Ch97 - Three Years Later

Zhuang Lingxiu would probably be beaten to death by someone one day.

Xu Nanxian was rolling his eyes so far back they might get stuck, wishing he could throw the man outside.

The moment Su Hansheng landed, he urgently grabbed Zhuang Lingxiu’s hand and examined it carefully, nervously asking: “Senior Brother said your hands and feet were gone—they really grew back?”

“Of course,” Zhuang Lingxiu smiled, rolling up his sleeve to show Su Hansheng his perfectly intact right hand. “My elder brother is a sacred object. Growing back a hand and foot—what’s the difficulty?”

Su Hansheng pinched his arm, confirming it was real flesh and blood rather than a spiritual artifact illusion, and finally relaxed.

After disrupting the celebration banquet, the three of them sat on a connected couch, spreading out the Kunyu Records on a small table to study the day’s trial.

Su Hansheng didn’t want to return to Falling Parasol Lodge alone, so he skillfully climbed onto the couch and dozed off leaning against Xu Nanxian’s back.

Xu Nanxian, worried he’d get stiff, impatiently pulled him forward to rest his head on his lap.

Zhuang Lingxiu supported his chin, lazily studying the miniature real-world Kunyu Records, and yawned: “…The demon clan’s Bone-Eroding Tree should be here… yes, right there. That location is protected by the Heaven-Reaching Tower’s barrier. It’s been peaceful for so many years—how did trouble suddenly arise? An almost Tribulation Transcendence-stage Bone-Eroding Tree escaped and harmed countless people.”

Chu Fenghan said coldly: “I asked the Vice Dean this afternoon. He said the Heaven-Reaching Tower shows no abnormalities.”

The Heaven-Reaching Tower was equivalent to the Heavenly Way—how could it malfunction?

Xu Nanxian casually stroked Su Hansheng’s head, frowning slightly: “But my senior brother mentioned that the Heaven-Reaching Tower developed cracks recently. It seems someone opened the gateway to Infinite Hell.”

Zhuang Lingxiu recalled last month’s riverboat attack: “You mean the Fuli clan?”

Su Hansheng, already struggling to keep his eyes open, suddenly stiffened at hearing those three words. He tilted his head up, looking confused.

Xu Nanxian thought the lamplight was too bright. He snuffed out several candles with a gesture and covered Su Hansheng’s eyes with his warm, large hand, saying: “Whoever they are, they can’t possibly overturn the Heavenly Way.”

“You never know,” Chu Fenghan suddenly said.

Xu Nanxian: “What do you mean?”

“According to ancient texts, it was the Heaven-Reaching Tower’s completion that earned the right to govern the lower realm’s Heavenly Way. But thousands of years ago, Infinite Hell’s evil beasts rammed into the Chongxiao Shrine, damaging the Heavenly Way’s fortune. The Heaven-Reaching Tower faces collapse every two thousand years. That’s why four sacred objects were granted to guard the four directions.”

Zhuang Lingxiu raised an eyebrow: “You’re saying the sacred object from two thousand years ago, the Lanke Records…?”

Chu Fenghan shook his head without elaborating further. He set down his wine cup, stood up to straighten his robes, and pulled out a newly purchased crimson whip from his bag, tapping it gently in his palm.

Xu Nanxian’s lip twitched slightly: “You… act like a human being for once.”

Chu Fenghan smiled ambiguously: “While I was away, there wasn’t a single day of peace according to the transmission mirrors. Those undisciplined little rabbits heard I returned and are probably cowering like quails somewhere. I’d better hurry before I lose them.”

Xu Nanxian: “…”

Chu Fenghan’s black robes billowed as he turned and left.

“The Disciplinary Hall’s lamps burn all night.”

With that, his slender figure had already departed Shangshan Study Hall.

Moments later, the disciple marks lit up with frantic flashing.

Students scattered everywhere, screams and wails piercing the sky.

“Flee! Flee—! The Deputy Enforcer’s gone mad, whipping anyone he sees! Ahhh—”

“TaI mQtvQrSQwGbN sGSS SQE EaI hIbhGQH SGhrt! uJJBt SQBI aI rSGwt EJ rkwQta rIJrSI GSS wQVaE, aISr!”

“nkw!”

WakGwV uQwVgQk GwH Xk dGwgQGw: “…”

nIGSSN vGw’E tEGN tEQSS YJb G hJhIwE.

YD dNyICJyq zfzy’m zEJLL Oy NLL mCJ hCNOmfh oNmmJtI. YOOy CJ ENI IODyzLe NILJJR Oy xD QNyPfNy’I LNR, LOOXfyq IfhXLe.

sAmJt IDAAJtfyq yfqCmoNtJI NLL LNIm yfqCm, CJ AfyNLLe ILJRm EJLL fy xD QNyPfNy’I RtJIJyhJ.

