Chapter 15: The Scholar's Obsession

"Lord Zhou," Gu Xu smiled as he witnessed this eerie scene, explaining, "These students of yours did indeed pass away eight years ago. However, due to their obsession with the imperial examination, they have forgotten the fact that they are already deceased and still believe themselves to be alive."

Lord Zhou stood there, speechless and stunned.

Eight years ago, these scholars were his personally taught students—

Jiang Wenyuan came from an esteemed scholarly family, gifted and intelligent. Since childhood, he was known as a "prodigy" and had even ranked first in the examination of Yishui County.

However, the province of Jiaodong boasted numerous talents. This "prodigy" from a remote small county had no chance in the imperial examinations, not catching the attention of the examiners.

As a result, he failed three times.

The once-spirited young man, shattered by repeated setbacks, became a desolate and depressed youth drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

...

Wei Ming, on the other hand, was a poor boy from a humble background, not particularly bright but diligent and hardworking. He had one goal in mind: to pass the imperial examinations and bring honor to his bedridden mother.

Unfortunately, the imperial examination was as difficult as crossing a precarious bridge with thousands of soldiers and horses. Some individuals not only possessed greater talent and better family backgrounds than him but were also more hardworking.

As a result, Wei Ming failed the examination multiple times.

After fifteen years of trying, he was still a poor scholar.

...

Then there was He Xiaoliang, an interesting fellow.

Originally, he was the young master of a landlord's family, enjoying a life of luxury from an early age. He even had a pre-arranged marriage with the magistrate's daughter.

The favorable environment turned him into a pleasure-seeking playboy.

But later, his father passed away, and their family fortunes declined.

Those who were once polite and smiled kindly at him became cold and indifferent, even mocking him.

The magistrate's daughter came to him with the marriage contract, demanding to call off the engagement.

He Xiaoliang was furious.

In front of everyone, he shouted, "Do not bully the young and poor!" and made a vow to showcase his abilities in the imperial examination, making those who looked down on him take notice.

But things did not go as planned.

"Do not bully the young because they are poor" turned into "Do not bully the youth because they are poor", which turned into "Do not bully the middle-aged because they are poor", and it turned into...

...an inconspicuous grave on the hilltop.

...

However, all of this was scattered to the wind in the disaster eight years ago.

These students, along with their dreams, turned to dust.

No one would remember their struggles in the cold study rooms.

Their names recorded in history would only be remembered as victims of the "Curse of the Nine Infants"—

The "Nine Infants" referred to the "ferocious god" snake monster that devoured many people back then. Every resident of Yishui County wished they could tear it to pieces.

Because it was difficult to completely kill it, it is currently sealed underground by the Great Qi Imperial Tutor using talismans.

Thinking of this, Lord Zhou's emotions became even more complicated.

"Young Hero Gu, what should we do?" He turned to Gu Xu, his expression dazed.

"Let me help them transcend," Gu Xu pondered for a moment and replied, "Lord Zhou, what you see in front of you are no longer the students you once taught. They are now remnants of their regrets, giving birth to lost souls and ghosts nurtured by Yin energy.

"Perhaps, for the time being, they harbor no ill intentions towards you. However, if they are allowed to continue absorbing Yin energy, their remaining rationality will be consumed by malevolent thoughts, eventually growing into fierce and terrifying vengeful spirits, endangering the lives of the county's students.

"Guiding them to reincarnate and be reborn as humans is the most appropriate choice."

Lord Zhou let out a long sigh, his face solemnly nodding.

But just at that moment, something unexpected happened.

If Gu Xu guessed correctly, these remnants of scholar spirits seemed to have suddenly detected the aura of his Summoning Spirit constitution.

Although their rationality remained, it was evidently not enough to resist such a strong temptation.

The reverence and confusion in their eyes vanished instantly, replaced by greed and madness—as if starved wolves had suddenly found prey delivered to their doorstep.

A black mist rose.

Yin energy surged into their bodies like a torrential flood.

Their figures swiftly contorted and transformed.

Their complexion turned dark and blue, and fangs sprouted from their mouths.

Then, with a menacing glint in their eyes, they let out a deep roar and lunged toward Gu Xu and Lord Zhou.

Lord Zhou was petrified, unable to maintain his balance.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" he screamed, his legs giving way as he collapsed on the ground, his mind going blank.

"Lord Zhou, please remain calm," Gu Xu remained composed, "I am here."

Simultaneously, he reminded himself to wear earplugs the next time he encountered the screaming Lord Zhou.

At this moment, Gu Xu had already estimated the strength of these scholar spirits—

Slightly stronger than ordinary evil spirits, but far inferior to the Painted Skin.

They could be considered more advanced "wandering souls" but had not reached the level of "wild ghosts."

In short, they belonged to the kind of ghostly creatures that Gu Xu could easily eliminate.

"So, you're so eager to bask in the sunlight?" Gu Xu's lips curled upward slightly as he took out several "Supreme Northern Pole Demon-Slaying Ghost-Killing Talisman" from his pocket, recited an incantation, and lightly tossed them forward.

Radiance bloomed within the room.

It was like the dawn illuminating everything, revealing all things.

The gloom vanished in an instant.

The ferocious remnants of these scholars also dissipated without a trace, leaving no trace behind.

As if they had never existed.

The radiance faded.

Lord Zhou remained motionless, sitting paralyzed on the ground, his face as pale as a corpse, still unable to recover his senses.

"Lord Zhou, are you alright?"

"I... I... I'm fine."

Gu Xu gave a faint smile, reaching out to help the dazed Lord Zhou up from the ground.

It must be said that for an ordinary person like Lord Zhou, tonight's events were somewhat difficult to accept.

Students who had passed away years ago suddenly appeared in front of him, only to transform into bloodthirsty monsters—

Such a scene was enough to leave a deep shadow in his heart.

Gu Xu sighed softly.

Then, he closed his eyes and silently recited the "Mantra for the Dead":

"Supreme heavenly decree, transcend the lonely souls, all ghosts and spirits, may they be blessed in the cycle of life..."

Oh, the ill-fated scholars, may you not endure the hardships of repeated failures in your next life.

...

After a moment, the two of them returned to the gate of the county school.

The night was hazy, with a chilly autumn wind blowing.

Moving clouds occasionally swallowed the moon, only to spit it out again.

Since the effectiveness of the talismans had expired, the red lantern in Lord Zhou's hand had reverted back to a piece of scrap paper and was casually thrown into the trash heap by Gu Xu.

"Thanks to Mr. Gu's assistance this time," Lord Zhou finally regained some composure, clasping his hands together and bowing deeply to Gu Xu, "If it weren't for Mr. Gu's profound skills and exceptional abilities, I'm afraid I would have perished in the hands of those... those monsters."

Unconsciously, Lord Zhou had changed his address for Gu Xu from "young hero" to "mister."

In the Great Qi Dynasty, "mister" was not a common form of address.

It was a respectful title for a teacher, a revered elder, or a person of knowledge and status.

Of course, it could also be used to address an extraordinary cultivator.

It was evident that Lord Zhou had forgotten Gu Xu's youthful age and began to treat him as an equal.

...

Footnotes:

(1) "Like dawn illuminating everything, revealing all things." - From the Song Four Compartments Music Song Eleven: The Feast. (Southern and Northern Dynasties, Wang Shaozhi)

(2) "Supreme heavenly decree, transcend the lonely souls, all ghosts and spirits, may they be blessed in the cycle of life." - Taoist Mantra for the Dead.

(End of Chapter)