Song of Adolescence

Side Story Arc: Follow the Dao, Chapter 8: Preceptor of the State (Final Chapter)

Hall of Calming Purity.

Xuantong tilted his head. "Fei Xuan won."

Tianzheng Emperor sat on the dragon throne and slowly closed his eyes. "Is that so?"

At this time, the doors were gently pushed open and Fei Xuan stepped in slowly. Li Fansong held the hilt of his sword in one hand and waited outside.

"I've been thinking all day. In the end, will you be the one to push these doors open anyway." Tianzheng Emperor still had his eyes closed and he seemed very tired.

"Disappointed, then?" Fei Xuan asked. He didn't seem to revere the other for his status.

Tianzheng Emperor chuckled and opened his eyes. "Not really. The old State Preceptor left a will before his death and he hoped for you to inherit his mantle to serve in the position of State Preceptor for this court. Although you're very young, the old celestial masters at the Directorate of Astronomy support you. If you were able to prove your strength at the Daoism Congress, you would definitely have become the youngest State Preceptor since the founding of this country."

"It's just a pity that I'm a friend of that person," Fei Xuan stated.

Tianzheng Emperor shook his head slowly. "I know, I'm not as good as him."

"If I may be so bold as to ask Your Majesty, what is the preceptor of the state?" Fei Xuan asked suddenly.

Tianzheng Emperor hesitated for a moment. "Why do you ask this?"

"The Directorate of Astronomy is merely an institution responsible for observing celestial phenomena and fortune-telling. The official rank of the Director is not considered high, and the State Preceptor title is an empty one. Yet, why do people place so much importance on it? That's because the State Preceptor represents the highest faith of a country, and as the State Preceptor, the only thing he can have in his heart is this country. My shifu, Qi Tianchen, died to save this country, but Your Majesty is doubting the Directorate of Astronomy's loyalty to Beili." Fei Xuan was no longer that confused and ignorant child, his every word powerful and resonating. "Doesn't that undervalue us, the Directorate of Astronomy!"

Tianzheng Emperor pondered silently for a while, and finally, he said slowly, "Will Fei Xuan still be willing to trust us in the future?"

"Although Your Majesty's actions today have undervalued us, the Directorate of Astronomy, there was never any killing intent towards I, Fei Xuan. Your Majesty simply feels uneasy. This, Fei Xuan understands." Fei Xuan turned around. "However, the position of State Preceptor was something shifu passed to me. I will not pass it on."

"You won't get there in time." Tianzheng Emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the dragon throne.

"You can say that only after I've tried." Fei Xuan turned around and ran towards the door.

Tianzheng Emperor looked at his back and after a long time, he said, "Xuantong, draft the edict."

Court of Quietude.

"Qingcheng Mountain's Fei Xuan, present yourself!" The official in charge shouted loudly, now that the three incense sticks were completely burnt.

"Qingcheng Mountain's Fei Xuan, present yourself!"

"Qingcheng Mountain's Fei Xuan, present yourself!"

After asking three times, the official in charge turned around. "Qingcheng Mountain's Fei Xuan failed to present himself. Therefore, this round will…"

"I'm here!" Suddenly a loud cry sounded from a distance.

The official in charge turned his head.

"Fei Xuan is here!" Occasionally, there seemed to be the sound of a dragon or elephant roaring within that angry cry!

"What a pure Great Dragon and Elephant Strength!" Tan Ze exclaimed.

"Qingcheng Mountain's Fei Xuan is here!" Everyone saw a little Daoist boy sweep down from the roof and smash onto the ground, dirt and gravel swirling around. He raised his head and said, "Sorry for the long wait."

Lei Wujie suddenly realised, "This is the real Fei Xuan."

Lanyue Marquis said obliquely, "Looks like I'm not the only one who didn't get the job done."

Fei Xuan looked at Xuan Ze. "Are you the disciple from Longhu Mountain?"

Xuan Ze was stunned for a moment, and then he met Fei Xuan's eyes, whose pupils glowed with golden light. That pair of pupils were filled with an incomparably supreme power. Xuan Ze felt a jolt of fear in his heart and staggered back three steps. He whispered, "This is the Great Dragon and Elephant Strength…"

"He has already mastered his Great Dragon and Elephant Strength to the sixth level. Now, anyone with a significant gap in Daoist arts will naturally start to feel fear," Tan Ze remarked. "Fei Xuan's talent is truly outstanding."

