Ch115 - The Path to Heaven

Since his coming-of-age ceremony, Su Hansheng no longer feared water and was cheerful even on rainy days.

The final year at Wendao Academy was intense. At dawn, the morning bell rang through the academy. Su Hansheng ran from the back mountain Buddha Hall to Shangshan Study Hall, umbrella in hand, his clothes splashed with raindrops that dripped as he hopped along.

On his way to class, even the heavy rain couldn’t dampen his excitement. He made a vow: this year, he would study hard and graduate successfully!

He and Chongjue were already separated by a generation. If he kept attending classes, he would always seem like a naive child in front of Chongjue, as if an unbridgeable gap existed between them.

Su Hansheng was full of ambition, striding forward with confidence.

… But when he reached the study hall and listened to the headmaster’s incomprehensible lecture on the Heart Sutra, accompanied by the sound of rain, he suddenly dropped his head onto the desk with a “thud.”

He fell asleep.

Ambition could wait until he was well-rested.

Su Hansheng slept soundly all day, only waking up when the dismissal bell rang. He sat up and politely saw off the headmaster.

Yuan Qian skillfully copied the homework for Su Hansheng.

Su Hansheng glanced at it and immediately woke up, startled. “So much?!”

The whole Shangshan Study Hall was in despair.

Yuan Qian sighed. “Yes, it’s the final year. If you don’t work hard now, you won’t graduate.”

Su Hansheng had originally planned to go back to the Buddha Hall and spend time with Chongjue, but seeing the amount of homework, he realized he’d have to write nonstop until late at night.

Yuan Qian tugged at Su Hansheng’s little braids and said, “Want to come to Falling Parasol Lodge? We can do homework together.”

Normally, Su Hansheng would have refused, but he hesitated, frowning as he thought.

If he did homework in the Buddha Hall, he’d be distracted by thoughts of Chongjue, and if he ran into something he didn’t understand, he’d have to ask Chongjue for help.

That would make him seem even more like a junior.

No, no.

Su Hansheng agreed. “Fine.”

Yuan Qian raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Weren’t they in the honeymoon phase? Why was Su Hansheng willing to stay away from the World-Honored One?

Su Hansheng didn’t overly depend on Chongjue. In his view, their relationship hadn’t changed dramatically. He didn’t spend every waking moment thinking about his beloved, nor did he need to be together all the time.

He was a Dao Companion, not a personal attendant.

The three returned to Falling Parasol Lodge. On the way, Su Hansheng sent a voice transmission to Chongjue, saying he wouldn’t be back to the Buddha Hall tonight.

Chongjue was busy with something and didn’t reply until much later. “Fine.”

By then, Su Hansheng had already arrived at Wu Baili’s room in Falling Parasol Lodge and was spreading out scrolls to draw talismans.

When the disciple seal delivered Chongjue’s reply, he quickly dismissed it and continued working.

Yuan Qian was multitasking—his tail tip held the brush drawing talismans, his hands flipped through books, and he still found time to tease: “Yuanxiao, is a forced melon sweet?”

“Don’t call me Yuanxiao,” Su Hansheng said without looking up. He finished the complicated talisman in one go, blew on the ink, and lazily replied, “I haven’t tasted it yet, how would I know if it’s sweet? Once I sleep with my uncle, I’ll tell you.”

Yuan Qian: “Cough cough cough—!”

qk xGQSQ’t EGSQthGw LGt jktE JwI tEbJBI YbJh vJhrSIEQJw, ikE aQt aGwH jIbBIH, GwH LQEa G aQtt, aQt trQbQEkGS IwIbVN tvGEEIbIH, bkQwQwV EaI EGSQthGw.

jDNy ZfNy CNz oJNym mO mJNIJ YD dNyICJyq, gDm CJ ENI ICOhXJz ge YD dNyICJyq’I ICNoJLJII hOoJgNhX Nyz yJNtLe hODqCJz CfoIJLA mO zJNmC.

“DJk… vJkVa vJkVa!” DkGw fQGw LGt kEEIbSN QhrbIttIH. “owSN NJk, DJkwV PGtEIb, LJkSH HGbI tGN tkva EaQwVt.”

qk xGQSQ EabIL GLGN EaI bkQwIH EGSQthGw, vaGwVIH EaI rGrIb, GwH wJHHIH Qw GVbIIhIwE.

