"Hahaha..."
Laughter roared through the crowd.
Perhaps Zhao Shuwen was simply everyone's laughingstock at the academy.
Their daily merriment seemed to come from watching him.
Yet none of them noticed Zhao Shuwen's knuckles turning pale from clenching so hard, proof that he was nowhere near as composed inside as he appeared on the surface.
Lu Changsheng followed closely behind as they left the academy together.
Throughout the journey, Zhao Shuwen kept his head lowered, uttering not a word.
He seemed only to want to reach home as quickly as possible.
About fifteen minutes later, Lu Changsheng and Zhao Shuwen arrived at the scholar's residence.
Zhao Shuwen's home was located in the southern district of the city.
Most of the residents here were poor folk. The houses were low and dilapidated, and foul odors of waste drifted through the air.
"Please have a seat, Mister Lu..."
Though Zhao Shuwen's home was destitute, it was remarkably clean.
Everything was neatly arranged, showing none of the squalor or chaos one might expect.
Lu Changsheng did not stand on ceremony and sat right down.
Zhao Shuwen went into his study, brought out a huge pile of books, and began searching for clues regarding the immortal script.
Lu Changsheng was in no hurry.
Now that he had found the right man, he was content to let Zhao Shuwen search at his own pace.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair, quietly savoring the warm sunlight.
As noon approached, a trace of fatigue appeared on Zhao Shuwen's face.
He needed to prepare a meal.
However, his household was already impoverished.
Now that Lu Changsheng was here as well, even if Zhao Shuwen wanted to treat his guest properly, he lacked the silver to buy wine and meat.
He could only make do with watery porridge.
Just as Zhao Shuwen was fretting over this, a knock suddenly sounded at the outer door.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
Zhao Shuwen opened the courtyard gate.
Lu Changsheng was curious as well.
Who else would come looking for Zhao Shuwen?
Beyond the courtyard, the opened door revealed a slender, graceful figure.
It was a young woman.
"Miss Chengcheng, you..."
Zhao Shuwen was somewhat surprised.
Miss Chengcheng smiled faintly and said, "Scholar Zhao, our young lady learned that you are hosting an esteemed guest today, so she specifically instructed me to bring over some food. The wine and meat are still hot; please do not refuse, Scholar Zhao."
"Ah..."
Zhao Shuwen felt embarrassed, his face even reddening slightly.
Naturally, he knew who the "young lady" Miss Chengcheng spoke of was.
Yet it was precisely because he knew that he felt so flustered.
Still, the food had already been brought to his doorstep, and it was still piping hot.
Lu Changsheng was indeed waiting right now.
With an esteemed guest under his roof, how could he neglect proper hospitality?
Thus, Zhao Shuwen had no choice but to accept. Lowering his voice, he said, "This humble scholar thanks Miss Chengcheng, and thanks Miss Qin."
Miss Chengcheng offered a gentle smile, set down the wine and meat, and turned to leave.
Zhao Shuwen then carried the wine and meat over to Lu Changsheng.
"Mister Lu, my humble abode is destitute. I couldn't even provide wine and meat without relying on the charity of others..."
"Please do not laugh at me, Mister Lu."
Zhao Shuwen felt thoroughly embarrassed.
"With wine and meat, so lavish a spread, how could I possibly laugh at you?"
Lu Changsheng had witnessed the entire exchange between Zhao Shuwen and the girl named Chengcheng.
He had even heard everything they said.
Most likely, this "Miss Qin" shared a deep connection with Zhao Shuwen.
Why else would she send someone with food and wine?
However, since Zhao Shuwen clearly did not wish to speak more on the matter, Lu Changsheng could not be bothered to pry.
After their meal, Zhao Shuwen resumed his search for clues regarding the immortal script, while Lu Changsheng continued to wait in quiet patience.
One day, two days, three days...
Time slipped by day by day.
To Lu Changsheng's surprise, every single meal was delivered by the maidservant Chengcheng.
And every meal was different.
It seemed this "Miss Qin Xuan" truly was enamored with Zhao Shuwen.
Over the past few days, even without Zhao Shuwen speaking of it, Lu Changsheng had pieced together the general situation.
Zhao Shuwen's family had fallen into ruin.
Before that total decline, however, he had been betrothed before birth to Qin Xuan, the daughter of the Qin family.
Unfortunately, once the Zhao family collapsed, the Qin family no longer wished to honor the engagement.
Yet somehow Qin Xuan had learned of this and adamantly refused to dissolve the marriage contract.
