by Mao Ni
There was an extremely soft crack.
It was so light that only Guan Feibai and the other Mount Li disciples seated closest could hear.
And only they could clearly see that the sword sheath at Elder Xiao Songgong's waist… had a new crack!
As disciples of Mount Li, how could they not understand what this signified?
It wasn't matching up nor was it simply not falling behind—that seemingly ordinary middle-aged man had actually come out the victor over Elder Xiao Songgong in this exchange!
* * *
The hall was silent. Everyone's gazes were fixed upon that middle-aged man behind Luoluo.
Xu Shiji's complexion was ashen, his mind tossing and turning with waves. He knew that this female student of the Orthodox Academy called Luoluo had a very mysterious background and unusual identity, yet he hadn't imagined that she was able to have an expert of such terrifying cultivation at her command. Just who was that middle-aged man? And just who really was that girl called Luoluo?
The robe over Xiao Songgong's wizened body gently swayed. This was because it was being blown about by the wind from outside the hall, and also because his two hands were currently trembling in his sleeves.
In that previous exchange, they had only collided for an instant before parting. It seemed that there had been no victory or defeat, but he clearly understood that he had lost, and had even suffered significant injuries. His meridians had suffered a shock and true essence was seeping out of them… but what truly shocked him was not that middle-aged man's power, but his vague recollection of a certain matter, a certain man.
A matter from the past, a man from the past.
Xiao Songgong gazed at the middle-aged man and slightly narrowed his eyes, somewhat hesitant and unsure. He asked, "You are…"
The middle-aged man standing behind Luoluo gave two light coughs. From the sound of it, he had also received some injuries from the exchange.
This cough was very light, but it resounded in Xiao Songgong's ear like a clap of thunder.
The middle-aged man affirmed, "That's right, it's me."
Xiao Songgong's complexion instantly changed. His cheeks turned a ghastly white and his eyes surged with boundless flames of rage, but it was impossible to hide that tinge of fear in their depths.
"Jin Yulu!
"How can you be here!"
* * *
Xiao Songgong's angry and resentful cry echoed within Weiyang Palace.
Besides this, there was no other sound.
Everyone was struck dumb. Their gazes no longer held confusion, only shock or reverence.
Gou Hanshi, Guan Feibai, and the other disciples of Mount Li's inner sect had all heard of their martial granduncle's greatest regret, and so the looks they turned to the middle-aged man were extremely complex.
Even the proud and aloof Tang Thirty-Six was also given a fright upon hearing Jin Yulu's name. As he looked at the middle-aged man, his eyes opened wide as if wanting to make sure he was looking at a real person.
Chen Changsheng recognized this middle-aged man, but he only knew him as the butler-esque man who stood at Luoluo's side. The meals sent from the Hundred Herb Garden every day were all meticulously arranged by this person, and he had talked with him a few times. He had not seen anything special about the man, only that… this middle-aged man was very chatty, very much like some auntie.
The middle-aged man was Guardian Jin of the Hundred Herb Garden.
Chen Changsheng had never imagined that this butler Jin who was very much like a chattering auntie was actually such a powerful man.
However, he had never heard the name of Jin Yulu, so he found it impossible to understand the silence in the hall and the abnormal gazes of the crowd.
Jin Yulu was a legendary figure of the continent.
Back when the humans allied with the demi-humans and engaged in successive years of war with the demons, he was appointed three times as logistics officer.
The logistics officer was a very important position, because if they were late, a disastrous and miserable result might occur.
When he said that provisions and weapons would be sent to a particular place at a particular time, it was certain to occur without a single accident.
Because he stood by his word.
Any person who questioned his decisions had already fallen in the storms of the north.
Jin Yulu, the leader of the demi-humans' Four Great Divine Generals.
Taizong, Emperor of the Great Zhou, had once personally written in praise of him: 'golden rules, jade laws!'[2]
* * *
Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy Mao Qiuyu lightly sighed and then stood up.
Feeling extremely helpless, Prince Chen Liu stood up.
Mo Yu felt a small headache coming on and kneaded her forehead, but in the end, she also stood up.
With Jin Yulu's military achievements and moral integrity, he was naturally worthy of such courtesy, but to these important figures who knew the secret of the Hundred Herb Garden, the more important matter was that since Jin Yulu had revealed his identity, a certain person would naturally have to reveal their identity as well. Since everyone in the hall would have to stand, it was better that they stand first.
Tonight's Ivy Festival would assuredly be recorded in the history books.
A little later on, the rest of the people in the hall finally reacted.
Their gazes moved from Guardian Jin's body to the girl standing in front of him. The gazes moved very slowly, because they were very heavy.
The people of the southern diplomatic mission all slightly paled. Guan Feibai was somewhat unwilling, taking in a few coarse breaths.
Gou Hanshi's expression turned solemn as he thought, It turned out that you were in the capital this entire time.
At the Heavenly Dao Academy's seating area, Zhuang Huanyu slowly stood up, his eyes brimming with pain, his body somewhat unsteady. He had the look of someone rather dejected.
