Chapter 20: A Cordial Visit

Can a billion of yours, matched one of mine?

What he had said, got others into thinking.

What billion, what one… Remembering that the Divine Scholars had more than a billion followers, was he referring to them? Then what did he mean by one… Noticing everyone was thinking, An Shan added;

“Can a billion conjectures, match one truth?”

Conjectures, against truth. This was An Shan’s last reasoning. While he had some more, he was more than drained right now. His statement somehow echoed within the young core disciples. It fit their logic, yet they did not dare voice it, for fear of inciting the Grand Elder’s wrath.

“So he was referring to that…”

“Elder sister, who’s to believe now? I’m so confused…”

“Shh, just shut your mouth,”

“…A billion against one eh,”

When these murmurs reached his ears, Rizhi bellowed;

“You dared insult our Supreme Ancestor again! What conjectures, what truth? What I’ve lectured, all came from him!”

“From him? These are guess-work, conjectures. Someone had stated clearly, conjectures are not to be taken as truth. Do you know where that was from? The Law! And what conjectures, what truth you ask? Hm, you in the corner, with the Book of Law,”

An Shan pointed to a young man to his lower right, with a certain golden book on the table. When pointed at, he was startled, yet quickly composed himself. He held the book, looking at An Shan in inquiry.

“Open Law on Information, number 36,”

“Err, yes!”

The disciple flipped open the book. Finding it, he read the lines along with the nearby disciples. Eyes wide, they turned to An Shan.

“Read it,”

“…Be warned. Most follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture is no substitute for the truth!”

“And what constitute a conjecture?”

“…Opinion with incomplete information, sayings with no proof no matter how popular, even rumors and hearsay no matter how many believe it—”

…No matter how many believe it.

…No matter how many believe it!

His word was stuck in his mouth. Even so, that was enough. An Shan nodded.

“That was the Law set by our Founding Ancestor, feel free to check it. Now Grand Elder, who is the one who insults the Ancestor? Tell me!”

This was the law set by him. Now who insulted him?

Was it me, or you!

An Shan statement reverberated in the air, shaking everyone in the hall. Without using his cultivation, he shook everyone to the core. Even Rizhi, being a prestigious Grand Elder, trembled. His tongue froze, for he could not refute him.

“T-this…”

How much value conjectures were, in comparison to the truth?

No substitute?

Then did that mean, even a billion could not match one? While he wanted to refute, his mind could not muster anything for a full minute.

Seeing him already frozen like that, An Shan knew, it was over. The real purpose of the debate was not to discredit this guy, for that was of no importance. The importance was to discredit false belief from these core disciples, these youngsters who was supposed to possess bright future. Seeing the famed Divine Scholar had a stiff tongue, these young disciples ought to start thinking on their own.

‘This should be enough,’

An Shan stood up, slowly moving to the hall’s door. The rest of the disciples surrounding him made way. The silence was totally eerie, and while Rizhi wanted to stop him, only his hands moved a little. Wanting to halt him, yet not a word came out from his mouth. His wide eyes kept being open, as if he was lost in a trance.

Looking at An Shan passing by her, Ling Shuren recalled that… It was better for her to leave. She ran after him, and then followed behind him, leaving behind the utterly silent place. Walking out of the hall, even the veteran honor guards stared at An Shan, their face blue. Unsure whether she should continue being with him, Ling Shuren stopped just outside the hall.

Barely stepping down the stairs, An Shan stumbled.

“Ah, brother An!”

Ling Shuren rushed to his side. Her hands slipped onto his arm, holding him up from falling down.

“Brother An, watch your steps!”

“…”

“Brother An?”

“Fuu…”

“…”

The heck!

He’s asleep!

…

An Shan had left the hall for quite awhile, yet it continued to be silent… Somehow, seeing Rizhi being so tongue-tied in front of them, many did not know how to respond.

Witnessing the incident which transpired in front of them, everyone there had their own ideas. Seeing a young disciple like them able to refute him, was something of an eye-opener. Already, some had doubts creeping in about these Divine Scholars. In a corner, a guy with a mixed of a scholar and warrior had a beaming smile.

“Hehe, such an interesting fellow… Having him as a friend, now that’s what I call time worth losing,”

“Kai Shen, what nonsense are you uttering!”

“No, he’s right… but this kind of thing, it’s better for you to be quiet about it,”

“I know, I know, shhh.”

Yet for some disciples, they were just as angry as Rizhi.

“How dare this greenhorn, being so disrespectful…!”

