Chapter 158: Monk Changqing

Chu Youcai rode furiously for four or five consecutive hours. By now, the horse beneath him had reached the absolute limit of exhaustion and could barely run any further. He then made the horse swallow a specially formulated medicinal blend he carried in his arms, and instantly, the horse regained its vigorous spirit.

Regulating its stamina with the medicine in this manner, Chu Youcai finally arrived at Mount Tai, where the Scripture Fragrance Pavilion was located, just as the sun was setting.

At that moment, the Crimson Cloud Horse finally let out a neigh, its entire body drenched in blood and sweat, and collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

Chu Youcai gently patted the horse's body, fed it another dose of the medicine, and then said, "Thank you. Once you have recovered on your own, run back to the town and find Manager Sun."

The Crimson Cloud Horse seemed to possess spiritual intelligence; it nodded and swallowed the medicine.

Afterward, Chu Youcai rose into the air, gliding toward the foot of Mount Tai.

Before long, he arrived at the base of the mountain.

Upon reaching it, Chu Youcai discovered that Mount Tai was towering and unreachable, piercing straight into the clouds. It was impossible to tell its exact height, but it appeared immensely perilous and steep.

At the same time, countless waves of fragrance drifted densely down from the mountain. Anyone who inhaled them instantly felt refreshed, relaxed, and mentally clear.

Upon smelling the fragrance, Chu Youcai felt the fish-scale saber in his arms suddenly begin to stir restlessly, as if some aura on the mountain was attracting it and urging it to undergo a transformation, emitting a joyful and eager humming sound.

"This aura must be the scripture fragrance, right? To be able to drift all the way down here from the summit, this scripture fragrance is truly incredible," Chu Youcai thought, his heart stirring.

Meanwhile, numerous people were clustered at the foot of the mountain, discussing animatedly among themselves: "The scripture fragrance aura this year is twice as strong as in previous years. Did you feel it?"

"Indeed. This is the first time such a phenomenon has occurred in decades. How could this be?"

"Perhaps it is because this year's scripture fragrance has accumulated for so long that it is now gushing forth all at once? I heard that people from both the Li and Yuan families have arrived."

"What? The Li and Yuan families? Those are the supreme sanctums of Runemasters, far superior to the Sculpture King of our Ghost Market! That is genuine Runemaster heritage! Their clans possess refining treasures far more potent than the scripture fragrance. Why would they come here? Are you just guessing blindly?"

"That much I do not know. Perhaps their purpose, like that of the Sculpture King, is to see if any prodigies appear this time and take them on as disciples."

"So that's how it is! Since nobody passed the Sculpture King's trial, he ultimately announced that he would select a disciple during this scripture fragrance trial. No wonder there are so many people participating this time. It seems yet another fierce battle of dragons and tigers is about to unfold."

"A fierce battle of dragons and tigers may not necessarily happen, because I know of a certain Young Master Chu Yuwei, who has just subdued four outstanding Runemasters. I'm afraid no one will be able to surpass him this time."

"I have also heard of him. It is said he is a brilliant disciple of the Yan Sect. The Yan Sect represents orthodox Daoism, while the Li and Yuan families represent orthodox runology; both are places of great admiration. However, I heard there is also a Third Young Master Chu, rumored to be locked in a life-or-death arena grudge match with that Chu Yuwei. I wonder if he will come here?"

"Third Young Master Chu? Never heard of him."

Chu Youcai walked forward, the discussions of the crowd falling upon his ears, yet his inner mind remained calm and undisturbed, his gaze holding only a trace of resolute determination.

He walked up to the entrance of the Little Qing Temple ahead, where many monks were standing guard, preventing unauthorized persons from passing.

When those monks saw Chu Youcai approaching, their brows furrowed slightly, and one of them said, "Your Excellency has arrived too late. I'm afraid it is already too late."

Chu Youcai was startled and asked, "Has the registration period ended?"

The monk shook his head and replied, "That is not the case. But there is only half an hour left, and you must pass the Runemaster examination. Not only must you be able to write runes, but you also have to answer twelve sets of test papers. There simply isn't enough time."

"Twelve sets of test papers?" Chu Youcai asked.

The monk explained, "Precisely. The examination tests the experiences, empirical methods, and life deeds of past Runemaster predecessors from the Loulan Continent and the Ghost Market."

Hearing this, Chu Youcai's heart skipped a beat. Although he had become a master of literature, he had never even heard of those runic predecessors, let alone be able to answer questions regarding their life deeds and empirical methods.

He could not help but frown.

With only half an hour remaining, would he have to force his way in? If he did that, he would inevitably be disqualified.

Just at that moment, he suddenly noticed a procession of people riding horses approaching slowly from a distance. Among them was a young master with delicate features, though his gaze carried a hint of profound piety.

The young master's attendants wore lavish attire, clearly indicating that his status was far from ordinary.

When the young master reached the entrance of the Little Qing Temple, he merely took one look and sighed, "The scenery remains as it was of old. Indeed, it is true."

Seeing this, Chu Youcai felt an inexplicable stirring in his heart.

Just then, several monks came out to greet them, saying, "Might you be Young Master Su? Sometime ago, you sent someone to deliver one thousand taels of silver to repair the Buddha's golden body. Our humble temple is deeply grateful."

Young Master Su glanced at these monks and said, "Yuanqing, Yuanming, do you no longer recognize me?"

The monks were taken aback and asked, "The benefactor knows us?" Their eyes were filled with curiosity.

Young Master Su sighed and asked, "Is there an elderly master named Jiefang at the Changqing Temple on your mountain?"

The monk replied, "That master passed away just three days ago."

Young Master Su said, "I wish to pay my respects to this elderly master. Would it be convenient to grant me passage?"

At this, the monk shook his."Young Master Su, today is the day the Scripture Fragrance Pavilion of Mount Tai opens. One must possess Runemaster qualifications in order to enter the Changqing Temple on the mountain to participate in the official examination. Therefore, under no circumstances is anyone else allowed to enter today."

Young Master Su let out an "oh" and was about to continue speaking when his voice suddenly trailed off.

For he saw someone walking toward him.

It was Chu Youcai. He stepped before Young Master Su and said, "I, too, have come to pay my respects to Master Jiefang. I have heard that his mastery of Buddhism is profound, and he once composed a poem: *The mule train rings with rows of bronze bells, charging through the piercing morning cold to pass Changqing. Swinging my whip, I savor the lingering snow, while donkey hooves slowly tread the mottled, verdant mountains.* I have admired him for a long time."

At these words, Young Master Su's gaze flashed like lightning, piercing into Chu Youcai's face with a look of suspicion as he asked, "This poem was never shown to outsiders by that master. How does Your Excellency know it?"

Chu Youcai nodded and replied, "I heard it by chance and committed it to memory."

Young Master Su then narrowed his brows, adopting the demeanor of an old monk upholding monastic precepts, and remarked, "This poem was written in the sixth lunar month. Where would there be any lingering snow? That Master Jiefang likely wrote it on a whim without much deliberation, did he not?"

Hearing this, Chu Youcai was certain that the person before him was the reincarnation of the Changqing monk Jiefang.