Chapter 283
Chapter 283
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Heavenly Listeners and Hidden Truths
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Those three could not help but be horrified. The dignified Left Zhonglang of the Auxiliary Justice Pavilion, a peak Soul Refining Realm expert just half a step from the Void Returning Realm, had actually been humored!
Qin Su had asked Fan Peng to probe Chen Tang precisely because Fan Peng's strength was sufficient and his cultivation level high enough!
Fan Peng hailed from a local aristocratic family and had been hailed as a prodigy since childhood. By middle age, he had cultivated to the Three Corpses Realm, severing his three corpses.
Later, in a duel with another, his soul suffered injury, stalling his progress. Fortunately, he encountered the Young Master, who not only had someone treat him but also ordered the Peaceful Gate to steal a Soul Restoration Lotus from the underworld to refine a Soul Restoration Pill for him, finally healing his old soul wound.
After his injuries healed, he broke through to the Soul Refining Realm in just a few years. At only sixty years old, he was extremely close to the Void Returning Realm—a young expert with hopes of reaching the Great Vehicle Realm! —Compared to others at the same level, he was indeed young.
Yet even such a figure had failed to probe Chen Tang's depths! What exactly was Chen Tang's cultivation level?
Chen Tang was even younger than Fan Peng and always kept a low profile, so many overlooked him, assuming his cultivation and strength were mediocre. What was the purpose of him hiding his power?
"The Chen family spans three generations of grandsire and grandsons, none to be underestimated!" Fan Peng said in a low voice.
Because he had gone to bed early, Chen Shi rose at dawn. After breakfast, he immediately set off for the Grand Repository.
He had just stepped out the door when he saw Yu Lingzi sitting across from the Chen residence. His neck was still somewhat bruised and swollen, and his complexion was poor—the injuries from yesterday had yet to fully heal. Chen Shi hadn't struck too hard; with a month or two of recovery, he should return to his peak. With the spiritual medicines of the Taihua Azure Palace, it might even be faster. He would likely miss the metropolitan exam, though.
Seeing him emerge, Yu Lingzi stood at once.
"Chen Shi... Uncle Master."
He had finally yielded to his heart. After addressing him as Uncle Master, he felt much more at ease. Getting scolded by an elder was no big deal; after all, he was often scolded by his uncles back at the Taihua Azure Palace.
Chen Shi was puzzled.
"Yu Lingzi, why address me as Uncle Master?"
Yu Lingzi's voice was still somewhat hoarse, his wounds unhealed. He explained the connection between Azure Sheep and the Taihua Azure Palace.
"Azure Sheep Uncle is your Taihua Azure Palace's founding ancestor?" Chen Shi was greatly surprised.
Unaware of Azure Sheep's origins, he had assumed it was a spirit of Qianyang Mountain. But now, with the great serpent Xuan Mountain nurtured there, Qianyang Mountain likely lacked the capacity to nurture another Azure Sheep.
Yu Lingzi glanced around and spotted a Heavenly Listener crouched on a nearby rooftop eave, listening to their conversation while rapidly recording it.
"After you left yesterday, I observed those Heavenly Listeners and realized they were there to monitor you."
"It's not good news that Heavenly Listeners have appeared around you," Yu Lingzi said. "Those worth deploying so many Heavenly Listeners for are often rebels." Chen Shi also glanced at the one on the roof and smiled.
"I'm already used to it."
Yu Lingzi shook his head.
"If the Heavenly Listeners deem you a threat, they will eliminate you. The Venerable Kings among the Heavenly Listeners are no weaker than Void Returning Realm or Great Vehicle Realm existences."
"What they hear of our words has been filtered through Blackie Pot's calculations." Chen Shi smiled. Blackie Pot trailed behind them, wagging its tail amiably at Yu Lingzi.
It was as if Yu Lingzi saw a gentle and approachable elder brother. Hearing the dog brother offer a few words of encouragement, he felt a surge of warmth.
"So it's Senior Blackie Pot. When I was little, Senior Blackie Pot even held me. I never imagined encountering you here again..."
As he spoke, his gaze turned puzzled, as if something felt off. Yet nothing seemed wrong.
Chen Shi shot Blackie Pot a glare and slowly shook his head. Only then did Blackie Pot restrain itself somewhat.
"Yu Lingzi, what exactly are the Heavenly Listeners?" Chen Shi asked.
He was quite curious about these Heavenly Listeners. They resembled cultivators but not entirely, more like automatons with a degree of intelligence, adhering to some peculiar rules. The dao arts they cultivated were also strange: ears that could grow at will, used even as wings for flight by flapping.
They could also manifest numerous arms from their own vital blood—a supremely powerful combat technique possessed only by deep-rooted aristocratic families or great sects—yet every Heavenly Listener could employ it.
Rather than using it for battle, they wielded it to record complex information.
What Chen Shi found most inconceivable was that the Heavenly Listeners recorded so much every day. To whom did they submit this data? "Heavenly Listening" meant listening reaching the heavens.