“Who does he think he is, refuting an esteemed Divine Scholar,”

Seeing Rizhi in a tight spot, they thought to teach An Shan a lesson. Now if only they could get some information on him, get some of his weakness and then presented them to Rizhi… Then would they not gain the favor of a Divine Scholar? Thinking of so many benefits they could gain from doing so, not a few of them began hatching some kind of plan in mind…

...

“…Em?”

Sunlight seemed to bore through his eyelids, thus An Shan struggled to keep sleeping…

Wait, sunlight?

What am I doing out in the sun…

Wait, what is this feeling… Soft, so good, as if someone’s touching…

“Huh,”

He felt something soft feeling him up all over his stomach. Finally with his mind clearer, he woke up. Raising his head all of a sudden, he hit something.

“Ow!”

“Eh?”

A familiar voice attracted his attention. It was a female voice, yet it was not Ling Shuren. Where did he hear this voice before? His blurry vision soon turned sharper.

…

“Uhh, your head might be even harder than any rock I knew, Little Shan.”

“…?”

In front of him, was a lady. Seemingly in her twenties in traditional green robe, she was rubbing her chin. She had her hair loose, covering all down to her waist. She had her hair tied back then, thus it took him some time to recognize her.

“…Could it be, Lady Su?”

Witnessing the beauty in front of him, he recalled who it was. She was Grand Elder Su Min. Looking around, it seemed he was currently in a room with wide space. To his back was a wide opened door, connecting the room with yard filled with greenery and in the middle, was a Koi pond. Flowers filled the surroundings, with pink, red and purple flowers here and there.

The wind from outside carried with it comforting scent of herbs, filling the room with lively freshness. Looking around, he immediately knew what happened.

“Is this your mansion, Lady Su?”

“…No, not quite a mansion, but the yards are quite wide,”

Still rubbing her chin, she answered sheepishly.

“I see… Did Miss Ling take me here?”

“She did. You fainted, so she took you here in a hurry. She thought I could help you, somewhat…”

Seeing that Su Min was the one in charge of herbs in the clan, her knowledge in the field must be quite deep. Knowing her Master was also a good physician, it was natural for Ling Shuren to bring him here first.

“I see… Where is she?”

“She’s out. I told her to inform your clan, so…”

“I see, good. By the way, just now….”

“Ah, excuse me. I… I had to,”

For awhile, it seemed to be quite awkward. Well, she did open his clothes and felt his stomach after all.

“So, why did you faint? She mentioned illness before, but when I checked you, I can’t seem to see what was wrong,”

“So you did a check…”

“Do excuse me, little Shan. Without any prior information, I could not possibly use any herbs. So I had to check you closely,”

Thinking again, she had her face so close to him before, startling him and making him wake up abruptly. It turned out she was checking on him. Looking down, it seemed his shirt was opened, and there was warmth on his belly… It seemed she was checking his lower dantian.

An Shan felt concern. While he was sure it would not be so easy, she had ample time to do a thorough checkup. Thinking again… What was Ru-er doing? She was supposed to back him up!

Seeing lady Su Min a bit agitated, he had to ask;

“…Did you find anything, Lady Su?”

“N-no, I didn’t… Well, I sensed something, but you woke up just now so…”

“You sense something?”

“It’s… there’s still some cloud in your cultivation,”

“And?”

“Um, some energy was seeping out from it…”

“…I see, then there’s nothing to worry,”

“Eh?”

“It had something to do with my cultivation…”

Seeing her perplexed, An Shan explained. He assured her that it had something to do with the type of cultivation he was practicing, and nothing to do with his illness. He knew, lady Su Min had suspicions about it. By this time, she could very well be thinking, Is he really a core disciple?

His cloud would prevent a Heavenly Stage expert from sensing irregularity using their Spirit Search, but that was only if it was done from a distance, and for a short time. Since Su Min was analyzing him as a physician, she had to be thorough. Thus, while he woke up just in time, the little bit of information she managed to get was enough for her to bear suspicions.

“…And that’s it. Nothing to worry about, Lady Su,”

“I-if you say so,”

Sensing he did not wish to explain further, she did not delve in it anymore. One’s cultivation was one’s private matter. Usually it was only the topic of discussion between master and disciple, or father and his child, or with one’s beloved. She knew best not to disturb his privacy. But being one with a curious nature, she could not hold back from asking;

“That aside, do you mind me asking something else?”

“Yes?”

“…What kind of illness, for you to lose consciousness easily? Shu-er mentioned you also fell asleep in the hall? Could it be… You didn’t get enough sleep at night?”

Hearing her, he smiled. Her question was quite naïve at best. Was it just her acting, or was it her nature? Seeing her acting like this, he felt rather entertained. A lady over a hundred was acting as if she was a teenage girl… So young and pure. Well, he could not tell her the entire truth, but if it was just a bit…

“I slept enough at night, Lady Su. Like I said, it’s my illness. It is not something easily curable, but,”

“But?”

