Lord Shenxiu

"If the guest wishes to view ancient books, please proceed to the second floor!"

The shop assistant led Zhong Shenxiu and Jiang Kun up the stairs.

However, just as he stepped onto the stairs, Zhong Shenxiu sensed a layer of barrier; it was both defense and protection.

"Hehe..."

"Haha..."

From the surrounding shadows, faint sounds seemed to be emanating.

In the darkness, it was as if eyes, carrying various sinister colors, were watching the visitors.

A musty, moldy smell spread to the noses of all three.

All around were various bookshelves, on which were sparsely placed incomplete ancient books: thread-bound books, parchment, black hardcover notebooks, and various scattered papers, with words written in a ghost talisman-like script.

Some just needed a glance at the strokes to make one feel restless and disturbed.

Jiang Kun instinctively glanced over the cover of a book, which had some cloud-like and water ripples; they seemed like clouds, yet also like waves, akin to entwined tree roots, collectively forming a black hole that attracted one's gaze.

In the details of those patterns seemed to hide the profound essence of the great Dao, containing the miracle of life...

"This way, guest!"

The shop assistant looked straight ahead, avoiding looking at any ancient book, and advised, "Do not stare at these ancient books for too long, or you will be influenced."

"Thank you!"

Jiang Kun wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, sincerely thanking him.

"Old Li, these two wish to buy ancient books, leave it to you."

The shop assistant tossed Zhong Shenxiu towards an old man, haggard like an aged scholar lost in study behind a desk, and then hurriedly disappeared downstairs as if escaping for his life.

Clearly, even though he knew the taboos here, he was unwilling to linger long.

Old Li, paying no attention, was intensely focused on a blue ancient page before him, muttering continuously, "Metamorphosis of life and death, transforming the human to chrysalis, sublimation... sublimation..."

By his lips, something seemed to be glistening and flowing down.

"Brother Fang..."

Jiang Kun's voice carried a tremor, feeling an urge to flee.

This old 'Deciphering Master' looked quite dangerous; might he not descend into madness the next moment?

"You have mistranslated."

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at him and said, "The true expression of this sentence should be — 'The moth flutters into the flame, metamorphosing into a chrysalis, a mountain of corpses and sea of blood, rebirth from death!'"

"You..."

Old Li suddenly lifted his head, eyes bursting with brilliance, and clapped his hands: "Oh! So it's like this! Marvelous... marvelous!"

It seemed only then did he notice the two, and he bowed to Zhong Shenxiu: "Please forgive this old man's rudeness, I did not expect to encounter such a master of deciphering!"

"Just some studies on the text of the Dao, I came to buy ancient books."

Zhong Shenxiu smiled.

"Indeed a rare guest." Old Li wiped the corner of his mouth: "Many cultivators come to my Tingchao Pavilion to sell ancient books, but few buy..."

He glanced at Jiang Kun, his face blossomed like a chrysanthemum, revealing sparse teeth: "Fear not... this old man has not yet gone mad, nor will he lose himself to insanity... Those Deciphering Masters who truly are on the verge of madness have long been confined and sealed within the pavilion..."

Old Li stepped out from behind the desk and asked, "What type of ancient book would the guest like to purchase?"

"Local customs and ancient secret histories, anything will do!"

Zhong Shenxiu said, then looked around: "Why are there so many original ancient texts here, and all written in the script of the Dao..."

"A small part here is indeed genuine ancient texts, but as for the majority... Some are notes deliberately written in the script of the Dao by great cultivators, some are classics written after a cultivator lost themselves to madness, and some are even the last works left by a Deciphering Master before death..."

Through Old Li's explanation, Zhong Shenxiu roughly understood.

The true supreme secret texts, even a single word on them might cause a cultivator to collapse.

Therefore, the supreme secret texts passed down from the ancient era are also supreme fearsome objects; anyone who has seen them went mad...

But some cultivators, after going mad, could still write something down before dying.

These 'translations' also carry strong pollution, and any cultivator who reads them invariably goes mad, but some people can write down some insights before dying.

These insights are mostly written in the script of the Dao, as it inherently carries the Dao Rhythm and is best suited to bear the Dao.

Thus, as generations advanced one after another, after countless iterations of 'dilution', the pollution was finally reduced to a level viewable by normal standards, which are the classics now inherited by major sects.

The true work of Tingchao Pavilion's 'Deciphering Master' is to translate the texts containing mild pollution into normal script, then refine them into bookworms.

Tingchao Pavilion's bookworms are also unique items that can reduce mild pollution to a negligible level, considered green, safe, and non-polluting, and are highly acclaimed among cultivators.

This is also the foundation of Tingchao Pavilion's sustenance.

However, encountering books with heavy pollution might sacrifice several Deciphering Masters, through layer after layer of translation, to allow future generations a glimpse.

In Tingchao Pavilion, according to the varying levels of pollution in the ancient texts, they are classified into four categories: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow.

The Heavenly category belongs to the supreme secret texts, even just a glance could drive one mad, always existing only in legends.

Perhaps, within Xuanmen Orthodox, there still exists the original collections, supplementing the secrets of Heaven and Earth.

The Earth category is also a highly dangerous classic, nine out of ten would die from viewing it, and the last one would likely go mad.

Mysterious category scriptures belong to the usual work scope of a Deciphering Master, but viewing too much would also accumulate risk.

The last Yellow category scriptures, even ordinary people could view them, with no pollution or very little, such as the content carried within bookworms.

'Speaking of which, the [Four Seas Strange Scripture] I have in hand is actually an ancient book, and I can sell it to the second floor here, then have it deciphered by a Deciphering Master to refine it into a bookworm with no significant mad influence?'

Zhong Shenxiu mused: 'However, this transcript at most counts as "Mysterious category," the original [Four Seas Strange Scripture] likely would count as Earth category, and as for [Heavenly Mother Scripture], it surely is genuinely Heavenly category...'

"Local customs and secrets of the ancient times?"

Old Li puffed his beard: "Those types of texts, there are bookworms downstairs, why come up here?"

"Different. A little error might lead to a massive discrepancy..."

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head.

The bookworms below must have undergone Deciphering Master translation, and as long as there's translation, there must be some differences, even errors!

After all, regarding the level of these Deciphering Masters... hehe...

'It's best to find the original texts, so as to obtain the most authentic first-hand information... to grasp the world's context accurately, and not be deceived...'

Zhong Shenxiu still held some precautions against Time's Ouroboros and the Master of the Door.

In fact, he had concealed his identity through possession, deceiving both [Heavenly Elder] and other Outer Gods, as well as the Master of the Door, due to this concern.

If he truly wanted to contact them, he could do so immediately.

But hearing only one side is too one-sided.

Zhong Shenxiu still prepared to thoroughly investigate this world first, then talk with the two, and finally make his choice.