by Mao Ni
Priest Xin quickly worked to smooth the situation, doing his best to say soft words and give the overseer a way out of this embarrassing situation, and at the same time asking him to confirm that Chen Changsheng and Luoluo had the right to attend the Ivy Festival. The Heavenly Dao Academy overseer was quiet for a long time before finally stamping his private seal on the scroll in Priest Xin's hand.
The matter was not over.
The overseer gazed at Chen Changsheng and Luoluo and expressionlessly said, "In this Festival of the Ivies, every single one of the students that passed the pre-examination is qualified to attend, and many people are coming from every place of the continent. Are pieces of trash like the two of you going to shame my Great Zhou?"
Chen Changsheng thought it over and prepared to speak.
At this moment, Luoluo pulled on his sleeve and timidly asked, "Teacher, can I speak?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "You are also a student of the Orthodox Academy now. Of course you can."
Luoluo turned to the overseer and seriously asked, "But, what does it have to do with you?"
An overseer of the Heavenly Dao Academy was no overseer of the Orthodox Academy, so what concern of his were the students of the Orthodox Academy? Luoluo looked like a girl of eleven or twelve, and though she spoke seriously, her words carried a childish tone brimming with a naive happiness, yet her words struck at the very essence of the issue. The Heavenly Dao Academy overseer was momentarily stunned, and then extremely angry, yet he did not know how to respond.
"Good! Good! Good!" he angrily smiled and coldly said, "I'm really interested in seeing how the Orthodox Academy reverses its fortunes! During the Ivy Festival, when you pieces of trash from this garden of trash are humiliated and become the laughingstock of the entire continent, don't blame this official for not warning you today!"
With this final warning, he left with the sweep of his sleeve.
Priest Xin did not follow. He walked to the library and whispered a few explanations to Chen Changsheng.
Only then did Chen Changsheng understand that the management of the Ivy Festival was passed between the Six Ivies. This year, it just so happened to be the Heavenly Dao Academy's turn, with this overseer from the Heavenly Dao Academy responsible for finalizing who would be taking part. It had been many years since the Orthodox Academy last had any students attend the Ivy Festival, so it had gradually been forgotten. However, this year's situation was different. Of course, this was definitely not the reason for the Heavenly Dao Academy overseer's nasty behavior and his attempts to shame him. The primary reason was a certain law of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
This law stated that if a school failed to recruit a student for many years, its teaching credentials and policy protections would all be canceled. The Orthodox Academy had already failed to recruit students for many years, and if it failed to do so for one more year, it would vanish into the endless river of history. Yet who could have imagined…that on exactly the last year, the Orthodox Academy would gain a new student called Chen Changsheng.
"Just because of this?" Chen Changsheng asked.
After a moment of silence, Priest Xin explained, "That year during that incident involving the Orthodox Academy…three of Education Overseer Peng's senior brothers died here."
Chen Changsheng fell silent, thinking, If it were me, I would also hope that the Orthodox Academy would close its doors and disappear, and if someone like me were to suddenly appear, a student that changed the fate of the Orthodox Academy, my attitude would also be rather awful. I'd want nothing more than for that student to quickly depart.
"But there's no need to worry too much. In any case, as long as you don't enter a match in the Ivy Festival, Education Overseer Peng and those other elders have no means of getting ahold of you."
Priest Xin consoled him with a few words, glanced at Luoluo quietly standing by his side, then patted him on his shoulder and chuckled, "You're pretty good."
What this comment meant, Luoluo did not understand, nor did Chen Changsheng.
After all, the two were both only fourteen, and Chen Changsheng was still under the impression that Luoluo was a girl of eleven or twelve.
Chen Changsheng gazed at Luoluo's small face and suddenly felt some hesitation, because it was only at this point that he noticed that this girl was actually quite pretty.
Luoluo tightly grasped his sleeve and said, "Teacher, you can't have any regrets."
Chen Changsheng helplessly shook his head. After thinking for a long while, he choked out a sentence, "You…have you eaten yet?"
Luoluo opened her eyes wide, her voice suspicious. "Didn't I eat wontons with Teacher this morning?"
"Yeah…it's already noon."
Chen Changsheng glanced out the window and said, "It's time to eat lunch."
Hearing this, Luoluo clasped her hands together and made a slight bow as she said with extreme warmth, "I'll make Teacher lunch."
"Let's buy," Chen Changsheng said.
Seeking instruction, Luoluo said, "Wontons?"
Chen Changsheng contemplated what to do, then said, "Besides wontons, there's also a place that sells noodles in the lane. The taste isn't bad. That's right, ask them to put in less bean sprouts and more peppers."
Luoluo ran off, laughing and cheering the entire way, her two ponytails bobbing behind her.
