Chapter 4: Forbidden Book Dragon and Phoenix Change

After Yunzhi left, Luyang and Meng Jingzhou, like the other disciples, went to see their own dongfu. However, before that, Luyang had followed Meng Jingzhou outside Wendao Zong to bring Lao Ma in.

Outside Wendao Zong, Luyang saw many newly joined fellow disciples reporting good news to their families. Whether it was a small family or a cultivating aristocratic family, having one of their own accepted into Wendao Zong was a major event worthy of being recorded in their clan history.

"Why didn't anyone from your family come over?" Luyang had also learned from Meng Jingzhou's occasional remarks that the Meng family was an ancient Xiuxian aristocratic family.

Meng Jingzhou said with a touch of pride, "I ran away from home!"

Luyang was speechless. What was there to be proud of?

After Meng Jingzhou led Lao Ma back to his dongfu, Luyang also returned to his own.

Luyang took out a jade pendant. An unfamiliar Shixiong had just given it to him, explaining that it was an identity token for Wendao Zong disciples; it could prove their status externally and internally be used to open dongfu and for other purposes.

The jade pendant was polished from Lingshi Sui and had "Luyang" inscribed on it. Many of its functions would only become usable after Luyang officially became a Xiuxian zhe.

Luyang placed the jade pendant on the stone wall at the entrance of the dongfu. The pendant emitted a faint blue light, resonating with the groove at the dongfu entrance. The groove flickered twice, and the stone wall automatically moved aside, revealing an unimaginably luxurious dongfu before Luyang.

As soon as he stepped into the dongfu, Luyang felt his body warm and comfortable, as if a wonderful energy was nourishing him.

"Is this the Lingqi they've been talking about?"

Luyang was quite surprised after realizing this. The concentration of Lingqi inside the dongfu was so high that even he, a Fanren, could feel it, which showed how extraordinary it was.

The dongfu's furnishings were simple: just a table, a putuan, and a straw mat. Compared to the spacious dongfu, it seemed quite empty. It was unclear if this was to instruct Wendao Zong disciples to practice Qingxin Guayu, or to allow disciples to decorate it as they pleased.

On the table lay a piece of paper, with content on both sides.

The front side stated that disciples who knew nothing about Xiuxian could first go to Yanchuan Feng to learn basic knowledge, or study independently at the Cangjing Ge.

The reverse side was a map of Wendao Zong, quite simplified, showing the main peaks of Wendao Zong with large blank areas. From the map, Wendao Zong spanned 100,000 li, truly vast beyond Luyang's imagination.

The content on the front side gave Luyang, who had no idea what to do for the next month, a direction.

Luyang yawned, ready for a good night's sleep.

From encountering rain upon leaving home, to relying on his sincere character and outstanding wisdom to pass three tests consecutively, earning the attention of Senior Sister Yunzhi and Second Senior Brother Dai Bufan, and finally becoming a Wendao Zong disciple—the events of this day had exhausted him mentally, leaving him so sleepy he couldn't even keep his eyes open.

"How come Wendao Zong doesn't even provide a pillow..."

Luyang muttered, as a full day's exhaustion surged over him. Not caring about comfort, he smacked his lips and quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Luyang woke up early. He planned to first visit the Cangjing Ge to get a general understanding of Zhongyang Dalu.

"Newcomer?" At the entrance of the Cangjing Ge, a Shixiong looked up at Luyang.

"Yes."

"Since you're new, I'll tell you the rules of the Cangjing Ge. The rules are very simple, only three."

"First, your current authority only allows you to read books on the first floor; you may read any book there as you wish. Second, you can only temporarily borrow one book at a time. Third, you must take good care of the books and not soil them; if you do, you must compensate at the original price."

"I understand." Luyang nodded. The Shixiong said no more and let Luyang in.

Inside the Cangjing Ge, Wendao Zong disciples were engrossed in their reading, their Xinwu Pangwu so complete that they didn't even notice Luyang walking past.

In the vast Cangjing Ge, there were only occasional footsteps and the rustling sound of pages turning.

The shelves were packed with a dazzling array of books, from introductory crosstalk for folk artists, to Xiuxian zhe's Gongfa Miji, to insights on Lianqi and Zhuji — everything imaginable.

Luyang was dazzled, not knowing which book to pick.

"What book is this?"

Luyang accidentally found a book wedged in a gap on the shelf, covered in thick dust, as if it had fallen there and hadn't been read in a long time.

He wiped away the dust, finally discerning the book's title: Longfeng Bian.

"What a powerful title!"

Luyang exclaimed softly. Without even looking at the content, he could feel a surge of Wangba Zhiqi just from the title!

He momentarily drifted off, as if he heard the sound of dragons and phoenixes singing in harmony. Illusory figures of dragons and phoenixes appeared before his eyes, lifelike, and then the illusions shifted, seeming to depict the process of dragons and phoenixes coming into existence.

Luyang snapped back to reality, looking around. The sounds and illusions had vanished.

"Was that a Huanjue just now?"

Luyang was suspicious, then slightly excited as he opened the first page.

Perhaps this was his Jiyuan!

Unexpectedly, the page was too sharp and accidentally cut his finger, causing a few drops of blood to fall onto the paper.

A sudden change occurred!

This ancient book actually emitted a golden light, as if something within it was about to break free!

Luyang's heart pounded. This process was completely unexpected and beyond his control; he didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse.

He even felt as if he was being watched by some powerful entity, instinctively paralyzing him.

This feeling grew clearer and clearer, indicating that the powerful entity was getting closer to him.

Finally, the powerful entity stood behind Luyang, silently watching him with a profound gaze, scaring Luyang into a cold sweat.

"You..." Finally, the powerful entity spoke.

"Here!" Luyang jolted.

"You dirtied the book."

The powerful entity frowned. Luyang turned around and realized it was the Shixiong from the Cangjing Ge entrance.

The Shixiong looked at the bloodstains on the book's cover, displeased. He had just reminded him not to dirty the books, and this kid had already spilled blood on one.

There was a Zhenfa inside the Cangjing Ge; any book that was soiled would emit a golden light, signaling the guardian of the Cangjing Ge.

"What book is this? How come I've never seen it before?"

The Shixiong picked up the book in confusion and flipped through it, his face changing drastically: "This... this is actually that legendary forbidden book!"

Luyang's heart swelled with joy. He couldn't believe his luck; he had found an ancient forbidden book the moment he arrived at the Cangjing Ge. He wondered what kind of secrets it contained.

"Shixiong, is there something wrong with this book?" Luyang asked, curious.

The Shixiong's expression changed, and he considered for a moment whether to tell this secret to the new junior disciple. After some thought, he spoke truthfully.

"This book meticulously describes the process of dragons and phoenixes mating. Because it was written in too much detail, the Longzu and Fengzu jointly complained, leading to it being listed as a forbidden book. I thought all copies had been destroyed, but surprisingly, one is still here! I wonder who hid it!"

In other words, it was a Huangshu.

Luyang was speechless. To hell with dragons and phoenixes singing in harmony!

He suddenly remembered that the Shixiong had said that soiling a book required compensation.