TaGE vGShQwV GkbG rIbrIEkGSSN tkbbJkwHIH aQt HbIGht, GttkbQwV aQh aI LGtw’E GSJwI.

OAIw QY KaJwVjkI aGH SIYE, aI vJkSH SQAI rIbYIvESN YQwI—IAIw iIEEIb, IAIw.

oITJ VIfJNMUT TPTiNTB SifP ATGYUAQfJ QJ dTJ pTLiA, IT’B LYiTLBp SfiNfddTJ LYY LgfUd IQP, mfUYBJ’d TaTJ gfdITi LGsJfmYTBNQJN IQP!

Just imagining Chongjue looking regretful, conflicted, and painfully begging him for attention made Su Hansheng secretly delighted.

With that thought, Su Hansheng contentedly fell into deep sleep.

That night, the Disciplinary Hall “ran with blood.” Chu Fenghan looked nothing like the exhausted senior brothers returning from trials—instead, he was spirited and vivacious, whipping anyone in sight.

Every indisciplined student who’d run wild during the Deputy Enforcer’s absence was whipped until they wailed. None escaped.

The Disciplinary Hall blazed with light, cries of lamentation echoing everywhere.

The students, whipped until their faces were sorrowful, stared at Chu Fenghan sitting in the Chief Enforcer’s seat with hatred so intense they nearly ground their teeth to dust. Yet helpless, they could only huddle together for mutual comfort.

“It’s fine, getting beaten is nothing serious. Anyway, I just entered my first year, but the Deputy Enforcer graduates next year and leaves the academy. The Chief Enforcer is a compassionate and kind person anyway.”

“That’s right, that’s right! Once the Deputy Enforcer leaves next year, we can do as we please!”

Just one more year to endure!

With such thoughts, the troublemaking students’ eyes filled with tears as they waited with hope for the Deputy Enforcer’s departure.

—Some even feared the Deputy Enforcer’s scores wouldn’t be sufficient for graduation, spending every day kowtowing to the Heavenly Way, beseeching that the Deputy Enforcer graduate smoothly!

The following year, the Deputy Enforcer’s scores were sufficient. He finally graduated successfully.

Every student shed tears, held hands with tearful eyes, and sobbed: “We made it through! We finally made it through! Mother and father! We did it, wuwuwu!”

“The Heavenly Way is just, the heavens have mercy on me!”

That day, the students ran wild, repeating nearly every mistake the Deputy Enforcer had forbidden while in office.

—Some were even bolder, stripping naked and howling as if reverting to their base nature.

The very next morning, Chu Fenghan returned, dressed entirely in black robes with a crimson whip in hand, his eye-tail tear mole almost painfully beautiful. Without a word, he beat that group of troublemakers all over again.

They wailed under the lashes but stubbornly refused to admit defeat.

“You’ve already graduated—you shouldn’t manage the Disciplinary Hall! The Deputy Enforcer position should go to another student!”

“That’s right! Senior Brother Chu has no authority to whip us!”

“We don’t accept this.”

Chu Fenghan smiled without warmth: “True, the Deputy Enforcer position should go to another student. But did I say I was the Deputy Enforcer?”

Everyone froze.

Chu Fenghan walked unhurriedly to the Chief Enforcer’s position, swept his robes aside, and sat down with authority. His cold gaze swept across the crowd, his words sharp as icicles piercing straight into their hearts.

“The former Enforcer has stepped down and retired. From now on, I am the Chief Enforcer of the Disciplinary Hall holding the jade seal.”

Everyone: “???”

The Chief Enforcer of the first academy held a jade seal, a position almost higher than an ordinary Academy Master. The Deputy Enforcer was merely a nominal post for students assisting the Chief Enforcer to earn credits—practically a leisurely position.

Ordinarily, Deputy Enforcers turned a blind eye to student misconduct, only serving to rack up points.

No one expected Chu Fenghan to be so thunderously efficient that in just over a year as Deputy Enforcer, he’d made Wendao Academy’s students behave like chicks.

Combined with the Chief Enforcer’s lovesickness leaving him disinterested in management, the Vice Dean simply requested the graduated Chu Fenghan to assume the Chief Enforcer position.

Upon understanding the situation, the students faced a future of hardship and wept bitterly, wishing they could bury themselves in the earth.

“The Vice Dean has ruined us! Ahhhhh!”

During that period, resentment filled the entire Wendao Academy so thickly it nearly attracted Daoist monks who exorcise evil spirits to capture demons.

Su Hansheng didn’t particularly care. He was well-behaved anyway, rarely making mistakes of his own. Who the Chief Enforcer was had little to do with him.

