Castle of Black Iron

When Zhu Laosan and his son caught sight of the far-ancient morality stele from afar, it was already the afternoon of April 17. The sun that rose from the east had already been hanging over the sky, scorching Zhu Laosan’s head. As he had walked and stood too long today, Zhu Laosan’s soles had been stinging like standing on a hot-red iron plate. If not he had prepared some dried rations and water in advance, he might not stick to it.

His 13-year old son’s face had turned dreadfully pale. If not Zhu Laosan supported him with one hand, Zhu Guangsi had long fallen to the ground.

Zhu Laosan felt distressed about his son; however, he couldn’t allow his son to sit on the ground. Otherwise, they would be regarded as impious or indecent. In that way, all the efforts that he had made over the past 10 years would be in vain.

However, even though they couldn’t bear it anymore, they must keep standing; because the long team had already nipped Zhu Laosan and his son like a twisting giant boa. Therefore, Zhu Lansan and his son could only slowly move forward with the others of the team.

“Son, hold on. When we come back, I will let you eat half a month’s sugar-coated haws…” Zhu Lan could only comfort his son in this way; meanwhile, he secretly took out a slice of ginseng and put it in his son’s mouth. In this way, they finally negotiated the mountain ridge and caught sight of the far-ancient morality stele.

When Zhu Laosan caught sight of the far-ancient morality stele, he was instantly fascinated by it although Zhu Laosan was an atheist.

The far-ancient morality stele was 210 m in height and over 50 m in width. It was pitch-dark and smooth all over like a mirror. Standing in a basin of Vast Universe Mountain, it was lofty, cold and fierce and looked a bit mysterious. Although sunshine shone on the high far-ancient morality stele, the smooth stele was still pitch-dark as if it could absolutely absorb sunlight.

At the sight of the far-ancient morality stele, Zhu Lansan had felt that it was not an artifact. Meanwhile, he held the huge, black stele in great awe even a bit fearful. Additionally, all the tiredness had gone.

When the far-ancient morality stele was discovered at the beginning, it was not like this. At that time, it was inlaid in a cliff which had collapsed. However, over the past 200-odd year, through the Gobbling Party’s renovation, all the terrain and landforms within 6 miles had been changed. As a result, this place became a vast, open square, which could almost hold over 1 million people. When far-ancient morality stele was discovered, this place was completely open to the public. Anyone could come to see it whenever they wanted. But now, this place had become the sacred land of the Gobbling Party. In normal times, only some backbones of the Gobbling Party could enter this place. Ordinary people couldn’t have a chance to watch this far-ancient morality stele which shocked the entire country unless the annual Opening Stele Festival.

There were totally 4 teams who came here to ‘touch the stele’ like Zhu Laosan coming from east, south, west and north. Each team was crowded with people. Far-ancient morality stele was girdled with a four-storey viaduct. People from different directions could enter different corridors to ‘touch the stele’. After that, they would enter different areas on the square.

It took Zhu Laosan about one hour to come to the front of far-ancient morality stele from he caught sight of it. Those people, who came from the same direction as Zhu Laosan, entered the second corridor. The surging people slightly cut their own fingers with their teeth as they reached out their hands and painted their blood on the smooth surface of the stele. After walking around the far-ancient morality stele in an anti-clockwise manner, they left the corridor and entered the square.

Some fanatical followers and backbones of Gobbling Party even pierced their own palms with sabers and painted their entire bloody fingerprints on the stele so as to display their piety.

It was said that Meng Shidao slightly cut his own fingers and painted his blood on the far-ancient morality stele every day when he realized the truth in front of it. Finally, Meng Shidao established a relationship with the far-ancient morality stele. As this legend spread over, it gradually developed into the ‘touching the stele’ rite today.

From the visual angle in the second-storey corridor, far-ancient morality stele became a black wall. When he Zhu Laosan watched the blood and bloody fingerprints over the ‘wall’, he didn’t feel pious at all; instead, he felt cold all over. He even shuddered with fear.

Zhu Laosan also imitated the others to slightly cut his own fingers. Additionally, he asked his son to do it like him. Then, he painted his own blood on the surface of the far-ancient morality stele as his fingers quivered. As he was intense, he even forgot about the feeling of this expensive touch which he exchanged with the greater part of his income over the past 10 years by selling bean curds.

Being pushed by the others, after touching the far-ancient stele flurriedly, Zhu Laosan and his son had left there from the exit of the corridor. After that, they were guided to the area close to the periphery of the square, where they could finally slump to the ground on their butts.

