----------------------------------------

Chapter 17: Lecture of Enlightenment

----------------------------------------

It was a rather silent morning in the core disciples’ academic zone. There were few people out in the hallway. Most of the disciples here today were sitting in one place.

In the Hall of Enlightenment, almost two thousand core disciples had their eyes widened. It was said that taking a long journey, facing difficulties, and spending time with wise sage, all these would widen one’s mind. However, never did they think they would have such opportunity today… The fact was, their mind had been widened.

Shaken, even.

Taking a long journey? Nope.

Facing difficulties? No.

Spending time with wise sage? Err… was there any?

Um, all they did… was witnessing this guy!

Falling asleep in the middle of the Divine Scholar answering his question, what nerve!

A total disrespect, shameless!

While the crowd was still reeling in shock, a dazed voice greeted them… No, it was not simply a voice. The young man stretched his hands, his mouth opened wide. He quickly covered it, yet the sound still escaped. Clearly, for all to hear.

Huaa—Ops!

“Hm? Is it morning already?”

An Shan rubbed his eyes, looking around in daze. The blurry sight in front of him slowly becoming sharper.

…

He saw people, young people. So many young people, looking at him. While he was thinking how rude these youngsters were, staring at an old man waking up… He soon recalled, where and what he was doing. Right, right now he was not supposed to be an old man…

…

His eyes blinked.

Their eyes blinked.

The already silent hall, froze.

Realizing what happened, An Shan coughed.

“Ehem, well, who told you to take so much time answering Grand Elder… making me wait,”

As he said so, his fist covered his mouth. Hearing him, every disciple trembled.

The hell!

You fell asleep in the middle of your own questioning! That was already bad enough, you actually blame the other side? Not only did you not admit fault, you even blamed the Divine Scholar! Making you wait, your ass!

‘This, this boy…’

Grand Elder Rizhi’s face contorted. He felt like blood rushing up into his head, and the feeling of throwing up blood was great. He had always been respected where ever he went, being put up in high pedestal by so many people in their community. While he had been disrespected before, it was never this badly. Moreover, those who did were Grand Elders of similar seniority. This time, the one who did this was... a youngster!

A disciple!

In front of him, elder Tu Li was boiling in anger. Just where did this troublemaker come from, he had no idea. While he wanted to tear him to pieces, he could only grit his teeth, turning to his master for instruction.

Knowing what transpired, An Shan explained;

“Do excuse me, I didn’t do that on purpose. No disrespect to Grand Elder, it was merely my illness. I could easily fell asleep anytime. Again, excuse me,”

An Shan clasped his hands, making a gesture to appease the crowd. Hearing his answer, everyone either raised their eyebrows or knitted their eyes.

Was there such a terrible illness in this world?

Why haven’t we heard of it at least?

What a strange illness…

No matter what they thought of it, his answer sounded more like an excuse. Then again, they could not be so sure that such illness did not exist, so they could only shut their mouth. Ignoring their frustration, An Shan turned to Ling Shuren.

Their eyes met.

He blinked, she blinked.

...

“So… what did he say?”

Putong!

Many lost their balance.

“Brother An, you…”

You really fell asleep?

I mean, could anyone actually fall asleep in this kind of situation?

With so many eyes looking at them with enmity before, Ling Shuren felt so stifled that it was hard to even breathe out loud.

I could hardly breathe, yet brother, how could you… fell asleep?

Could you not be so blind? Read the situation for Heaven’s sake!

“Well? You could at least remember the core of it?”

Seeing Ling Shuren hesitating, he thought she might not remember it all. So he urged her just to give him the gist of the answer.

“W-well, the Grand Elder said…”

She related to him the answer from earlier. Hearing this, he frowned.

A lecture too profound, it might be harmful to one with lower cultivation? …Really?

The answer seemed rather bogus to him. Then again, he could determine its truth later on, so he let it be for now.