On the wall, Guardian Jin and Guardian Li looked each other in the eyes.
"Is this fine?"
"It looks pretty fine to me."
* * *
After the noodles had been eaten, it was already afternoon. The wind of late spring seemed to have a natural aroma. Smelling it was intoxicating and immediately made one want to sleep.
Chen Changsheng looked at Luoluo and said, "I only asked you for your name today. I'm sorry."
Luoluo chuckled, but said nothing more.
"Take the Night Pearl and those other items back, I really can't accept them."
"Teacher, you're not planning on backing out, are you?"
"Of course…not."
"Then…how can you return the gifts I gave to acknowledge you as my teacher?"
"Didn't you buy me a bowl of noodles just a while ago?"
Luoluo's smile faded as she lightly brought up her dress and slowly prostrated herself on the jet-black floor.
After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng prostrated towards the direction of Xining Village, and then prostrated to her.
The spring sunlight was gentle, the scenery bright and beautiful, the lake quiet like a mirror. Occasionally a breeze would blow through the building and curl around the bookshelves before resting on their temples.
Chen Changsheng straightened his body and helped Luoluo up.
Luoluo said, "Thank you."
Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say. After thinking for a while, he also said, "Thank you."
Chapter 37 – The First Lesson
Chen Changsheng suddenly thought of a matter and said, "That’s right, my name is Chen Changsheng."
"I know," Luoluo giggled in reply.
She naturally knew that her teacher was called Chen Changsheng. Although she had never doubted him, since she wanted to acknowledge him as her teacher, her clansmen living in the Hundred Herb Garden had long since used a variety of methods to thoroughly investigate Chen Changsheng's background. She knew that he came from a village called Xining, knew that he was acquainted with Tang Thirty-Six, and even knew how he had entered the Orthodox Academy, so she felt all the more certain that her teacher was assuredly no ordinary person.
She also thought of another matter and asked with concern, "Teacher, were my words to that overseer from the Heavenly Dao Academy too improper?"
Chen Changsheng thought this question over, then replied, "Yes, they truly were a little overboard. 'What does it have to do with you' can actually be said as 'it's none of your business'."
After saying this, he began to laugh, and Luoluo also began to laugh, both very happily. She felt that being togeth
er with her teacher very easily made her happy and that this was truly a good thing. Then, she thought of that incident that occurred before the arrival of the Heavenly Dao Academy overseer.
"Why did someone from the Divine General of the East's estate come to find Teacher?"
"There are some matters."
Chen Changsheng didn't know how to answer. Seeing the girl's appearance, he asked, "You know of the Divine General of the East's estate?"
Luoluo replied, "It's the legendary Phoenix nest. It's impossible for me not to know."
The so-called Phoenix nest naturally had to do with Xu Yourong's innate blood.
Chen Changsheng asked, "You know Xu Yourong?"
"I would quite like to know her," Luoluo said rather regretfully, "By the time I reached the capital, she had already gone to the south, so there was no opportunity for us to meet."
Chen Changsheng thought of Tang Thirty-Six's evaluation of Xu Yourong and advised, "Luoluo, I know that you are very strong, but don't think about comparing yourself to her. We don't have to compare which one of us is stronger, As long as we can each progress, that is what it means to truly be strong."
Luoluo understood that he had misunderstood something. Smiling, she said, "She's the reincarnation of the true Phoenix, a unique existence of this world. Even the people of my family admire her. Ever since I was small, she's always been held up as an example to encourage me, but I've really never thought of comparing myself to her. I hear that she's a very good person, other than the fact that her personality is somewhat bland. But she's much better than those Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws of the south. Truthfully, I just want to get to know her, to have her as a friend. Teacher, do you think she is good or not?"
After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng replied, "She and I…our relationship isn't very good."
Luoluo was somewhat shocked by this statement, then she recalled something and said, "Teacher really does like to deceive people."
Somewhat slow to respond, Chen Changsheng asked, "How have I deceived anybody?"
"Teacher always says that you are an ordinary person."
"I am an ordinary person."
Luoluo covered her mouth as she laughed, then said, "An ordinary person…how can they have a bad relationship with her?"
Chen Changsheng was speechless, because her words were reasonable. If he was an ordinary person, how could he possibly develop a relationship with Xu Yourong who lived above the nine heavens? If there was no relationship, how could there possibly be a bad relationship?
Seeing his expression, Luoluo stopped laughing and seriously said, "Teacher, from this day forward, I won't like her anymore, nor will I want to be her friend."
Taken aback, Chen Changsheng asked, "And just why is that?"
"Because Teacher has a bad relationship with her, so she must not be a good person," Luoluo said as if it was only right and proper.