Zk sGwtaIwV LGt vJwYktIH. “DJk LGwEIH EJ BwJL, HQHw’E NJk?”

jDNy ZfNy ENI NLoOIm LNDqCfyq. “WJ ENymJz mO XyOE, gDm EJ zfzy’m JPRJhm eOD mO NhmDNLLe INe fm! syz EJ hNy’m JFJy gJNt mO LfImJy!”

The private matters between the World-Honored One and the Young Master…

Though it was exciting, Yuan Qian was afraid he wouldn’t live to hear it.

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Su Hansheng asked, utterly puzzled. “It’s just ordinary people’s joining and dual cultivation. Oh, do you not know about men…”

“Aaah!” Yuan Qian rushed over to cover Su Hansheng’s mouth, pleading, “Please, Young Master Yuanxiao, stop your magic! The World-Honored One sees and hears all; his Great Ascension spiritual sense will sweep right here. Bai Li and I still want to live!”

Su Hansheng: “…Oh.”

Young Master Yuanxiao was very generous, never keeping secrets. If Yuan Qian hadn’t stopped him, he would have called people to the Buddha Hall to witness it in person.

For a while after, the headmaster of Shangshan Study Hall seemed to go mad, assigning more and more homework. The students nearly lost their minds, and Su Hansheng only returned to the Buddha Hall once every two or three days.

Just as everyone was grinding their teeth, plotting to grab the headmaster and beat him up, the Wendao Festival finally arrived.

The whole study hall was like a bunch of monkeys, all shouting and cheering, scrambling to sign up for the Wendao Festival trial.

Classes were impossible to hold.

Su Hansheng was also thrilled. The Wendao Festival involved three days of ritual offerings to heaven, and the academy would be on holiday. He could finally rest for a few days.

After turning in the headmaster’s assignments, Su Hansheng didn’t go straight back to the Buddha Hall. Instead, he happily ran to the Disciplinary Hall with his scroll, hoping to clear off the points he’d earned over the past half month.

Since Chu Fenghan became the chief enforcer of the Disciplinary Hall, the place had never been empty. When Su Hansheng arrived, the line of students waiting to be punished stretched all the way to the door.

Curious, Su Hansheng joined the crowd and pulled aside a student to ask, “What’s going on today?”

The student looked miserable. “I don’t know. The chief enforcer’s been in a bad mood lately, really harsh.”

Su Hansheng was confused and followed the crowd into the hall where the chief enforcer was judging cases.

He only glanced once and immediately understood why Chu Fenghan was so upset.

Because Jin Gou had arrived.

Three years had passed, and Jin Yiyuan’s cultivation had improved greatly. He was lazily leaning against the chief enforcer’s desk, leaning down with a half-smile, exuding pressure and aggression.

Chu Fenghan remained cold and beautiful, but seemed unable to bear Jin Yiyuan’s antics, threateningly running his hand over the whip at his side.

Jin Yiyuan laughed heartily but obediently moved away.

Su Hansheng found it unbelievable.

Were these two just incompatible?

It had been three years. Even if they’d broken up and gotten back together, any misunderstanding should have been cleared, and they should have reached a happy ending by now.

Or did they just enjoy this ambiguous, unspoken phase?

Su Hansheng coughed, pretending to be well-behaved as he handed over his scroll.

“Chief Enforcer.”

Xu Nanxian must have done something, because even after half a month, Chu Fenghan was still taking out his anger on Su Hansheng. He coldly took the scroll and swiftly deducted a few of Su Hansheng’s points.

Bored, Su Hansheng stood by, watching Jin Yiyuan.

Jin Yiyuan showed no embarrassment at being ignored by Chu Fenghan. Instead, he smiled at Su Hansheng.

Su Hansheng: “….”

His senior must have helped Jin Yiyuan chase after the chief enforcer. Look how smug the dog was.

Su Hansheng looked away and saw Chu Fenghan frowning as he stared at the scroll. Unable to help himself, he asked, “Senior Chu, can I clear my points and graduate smoothly in my last year?”

Chu Fenghan snapped the scroll shut. “Unlikely.”

Su Hansheng was stunned. “Huh? I only need a few more points. If I win the Wendao Festival, I’ll definitely clear them…”

Chu Fenghan said, “Forget it.”

Su Hansheng thought Chu Fenghan was just being pessimistic and frowned slightly.

Chu Fenghan handed the scroll back. Perhaps reflecting that he shouldn’t take out his anger on juniors, his expression softened. “The Disciplinary Hall just received news. This year’s Wendao Festival… might not happen.”

