Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 166 - 158: This Old Bastard _1

Chapter 166: Chapter 158: This Old Bastard _1

At sunset, Wang Jing, a student of Guozi Bureau, rubbed his forehead and followed the crowd out of the classroom with a pounding headache.

While he was moving aimlessly towards the dining hall, a figure squeezed in front of him.

"Wang, tomorrow is our day off, how about we go for a walk by the Qinhuai River?"

"Are you still in the mood to go to the Qinhuai River after today?"

Wang Jing pressed his temples, looking pale. He noticed this was Long Rui, one of his few close friends at Guozi Bureau.

"I’ve been writing all day, and I don’t even have the strength to move. It’s amazing that you’re still in the mood to go to that place."

"Isn’t someone treating?" Long Rui sheepishly smiled, "It’s our dorm mate, the rich one. He said everyone from our dorm should come, and we’re going to the Baoxing Pavilion, one of the top ten famous buildings by the Qinhuai River. It’s not an ordinary place."

"Baoxing Pavilion? Such good luck? What a generous guy! Where are they?"

At once, Wang Jing felt revived. His fatigue started to fade when a shout was heard from a distance, "Everyone, look! The door to Wenxin House is open, there is someone inside!"

"Wenxin House?" Wang Jing and his friend exchanged glances before moving towards Wenxin House.

"Wang, are you going to join in the fun?" Long Rui followed, "But if we don’t leave now, they’re going to leave."

On the contrary, Wang Jing quickened his pace, "If you’re not interested, Long, feel free to leave. I won’t be going then."

Long Rui chuckled, "Well, if you’re not going, then I’m not going either. I’m just curious about which big shot opened Wenxin House. Hasn’t that place been closed for five or six years now?"

"Six and a half years! Wenxin House has not been opened since its former visitor Yuan Heng went mad and ended his own life with a knife outside the house. No one has seen the Heart Asking Bell inside ever since."

Wang Jing’s eyes were gloomy, "After the incident, the Jijiu made a new rule that anyone who wants to challenge the Wenxin House must first pass two tests from Siye of Guozi Bureau. In the past six years, no one from inside or outside the Guozi Bureau has succeeded, and the Wenxin House has remained closed."

It was then that Long Rui suddenly remembered that Yuan Heng was not only Wang Jing’s fellow countryman but also a close friend from childhood.

What followed was silence. He simply quickened his pace without saying anything.

Upon reaching Wenxin House, they found the door indeed open. The upper floors of the building were pitch-dark, with only the first floor lit by candlelight.

They could vaguely see a figure standing on the first floor staircase. They couldn’t see the person’s face as they were standing with their back to them, but the Liudao Fumo Armor they wore was very noticeable in the candlelight.

There was also a huge black tiger lying low at the entrance to the staircase, its eyes filled with a watchful gaze.

"Is that someone from the Liudao Division?" Long Rui’s eyes widened in surprise, "This person is not a Confucianist. Would the Jijiu allow him to enter?"

"Master Yu didn’t specify that only Confucianists could serve as protectors of Neo-Confucianism when he created that position."

Wang Jing shook his head, looking slightly grave, "Do you see his magical instrument?"

Long Rui squinted, "Impressive, all are of medium-grade. This guy must be rich. Wait a minute, Great Rectitude Martial Intention? Fuck, it’s a whole set of magical instruments with Great Rectitude Martial Intention! This guy could fuse with it, he must have a very pure Great Rectitude Intention. But what’s the point? As far as I know, all those who challenged the house six years ago had extremely pure Great Rectitude Qi. No one dared to climb the steps without it."

"He does stand out." Wang Jing’s gaze was far-reaching, with a hint of inexplicable emotion, "The Jijiu must have his reasons for agreeing. Let’s just watch."

"Let’s watch then, we should still make it to the Qinhuai River if we wait a while longer."

Long Rui chuckled, "I bet he will be out of the building within a quarter of an hour. I hope nothing goes wrong, like running out of the building naked like Master Luo, it would be just embarrassing. What I’m afraid of, is the damage to Shenpo, leading to mental breakdown."

He sighed softly, "Wang, do you know what outsiders say? They say that each generation of Neo-Confucianism students are inferior to the last, and we’re far from what we used to be. They even say that Master Yu’s teachings have lost his true meaning, that’s why no one has been able to become the protector of Neo-Confucianism for twenty years. That’s why I kind of hope someone can successfully reach the top of Wenxin House, as long as it’s not this big brother from Liudao Division."

Wang Jing said nothing, though he knew it was certainly a disgrace to the current generation of Neo-Confucianism students.

The surrounding crowd was buzzing with speculation.

"Who is it?"

"Someone from the Liudao Division? Why would they be here?"

"That idiot! No one has set foot on the third floor of Wenxin House for so many years!"

"Did the Jijiu and the two Siyes agree?"

At this moment, four elegant women also walked into the Guozi Bureau’s gate one after another. As soon as they entered, they noticed the anomaly of this branch of Guozi Bureau and quickly learned the reason from the discussions of the students around them.