Chen Changsheng sighed, saying, "This is too lacking in principles, isn't it?"
Luoluo replied, "Sir is my teacher, so it's only right that I listen to whatever you say. Isn't this a principle?"
As Chen Changsheng had nothing to say to this, he indicated that she should sit and then extend her hand.
Luoluo absolutely wished to acknowledge him as her teacher because she had several very difficult-to-resolve questions about cultivation.
Every cultivation method had its corresponding method of circulating true essence. Only by having a complete grasp of it would one be able to fully display the true might of the cultivation method. Her problem was that it was impossible for her to circulate true essence through her body through the methods recorded in the books.
On the night the demon expert had attempted to assassinate her, Chen Changsheng had used his single remark as proof that he could resolve her problems or, at least, have a possibility of doing so.
Once Chen Changsheng had written her name on the Orthodox Academy's register, he was responsible for her cultivation. He had a rough guess as to what her problem was, so for her first lesson, he would naturally have to start there. First of all, he had to confirm the true essence situation in her body.
The spring breeze blew in through the window, caressing the pages of the books and the hem of her dress. Chen Changsheng and Luoluo sat across from each other on the black and shiny floor. He closed his eyes for a few moments to calm his mind, then indicated that Luoluo should extend her right arm. After this, he raised his right hand and slowly placed it upon her wrist.
His action was very casual, but also precise. His forefinger and middle finger held together were like the forged edge of a sword, exuding a cold light. With extreme precision, it fell on her veins, yet in the instant that it truly fell, it was extremely gentle, like a falling leaf in the autumn, not letting the soil beneath it suffer the slightest fright.
Luoluo's eyes opened extremely wide. As she gazed at the fingers he had placed on her wrist, she was very surprised. She had lived a life of luxury ever since she was a child and had a broad experience. She couldn't even count the number of doctors she had seen, so she naturally understood how extraordinary this seemingly unremarkable act of taking her pulse was.
Could it be that Teacher is also a famous doctor?
As she was taken by astonishment at these things, Chen Changsheng was also very astonished. This was because he could clearly sense that this girl's pulse transmitted to his fingers was exceptionally vigorous, as distinct as the beating of a war drum. The problem…this beating was too packed together. How could a pulse be so fast!
His fingers were like raindrops jolted off the canvas of a drum and instantly drew back.
He raised his head to look into her eyes. Seeing how calm and bright they were allowed him to confirm that her pulse was not quickened due to her excitement. After a moment of thought, he once more placed his two fingers on her wrist, once more surprised that the feeling transmitted through his fingers was the same as ever.
Luoluo's heartbeat was at least twice as fast as normal!
If this were an ordinary person maintaining such a fast heartbeat, their face would definitely be flushed red and they would be dizzy and sweating. If this condition persisted for a little longer, they might even die from the rupturing of their blood vessels!
But…Luoluo did not have the slightest reaction. She seemed extremely normal, and her blood vessels also seemed very stable. Just why was this?
Chen Changsheng did not withdraw his fingers. With great focus, he observed her pulse and the condition of her veins. His brow creased more and more, until finally, after a very long time, he realized that not only was the pulse not getting slower with time, it was actually getting faster!
He raised his head once more to Luoluo's face and discovered that a few beads of sweat had emerged on the girl's temples and her breathing had grown somewhat more hurried. He knew that this time, she really was nervous.
Luoluo truly was very nervous. She had not expected that her teacher's very first action on her very first lesson would be to take her pulse. Only when Chen Changsheng's fingers rested on her wrist did she remember that problem, remember that her pulse was very different from an ordinary person's…what should she do?
Chen Changsheng pulled back his fingers and gazed at her in silence for a very long time. Finally, he asked, "Your pulse…has it always been like this?"
Luoluo lowered her head and softly affirmed, acting like a child that had done something wrong. "I've been like this ever since I was born."
Chen Changsheng remained silent as if he was pondering some extremely troublesome question.
He had vaguely guessed at Luoluo's background.
Any human would find it absolutely impossible to live with such a fast heartbeat for so long, let alone living until Luoluo's age.
There was only one explanation: Luoluo was not a human.
The spring breeze continued to blow through the window, ruffling the pages of the books, the hem of the girl's dress, and also her slightly moist ha
ir on her temples.
The library was silent.
Luoluo lowered her head, seeming very pitiable.
Chen Changsheng looked at her, wanting to ask her something, but he didn't know how to ask.
Luoluo suddenly raised her head. Seeing how he so desperately wanted to say something, she plucked up her courage and said, "Teacher, just ask and I'll answer."
Chen Changsheng, looking at her, suddenly felt that she was very heroic. After thinking it over, he said, "Then I might as well not ask."