The starlight outside the window was like water. Chen Changsheng and Luoluo sat on the floor, eating their night snack. There were several delicate pastries, two bowls of porridge with some sort of herb, and also a plate of very finely cut dried meat. The taste was quite good and the master and disciple were so busy eating with their chopsticks that they had no time to speak.
After the porridge and pastries were all finished, Luoluo now had the leisure to speak. Thinking of that carriage she had seen at the entrance to the alley of the Heavenly Dao Academy's back door, she could no longer hold back her curiosity. As she chewed on a piece of dried meat, she asked, "Teacher, just what sort of grudge lies between you and the Divine General of the East's estate?"
Chen Changsheng knew that a thing like curiosity was difficult to suppress for a very long time and had long since mentally prepared himself for her question. He casually said a couple of sentences and then moved to change the subject—he had prepared to misdirect her, to fool her by relying on his status as her teacher. Presumably, it would not be too difficult a task.
However, tonight's starlight was too beautiful and Luoluo truly found it difficult to endure. Since he wasn't willing to answer, she could only open her eyes wide, her black pupils constantly roaming about as she asked and probed several possibilities, like that he was the son of an old friend of the Divine General and that the Divine General was now requiting kindness with enmity, and other such rather dramatic scenarios.
Chen Changsheng found her imagination very admirable. He didn't know how to respond, so he simply chose silence.
Luoluo gazed up at the profuse stars above the Orthodox Academy, creasing her brow in serious contemplation. Her small hand held up a green orange that she had brought back from the forest, and sent it into her mouth. She thoughtlessly chewed it, then suddenly drew back her gaze and let out a shout of alarm.
Chen Changsheng believed that she had been surprised by the bitterness of the green orange. Shaking his head as he sighed, he chided, "I told you it was too sour and couldn't be eaten, and the taste really isn't that good."
Luoluo swallowed the green orange, seeming to be utterly unaffected by its sourness. She looked in shock at Chen Changsheng and asked, "Teacher, you couldn't possibly be betrothed to Xu Yourong, right?"
Chen Changsheng's mouth slightly dropped, at a loss as to how to respond. He was filled with admiration and also very helpless, preparing himself to confess the truth.
"Eh…"
Not waiting for his response, Luoluo repeatedly waved her hands, her small face filled with self-ridicule and awkwardness. "I'm really silly to actually think of such an absurd possibility. That's Xu Yourong; how can it be possible?"
Chen Changsheng felt even more at a loss as to how to respond. He somewhat awkwardly closed his mouth and fell silent, thinking, this matter truly is too absurd. Even Luoluo, who normally regards me with such respect, actually also thinks this way? Just what makes it impossible for me to be with Xu Yourong?
"Go back and sleep." He thought some more and then added, "I have some things to do tomorrow, so come over a bit later."
Luoluo was somewhat nervous and anxiously asked, "Teacher, you're not angry, right?"
Chen Changsheng asked, "Did you do anything today that would make me angry?"
Luoluo very seriously pondered this question and realized that she truly had not done anything that would make her teacher unhappy. Although she had acted excessively unbridled at the Ivy Festival in the Heavenly Dao Academy and not her usually cute and obedient self, Teacher had said that he wouldn't blame her, so he naturally wouldn't blame her.
She had no idea that her very casual statement had wounded Chen Changsheng's self-respect.
She truly had spoken very casually, so the wound was truly not light.
...
...
After Luoluo left, Chen Changsheng tidied up the lunchbox and the other things on the floor, then he organized the books on the table and returned them to the shelves. Extinguishing the lanterns, he walked to the entrance of the library and turned his head, gazing back for a few moments before finally departing into the darkness, as if he was saying farewell.
Upon returning to the house, he began to pack his luggage, placing all the things he needed to take with him in one box. He then took out his dagger, sat on his bed, closed his eyes, and began to rest. He was not drawing in starlight for Purification but waiting for the arrival of some people.
In tonight's Ivy Festival, Luoluo had crippled Tianhai Ya'er. This incident would assuredly incur enormous troubles. Those troubles were aimed at her, aimed at him, and aimed at the Orthodox Academy. He did not know who would be coming to make trouble, but he knew that those people would certainly be very frightening.
He knew that Luoluo's history was mysterious, her background extraordinary, or else the Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy Mao Qiuyu would not have been secretly protecting her during the Ivy Festival. However, the little monster she had crippled was still the Divine Empress's grandnephew, a member of the Tianhai clan—the Tianhai clan that was the most terrifying clan in the entire continent.
At the very beginning, Chen Changsheng still had hopes that Luoluo's background would be able to awe the other party into at least not making trouble in the open, but after hearing Xu Shiji saying that the Education Overseer of the Heavenly Dao Academy would commit suicide tonight, he no longer held much hope.
