions with such a long history are always accompanied by legends and stories that are both true and false.
Gu Sheng never gave up looking for a way out. He carefully moved towards the wall, hoping that the gap that Ming Qingyuan had smashed earlier might be useful.
To Gu Sheng's surprise, Ming Qingyuan suddenly turned to look at him after he had only taken two steps.
Ming Qingyuan stared straight at Gu Sheng without saying a word, simply placing his hand on the gun.
Gu Sheng awkwardly moved back to his original position.
Teacher Ye, sitting opposite Ming Qingyuan, was already covered in sweat. It was obvious that he was at a disadvantage in the game.
Gu Sheng glanced at Teacher Ye and suddenly said, "Teacher Ye seems a little unwell. Is she afraid of heights?"
People around looked at Gu Sheng, wondering what he meant by those words.
Teacher Ye also looked at him. Teacher Ye was obviously familiar with Gu Sheng. He just assumed that Gu Sheng was concerned about him and said, "Gu Sheng, I'm fine, I'm just a little hot."
He glanced at Ming Qingyuan, not wanting Ming Qingyuan to shift his attention to Gu Sheng. Ming Qingyuan was a madman, and it was not surprising that he would do anything. He was afraid that Gu Sheng would be hurt.
Teacher Ye said, "Don't worry, it's just one game of chess, I can finish it."
His life will end after the game of chess is over.
The situation on the board is clear; Teacher Ye is destined to lose this game.
He just wants to buy as much time as possible; it's the only way to save the others right now.
Ming Qingyuan went mad, but he wasn't stupid. In fact, he was very clever and perceptive, so even if someone had a communicator, he didn't dare to communicate with the outside world.
After all, the Obelisk Courtyard has a different meaning for the people here. Given the choice between the destruction of the Obelisk Courtyard and their own death, they would choose the latter without hesitation.
Since the people here cannot contact the outside world, they can only hope that the outside world will discover this place.
Important ceremonies like the patriarch's burial are meticulously planned, with every step timed down to the second, and the end time also precise. So if the time drags on until the ceremony is over, the outside world will definitely notice something amiss.
Gu Sheng had no recollection of Teacher Ye; he was a complete stranger to Gu Sheng.
Gu Sheng meant well, wanting to save Teacher Ye, but unfortunately Teacher Ye didn't seem to appreciate it.
However, this is not a big problem. Whether Teacher Ye wants to or not is not important. What matters most is what Ming Qingyuan thinks.
Gu Sheng looked at Ming Qingyuan and said, "Weren't you supposed to be dying today? You even made me come to your funeral. You seem to be doing quite well, not like you're about to die."
Those around him cast puzzled glances, wondering what Gu Sheng was talking about.
Ming Qingyuan only sent that letter to Gu Sheng, as if Gu Sheng held a special significance for him.
Ming Qingyuan looked at Gu Sheng, his brows furrowed slightly, as if he were somewhat troubled. This was the first time he had ever made such an expression.
Ming Qingyuan said, “I didn’t say I was going to die,” his eyes shining, “I said I’m going to heaven today, and I invite you to witness the ceremony.”
Gu Sheng remained silent. What's the difference between going to heaven and dying?
It was obvious that everyone present, except Gu Sheng, thought it was different.
Someone in the crowd angrily said, "You want to replace the Patriarch and ascend to Heaven? You're dreaming. Even if you do go, you'll only go to Hell."
Ming Qingyuan's eyes turned cold. He looked at the person who spoke expressionlessly, and then waved his hand lightly.
Then a bullet pierced the speaker's heart, and everyone fell silent instantly.
Gu Sheng suddenly looked in the direction from which the bullet had come. Although it was only for a moment, Gu Sheng saw the reflection from the scope.
There were even snipers up there.
The Ming and Qing dynasty's arrangements were truly meticulous, completely eliminating any thought of escape among the men below.
Seeing the extra corpses on the ground, Gu Sheng thought the others would quiet down for a while, but to his surprise, some people still dared to speak.
Zhou Mingxin stepped forward, looked up, and said, "Go ahead and kill. The more people you kill, the less likely you are to enter Heaven. You will definitely go to Hell after you die, but we," he listened to his chest, "we will be called by God."
Gu Sheng really wanted to ask, is going to heaven really that important? Is it necessary to provoke that madman up there at this time?
However, regardless of what Gu Sheng thought, Zhou Mingxin had already said it.