From the first night of the Ivy Festival, countless people had speculated as to the identity of this girl from the Orthodox Academy.
The only thing known for sure was that her background was unusual, her origins a mystery, but not a single person was able to guess at it.
To be more precise, no one dared to even speculate in that direction.
Tonight, with Jin Yulu quietly standing behind the girl, the girl's identity naturally became obvious.
Tang Thirty-Six gazed at Luoluo with a complex look on his face, his thoughts a mystery.
Silence reigned. Nobody made a single sound.
Eventually, someone would have to break this silence.
Chen Changsheng turned to calmly gaze at Luoluo.
Luoluo lowered her head and mumbled, "Teacher, I didn't intentionally deceive you."
In the Orthodox Academy, she had once said that as long as Chen Changsheng asked, she would say it.
Chen Changsheng did not ask.
At the moment, he knew without needing to ask.
But it still seemed that something was missing.
Chen Changsheng gazed at the girl's nervous appearance and smiled. He gently asked, "Who are you?"
She thought this question over, then replied, "I am Luoluo."
Chen Changsheng seriously replied, "This is not a bad thing, this a matter worthy of being proud of."
"Yes, Teacher."
Luoluo raised her head to meet the many different gazes in the hall, and then calmly took a step forward.
The wind blew into the hall, blowing her black hair across her cheeks.
She was a girl dressed in an academy uniform, her appearance beautiful but still somewhat childish, but ordinary.
But when she took this step forward, standing before the entire world, before all the world's people…
Her academy dress seemed to become an imperial robe and a noble aura exuded from her body.
Everyone felt that a light was shining in their eyes.
The entire palace truly s
eemed to light up.
This was a truly noble air.
The crowd subconsciously avoided her gaze, some people even taking several steps back before this brilliance, and no one dared to look her directly in the eye.
Not out of fear, but because it was too bright.
She was precisely a sun that had just been born.
Calm yet warm, but from which a sufficient respect and distance must be maintained.
She gazed at the people in the hall as she calmly and proudly declared, "My surname is Baidi, the White Emperor's Baidi.”[3]
In the faraway west was the land of the demi-humans, and deep within this land was a great city, located at the source of the River of Oblivion, majestic and spectacular. The eight hundred li of the Red River circled and flowed past the city.
The name of this city was White Emperor City, because the White Emperor lived within.
She was the sole daughter of the current White Emperor.
The eight hundred li along the two banks of the Red River was her fief.
She was Luoluo.
She was Princess Luoluo.
Chapter 70 – There Is a Youth
The White Emperor City at the end of the River of Oblivion, the eight hundred li of the Red River as one's fief… who else could it be?
The sole princess of the demi-humans had actually appeared here!
Everyone in the hall had expressions of absolute shock. With the rustling of clothes, they all stood up and bowed.
"My mother is the Chief Princess of the Great Western Continent."
Luoluo looked at the crowd and continued, "My father is Bai Xingye."
With the declaration of these two names, the atmosphere in the great hall grew even more oppressive, tense, and silent as a grave.
Those two names represented supreme power and authority. Those two names were ranked amongst the Five Saints.
The husband and wife of White Emperor City were both beings of the same level as the Divine Empress and the Pope.
The southern diplomatic mission was utterly speechless. When they saw Chen Changsheng behind Luoluo, their complexions became abnormally unsightly.
Earlier, the crowd had noticed that the relationship between Luoluo and Chen Changsheng was out of the ordinary.
Just as expected, Luoluo looked to the southern diplomatic mission and said, "My teacher is Chen Changsheng."
After saying this, she turned her head to glance at Chen Changsheng.
'My Father, my mother, my teacher.'
That she spoke this way was the same as placing these three people on the same level.
Contrary to what some people of the capital had thought, Luoluo had entered the Orthodox Academy not because she was seeking an interesting experience, but because she truly wanted to learn. She regarded Chen Changsheng as a member of her family and an elder to be revered.
Everyone in the hall was too stunned to speak, while Gou Hanshi's expression grew graver.
Just who was this youth called Chen Changsheng that he was able to be spoken of on the same level as the White Emperor couple!
Luoluo looked to the southern diplomatic mission and asked, "Might I ask, in what aspects can my teacher not match up to Qiushan Jun?"
The southern diplomatic mission had nothing to say, because it was impossible to respond.
No matter how much of a genius Qiushan Jun was, in terms of status alone, how could he compare to the teacher of an emperor's daughter?
Luoluo then turned to that young and poverty-stricken student amongst the scattered tables who had made that great fallacy, and arched her brow as she asked, "In order to resist the demons, humans must unite, the north and south must converge, so Xu Yourong must marry Qiushan Jun? For the sake of so-called righteousness, a woman has to marry someone she doesn't want to marry?"
The young student's voice slightly trembled as he replied, "Should it not be this way?"
"Of course not!"
Luoluo jeered at the student, "That's my teacher's wife, and you actually want to marry her off to another man. I really do suspect that you might be a demon spy."
The young student blushed, his face thoroughly red. He was very angry, but he dared not reply.