In the present world, even the Chen Imperial clan had to obey the Tianhai clan. The Education Overseer of the Heavenly Dao Academy even had to die because Tianhai Ya'er was crippled, so what of Luoluo, who had directly committed the deed, and himself? Or that the other side had originally wanted to destroy the Orthodox Academy in the first place?
He waited for the arrival of those people, prepared to leave. Although he was somewhat reluctant to part with the Orthodox Academy, extremely regretful that he would miss next year's Grand Examination, it was impossible to change what had occurred, so he had to at least allow this matter to have a relatively complete conclusion.
In his plan, in a little while, the Orthodox Academy would turn into a sea of flames.
He naturally had means of escaping.
The Orthodox Academy would pay the price for crippling Tianhai Ya'er and Luoluo was no ordinary person, so the other party would presumably be satisfied.
...
...
This one night.
Just Chen Changsheng himself.
Sitting alone in his room.
At his feet sat a shabby leather trunk.
He silently awaited another turn in his life.
He used his composure that surpassed his age to silently wait.
Nobody knew that he waited in the Orthodox Academy for an entire night, even after countless years. Only he knew how interminable this night seemed, how difficult to endure it was, how much courage he had to pay.
When the morning light shone over the school, nothing had occurred.
On this night, there were many people silently watching the Orthodox Academy.
Those people thought the same as him, believing that the ruthless officials of the Department for Purging Officials would charge into the Orthodox Academy in the middle of the night and drag him into Zhou Prison, the mere name of which would cause countless ministers and experts to quail in fear. Or perhaps the experts of the Li Palace would borrow the shroud of darkness to come to this place and then quietly murder the youth and set the place ablaze, turning this Orthodox Academy that the Divine Empress loathed into a terrifying sea of fire.
But none of this occurred.
The morning light shone as smoke began to curl up from the chimneys of Hundred Flowers Lane. From the nearby Imperial Palace came the ringing of a bell.
Chen Changsheng opened his eyes. Walking to the window and gazing out at the peaceful capital in the morning, he was somewhat confused, and then he understood.
Because of his request from last night, Luoluo did not come from the Hundred Herb Garden to the Orthodox Academy until noon. Of course, she did not forget to bring a heavy lunchbox.
Chen Changsheng asked her to inquire on some information.
Before they had even finished lunch, the sound of a flute could be heard from the other side of the wall. Luoluo slightly lowered her head and quietly listened for a while.
"Nobody has seen the Education Overseer of the Heavenly Dao Academy."
She raised her head and looked at Chen Changsheng. "Vice Principal Zhuang received a letter. It's probably a resignation letter."
Chen Changsheng fell silent. Seeing his expression, Luoluo also understood some things.
Vanishing after submitting a resignation letter. Had he retired to his birthplace or gone deep into the mountains to quietly cultivate? This was a matter that no one knew, and in this short period, it was impossible to find out.
It was not a resignation letter, but a farewell to the world.
Last night in the residence of the Education Overseer of the Heavenly Dao Academy, perhaps a rope of white silk could be found. This morning in the Luo River, perhaps the ashes of some bones had already sunk into the mud at the bottom.
Just like that, a powerful figure had noiselessly died.
Chen Changsheng felt somewhat cold. Looking at Luoluo's eyes, he found complex feelings within.
This was a conspiracy, perhaps an open conspiracy, aimed at the Orthodox Academy.
The Heavenly Dao Academy overseer had the little monster of the Temple Seminary strike. No matter how the Orthodox Academy responded, problems would arise…because he was the grandnephew of the Divine Empress. If he won, the Orthodox Academy would naturally collapse. If he lost, the Orthodox Academy would assuredly invite the rage of the palace.
Yet to the surprise of all, the final conclusion of this conspiracy was that the Education Overseer of the Heavenly Dao Academy bore the rage of the palace and became a corpse. The young man and woman of the Orthodox Academy surprisingly had to bear none of the responsibility. Why? Because Luoluo was very powerful, because Luoluo's background was even more powerful…in short, Luoluo was far too powerful.
Chen Changsheng looked at her and sighed, "It seems that you are even more outstanding than I imagined."
Somewhat confused, Luoluo replied, "Teacher, you are the truly outstanding person."
Chen Changsheng scratched his head and asked, "Is it appropriate for us to be flattering each other like this?"
...
...
Chen Changsheng had always believed that if one lived for several centuries, time was transient and thus must be cherished. If one lived for only several decades, this was even more true. Since nothing had occurred, he should continue studying and cultivating. Only at dusk did he and Luoluo finally put down their books. After finishing the dinner sent over from the Hundred Herb Garden, they began to take a stroll around the Orthodox Academy's lake.
Strolling seemed to be a very time-wasting affair, but he did not care because he clearly understood that doing this was good for his health.
The two walked to the other side of the lake and came before an extremely tall and mighty banyan tree. Chen Changsheng suddenly felt a rare feeling of mischief and proposed climbing up it to see the view. Luoluo had always obeyed him, let alone the fact that he was now proposing something fun, so she had no reason to object.