“Very well, I’ve already hold up the lecture for so long. Grand Elder, if you could please…”

Seeing An Shan gesturing him to start the lecture, Rizhi’s eyes twitched. How could one be so shameless? His gesture was as if saying, I’m giving you permission to do the lecture, go on. The heck? While he wanted to throw these two out, he already told Tu Li to let them be. If he reneged on his words so fast, he worried he would lose face.

And that was something he could not afford.

‘Hm, I’ll deal with you two troublemakers later…’

Standing up, he exuded the presence of an expert, undisturbed by worldly affairs. Finally, after so much delay, he started his lecture. This lecture was about their Supreme Ancestor An Shan, the Divine Light. Hearing the title of the lecture, An Shan rolled his eyes. Then again, he opted to listen to the content first before judging. Seeing everyone comfortable in their seats, Grand Elder Rizhi adjusted his mind, preparing himself to fully deliver the lecture.

“Praise be our Supreme Ancestor, the Divine Light…”

He uttered some awesome opening words for some time…

Quite some time…

…

And thus, a certain someone had trouble keeping himself awake…

----------------------------------------

Time seemed to pass by slowly…

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

During the early lecture, An Shan requested Ling Shuren do him a favor.

“B-but, brother An…”

“It’s a favor I’m asking of you… Naturally, I’ll compensate you,”

“That’s not the problem… There’s so many people around… Y-you’re not messing with me, right?”

“No way that’s the case,”

“Is…is it really, necessary?”

“It’s necessary. Just do it silently. Don’t worry, no one will notice,”

“A-alright…”

She agreed to it.

She was to pinch his thigh whenever he nodded.

He kept nodding left and right, jolting a bit whenever her tender fingers crept on him. Her action delivered a rather stinging pinch, with her fingers almost burrowing into his thigh. This was the reason she was hesitating. A mild pinch had no effect on him, so her sharp fingernails had to be used.

Seeing her pinching the ancestor with her fingernails, Ru-er up in the attic, felt her teeth grinding. It was bad enough she slapped him, now she pinched him? Then again, it was An Shan’s wish, so Ru-er could only bear with it.

Beside him, Ling Shuren was anxious.

She had to do it for him so many times. It was the first time she had so much contact with a man, yet she consoled herself that it was no big deal. Since he held her hand no more, and no one was watching what she was doing to him, she felt less nervous than before. Then again, this feeling…

‘Strange… what’s with me?’

Her heart was beating quite fast. She observed the sleepy An Shan, her left hand crept on his thigh every now and then. Whenever she pinched him, she felt a strange sensation, as if little lightning entering her. It delivered tingling sensation, crawling around her whole body…

It felt blissful, and thus her breathing became heavy.

‘How, how come, it’s so… good? I’m only pinching him, yet it felt like… Someone’s massaging me, all over… Master, I— what’s wrong with me?’

She felt guilty, yet the pleasantness was too much to ignore.

Her chest kept moving up and down. Elated, she fixed her eyes on him. Despite looking sleepy, some of the content from the lecture seemed too much for him to ignore. He kept mumbling some words every now and then. Usually, it was in response to the Grand Elder’s claims.

Claims such as;

“…He is the Light of creation. The One in the Heaven created him as the First, the Origin. All living beings are created from his seeds, all living beings are created to serve him,”

Hearing this, the sleepy An Shan almost coughed out blood.

‘How come I don’t know any of that, seriously…’

“For all of us to reach the apex, we must follow his sayings,”

‘Apex, the hell's that? And by sayings, did you mean the same nonsense that Tu Li guy uttered before?’

Listening on, he did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Grand Elder Rizhi did not stop praising him all the way up to the heaven. Actually, literally. In the story, while still living, he was even lifted up to the Heaven in his physical body by a Celestial Being, having one on one meeting with the One in the Heaven. In Rizhi’s narration, it was considered a virtue… No, an obligation to always praise the Supreme Ancestor, and even the One in the Heaven praised him all the time! Those who praised An Shan, the One in the Heaven would praise them ten times over, as gift!