This time, Ming Qingyuan didn't call for a sniper; instead, he raised his gun at Zhou Mingxin.
Teacher Ye's forehead was covered in sweat, not only because of the chess game, but also because of the situation in the courtyard.
Although he hadn't figured out a way to break the deadlock, he gritted his teeth and made his next move, then said to Ming Qingyuan, "It's your turn." He wanted to draw Ming Qingyuan's attention back to the game.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Ming Qingyuan didn't even look at the chessboard and casually made his next move.
Teacher Ye looked at Ming Qingyuan's move and his face turned pale. He had acted impulsively just now. Ming Qingyuan's seemingly casual move had forced Teacher Ye into a desperate situation.
Ming Qingyuan raised the corner of his mouth, glanced at Teacher Ye out of the corner of his eye, and said, "Teacher, isn't your goal just to stall for time? Now, someone down below is helping you, isn't that good?"
Having fallen behind in the game, and facing certain death if he lost, and with Ming Qingyuan pointing out his inner thoughts, Teacher Ye's mental state was already at its limit, on the verge of collapse at any moment.
He forced himself to calm down, continuing to observe the game while reassuring himself: there must be a way to break the deadlock, don't rush, and even if Ming Qingyuan knows he's stalling for time, so what? The rules were set by Ming Qingyuan, and he's just following them.
Ming Qingyuan looked at Zhou Mingxin again, sneered, and said, "This is the holy land of the Divine Sect, the place where the gods once descended. And I will die here, letting the blood of evil people pollute the holy land. Don't you managers bear any responsibility?"
As he spoke, the madness in his eyes intensified: "Do you really think you can go to heaven? Do you think God will forgive you?"
As soon as Ming Qingyuan finished speaking, a murmur arose from the crowd. Gu Sheng heard someone say: "We absolutely cannot let Ming Qingyuan die here." Another person said: "If we pollute this sacred place, the gods will punish us, and everyone will fall into hell."
Gu Sheng listened silently, with only one thought in mind: Is going to heaven really that important? Isn't being alive good enough? What's the point of discussing heaven and hell all day long?
Just as Ming Qingyuan was about to shoot Zhou Mingxin, Zhou Mingxin stood with his neck stiff, looking like a martyr.
Gu Sheng took a deep breath and said loudly, "I'll switch with Teacher Ye, I'll be your opponent." He looked at Ming Qingyuan, "Don't you want to catch up with an old friend?" Although he didn't even know when he and Ming Qingyuan had become friends.
Ming Qingyuan looked at Gu Sheng. If anyone else had said this, he would definitely not have agreed, but Gu Sheng was different. Gu Sheng had a very different meaning to Ming Qingyuan.
Ming Qingyuan was an orphan who was adopted by the church and grew up there.
His surroundings had a great influence on him, making him a devout believer in a religion from a young age.
When he reached school age, he naturally entered the theological seminary built by the church.
The schools founded by the religion, apart from the most basic experimental education, mainly taught various theological theories.
Under the influence of the school, Ming Qingyuan's faith became more and more profound.
He was friendly and academically excellent. Following the normal procedure, he would become an acolyte after graduation, and then a full priest. He would dedicate his life to the religion.
Then Gu Sheng arrived.
Gu Sheng suddenly arrived at the school one day, brought by the Patriarch himself.
The Patriarch seemed to like Gu Sheng very much. He even said that Gu Sheng was the most talented student he had ever met and that Gu Sheng would definitely be able to carry forward theology.
Perhaps because his appearance was too high-profile, the other students did not like Gu Sheng, but Gu Sheng did not care and spent almost all his time in the library.
It wasn't that no students had ever caused trouble for Gu Sheng, but Gu Sheng usually silently endured it, making him seem like someone who was easy to bully. Ming Qingyuan initially thought so too.
Until one day, a student who was on good terms with Ming Qingyuan said goodbye to him in tears.
The student said he had accidentally broken the school rules and was expelled from the church.
Just a few days ago, this student deliberately spat in Gu Sheng's food in front of him. Gu Sheng didn't say anything at the time, but simply threw away the food and got a new one.
A few days later, the student was expelled from the church.
Ming Qingyuan suddenly discovered that recently many students had been expelled from the church, and without exception, these students had done something to Gu Sheng.
It was from that time that Ming Qingyuan began to pay attention to Gu Sheng.
Ming Qingyuan discovered that after so many things had happened, Gu Sheng's daily routine remained unchanged: dormitory, school, canteen, library, and nothing else.