Did the Extraterrestrial True Gods truly peruse the intelligence gathered by the Heavenly Listeners?
Or were there others above these intelligence-gathering Heavenly Listeners?
Yu Lingzi snapped out of his daze.
"The Heavenly Listeners gather what heaven does not know and report it upward to heaven's ears. They relay the collected intelligence layer by layer, all the way to the Venerable Kings. As for what's beyond the Venerable Kings, I don't know."
He looked up at the sky. The Extraterrestrial True God's twin eyes had become twin suns, illuminating the earth—granting light to the world while seeing all mortal affairs clearly.
"Our Taihua Azure Palace treats the Heavenly Listeners as taboo, likening them to scattered cultivators—both madmen. Where Heavenly Listeners are, few dare speak, for fear of taboo."
Yu Lingzi withdrew his gaze.
"Even the Thirteen Families and the various sacred grounds turn a blind eye to the Heavenly Listeners, allowing their surveillance. It's said to be a rule from the True King Era."
He paused, then said,
"Uncle Master Chen Shi, yesterday my three uncles scolded me thoroughly and insisted I come explain yesterday's events clearly to you, lest you misunderstand."
Chen Shi looked at him puzzled.
"What misunderstanding?"
Yu Lingzi said solemnly,
"Yesterday, I did indeed come as a mouthpiece for the Young Master—that was my mistake. I apologize to you, Uncle Master!" On the main street, he knelt to Chen Shi and kowtowed several times with resounding thuds, drawing stares from passersby.
Chen Shi hurriedly helped him up and smiled.
"You acted as his mouthpiece, and I've already beaten you for it. No need for this."
Yu Lingzi said,
"My master taught me that in life and conduct, we must leave no flaws in the heart of the dao—such flaws become cracks. Thus, I must apologize."
Perplexed, Chen Shi asked,
"Why did you act as his mouthpiece yesterday?"
Yu Lingzi said,
"You killed Shen Hongniang of the Red Madam Society, and many of their hall masters died by your hand. While drinking together, we discussed it, along with your deeds in Gongzhou and Yudu. We were all filled with righteous indignation, feeling you overly aggressive. As the saying goes, three cups and promises spill forth; the Five Mountains seem light. With liquor gone to my head, I declared I'd find you and bar you from competing for top scholar with the Young Master. Others fear the demon in your body, but I do not."
Chen Shi's gaze flickered.
"'We'? Who are 'we'?"
Yu Lingzi said,
"Brother Fan Kongliu of the Water Moon Pure Land, Golden Furnace Daoist of the Supreme Vast Origin Palace, Jiang Fangshu the Young Master Jiang, Li Tiangan the Young Master Li, Ma Xueqing, and others. We were chatting casually at Perching Clouds Temple."
Chen Shi smiled faintly.
"Are they still at Perching Clouds Temple?"
Yu Lingzi said,
"Yes. We're all juren taking the metropolitan exam, but of notable status, so we can't stay at the provincial hostels lest we disturb other juren. The court arranged Perching Clouds Temple for us. The Young Master, due to his status, resides at Xiuxiu Pavilion."
They actually each had their own places in the city—for instance, Yu Lingzi could stay at the Taihua Azure Palace's temple in the capital; scions of the Thirteen Families at their clan's estates; Water Moon Pure Land and Supreme Vast Origin Palace had their own outposts.
Staying separately, however, meant fewer chances to gather and exchange. Moreover, as the Young Master's people, assembling facilitated his coordination. As for the Xuan Saintess, harboring doubts about the Young Master's actions, she had not stayed at Perching Clouds Temple.
"Could you take me to see Perching Clouds Temple?" Chen Shi asked.
Yu Lingzi hesitated, then said,
"I'm worried those there might speak rudely to you because of the Young Master."
Chen Shi shook his head.
"If I don't go, how can I clear up the misunderstandings with them?"
Yu Lingzi pondered and realized it made sense. He led the way.
"Uncle Master, I find you're a good person. They badmouth you behind your back—heartless, ruthless, slaughtering innocents, ambitious, utterly vile—with many misunderstandings. Speak plainly face-to-face, and it'll be resolved."
The muscle under Chen Shi's right eye twitched.
"What else do they say about me?"
Yu Lingzi hesitated.
"Some is quite harsh; not easy to repeat."
Chen Shi said,
"Go ahead. My Chen family is known for magnanimity—Grandpa is, and so is Chen Tang."
"They say you're no human, but an evil spirit born from a corpse... You say it's not infuriating."
Chen Shi's smile remained fixed as he murmured,
"I'm not angry. Continue."
Yu Lingzi said,
"They also say the soul Grandpa summoned from the underworld might not be yours—perhaps a demon. And that you killed court officials, bullied men and women. Also, you stole the Young Master's treasure and colluded with fiends to cause the Gongzhou demonic upheaval."