"Wenxin House? Could it be Li Xuan?"

Lady Jiang followed out of concern that her husband might do something excessive to Li Xuan, and by now, her forehead was already covered in black lines.

The idea of Li Xuan being subjected to the intense interrogation of the Wenxin House — Lady Jiang knew immediately that this was something her husband would do.

She brooked a glimmer of hope and came to the front of the Wenxin House. Then her face turned a little green: "That reckless old man!"

When she got back this time, she was going to give Jiang Yunqi a piece of her mind!

Jiang Hanyun looked at Li Xuan inside the building, and for a moment she was worried too: "Li Xuan won’t run into any trouble, will he?"

She had heard that people had died in this Wenxin House. Some people’s Primordial Spirits had more or less deteriorated, and their futures were almost ruined.

Xue Yunrou went pale from fear, looking almost tearful: "How could my Uncle be like this? Doesn’t he know that people have died in the Wenxin House?"

"Your uncle has been focusing on studying Martial Laws for the past ten years and blocking out external distractions, he might indeed not know. For the sake of reaching the heavenly level, he has even given up his favorite medical studies."

Lady Jiang calmed her face: "However, that old man should understand the limits. He and Jijiu Quan are good friends, and Quan is the current bell master of the Heart Asking Bell. I heard that the difficulty of the Heart Asking Bell can be adjusted at will. I think he just wants to see if Li Xuan is really repented or not. This is different from making him a protector of Neo-Confucianism."

Upon hearing this, the faces of Jiang Hanyun and Xue Yunrou looked a little better.

They thought that since Li Xuan is determined to be a flawless gentleman by Tingtian Ao and has cultivated the Great Rectitude Martial Intention, the dog also said that he had never done anything wrong in his life, it should not be a problem.

"The difficulty of the Heart Asking Bell can be adjusted at will? That was how many years ago?"

This sentence came from the last person, Madam Xue, who shook her head slightly and looked at the Wenxin House in front of her: "Twenty-three years ago, after Knife Demon, Li Zhetian, broke into the Guozi Bureau in Nanjing, the Artifact Spirit of that Heart Asking Bell lost control."

The three women around Madam Xue all changed color, and Lady Jiang turned pale: "What do you mean?"

"It means it’s out of control, they say it’s because the seal inside was damaged."

Madam Xue spared no details, her face complex: "This is a secret of Confucianism, I only know this because of my late husband who was involved in the battle when Li Zhetian broke into the Guozi Bureau. In the first decade or so after that, the Artifact Spirit of the Heart Asking Bell was relatively quiet. The examinations were extremely difficult but would not harm the person passing through. But after that, it became more and more dangerous, and it was common for test takers to suffer mental damage. Until six years ago, someone committed suicide with a knife immediately after coming out of the house."

Lady Jiang bit her teeth, clenched her fists, and glared angrily at the top of the Wenxin House. She almost spat out the words from between her teeth: "Jiang Yunqi!"

※※※※

Jiang Yunqi on the roof had already felt the gaze coming from his wife below. He couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat, constantly wiping with the sleeve of his robe: "Brother Quan, is the situation really that exaggerated? Isn’t it just a test of power, greed, lust, and such? Lust is one thing, but that power and greed do not bother me at all. Why isn’t that a challenge for all the potential talents in Confucianism?"

Jijiu Quan Dingtian, sitting across from him, sighed: "The problem is that the Artifact Spirit of the Heart Asking Bell is a Heavenly Demon transformed in the Twelfth Layer Stage. Even if the test taker has the slightest desire, it will magnify it to the extreme. And as long as they are hopelessly caught up in desire, this transformed Heavenly Demon can take this opportunity to harm their spirit, even seize their sanity."

Jiang Yunqi frowned again: "Heavenly Demon? Why would your Sub-Sage leave such a wicked thing behind?"

"That is the doing of the Lianxin Clan. They used the Heavenly Demon to create this magical instrument to crystallize the mentality of their disciples, emphasizing absolute sense and desire eradication. Because their actions were too ruthless and devoid of any human emotions, Master Yu eradicated them."

Quan Dingtian noticed the violent light in Jiang Yunqi’s eyes, he promptly took a step forward, blocking Jiang Yunqi’s line of sight.

"Brother Yunqi, after all, this is the treasure of our Neo-Confucianism, unless absolutely necessary, I cannot let it be damaged."

Jiang Yunqi asked reluctantly: "Can my Shenpo also enter this Heart Asking Bell?"

"There is indeed a way for Shenpo to enter the Heart Asking Bell. That Heavenly Demon would love for you to take the initiative to enter, that’s its world inside. But there’s no need for you and me to use such a dangerous method."

Quan Dingtian looked at Jiang Yunqi seriously: "I said just now, unless ’absolutely necessary’. But if this object has become a harmful weapon, then it is certainly not what Master Yu wanted."

As he said this, he suddenly looked changed and looked at the top floor of the Wenxin House.

"The first test, greed, he’s entered the dream state."