Heir to the Ancient Scriptures

The ancient book

In the evening, Fen Lian and Zhang were taken by A Xiu's grandfather to a place where A Xiu used to practice with his students. This place is not far from the temple; a hall is in the middle of an artificial lake, so this place is very comfortable if used for just relaxing or practicing. A Xiu told her about some places in the temple so that later Fen Lian wouldn't be surprised if she asked to go somewhere in the temple. Although the appearance from the front looks small and worn out, who would have thought that once we got inside the temple, we would be surprised by buildings with ancient royal architecture?

"Fen Lian, for the next few days we will be practicing in this place. See how comfortable this place is for practicing breathing," A Xiu said.

Fen Lian nodded. There was no denying that this place was indeed very comfortable. Even Fen Lian herself felt at home here.

"Zhang, do you remember this place?" A Xiu asked Zhang.

The question made Zhang smile sweetly. "Obviously I remember; how could I forget this place?" he said.

Then Zhang stepped his feet near the guardrail of the place. Zhang gazed at the calm water below while holding the wooden handle of the barrier.

"Fen Lian, this hall is a witness to my uncle's struggle to stand here. How hard you struggled to gain the power that you now have!" he explained.

Fen Lian was intrigued by this conversation, so she followed her uncle and stood beside him. "Did you used to train here?" Fen Lian asked.

Zhang nodded. "Yes, this was my uncle's training ground. You used to fight together here, and there are so many sweet and bitter memories in this temple. But this is where the sweet memories are embedded," he said while looking at A Xiu.

"Uncle, if this is your training ground, does that mean my father used to train in this place too?" Fen Lian asked excitedly.

Zhang did not answer Fen Lian's question until a few seconds later, when A Xiu approached the two of them and lightly patted Fen Lian's shoulder.

"Your father didn't train here; he was exiled somewhere. But he also practiced in this place with Zhang and the others," A Xiu explained.

That made Fen and Liam frown. "Why were you stranded? And where was my father stranded?" Asked Fen Lian, curious to uncover facts about her father that she did not know.

"Teacher uncle knows where your father was exiled. He also knows why his grandfather exiled him; has he never told him?"

Fen Lian shook her head innocently. "Never, uncle guri was too serious in training to tell me anything," Fen Lian complained.

A Xiu frowned. "Oh yeah? Indeed, your teacher uncle has never been a joker; he is always serious when dealing with anything, which is why success is always in his hands. You must emulate him, but not with his headstrong attitude," A Xiu quipped.

Zhang shook his head at the insinuation. He knew that his teacher uncle was only joking with him; hence, he never took his teacher uncle's words seriously.

"You never asked; why would I tell you a story? Besides, it's not certain that you will listen to your uncle's story; you might get bored with the story that your uncle gives!" Zhang said, starting to speak.

"Of course not, uncle. So where was my father stranded?" He was still curious.

"The Valley of Eternity—your grandfather will take you there someday. Your father is a great man in this sect, so you have to be like your father to get to the Valley of Immortality!" Zhang said.

Fen Lian frowned. "Is Uncle also going there? Uncle is a great man!"

Instead of Zhang answering, it was A Xiu who answered Fen Lian's question. He knew that Fen Lian would definitely ask again, so he would stop the questions that had not yet left Fen Lian's lips before things got longer and more time-consuming.

"This teacher uncle of yours fought with your father in the past; there are so many stories if you want to hear them. Maybe someday your teacher uncle or grandfather will definitely tell you, but for now we better go somewhere because tomorrow we go straight to practice!"

Fen Lian nodded obediently, after which she followed A Xiu and Zhang's grandfather to a place where she did not know where they were going. Fen Lian only followed them from behind, until a few minutes later the three of them arrived at a pavilion still with an ancient feel.

This room was small but looked very neat. As soon as the door opened, they saw a row of books that were arranged neatly in the room. Apparently this place was like a royal library, and immediately the three of them went inside. This room is not very bright; there is only light from the lanterns attached to the walls of the room.

Fen Lian was no longer surprised to see this situation because she had previously seen it in her pavilion, and now Fen Lian already knew the reason why her father loved books so much because her own role model was a book lover.

"This is the four-season village temple library. Grandfather deliberately made a library like this because he really liked books; if you want to read, you can come here," said A Xiu.

"He doesn't like books; I'm sure he won't come here," Zhang said.

This made A Xiu frown. "Your father really likes books, so why don't you?" She asked.

Fen Lian shook her head. "I don't know; I don't know myself. I think reading books is tiring, dizzying, and makes us think a lot because, honestly, Fen Lian doesn't understand the language. Just looking at the writing makes me dizzy," she replied.

Suddenly, that made A Xiu laugh softly. "Whose child are you? You have the same personality as Zhang."

"I was also surprised to find out that Fen Lian has more in common with me than her father. But strangely, I don't see Kang Lian's side at all in Fen Lian; until this moment, I didn't see it," Zhang said.

A Xui nodded. Alright, no problem; if you know this, I will teach you martial arts like I did to your master. I'm sure you will succeed!" He said.

Zhang also nodded. "So far, I have been using the method taught by my teacher as well, but there is only one thing that makes me fail, and that is not being able to make Fen Lian a cultivator!" He replied sadly.

A Xui patted Zhang's shoulder lightly, hinting that everything would be fine. "That doesn't mean you failed; don't be discouraged, Zhang. Master is already proud to see you successfully educate students!"

"Uncle, this is all Fen Lian's fault, uncle is great, uncle don't feel guilty!" Fen Lian said sadly.

Zhang nodded. "Be serious in practicing Fen Lian, because later uncle will not continue to accompany you here; uncle must return to Jiangnan to train others," he said.

