Chapter 23: Dao Heart
Elder Wang gazed at Feng Yudie, expressing his helplessness. “Feng Yudie, kindly secure your hair once more before entering the palace. Your appearance might impact your grades.” After the advice, Elder Wang shifted his attention back to Pei Lianxue.
During his prior visit to the Hundred Lotus Sect, Elder Wang hadn’t encountered Pei Lianxue, causing some confusion. He inquired, “You arrived with Feng Yudie?”
“Yes.” Pei Lianxue respectfully acknowledged, “My name is Pei Lianxue. Young Master Ye tasked me with accompanying Senior Sister Feng.”
“A disciple from the Hundred Lotus Sect.” Elder Wang stroked his beard and inquired, “You’re not studying with Young Master Ye, but with her?”
“Yes.”
Elder Wang found it peculiar. During his previous visit to the Hundred Lotus Sect, Ye Ao intended for Ye Anping to join the Xuanxing Sect as an inner disciple. Considering Feng Yudie, he assumed Ye Ao would arrange for Ye Anping to accompany her. Yet, now, a girl with three spiritual roots had been sent instead, leaving Elder Wang perplexed about Ye Ao’s intentions.
After a brief hesitation, he gestured dismissively. “That’s enough. Xuanxing Sect’s criteria for accompanying students aren’t overly strict, but they do exist. I offer a friendly reminder that as Feng Yudie’s accompanying student, communication is essential. While the entry standard is lowered if you participate in the selection together, failing to pass will still hinder your entry into Xuanxing Sect.”
Pei Lianxue paused before respectfully bowing. “Junior understands.”
“Alright, follow me. The first round is the written test.”
With that, Elder Wang led the way towards the side hall. Pei Lianxue swallowed nervously and hurriedly trailed behind, paying little attention to Feng Yudie beside her.
Initially, Pei Lianxue hadn’t felt overly anxious. She assumed the Xuanxing Sect’s selection would resemble that of the Hundred Lotus Sect, albeit more competitive. However, when Elder Wang mentioned a written test, panic gripped her instantly. She excelled in sword competitions, spell contests, and alchemy challenges, but her confidence waned when it came to composing essays.
If she failed the test, wouldn’t her senior brother’s decision to send her here be in vain?
Observing her anxiety, Feng Yudie, walking alongside, approached and asked, “Is Junior Sister Pei nervous?”
“Don’t be nervous.” Pei Lianxue glanced at her but added with a hint of uncertainty, “I’m just not proficient with things like writing. My senior brother rarely taught me those skills…”
“I’ll make sure to get you the answers later.”
“Can you decipher Daoist texts?”
“Absolutely.” Feng Yudie proudly declared, “I know the contents of the Daoist book by heart, hm.”
At that moment, Elder Wang, leading the way, seemed to catch wind of the whispered conversation between the two. He sighed inwardly and issued a warning, “Feng Yudie, attempting to assist in cheating will result in disqualification for both of you. This will bar you from participating in Xuanxing Sect’s sect selection ever again.”
“Ah, Elder Wang, I was just kidding,” Feng Yudie replied awkwardly, making a face at Elder Wang, who had his back turned.
“Why—” Elder Wang let out a faint sigh, suddenly reminded of a saying–if you’re not family, you can’t enter the same house. Though he had only glimpsed two facets of Feng Yudie, he somehow saw her master Tai Xu’s shadow in her.
Feng Yudie blinked at Pei Lianxue, lowered her voice, and said, “Junior Sister Pei, wait for my signal.”
“Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?”
“If I get caught, I get caught. Worst case, I’ll return with you to the Hundred Lotus Sect. We can practice together every day.”
Though Feng Yudie’s voice was hushed, Elder Wang, walking ahead, still caught wind of it. However, this time, he chose not to comment. The sect leaders and elders had already determined Feng Yudie’s position. As long as she didn’t make a significant uproar, Xuanxing Sect would likely turn a blind eye. After all, she not only carried the Holy Emperor’s bloodline but also descended directly from Master Taixu, not to mention being the orphan of the previous Holy Emperor. If Xuanxing Sect expelled her, and she sought refuge in any of the other four major sects of the Xian family, the repercussions for Xuanxing Sect would extend beyond losing a spiritual mine vein or an opportunity.
Elder Wang’s hope now was that Feng Yudie wouldn’t be too blatant. If she engaged in minor subterfuge, he could overlook it.
Following Elder Wang through a teleportation formation beside the gate hall, the two arrived in a vast open space accommodating thousands of people. Wooden desks were spaced every ten feet, each equipped with the essential study tools. Many participating disciples were already seated, engrossed in answering questions.
Pei Lianxue attempted to use her keen eyesight to glimpse the answers, but some kind of formation around each desk prevented her from discerning anything clearly—not even their faces.
Elder Wang ascended a central platform and received two wooden signs from a white-bearded old man sitting there. After a brief inspection, he crushed the signs into pieces. In an instant, Pei Lianxue and Feng Yudie, who had been standing together, were teleported to their respective desks.
Elder Wang’s voice resonated directly in their consciousness. “It’s straightforward. The questions are on the jade tablets. Answer them on paper. You have one hour. If you finish early, say ‘Answer finished,’ and the formation will teleport you out.”
“Finish the answer?” Feng Yudie inquired skeptically.
In response, a blue light enveloped her, and she vanished.
“Hiss,” Elder Wang, standing in the center of the venue, couldn’t help but take a deep breath. He swiftly unsheathed his sword and teleported out of the examination room. After three breaths, he reappeared, grabbing Feng Yudie by the collar and entering through the formation from the examination room’s entrance.
“…”
“Ah… Haha,” Feng Yudie touched the back of her head embarrassedly, “I inadvertently read ahead, Haha——”
Elder Wang glared at her, sighed helplessly, and went to procure a new wooden sign for her, sending her to another seat.
Pei Lianxue fell silent for a moment. After sighing, she disregarded Feng Yudie, picked up the jade plaque on the table, and examined the title. Upon seeing it, she was slightly surprised. Only two words were written: “Dao Heart.”
Her senior brother had often spoken to her about the “Dao Heart.” Though his words sounded esoteric and difficult to grasp, she had memorized them as best as she could. Even if she couldn’t comprehend the “Dao Heart” as her senior brother did now, she recalled his advice to memorize his teachings.
Pursing her lips, Pei Lianxue took up the brush and began writing on the paper. The Dao Heart entails eliminating evil, embracing goodness, suppressing human desires, upholding natural principles, adhering to heavenly principles and righteousness, embodying benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, and achieving unity of knowledge and action, leading to a conscientious heart in all endeavors…
On the other side, Feng Yudie, pondering the term “Dao Heart,” whispered to Xiao Tian, floating above her, “Xiao Tian, how do you write this?”
Xiao Tian rolled his eyes at her. “Who told that girl Pei she could recite Daoism backward and forward?”
“Oh, it’s just to increase my favorability. I’m just pretending.”
“Ha~” Xiao Tian sneered, “When Master Tai Xu asked you to endorse it, you didn’t do it. Now you regret it, right?”
“Yes, yes, I regret it. So, what’s the answer?”
“Hey—” Xiao Tian sighed, waved his hand, retrieved the Heaven’s Law scroll, and flipped through it. “I’ll read it to you only once. The Dao Heart involves eliminating evil and promoting goodness, renouncing human desires, preserving natural principles, upholding heavenly principles and righteousness, embodying benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, and achieving unity of knowledge and action, leading to a conscientious heart in all things…”
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