Hearing this, An Shan’s eyes twitched.

‘What, the One in the Heaven doesn’t have better things to do…?’

“Remember, to reach paradise one must acknowledge him. He is the one reason we actually exist! Acknowledge him as Supreme. If not, one is doomed to hell,”

Hearing his claim before, a disciple could not hold out her urge from asking.

“Your Beloved, w-what if that person, a good person?”

“Hmph, someone who did not acknowledge the Supreme Ancestor, cannot possibly be good! Remember that!”

As if sensing her doubt, Rizhi refuted her in a decisive manner.

“B-but what if they did not know,”

“Then they’re at fault, ignorant! Listen, do not doubt this. Those who doubt this, reject the Heavens. If you reject the Heavens, then you’re doomed with the demons, to be burned in the Fire forever!”

“Y-yes!”

His decisive rebuff intimidated any who harbored doubt. The disciple who asked kept her face down. An Shan turned to look at her, plus several more disciples with similar expression. Knowing what it meant, he registered their face into his mind. While majority of them accepted the claim, these guys seemed not too convinced.

An hour of lecture had passed, but An Shan kept listening.

And Ling Shuren kept pinching, all while breathing and stirring herself around on her seat… Her thighs going up and down, restless…

…

The more An Shan listened, the more he felt like throwing a tantrum. He felt like so much shit was shoved into his ears.

“…During the Judgement Day, he has the privilege to overturn Heaven's judgment, to intercede in our behalf,”

‘What nonsense is this… I've no say over there. I don’t even know my own fate,’

He struggled to keep calm.

“Any of you, who devoted yourself to him, praising him, giving your life to him… If even the Heaven condemned you to hell, he will recognize you, taking you out from hell himself,”

‘Say what? I'll burn my hand! And how am I to go there? I don’t even know any of the gatekeepers… You think hell’s so small?’

He wanted to jump, to slap Rizhi squarely on his face. He did not even know of his own fate there, yet this one dared to utter such rubbish! Fortunately, even among the disciples, not a few felt that such a thing was a joke. Sensing hesitation in some of the disciples, Rizhi made a confident smile.

“Impossible? Hm, that was only possible for him. For he is the Heaven's exclusive lover!”

An Shan actually coughed blood.

‘…So the Heaven’s a lady, eh? I’ll be damned,’

Ling Shuren and a certain someone in the attic staggered. Ling Shuren took out her pink handkerchief, and immediately, An Shan took it from her, nodding to her in gratitude.

He had heard so much nonsense, he was wondering why he kept on being patient. He thought, perhaps he was waiting for a point, the point which was enough to merit this guy in front of him being left alive. While as a human, he did not hate people praising him. However, these praises were laced with lies!

Alas, two thousand years… Such duration was more than enough for so much corruption to creep in. He pondered about his descendants, how could they let such a situation to develop!

Can’t they think? Can’t they act? Don’t you guys have enough authority to intervene? If someone was to throw rubbish into your home, or even courtyard, what should you do? Shouldn’t you at the very least, beat the guy up half-dead?

What, you guys were sleeping?!

‘Damn it, I’ll spank you guys myself when I see any of you!’

When he was thinking so, Rizhi was still delivering the lecture;

“…For he is the one who stand on par with the One governing Heaven,”

His eyes trembled.

‘Stand on par… When did I,’

Looking around, he could see the core disciples, youngsters with so much potential, jotting down notes while looking at Rizhi with sparkling eyes. He delivered the lecture with such confidence, such a dignified tone of voice. In addition, his appearance was filled with grace. There were also many special words in his lecture alien to many, consolidating the fact that he was an expert!

With this fatty’s influence as a Divine Scholar, many people would believe him based on his popularity and the belief of majority. Even if nonsense were uttered by this kind of people, the masses were always prone to believe venerated experts expressing popular view. Even core disciples, these so-called young geniuses with bright future, celebrated by people all around their domain, could not avoid this tragedy.