Su Hansheng was shocked. “Why?”

Before Chu Fenghan could answer, the carefree Jin Yiyuan spoke up. “The Wendao Festival secret realm can’t be opened. Even if we offer sacrifices for three months, there’s no way.”

Su Hansheng’s brows furrowed.

“This isn’t something you children should worry about,” Chu Fenghan shot Jin Yiyuan a look, signaling him to be quiet. “Just treat it as a holiday. Go play.”

Su Hansheng pressed on. “What do the vice dean and… my uncle say?”

“There’s no instruction yet. The ten major academies are waiting.”

Su Hansheng had been counting on the Wendao Festival to earn a few more points. Now it was all ruined.

After leaving the Disciplinary Hall, he hurried back to the Buddha Hall.

Chongjue wasn’t there.

Su Hansheng hadn’t returned to the Buddha Hall for three or four days. He lightly ran his hand over the small table, and his fingertips came away with a thin layer of dust.

—Chongjue seemed to have been away for many days as well.

Su Hansheng sat there, staring at the dusty Buddha Hall, his mind blank for a moment.

Every time he came back, Chongjue was always there, meditating or reciting scriptures. There had never been an exception.

Why was this time so strange?

Or was he just imagining things again?

Just as Su Hansheng was dazed, the Buddha Hall door suddenly opened.

Chongjue stepped in, saw Su Hansheng kneeling on the ground, bewildered, and noticed the paw print on the table. He seemed to understand.

He waved his hand, his wide sleeve fluttering, and instantly cleared all the dust from the Buddha Hall and the quarters, making everything look brand new.

“I had some business these past few days,” Chongjue said, walking over gently. “I went to the Heaven-Reaching Tower with Zou Chi and just got back.”

Su Hansheng said, “Oh,” and finally relaxed.

He had seen the dust and thought that his reunion and romance after three years was just a wild dream, almost having a breakdown.

Chongjue sat beside Su Hansheng, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Were you scared?”

Su Hansheng shook his head, instinctively rubbing against his palm. “Did something happen at the Heaven-Reaching Tower?”

Chongjue didn’t hide anything. “Yes, there are already cracks and collapses appearing at the southeast edge of the tower, but it’s not serious.”

Su Hansheng frowned. “You’re lying to me.”

Chongjue’s hand paused.

“If it’s not serious, how could the Wendao Festival secret realm be impossible to open?” Su Hansheng argued logically. “It was the same in my previous life. About half a month before my coming-of-age ceremony, the two sides of the Heaven-Reaching Tower began to collapse. Both sacred objects went to the tower to stabilize it for a while.”

After that, he fell into Infinite Hell, so he wasn’t clear on the details. Only on the day he died did the righteous cultivators say the Heaven-Reaching Tower had completely collapsed, forcing him to use the Phoenix Bone to save the people.

Su Hansheng seemed to remember something and asked, puzzled, “In my previous life, I never heard much about the title ‘World-Honored One,’ much less that the fourth sacred object was Kunlun Jue. Where were you then?”

Chongjue had no memories of the previous life and couldn’t answer.

Su Hansheng tilted his head, still thinking. “In my previous life, the evil one was in Infinite Hell. But wait, he was a sacred object himself—why didn’t he just open the boundary gate and escape? In my previous life…”

Chongjue looked down at him, his ink-dark pupils trembling.

Previous life, previous life…

Always talking about the previous life. Even if the previous life was better, didn’t the vicious evil one still fail to protect him?

He never taught him how to protect himself or the rules of propriety, only things without shame or decency.

What good was that?!

Su Hansheng was still chattering when suddenly, Chongjue, who had been quietly watching him, reached out. His broad hand grabbed Su Hansheng’s neck and pulled him close.

Su Hansheng was startled.

Chongjue rarely showed such strong possessiveness and dominance. He looked down at the stunned Su Hansheng, and the familiar scent of bodhi flowers suddenly filled the air.

He suddenly leaned in and kissed him.

Su Hansheng’s pupils widened, instinctively wanting to pull back.

But as soon as he moved, Chongjue’s other hand wrapped around his back, trapping his slender body tightly in his broad arms, not letting him escape at all.

They were too close for Su Hansheng to see Chongjue’s face, but from the kiss, he could vaguely sense something.

Chongjue…

Was he angry?

***

**