Chapter 44: My Name is Luoluo
Chen Changsheng looked at the stage.
On the stage was Tianhai Ya'er. He felt the gaze, looked back at Chen Changsheng, his thin, bright red lips slightly curling upward, a smile full of mockery and contempt appearing on his young, pale face. The meaning in that smile was clear without asking.
The severely injured Xuanyuan Po was carried off the stone platform. The instructors of the Heavenly Dao Academy hastily treated him, and then he was taken away from the venue by students of the Star Picking Academy. Tianhai Ya'er withdrew his gaze, looked at the agitated crowd below, and sneered, "I know, all you idiots and trash don't like me. But so what? I don't need your liking. I only need you to fear me. Even if you hate me, what can you do? Do you dare to make a move against me?"
"The Ivy Banquet is truly ridiculous. A bunch of idiots want to leap over the dragon's gate, but they never thought that only a true dragon can leap through that gate in the sea of clouds! You poor souls from backwater places, do you really think you have a chance?"
Tianhai Ya'er taunted, "I came to the Ivy Banquet not to kindly wake you delusional idiots up. I only came to do two things. Once I'm done, I'll leave, so you don't stare so long that your eyeballs pop out."
Just as those truly important figures silently pondered, the Ancestral Temple had sent this crazy little monster to the Ivy Banquet. Naturally, it wasn't to win first place. There had to be a deeper reason. It was even possible that this little monster's participation in the Ivy Banquet had nothing to do with the Ancestral Temple itself!
Hearing Tianhai Ya'er's words, the venue quieted down a bit. People were very curious about what the two things he wanted to do today were.
His fight with the demon youth from the Star Picking Academy was clearly a coincidence, presumably not one of the two things he intended to do.
"I came to the Ivy Banquet today because Tang Thirty-Six said he wanted to cripple me, so I came to cripple him."
Tianhai Ya'er looked towards the seats of the Heavenly Dao Academy and said, "Although he is a student of your Heavenly Dao Academy, I think, since he could say that, you can't stop me. But what's really interesting is that the idiot from the countryside didn't dare to show up."
He looked at Chen Changsheng in the corner, sneering contemptuously, "The second thing I want to do is related to this waste."
"A few days ago, besides hearing that Tang Thirty-Six wanted to cripple me, I also heard something very absurd. The National Academy... that broken cemetery in Hundred Flowers Lane... actually managed to recruit a new student. Ahhh... I couldn't believe my ears."
Tianhai Ya'er, as if hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world, clutched his stomach and shrieked with laughter, his voice extremely unpleasant.
Suddenly, he stopped smiling. With a violent roar, like thunder, it echoed through the campus of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
"How dare you!"
Tianhai Ya'er looked coldly at Chen Changsheng, then swept his gaze across the faces of the chief priest of the Ecclesiastical Office and many others. His voice was cold and low, utterly unlike what a twelve-year-old boy should be capable of: "I don't care who did this. I only want to ask him one thing: does he want to die?"
The instructor of the Heavenly Dao Academy glanced at the main stage and saw that the chief priest of the Ecclesiastical Office still had a calm expression.
Logically, even Tianhai Ya'er couldn't issue such condescending reprimands or even threats to those important figures.
But he did it anyway, and the venue fell into a strange silence.
Because he might be representing the Pope, or even Her Majesty the Empress, wanting to ask certain conservative forces within the state religion, wanting to ask those who sought to stir up trouble by reopening the National Academy: what exactly are you trying to do?
No one could answer that question.
"You waste, you can't even succeed in Marrow Cleansing, and you want the National Academy to be reborn? What a joke!"
Tianhai Ya'er looked at Chen Changsheng and said matter-of-factly, "I know you know Tang Thirty-Six. Since he doesn't dare to show up, then you come up and let me cripple you. That way, I can take care of both things at once and save time."
A dead silence.
Earlier, there had been many laughs, harsh laughs, directed at the decay and shabbiness of the National Academy, and the silence of that young man and woman.
