CH 192

Fang Yun couldn't understand why Nunu did what she did. He opened his hand and presented it to Nunu. Nunu placed the bundle of fur in Fang Yun's palm, then nudged it with her little mouth and pushed it with her paw, urging Fang Yun to grip it tightly.

Fang Yun couldn't help but recall the day when he wrote "Arrow in the Stone" and the blood Nunu had shed. He held the bundle of fox fur tightly.

Nunu laughed happily, tilting her head back and making soft noises, as if reminding Fang Yun to take good care of it.

"I will keep it safe," Fang Yun said, bending down to blow on the spot where Nunu had bitten off the fur, then gently rubbing it.

Nunu grinned, her little pink mouth curling up in a smile. She looked blissfully happy, as if Fang Yun's gentle blow and rub had taken away all the pain.

After bidding farewell to his family, Fang Yun boarded the carriage and headed for Li Wenying's mansion in Jade Sea City.

Along the way, Fang Yun tied up Nunu's fur and put it into the Swallowed Lake Pearl. He put everything he could carry into the Swallowed Lake Pearl, even some dry food and cured meat for the journey. They wouldn't spoil for a month, although the taste wasn't great.

After putting away the Swallowed Lake Pearl, Fang Yun took out the blood-dripped beast skin. For some reason, it couldn't be put into the Swallowed Lake Pearl.

"Li Fanming said these three drops of blood might be holy blood. That's not surprising. The Swallowed Lake Pearl can't contain these things. At least the Drinking Pearl of the River is needed, or a container that can conceal the power of the holy blood."

Fang Yun put the blood-dripped beast skin into the pocket on the inside of his clothes, then took out a copy of "Hsun Tzu" from the Swallowed Lake Pearl and began to read it softly.

The classics of one Sage and six Semi-Saints of Confucianism contain profound truths, and can even be said to point out the path to becoming a Sage. Fang Yun always insisted on reading whenever he had time.

At this moment, Fang Yun's talent as an Accomplished Scholar had reached a height of ten inches. It was extremely difficult to become a Presented Scholar before becoming a Sage without the help of the Holy Temple. After the death of Confucius, no one else had been able to do it. So Fang Yun wasn't in a hurry. Every day, besides practicing music, painting, studying military strategy, and writing essays on the classics, he repeatedly read the works of the seven Sages, allowing his talent, literary palace, and the Courage to Write to become more refined, to avoid having a shaky foundation.

Upon arriving at Li Wenying's mansion, Fang Yun hadn't even gotten off the carriage when he smelled a strange fragrance. It was somewhat similar to the scent of books and ink, but more elegant.

Stepping off the carriage, Fang Yun saw that the door of Li's mansion was open. Li Wenying, dressed in a green robe, was standing in the courtyard, reciting the "Analects" in a low voice. Each word he uttered turned into a fragrant scent that spread in all directions.

"Reciting the classics and filling the mouth with fragrance. Congratulations, Lord Li, on your imminent entry into the ranks of the Great Scholars," Fang Yun said, walking and smiling in congratulations.

Li Wenying turned around, his two sword-like eyebrows particularly striking. A sense of a sheathed sword ready to be unsheathed was vividly displayed, making even the sky and earth seem to darken by a third.

He smiled faintly and said, "I owe this to your 'Inscription of the Humble House'. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Fang Yun replied.

"Join me on the cloud and let's head to the City of Confucius."

A white cloud appeared under Li Wenying's feet. Fang Yun walked over and carefully stepped onto it. The cloud felt soft like cotton, but once he stepped firmly onto it, it felt like standing on solid ground, with no discomfort.

Fang Yun stood next to Li Wenying, half a step behind him.

The cloud slowly rose, and Fang Yun immediately felt an invisible wall protecting him, preventing him from falling off.

Looking down, Fang Yun saw many people looking up at them, especially the children, who were clapping their hands and shouting excitedly.

The cloud soared into the blue sky, heading towards the Holy Academy.

