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What Chen Qinghan stared attentively at was a watercolor portrait. The subject was the profile of a beautiful lady, her long hair flowing to the ground, her eyes warm and gentle. In just those few strokes, her poise and nobility were fully revealed.
“Mother didn’t like to sit for portraits in the past. After Mother died, Father specifically made an artist paint her from memory.” Chen Mo walked over, full of tender feelings as he looked at this painting. He still vaguely remembered his father used to gaze just like this, those eyes even more loving than Chen Qinghan’s, and even more agonized.
This was the only place that could make Lord Chang’an melancholy.
“Not a single bit. This is not one single bit like her at all.” Chen Qinghan shook her head.
“Um…In Auntie’s mind, I wonder what Mother was like?” Chen Mo asked out of curiosity.
Chen Qinghan’s eyes seemed to ponder for a while, but she did not answer.
“Congratulations for making first place. You did not disappoint Auntie.”
“And many thanks for Auntie’s training.” Chen Mo chuckled. “Why not let me treat you to a meal someday?”
“Oh, you want to invite me out for a meal?” Chen Qinghan’s brows rose.
“I really, really do.” Chen Mo nodded.
“If you can make zhuangyuan,1 Auntie shall agree.” Chen Qinghand thought. This request was not unreasonable.
Chen Mo did not think that his Auntie would actually agree, making him very pleasantly surprised.
“This ‘Hanshan Asks Shide’ that you wrote in the Mind Trial assessment is not bad.” Hanshan Asks Shide had no spread throughout Great Chong Dynasty, being described as a g. After Chen Qinghan read them carefully, she also felt they were very outstanding.
This was the same as when she first heard him speak about Heaven placing a great responsibility on a great man, full of unimaginable charisma. If she had not personally seen it, Chen Qinghan basically would not have believed such a classical sentence could come from the mouth of a fifteen or sixteen year old.
“You actually have the potential to be a Zen Master.” Chen Qinghan smiled and said. “Becoming Auntie’s Servant Star might have been wrong for you.”
“Zen Master? Forget about it, I absolutely would lead people astray.” Chen Mo waved his hand.
Chen Qinghand was even more amused tp see Chen Mo so self-effacing. That Hanshan Asks Shide was enough to be acknowledged by the Zen School.
Seeing Auntie was unconvinced, Chen Mo rolled his eyes, leaking bad intentions.
“Auntie, if you don’t believe me, then I shall tell you a logic of Zen, and you shall understand.”
“Speak.”
Chen Mo stared at Chen Qinghan’s graceful, heroic, absolutely beautiful figure. He coughed a few times, seriously saying: “There once was a beautiful woman who went and asked a Zen Master: Why am I so young, beautiful, and provocative, but men still don’t love me. The Zen Master asked her in return, do you know why men love the ocean but not a lake?” Pausing, Chen Mo then asked, “Auntie, do you know why that is?”
“Auntie does not have Zen comprehension.” Chen Qinghan coldly spat.
Chen Mo then said: “That beauty thought about it, and excitedly came up with something. Because an ocean was a great challenge, and men all loved challenges, thus they loved the ocean, right?” When he finished, he looked to Auntie once more.
Heavenly General Star Chen Qingzhi considered it, pensive.
Chen Mo said: “The Zen Master said thus: Challenge, my ass. That’s because of climax.”2
Chen Qinghan was taken aback, understanding the meaning of climax. Her knuckles popped as she rapped Chen Mo sharply on his forehead. “What a brat, to surprisingly dare hit on Auntie.”
“That’s why I said having me preach to others will definitely lead them astray.” Chen Mo hugged his head, yelping in pain.
Chen Qinghan was furious but also wanted to laugh. If those Zen Great Masters knew that Chen Mo had such a surprisingly twisted understanding of Zen, perhaps they would have chased him to the ends of the world to kill him.
“How is your cultivation now?” Chen Qinghan sat on a chair, lifting one slender, beautifully white jade leg onto the other.
Chen Mo stole a few more glances at her, exercising his True Qi and Qi-blood. Profound qi concentrated over his head, blossoming into two flowers.
“Your progress is barely passable.” Seeing that Chen Mo already was at a complete Two Flowers Overhead, Chen Qinghan spoke flatly. “You are now able to cultivate Divine Intent and should be able to go to the Underworld Grotto.”
“I plan to go in two days. Right, I found a few companions. Auntie, this isn’t a problem, right?” Chen Mo explained about Qin Shaoxu.