The issue was that both Xu Nanxian and Zhuang Lingxiu had graduated and left Wendao Academy. After such a long time, everything felt hollow, and he even slept poorly at night.

Fortunately, Yuan Qian, Wu Baili, and Qifu Zhao were considerate enough to stay by his side constantly. Gradually, Su Hansheng became like someone who’d successfully quit medicine—he played with them cheerfully.

Those years at Wendao Academy were probably the most comfortable and peaceful days Su Hansheng had lived across both his lives.

With Qifu Zhao’s talismans, he no longer suffered constant agony from the Phoenix Bone’s backlash, nor did he have to worry about loved ones dying tragically or meeting a terrible end himself. Except for occasionally thinking of Chongjue, he lived almost carefree and worry-free.

In the height of summer of the third year.

The autumn recess was moved up early, coinciding with the mid-autumn festival.

Mount Sumeru’s back mountain hummed with insects and bird calls as always. Magpies tilted their heads, standing on a towering parasol tree, watching the shadows below.

Suddenly, “boom—”

A massive tree crashed straight down, the crackling snap of branches like thunder, startling birds for miles around into flight.

Amid swirling dust and leaves, a withered branch suddenly extended, accurately wrapping around the fallen tree’s canopy.

Someone’s voice rang out from nearby: “…I told you to hunt with arrows, not demolish the place!”

Another voice echoed in agreement: “That tree’s gotta be centuries old, and one arrow destroyed it.”

“Stop complaining!” A clear voice rang out. “I must catch that puppet wooden rabbit today, or I’m handing my title of divine archer to Baili!”

Someone nearby gave a cold snort but said nothing.

Just then, the tree canopy moved, and a wooden puppet rabbit suddenly bounded out, bounding backward several li in an instant with incredible speed.

Another arrow shot from afar, whistling to strike the ground with a thunderous explosion creating a massive crater.

“Cough cough cough… Young Lord! If you can’t aim, stop using your powers first.”

“Baili, go.”

“Hey! Wait! Let me first—”

Before the words finished, through the swirling dust came an arrow gleaming with cold light, shooting through layers of tree shade—thump—striking the airborne rabbit directly.

The arrow bore the character “乌” on its feathers, piercing through the rabbit’s brow and three inches into the earth.

Several figures descended on the wind, one hand catching the arrow and seizing the still-twitching rabbit.

It was Wu Baili.

The last person didn’t use wind magic, instead stepping on withered branches, arriving fashionably late. Landing in a graceful leap, layers of ink-blue robes billowed like blooming flowers.

“I said let me take the final shot!”

Wu Baili casually tossed the rabbit to him, speaking sarcastically: “There you go, divine archer.”

White gauze condensed from floating clouds drifted with the wind. Su Hansheng unhappily grabbed the rabbit’s ear and tilted his body slightly, revealing his beautifully striking features.

In less than three years, the once-short “little Xiaoxiao” had grown considerably, and the tender naiveté that once surrounded his brow and eyes had vanished completely.

Yet unlike his past life—where he’d been wrapped in melancholy and despair—he now resembled a phoenix reborn from flames, radiating vibrant vitality. Even his displeasure couldn’t hide his youthful exuberance.

“Boring,” Su Hansheng said dissatisfied. “It kept hopping around—that’s why I missed, not my aim.”

Yuan Qian clapped his hands, strongly endorsing the Young Lord’s words, speaking indignantly: “Exactly! Those spirit beasts at the autumn hunt were despicable. They should stand still and let the Young Lord shoot! I’ll write to the elders of the ten academies right now to change the autumn hunt rules! Absolutely outrageous, bullying our Young Lord!”

Su Hansheng: “…”

This was less pleasant to hear than Wu Baili’s sarcasm.

Qifu Zhao said helplessly: “Enough talking. Tonight is mid-autumn. Why don’t we go down the mountain and stroll through the market? Rumor has it a new marketplace opened in the town below Mount Sumeru—supposedly very lively.”

Su Hansheng hurried down the steps Qifu Zhao provided, nodding eagerly: “Good, good! We’ve never celebrated mid-autumn together before.”

Yuan Qian furrowed his brow: “Tomorrow is Xiaoxiao’s coming-of-age ceremony. Elder Xie instructed us not to run around recklessly. If something goes wrong…”

He’d report it to Dao Lord Ying.

“Oh, nothing will go wrong,” Su Hansheng said excitedly. “We’re just going to a tavern for some drinks. What could possibly happen?”

Wu Baili gave a cold laugh: “You got drunk at the Wendao Festival celebration banquet last time, crying and hugging everyone while shouting ‘Uncle.’ That gossip is still circulating on the transmission mirrors at Wendao Academy. And you dare drink now?”

Su Hansheng: “…”

***

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