Fang Yun looked at the clear sky ahead, the endless blue sea in the distance, and the forests and fields below, feeling relaxed and at ease.

Li Wenying said, "I presume you've finished reading my travelogue of the Holy Land. Any thoughts?"

"Lord, you are indeed brave and decisive, but it's a pity for some people," Fang Yun replied.

"That's the Holy Land, another battlefield for the human and demon clans, and a battlefield for everyone," Li Wenying said.

Fang Yun sensed that there was more to Li Wenying's words, but he couldn't guess what it was from this sentence alone.

After that, Li Wenying didn't speak again. Fang Yun could feel the talent energy surging around him, as if he was using his talent to do something.

Knowing that Li Wenying was not a man of many words, Fang Yun didn't ask anything else. He took out the book from Li Fanming from the Swallowed Lake Pearl. It recorded everything the Ji Saint Prominent Family knew about the Holy Land. Fang Yun read it again to reinforce his memory, even carefully remembering the details that were glossed over, to avoid major problems due to overlooked details.

The Holy Origin Mainland was much larger than the ancient country of China, and the locations of mountains, rivers, and other geographical features were also different.

The journey was smooth and uneventful. Two hours later, Fang Yun saw a range of mountains. Beyond the mountains was a plain.

The autumn sky was clear and the vast plain was dyed yellow by the autumn wind. The blue sky, the blue sea, and the yellow earth were the most beautiful scenery in the world. However, Fang Yun's gaze was drawn to a solitary mountain that stood out on the earth.

The mountain was inverted, with a thin base and a thick peak. However, the peak was shrouded in continuous white clouds, making it impossible to see what was on top.

Below the peak, a winding mountain road was clearly visible, with a few people faintly visible climbing up.

At the foot of the inverted peak was a huge city built by Confucius himself according to the "Book of Changes". From a distance, the city was a giant diagram of King Wen's Eight Trigrams.

Fang Yun felt an invisible but vast aura rushing towards him. It seemed to contain the greatest power of the human race, which was awe-inspiring.

This was the City of Confucius, also known as the Holy City, part of Qufu. Apart from the inverted peak, the entire Qufu Prefecture belonged to the Confucius Prominent Family.

The City of Confucius was the most prosperous city on the entire Holy Origin Mainland. Anything that could be found anywhere on the mainland could be found in the City of Confucius, and even things that couldn't be found elsewhere could be found here.

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The city was much larger than any city Fang Yun knew of.

After a long while, Fang Yun exclaimed, "What a grand sight.""Only the Saints are allowed to fly above the City of Confucius, I will land at the city gate." Li Wenying said as the white cloud slowly descended.

The City of Confucius was getting closer, and only then did Fang Yun realize that the city was much larger than he had imagined. The city wall was a staggering seventy-five feet high, equivalent to a fifteen-story building, and more than twenty-five feet wide. Apart from the Saints themselves, it would be impossible for humans to construct such an exaggerated city.

The city was bustling with carriages and pedestrians. The busy streets were crowded with people. From high above, the people looked as small as ants, filling the entire City of Confucius.

The two landed in front of the city gate, where many people were coming and going.

Most of the people around respectfully looked at Li Wenying, who was dressed in a green robe embroidered with clouds. A few people stepped aside to let Li Wenying and Fang Yun pass first, while others simply glanced at Li Wenying and continued on their way.

Some scholars recognized Li Wenying by his distinctive eyebrows and took the initiative to greet him.

Li Wenying nodded in return, then led Fang Yun into the city.

"The City of Confucius is divided into the inner city and the outer city. The inner city is the safest, and all the prominent families from various nations have properties there. I have a friend who owns a two-courtyard house in the inner city, which is usually maintained by two people. You will live there from now on."

"Alright," Fang Yun agreed. He thought to himself that in the Eight Trigrams of King Wen, Qian represents Heaven. Therefore, the inner city must be the place where the highest-ranking people in the City of Confucius live, and the center of the city must be the Confucius Prefecture Academy, second only to the Holy Academy in status.

