"If I'm not mistaken, you should be…an ordinary person!"
"Yes, I haven't formally begun to cultivate."
"The Grand Examination…first rank of the first banner?"
"Yes, I can only take first place."
Tang Thirty-Six's questions were very direct and very pointed. Chen Changsheng's answers were very earnest and very calm. It was like they were discussing some very simple matter, like what combination of meat and vegetables for a meal would be most reasonable, not eating food that's too salty or too oily, or perhaps that one should go to sleep early so one can get up early and only in this way could one have a healthy body. After all, it was true that life was just eating, drinking, urinating, and dumping. And to treat heavy problems like they were light, to desire to transform from the vulgar to the elegant, was also a good attitude to have—the problem lay in the fact that to obtain the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination was really not any ordinary part of life's normal routine.
Because he must get first place, so he would get first place. Such light and refreshing words seemed so inevitable and right, but in reality, they didn't have any sort of basis to speak of. It was just like a child who didn't have the strength to truss a chicken saying that he would pull off the dragon whisker of the world's most supreme Golden Dragon and use it as a sword. This made for a fine fairy tale, but if it were said in the real world, it could only be treated as delusion.
That person would definitely be treated either as a madman or an idiot. Of course, they could also be a peerless genius.
A genius and an idiot were only separated by a single line. That line was possibility.
As for Chen Changsheng, this person who completely ignored the line and wholeheartedly believed in himself, just which side of the line did he fall on?
Tang Thirty-Six was very proud and very egotistic, but today, he felt like this calm and even somewhat wooden, naive and childish, kid had dealt a devastating blow to his pride and ego. Logically, the nonsensical words of an idiot were incapable of menacing a true genius like him, but the problem was this: when Chen Changsheng said such absurd words with such resolve in his eyes, he found it impossible to retort or ridicule. Deep within his heart, he felt like the impossible possibility could possibly actually exist!
Why was this? He had never encountered a person like Chen Changsheng before. His actions were upright and proper, so he was self-confident and thus forceful—as a result, it was impossible to find a way to respond to him. This was what it meant to be left speechless, so he had nothing to say. He felt so restrained that it felt like he was dealt internal injuries. If he knew that Chen Changsheng had caused Madam Xu of the Divine General's estate as well as that maid Shuang'er to also be left speechless, then perhaps he would have been greatly comforted and filled with empathy for them.
Only after drinking all of his tea and even inadvertently almost swallowing the tea leaves did Tang Thirty-Six finally awake from his shock. Seeing that Chen Changsheng's expression had not changed in the slightest, as if he had never even uttered those words, Tang Thirty-Six couldn't help but shake his head, thinking, this guy is far more interesting than I ever expected.
"Not even a year's worth of time…although I quite admire your ambition, from a rational perspective, there's no way I can be optimistic about you, so I can't give you any well wishes or anything of that sort. If I do, you might think me too much of a hypocrite. I can only warn you that the Divine General of the East's estate will not easily give up."
Tang Thirty-Six did not know what sort of grudge existed between Chen Changsheng and the Divine General of the East's estate. In his view, since the capital was still a model city of a capital under the jurisdiction of the Divine Empress, even if the Divine General of the East's estate worked in secret to thwart Chen Changsheng's future prospects, they wouldn't do anything too excessive.
After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng replied, "I'll do my best to avoid them."
Tang Thirty-Six questioned, "Is it even possible to avoid them? Even Star Seizer didn't accept you."
Chen Changsheng replied, "This is also something that I don't understand."
Tang Thirty-Six explained, "The Divine General of the East's estate cannot influence Star Seizer Academy—Xu Shiji doesn't have the ability. I hear…someone in the palace said something, so I'm very curious, just what more secrets are there in that problem between you and the Divine General of the East's estate that it even involves the palace."
Only then did Chen Changsheng finally realize that his failure to be admitted into Star Seizer Academy actually had such a story behind it. He was flabbergasted, momentarily forgetting to speak. After a moment, he awoke from his daze, but his mood was actually somewhat improved—only in the face of such irresistible pressure could the Star Seizer Academy that he so respected do such a thing so unworthy of respect.
The problem he had to consider now was, just why was there this irresistible pressure?
Without discussing the distant and mysterious Great Western Continent, the Central Continent had many high places that ordinary people were not allowed to approach, such as the mountain gates of various major sects of the south or that snowy city in the north…and when the Great Zhou led the humans in obtaining the ultimate victory against the demons, the Imperial Palace in the capital of the Great Zhou became the most extraordinary of these places.
The legends said that the Imperial Palace had countless Ethereal Opening experts acting as servants. The legends said that the old chief eunuch in the Imperial Palace was a Star Condensation expert. The legends said that the Imperial Palace contained a sedan chair made of bamboo. The legends even said that the Imperial Palace even contained a being of unparalleled might, a supreme dragon that had been loyal for one thousand years!
In his previous fourteen years of existence, Chen Changsheng had become greatly acquainted with the Great Zhou Imperial Palace through books, but he had never imagined that in this life, he would form a connection with such a lofty and enigmatic place. As he thought of Tang Thirty-Six's words, he fell silent, unable to understand why.