And what a tragedy!

Looking at Rizhi, An Shan knew that this Grand Elder was trapped in his own belief. This guy did not even entertain the possibility that his belief could be faulty, that his teachers could be wrong, that the information he held could be amiss. This was proven when the disciple who asked before, was indirectly threatened of actually siding with the demons, doomed to hell forever!

Even when what she had voiced was purely logic, it was given no room for consideration.

Because of this, that disciple had to suppress her doubt, keeping her opinion down while siding with the crowd. With her being made an example, everyone who held doubt just then, swallowed their questions in.

An Shan could already see the consequences of such practice. Later, this crowd of core disciples would be the next Rizhis. They would spread the exact belief to their peers and younger generation. Due to the absent of second opinion and free discussion on the matter, it would create a vicious cycle of false belief.

…A dogma.

‘And the way he threatened her of siding with demons, he’s clearly stating all demons are evil… What the heck,’

An Shan shook his head. So much false claims, so much slanders. He prided himself as tolerant, but now he already heard enough to make up his mind. More than enough. Seeing the disciples, he felt his heart being torn apart.

‘What was it called? Trusting, naïve… Ah, gullible. This guy’s planting dangerous seed into them,’

He sighed. It seemed he had no other choice.

If possible, he would rather avoid taking a harsh measure towards his sect members. Yet a dogma like this was like a seed, of which one could be nurtured and grown into something hideous, and turned into something much more dangerous. Using An Shan’s name, people like Rizhi could move society into doing his biddings. In due time, fanatics could very well be created. These people would be zealous, blind to reasons.

An Shan related the lecture to events happening all over the continent, written in the reports he read a month earlier. All the fanatical aggression, conflict and even murders, all made in his name!

…And you expected people to respect our sect?

You crazy, ah, you?

‘I’ll have to take measures,’

And as An Shan was thinking, Rizhi seemed to change his tone, as if entering a new phase of the lecture.

“…And that’s why, I urge everyone here, to devote his or her entire life to our Supreme Ancestor, the great An Shan, gain the favor of Heavens,”

“Oh?”

This new phase made An Shan interested.

Seeing him being not so sleepy anymore, Ling Shuren had a little disappointment. Listening on, Rizhi explained on how to devote their life to An Shan, and that was possible, by following the Divine Scholars. For male, they could attend to the Divine Scholars and become their disciples, possibly opening up opportunity to become the next Divine Scholars themselves.

For female, they could pledge their beings for An Shan, saving their virginity for his eventual return. If, after they made their pledge, they were to become lonely, then they were allowed to marry a Divine Scholar. It was fair, since Divine Scholars were afterall, An Shan’s successors!

Their words were his words!

They were the embodiment of his soul!

Following on, Rizhi praised the parents who had pledged their sons and daughters back when they were still babies and children. To him, such parents truly knew what was best for their children. In return, they would be placed in high pedestal in the Heaven, guaranteed!

“…”

An Shan had a cold expression. He was sleepy, but after this last speech from Rizhi, he could forgo the extreme sleepiness. Because that was it, the phoenix’s feather which broke the dragon’s back!

He knew how much power could corrupt. With this in mind, he always exercised restraints. Yet now, no longer An Shan had any doubt, no longer any pity. Towards such people, he allowed himself to be ruthless.

Within, he contemplated…

Maidens not marrying their entire life, to gain the favor of the Heaven? How will they let out their pent-up desire, if the legal mean was blocked? With no legal outlet to release their desire, should they just pleasure themselves…

In their culture, men could very well go to an entertainment house every now and then, and only suffered a little damage on their reputation. For cultured women however, that was not possible. They would be persecuted by the public.

Women pledging themselves for someone they never even met, and no guarantee of actually living? Just how many people had fallen prey to this so-called teaching? Just how many had to endure such loneliness due to this so-called devotion?