Li Wenying said, "I haven't been to the Holy Academy for a long time. I will take this opportunity to go there for cultivation. On the fifteenth of the eighth month, I will come down from the mountain and take you to the Confucius Prefecture Academy to participate in the Mid-Autumn Literary Meeting in the Holy Land, where we will compete for a place in the top hundred. You are new here, so don't just stay at home and study all day. Walk around the inner city, relax, and don't worry about safety. You've been cooped up in Jade Sea City for too long. If you continue like this, I'm afraid you'll go mad." Li Wenying's tone was very relaxed at the end.

"Reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles are what we scholars should do," Fang Yun said.

"That's a good point. Then I won't worry. Let's take a carriage to the house." Li Wenying hailed a carriage, told the driver the address, and the two got in.

The City of Confucius was so large that even though Li Wenying had chosen to land at the gate closest to the inner city, it still took them nearly an hour to reach Tianbao Third Street.

Along the way, Fang Yun occasionally looked out. The City of Confucius was very well-organized. Every household had a doorplate, and the names of the streets in the inner city all started with the word "Tian", ranging from First Street to Ninth Street, and there were many streets.

The local customs were also very unique. The different architectures, dialects, and costumes of the ten nations converged in one city, which was an eye-opener for Fang Yun.

Fang Yun noticed that the biggest difference between here and Jade Sea City was the large number of Demon Barbarians. Moreover, the people here were not afraid of the Demon Barbarians. All the Demon Barbarians were very docile, probably because they had been domesticated for several generations.

This city seemed to have the power to calm people's hearts. Since entering the City of Confucius, Fang Yun felt much calmer. The schemes of the Meng family, the threats of the Left Chancellor, the competition for the Path of the Saints, and various other pressures temporarily disappeared.

Before long, the carriage stopped, and Fang Yun and Li Wenying got out.

The gate was open, and a middle-aged male and female servant who recognized Li Wenying hurriedly came out to greet them. Li Wenying and Fang Yun entered together, and after introducing each other, they sat for a while before Li Wenying left to go to the Holy Academy on the top of the Reverse Peak.

Fang Yun was eager to visit the Holy Academy, but as an Accomplished Scholar, he could not enter unless he found someone from the East Saint Pavilion. Even Li Wenying did not have the authority to take him into the Holy Academy.

After seeing off Li Wenying, Fang Yun settled down in the Zhou residence. The two servants were from the Jing Kingdom and knew of Fang Yun's fame. They were very enthusiastic towards Fang Yun and promised to take him to see the night view of the City of Confucius, which they claimed was incomparable to anywhere else. They also mentioned that it was nearing the Mid-Autumn Festival, and people were releasing lanterns by the Grand Canal every day. They suggested that Fang Yun should also go and join in the festivities.

Fang Yun readily agreed. The classics of the Path of the Saints were books, and so were the various aspects of life in the city.

After dinner, the three of them left the house and walked a few streets, where Fang Yun saw a strange scene.

A wolf Demon Barbarian, which judging by its size should be a Demon General, was leisurely walking down the street with a basket of vegetables in its mouth. When a cabbage rolled out of the basket, it quickly ran over to pick it up and put it back in the basket, then continued on its way with the basket in its mouth.

Fang Yun noticed that the people around didn't find this strange.

Passing by a market, Fang Yun saw a Savage Cow bargaining with a human vendor in fluent human language. It claimed to be a native of the City of Confucius and warned the vendor not to take advantage of its lack of numeracy skills. It then proceeded to calculate the cost item by item, more accurately than the vendor's abacus.

At the corner of the market, a green fish Demon Barbarian was complaining while scaling a grass carp: "You humans are so hard to serve! Why am I so unlucky? I was sold to a deceased Imperial Scholar, and when his family fell into decline, I had to go out and work to earn money. Half of what I earn goes to my master's family. Do you think I have it easy? I spend all day catching and selling fish. When will I be able to earn enough money to marry a fish Demon Barbarian from a wealthy family?"

(To be continued.)