At that moment, he heard Chen Shi's teeth grinding with a crunching sound. He hurried,
"Uncle Master, are you all right?"
"I'm fine!"
Chen Shi laughed heartily.
"How could I not be? My Chen family's magnanimity is vast. Yu Lingzi, then why avenge Shen Hongniang? Do you know what she was?"
Yu Lingzi said,
"Shen Hongniang was a matchmaker who arranged marriages—beloved in the capital."
"So you knew nothing."
Chen Shi said,
"Matchmaking is just the Red Madam Society's side business. Their main trade is pulling strings for lonely young masters, misses, noble ladies, and officials' wives to conveniently tryst."
Yu Lingzi gaped in shock.
Chen Shi explained the Red Madam Society's dealings, then said,
"The Young Master used my hand to eliminate Shen Hongniang, removing a major threat. At the same time, he signaled to others in the capital: your dirty secrets are known only to me—you can rest easy. Others reciprocate by helping the Young Master pressure me. If you had no leverage over the Young Master, why stick your neck out?"
Yu Lingzi shook his head.
"The Young Master isn't that sort of person..."
Yet a voice in his heart insisted the Young Master probably was.
He felt utter devastation.
"I was used as a pawn? Fan Kongliu and the others didn't know your strength, so dared not act themselves—they sent me to test you."
It felt as if his heart had been stabbed a thousand times; his nose stung.
"I considered them friends."
Chen Shi smiled.
"Poor choice in friends often ends thus. But seeing their true faces isn't too late. By the way, Yu Lingzi, how do the core scions of the Thirteen Families—like the Young Masters Jiang and Li you mentioned—compare to you in strength?"
Still downcast, Yu Lingzi paused before saying,
"We've never sparred, but our cultivation levels are similar; strength varies. Perhaps the Thirteen Families' inheritances give them an edge."
"Only a bit stronger than you?"
Chen Shi seemed disappointed.
"That's not very strong then..."
Yu Lingzi huffed, feeling stabbed again, wanting to retort but unable.
At Soul Transformation Realm, he had challenged the Nascent Soul Realm Chen Shi—yet hadn't even unleashed a move before being beaten soundly, nearly done for.
Chen Shi puzzled,
"Then why did Chen Tang say the aristocratic core scions are extremely formidable, beyond me? If similar to you, they seem unremarkable."
Yu Lingzi huffed again.
"Uncle Master doesn't know. Aristocratic core scions fall into two types—perhaps Chen Tang meant the second."
Chen Shi asked,
"Which two?"
"Core scions of aristocratic families often possess First-Grade or Second-Grade Divine Embryos, however obtained—granted by True Gods or transplanted. With a superior Divine Embryo and diligent cultivation, one becomes a core scion."
Yu Lingzi said,
"These receive the family's true transmissions, cultivating the clan's second-tier top arts. The second type are heirs to the next generation head or sect lord. Such scions emerge once every few decades per family, or two or three. Their Divine Embryos must be True God-granted, not seized, to qualify as next-gen leaders. Perhaps that's whom Chen Tang meant."
Chen Shi asked,
"Are any such here for the metropolitan exam?"
Yu Lingzi shook his head.
"I don't know. Families don't announce heirs, fearing assassination."
Unwittingly, they arrived outside Perching Clouds Temple.
Perching Clouds Temple perched on a small hillock, no more than ten-odd zhang high, covering just dozens of mu—like great boulders protruding from the earth.
Though hills abounded outside the city, they were rare within, so Perching Clouds Temple's incense burned prosperously. From afar, Chen Shi saw the enshrined deities within had formed divine aspects, a hundred zhang tall, one left one right, clad in armor with a third eye on their foreheads.
"These two Godmothers are mighty indeed!" Chen Shi could not help praising.
Yu Lingzi halted.
"Uncle Master, I'll wait outside."
"Why?" Chen Shi was puzzled.
Still saddened, Yu Lingzi said dimly,
"I treated them as friends; they took me for a fool. If I go in, they'll mock me."
Chen Shi shook his head.
"You're no fool—you treat people sincerely, willing to brave fire and water for friends. If I had such a friend, I'd reciprocate in kind. Your only mistake was poor choice—no true friends yet."
Yu Lingzi froze.
"I'm not a fool?"
Chen Shi said,
"Good people shouldn't be deemed fools. I'm your Uncle Master after all—how could I not seek justice for you? Come, enter the temple with me. We'll reason it out."
Yu Lingzi followed anxiously.
"Uncle Master, don't cause trouble on my account..."
Entering Perching Clouds Temple, Chen Shi laughed heartily.
"My Chen family has vast magnanimity—how could we cause trouble? Have you read the Master's Analects? Know the Master's reason? We scholars studying the Master's teachings reason with principle."
To Blackie Pot, he said,
"Blackie Pot, have the welcoming monk close the gates. Perching Clouds Temple receives no outside guests today."