After a while, the two had climbed to the middle section of this great tree and stood upon a very sturdy branch, not worried that it might snap. They were ten-odd zhang from the ground and when their gazes looked into the distance, they could see streets that were very far away, and even faintly see the galleries of the Li Palace.
Under the sunset, the sight of the capital was truly quite good.
Hundred Flowers Lane beyond the Orthodox Academy's walls was even more plainly visible. It was peaceful as normal, but both he and Luoluo knew that Hundred Flowers Lane was already no longer as it once was. In those shadows and under the eaves, many gazes were watching what went on within the academy's walls.
"Teacher, I'm sorry."
Luoluo whispered. She felt that it was because of her that Chen Changsheng had been dragged into this mire. She knew that he deeply valued time and placed high value on his calm life of cultivation, so her apology was deep and sincere.
"The person to apologize should be me."
Chen Changsheng explained, "On that day, if I hadn't written your name in the register, you wouldn't be a student of the Orthodox Academy, and then how would we encounter these troubles? Although you aren't afraid of these troubles, troubles are still troubles in the end."
...
...
Time did not move according to the will of humans, or else the time around Chen Changsheng would certainly be as firm and unmoving as a stone.
Several days later, the second night of the Ivy Festival arrived on schedule.
Looking at the invitation card on the floor, Chen Changsheng was rather surprised. No matter if it was the words Xu Shiji spoke to him at that time or Priest Xin's advance warning, logically speaking, this year's Ivy Festival should be somewhat different from those of the past. Moreover, after the bloody match on its first night, he thought that the second night would be postponed a few days.
Luoluo asked, "Teacher, are we really not going?"
Chen Changsheng shook his head, saying, "We're not going."
The Ivy Festival was an activity organized by the academies of the capital and would not influence next year's Grand Examination. He had participated in the first night primarily to get a clear understanding of the Grand Examination's rules and also to see just what sort of person Xu Shiji was. Both of these goals had been accomplished, so what need was there to go again?
And if they did go to the second night of the Ivy Festival, there would certainly be many people staring at the Orthodox Academy, staring at him and Luoluo. He was not used to that sort of feeling.
Luoluo did not expect that he really wouldn't go when he said that they weren't going. She was somewhat confused and also somewhat regretful, saying, "If we did go, we might have really been able to get a good rank."
The literary test and the martial test remained for the Ivy Festival. Like the Grand Examination, they would also have rankings, and unlike the matches of the first night, they would assuredly not come to such a hasty conclusion. If Luoluo had participated in the martial test and Chen Changsheng in the literary test, they might have been able to make the Orthodox Academy shine with glory once more.
Chen Changsheng answered, "There's not much meaning in that."
Luoluo gave him an admiring gaze as she said, "Teacher views undeserved reputation like fleeting clouds, truly admirable."
Chen Changsheng earnestly responded, "It's primarily because I'm afraid of provoking trouble."
...
...
On the day on which the second night of the Ivy Festival would be held, the Heavenly Dao Academy was presumably unusually lively, but the Orthodox Academy was as quiet as ever. Hundred Flowers Lane outside the academy also finally obtained true peace. Those people who had watched the Orthodox Academy for many days had left because of the Ivy Festival.
Every night after dinner, they would take a stroll around the lake. Although the lake and the shadows of trees were beautiful, it was difficult not to be bored after seeing them so many times. After they had climbed up the great banyan tree several times, there was not much meaning in continuing to do so. Upon seeing that the number of irksome individuals in Hundred Flowers Lane was greatly reduced, Luoluo, unwilling to pass over this opportunity, threw a tantrum, acted cute, and resorted to all sorts of methods, before she was finally able to pull Chen Changsheng from the floor of the library. The pair exited the academy gate covered in ivy, exited Hundred Flowers Lane, and began to stroll about the streets.
Not far from Hundred Flowers Lane was Walong Lane's famous night market. Under the rule of the Divine Empress, the capital had experienced a long period of peace and was flourishing and prosperous. The night market was naturally extraordinarily lively, with pedestrians packed tightly together. The fragrances of all kinds of food being sold by the stalls assailed the nostrils and tempted passersby.
Chen Changsheng bought Luoluo a tanghulu. Somewhat surprised, Luoluo very happily received it without the slightest courtesy—respect for her teacher and providing him three meals was only right and proper, as her teacher buying her a few small snacks was also right and proper.
She held the tanghulu and very carefully licked it, terribly worried that a momentary lapse of attention would result in her licking until only the wooden stick was left and frightening her teacher.
Her petite appearance was very cute.
Walking in front of a stall selling fried clams, she curiously looked at the still-moving clams in flour. She was just about to ask Chen Changsheng if they were okay to eat when she suddenly saw a very tall and sturdy youth squatting by the wall behind the stall, washing the dishes. Her forehead slightly creased.
Her petite appearance was very solemn.
Of course, it was still very cute.