Chapter 48: On the Banyan Tree
Outside the window, starlight flowed like water. Chen Changsheng and Luoluo sat on the floor eating a late-night snack—several delicate pastries, two bowls of herbal porridge made from unknown ingredients, and a small plate of dried meat that smelled quite good. Master and disciple ate with chopsticks, too busy to speak.
When the porridge was finished and the pastries gone, Luoluo finally had time to talk. Thinking back to the carriage she had seen at the alley beside the Heavenly Dao Academy’s side gate, she could no longer suppress her curiosity. Chewing on a piece of dried meat, she asked, “Teacher, what exactly is the grudge between you and the Eastern Divine General’s mansion?”
Chen Changsheng knew that curiosity was hard to suppress for long. He had mentally prepared himself for her question, so he casually said a few words, then tried to change the subject. His preparation was simply to bluff his way through—relying on his status as her teacher to brush it off shouldn’t be too difficult.
But tonight, the starlight was too beautiful, and Luoluo simply couldn’t help herself. Seeing that he refused to answer, she opened her big eyes wide, her dark pupils spinning restlessly as she tested several possibilities, all revolving around clichéd plots like the child of an old acquaintance or repaying kindness with enmity.
Chen Changsheng admired her imagination but didn’t know how to respond, so he simply remained silent.
Luoluo looked up at the star-filled sky above the National Academy, frowning in deep thought. Her small hand picked up a little green tangerine she had brought back from the grove earlier, and she put it in her mouth, chewing tastelessly. Suddenly, she withdrew her gaze and stared at him with a startled cry.
Chen Changsheng thought she was bitter from the sour tangerine and shook his head with a sigh. “I told you it was too sour to eat, and it’s really bad for your stomach.”
Luoluo swallowed the green tangerine without any sign of being affected by the sourness. Looking at Chen Changsheng in surprise, she said, “Teacher, you’re not engaged to Xu Yourong by any chance, are you?”
Chen Changsheng’s mouth hung slightly open, completely at a loss for words. Admiring her audacity yet feeling helpless, he was about to admit it.
“Eh…”
Before he could react, Luoluo waved her hands repeatedly, her small face full of self-mockery and embarrassment. “I must be confused to come up with something so absurd. That’s Xu Yourong we’re talking about. How could it be possible?”
Chen Changsheng grew even more uncertain about what to say. He closed his mouth with a slightly bitter taste and remained silent, thinking to himself that this matter was indeed too absurd. Luoluo, you usually respect me so much, yet you could think like this? Why couldn’t it be possible between him and Xu Yourong?
“Go to sleep,” he said after a moment. “I have some things to do tomorrow. Come later.”
Luoluo looked nervous and asked uneasily, “Teacher, you’re not angry, are you?”
Chen Changsheng replied, “Did you do anything today to make me angry?”
Luoluo thought seriously for a moment and realized she hadn’t done anything to displease her teacher. Earlier at the Heavenly Dao Academy’s Ivy Banquet, although she had acted a bit too arrogantly, unlike her usual obedient and docile self, the teacher had said he didn’t blame her, so naturally, he wouldn’t.
She never imagined that a casual remark from her would wound Chen Changsheng’s pride.
She had spoken casually, so the wound was indeed deep.
…
…
After Luoluo left, Chen Changsheng cleaned up the food containers and clutter on the floor, sorted the books piled on the desk, and returned them to the shelves. He extinguished the lamp, stood at the entrance of the library, and looked back for a moment before leaving under the cover of night, as if saying goodbye.
Back in the small building, he began packing his belongings, gathering the essentials into a box. Then he pulled out the short sword from his waist, sat on the edge of the bed, and closed his eyes to rest. He wasn’t channeling starlight to refine his marrow; he was waiting for certain people to arrive.
Tonight at the Ivy Banquet, Luoluo had crippled Tianhai Ya’er, which would inevitably stir up immense trouble. The trouble was for her, for him, and for the National Academy. He didn’t know who would come to cause trouble later, but he knew they would be terrifying.
He knew Luoluo had a mysterious background and extraordinary origins—otherwise, Heavenly Dao Academy Dean Mao Qiuyu wouldn’t have secretly protected her at the Ivy Banquet. But the little monster she had crippled was still the Saintess’s grandnephew, a member of the Tianhai family—the most fearsome family on the entire continent.
If at first Chen Changsheng had hoped that Luoluo’s background would intimidate the other side from acting openly, after Xu Shiji said the Heavenly Dao Academy instructor would commit suicide that night, he no longer held much hope.
