Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 492 - 433 Reading

Chapter 492: Chapter 433 Reading
Dragons do not exist. This is what is written in the *Exotic Beasts Studies* textbook.
Despite being a symbol of Huaxia civilization, passed down from the ancient times of Fu Xi, there has never been a verified sighting of a True Dragon throughout history.
The alleged dragon remains that Cultivators have unearthed in various places, such as scales, antlers, dragon whiskers, and manes, have all been proven to be parts of other Exotic Beasts.
Hence, during the Pre-Sui Period, the Academic Palace made a judgment. They concluded that Dragons do not truly exist but are instead a result of ancient clan totems assimilating and merging with one another. These totems gradually transformed into an imperial symbol of auspice over time.
Of course, this is only the view of the Academic Palace, and it does not prevent the common folk from continuing to worship Dragon totems.
"The mainstream view of the Academic Palace is still that Dragons do not exist. However, under this concept, there are a variety of different interpretations."
Doctor of Beastology Zhang Liang spoke with a smile. "Some doctors, from the perspective of Golden Stone Study, believe that the depiction of the Dragon in the Chewed script on oracle bones, with its writing method similar to that of ’electricity’ and ’thunder,’ retains the curved shape of lightning. It also places the symbol representing thunder at the end of the curved line, signifying the Dragon’s mouth. When the Dragon’s mouth faces downward, it signifies rain pouring from it.
Chewed script is one of the oldest forms of writing known, and people’s understanding of Dragons at that time would definitely have been closer to their origin.
Perhaps Dragons were a type of Exotic Beast that dwelled above the clouds, sharing origins with thunder and lightning, lacking a physical form, and only observable under special circumstances.
This explains the way it was written in Chewed script, and why later generations couldn’t find any Dragon remains.
Another point of view suggests that Dragons once existed, even cohabitating with humans during the Yin Shang period. However, due to climate changes, the Central Plains were no longer suitable for them to live in, so they migrated as a clan into the Endless Sea.
The evidence for this includes some wall paintings from the Yin Shang period depicting the migration of Dragons. The Dragons in these paintings often have wings and come in all sorts of odd shapes, both serpent-like and tiger-like.
They believe that this was the true appearance of Dragons. It’s because there were no Dragon models to reference after the migration that later depictions of Dragons became more uniform.
There are also scholars who think that although Dragons have gone extinct, there are still many Exotic Beasts in the world with Dragon bloodlines, such as Hui, Qiu, Chi, Jiao, Pan, Mirage, and others with more distant relations like the Crocodile Turtle and Kong Ao."
A look of longing flashed across Dr. Zhang Liang’s face. Having spent most of his life researching Exotic Beasts, he would willingly forfeit half a year’s wages for a chance to witness a True Dragon.
"Anyway, a paper between three to five thousand words. Hand it in by the end of the month."
Dr. Zhang Liang assigned the homework and then leisurely packed up his books and left the classroom, leaving behind a chorus of students sighing in distress.
The coursework for the new semester was especially heavy. The good old days were gone—days of attending classes all day, then leisurely strolling through the city, enjoying sweets, buying things, and finishing homework on the very last day. That life was no more.
Li Wei tidied his textbooks, stood up, and said seriously, "If you ask me, there really are Dragons in this world."
Yang Yu rubbed his temples, a hint of a headache showing, and said sarcastically, "You were serviced by a Dragon the last time you went to Pingkang Square, weren’t you? That joke was mine originally. You shouldn’t have stolen it. At the very least, you ought to tip me for it."
"Can the actions of scholars be called stealing?" Li Wei replied righteously. "This is called adopting instead of purchasing."
Yang Yu rolled his eyes and added, "Then why don’t you adopt my homework for the month as well?"
Li Wei flashed a grin, showing his white teeth, gave a thumbs-up, and proudly declared, "Sure, if you dare. As long as I’m worthless, no one can take advantage of me."
RUSTLE.