But no one laughed now. Because of the ferocity Tianhai Ya'er had shown earlier, and because people knew that if that new student of the National Academy really stepped onto the stone platform, his fate would be even more tragic than that demon youth's, possibly even death.
"Or..."
Tianhai Ya'er looked at him with a smile and said, "You can publicly announce your withdrawal from the National Academy, then kneel down and beg for my forgiveness. Maybe I'll let you off."
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...
Chen Changsheng could not withdraw from the National Academy. This was the only choice given to him by the Divine General's Mansion... or more precisely, by the important figure hidden behind the Xu Mansion. Without the status of a National Academy student, he wouldn't be able to participate in next year's Grand Examination.
After hearing Tianhai Ya'er's words, he was naturally very angry, but also very confused. He didn't understand why this young prodigy from the Ancestral Temple held such enmity towards him, a country boy from Xining Town. Yes, even being the target of enmity required qualification, required a reason.
This was because he didn't know that while he was peacefully cultivating and studying in the National Academy, ignoring the storms outside and the flowers in the lane, Kyoto was already seething with undercurrents. Many people were beginning to take notice of him—like the instructor of the Heavenly Dao Academy, like certain people in the Li Palace, like certain people in the Imperial Palace.
His engagement to Xu Yourong was a secret unknown to anyone. Naturally, those people didn't know that his entry into the National Academy was purely accidental. They thought that in this crucial year when the National Academy was about to become dust in history, the sudden appearance of a new student represented a probe by certain old factions within the state religion—those still loyal to the Chen Imperial Clan—or an attempt by those old forces to make some kind of declaration. More importantly, those people hadn't seen Chen Changsheng's letter of recommendation, hadn't seen the Pope's signature, so the subsequent attitude of the Ecclesiastical Office confirmed their judgment.
This probe or declaration was unacceptable to those people. They chose to suppress it without hesitation. The timing they chose was the Ivy Banquet. The specific person responsible was naturally the instructor of the Heavenly Dao Academy who presided over the Ivy Banquet. And who would ultimately make the move?
There were still many officials and priests in the Great Zhou Dynasty loyal to the Chen Imperial Clan, so those people didn't want to be too conspicuous. Thus, the little monster from the Ancestral Temple became the best choice. He was Her Majesty the Empress's grand-nephew and had a background in the state religion.
Her Majesty the Empress and the Pope probably didn't even know that the National Academy had a new student. But that didn't change Tianhai Ya'er's surname and lineage. And the best part was that Tianhai Ya'er was just a twelve-year-old boy... Even if he humiliated, suppressed, or even killed someone on the spot, what could be done?
Children don't know any better—that's always the best excuse, isn't it?
The two most important observers at tonight's Ivy Banquet, the chief priest of the Ecclesiastical Office and the Eastern Divine General Xu Shiji, were well aware of this undercurrent. Xu Shiji knew Chen Changsheng's background and identity, but because of the marriage contract, he was naturally willing to remain silent. Whether Chen Changsheng was crushed into dust or died on the spot, it was a sight he would welcome. As for the silence of the chief priest of the Ecclesiastical Office, it carried more profound meaning, because he knew more things.
For example, the identity of the little girl beside Chen Changsheng.
...
...
Kneel, or not kneel. Leave, or be beaten to death. This was the choice Tianhai Ya'er gave Chen Changsheng. There weren't many options. It was just to prove that the National Academy was already history. After all, he was just a child. His methods were crude and direct, summed up in two words: humiliation.
No one was willing to endure such humiliation, and Chen Changsheng was no exception. What saddened him more was that Luoluo had to endure this humiliation along with him. This made him feel very sorry for this little girl, who had clearly been pampered and never suffered any grievance in her life.
Luoluo was indeed very angry. She had never endured such humiliation in her life. But Chen Changsheng remained silent, so she had to stay still. To prevent others from seeing the anger gradually gathering between her brows, she kept her head deeply bowed.
Just then, she heard Chen Changsheng's apologetic voice.
