After lunch, only a few scattered customers remained in the small eatery. A draft blew through the hall, bringing with it a quiet comfort. Bensheng lay sprawled across a table, his thoughts in disarray."DEER—BEN—SHENG!"A sudden roar shattered the peace. Bensheng started so violently he fell right off his chair. Ananda reacted instantly, darting toward the window. But the "Five Finger Mountain" descended even faster.With a startled "Caw!", Ananda became a crow in a fist.A burly man, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, now blocked the main entrance, his Tattered Robe fluttering in the breeze. Bensheng's eyes darted, assessing all exits: two doors, four windows. Yet every escape route felt like a dead end. Weighing his options, he could only summon his courage and stand up to greet the man."Old... Old Huang! What a coincidence?"The next moment, Bensheng was hoisted up like a chick, coming face-to-face with the similarly captive Ananda in the man's other large hand."You see me and don't bow, don't address me as 'Court Supervisor'? You're getting far too practiced at courting death," the man spat, showering Bensheng with spittle. "Instructor Xiao Bai has reported—yet again—that you skipped class! The scriptures you should be mastering remain a complete mystery to you, you fail the Academy Exam every single time, and you spend your days loitering in a low-class place like Six Dusts Street! You are, by far, the worst disciple I have ever had the misfortune of overseeing! I don't know where to put my face!"Court Supervisor Huang continued his tirade as he marched, quickly exiting the small eatery. The boss lady, holding Little Mile, watched and giggled. The regular patrons, accustomed to the sight of Court Supervisor Huang apprehending Bensheng, soon returned the main hall to its leisurely bustle. No one noticed the diner cloaked in black in the corner, a furtive glint in the rat-like eyes beneath his hood.He silently placed some copper coins on the table and left. Moving through the bustling crowd of Six Dusts Street, he slipped unnoticed like an eel into a secluded alley corner.There stood an old woman, bent and hunched, even shorter than the diminutive figure in black. She cautiously peered behind him."Did you bring it?" the cloaked man asked.The old woman offered an ingratiating smile. "Of course I did."
She pulled a small, narrow-necked vial from her pack. "Take a look, young master. This was obtained from a 'Five Penetrations Immortal.' Its effects last a full twelve hours."The cloaked man threw back his hood, revealing the same wretched face from six years prior. It was the human soldier tasked with capturing Bensheng—Wu Ni."You're certain this potion can transform one into a young maiden? You're not deceiving me, are you...?"The old woman affirmed, "This is a curse-art, fundamentally no different from spellcraft. One forms the hand seal and incants the spell in advance, but seals the magic before it takes effect onto a medium. With the specific key phrase, even an ordinary person can break the seal and use the spell for themselves. This vial contains the 'Shape-Shifting Art' in potion form. It allows one to completely assume another's form, flawless and undetectable. Hence the price is..."Wu Ni tossed a large gold ingot. The old woman received it with a beaming smile. As she turned to leave, a hook pressed against her throat.Moments later, a wisp of black smoke drifted away. The alley contained only Wu Ni. He pulled his hood back up and set off in the direction Bensheng had been taken.Years ago, he had gritted his teeth and followed Bensheng through the space-time portal, single-minded in his goal to capture the deer and report back to his lord. But the Academy's security was formidable; he found no opportunity. When he had finally given up and decided to return, he discovered the terrible truth: he was in the Seven-Leaf Country, separated from Chaoyun Country by countless miles. There was no way back...All because of his pursuit of Bensheng, he had become "exiled from his territory."For a man of Buzhou, this was a fate crueler than death. Especially for a lowly human soldier like himself, possessing no special skills. These years in the Seven-Leaf Country had been marked by ragged clothes, scant food, living like a dog just to survive.Unforgivable...He gritted his teeth, glanced at the small vial in his hand, and a cold smile flickered on his lips.He had just overheard some very interesting facts. This was a perfect opportunity delivered to his doorstep. He would kill two birds with one stone.