"Are you and that feathered-robe high minister martial brothers?" Fei Xuan asked slowly.

Xuan Ze took another step back.

Fei Xuan smiled. "He's already ran away."

Xuan Ze swallowed a huge gulp, his sweat rolling like rain.

"What about you?" Fei Xuan gestured lightly with his right hand.

"I give up." Xuan Ze raised his hand and stepped off the stage under the surprised eyes of the audience.

"Why?" Some disciples from Longhu Mountain didn't understand.

"Go!" Xuan Ze growled out in a low voice and walked out of the courtyard.

"In that case, there's only one round left." Tan Ze stroked his own beard. "Qingcheng Mountain vs. Wudang Mountain. Now, that'll be interesting. For hundreds of years, these two sects have never stopped vying to be recognised as the leader of Daoist sects. The Great Dragon and Elephant Strength and the Pure Yang Wuji Skill - who will win?"

The official in charge cleared his throat. "The final round of the Daoism Congress, Fei Xuan of Qingcheng Mountain versus Luo Fei of Wudang Mountain!"

However, right when Fei Xuan took the stage, he encountered exactly the same situation as in the previous round. Wudang's Luo Fei had disappeared.

"So, we wait another three incense sticks?" Lanyue Marquis looked at the old celestial master with a grin.

The old celestial master did not reply, but Lei Wujie spoke up first. "I don't think that's necessary anymore."

Outside the Court of Quietude, a thin figure wearing a Daoist robe was walking further and further away. His appearance was always drowsy and the half-awake Luo Fei stretched his back lazily. "So troublesome."

Thousands of miles away, on Wudang Mountain, several young people were sitting in a courtyard under the sun, together with an old Daoist priest with a divine figure and sagelike features.

"Tell me, how is our Luo Fei doing right now in Heavenly Revelations?" The old Daoist sounded a little worried.

The young man who was chewing on a foxtail in his mouth squinted his eyes. "He's definitely made a name for himself in Heavenly Revelations by now."

"Making him go on such a long trip, yet not letting him fight a round with the disciple of Qi Tianchen and Zhou Yuzhen? It's such a pity." The old Daoist sighed deeply.

"Xiao Se, what if the plan fails?" Another youth in black was not lying in the sun, but instead, she was standing inside the house and learning taichi from a little Daoist priest beside her.

"If it fails, let Lei Wujie blow up the Court of Quietude!" Xiao Se scratched his head.

"That's a good idea." Next to Xiao Se, Ye Ruoyi lay in the sun and laughed.

Sikong Qianluo smacked her spear right down beside Xiao Se. "Xiao Se, when Lei Wujie gets back, can we go home to Snow Moon City?"

"Why are you in such a hurry to go back?" Xiao Se was puzzled.

"To talk to my father about our marriage!" Sikong Qianluo swung her spear and knocked Xiao Se off the chair.

Tang Lian laughed out loud. "Little shimei is getting impatient."

In the Court of Quietude, Wudang's Luo Fei never appeared again. This time, the leader of the Daoism Congress was taken by Fei Xuan of Qingcheng Mountain, after all. It had been decades since the last time anyone witnessed a child winning the Daoism Congress.

"Was this all arranged by Xiao Se too?" Lanyue Marquis asked.

Lei Wujie huffed a sigh. "If I'd known that fellow had already arranged such a powerful Daoist to be here, I'd have stopped halfway and gone to visit General Ye."

"Ye Xiaoying?"

"Yup. I'm anxious to propose marriage."

"Marquis, the imperial decree has arrived from the palace." An inner eunuch approached Lanyue Marquis.

Lanyue Marquis chuckled and looked at Fei Xuan on the stage below. "Little Fei Xuan, I'm afraid you're not just a little celestial master after today. You'll also be the little State Preceptor. Receive the edict."

1. 三山两林 (three mountains and two forests) refers to five big Daoist sects which have Mountains or Forests in their names. They are 龙虎山、青城山、茅山 (real mountains in China well-known for their roots in Daoism), and 不休林，归墟林 (these are fictional). Wudang, a famous Daoist sect in wuxia novels, is also based in 武当山 (Wudang Mountains).

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