Master Qin had even placed her under house arrest.
Now, whatever she wished to do had to be handled through the maidservant Chengcheng.
*Qin Xuan... must have met Zhao Shuwen before.*
*It's just that Zhao Shuwen is completely unaware of it.*
*Qin Xuan was likely that female student disguised as a man at the academy...*
*How interesting...*
Lu Changsheng found it amusing.
Zhao Shuwen truly was naive beyond measure.
Did he honestly believe a wealthy young lady who had never met him would remain devoted to him solely out of loyalty to a paper contract?
He was overthinking things.
One could only say that fortune favored the simple-minded.
Qin Xuan had already known Zhao Shuwen while studying at the academy.
Zhao Shuwen simply hadn't realized it at the time.
And not just back then—he still had no idea now.
Whenever Qin Xuan interacted with Zhao Shuwen in her capacity as the daughter of the Qin family, she always acted through her maidservant Chengcheng.
*If he truly can decipher the immortal script, what harm is there in granting this lad some benefits?*
Lu Changsheng was in no hurry.
Every day, he ate and drank at Zhao Shuwen's house for free, waiting in peace.
He seemed completely unbothered by any sense of awkwardness.
Meanwhile, Zhao Shuwen truly treated Lu Changsheng as an honored guest, never showing the slightest neglect.
This went on until the fifth day.
On that day, as Zhao Shuwen turned the page of an ancient text, he suddenly cried out in shock, "Found it! I really found it!"
"So this is the legendary immortal script!"
Lu Changsheng's heart stirred.
He immediately rose and walked over to Zhao Shuwen.
"Immortal script? You know of immortal script?" Lu Changsheng asked.
Zhao Shuwen nodded. "Immortal script is actually a very broad term. Legend has it that our world was originally created by an immortal, and in ancient times, the immortal script was widely prevalent."
"Later on, for reasons unknown—perhaps due to a great war—the immortals vanished, and with them, the immortal script gradually fell into obscurity. Today, almost no one knows anything about it."
"Only a few fragmented ancient texts still record snippets of the immortal script. I read this fragmented book when I was young, which is why I had a vague impression of it, though I couldn't recall it earlier."
A sharp light flickered in Lu Changsheng's eyes.
The Kunwu World was created by an immortal?
That actually made sense.
Otherwise, it could not explain why the entire Kunwu World was enveloped within a colossal array formation.
The Ancestor Realm lacked such power.
If it was an immortal, however, everything fell into place.
"Can you translate what this immortal script character actually is? What does it mean?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"I can try. But it may take some time," Zhao Shuwen replied.
"No matter. As long as you can translate it, that is enough."
Though Lu Changsheng was determined, he felt no urgency, waiting quietly as before.
Just like that, three more days flashed by.
On this day, the front door was suddenly pounded upon with great urgency.
*Bang, bang, bang!*
The hurried knocks echoed loudly, and Zhao Shuwen quickly opened the gate.
"Miss Chengcheng, what happened? Don't rush; speak slowly."
Zhao Shuwen saw Miss Chengcheng standing outside.
Her face was drenched in sweat, and she was panting heavily, clearly having run all the way here.
Chengcheng immediately blurted out, "Scholar Zhao, it's terrible! The Wang clan of Shengzhou City has come to propose marriage to Master. Judging by Master's attitude, he will likely agree!"
"The young lady protested vehemently, but Master locked her in her room, and now no one is allowed to speak with her!"
"I secretly received word from the young lady, and she told me to hurry here to ask for your help—to ask you to think of a way! She does not want to marry into the Wang clan!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuwen's face flushed crimson, and his entire body felt drained of strength.
It was over.
Though Zhao Shuwen had never formally met Miss Qin as herself, he deeply admired her.
Solely for the sake of an engagement, she had never looked down on him, remaining steadfast and loyal.
Yet now, the Wang clan had come to propose, and Master Qin was on the verge of agreeing.
What could he possibly do?
Could they elope?
If they eloped and were caught, both of them would be drowned in pig cages!
Doing that would only bring ruin upon Miss Qin.
"I... I..."
Zhao Shuwen stammered, unable to utter a single coherent word.
As a poor scholar, what recourse did he have?
Marriage was decided by the command of parents and the words of matchmakers.
Even Miss Qin was powerless.
Seeing Zhao Shuwen stammering without coming up with any solution, Chengcheng's eyes turned red.
"You truly are a useless scholar! Miss devoted her heart to you in vain, yet now when trouble arrives, you can't even think of a single solution..."
