章 3: Awakening Ceremony
Before the sunlight fully emerged on Qing Mao mountain, Fang Zheng had awoken and prepared to set out for the Awakening Ceremony.
He visited Fang Yuan's room with half the mind of murdering him, and the other half to hold his hand and wait for the right time. But what he witnessed upon entering the room tipped the scales towards murder.
Shen Cui, the girl Fang Zheng had loved and lived in the fond memory of, after her passing in his previous life, was currently clinging to Fang Yuan!
Shen Cui was fixing the folds of Fang Yuan's robe, but it was completely unnecessary to lean on him. But Fang Zheng naively did not doubt Shen Cui's character or intentions. He sighed, remembering that Fang Yuan had displayed his superior intellect early in life. He was the only genius in the Gu Yue village who could spin otherworldly poems, inspiring and moving the hearts of many, and showing the wisdom and depth of his intelligence. Everyone thus had high expectations from Fang Yuan and they liked him; until the Awakening Ceremony of course. After which Fang Yuan's fame dropped to the abyss and his life became wretched for a significant amount of time.
But no thought of pity for Fang Yuan, or an understanding of the worldly ways came to Fang Zheng's mind at the moment. He simply glared at Shen Cui with passion, wishing to run up to her and squeeze her in a tight embrace. But sighing, he controlled his impulse and remembered that Shen Cui had eventually fallen in love with him because Fang Yuan was too cold towards her.
"No need to tidy up. You may leave." Fang Yuan said to Shen Cui who pouted and stepped away. Fang Yuan did not spare a glance to her or acknowledge his brother's presence as he walked upstairs to prepare for setting out.
Shen Cui gathered the wash tub,and other things when she noticed Fang Zheng staring at her fervently.
"This boy…" She thought, shaking her head inwardly. Fang Zheng had been smitten by her since forever but she was a smart girl and knew better to pursue the more talented twin in hope of becoming his woman. This wasn't pure deceit but self-preservation.
"Shen Cui…" Fang Zheng uttered. His heart thumping in his chest aloud and his face reddening. To see one's beloved after decades of struggle, was a difficult moment that pressed upon one's heart with an invisible force that turned them vulnerable, and even dumb. Love was truly a strange thing. It could make a slave aspire to become an Emperor, and it could lower an Emperor to the level of a slave.
"Shouldn't you be hurrying out, master Fang Zheng?" Shen Cui reminded him, to get rid of him as soon as possible. "The awakening ceremony starts soon."
"I…I want to talk to you Shen Cui." Fang Zheng said; his confidence returning. Never had he been so sure of what he wanted. He wanted this girl to be his wife, and to spend his entire life with her!
"What is it? I have morning chores to do." Shen Cui frowned impatiently.
Fang Zheng suddenly grabbed both her hands and lifted them up to his mouth, kissing them. Shen Cui's eyes widened and her young heart thrummed up a beat. Even if she were a selfish girl, this bold move of Fang Zheng's stirred her up. Her face flushed red although she forced herself to remain calm on the surface.
"Young master, I'm but a lowly servant. It does not favor you to show interest in me." Shen Cui reminded him of the difference of their statuses in order to deter him; even though she would be willing to spread her legs for Fang Yuan immediately.
"Speak not of statuses to me." Fang Zheng said. He had now the confidence and air of a rank 8 gu immortal. People at his level could do whatever they wanted! In the absence of rank 9 immortal venerables, rank 8 immortals ruled the world. Even though he was yet to even awaken his aperture, Fang Zheng was clear about his future prospects.
"I ask you to share your heart and life with mine." Fang Zheng proposed. "With all my might I will protect you, help you, and fulfill all your desires. I love you more than I could ever express!"
There was a long silence. Fang Zheng's heart was beating so loud that Shen Cui could hear it.
"Why isn't she saying anything?" Fang Zheng thought. Sweat drops emerged on his forehead. "She was in love with me in the previous life. She should have feelings for me even now. Or was it too early to propose to her?"