"Why can't you apply yourself properly?!"Old Huang's explosive shout made Bensheng flinch and duck his head. His white hair was already a mess; the fluffy, dishevelled locks combined with the bandage on his forehead made his small face look utterly pitiful. Old Huang nearly softened at the sight, turning his face away. "Useless!"Bensheng stared at him for a long moment before muttering a rebuttal. "That's not it.""Speak up!""...I don't want to be like this either!" Bensheng's own frustration boiled over, especially after his conversation with the boss lady, leaving his heart sour and bitter. "I don'twantto skip class! But... I can't read the scriptures! I can't learn from Instructor Xiao Bai. What else can I do besides go to Six Dusts Street and hope for a Serendipitous Encounter?"As he spoke, tears began to fall without him even realizing it. "My homeland... my parents, my clan... they're in grave danger. I still want to become strong, to save them... Waaah..."The grip on his collar loosened as Old Huang gently set him down.They had left Six Dusts Street and were now on a quiet high slope, shaded from the harsh noon sun by a giant Bodhi tree. Old Huang took off his Tattered Robe, spread it on the ground, and motioned for Bensheng to sit."Won't that get the robe dirty?""It's just a patched-up garment, what's there to fear!" Old Huang gave Bensheng's head a light pat and smiled. "Clothes are meant to be used. Are you really so scared of a piece of fabric? When I was your age, I had already succeeded as the clan leader and was leading troops into battle."Bensheng looked at him in astonishment."In Buzhou... those who cannot fight cannot survive," Old Huang said, gazing down at the green grass and trees, the neatly trimmed flower beds below. "Because every clan leader wants more territory, war never ceases. My father died early. If I hadn't taken command quickly, our small territory would have been carved up by others. Later, the land I conquered grew and grew, until even the King of Buzhou took notice. It so happened the Academy's Land Supervisor was present. He saw I had exceptional bone structure and, despite my age, selected me for enrollment.""When I first arrived at Zhouku Academy, all I knew was fighting,
and I was terribly arrogant. I caused no end of trouble. Couldn't control my strength, smashed desks and chairs. Didn't understand the Seven-Leaf language. Skipped class to brawl with street toughs... Truth be told, I was much worse than you. And because my natural talent was poor, I couldn't master the Great Prajna Arts, only the Lesser Prajna Arts at best. But I persisted for over a hundred years... and before I knew it, I had mastered the Lesser Prajna Arts thoroughly. That single achievement surpassed many of my more talented peers."Bensheng listened, enthralled, and unconsciously edged closer to Old Huang. "What happened then?""Then? Then I became a Court Supervisor!" Old Huang laughed. "So you see, Bensheng, we both lack talent—though you are worse off than I was. But there are still ways to strive. Even if we cannot achieve greatness, we can still reach our proper standing, like I did."Bensheng felt a surge of excitement and thumped his chest. "Old Huang, don't worry! I'll pass both the Academy Exam and the Court Exam, you'll see! And what's more, I'll become even stronger!"Looking at Bensheng's naive, earnest face, Old Huang was suddenly reminded of the meeting the four Court Supervisors had with the old Principal right after the Land Trial six years ago."If even Court Supervisor Huang, with his mortal aptitude, cannot learn the Greater Vehicle spells, then how can this mere beast-child, Bensheng, perform secret arts that surpass spell-craft?""Moreover, 'Passing Through Walls' and 'Path Beneath the Feet' are Kunlun secret arts, long lost to time.""Furthermore, these two secret arts were once used for theft and evasion, posing great danger to public order. They were prohibited from study by enlightened masters of past generations. If Bensheng is using them through artificial means like curse-art, under someone else' direction, then we must be cautious..."Court Supervisor Chiluo had fired questions relentlessly, pressing hard.At that meeting, Old Huang hadn't been able to say a word in rebuttal. Indeed, how could the vast gulf of inherent racial superiority and inferiority be so easily crossed?Just as the meeting seemed poised to conclude that Bensheng had cheated and his results should be voided, a figure had appeared gracefully, defusing the tension."Could it be that the Honored Court Supervisors were not present that day? Whether it was a secret art or a curse-art, others might
