Free Web NovelChapter 599: A Miracle
The array seemed to still be the same array, and they were still in a room that was roughly the same size as the one they had been in, yet the walls had changed into large blocks of stone, and He Lingchuan could feel that the air had become colder, sharper, and far fresher.
Of course, the guards stationed in the room had changed as well.
“We’re here.” Fushan Yue was the first to step out of the array.
He Lingchuan walked outside and looked back. Sure enough, this was the very tower from which Ke Yanming had emerged last time. The scenery around them had transformed into the landscape of Tianshu Peak, and great numbers of tourists were casting curious, admiring looks their way.
They had already arrived at the Heavenly Palace.
Anyone who could walk out of a teleportation array was no ordinary person.
The two were just about to climb the white jade steps when a guard suddenly said, “The Lord Emperor will first receive the Crown Prince of Chiyan.”
What? We’re going to be received separately? He Lingchuan’s heart tightened.
Fushan Yue was also startled, but since they had already reached this place, how could he defy the order? He nodded to He Lingchuan, then headed toward Star-Plucking Tower first.
He Lingchuan wondered how the Heavenly Palace planned to deal with him, but then a lovely young girl stepped out from the side and smiled at him. “You may take tea and rest at the Cloud Gallery while waiting to be summoned, or you may tour the Heavenly Palace. The scenery atop Tianshu Peak is exceptional. Every year, no fewer than a million tourists come here to pay homage.”
She was only fourteen or fifteen, pretty and fresh-faced, her little face naturally fair with a rosy glow. When she smiled, she looked twice as adorable.
He Lingchuan paused. “I don’t need to wait specially?”
“No.” The girl said, “The Lord Emperor’s audience with the Crown Prince of Chiyan will take some time. So long as you do not leave Tianshu Peak, that will do. We will summon you when the time comes.”
The Cloud Gallery was similar to a waiting chamber in a royal palace. It was a place for subjects and lamp guardians to wait for audiences. Tea and snacks were all prepared, but it was cold, quiet, and almost entirely without life.
Outside the Cloud Gallery, however, tourists streamed everywhere.
Although people usually did not dare make loud noise inside the Heavenly Palace, gathering in small groups and whispering among themselves was unavoidable.
Any ordinary person would know which to choose.
He Lingchuan asked the young girl, “I walk around by myself?” freewebnovёl.ƈom
She covered her mouth and laughed. He Lingchuan could see dimples through the gaps of her fingers. “If this is your first time here, I can accompany you for a stroll.”
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
The two walked side by side, and sure enough, no palace guards followed.
He Lingchuan let her lead the way while asking her name.
It turned out this little girl was called Lu Shishi. She was only fourteen and had been selected as a lamp guardian for the Heavenly Palace just last year.
Curious, he asked, “I heard that the Heavenly Palace’s eternal lamps are never blown out by the wind. Is there really a need to guard them?”
“Wind cannot extinguish them, but that does not mean other powers cannot put them out.” Lu Shishi said, “Since the Heavenly Palace was built, there has been no shortage of attacks by outside enemies. During the most serious incident, half the lamps in Star-Plucking Tower were extinguished.”
He Lingchuan was startled. “What kind of opponent was that powerful?”
“That greater monster was called Chifeng[1]. It had already infiltrated Mount Xu before suddenly striking.” Lu Shishi slightly pursed her lips. “In any case, it caused chaos across Mount Xu, and the Heavenly Palace was closed for more than two months before reopening to travelers.”
“Why did it come here to cause trouble?”
Lu Shishi gently shook her head. “That, I don’t know. There are many states and many places in this world that fear and hate the power of the gods.”
He Lingchuan nodded.
The old Monster Emperor had died more than ten years ago. Back then, this girl had not yet been born. This story of the greater monster Chifeng must have then been told to her by others.
But at least this showed that even someone as strong as Beijia still had enemies watching from the shadows.