Chen Qinghan twisted her brow, her gaze cold.
“I heard that the Underworld Grotto has a lot of ghosts and Demon Beasts. Um, more people makes things easier to handle.” Chen Mo was very diffident in the face of Auntie’s stare.
“Your thinking is correct, however, at the very end, you must open the box alone. This is a must.”
“I will definitely keep Auntie’s reminder in mind.”
Afterwards, Chen Mo showed his Bagua as always, and Chen Qinghan has surprised to find that Chen Mo’s Bagua had the sense, his punch-intent already abundant. Even if one technique was practiced to the heights of perfection and completeness, it would still be an ordinary technique, but once a sense for it was refined, then this technique could combine in a thousand different ways with his own martial arts, forming a unique style.
This was the highest level of martial learning a warrior could achieve, becoming a Saint of War.
And among Star Generals, this was the gate of enlightenment to comprehending the Heaven, Earth, Dark, and Yellow.
Chen Mo’s Bagua was now in swift in its boxing, already able to vaguely touch upon this aspect.
“What did you encounter as of late?” Chen Qinghan immediately sensed that something happened to Chen Mo.
Chen Mo had nothing to hide from Auntie, so he informed her honestly of what happened during the Martial Trial assessment in the labyrinth, withholding those negligible assassins, starting from the Star General “General of Pingnan” Chen Bozhi up to the Ice Breaker Snow Slicer of that white-clothed woman’s straight saber.
All the while, Chen Qinghan was expressionless, but those eyes that were as white as ice and frost nevertheless sparkled more brilliantly than snow.
“Evil Smiting Hall True Spirit? Did you say that True Spirit entered your Star Nest?” Chen Qinghan asked.
Star Nest?
What’s that?
Chen Mo said: “Should be. But I don’t sense anything different, just that some techniques appeared in my mind.”
Chen Qinghan stood up and grabbed Chen Mo. Both her hands swept all over him, from his shoulders to his feet, from his back to his front, practically scrutinizing every inch of Chen Mo’s skin. Chen Mo only felt Auntie’s hands were both cold and warm, extremely soothing in their touch. He was almost unable to stop from making a fool of himself.3
“Auntie, just what the hell is an Evil Smiting Hall True Spirit?” Chen Mo was perplexed.
“Do you know about the Star Duels from a thousand years ago?” Chen Qinghan asked.
“I know of them.” The thousand year Star Duels, everyone in Star World knew about them, for they were but the glory of the Great Purple Rose Emperor.
“Legend says Evil Smiting Hall opened with one hundred and eight Demon Stars. Because they had inherited Star Names, they were very special. Back then, the Great Song Empress used Evil Smiting Hall and the Star Duels Heavenly Book to initiate this ritual.”
“But didn’t the Purple Rose Star Emperor end the Star Duels?”
Chen Qinghan shook her head: “It is said that this ritual can only be stopped by the Xuannü of the Nine Heavens, but I do not know why the Purple Rose Star Emperor wanted to terminate the Star Duels. Thus, he had the 108 Demon Stars each leave behind a trace of their consciousness. This way, they were able to suppress the Star Duels, and the Purple Rose Star Emperor then went to Maiden Mountain to seek out the Xuannü of the Nine Heavens. We Star Generals have come to call them Evil Smiting Hall True Spirits.”
Because he was not a Star General, there were many private matters that Chen Mo was entirely unaware of, and he seemed to only understand about half of what was happening.
Chen Qinghan felt there was no point talking to Chen Mo about this and slightly wrinkled her brow, speaking bluntly: “In short, these True Spirits are located at one hundred and eight points throughout Star World, suppressing the Evil Smiting Halls. Legend says that each True Spirit is engraved with the combat experience of that Star General. Furthermore, this also pertains to the Romance Of The World rumor, so Star Generals all want to obtain this piece of consciousness.”
“But these True Spirits that followed the Purple Rose Star Emperor are all exceptionally powerful. I remember one Evil Smiting Hall True Spirit was discovered several centuries ago. Several hundred Star Generals ended up dying.”
“True Spirits are the person themselves?” Chen Mo asked curiously. Inside the Bagua Array, he felt that the girl was quite real and was able to perceive the girl’s every word and movement, even her breath.
“Only a remnant piece of their consciousness. That you were able to obtain this consciousness’ recognition is strange. Auntie has never heard of this.” Chen Qinghan shook her head. “However, perhaps it is because your Star Energy is insufficient that you are unable to comprehend this True Spirit’s experiences.”