Right then, he remembered Su Min.

When he made a Soul Search to check her cultivation, he noticed a blood mark. The blood mark was made by sharp object cutting deep into her flesh, just below her lower dantian. The characters clearly spelled Supreme Ancestor’s, declaring that she had taken the pledge of devoting herself to only Supreme Ancestor.

Thus, saving herself for his use.

While thinking of it, he recalled being puzzled by it. And also by the fact that, even when she had passed a hundred years of age, her soul remained pure, baby-like… Later he thought, why would she take such a foolish pledge? Was she being tricked earlier in life, when she was just a teenager? No, now he knew, such pledge could even be made while one was a baby or a young child, done by their parents… She might never have a choice then.

‘Pledge while still babies… Just how corrupted are you, you people using my name?’

Regardless of which one, the fact remained the same, this so-called pledge could only bring forth harm to the one in question. Thus for many long years, Su Min and countless other ladies had to suffer loneliness. For her case, she continued being a virgin for a hundred years!

The heck? How could that be called alright?

Is this devotion? Is this righteous? Am I the only one feeling abhorred with this?

Could anyone tell me?

Su Min’s image came up in An Shan’s mind… Bountiful mountains up and down, alone in her room at night, that tender hand of hers moving slowly towards that tender nether region...

Wait, stop right there!

Pleasuring oneself entire life? That would be pitiful...

A waste!

A woman should have a man. Both pleasuring each other, loyal to one another… Bound by an agreed responsibility called marriage, they were to support and comfort each other. Together raising children, they strive to make life enjoyable and meaningful. Later, they could rest while watching their grandchildren growing up…

That was the natural order of things.

Of course, it was not like she had no other choice. If she could no longer bear with such loneliness, she could always go to the Divine Scholars, and asked them to take her hand in marriage. With such a pledge, she could not marry anyone other than them.

But such a choice…

“…So that’s the case,”

While An Shan did not know who started this whole farce, he realized, this false teaching served these so-called Divine Scholars clear benefits. They could have their very own ‘legal’ harem. These girls who were tricked to take the pledge could not escape from this due to social pressure. The only way for them to escape from this mistake, would be to go to a place no one knew them, and only then married a person of their own choosing while keeping the matter a secret.

Otherwise, they would be persecuted.

Aside from establishing their very own harem, these Divine Scholars could spread their influence as well. For if their wives were capable ladies such as Su Min, or had connections here and there, their political influence would be strengthened. These were the short-term and long-term benefits.

From observing them, one could conclude this so-called act of devotion, served certain party their selfish interest. Thus, even if this would be proven as falsehood later, as the party which benefitted the most from this, these Divine Scholars would not admit to it. And as long as they would not admit it, their followers would unlikely do the same!

‘This cult-like shit entering my sect, poisoning my younger generation… Enough, I've heard enough,’

While he was gritting his teeth, the voice in front kept urging these youngsters to show devotion.

“Come, everyone! Give your name to elder Tu Li, and devote yourself to our Supreme Ancestor! Those who gave their name today, shall have Yours Truly, as your benefactor! Should you had some misgivings, you still can discuss it later. The pledging ceremony would be held during the New Year celebration. As a once every five years event, it’s truly an opportunity one should not miss—”

“Ha!”

A loud laugh, spreading through the hall.

Yet there was nothing funny about it, for it was filled with a mocking tone. The laugh turned the lively hall silent… As silent as a graveyard at night.

“…You,”

Again interrupted by the same person, Rizhi could feel annoyance all over. Staring at him, he could see An Shan smirking before uttering;

"Grand Elder really knows how to tell joke. I couldn't even tell whether you were serious or not,"

Hearing him, everyone had their eyes widened. His tone, his statement… If before, he was merely implying, this time…

He was clearly challenging!

=== Chapter 17 Lecture of Enlightenment End ===