"But you will come to see me, right?"

"I will!"

"Hey! What's with all the exaggeration? Fen Lian is only practicing martial arts and not going to war; why are you so sad? I don't like this!"

**

"So what should I do now, brother?" Fen Lian asked A Xui.

Hearing this, the teacher's uncle immediately replied. "What are you going to do at this time of night?" He asked.

Fen Lian shrugged her shoulders indifferently. "Well, who knows? We can start practicing right now."

"Tsk! Can't wait anymore?"

Fen Lian scratched the back of her neck, which wasn't itchy from that statement. Until a few seconds later, A Xui answered Fen Lian's question.

"It's time to rest now; start practicing tomorrow, Fen Lian. Go to sleep already!" vomited on the grandfather.

Without further ado, Fen Lian nodded vigorously and walked towards the bed, located not far from where they were sitting. A Xui deliberately put Fen Lian to sleep temporarily in that place because they had just lived in his temple, so they didn't know enough about the places inside. Anyway,  the bed was also very comfortable, just like other beds in general; it was just that it was located outdoors.

While the two of them were still sleeping, A Xui and Zhang were still chatting together in front of the table, not far from Fen Lian. They had so many things to talk about, especially since they had never met before. It made both Zhang and A Xui want to ask and tell him a lot about his journey so far.

The small white glass was not silent, not even for a few seconds. The two of them continued to pour wine into the glass and continue to drink.

"Zhang, have you been happy all this time?" A Xui asked suddenly.

Zhang did not answer the question; the silence still enveloped the room, and he was still sipping the wine in the small glass casually. Until shortly after, Zhang put the glass on the table.

"I don't know, teacher, what the definition of happiness is. How can I feel happiness if I don't know what the definition of happiness is?" Zhang said this while looking at the teacher.

A Xui sighed softly. Since a long time ago, Zhang had never known what happiness meant, all because of his heart, which was shrouded in resentment and revenge against someone.

"So, are you still looking for your father's murderer in Jiangnan?"

Zhang nodded. "I will look for that person no matter what. I don't care even until I'm old; I'll keep looking for him!"

"But the teacher hopes that you won't overreact. Let bygones be bygones; learn to make peace with the past, Zhang, so that your life will be calm and happy!"

Zhang smiled wryly at that statement. Zhang's goal of going to Jiangnan was to find someone who had made his father die, but after staying in Jiangnan for a long time and not finding that someone, Zhang found some students that he could teach martial arts to and ended up with Fen Lian. After that incident, Zhang's goal of revenge slowly receded; his days were occupied with teaching his students, but believe me, in the bottom of his heart, he still holds that grudge alone.

Zhang poured the wine back into his glass and drank it down. "I don't know, teacher uncle; I don't seem to be able to be happy forever, nor do I need happiness at all. In fact, this world is actually narrow if we are close to luck, but somehow I find it very difficult to find this person."

"Maybe it's not a match yet. Never mind, Zhang uncle is tired of dealing with you, who are very stubborn. Whatever you decide, teacher uncle will always support you, but remember to always be vigilant and don't go too far!" plead with the teacher's uncle.

Zhang nodded his head slowly. "Uncle has always supported me, even though at first he kept asking me to change. But believe me, uncle, I will definitely be fine and take revenge according to the law that you have taught me!"

A Xui frowned. "Revenge laws? I never taught you all to take revenge, did I?" He asked.

Zhang chuckled softly at the statement. "Tsk! That's not what I meant! Uncle never taught us to take revenge, but he did teach us how to be kind to others. Let it be my business; you won't understand!" Zhang said in frustration.

A Xui shook his head in surprise at Zhang's behavior, which was still the same as before. The difference between Zhang when he was with Fen Lian and when he was with himself was that he was one young man who had two personalities. First, when he was with Fen Lian or others, Zhang would be cold and not talk much, whereas when he was with his teacher uncle, he would be very warm and talkative, and obviously, Zhang was very stubborn. He could position himself when he was with other people, which is why this Zhang was very dear to A Xui long ago because of his good attitude.

"Oh yeah, if you're here, what about your students in Jiangnan? Will they be okay there?" He asked suddenly.

Zhang nodded. "They're used to it themselves; after all, I'm working with the king in Jiangnan, so the guard is a bit safe even though I'm staying." He replied.

That made A Xui frown. "Since when did you cooperate?"

"For a long time, it all started with the king's son, who was stubborn and did not want to practice martial arts with his father. In the end, his father chose to entrust his son to Zhang."

"So now how is it going?"

"He is proficient, but he is very arrogant and annoying. I myself am surprised at this child somehow; making him proficient is very easy, but making him change for the better is very difficult. Even until this moment, Fen Lian is the victim of this child's bullying. I have repeatedly reprimanded her, but it's still the same thing over and over again. Facing ten stupid people is much easier than facing one smart person."

Suddenly, this made A Xui burst out laughing. From Zhang's side, who was very ignorant and cold, apparently he was also secretly feeling the same headache as a teacher as what he had felt at the moment. Indeed, being a teacher is not easy, but in reality, everyone is more proud when they become a teacher.

A Xui stopped his laughter as he patted Zhang's shoulder lightly. "That's what the teacher uncle feels; being a teacher is not easy. But you need to remember that being a teacher or the foremost example is something of an honor for us. Live up to it; basically, we can't change other people's behavior if it's not because the people themselves want to change! Cheer up, Zhang!"

Zhang sighed softly. "Believe me, I will look like this when I am with my uncle alone," he said. He then looked at Fen Lian, who was fast asleep. "Don't let Fen Lian know that I'm complaining," he said again.

"You bastard!"

Continued...