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Chapter 1036: Disciples' Rules

After listening to the elder, Zhuge Yuan was stunned for a long moment before he finally reacted. He quickly replied, "You are too modest, senior. I've only gained some knowledge from following my teacher for many years; it's nothing worth mentioning."

Listening to the elder's words, it seemed he wasn't particularly angry. Perhaps there was still a chance to mediate. Zhuge Yuan didn't mind for himself, but he couldn't let Li Jinshu be punished for helping him, especially since he was the one who asked for help. Not only had Li Jinshu helped him for free, but it would be truly unfair if he was punished for it.

"This knowledge is extraordinary; ordinary people wouldn't possess such insight," the elder said, circling Zhuge Yuan with his hands clasped behind his back. "Tell me, who are you, and where do you come from?"

"Grandmaster, he was before—" Before Li Jinshu could finish, the elder waved his hand, and Li Jinshu's mouth was plastered onto his wide sleeve. "Did I ask you? Does this boy not have a mouth?"

Hearing this, Zhuge Yuan quickly gave a concise account of the entire situation.

"So, you're saying you begged Li Jinshu to bring you here? And you knew coming here was a way for you to enter the Hall of Bright Wheels?" the elder asked again, his face stern.

Zhuge Yuan glanced at him and nodded repeatedly. "Yes."

The elder nodded, then slowly raised his long sleeve, placing Li Jinshu's mouth—which was stuck to the cuff—to his ear, listening intently to something. When the elder lowered his cuff, a forced, insincere smile appeared on his face, and Zhuge Yuan's heart sank.

"Boy, do you think such a small trick can fool this old man? Don't worry, his punishment is inevitable, and so is yours."

Frowning deeply, Zhuge Yuan immediately stepped forward and bowed with cupped hands. "Senior, this matter all began with me. A true man takes responsibility for his actions. Whatever punishment there is, I will bear it alone!"

"Can you bear it? You don't even know what the punishment is, yet you dare to speak so boldly?"

Zhuge Yuan immediately replied without hesitation. "Whatever the punishment, I will bear it!"

"Good!" The elder gave Zhuge Yuan a thumbs-up. "Boy, if you have the guts, follow me!"

Seeing the elder turn and leave, Zhuge Yuan glanced at the mouthless Li Jinshu, who was frantically waving at him, then quickly followed. Just as Li Jinshu was about to give chase, he was firmly pinned to the ground by many hands from behind.

With trepidation, Zhuge Yuan followed the elder, winding through the courtyards. Just as he was wondering where he was being led, a dark cellar suddenly appeared before him. A strong, pungent smell of blood and agonizing screams emanated from within. All of this made Zhuge Yuan's face turn pale; clearly, this was no benevolent place.

"Boy, where's that boldness you spoke with just now? Go on, enter."

The elder watched him, arms crossed, with a cold smile. "Tell me, who truly wanted to come here? Just tell the truth, and someone else can take your place."

A flicker of struggle and hesitation appeared in Zhuge Yuan's eyes, but then he decided that he probably wouldn't die, and his resolve firmed. "It was me!" Zhuge Yuan declared, then walked towards the cellar without hesitation. The closer he got, the more screams he heard. Zhuge Yuan could even see half a flayed human skin.

But just as he was about to step into the cellar, a wrinkled old hand reached out from behind him. With a gentle flick along the cellar's edge, the cellar, the screams, and the bloody smell instantly rolled up like a painting and were carried away.

"No, that torture chamber was just a painting!" Zhuge Yuan, suddenly realizing, turned to look.

The elder stood in place, nodded approvingly at Zhuge Yuan, and left without a word. While Zhuge Yuan was still bewildered, the elder uttered two cold words: "Follow me."

Zhuge Yuan had braced himself for whatever severe punishment awaited him. However, when he stopped again, he found himself in front of a very simple study.