not discern, but with your spiritual penetrations, could you truly not tell?"If they couldn't even distinguish between a secret art and curse-art, they would be unworthy of their positions as Court Supervisors.This single statement left everyone speechless. The old Principal then cheerfully introduced her as his disciple, one who had been recognized by the Patriarch over a century ago and ascended to Kunlun for cultivation, only recently descended, named Zhong Lixi."I ask you all not to let racial prejudice and assumptions about innate talent blind you. This world holds geniuses capable of shattering all limits," she had said. Then, after collecting a new Base Garment from the old Principal, she had left to take on a mission.The meeting adjourned, but what truly caused the matter to fade away was Bensheng himself—he could never again perform those two secret arts.Over the six years, in his attempts to recreate "Passing Through Walls," Bensheng had periodically produced earth-shattering "collisions with walls," only to be carried away by senior medical disciples who used him as a teaching example for their trauma and injury courses. The bandage on his forehead today was likely another masterpiece in that series.Thus, the Court Supervisors had relaxed, no longer paying him much mind. After all, this level of struggle was the expected norm for a beast-child. Only Old Huang, feeling a kinship due to their similar backgrounds, took pity on him, expending considerable effort in the hope he could graduate successfully.Boasting was easy, but after parting ways with Old Huang, Bensheng was still at a loss.He trudged slowly back towards the Academy. By the time he finally reached the school gates, the sun was nearly setting. The tall Bodhi trees filled the air with their faint, soothing fragrance. Just then, he heard a clear, bright voice coming from behind one of the massive trunks."What? One scroll is missing?"A sleek black ponytail rested on her shoulder. The figure of the girl in red, even half-obscured by the tree trunk, seemed to radiate light."This is the Venerable One's original manuscript, to be displayed for the common people at tomorrow's grand ceremony! If one scroll is missing, the set is incomplete. I'll go fetch it now."
As the girl turned, she came face to face with Bensheng, who stood frozen on the spot.She smiled at him. "Bensheng, what happened to your forehead? Are you hurt?""But Yeluo, Court Supervisor Chiluo needs to see you..." another disciple said, hurrying out from behind the tree."Then what should I do? The underground palace locks at the hour of the dog. If I don't go now, I won't get it in time." She tilted her head in distress.From the moment Bensheng heard her address him directly, his whole body had frozen. His heart pounded wildly, hardly believing what had just happened. Nervously, tentatively, he asked, "Y-Yeluo, are you... having some trouble?"Yeluo frowned slightly. "It's like this. I was ordered by Court Supervisor Chiluo to retrieve the Venerable One's original manuscripts from the Royal Underground Palace for tomorrow's ceremony. But I was in a hurry earlier and missed one scroll..."She answered me!Overwhelmed with excitement, Bensheng blurted out without thinking, "I'll help you get it!"Yeluo smiled. "Do you know the way?"Ananda poked his head out of a pocket, letting out a derisive caw, which was promptly cut off as Bensheng shoved him back inside.Yeluo led him from the main gate around to the back of the mountain."The Royal Underground Palace isn't actually too far from the Academy, but taking the main roads would take too long—we'd definitely miss the lock-up. Luckily, there are several secret passages to the palace, and one of them connects directly to our Academy," Yeluo explained.Such confidential information was unknown to Bensheng, but Yeluo would naturally know it. She was the most favored disciple of the Court Supervisors in their year."Speaking of the Venerable One's original manuscripts, they're actually the precursors to the scripture texts we use now. The originals are straightforward and easy to understand. Anyone who reads them, even those who struggle with the formal scriptures, is sure to gain some insight.""Really?!" Bensheng's eyes widened.