Right, if I remember correctly, wasn’t that greater monster Chifeng ultimately defeated by Fan Long?
Today, the wind atop the mountain was unusually gentle. Even the snow that never melted seemed less cold and stern. With a beauty walking beside him, and with the little girl’s smile especially sweet, like pear blossoms blooming in spring, passersby frequently turned back to look.
A few days ago, He Lingchuan had already followed a tour group through most of the Heavenly Palace’s buildings, but how could Old Ge’s black-hearted guide commentary compare with Lu Shishi’s careful and thorough explanations?
This little girl seemed born with an aura of warmth. Anyone standing near her would feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze, heart soothed and spirit pleased.
“Up ahead is the Hall of Worship.”
He Lingchuan’s heart stirred. “How many gods are there under His Divine Majesty Lingxu?”
“36 true gods, 128 attendant gods, and 3,600 subordinate gods.” Lu Shishi led him toward the golden hall. “The ones enshrined here are the true gods and the attendant gods.”
“There are actually that many gods?” Yet He Lingchuan was thinking that Mitian had clearly said there were 10,000 gods, while the gods under Divine Majesty Lingxu numbered fewer than 4,000.
What about the rest of the gods?
Under whose authority do they fall?
Lu Shishi, however, said something very mature. “There are states among men on earth, and states among gods in heaven. Without followers, how could they be called states?”
He Lingchuan was about to reply when a crisp slap rang from ahead, followed by an angry shout, “Outrageous! You crazy woman, how dare you disgrace yourself inside a temple!”
The two had already entered the golden hall. As always, it was packed with people, the liveliest attraction aside from the Dao-Seeking Tree on Tianshu Peak.
Usually, the atmosphere inside the hall was solemn and reverent. People kowtowed, offered incense, and prayed in low voices. No one dared make a loud clamor for fear of offending the gods.
This was the Heavenly Palace, after all!
Yet now, a woman was clutching the sleeve of the man beside her and refusing to let go, shrieking, “Why don’t you dare let the god judge truth from falsehood, huh? If you have no guilty conscience, why don’t you dare try?”
The man’s face was iron-blue. He slapped her across the face, producing the crisp sound He Lingchuan had just heard.
That blow knocked the woman’s silver hairpin loose, and her hair fell in disarray, yet she seemed not to feel the pain. She clung to the man and insisted that he kneel and ask for the truth to be judged.
The two kept struggling until palace guards hurried over at the commotion, intending to drag them out.
Someone nearby laughed. “Brother, how many romantic debts do you owe outside?”
The onlookers were all grinning, but then the woman suddenly shouted, “My former husband died under strange circumstances, and this man immediately came with a debt note and forced me to marry him. I endured humiliation for three years and finally tricked him up Mount Xu. I beg Miaozhantian to reveal the truth and return justice to me!”
Her shrill cry echoed through the hall, quickly pressing down the laughter around her.
Even the palace guards slowed.
Hm? There’s actually more to this?
Looking at the woman again, though half her face was red and swollen from the slap, her striking beauty was still visible.
The man was both shocked and furious. He cursed angrily while dragging her outside.
Just then, the statue behind the woman rang with a clear clang. The sound was not loud, yet it echoed in every person’s heart like a bell.
Someone beside them immediately shouted, “The touchstone! The touchstone has fallen onto the plate!”
The palace guards immediately stepped forward, crossing their spears before the man. “Go back. Kneel!”
The man’s face went deathly pale. “My lords, she’s spouting nonsense! You can’t believe her!”
“This has nothing to do with whether we believe her. The god wants you to undergo trial.” With that, the palace guards dragged him back and pressed him to his knees before the statue of Miaozhantian.
The last time He Lingchuan had entered the golden hall, he had already seen this divine statue of Miaozhantian. It was a benevolent, dignified goddess with a statue that was about the same height as a real person.