“I could use some herbs, if you don’t mind,”

“Of course I don’t mind! This lady here is not stingy… W-well as long as I have it, and it’s not expensive,”

“Haha. Un, then I’ll be rude. Do you have any herbs that ease the mind, something that will help one to calm down? That might be of help,”

“Ease the mind? Aha, I’ll go get some for you right away… Hm, you need anything else?”

“Do you have flower water? With a lot of nectars,”

“I do, just wait for a moment…”

“An Shan thanked Lady Su for your care,”

“D-don’t mention it,”

He watched Su Min’s back, walking out to the hallway. Touching his belly, he delved his consciousness into his Star Systems. Observing it, it seemed there was nothing being disturbed. There was still his one Substar orbitted by eleven shining protostars. Over them, a large dark cloud.

‘That was dangerous. She’s quite close of sensing it… No, could she sensed it already? Ru-er…’

He scanned his surroundings. And in a near distance, he sensed Ru-er hiding behind the wall, amist the trees. She was conscious of his condition, but still maintain distance. Since she was armed with An Shan’s Soul Armament, he contacted her through it.

“Ru-er,”

“H-here, Ancestor,”

“When I lose consciousness, you didn’t grab me and left,”

“Err…”

Given her cultivation, it was quite easy for her to make a turbulent wind and grab him away during the confusion. With her invisibility, it would be hard even for an honor guard to catch sight of her. Well, there was no need for such. She could come out as an elder and took him...

When An Shan stated so, she turned anxious.

“Ancestor, I was about to, but… That young girl, Ling Shuren, grab ahold of you first. She did not leave you alone even for a short moment, so I thought… Did I make a mistake, Ancestor? P-please forgive me, I—”

“No, don’t worry about it. It’s my mistake,”

“Ancestor! It’s my mistake, I’m the one who’s… not sure what to do,”

“Your mistake is mine too, we’ll discuss this later. Don’t worry about it,”

“Y-yes!”

Ru-er had problem making judgement in that situation, so he thought about making sure it would not happen next time. Well, it would be easy for him to blame her, but what could that accomplish? That was not practical.

Yet for him to suddenly lose consciousness like that, it seemed debating took a lot out from him. While it was merely speaking, one could not ignore the psychological stress coming from it. Just from hearing the lecture from before, he was angered, disappointed. How could such thing enter his sect? Thinking about it, there were several people for him to question…

Well, that was for later. For now;

“Ru-er, the Soul Armament I grant you, you can use it to cause a resonance with me. As long as you’re near, that might be enough to wake me up. You can also communicate with me through it. Your voice will be directed to my earing,”

“I see. I await your guidance, Ancestor!”

“Un, listen well,”

Since she never use Soul Armament before, she had no idea of its special abilities. An Shan taught her a little bit on how to cause resonance. Soon, a certain buzzing entered his ear. Since Ru-er managed to, he nodded.

“Perfect. Just avoid doing so in a crowd. Some might notice,”

“Yes!”

Helping himself to some fresh water beside him, he again lay in bed, falling asleep. Just when Su Min approached him, Ru-er made a short resonance, enough to jolt him up from bed.

'...That Ru-er, I did say she could use it to wake me up but,'

“Ah, did I surprise you?”

“Not at all, Lady Su, thank you,”

Coming with a tray, there were several herbs and a mobile burner beside a teapot. An aroma seeped out from it, immediately making one at ease.

“Oh, is that not Califoli flower?”

“So you know. It is indeed Califoli flower… Ah, the last time we met too. It seemed you have keen interest in herbs?”

“I do indeed,”

With cheerful expression, An Shan spoke with her about some of the herbs she brought. After some time, the two became a little more comfortable with each other. Seeing him having fun, Su Min thought about what she sensed a while ago…

While it was weird, she thought that perhaps she was worrying too much. Even if this An Shan had some secrets, they were still in the same sect. In addition, he was from An clan. Thus, there was no need to be concerned of things she had no knowledge of.

Everyone had their own secrets, afterall.

Calmly raising his cup, An Shan sipped the flower tea. As he put it down, he noticed his surrounding better. He asked;

“There’s not many people in your residence, Lady Su?”

“So you notice. That’s right. Aside from me and Shu-er, we have five more people living here; my two gardeners, my maids and my cook. My assistances came here often for work, but they usually stayed in the office nearby.”