"Kneel there and read," the elder said, casually pointing to a low table nearby, where an old, yellowish book lay neatly.

Since he was already there, he might as well make the best of it. If he wasn't afraid of the torture chamber, what was there to fear here? Zhuge Yuan immediately walked over, sat down cross-legged, and began to read.

"The Disciple Rules, the Sages' Teachings: First, filial piety and brotherly love; next, caution and trustworthiness..."

Seeing the content, Zhuge Yuan was slightly surprised and looked up at the elder.

"Keep reading, and read aloud!"

Having faced severe punishment without fear, Zhuge Yuan was not afraid to read "The Disciple Rules." He immediately began reciting loudly.

"...To speak of others' goodness is goodness itself; when others know it, one strives harder. To spread others' evil is evil itself; if done excessively, misfortune will ensue. Wrongful matters must be questioned..."

Zhuge Yuan continued to recite. His voice was loud at first, but as he read, something changed. It was no longer a person reading a book, but the book reading the person. Every word he uttered from the book pressed deeply into his mind like red-hot cast iron. This was not merely rote memorization; the content of the book was replacing the thoughts in his mind.

A hint of fear rose in Zhuge Yuan's heart. He could feel that if he continued to read, his future principles would no longer be guided by his own will, but entirely by what was written in the book.

"No! I don't want this! I don't want this!!" Zhuge Yuan struggled desperately, closing his eyes with all his might.

"All people, one must love; heaven covers all alike, earth carries all alike. Though all are human, their kinds vary; the common are many, the benevolent are few!"

With a "thump," Zhuge Yuan's forehead slammed heavily against the wooden table, and the recitation finally stopped. Zhuge Yuan's forehead was bleeding, and scarlet blood slowly seeped through the pages. But gasping for breath, he had no time to mind the blood. Instead, he looked up at the elder not far away. "Senior, why is this happening?"

"What 'why'? Weren't you trying to enter the Hall of Bright Wheels? I see your foundation is quite good, so I've made an exception for you to enter."

"But that feeling just now..." Zhuge Yuan asked, still a bit shaken.

"Anyone entering the Hall of Bright Wheels must recite 'The Disciple Rules,' allowing the excellent principles left by our ancestors to cleanse your essence and refine your Qi."

"No, no, this isn't right!" Zhuge Yuan stood up, shaking his head repeatedly.

"Hmm?" The elder's brow gradually furrowed. "What's wrong? Do you perhaps think everything in 'The Disciple Rules' is wrong?"

"No, my teacher taught me 'The Disciple Rules,' and everything written in it is correct. But that's absolutely not how one teaches people," Zhuge Yuan's gaze became resolute. "My teacher said, 'True learning happens when one genuinely wants to learn. Force-feeding knowledge is useless!'"

"Hmph! Your teacher? And who is your teacher? How dare you question the centuries-old rules of the Hall of Bright Wheels?" The elder's presence became imposing, radiating power without anger.

"Senior, are all the rules of the Hall of Bright Wheels necessarily correct? Can't one question even a single point?"

"What if a rule is wrong? How then would the Hall of Bright Wheels correct it?"

"Impudent!" The elder directly reached out, grabbed Zhuge Yuan's collar, and lifted him up. "I've seen too many hot-headed youths like you, always thinking they're superior to their predecessors, presumptuously questioning the ancients' rules. You truly don't know what you're doing!"

"When elders teach you, just listen obediently! When you reach my age, you'll naturally understand!"

As a hand extended from the elder's left palm, it seized "The Disciple Rules" from the low stool and moved to press it against Zhuge Yuan's face.

"I don't want to enter this Hall of Bright Wheels anymore!" Zhuge Yuan covered his face tightly with both hands.

"Hmph! That's not up to you." By the time Zhuge Yuan regained his senses, he found his arms had appeared on the elder's cuffs. And the copy of "The Disciple Rules" in the elder's hand was now pressing down on his face like a massive mountain.

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