Luoluo said to everyone in the hall, "Righteousness? This princess is righteousness, my teacher was born with righteousness in hand, and you want to use righteousness to threaten him, truly a joke!"
The young student wanted to explain himself, but upon careful consideration, he realized that he had nothing to say and instantly began to profusely sweat.
No one else in the hall dared to object to Luoluo's words.
In order to resist the demons, humanity needed to unite, so the confluence of north and south had to proceed more quickly. For this reason, that young student had said that Xu Yourong should marry Qiushan Jun.
But anyone knew that the alliance of the humans with the demi-humans was the foundation of the resistance against the demons!
If one said that resisting the demons was a righteous cause, then protecting the excellent relationship between the humans and demi-humans was the greatest righteous cause!
According to the logic of this young student and a few other shameless people, since Luoluo was certain to represent the demi-humans in supporting the engagement of Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, any person that attempted to block this engagement was attempting to enrage the demi-humans, wanting to break the alliance between the two races. If they were not spies of the demons, what were they!
Could it be that to advance the confluence of humanity's north and south, they should offend humanity's firmest and most powerful ally? Preposterous!
No person would make that choice. Let alone the people within the hall, even the Pope, the Holy Maiden of the south, the Sect Master of Mount Li, and even the Divine Empress would be unwilling to bear this responsibility.
Righteous cause? In the end, it was naught but seeking profit or power. Once carefully considered, it was truly quite laughable.
This young student was drenched in sweat. Only now could he see those thoughts hidden behind his clothes and the name of righteousness, those thoughts that could not bear to see the light of day.
His face was still thoroughly red, but out of shame rather than anger.
The hall was completely silent. Many people were as ashamed as the young student, not knowing what to say.
Gou Hanshi looked at Luoluo, his expression very complex.
"If you still want to preserve some face, you should leave right now. What meaning is there in continuing to struggle here?"
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Gou Hanshi and teased, "Give up, your eldest brother Qiushan Jun won't be able to marry his wife… Is it possible that you still dare to kill Chen Changsheng before everyone's eyes?"
The disciples of the Mount Li Sword Sect were all standing up. Upon hearing these words, they blazed with fury and gripped their swords as they turned to Gou Hanshi.
Gou Hanshi quietly looked back at Tang Thirty-Six, his eyes gradually growing brighter, not growing sharper, but firmer.
After the Qiushan clan head's examination of Chen Changsheng's marriage contract, he had remained silent. At this moment, he could no longer restrain himself. Staring at Tang Thirty-Six, he coldly asked, "Is the master of Wenshui doing well?"
Tang Thirty-Six's expression flickered, then he replied, "You want to use my grandfather to pressure me? Do you even care about dignity?"
The Qiushan clan was a truly great clan of a thousand generations in the south, and what they cared the most about was their dignity and face. As a descendant of the Wenshui Tang clan, Tang Thirty-Six naturally understood this point, yet he did not act with the slightest courtesy.
In the many misfortunes over tonight's Ivy Festival, there had truthfully been several chances where the two sides could have backed off and sought ways to extricate themselves from this embarrassing situation. However, for several reasons or incorrect judgments of the situation, the southern diplomatic mission
had made the wrong choice in the last few opportunities, resulting in this now very embarrassing situation.
The severity of this embarrassment, disregarding the root cause for the situation, could mostly be credited to Tang Thirty-Six and Luoluo's repeated jeers and ridicule.
Luoluo had taunted and scolded Elder Xiao Songgong and the others because they had earlier taunted and scolded Chen Changsheng. This was a sight she found most unbearable, and regardless, with her status in this place, she could do whatever she wanted.
On the other hand, Tang Thirty-Six shouted and cursed at figures like Xiao Songgong and the Qiushan clan head purely because of his personality.
Whether according to seniority or any other aspect, he should not have acted this way. This way of acting was too preposterous, too profligate, too wanton.
Wantonness did not necessarily mean that one was a wastrel. It was more likely that one was hedonistic or degenerate.
In the eyes of many, Tang Thirty-Six's behavior was too vulgar, too impudent, too displeasing, too scoundrel-like. He was not at all like a descendant of a noble clan, much less a young genius of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
But he insisted on acting this way, because he did not like these people.
He didn't like them, so he didn't like them, so he cursed at them.
This was his personality.
He was a sixteen-year-old youth, truly a youth. He would not feel delight at the spring breeze or sorrow at the autumn winds. He would not sigh at the winter snow, or feel vexed at the chirping of the summer cicadas. If saw what he liked, he would be happy, and if he saw what he found annoying, he would be annoyed. If he saw injustice, he would sigh, and he would only feel sorrow when he saw the back of a heroic figure in the setting sun.
He liked to spend time alone and liked to sleep, and what he disliked was precisely interacting with others. He had a slight bout of narcissism and was extremely proud and confident. He lived with absolute freedom, the human world's endless pursuit of profit having nothing to do with him. If he saw something that made him unhappy, he would curse, and if he saw something that made him happy, he would want to get close.