Shen Cui sighed and extricated her hands, frowning. "Master Fang Zheng, the truth is that you are nothing compared to your brother." She spoke.
"I know that accurately." Fang Zheng frowned.
"And so it is unlikely that you'll ever reach his heights. Please do not embarrass yourself. I have already given my heart to master Fang Yuan." Shen Cui said. "But if you cannot give me up and forcibly want to take me, I, a lowly slave, cannot resist you." She sniffed dramatically, feigning vulnerability.
"Eh? No-no-no! I could never force you to become mine, Shen Cui!" Fang Zheng immediately stepped back, flustering. "I just…I love you so much…" His heart felt like breaking and his chest sank.
Shen Cui snorted lightly. "Please do not approach me again. I do not love you." She said, picked up the wash tub and left the room.
"…" Fang Zheng was left to gather his crumbling heart. He sighed painfully.
Suddenly he felt another presence and turned to see Fang Yuan looking down at him from the staircase. The two of them stared at each other silently.
"Pathetic." Fang Yuan said, walking past him, and left the room.
***
"Look, it's the Fang twins!" A boy pointed finger.
"Yeah, the one with a cold expression must be Fang Yuan, the prodigy. The one stumbling behind him must be Fang Zheng, the lesser brother." Another boy said.
A large number of teenagers were moving through the village streets towards their destination. Fang Zheng and Fang Yuan were amidst them. While Fang Yuan was walking confidently like a lion amidst chickens, Fang Zheng trudged like a lost sheep. He was feeling heart broken and lethargic.
"Sigh, Shen Cui…how could you do this to me? I've loved you so much for so long." Fang Zheng thought.
About 100 teenagers reached the clan pavilion. In the main area there was the shrine of Gu Yue Ancestor, surrounded by numerous memorial tablets. The clan pavilion was the official spot for all the important events held throughout the year. Every generation of clan heads resided in the clan pavilion's building.
"Good. All of you are punctual. Today is the most important day in your lives. It will be a turning point that you will remember your entire lives. Come with me." The white haired and bearded clan Academy elder, a rank 3 gu master, echoed.
The Academy elder led the teenagers into the pavilion and below the ground through a large stairway which took them to an underground cave.
A beautiful sight welcomed everyone. The cave was glimmering with the rainbow lights of stalactites. It looked like a magical place. The teenagers were in awe and gaped at the beautiful surroundings.
Inside this cave was the spirit spring found by the Gu Yue Ancestor centuries ago. This spirit spring was the power source of Gu Yue village as it produced a large number of primeval stones every year. Primeval stones were not only the currency of mortal level gu world, but also the basic and most important cultivation resource. It was the foundation of any gu master organization- clan or sect.
The deeper the group went, the darker it got and ultimately an underground river welcomed them. This river was giving off a dim blue light on its own. One could see fishes and aquatic life under its clear water. On the other side of the river was a flowerbed full of moon orchid flowers which were the food of many gu worms. The center of the flowers gave off faint light.
"Woha, so beautiful…" A girl murmured.
"Truly amazing." A boy spoke.
Everyone was mesmerized by the lovely sight. Even Fang Zheng smiled, reminiscing about the beautiful cave from his past life.
"Soon it will dry up and crumble." He thought with a sigh and then glared at Fang Yuan who didn't notice him. "Fang Yuan…your crimes are uncountable and heinous. I will stop you no matter what!"
"Alright! As I call your names, walk through this river to the other side! Walk as far as you can until your legs stop moving. The farther you can go, the better!" Academy elder said. "Gu Yue Chen Bo!"
"Yes!" The first boy stepped into the river which was shallow and reached only up to his knees. As he walked forward, he felt a great pressure as if an invisible wall of air was pushing against him. Then, the underwater flowers at his feet began to glow and their light attached as beads to his legs.
Chen Bo felt a decrease in the pressure, and walked farther ahead as everyone watched him in anticipation. He quickly felt the pressure increasing again, forcing him to stop.