After Chen Mo heard this, he thought that there was no disadvantage anyways. On the contrary, because of that True Spirit, Chen Mo’s mind had some stunning swordsmanship, but it was a pity that he needed to use a saber to cultivate them. This was depressing.
“Do not tell anyone about this, you understand?” Chen Qinghan gravely ordered.
Chen Mo naturally understood. If others learned that he was able obtain the acknowledgment of Evil Smiting Hall True Spirits, the Central Star Field perhaps would capture him for research and dissection.
“Right, Auntie, do you know Chen Bozhi?” Chen Mo noticed that Auntie never brought up the matter about Chen Bozhi, so he asked.
“Never heard of her.” Towards this Star General whose name differed from her own Star Name by one character, Chen Qingzhi’s reaction was quite indifferent.
But it was no wonder. Star World had millions of Star Names. To be able to distinguish themselves from the rest, all Star Names that were able to move Star World possessed significant accomplishments, according to the rumors.
This included even Heavenly General Star White Robed God Of War Chen Qingzhi. In fact, before Chen Qinghan, Chen Qingzhi was merely an insignificant and obscure Star General.4 The nickname White Robed God Of War was just a decoration.
She fundamentally could not compare to top-notch Star Generals the likes of the Four Lords of the Warring States. Until Chen Qinghan had emerged as a new force to be reckoned with, killing her way into the Central Star Field from the Outer Star Field in one go, defeating enormous armies, obtaining her reputation of Magnificent Army Avoids The White Robe. Since then, this Star Name was considered among the best, her legend being embellished even now.
“Auntie, why did you invade the Central Star Field back then?” Chen Mo could not help but ask this question.
Chen Qinghan smiled and said: “What do you feel about this name, Magnificent Army Avoids The White Robe?”
“It really gets my blood pumping.” Chen Mo could just imagine Chen Qinghan with her single spear and horse, feeling endlessly moved at the sight of her forcing aside the massive army. Star World had not such a legend in so many years.
“Not only do we Star Generals inherit and pass on this Star Name to make it eternally indestructible…” Chen Qinghan suddenly fished out her own Seven Star Destined Weapon, the Nine Hells Condensed Frost Spear. In a split second, ice and snow flew, freezing the room.
“There is also another goal, do you know?” The spear pointed at Chen Mo. The incisive spear that was as beautiful as snow and frost blossomed a snow-white light. The seven Stars circled around each other, forming an absolutely wondrous scene.
“To make this name shock the world!”
Eight words.
Her heroic spirit bounded through the clouds, cleaving open the world.
Thinking back to the obscure Chen Bozhi, Chen Mo abruptly understood why the woman would grit her teeth back then when he mentioned Chen Qingzhi’s name, nursing a grudge.
There was definitely envy.
But there definitely was also the pain of being far inferior.
Name.
Star Name.
Her own Star Name.
Chen Mo suddenly had an urge to carve his own name forever into Star World’s starry sky.
Author’s Note:
Can’t post any more new chapters tonight since I’m busy. I’ll work hard to do so tomorrow.
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- 狀元, the highest score in all civil service examinations. ↩
- Yes, Chen Mo just cracked a sex joke at his aunt. The phrase is 大海波大, which means “ocean waves are big.” In reality, this is an innuendo. ↩
- ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ↩
- In other words, before Chen Qinghan incarnated as the current Chen Qingzhi, this was an unimportant Star Name. ↩
If I remember right, that Great Song Empress instituted the Liangshan Star Duels as a way to ‘farm’/forcibly recruit Star agenerals with enough power to defeat Fang Moujia, yeah? And Fang La is like, the ABSOLUTE peak of what a Star General is, yeah?
Su Xing HATED the Star Duels. His words. He even thought about quitting if it meant sacrificing more of those girls… Fang La, for whatever reason, was SUPER interested in him.
Come the 9th Star Duels and he ended the Liangshan Star Duels and pretty much blitzkrieged Star World to end the system once n for all, yeah?
Seems he partially succeeded but is playing the long game to do it. Is he still alive then? And does n9body kn9w the truth about why he did what he did?
Hehe… Chen amo wants some Auntie action… NOICE!
It’s been a thousand years since Su Xing disappeared. There’s been a lot of time for facts to become twisted and information to decay.
Right. I keep forgetting about that…
I just keep thinking, with as long lived as some of the characters can be, that SOMEBODY would be around who knows the truth.