Chapter 67: The White Crane as Proof, Part 2
True to his reputation as the leading figure of the younger generation of Li Mountain Sword Sect, and the second law upon whom even Autumn Mountain Lord relied for his wisdom, Gou Hanshi, who had remained silent until now, spoke in a way that left his opponent struggling to respond. His words hovered between reason and unreason, yet they were perfectly logical and sensible.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, already prepared to answer. However, just as he was about to speak—ready to press forward even if it meant bearing the storms of the entire world upon his shoulders—he, like everyone else, heard the crane’s cry from outside the hall.
A crane’s cry is often called a crane’s call.
This cry was clear, sharp, and forceful.
A white crane burst through the night, its body pure as snow, and drifted gracefully down onto the floor of the great hall. It turned its slender neck slightly, its expression aloof and proud.
Many in the hall recognized this crane. Xu Shiji, for instance, found his face turning even uglier. The master and disciple from Holy Maiden Peak grew tense. The Li Mountain disciples, including Gou Hanshi, had seen this crane several times outside their senior brother’s thatched hut.
Chen Changsheng also knew this crane, though he hadn’t seen it for several years. Seeing it now stirred complicated feelings within him.
This white crane had come from the south, carrying a letter from Xu Yourong.
…
…
Mo Yu finished reading the letter and looked around the hall. Seeing the silence that had fallen, she sighed softly and said, “Let’s end it here for tonight.”
Murmurs buzzed through the hall, restless and annoying. The crowd was astonished, wondering what the letter contained that could make Mo Yu announce the end of the Green Vine Banquet so abruptly. Little Pine Palace’s face darkened as he said, “Is the content of this letter not fit to be disclosed?”
Mo Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. She naturally supported the southern delegation’s proposal, but hearing this elder from Li Mountain speak, she felt a flicker of anger. She thought to herself, *I was trying to save you some face by ending this early. Since you don’t appreciate it, so be it.*
She handed the letter to Prince Chenliu and ignored the matter.
Prince Chenliu looked at the letter, and an interesting expression crossed his face.
Then he began to read the letter aloud to the assembly. This was, after all, the writer’s request.
The letter was simple, only a dozen or so lines, but its meaning was crystal clear.
Contrary to what everyone in the hall had imagined, although the letter came from the south, it was not from Holy Maiden Peak. Xu Yourong was not there. It turned out that dozens of days earlier, she had gone to the Southern Sea for arduous training. The timing meant she had left just before the southern delegation set out.
Xu Yourong’s letter was calm and composed. It showed great respect to all parties involved in tonight’s events and expressed gratitude to her senior sect elders for coming to the capital to propose marriage, as it reflected their kind concern for her. However, she had a different view on the matter.
The first half of the letter ended without stating anything explicitly, but many in the hall understood what she was hinting at: she had not known about the southern delegation’s trip to the capital to propose marriage. In other words, the southern sect had acted without consulting her.
Many faces turned sour, while others looked relieved. In short, the reactions were varied and vivid.
Yes, marriage ultimately rested on parental command and matchmaker’s words, with heaven, earth, ruler, parents, and teachers above. It had little to do with the parties involved. For ordinary families, a betrothal indeed did not require the woman’s consent. But Xu Yourong was no ordinary person—especially after the words that had been spoken earlier.
People looked at Gou Hanshi with complicated eyes.
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, “So this is what you call respect.”
Gou Hanshi had earlier said that Chen Changsheng should respect Xu Yourong’s wishes and show the magnanimity of a man.
Yet the southern sect had not even sought Xu Yourong’s opinion before sending people to propose marriage. Was that respect?
Gou Hanshi remained silent. He had not known that Junior Sister Xu was unaware of the proposal. He couldn’t understand what the elders on Holy Maiden Peak were thinking. Even more baffling was why Junior Sister Xu would send the white crane with such a letter. Could it be that she… truly didn’t want to marry Senior Brother?
No, that couldn’t be it.
He wanted to know what the second half of the letter contained.
Many in the hall felt the same, all eyes fixed on the thin paper in Prince Chenliu’s hand.