In this world, even the Chen imperial family had to bow to the Tianhai family’s whims. A Heavenly Dao Academy instructor had to die because Tianhai Ya’er was crippled, let alone Luoluo and himself, who had directly caused the injury. Besides, the other side had wanted to destroy the National Academy anyway.
He waited for their arrival, ready to leave. Though he was reluctant to part with the National Academy and deeply regretted missing next year’s Grand Examination, what had happened couldn’t be changed. At the very least, he wanted this matter to have a relatively complete conclusion.
In his plan, the National Academy would soon become a sea of fire.
He naturally had a way to escape.
The National Academy paid the price for Tianhai Ya’er’s crippling. Luoluo was no ordinary person either. He figured the other side should be satisfied.
…
…
That night.
Chen Changsheng was alone.
Sitting alone in the room.
At his feet lay a worn leather suitcase.
He waited in silence for yet another turning point in his life.
He waited with a calmness far beyond his years.
No one knew that he had waited in the National Academy the entire night. Even years later, no one would know. Only he himself knew how long and agonizing that night was, and how much courage it had cost him.
Until dawn illuminated the campus, nothing happened.
That night, many others were silently watching the National Academy.
Like him, they expected the cruel officials of the Justice Department to storm into the National Academy under cover of night, dragging him to the dreaded Zhou Prison that made countless ministers and experts tremble. Or they expected the assassins from the Imperial Palace to slip in under the night’s cover, silently killing and setting fires, turning the National Academy—despised by the Saintess—into a terrifying inferno.
But none of that happened.
Morning light spread like locusts. In Hundred Flowers Lane, cooking smoke rose faintly. Not far away, bells tolled loudly from the Imperial Palace.
Chen Changsheng opened his eyes, walked to the window, and gazed at the quiet morning scene of the capital. He was puzzled, then understood.
Because of his instructions the night before, Luoluo didn’t arrive at the National Academy from Hundred Herbs Garden until noon. Of course, she hadn’t forgotten to bring a heavy food container.
Chen Changsheng asked her to gather some information.
Before lunch was finished, a flute sound came from beyond the wall. Luoluo lowered her head slightly and listened quietly for a moment.
“No one has seen the Heavenly Dao Academy instructor,” she said, looking up at Chen Changsheng. “Vice Dean Zhuang received a resignation letter. It looks like a resignation.”
Chen Changsheng remained silent. Seeing his expression, Luoluo understood something.
After resigning, the instructor had vanished without a trace—whether returning to his hometown to retire or retreating into the mountains to cultivate, no one knew. It couldn’t be investigated in a short time.
It wasn’t a resignation; it was a departure from the world.
Last night, there might have been an extra white silk sash in the instructor’s mansion. This morning, in the Luo River, some ashes might have sunk into the mud at the bottom.
A figure of such importance had died so quietly.
Chen Changsheng felt a chill. He looked at Luoluo with a complex gaze.
This was a conspiracy, a scheme targeting the National Academy—or rather, an open scheme.
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor had sent that little monster from the Ancestral Temple to act. No matter how the National Academy responded, trouble would follow… because he was the Saintess’s grandnephew. If he won, the National Academy would naturally collapse. If he lost, the National Academy would face the Imperial Palace’s wrath.
Yet no one had expected that the conspiracy’s final outcome would be the instructor bearing the Imperial Palace’s fury and ending up dead. The young man and woman in the National Academy bore no responsibility at all. Why? Because Luoluo was very strong, and because Luoluo’s background was even stronger… In short, Luoluo was too strong.
Chen Changsheng looked at her with admiration and said, “It seems you’re even more remarkable than I imagined.”
Luoluo was puzzled and replied, “Teacher, you’re the truly remarkable one.”
Chen Changsheng scratched his head and said, “Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for us to flatter each other like this?”
…
…
Chen Changsheng had always believed that if one lived for hundreds of years, time passed quickly and must be cherished. If one only had a few decades, that was even more true. Since nothing had happened, he should continue reading and cultivating. It wasn’t until dusk that he and Luoluo put down their books, finished the dinner sent from Hundred Herbs Garden, and began strolling along the lake within the National Academy.
Strolling seemed like a waste of time, but he didn’t mind because he knew it was good for his health.
