Seeking Truth with a Sword

Chapter 409 - 360 Book Ban

The vacation ended. A new semester began, along with a new schedule.

Li Ang walked along the shaded path outside the supervision building, a talisman fluttering in his palm like a slippery loach.

Ever since the Qixi incident when Mo Si went out of control, he had intentionally controlled himself to stop misusing Mo Si, shifting his focus to studying talismanic principles and Mind Study instead.

His progress was evident. He could now inscribe talismans without a pen, directly using his Telekinesis to imprint vermillion powder onto the talisman’s surface, forming script and patterns.

This was considered one of the advanced techniques of talismanic study.

In battles between Great Practitioners, even the blink of an eye could determine victory or defeat. Being a moment faster in forming a talisman meant an added chance of survival.

"The journey is long and the path is far, I shall search high and low..."

A sonorous recitation of an oath echoed from the square, where the new students of the fifth year of Zaiqian were holding their entrance ceremony.

Li Ang walked past the edge of the square, his gaze sweeping over the vibrant young men and women, feeling somewhat emotional. Before I knew it, it’s already my third year in Chang’an. The world is changing, Yu Country is changing, but it seems the Academic Palace’s summer entrance ceremony will never change.

"Senior Li Ang."

"Senior Risheng."

As he walked, numerous junior students greeted him. Li Ang politely responded, then, after crossing Chuiyun Bridge, took a right turn toward the Book Collection Pavilion.

Unlike the perpetually chilly Dongjun Tower, the Book Collection Pavilion had an insulating Prohibition built into its walls to protect the books, keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer. Just stepping inside brought a rush of cool air.

"Excuse me, Instructor, I would like to go to the third floor," Li Ang said as he crossed the white stone floor to the reception desk, placing his jade seal, marked with the Supervision Department emblem and his name, on the counter.

The female Instructor behind the desk was absorbed in reading a book while nibbling on melon seeds.

Upon hearing Li Ang’s request, she picked up the seal with her Telekinesis, dabbed some Seal Mud on it, stamped it in the Book Collection Pavilion’s registry, then opened a drawer. She took out an antique-looking copper key, placed it on the counter, and immediately returned her gaze to her book.

"Thank you, Instructor."

Li Ang picked up the copper key, his curiosity piqued by the text on the book page.

"Commandery Prince! The Princess has been hanging exposed at the city gate for three days now. Do... do we continue?"

"Has she finally admitted her mistake?"

"The Princess... The Princess died on the first night."

Huh? Li Ang clicked his tongue; this writing style gave him an oddly strong sense of déjà vu.

The Chang’an Lanling Newspaper had always led the trend in Yu Country’s female literature. In the past, its narratives typically involved themes such as romances between sheltered young ladies and disheartened scholars, courtesans and disheartened scholars, or fox fairies and Ghost Immortals with disheartened scholars. This phenomenon was largely because the story authors were, for the most part, unsuccessful scholars themselves.

However, a few years ago, an anonymous author named Jin Jiang had burst onto the scene. She single-handedly created over a dozen new types of storylines: a master aloof from worldly affairs and his cunning, proud female disciple; a cold Prince and an ordinary peasant girl; a noble son and the female assassin sent to kill him. Her genres included "crematorium," palace intrigue, sweet pampering, protagonist abuse, ambiguous relationships, school life, criminal investigation, and Cultivation.

She blended all these elements seamlessly. Even someone like Li Ang, who had no interest in the Lanling Newspaper, occasionally heard Li Leqing, Chai Chai, and other classmates passionately discussing the plots and had found himself taking a look on occasion.

I have to admit... the writing is surprisingly good.

Under Jin Jiang’s influence, old writers followed suit, and new ones emerged. The Lanling Newspaper underwent a complete transformation in style, its sales repeatedly reaching new highs.

The Imperial Censorate was greatly unsettled by this and had impeached her multiple times, all to no avail. According to Li Leqing, it seemed the Empress, the imperial concubines, and the noble ladies of the Imperial Family were all avid readers. They even held reading sessions in the palace, eagerly expressing their desire to meet Jin Jiang someday.

Unfortunately, Jin Jiang never made public appearances, even using a servant to deliver manuscripts to the Lanling Newspaper and collect payments.

The noblewomen of Chang’an speculated that, based on the delicate nature of the writing and the profound understanding of male-female relationships, Jin Jiang was undoubtedly a woman. She was likely a married woman from a prominent family like the Five Families and Seven Hopes, well-versed in literature yet unable to show her face publicly. Furthermore, she hadn’t attended the Academic Palace—the descriptions of it in her writings were often inaccurate.

This thought merely flickered through Li Ang’s mind. Holding the copper key, he ascended to the third floor of the Book Collection Pavilion. He instantly felt the air grow drier, and the circulation in his Qi Sea became sluggish.

These were the Prohibitions of the Book Collection Pavilion. The dry air could ward off book-eating insects. Moreover, suppressing the flow of Spiritual Energy not only prevented students from misusing Magic and damaging the books but also served to... seal the very books stored here.

Li Ang passed rows of towering bookcases and, with practiced ease, made his way to a corner. He maneuvered a wheeled ladder, resembling a miniature siege tower, to the front of a bookshelf. As the Book Collection Pavilion’s Prohibitions restricted the use of Magic and Telekinesis, this was the only method to reach the higher books.

Li Ang locked the wheels and climbed the tall ladder to select the books he wanted to read this time.

The first and second floors of the Book Collection Pavilion were open to all students, including newcomers. However, starting from the third floor, some books were locked with chains. These were Forbidden Books, which ordinary students could not borrow without special permission from an Instructor.

"These should do," Li Ang murmured, pulling out several thick Forbidden Books. He descended the ladder, went to a long table, and adeptly unlocked the chains with the copper key.

After the Qixi disaster, the Mountain Master only asked Li Ang to hand over Zhao Ming’s Communication Iron Plate and write a report, providing no further instructions. He even granted Li Ang the seal of the Supervision Department, allowing him free access to borrow Forbidden Books from the third and fourth floors without an Instructor’s permission.

This was a stark contrast to what Li Ang had initially anticipated. He had expected the Supervision Department to investigate and analyze the origins of Mo Si.

Li Ang was confused and somewhat unsettled. Am I being abandoned by the Mountain Master? he wondered. That doesn’t seem right. Aside from my contributions to the Academic Palace and Yu Country, the anomalies displayed by Mo Si alone are enough to warrant significant attention from the Supervision Department.

He wanted to ask what was happening, but the Mountain Master had once again left Chang’an. His whereabouts were unknown, likely in search of Zhao Ming’s traces.

I can only wait until the Mountain Master returns and try to inquire then.

Li Ang shook his head and gently flipped open the pages of a Forbidden Book.

The script was sloppy and chaotic. The opening line read, "Want to understand the meaning of life? Want to truly... live?"