255. The proclamation lamp illuminates the long night, and a hundred schools of thought resound once more (Part 2) (Page 1/2)
The bright moon shines like silver, and the fragrance of osmanthus wafts through the air.
Those dozen or so figures stood tall and imposing under the moon.
The attire of various families has long been absent from the martial arts world.
They made their grand entrance together, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.
It's as if the ancient sages have returned!
The entire garden was indeed stunned by this spectacle, and fell completely silent.
The scholars craned their necks, their eyes gleaming.
The ignorant and uncultured gasps of amazement surged like a tide throughout the room.
"This is no messenger, it's clearly a walking ancestral tablet!"
"What good fortune tonight, to witness the divine manifestation of these sons!"
"Look at that demeanor! That guy from the ancient classics school, if he just shakes his beard, he could probably scatter two ounces of dust from the commentaries on the Book of Documents!"
"Those people in the back, with their flowing robes, could they have just come out of the 'Free and Easy Wandering' in Zhuangzi?"
This string of exclamations was deafening.
The dozen or so envoys looked increasingly solemn and dignified, but a hint of pleasure flashed in their eyes.
Each of them stood ramrod straight, their clothes stretched taut as if they'd been ironed—
They were afraid of not showing off the grandeur of "ancient sages returning".
What's even more surprising is...
A dozen or so people were performing like actors in a play, each shouting out a line.
Then they all lined up and stepped forward, shouting at Cui Xianqing: "The headmaster's new school wants to shake the thousand-year-old tradition. Does he know that he is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?!"
His voice was booming, and coupled with his eccentric attire, he startled everyone in the garden.
Wow...that sounds really awesome.
In an instant.
Countless eyes turned to the headmaster
Cen Hongchang and Zhou Xiang glanced at Cui Xian with schadenfreude before lowering their heads to sip their wine.
He couldn't suppress the smile on his face: Serves you right! You little brat, you've got to show off!
Well, look what happened, they've run into a professional group that came to put on a show.
beside.
Pei Jian looked at the dozen or so envoys and saw through their true nature in the blink of an eye.
He scoffed and clicked his tongue, "Pah! Acting like a clay statue in a temple, how dare you overshadow my brother Xian?"
Li Heyu agreed and chimed in: "Look at this setup, if you didn't know better, you'd think they were here to mourn someone."
In short: A group of people have arrived to load goods!
The two exchanged a knowing, sly glance, their faces full of mischievous grins.
Is he putting on airs in front of his brother?
This isn't a challenge; it's like lining up to kick a hot plate!
In all our years, we brothers have never seen anyone more adept at putting on a show than Brother Xian!
The scholars exchanged glances: Good heavens, they've stirred up a hornet's nest in one fell swoop?
The headmaster is probably doomed...
Cui Xian, who was being watched by countless "piercing" gazes, knew exactly what was going on.
Debating the orthodoxy? Arguing over the meaning of scriptures?
It's just a facade.
Ultimately, it's nothing more than seeing his overwhelming popularity, how he's stealing jobs from everyone else, and how he's disrupting the academic world's peace and quiet, so they've come together today to stage this whole thing—
A retro-style drama that "teachs you how to be a person".
It would be great if they could make a strong entrance by stepping on the "Yuelu Mountain Chief" title.
But, I'm sorry.
Tonight, it's my show.
You bunch of ancient, outdated onions, ginger, and garlic, since you're here...
Let me step on you guys and show off one more big move.
It's huge!
then.
Amidst the tense atmosphere in the garden, and the intense gazes of Pei Jian and Li Heyu urging them to "fight back!"
And Cen Hongchang and Zhou Xiang silently hoped, "Hurry up and make a fool of yourself!"
The young abbot, unhurriedly, put down the half-finished cup of wine, raised his eyelids, and greeted the dozen or so envoys.
Then she spoke softly, replying after reading the message: "Oh?"
The scene froze instantly.
Everyone held their breath, eagerly awaiting the headmaster's earth-shattering rebuttal—
In the end, it was gone.
oh?
……oh?!
No, what do you mean by "oh"?
Please elaborate!
Someone couldn't help but whisper, "...Has the headmaster finished speaking?"
Some, with overactive imaginations, have even begun to offer mystical interpretations: "This single character, seemingly faint yet profound, seemingly light yet weighty, contains the abbot's boundless contemplation of the thousand-year-old tradition..."
The dozen or so envoys were all frozen in place.
It felt like a powerful strike that had been gathering strength for ten years, only to end up hitting a clump of drifting willow catkins—completely powerless, and almost causing a back injury.
Frustrated and powerless.