"Oh no! I must keep going!" He told himself. If he failed to walk far enough, his aperture would not awaken and he'd remain an ordinary human, fated to be the lowest in the society, slaving and serving the gu masters, and living in utter poverty and misery!
"Gu Yue Chen Bo, 12 steps, D grade talent!" Academy elder shouted and everyone exclaimed with varying expressions. The youth were either excited or scornful. The elders seemed mildly content but were frowning. D grade was the lowest among gu masters' aptitudes. At best D grade gu masters could reach rank 2, but such cases were rare. Majority of them were fated to remain rank 1 and could only do menial works such as nurturing/collecting gu resources, transportation, low level security, or serve as meat shield for higher ranking gu masters in times of war.
Pretty rank 1 females gu masters were bound to become concubines of higher gu masters, and it was not a bad prospect for them. They could gain resources from their superior mates and hope to attain rank 2 which had better prospects.
Still, rank 1 gu masters were the foundation of a clan. Rank 2 gu masters were the backbone, rank 3 were the limbs, and rank 4 were the clan's head.
"This is odd. Wasn't the first boy to cross the river a failure?" Fang Zheng recalled. "Do I remember wrongly?"
Fang Yuan was also side-eyeing Chen Bo. Whenever someone traveled back in time, they'd cause a ripple in the river of time which would result in minor deviations from the original flow. People's fate could somewhat change, and Chen Bo was a good example.
"Gu Yue Zao Xie!" The Academy elder barked. "Three steps. Unable to cultivate."
"Gu Yue Mao Mao! 5 steps; failure!"
"Xi Zinping. Failure!"
"Kim Zhong Un. Failure! Stop eating, you fat mortal!"
"Failure!"
"Failure!"
"Hawk Tua! Failure!"
"Eilon Muske! C grade talent!"
"Woha… a C grade talent at last." Someone muttered.
"I thought the bloodline had really thinned, with so many failures in a row, and only a D grader so far." An elder muttered.
"It is thinning…" Another elder observed. "Gu masters need to stop screwing with mortal women."
"I…am only a C grade talent?" Meanwhile the boy Eilon Muske muttered in disbelief. "No, I cannot let this setback affect me. No matter what, I'll cultivate hard! I will reach space and stomp upon all the planets out there!"
Fang Zheng's eyebrows twitched. "Where are all these people showing up from? I did not notice them in my past life."
"Gu Yue Mo Bei!" The Academy Elder shouted.
Mo Bei was the grandson of a clan elder named Mo Chen. He was tall and sturdy. He beat his chest with both hands and tore up his shirt before shouting, "Gu Yue forever!" before plunging into the river and stomping forth excitedly.
His footsteps slowed down eventually and he stopped after 36 steps.
"Gu Yue Mo Bei, B grade talent!" The Academy elder shouted and all the youths cheered. Mo Bei, with proper training could one day become a rank 3 elder. His future was bright.
Mo Chen smirked provocatively at his political adversary Chi Lian, another clan elder. Chi Lian merely snorted, and waited patiently for his grandson's turn.
"Gu Yue Chi Chen!" The Academy elder shouted and a short and ugly pockmark-faced boy stepped into the river. Some thought he'd drown because the water reached up to his shoulders. Chi Chen walked ahead but it looked like his head was floating on the river surface. It was both a ludicrous and a chilling scene.
"Chi Chen, 36 steps. B grade talent!' The Academy elder announced and Chi Lian smirked at Mo Chen. Both of these two rivals' grandsons were equal in terms of talent. Their rivalry no doubt would carry down to their grandsons.
"Gu Yue Fang Yuan!"
Fang Zheng glanced at Fang Yuan who seemed deeply thoughtful as he stepped towards the glimmering river. Looking at his back, Fang Zheng shuddered. This was the beginning of a Venerable demon's journey. How many times had he passed through this? How many times had he endured what awaited him? Nobody knew what a great evil entity walked amongst them, uncaring and resolute.
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