Chengcheng resented Zhao Shuwen somewhat.
Yet what could she do either?
She was merely a messenger maidservant.
Lu Changsheng took in the entire scene.
He knew that if he did not help Zhao Shuwen resolve this crisis, in the scholar's current state, deciphering the immortal script would be out of the question—let alone whether he could ever pull himself together again.
"Zhao Shuwen, it seems you've run into trouble."
"How about this: come with me to the Qin family, and we will propose marriage to Miss Qin!"
Lu Changsheng stepped forward.
"Ah?"
"Mister Lu, this..."
Zhao Shuwen was stunned.
Go to the Qin family to propose marriage now?
With what could he possibly propose?
"And who is this..."
Chengcheng had known about Lu Changsheng for days.
However, she had always assumed he was merely a freeloader sponging off Zhao Shuwen.
Zhao Shuwen was already so poor, yet Lu Changsheng stayed at his house without contributing even a single copper coin.
Was that not the behavior of a shameless freeloader?
Yet now, Lu Changsheng was offering to take Zhao Shuwen to propose marriage.
This caused Chengcheng to see him in a new light.
At least he wasn't like Zhao Shuwen, utterly lacking resolve.
"Mister Lu, my home has nothing but bare walls. I have no wealth to speak of—how could I possibly propose to the Qin family?" Zhao Shuwen said with a bitter smile.
His family had fallen to such depths.
Going to propose to the Qin family would be nothing short of inviting humiliation, wouldn't it?
"How do you know it won't work without trying?"
"Besides, wealth? Lu has some to spare."
"Let us go. We must purchase the gifts at once."
Lu Changsheng directly led Zhao Shuwen out.
Chengcheng also rushed back to the Qin manor to report to Miss Qin so she wouldn't worry.
Lu Changsheng took Zhao Shuwen on a lavish shopping spree through various shops in Shengzhou City.
He casually produced gold ingots.
Not silver, but pure gold, in large ingots.
A single ingot weighed twenty to thirty taels.
Where had Zhao Shuwen ever seen so much wealth?
For a moment, he was struck utterly speechless.
Soon, the gifts were fully prepared. Lu Changsheng had Zhao Shuwen change into a fine new set of robes, and then they proceeded together toward the Qin manor.
When the Qin family servants saw such an extravagant array of gifts and heard that they had come to propose marriage, every one of them was left baffled.
The Wang clan had just arrived to propose, and now someone else was doing the same?
In fact, the Wang clan hadn't even left yet; they were still inside the Qin manor.
The gatekeeper hurried inside to report.
Master Qin was astonished.
Someone else had come to propose?
Even the members of the Wang clan were taken aback. In Shengzhou City, was there actually someone daring to cross the Wang clan?
After all, showing up to propose at the exact same time was a direct slight against them.
"Heh, Master Qin, why not invite them in? Let our Wang clan see who else has come to ask for her hand," the head of the Wang clan said with a cold sneer.
Master Qin knew the Wang clan was offended, so he complied and had his servants escort Lu Changsheng and his companion into the manor.
Soon, Lu Changsheng and Zhao Shuwen arrived at the Qin family's reception hall.
The moment they entered, countless gazes landed squarely upon them.
"It's you?"
A stern, furious voice instantly resonated through the hall.
Master Qin was incensed.
He recognized that familiar figure.
Zhao Shuwen!
The very Zhao Shuwen who had once held an engagement with his daughter.
Though Master Qin paid no heed to that engagement, it was ultimately an unsightly matter.
Could Zhao Shuwen be intending to make an issue out of the marriage contract today?
If he did, neither the Qin family nor the Wang clan would save face.
"Insolence!"
"You dare show your face at the Qin family?"
"Men, beat these two out of here with clubs!"
Master Qin had no desire to hear a single word from Zhao Shuwen.
He didn't even want to negotiate.
At once, a group of guards and servants moved to drive Lu Changsheng and Zhao Shuwen out.
"Hmph."
Lu Changsheng let out a cold snort.
Instantly, a sliver of the aura of a divine body radiated from him.
Though it was merely a sliver, the pressure it exerted on ordinary martial artists and commoners was overwhelming.
The guards and servants froze, feeling as though they had come face-to-face with a terrifying beast, not daring to advance a single step.
"What?"
Master Qin's heart trembled.
He had no idea who this Lu Changsheng before him was, but the man felt utterly terrifying.
The Wang clan, however, had brought experts.