Each god had their own magical artifact. The artifact held by this goddess was rather special, as it was a golden scale.
Aside from being exquisitely crafted, the scale’s greatest feature was the eye growing from the tip of its beam.
The goddess’ other hand formed a seal, index finger pointing upward, thumb and middle finger touching, with a golden weight held between them.
The clear ringing sound everyone had heard just now came from this weight falling into the scale pan below.
Lu Shishi lowered her voice to explain to He Lingchuan, “Countless believers come and go here every day, praying for a miracle to favor them. Today, this good woman has fate with Miaozhantian. The goddess has answered her plea.”
He Lingchuan’s heart stirred. “Do the heavenly gods often answer believers?”
“Occasionally.” Lu Shishi smiled. “There are countless voices beside the gods’ ears. How could they attend to each one?”
“How will Lady Miaozhantian help her?”
“Although the touchstone has fallen into the pan, the two pans remain level. Neither is higher nor lower.” Lu Shishi said softly, “Every word this man speaks later will be weighed upon the scale. If he speaks a lie, it will not withstand the touchstone’s weight, and the scale will immediately tilt!”
“Then how does the touchstone determine whether his words are true or false?” freёwebnoѵel.com
“No lie can deceive the Dharma Eye[2].” Lu Shishi gestured toward the eye on the scale with her mouth.
“It won’t make mistakes?” So the gods call the Eye of Truth the Dharma Eye?
The meaning was very clear: the heavenly gods were the law.
The little girl said with utter certainty, “Never!”
The woman had already walked before the statue and kneeled on her own. Then she turned to ask the man, “Did you kill my husband?”
The first question was already so sharp that a wave of murmurs rose through the crowd.
The man shook his head hard.
A palace guard shouted, “Answer!”
“No, no!” the man cried. “I had twelve years of friendship with him. We have known each other since childhood. Why would I kill him?”
Everyone looked at the scale. At some point, a small piece of gold had appeared on the empty pan, causing the left and right arms of the scale to sway, but the touchstone did not visibly sink.
In other words, Miaozhantian accepted his answer.
The woman was stunned. The man, however, said angrily, “Your former husband died by accident. I told you, but you didn’t believe me. Now even the god says so. Do you believe it now?”
The woman still looked disbelieving. Seeing that the palace guards seemed about to let the man stand, she suddenly had an idea and said urgently, “I’ll ask a different question! Did my former husband Wang Qing’s death have anything to do with you at all?”
The man said angrily, “Are you ever done, woman—”
The palace guard cut him off, “Answer!”
The man exhaled and said forcefully, “No!”
The moment the word fell, the touchstone sank, and the pan holding the little piece of gold rose high into the air!
“A lie! Even the god saw through it.” The woman immediately cried, “Did you hire someone to kill him?”
The man shook his head violently, his face white as paper.
The onlookers around them began whispering amongst themselves.
The palace guard prodded the man’s shoulder. “Answer!”
The man clenched his teeth and refused to open his mouth again, no matter what.
Of course, the surrounding crowd had also seen the truth.
The palace guards immediately summoned the soldiers stationed on Mount Xu, had the man taken down the mountain, and handed him over to the government office for trial.
The woman kept thanking the god. She kowtowed several times before the statue, each knock of her head strong enough to leave blood on the floor. Afterward, she hurried down the mountain after the soldiers.
After this incident, the number of believers crowding before Miaozhantian’s statue to kneel and worship increased dramatically.
He Lingchuan noticed that the gold piece on the scale pan had vanished, while the touchstone had returned to the statue’s hand.
There truly was divine energy attached to this golden statue.
He was just about to withdraw when he suddenly saw the eye on the scale swivel. Then, it abruptly stared straight at him!
1. Previously mentioned in Chapter 507. ☜
2. This was mentioned in Chapter 431, where I said that it’s one of the Five Eyes of Buddhism. I believe they’re the same, though it’s possible that this one is something else. ☜