In the second half of the letter, Xu Yourong showed no anger or resentment. As she had said earlier, her senior sect elders and family were handling her marriage arrangements. No matter how one looked at it, this could be interpreted as care and affection.
She was the reincarnation of the True Phoenix, the undisputed candidate for the next Southern Holy Maiden, blessed with talents and potential that countless envied and revered. She deserved more freedom and greater respect—hence Gou Hanshi’s earlier words, and hence the crowd’s reaction when she subtly hinted she hadn’t known about the proposal. But before she truly grew into her role, she was still the young lady of the Eastern Imperial Divine General’s Mansion and a disciple of Holy Maiden Peak.
She could voice her opinions on the arrangements of her family and sect, but in the eyes of the world, her attitude had to be calm and respectful. That was how the world saw her as perfect. Of course, the world believed she and Autumn Mountain Lord were deeply in love, which might also explain her calmness.
But the second half of the letter directly told everyone they were wrong.
Xu Yourong wrote clearly that between her and Autumn Mountain Lord, there was only the bond of fellow disciples and the affection of siblings.
She respected her senior brother but had never thought of being with him.
She also wrote that she didn’t know if this letter would arrive in time, but whether it did or not, in any case…
She would not marry.
…
…
A dozen simple lines, a clear meaning—but it still lacked a certain logic.
The people in the hall stared at the letter in Prince Chenliu’s hand, stunned into silence.
Why? Why was this happening? Why did she speak so calmly, so decisively?
This marriage was an alliance between the southern sect and the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was the collective will of the Holy Empress, the Pope, the Southern Holy Maiden, and Li Mountain Sword Sect. Faced with such terrifying authority, even if she were Xu Yourong, what reason could she have to refuse?
Xu Yourong used the last sentence of her letter to explain herself to the entire continent.
The explanation was simple but irrefutable.
It was very similar to what Chen Changsheng had said earlier when explaining why he opposed her betrothal to Autumn Mountain Lord.
“Because I am already betrothed. My fiancé is Chen Changsheng.”
…
…
The hall fell into dead silence, not a sound to be heard.
Earlier, no one had believed Chen Changsheng’s words. Even after his marriage contract was verified, no one truly accepted it—until the white crane brought this letter, bringing Xu Yourong’s stance. The letter felt like a slap across everyone’s face.
Mo Yu, who had read the letter earlier, thought silently, *What is this damn girl trying to do?*
Luo Luo’s eyes sparkled with stars as she exclaimed in admiration, “As expected of Xu Yourong… truly impressive.”
Chen Changsheng lowered his head slightly, looking at his reflection in the golden bricks of the hall. As Prince Chenliu read the letter aloud, his expression grew calmer, his heart lighter, but in the end, a trace of inexplicable melancholy crept in.
*You clearly don’t want to marry me, yet you write a letter like this tonight. Why?*
Just then, the white crane slowly paced over to him, stretched its neck, and touched him affectionately.
Chen Changsheng looked up, smiled at the crane, and gently pulled its slender neck into the crook of his arm, patting it softly.
Watching this scene, the people in the hall grew even more silent.
They knew this crane was inseparable from Xu Yourong, used for sending letters across thousands of miles, and was extremely aloof and proud. Yet here it was, so close to Chen Changsheng. This could only mean that Chen Changsheng and the crane were old acquaintances, very familiar with each other.
If even the crane was like this, what about the person?
So everything in that letter was true. It wasn’t an excuse, nor was it Xu Yourong being forced to accept this marriage out of respect for her grandfather’s last wish.
She and this young man named Chen Changsheng were truly childhood sweethearts.
“Childhood sweethearts? Love stronger than gold?”
Tang Thirty-Six said to Gou Hanshi and the southern delegation.
These were the very words Gou Hanshi had used earlier to describe the bond between Autumn Mountain Lord and Xu Yourong.
Tang Thirty-Six’s seemingly casual smile hid a great deal of mockery and ridicule.
“I’d say it’s more like wishful thinking, wouldn’t you?”