Chapter 153: The Assembly of Omniscience

Chapter 153: The Collection of Omniscience

The man in the yellow robe froze. Turning his head, he saw a mottled, gray-and-white old dog appearing behind him. It stood still, seemingly waiting in line with a deeply human-like demeanor.

As an esteemed prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, being told right in front of everyone that he was blocking a dog's path was, to anyone, a supreme humiliation.

The young man's expression finally grew cold as he said, "And if I don't? Just a mere dog, and it expects me to make way for it?"

Shen Yu thought for a moment and said earnestly, "You probably really should make way for it."

A hint of sarcasm crossed the face of Li An, the Third Prince of Great Tang. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly shifted, as if he had recalled certain rumors. He turned his head slightly to examine the animal more closely, and his countenance instantly turned wonderfully complex.

A moment later, for reasons unknown, Li An stepped two paces to the side. The old dog, which had not made a single sound from the beginning, began to walk inward, never once sparing the two men a glance.

Shen Yu said calmly, "Look, you really aren't even as good as it is."

Li An remained silent. After a long while, he flicked his large sleeve and, without another word, walked straight ahead.

A dog that could make a Tang prince yield the path was naturally no ordinary dog.

That was the dog raised by the Master of the Academy himself.

It had lived even longer than he had, which explained why Li An had obediently stepped aside.

After that, it seemed there were finally no more guests.

Shen Yu brought out a table, then drew from his bosom the ancient book gifted to him by Su Mo.

The cover was unadorned and rustic, bearing the marks of countless years. Upon the grayish-black cover were just three large characters:

*The Collection of Omniscience*.

The title was immensely arrogant, and the opening sentence of the book was fiercely eye-catching.

"This book records ten thousand questions, capable of unraveling all things in the world. Ten thousand laws and ten thousand matters may all be drawn from within."

Shen Yu examined it for a long while. Instead of hastily starting with the pages where Su Mo had left markers, he began reading from the very beginning, missing not a single page.

Time drifted away in this manner.

How much time had passed? The Third Prince Li An, who had been the last to enter, emerged first for reasons unknown. He glanced at Shen Yu, who was quietly reading, and then departed swiftly.

Next came the tall, battle-hardened man, his brows furrowed as if deep in thought, before he too vanished into the distance.

Shen Yu was unfazed by this.

This time, the three sages of the Academy were choosing disciples to inherit their orthodoxy, naturally drawing the gazes of countless people in the imperial capital. Figures with backgrounds and power all wanted to try their luck.

Feeling somewhat tired, Shen Yu closed the book and prepared to walk around a bit, only to see that the young girl had emerged from goodness knows where. She was squatting by the small lake beside the house, staring at the water with a solemn expression, as if pondering something deeply.

Shen Yu gave her a thoughtful look, realized her identity, and returned to the side of the house.

To continue reading.

***

Finally, halfway through, a passage piqued Shen Yu's interest.

"The world is composed of countless rules and order. The so-called Three Thousand Great Daos are, fundamentally, a means to touch the rules, become familiar with the rules, and ultimately master the rules."

"The Three Thousand Great Daos all return to the rules of the Heavenly Dao, yet the rules of the Heavenly Dao are far more than just three thousand. There are even more powerful ones: Time, Space, Life and Death, Samsara, and Causality, which serve as the foundation maintaining the operation of the world."

Shen Yu's gaze moved downward to the final sentence.

"Should anyone attempt to forcibly shatter the world's rules with brute force, they shall suffer the backlash of the Heavenly Dao, becoming plagued by misfortune from that moment on, forever severed from the Great Dao."

...

Another day passed.

The young girl remained by the lakeside, lost in profound thought for an entire day, showing not the slightest intention of moving even as the courtyard gates closed.

A rich fragrance suddenly drifted from the lakeside house.

The girl's eyes stirred, rippling like countless reflections upon a deep green pond, brimming with vitality.

After a whole day of contemplation, she had not touched a single drop of water.

And now, she was hungry.

Sneaking over, the girl crept up to the small window of the house, stood on tiptoe, and peeked inside. She saw that ungrateful, wretched gatekeeper boiling noodles over the stove.

Steam billowed, and the aroma was intoxicating.

The girl swallowed a mouthful of saliva, wanting to say something, but abruptly clamped her mouth shut. After wrestling with herself internally for a good while, she finally surrendered to her appetite and blurted out, "Hey, cook a bowl of noodles for this young lady too. I'll reward you."

Shen Yu glanced at her and said calmly, "Alright."

...

"I didn't expect the noodles you cook to be so delicious."

"I've never eaten noodles this good at home."

Listening to the girl's endless chattering, Shen Yu silently washed the bowls.

To Shen Yu, whether it was cultivation or cooking, every single thing in this world served only one purpose:

Inner peace.

And the fact that he needed to perform certain tasks to calm his mind proved that his mood right now was indeed not very good.

"I've decided. When I go home, I'll make you the head of my imperial kitchen."

Unaware that she had inadvertently leaked heavenly secrets, the girl hugged her stomach in total satisfaction, savoring the lingering taste.

"Guests have arrived?"

Su Mo's voice echoed from outside the house.

The girl froze. Then, seeing Su Mo's face, her eyes widened in shock, and she hastily stood up.

Looking at her, Su Mo smiled and asked, "Here to take the examination?"

Being exceptionally well-behaved, the girl nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Su Mo thought for a moment and said, "You must work hard."

Not knowing what to say, the girl could only nod repeatedly.

Shen Yu asked, "Something the matter?"

Su Mo smiled. "The day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I likely won't be coming over for the next few days. So I dropped by today to check in and say hello, fearing my little junior brother might be too lonely."

Shen Yu shook his head. "I won't be."

"That's good."

Su Mo nodded, turned around, and asked, "Do you have any insights regarding this time's examination topic?"

Looking miserable, the girl replied, "No..."

Su Mo pointed at Shen Yu and smiled. "Then you can ask my little junior brother. Perhaps he will have a way."

The girl was stunned.

Su Mo turned and walked away.

The girl gazed at his retreating figure, lost in a daze.

She did not know who this man before her truly was, but even from a very young age, her deeply respected imperial father had always instructed her to treat him with the etiquette due to an elder.

She had even discovered with astonishment that her father always treated him as an equal. And just how old had Su Mo been back then? What kind of status had her father held at the time?

Therefore, whenever the girl saw Su Mo in her childhood, she felt even more nervous than when facing her own mentors.

Abruptly turning her head, the girl asked cautiously, "Are you really his junior brother?"

Shen Yu gave a soft grunt of assent.

The girl stared wide-eyed at Shen Yu, sizing him up for a moment before sighing, "Coming from the same master, why is the gap between you two so huge?"

Shen Yu smacked his lips, utterly speechless.