The other students seemed to have vaguely discovered that the students who were expelled from the church were related to Gu Sheng. After that, no one bullied Gu Sheng anymore, but no one went near him either. All the students avoided Gu Sheng as if he were a plague.
Only Ming Qingyuan became more and more interested in Gu Sheng the more he observed him, and then he began to try to get in touch with Gu Sheng.
However, Ming Qingyuan soon discovered that Gu Sheng was very difficult to approach. No matter whether Ming Qingyuan asked him to go out or to study doctrine, Gu Sheng politely declined.
The more he was rejected, the more Ming Qingyue wanted to get closer to Gu Sheng. So he changed his strategy. He deliberately sat next to Gu Sheng in the library, glanced at the book with Gu Sheng, and then pretended to ask Gu Sheng questions about things he didn't understand.
Gu Sheng would refuse Ming Qingyuan's invitations, but he would never refuse his inquiries.
Gu Sheng would always patiently explain those contents to Ming Qingyuan.
Ming Qingyuan gradually realized that although he initially asked the questions with the intention of getting close to Gu Sheng, he always gained new insights after Gu Sheng's explanations. Gu Sheng was a natural teacher.
Moreover, Ming Qingyuan gradually understood the patriarch's words: Gu Sheng was truly a genius.
Unlike other disciplines, theology, even with the incorporation of many scientific elements in modern times, remains an idealistic subject.
Theology emphasizes debate; whoever can convince the other side is right.
Gu Sheng was always the victor; he could persuade anyone he wanted to persuade.
Ming Qingyuan's gaze toward Gu Sheng gradually changed, from initial curiosity to admiration.
As a devout believer, Ming Qingyuan believed that Gu Sheng was the chosen one to be the leader of the human world.
What Gu Sheng said was God's will.
In Ming Qingyuan's view, Gu Sheng would become a priest, a bishop, an archbishop, or even a patriarch.
Ming Qingyuan was willing to follow Gu Sheng.
So although Gu Sheng still treated Ming Qingyuan coldly, he would answer Ming Qingyuan's questions, but never had any further contact with him.
Gu Sheng seemed to have only books in his eyes; nothing else could catch his eye. Even though Ming Qingyuan sat next to Gu Sheng every day, he didn't leave a trace in Gu Sheng's eyes.
However, Ming Qingyuan did not care. In his view, the messenger of God should be someone who seems close at hand but is actually far away and untouchable.
The time came for the graduation exam, and as part of the exam, the students needed to go on stage and give a speech to the teacher.
Ming Qingyuan's speech went very smoothly, and he received the highest score. Every teacher praised him highly.
Ming Qingyuan was also very satisfied with his performance. He looked at Gu Sheng with hopeful eyes, hoping to see even a trace of praise on his face. After all, in Ming Qingyuan's eyes, he was half a student of Gu Sheng.
However, he was disappointed; Gu Sheng simply walked past him indifferently toward the podium.
The next speaker is Gu Sheng.
Ming Qingyuan suppressed his disappointment and began to concentrate on Gu Sheng's speech.
Gu Sheng's speech was brilliant, or rather, incredibly brilliant. He overturned many existing theories and reinterpreted the doctrines.
If Ming Qingyuan's speech made the teachers stand up and applaud, then Gu Sheng's speech left the teachers speechless, which was beyond the teachers' comprehension.
After Gu Sheng finished his speech, the entire hall fell into a brief silence, which was followed by an immediate burst of discussion.
Instead of giving Gu Sheng a score, the teachers stood up and debated with him. Some thought that Gu Sheng's reinterpretation of the doctrine was an insult to God, while others simply wanted Gu Sheng to answer their questions.
In an instant, the speech turned into a debate, with Gu Sheng facing off against the entire team of teachers.
Gu Sheng answered all the questions one by one, and his answers were irrefutable.
The debate did not end after the teachers' team was defeated. The teachers began to rally their friends and relatives, determined to argue until Gu Sheng, the student, was completely defeated.
More and more people came here to join the debate. It started with priests, then bishops, then even the head of the household, and finally even the sheikh came.
Such a debate on scriptures has not been seen for a century. As an observer, Ming Qingyuan felt his heart surge with emotion just watching it. He felt as if he were witnessing history.
At this moment, theology seems to be deconstructed and then reconstructed, and the one who deconstructed it is Gu Sheng.
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