Li Ang tidied the textbooks and stationery on his desk. As a student of the Mind Study Dao Path, doing homework was much more convenient for him than for others—multi-tasking was possible as he could control the paper and pen with Telekinesis, and write several copies at once.
Just as he was packing up his schoolbag, a friendly burst of laughter came from the front of the classroom.
Dou Chi, Ashide Tumen, and others surrounded Pei Jing, patting him on the shoulder and playfully punching his chest while repeatedly offering congratulations.
Li Ang raised an eyebrow and asked Yang Yu, "What’s going on with them?"
"Pei Jing is betrothed."
He Fanshuang walked over with casual strides and said nonchalantly, "The girl is from the Minor Branch of the Qinghe Cui Family."
"Wow..." Yang Yu and Li Wei’s mouths fell open in surprise. Yong Hongzhong couldn’t help but take a few extra glances at Pei Jing, and Li Ang momentarily paused his packing.
The Qinghe Cui Family originated from the Jiang clan and are descendants of Qi Taigong Jiang Shang, also known as Jiang Ziya. They have maintained a complete family tree that continues unbroken to this day.
They have many branches. Among them, the descendants of Cui Yin, Assistant of the Crown Prince of Northern Wei (who married the granddaughter of the Northern Wei Wen Cheng Emperor), known as the Qinghe Minor Branch, are the most illustrious among the influential families, having produced over a dozen Prime Ministers.
Moreover, because they have married well and recruited talented sons-in-law generation after generation, not to mention their scholarly achievements, their offspring’s appearances are well above average.
Last year, during the Academic Palace’s academic exchange, Li Ang had seen from a distance the younger generation sent by the Qinghe Cui Family and couldn’t deny they were indeed striking in appearance.
Qiu Feng looked at the group of boys and teased, "If you guys can manage to reach the Cloud Patrol Realm this year, the Minor Branch of the Cui Family might be out of reach, but perhaps you could have a shot at entering the doors of the Qinghe Mansion."
This was an anecdote from the Pre-Sui Period. During the Late Sui, Minister Cui Biao (the son of Gao Yang Governor Cui Zhongwen, from the Qinghe Mansion) was of noble birth and unparalleled in learning. He looked down on the common people and once put an inscription at his door prohibiting entry to those who hadn’t read at least five thousand scrolls.
Back then, books were mostly in scroll form and contained fewer words, so five thousand scrolls weren’t especially exaggerated.
In today’s terms, reading five thousand books would be a death sentence.
If I count *Yilin*, *Reader*, *Youth Digest*, *Story Collection*, and comic magazines like *Zhiyin Manke*, as well as all kinds of novels from my memories of the Otherworld, perhaps I might have reached a volume of five thousand.
Li Ang thought idly.
When he first arrived in Chang’an, had he not met the rich-second-generation Yang Yu and secured cheap housing, he probably would have sought to write for Chang’an publications and earn manuscript fees, right?
The best-selling publications in Chang’an were not those discussing Natural Science or philosophy, but news publications and citizen’s bulletins.
The latter’s articles mostly sold on sentimentality, inspirational stories, and philosophical thoughts. Li Ang’s major was precisely aligned with this, and he could easily earn a substantial income by writing articles like "Have You Seen the Book Collection Pavilion at Four-Thirty in the Morning?" or "Why Should Young Scholars Pour Out Their Grievances on the Prince of Tibet?"
Li Ang shook his head to rid himself of the jumbled thoughts and, returning to his senses, realized his companions were all looking at him.
"What’s up?" Li Ang asked, puzzled.
"Ahem, nothing," Yang Yu said awkwardly. "It’s just that Pei Jing has reached the Cloud Patrol Realm, and we were worried that bringing it up might make you unhappy."
"Why would it? I’m not that petty." Li Ang managed a wry smile. Since the start of the autumn term, all of his classmates had improved their Cultivation, yet he remained stuck at the High Order Rain Listening stage without any signs of progress.