“It’s quite… tranquil here,”

“Isn’t it? I choose this place exactly for that. It’s just beside a hill, and we can see the lights from several cities out at night. Shu-er really like to see them since she’s younger,”

“…Excuse me for asking, if I’m not mistaken, the Su clan’s residence is in the palace, along with the founding clan. Why do you not stay with your clan, Lady Su?”

“...Err,”

Seeing her perplexed, he immediately said;

“Nevermind my question, Lady Su. I was insensitive, there ought to be a reason,”

“…No, you’re right. Why, I wonder,”

A sudden wind came, caressing her hair. A sudden silent gripped her, and An Shan knew he made a mistake. He cupped his hands, apologetic.

“Please forgive my meddling,”

“No, nothing really… It’s just something I rather not say, please understand,”

“I understand,”

Chatting for a little bit more, An Shan recalled something. Asking Su Min about it, she quickly went to her study to do some searching. After some time, she returned to him with a folder.

“This is the findings I had since that time,”

“This is quite a lot…”

The folder was quite thick, and it seemed to have some substantial findings. It was a folder concerning the food addictive Mao Gu, the one An Shan had asked her before. Reading a little bit, he realized something.

“Potential hazard… Lady Su, with this kind of discovery, did you not warn the Grand Elders?”

“…I did. Many times,”

“Then, what happened?”

“They did indeed passed some regulations, banning the overuse of this product. But in the end, all the industry had to do was to change the name. If you could read the document further, there’s thirty one different names of the product. When one of it was given strict regulation, all they had to do was to change some of its purity, and then came out with a different name,”

She sighed. Back then, when she proposed about the danger of the substance, she was a new elder. With her clan influence already diminishing, the best she could achieve was to get several regulations passed. Even then, the industry knew exactly what to do, and it was enough for them to bypass such regulations.

“…This substance, this addictive, was almost similar to drug…”

“I thought the same! …Though I would classify it as a lower class drug. Then again, the use of it was widespread, so banning it altogether would be close to impossible.”

“…We don’t have to ban it,”

“Excuse me?”

“I said, we don’t have to. All we need to do was making sure everyone became aware of the findings and the risk. Later, they’ll have to make their own choice. We should not force them, however…”

“However…?”

“Those who’re already addicted with this, they could not be helped. However, we should try to pass strict legislation concerning our youngsters, to prevent them from falling victim to this. Look here, it seemed to disturb emotional balance?”

“Yes, from sixty-seven out of a hundred, it seemed their emotion was disturbed,”

“And that was only for those we can observe,”

After speaking with him for awhile, a certain thought came into Su Min’s mind. The way he talk, was as if he was an elder. He also referred to the young one as youngsters… A reference unfit for someone young. Could he be older than he looked?

Thinking about it, she finally decided to ask.

“…My age?”

“Yes, I thought you might be around twenty at first. Then it just struck me… You’re a bit, unn… mature?”

“…You’re not mistaken, but,”

“But?”

“I will tell you later when I’m ready, but not now. Is that fine Lady Su?”

“Aha haha… Is it some kind of secret? Sure, I’ll wait then,”

“Thank you for your understanding,”

“Un!”

Speaking with him a bit more, Su Min found it to be a pleasing experience. He was straightforward, bold. There was no nervousness at all even considering she was a Grand Elder. Perhaps it was his personality, or perhaps she was at fault, having no bearing or imposing demeanor whatsoever. Then again, he was not rude. Though a bit formal, she felt like he was speaking with a family member.

…

“Master, I’m back!”

“Shu-er's back! Little Shan, let’s go see,”

“Un,”

After some time, Ling Shuren returned. To Su Min’s surprise, Patriarch An Hong came, with Xiao Mei tagging along. The Patriarch was a bit frantic, concern for An Shan was clear. He calmed down only after An Shan assured him he was fine.

Seeing this scene, sparked a question within Su Min.

‘For the Patriarch to be so concerned, and come take him home… W-what's with me? He is his disciple afterall,"

Turning to Ling Shuren, An Shan stated;

"Miss Ling, is it fine if I offer you a word of advice?"

"Eh, of course..."

"Don't bother with those Divine Scholars anymore. They're nothing but fraud,"

"T-that's..."

She could not refute. Her master did voice the same concern to her before, but even she could not be so confident. Influenced by others, Ling Shuren could not be certain. But this An Shan, was able to say so without batting an eyelid.

A fraud...

"The cultivation from the Patriarch before should be enough, study it well,"

"...Un, Ling Shuren thanked Brother Shan,"

After saluting Su Min and Ling Shuren in appreciation, An Shan bid them farewell. On the way up the mountain, he again felt sleepy, falling asleep in the sky.

...

=== Chapter 20 End ===