"The Divine Empress has countless dogs that kneel before her curtain and Xu Shiji is one of the more ferocious ones, but even he cannot invite the people within the palace to pressure Star Seizer Academy. Even if he could, there's no need for him to pay such an enormous price. Then, without needing to pay such a great price, the nobles within the palace acted voluntarily…"
Speaking up to here, Tang Thirty-Six felt that his previously fuzzy conjectures had suddenly become much more distinct, but when he thought of Chen Changsheng's still young face, he once more felt that his thoughts were somewhat disorderly—could it be that this guy who didn't even know how to treat someone to a meal could really…have some connection with that Phoenix?
He really wished to ask Chen Changsheng just what was going on here, but based on what he had experienced today, he had a keen understanding of Chen Changsheng's personality. Tang Thirty-Six knew that as long as Chen Changsheng was not willing to speak, then he would never speak no matter what happened. As a result, he only said, "…The Divine General of the East's estate's most important person has always been her. You must understand this point."
As he spoke, he stared into Chen Changsheng's eyes.
Chen Changsheng said nothing for a very long time, then suddenly asked, "She…just what sort of person is she?"
Tang Thirty-Six's expression did not change, but his mind was already surging with world-shaking waves. Through Chen Changsheng's question as well as the subtle changes in expression as he spoke, Tang Thirty-Six could be very sure that there was definitely a problem between Chen Changsheng and that Phoenix, he just didn't know what sort of problem it was.
"It's very difficult to describe what sort of person she is. Whether in the rumors or descriptions of others, there's nothing too special about her personality."
Upon saying this, Tang Thirty-Six realized that she was really was very difficult to describe. Only when he looked at Chen Changsheng's eyes did he suddenly understand.
"She…is very similar to you.
"She is also a person that makes others speechless.
"Of course, the reason you make others speechless is that your attitude is far too calm, your tone of voice too annoying, making others so depressed that they want to spit up blood…according to the rumors, she doesn't speak very much, and she rarely appears before the common people, but she's just like you. The two of you both make others so depressed that they want to spit up blood."
Chen Changsheng was somewhat doubtful and confused.
"She doesn't need to speak, doesn't need to jeer, doesn't need to disdain, doesn't need to look down from up high…she only needs to exist, just needs to stand there, and that's enough for many people to get depressed and want to spit out blood. I admit, I'm also included amongst those people. Possessing the blood of the Heavenly Phoenix, when she was very young, she awakened on her own. Her cultivation was incomparably smooth, and her powers of comprehension were extremely strong, her willpower also extremely strong, everything about her was strong…don't you feel that this sort of person is too excessive? Even a genius like me would feel despair in front of her. This sort of person that makes others speechless is truly repulsive."
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at him and then continued, "You and she are both friends in making others speechless, it's just that your methods are completely different. She's really…too special. In truth, many people think that basically only Qiushan Jun could be as calm as usual when facing such a girl, I suppose?"
After saying this and seeing that Chen Changsheng had nothing much to say, he bid farewell and left the inn. After the blue-clothed youth left, Chen Changsheng cleaned the table until it was spotless and then, in a rare sight, he didn't take a bath nor did he read a book. Instead, he walked out to the courtyard, moved a bamboo chair under a tree, then, separated by sparse petals and gradually fattening leaves, he gazed up expressionlessly at the beautiful night of stars.
He once more heard the names of Xu Yourong and Qiushan Jun. His expression did not change, but it was truthfully difficult for his emotions to not be affected. After all, he was just a fourteen-year-old youth. This somewhat sour and somewhat melancholy emotion was one that he had been far removed from in the past, but after entering the capital, he had already experienced it twice.
His four successive failures in entering academies were all because of the Divine General of the East's estate, so he was very angry. The Imperial Palace suppressing Star Seizer Academy's opinion was not because of the Divine General of the East's estate, but necessarily because of her, and this made him even angrier. Coupled with his current sour and melancholy mood, he realized that he was getting more and more annoyed by this girl called Xu Yourong.
Back in the temple, when he was small, he had once said to his senior brother that perhaps he might hate somebody, but it was very difficult for him to learn how to find somebody annoying.
Now, it turned out that he was beginning to find this little girl annoying.
Yes, even if she was the true maiden of the Heavenly Phoenix that made the geniuses and youths of the sects and snowy cities speechless, in Chen Changsheng's mind, she was a little girl.
He remembered extremely clearly, she was born on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, three days younger than he was.
Even if it were just one day, she would still be younger, let alone the fact that it was three days.
That girl called Xu Yourong really did annoy others.
Chen Changsheng's mood grew worse and worse as he thought, how could Teacher have arranged such a marriage? He rose up from the chair, removed from his belt a little thing made of bamboo, and placed it in a box in the deepest part of his luggage. Then, he washed his face and hands. After washing himself clean, his mood finally improved.
The box contained a marriage contract. That little thing made of bamboo had been sent to him from the capital when he was eleven years old. He remembered the White Crane that had delivered the item, remembered the letter that had accompanied it, remembered the words within the letter, and he also remembered very clearly that after that day, the White Crane never came back.
...
...
Tonight.
A White Crane descended onto the summit of the Holy Maiden Peak of the south.
Under the night profuse with stars, a young girl sat by a cliff.