"I told you, becoming a student of the National Academy might mean enduring a lot of humiliation and suppression."
Luoluo felt like she had heard this sentence somewhere before. Then she remembered it was from their conversation that day in the National Academy. She thought, could Master be testing me? Yes, otherwise, with Master's talent and ability, how could he tolerate that little monster humiliating the National Academy like this?
She remembered her reply to Chen Changsheng that day.
"Master, no one dares to humiliate me."
Yes, from childhood to now, no one had dared to humiliate her. So, they couldn't humiliate her deeply respected Master either. They couldn't humiliate the National Academy, which she was growing to cherish more and more. Anyone who dared to do so must pay a sufficient price.
Luoluo stood up, bowed to Chen Changsheng, and then walked towards the stone platform.
The night garden was silent, not a sound to be heard. Countless pairs of eyes followed her movement.
Only when she stood before Tianhai Ya'er did people confirm what they were seeing.
The National Academy had accepted the challenge from that little monster of the Ancestral Temple?
Who was that little girl?
...
...
Tianhai Ya'er looked at the little girl before him and asked, "Who are you?"
Luoluo didn't speak. She glanced at Chen Changsheng below the stage.
"So you're also a student from that ghostly place?"
Tianhai Ya'er let out two strange laughs, then stopped smiling, and said in a serious, terrifying tone, "Don't worry, you're so pretty, how could I bear to kill you? After I'm done with you, I'll kill that guy, and then I'll come back and have my way with you, okay?"
These words were lewd, and coming from the mouth of a twelve-year-old boy, they were even more evil.
Luoluo was very angry, but her expression grew calmer.
The people attending the Ivy Banquet all looked at the stage. Many professors and officials' eyes fell on the little girl, confirming that she had successfully completed Marrow Cleansing. She wasn't a complete waste like Chen Changsheng, but her cultivation level didn't seem very high. Naturally, she couldn't be a match for Tianhai Ya'er.
Comparing such a delicate, beautiful little girl to the little monster of the Ancestral Temple was unreasonable in itself.
People felt that in the next moment, they would see the little girl lying in a pool of blood. Many felt reluctance and pity.
Zhuang Huanyu suddenly stood up and shouted, "Stop!"
He knew Luoluo's origins were extraordinary, but no matter how extraordinary, how could they compare to the deep background of that little monster? And that little monster's methods were too terrifying. The crippling of that demon youth earlier was proof. How could he watch her be brutalized by that little monster?
The chief priest of the Ancestral Temple frowned slightly and reached out to signal Tianhai Ya'er to stop. But the instructor of the Heavenly Dao Academy had somehow appeared beside the stone platform, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Tianhai Ya'er's line of sight, and then coldly glanced at Zhuang Huanyu.
The chief priest of the Ecclesiastical Office seemed about to say something, but Xu Shiji suddenly interjected with some casual remark, intentionally or unintentionally stopping him.
Tianhai Ya'er looked at Luoluo and couldn't help but laugh. Between his bright red lips, his teeth were as white as bleached bones.
He wanted to tell her, look, how many people want you dead. But I won't kill you. I'll just cripple you, and then go cripple that waste.
He knew that if he was slow, he might be stopped by others. So he didn't hesitate.
He flashed in front of Luoluo and threw a punch.
His fist was small, but it carried a terrifying gale and blinding lightning.
His fist was hard, its target not Luoluo's face, but her slightly swelling chest.
His thoughts were cruel, his methods despicable. But he was truly powerful, and he showed no mercy!
Wind and thunder were phenomena created in the environment when a cultivator's true essence condensed to a certain level. One had to cultivate at least to the upper level of Meditation, seeing stardust in the minutiae, to cultivate true essence to such a terrifying degree and produce such an effect.
Tianhai Ya'er struck with all his might.
That burly, powerful demon youth earlier had been crippled by this very punch. How could the fragile little girl before him withstand it?
From below the stone platform came countless shocked cries, mixed with screams. Many students covered their faces and turned away, not daring to watch!