The surging crowd flew into the square like water. When the dark fell, the entire square had been filled with people. The population there was definitely greater than 1 million. It was a dark dense of people everywhere. After completing the ‘touch the stele’ rite, those who were closer to the far-ancient morality stele represented higher positions in Gobbling Party.

The climax of the Opening Stele Festival had not come. The climax of each Opening Stele Festival was after the last streak of sunlight left far-ancient morality stele. By then, Meng Shidao would arrive and give one hour’s lesson before enrolling some of them as his apprentices.

Since he promoted to a heavenly knight, Meng Shidao would come here in almost every Opening Stele Festival. Despite being the premier of Taixia Country over these years, he would also come here from Xuanyuan Hill on this day and celebrate the Opening Stele Festival with all the other members of Gobbling Party.

A vast array of backbones, heads and members of morality agencies would come here from afar in order to meet Meng Shidao and listen to his lesson. Those who were favored by Meng Shidao would even be imparted with Returning Truth Sutra by Meng Shidao.

Zhu Laosan and his son sat on the edge of the square for rest as they waited for Meng Shidao in an intense and restless way. To be honest, if they could meet Meng Shidao here, when they came back home, they could bluff it for many years to the villagers in Zhujia Village even though they were far from Meng Shidao. If his son was selected as Meng Shidao’s apprentice among tens of thousands of kids, the Zhu family would definitely have a bright future.

Not all the apprentices of Meng Shidao’s came from major sects or backbone families of the Gobbling Party. Actually, some kids from ordinary families would be selected as Meng Shidao’s apprentices every year. From then on, they would reach the sky in a single bound and became the legendary figures in their hometowns. Being encouraged by these models, Zhu Laosan was brave enough to take his son here to try their lucks.

Before sunset, thousands of people in white had arrived. They were students in Vast Universe School. After completing ‘touch the stele’ rite, those people sat in the area where was closest to the far-ancient morality stele.

By then, the entire square had been occupied.

“Mercy is the core of Dao; morality is the body of Dao; rite is the reflection of Dao; righteousness is the motive of Dao. Dao, as a real object, is faintly discernible. It looks blurry; however, it has an image; it looks virtual; however, it’s real; although it looks profound and dark, it has real essence. Since far-ancient times, it has been existing. We could learn the original state of everything in the universe from it…”

Since they came to the square, the students of Vast Universe School had been reading aloud, gradually followed by over 1 million people. Their voices were earthshaking. Almost all the members of Gobbling Party could recite this paragraph.

When the last streak of sunlight left the highest point of far-ancient morality stele, the entire square was gradually in dead silence.

“Stand up and welcome our master…” At this moment, a loud and majestic voice reverberated in the air above the square. After hearing this voice, all the people stood up straight with full respect.

“Papa, I cannot see him…” Zhu Guangsi whispered as he rocked Zhu Laosan’s hand.

Because he was young and was standing at the periphery of the square, Zhu Guangsi was submerged in the crowd of adults when everyone stood up. As a result, he could only see the waists and legs of people in front of him and couldn’t see anything in the distance at all.

Zhu Laosan hurriedly made a hand gesture to tell his son to keep silent. He then watched the far-ancient morality stele in the far with wide eyes.

Zhu Laosan didn’t see how Meng Shidao arrived at all. When everyone stood up and the entire square was in dead silence, a shadow in black instantly appeared on the top of the far-ancient morality stele like playing magic. He then overlooked the over 1 million fanatical followers of Gobbling Party over the square.

“Our respects to you, master. Wish your chakras to rotate forever and your great Dao to consolidate forever!” Over 1 million people congratulated him at the same time as they all bent towards the shadow on the top of the far-ancient morality stele…

In the past years, after their greetings, that shadow would usually say, “The great Dao doesn’t belong to one person; instead, it belongs to the public. Please take a seat. I will tell you something about Dao…” After that, they would settle down as that shadow on the top of the far-ancient morality stele would start to give a lesson to them about Dao.

But today that shadow remained silent abnormally. After their greetings, he didn’t speak for a few seconds. Therefore, all the 1 million-odd followers of Gobbling Party just stood there and watched the shadow on the top of far-ancient morality stele with eager eyes. They didn’t know what to do next. Therefore, the atmosphere on the spot became weird.

Finally, that man on the top of the far-ancient morality stele sighed. “This day has finally come…”

When they heard this gloomy sigh clearly, all the 1 million-odd people became frustrated at this moment.

‘This day has finally come… what does Master mean?’