I almost lost control of my facial expressions on the spot.
The other person rejected your attempt to show off and gave a perfunctory "Oh".
This is outrageous!
(This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading) 255. The proclamation lamp illuminates the long night, and the hundred schools of thought resound again (Part 2) (Page 2/2)
This kid is incredibly arrogant!
An awkward silence ensued.
A middle-aged man dressed in a dark robe, with a particularly solemn and ancient demeanor, walked slowly out from the ranks of envoys with a deep frown and a narrowed gaze.
His face was solemn and ancient, and he held a long ebony box covered with black brocade in his hands.
The brocade was unveiled.
Inside the box was a scroll of commentary on the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, mounted on a jade tablet.
The pages are yellowed, indicating its age.
The middle-aged man held the book up with both hands and said in a deep voice, "I am the 57th generation descendant of the Dong family, inheriting the teachings of the sage Dong Zi."
"The headmaster speaks lightly of 'new learning,' treating the ancient teachings of a thousand years as nothing. Today, we invite the most sage teacher to speak profound truths, revealing his own divine light to distinguish truth from falsehood and purity from impurity!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
He solemnly turned the book in his hand toward the full, bright moon in the sky.
The moment moonlight streamed onto the pages of the book—
A strange thing happened!
On the old paper, the ink marks of Dong's annotations actually revealed a warm, golden, and faint halo!
The halo was not dazzling, but it was clearly visible.
It's as if a spiritual light shines through the depths of the ink, flowing between the lines.
What was even more awe-inspiring was the faint, solemn scent, like a mixture of sandalwood and aged ink, that then permeated the air.
W-what?
That move was truly miraculous!
Old Mrs. Cui's eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "My dear mother!"
During the banquet, an elderly scholar, usually so composed, was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He rose shakily and was about to bow down to the glowing book.
"The Dao... the Daoist lineage has manifested its divine power! It is a genuine miracle!"
Many young scholars felt their scalps tingle, their faces filled with awe and fear.
Even Pei Jian subconsciously clenched his sleeves and muttered under his breath, "Goodness... this old codger really brought out his ancestors?"
The garden was filled with gasps of shock and suppressed gasps.
The atmosphere was solemn, almost frozen.
Everyone was stunned by this "miracle" that defied common sense.
The ancients revered Heaven and respected their ancestors.
Such "supernatural" phenomena could not help but frighten them.
The middle-aged envoy from the Dong family, feeling the shocked gazes coming from all directions, slightly raised his chin, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.
He held the "radiantly bright" book as if it were a divine weapon, his gaze pressing down on Cui Xian, his voice gaining even more authority:
"Headmaster! At this moment, do you still dare to reiterate your heretical 'new learning' before the ancient spirits?!"
Pressure, as heavy as a mountain, converged upon Cui Xian.
Cui Xian stared quietly at the glowing book, remaining silent for a moment.
Brother, there's no need, really no need.
...Your ancestors' coffin lids are probably going to burst open tonight.
Thinking like that.
Cui Xian stood up with a smile and casually picked up a bowl of rice vinegar from the table.
All eyes in the garden immediately shifted from the "glowing sacred book" to the headmaster.
The Dong family envoy frowned, puzzled but instinctively feeling a sense of unease.
Cui Xian picked up the vinegar bowl, weighed it in his hand, and then strode forward—
Under the stunned and speechless gaze of everyone, he raised his arm!
Whoosh!
Half a bowl of dark brown rice vinegar was poured in an arc with perfect precision onto the "brilliant" commentary on the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals!
"Sizzle—"
A soft sound, like hot iron being quenched in water, rang out.
Immediately afterwards.
The warm, flowing "sacred" glow on the pages of the book suddenly trembled.
It then rapidly dimmed, shrank, and disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye!
In just two or three breaths, the light faded completely.
The moonlight still shone on the book, but all that remained was a mess of dampness, wrinkles, vinegar stains, and ink smudges.
The solemn aroma was replaced by a sour, vinegary smell.
The entire garden fell into an extremely eerie silence.
You could hear a pin drop.
The old scholars who had just been so moved that they shed tears and almost knelt down were now standing there with their mouths agape, their expressions frozen on their faces.
The posture of bowing halfway through is awkward to stop, but not stopping it is also awkward.
Cen Hongchang, who was ready to watch the show, almost dropped his wine glass.
Pei Jian slapped his thigh and laughed so hard he pounded the table:
"Hahahaha! A miracle? This isn't a miracle, it's a manifestation! -- You've got some real vinegar on your ancestors, you're really something!"
The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproarious laughter that seemed to lift the roof off.
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