One of them immediately stepped forward to shield Master Wang, his expression exceptionally grave. "Patriarch, this man is immensely powerful. He has likely forged the foundation of a divine body; we must never cross him."
"Yet I know nearly every powerhouse in Shengzhou City who has forged a divine body foundation. When did such a formidable expert suddenly emerge?"
"Could he be an expert who has just arrived in Shengzhou City?"
The members of the Wang clan were thoroughly shocked.
Forging the foundation of a divine body!
Although the Wenhua Divine Dynasty was founded on culture, filled with academies, and had produced many sages throughout history, that did not mean it was weak.
On the contrary, the Wenhua Divine Dynasty placed tremendous value on experts who had forged spirit body and divine body foundations.
It was precisely because of this that, despite the numerous divine dynasties surrounding it, not a single one dared to move against the Wenhua Divine Dynasty.
At the end of the day, the true foundation was sheer strength.
The Wenhua Divine Dynasty possessed ample power—it was as simple as that!
Therefore, the moment Lu Changsheng released his aura, the Wang clan's expert recognized it immediately.
Even Master Qin was stunned.
An expert who had forged a divine body!
Though the Qin family possessed no such figure—nor even an expert with a spirit body—that did not prevent Master Qin from knowing just how terrifying such beings were.
He had never expected to encounter someone who had forged a divine body.
Zhao Shuwen was equally dumbfounded.
He had vaguely sensed that Lu Changsheng was extraordinary.
He was no fool.
Otherwise, given his current poverty, how could he have allowed Lu Changsheng to stay under his roof eating and drinking for free?
Nobody was truly foolish.
Zhao Shuwen knew Lu Changsheng was extraordinary, which was why he was willing to help him decipher the immortal script.
Yet he had never dreamed Lu Changsheng would be this extraordinary.
To think he was an expert who had forged the foundation of a divine body!
One had to understand that someone with a divine body foundation could walk virtually unchecked throughout the entirety of Shengzhou City.
They could act with near impunity!
"Master Qin, can we sit down and have a proper conversation now?" Lu Changsheng said calmly.
"We can, of course we can!"
"Honored guest, please take a seat!"
Master Qin made a swift decision, inviting Lu Changsheng and Zhao Shuwen to sit.
How could he dare attempt to drive Lu Changsheng away now?
As for the Wang clan members, they remained motionless.
"May I ask what connection you have with Zhao Shuwen?" Master Qin inquired.
"Lu has an old association with the ancestors of the Zhao family," Lu Changsheng offered casually.
Yet even an offhand excuse was enough to make Master Qin weigh matters with extreme gravity.
In truth, what the connection was did not matter.
What mattered was that Lu Changsheng was willing to stand up for Zhao Shuwen—that was more than enough!
"Mister Lu, may I ask the purpose of your visit?" Master Qin asked again.
"Lu has come on behalf of Zhao Shuwen to propose marriage to the young lady of the Qin family."
"Furthermore, Lu has heard that Miss Qin and Zhao Shuwen were originally betrothed. I wonder if this is true?"
Lu Changsheng's words caused Master Qin's expression to shift slightly.
Even the Wang clan members looked rather displeased.
The Wang clan had known nothing of this engagement.
In truth, this was normal.
The engagement between the Qin family and Zhao Shuwen was a private matter, and Zhao Shuwen had not gone around advertising it.
It was only natural that the Wang clan was unaware.
An engagement could be considered important, or it could be dismissed as trivial.
Now, however, with Lu Changsheng backing Zhao Shuwen, that engagement became paramount!
"It is true!"
Master Qin did not hesitate for a second, nodding immediately.
There indeed was an engagement!
*Swish.*
The head of the Wang clan rose instantly, his face rather grim.
"Master Qin, you never mentioned to the Wang clan that Miss Qin was already engaged."
"Since an engagement exists, our Wang clan will not intrude. Farewell!"
The patriarch of the Wang clan seized this convenient excuse to depart.
Leading his men, he promptly left the Qin manor.
In the blink of an eye, the lively reception hall quieted down considerably.
Only the Qin family members, Zhao Shuwen, and Lu Changsheng remained.
"Someone, bring the young lady here," Master Qin commanded decisively.
Now that he had offended the Wang clan, he naturally had to latch onto Lu Changsheng's support.
Soon, Miss Qin arrived.
The instant Zhao Shuwen saw her, he froze, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.
"You... you..."
Clearly, Zhao Shuwen had finally realized that this so-called Miss Qin was none other than his former "classmate" from the academy.