...
...
Amidst the shocked cries and screams, a strange cry suddenly rang out—extremely angry, extremely terrified, and somewhat bewildered!
People looked at the stage and found that this strange cry came from Tianhai Ya'er!
Before Tianhai Ya'er's fist, another fist appeared!
It was Luoluo's fist.
Her fist also carried a gale, mixed with lightning. But the gale her fist carried was fiercer, the lightning brighter!
With a sharp crack!
Countless cracks instantly appeared on the surface of Tianhai Ya'er's fingers. Blood spurted out, and the bone was visible!
Those cracks instantly reached his wrist, and his wrist bone snapped!
Pain! Unbearable pain!
Tianhai Ya'er's pupils contracted into tiny black dots. A strange cry of pain and panic burst from his bright red lips.
Following it was a gush of blood.
What was happening?
Why did this little fist, as delicate as a white flower, contain such terrifying power?
Tianhai Ya'er had no time to think. His mind was completely consumed by fear. With a strange cry, he desperately retreated backward.
He knew he had to get away from this fist as quickly as possible, or he would surely die!
But he retreated quickly, and Luoluo advanced even faster.
Her fist, as violent as a hurricane, as swift as lightning, struck Tianhai Ya'er's fist.
From one end of the stone platform to the other, a distance of several dozen zhang, her fist remained pressed against his fist.
A terrifying amount of true essence, from her fist, continuously blasted into Tianhai Ya'er's body!
With a loud bang!
Tianhai Ya'er fell at the edge of the stone platform. His right wrist was completely shattered, and his fingers were covered in blood.
His face was as pale as snow, his eyes full of terror and bewilderment.
He had no idea what had happened, but he was defeated, thoroughly and completely defeated.
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...
In the night trees, cicadas suddenly began to chirp.
It was a summer night; silence was impossible.
But around the stone platform, it was as quiet as a snowless winter night, without a sound.
Then, like snow melting.
Drip, drip.
Blood dripped from that small fist onto the stone floor.
That little girl stood in the night breeze and said one thing to the surroundings.
She was answering Tianhai Ya'er's earlier question, and also telling everyone present a fact.
"My name is Luoluo. I am a student of the National Academy."
The cicada's chirping grew more restless. The venue grew quieter. People stared at the stage in shock, at the little girl whose skirt hem lightly fluttered in the night breeze. They felt what they were seeing couldn't be real. Everyone had expected to see this little girl lying in a pool of blood, so they had covered their faces and turned away, unable to bear watching. Who would have thought that the one who ended up in a pool of blood was that little monster from the Ancestral Temple?
No one could have imagined seeing such an outcome.
The forgotten National Academy, the unknown little girl, had given this world such a great shock.
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...
This battle started suddenly, even shamelessly, but ended even faster, bringing satisfaction.
Luoluo knew she would win, because she was already very strong. That night when she was ambushed by the demon strongman was dangerous, but it didn't mean she was weak among her peers. No, among her peers, she was an absolute strongman. Especially when it came to the quantity of true essence, few could surpass her.
If Tianhai Ya'er had been calmer and chosen to fight her with techniques and methods, she might not have been able to win in such an overwhelming way. But Tianhai Ya'er was used to bullying others with his domineering power. How could he know that her bloodline itself was the noblest, most domineering bloodline in this world!
Everything was over.
Luoluo looked at Tianhai Ya'er and raised her fist again.
She remembered very clearly the words this little monster had said after severely injuring that demon youth. She remembered very clearly the humiliation this little monster had inflicted on her Master and herself. Now was the time to return that humiliation.
"Stop!"
Seeing that she was about to continue, many important figures who had been silently watching the battle changed color.
Earlier, that demon youth could be crippled, could die. The people of the National Academy could be crippled, could die. But... Tianhai Ya'er could not be crippled, and certainly could not die!
Because his surname was Tianhai.
Sharp sounds of tearing air rang out. Several important figures, including the instructor of the Heavenly Dao Academy, appeared on the stage.