Chapter Seventy-Three: The Stone Stele

The four men appeared from nowhere, their presence so overwhelming that Li Zisheng and Balia dared not even breathe. Simply standing there, they radiated a palpable sense of oppression that compelled one to lower their head. Li Zisheng and his companion watched intently, desperate to discern the purpose behind their arrival.

In stark contrast, the two gatekeepers adopted an impatient tone, urging the newcomers forward. "Hurry up, you four blockheads! Do you have no brains?"

To Li Zisheng's surprise, this verbal abuse did not spark the slightest anger in the four giants. Instead, they acted with absolute obedience, quickening their pace and moving to the rear of the carriage. This detail alone revealed that Deng Qing led a vast and rigorously disciplined organization.

At the back of the carriage, the four men retrieved a massive object swathed in black cloth. It was so large that even their combined strength seemed insufficient to move it with ease. Li Zisheng watched in wonder, trying to guess what could be so heavy that four such robust men struggled to carry it, despite putting their every ounce of effort into the task.

The object remained hidden beneath the black fabric, shielding it from prying eyes. Suddenly, however, one of the men slipped, and a corner of the cloth shifted. In that brief moment, Li Zisheng saw clearly what lay beneath.

It was a stone stele. Once revealed, Li Zisheng noted that the corner featured a dragon head. Even the exposed section showed that the stele was exceptionally thick, its crown carved with four dragons. Since the stone was symmetrical, the other side of the crown also bore four dragons, totaling eight coiling dragons. The carving was intricate; while some dragon bodies coiled across the front, others had heads protruding from the top, facing one another as if guarding a central pearl.

"Be careful! Watch your wretched lives!" The gatekeepers, seeing the cloth slip, turned livid and snarled at the giant who had stumbled. The men hastily recovered the stele, carefully shielding it once more before carrying it into the Lingzhou Academy.

Zhou Linqing watched the scene with cold indifference, showing no concern beyond a flicker of impatience as he waited for the men to move the stone into the academy, marking the completion of his task. Once the stele was inside, he turned and departed without a single backward glance.

Watching the gatekeepers and Zhou Linqing vanish, Li Zisheng knew it was time to leave. He and Balia etched every detail of the event into their memories, realizing there was no need to venture further into the academy. Although Li Zisheng had not seen Deng Qing himself, the title "Mr. Lin" almost certainly referred to Deng Qing’s chief strategist. This confirmed that the turmoil within the academy was a reflection of Deng Qing’s machinations, signaling that Lingzhou was now a place of fire and water. Deng Qing’s ambition for rebellion would undoubtedly spell disaster for the local people.

Li Zisheng’s first thought was for his own family. He felt some reassurance knowing that Governor Zhang had promised to protect his elders, but his cousins, who had joined the Lingzhou military, were in grave danger. Yet, there was nothing he could do for them now; his priority was to warn his family to seek safety before the heavens over Lingzhou shifted.

Li Zisheng remained puzzled by the connection between Deng Qing, Zhang Jue, and the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Why was the academy filled with ancient Qin and Han texts and artifacts, each one a symbol of imperial authority, now being suppressed through rituals that resembled curses? It was a clear act of treason.

He also pondered the recent, erratic behavior of Deng Qing and the true purpose behind the cultural exchange with the Turkic delegation. What had become of the young Turkic girl, Ashina? He longed for answers, but given his current circumstances, he was grateful just to be alive. Anything else was far beyond his reach.

Retreating to the tunnel system, Li Zisheng reflected on the map the late shopkeeper had given him—a labyrinthine network beneath Lingzhou’s Le City. He had once thought it useless, but it had proven invaluable. The military camp was no longer safe; even outside its gates, the stench of blood lingered, thick and unmoving. Balia and Li Zisheng slipped into the hidden passage behind the camp, concealing the entrance with a pile of stones to ensure it remained unnoticed.

The tunnels held enough supplies to sustain them for some time. Returning to his tent and then to Mr. Zhong's, Li Zisheng cleared out every book he could find. Since he had discovered the mention of the "Heavenly Fortune Ritual" in Mr. Zhong's quarters, he suspected there were still many secrets hidden there that he had yet to uncover.