He truly had never imagined it.
"Young Master Zhao, are you unwilling?"
Miss Qin was poised and gracious, showing neither shyness nor hesitation.
She was remarkably bold.
"No, I... I am willing..."
Zhao Shuwen's face flushed crimson.
He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look Miss Qin in the eye.
The room broke into knowing smiles.
"Very well. Xuan'er, pay your respects to Mister Lu."
"Without Mister Lu, it would have been very difficult for you and Zhao Shuwen to see this through to a happy conclusion."
Master Qin felt no shame in saying this.
He was simply stating facts.
Without Lu Changsheng stepping forward, how could he have ever agreed to let his daughter marry Zhao Shuwen?
It would have been entirely out of the question!
With Lu Changsheng here, however, everything was different.
A great expert who had forged a divine body, and who held ties to Zhao Shuwen—that changed Zhao Shuwen's standing entirely.
"Very well. Master Qin, let us settle on a date," Lu Changsheng said.
"Certainly. As for the matchmaker..."
"I will arrange it."
Thus, both sides reached a verbal agreement.
The next steps would involve sending a matchmaker and delivering betrothal gifts.
All in all, it was quite intricate, filled with numerous formalities.
It would require considerable time.
However, those tasks could be delegated to others.
Making their stances clear was the most crucial part.
Now that the core problem had been resolved, everything else would be simple.
Lu Changsheng and Zhao Shuwen returned home.
Zhao Shuwen still felt as though he were waking from a dream, hardly able to believe what had transpired.
"Brother Zhao, if you are to wed Miss Qin, living here will not do."
"How about this: Lu knows of your Zhao family ancestral residence. I shall buy it back for you, which may also bring peace to your ancestors' spirits."
Lu Changsheng's words filled Zhao Shuwen with immense gratitude.
"Thank you, Mister Lu. This humble scholar has no way to repay such kindness..."
Zhao Shuwen had dreamed of repurchasing his ancestral estate, yet he had believed it impossible in this lifetime. Never had he expected to encounter such a benefactor.
Now, even the ancestral estate was no longer an issue.
"If you truly wish to thank me, then translate the immortal script as quickly as possible."
Lu Changsheng did not conceal his motive.
His sole purpose was the translation of the immortal script.
Zhao Shuwen knew this well. Thus, he threw himself into the work with even greater diligence, scouring ancient texts to help Lu Changsheng decipher the characters.
The wedding between Zhao Shuwen and Miss Qin was set for three months later.
It was an auspicious day.
During these three months, Zhao Shuwen could dedicate himself entirely to assisting Lu Changsheng with the translation.
Perhaps out of deep gratitude, or perhaps because fortune had finally smiled upon him, Zhao Shuwen's translation progress accelerated dramatically.
In just two months, he managed to decipher all three immortal script characters.
Lu Changsheng's Mortal Immortal tombstone fragments currently consisted of only five pieces merged together, revealing merely three immortal script characters.
These three characters were "Chen" (Dust/Mortal), "Mu" (Tomb), and "Yun" (Cloud).
Just those three words.
Viewed in isolation, they seemed to bear little relation to one another.
In truth, there really was no obvious connection.
There were clearly missing characters between them, making it impossible to deduce their full meaning.
However, Lu Changsheng understood what "Mu" (Tomb) referred to.
"Chen" likely corresponded to the "Chen" in "Hongchen Xian"—Mortal Immortal.
Only the character "Yun" (Cloud) remained an enigma to Lu Changsheng.
Still, that did not stop him from speculating.
Perhaps this "Yun" character held the crucial clue to the Mortal Immortal tombstone.
Unfortunately, the immortal script was incomplete.
If he could locate the sixth or even seventh tombstone fragment, the clues would undoubtedly become much clearer.
Aside from the immortal script, there were also patterns etched upon the Mortal Immortal tombstone.
Lu Changsheng suspected these patterns were clues as well, but since he could not decipher them, he could only hand them over to Zhao Shuwen.
Zhao Shuwen was genuinely adept in this field and could be of great assistance to Lu Changsheng.
However, just as Lu Changsheng was pondering the immortal script and patterns, an unfamiliar expert arrived at the Zhao family ancestral residence, seeking him out.
"Mister Lu, the governor of Shengzhou City requests your presence."
The messenger was an expert who had forged a divine body, sent as a sign of respect toward Lu Changsheng.
"The governor?"
Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised.
"Lead the way."
Lu Changsheng did not refuse. He set off directly toward the government office.
Chapter 337