They walked to the other side of the lake and arrived at a very tall banyan tree. Chen Changsheng suddenly felt a rare urge to be playful and suggested climbing up to see the view. Luoluo always obeyed him, and since it was such a fun idea, she naturally agreed.
A moment later, they had climbed to the middle of the tree, standing on a thick branch that wouldn’t break. About ten zhang above the ground, they could see far into the distance—distant streets and alleys, even the faint outline of the Imperial Palace.
Under the setting sun, the capital’s scenery was indeed beautiful.
Hundred Flowers Lane outside the National Academy’s walls was fully visible, as quiet as ever. But both he and Luoluo knew that Hundred Flowers Lane had changed. In those shadows, under the eaves by the well, countless eyes were fixed on the interior.
“Teacher, I’m sorry,” Luoluo said softly.
She felt that because of her, Chen Changsheng had been dragged into this muddy water. She knew how much he valued time and cherished a peaceful cultivation life, so her apology was deep and sincere.
“I should be the one apologizing,” Chen Changsheng said. “If I hadn’t written your name on the roster that day, you wouldn’t be a student of the National Academy, and you wouldn’t have encountered these troubles. Even if you’re not afraid of them, trouble is still trouble.”
…
…
Time didn’t bend to human will—otherwise, the time around Chen Changsheng would have been as hard as stone.
A few days later, the second night of the Ivy Banquet arrived as scheduled.
Looking at the invitation on the floor, he was somewhat surprised. Based on what Xu Shiji had said that night and Instructor Xin’s prior warning, this year’s Ivy Banquet should have been different from previous years. Moreover, after the bloody battles of the first night, he had expected the second night to be postponed.
Luoluo asked, “Teacher, are we really not going?”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. “No.”
The Ivy Banquet was a voluntary event organized by the capital’s academies and wouldn’t affect participation in next year’s Grand Examination. He had attended the first night mainly to understand the Grand Examination’s rules and to see what kind of person Xu Shiji was. Now that both goals were achieved, why go again?
Besides, on the second night of the Ivy Banquet, countless people would surely be watching the National Academy, watching him and Luoluo. He wasn’t used to that feeling.
Luoluo hadn’t expected him to truly refuse. She was a bit puzzled and somewhat regretful. “If we went, we might actually get a good ranking.”
The remaining literary and martial exams of the Ivy Banquet followed the Grand Examination’s format with specific rankings, and they certainly wouldn’t end as hastily as the first night’s battles. If Luoluo continued in the martial exam and Chen Changsheng in the literary exam, they might truly restore the National Academy’s glory.
Chen Changsheng said, “It’s not very meaningful.”
Luoluo looked at him with admiration. “Teacher treats fame like floating clouds. Truly admirable.”
Chen Changsheng honestly replied, “Mainly, I’m afraid of causing trouble.”
…
…
On the day of the Ivy Banquet’s second night, the Heavenly Dao Academy was surely bustling with activity, while the National Academy remained as quiet as ever. Outside, Hundred Flowers Lane finally gained true peace. Those who had been watching the National Academy for days had left because of the Ivy Banquet.
Every evening after dinner, they would walk around the lake. Though the lake’s reflections and tree shadows were beautiful, seeing them too many times inevitably grew tiresome. Climbing the big banyan tree had also lost its novelty. Seeing that the annoying people in Hundred Flowers Lane had thinned out, Luoluo didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Using every trick from acting cute to being stubborn, she finally dragged Chen Changsheng off the library floor. The two walked out through the ivy-covered gate and left Hundred Flowers Lane to go shopping.
Not far from Hundred Flowers Lane was the famous night market on Walong Lane. Under the Saintess’s rule, the capital had enjoyed long-term peace and prosperity. The night market was naturally lively, with pedestrians jostling shoulder to shoulder. The aroma of various foods from the stalls was enticing.
Chen Changsheng bought Luoluo a candied hawthorn stick. Luoluo was a bit surprised but happily took it without any pretense—it was only natural for her to provide her teacher with tuition and meals, and it was equally natural for her teacher to buy her some snacks.
She held the candied hawthorn stick and licked it carefully, afraid that if she wasn’t cautious, she’d be left with just a stick, startling her teacher.
Her little appearance was very cute.
When they reached a stall selling fried clams, she curiously looked at the live clams still moving in the batter and was about to ask Chen Changsheng if they were edible when she suddenly noticed a very burly figure squatting by the wall behind the stall, washing dishes. Her brow furrowed slightly.
Her little appearance was very serious.
Of course, it was still very cute.