Chapter 912: Romances Scatter Like Clouds, Echoes in the Woods
The Prince of Xiang was preparing to leave.
Xu Yourong said, "Your Highness, please stay a moment."
The Prince of Xiang stopped and turned to her. "May I ask what holy decree you have?"
Xu Yourong replied, "When I was young, I held a low opinion of you. Thinking back now, that was due to my lack of insight."
The Prince of Xiang said calmly, "The Holy Maiden flatters me. I am unworthy of such praise."
The imperial envoy departed from the peak, and Wang Po no longer needed to remain.
"I need to rest and recuperate for a while. Take care of yourselves, everyone."
He said this to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong.
A cultivator in the Divine Domain had already comprehended the principles of heaven and earth. Even if defeated by another of the same domain, they were difficult to kill. Today, he had joined forces with Bie Yanghong to kill the Azure-Clad Guest, leaving no chance for the opponent, but they had paid a heavy price.
Xu Yourong said, "Why not rest here at Nanxi Zhai?"
"The Huai Academy is not far, and there are still some unfinished matters. It would be inconvenient to impose."
As Wang Po said this, he glanced at the three grandmaster elders of Nanxi Zhai.
Everyone present understood his meaning. Huai Ren's expression remained indifferent, Huai Shu showed a hint of anger, while Huai Bi's face changed slightly. Huai Bi knew well that the actions she had taken today would inevitably be condemned. She had originally planned to leave with the imperial envoy, but she hadn't expected the Prince of Xiang to remain silent.
The Vice Dean of the Huai Academy, along with disciples like Zhong Hui, stepped forward to bow to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong before escorting Wang Po down the peak.
Next to leave were the Old Madam of the Mu family and the head of the Wu family.
When these two clan leaders bid farewell to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, their expressions were humble and their attitudes proper.
For thousands of years, these great clans had never chosen the wrong side.
Whether it was between Liang and Chen, between Emperor Taizong and the Prince of Chu, or between Empress Tianhai and the imperial clan.
Before today, they had naturally stood with Daoist Shang Xingzhou and the imperial court. But the events of today would undoubtedly influence their stance.
The union of East and West between the continent and the Western Isles was another great event for humanity after the North-South unification, driven by Shang Xingzhou and the imperial court.
However, with the union of Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, the East-West union had completely fallen apart.
The Western Isles' conspiracy had been exposed, and the Azure-Clad Guest was dead, but everyone knew that the imperial court must have had a hand in this conspiracy.
Otherwise, Bie Yanghong would not have left behind such a murderous remark before departing.
Even the sudden return of the three grandmaster elders of Nanxi Zhai and their forceful push for the merger of the academies must have been connected to the imperial court.
Now it seemed that the imperial court had failed in both matters.
This would inevitably shake the thoughts of the great clans.
If the Tang clan truly intended to remain neutral in the future, as rumored, they too would have to make new choices.
"I'll see off the two elders."
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at Chen Changsheng, then put on a smile and helped the Old Madam of the Mu family toward her carriage, not forgetting to chat idly with the head of the Wu family—asking how the young matriarch was doing, whether Cousin Mei still suffered from the summer heat as she did as a child, and if she lost her appetite when the weather turned hot.
Afterward, cultivators from various sects and schools stepped forward one by one to bow to Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong before taking their leave.
Today, everyone had come to Holy Maiden Peak to witness the merger ceremony of Nanxi Zhai, but who would dare bring that up now?
The expressions of the three grandmaster elders of Nanxi Zhai grew heavy, especially Huai Bi's, which was dark and extremely unpleasant.
From the moment she had broken through her seclusion and fallen onto the cliff terrace until now, Xu Yourong had not spoken a single word to them, nor had she even glanced their way.
The last to take their leave were the disciples of Lishan Sword Sect. Gou Hanshi bowed to Xu Yourong and said, "I should stay to see if there's anything needing help, but... Senior Brother might have already arrived. To be safe, I need to go find him first."
Since Bie Yanghong had received a message from Qiushan Jun while ascending the mountain, Qiushan Jun must have already arrived today.
As for why he had never shown himself, different people had different guesses, but all likely related to Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng.
Xu Yourong was silent for a moment, then said to Gou Hanshi, "Be careful on the road, Senior Brother. When you see him, tell him I said thank you."
Gou Hanshi said, "Senior Brother might not want to hear that thanks."
Xu Yourong replied, "Then ask him why he won't come to see me."
When she said this, she did not look at Chen Changsheng.
Ye Xiaolian and the other young girls of Nanxi Zhai instinctively glanced at Chen Changsheng, looking somewhat nervous.
In their minds, how could the Holy Maiden speak like that in front of His Holiness the Pope?
Chen Changsheng did not notice these glances. He was talking with Zhes Xiu under a tree.
No one knew what they were discussing, but Chen Changsheng's expression was grave, while Zhes Xiu remained silent.
Gou Hanshi had intended to bid them farewell in person, but seeing this scene, he fell into thought and did not approach. Instead, he led the Lishan Sword Sect disciples down the cliff terrace.
The imperial envoy had already left, and the cultivators from various sects and great clans had also withdrawn. The stone path was very quiet, and the forest, tinged with a chill, was utterly silent. The birds and beasts that had once dwelled there had likely been frightened away by the earth-shattering battles that had taken place earlier.
The Lishan Sword Sect disciples walked down the mountain, looking back and discussing the day's events with great excitement.
"Who would have thought the situation could change so fast? I was ready to draw my sword and charge in, following Senior Brother's words, but I didn't even have time to unsheathe it."
Bai Cai, recalling those thrilling scenes, said excitedly, "Five Divine Domain experts, and four of them personally fought. Even a fierce fighter like the White Tiger Divine General died just like that. When we get back, I have to tell Little Junior Sister all about this. She'll be thrilled to know that Zhes Xiu was the one who made the final move."
Gou Hanshi smiled but said nothing.
Bai Cai continued, "Chen Changsheng is truly formidable, and Junior Sister Xu... the Holy Maiden is also formidable. Their combined sword technique is even more so. But the most formidable of all is still Senior Brother. If not for him today, how could the Western Isles' conspiracy have been so easily exposed? How could Bie Yanghong and Wang Po have set a trap to kill the Azure-Clad Guest?"
In his mind, the Senior Brother who had never appeared throughout the day was the most important person, and his tone was full of pride.
Hearing this, the Lishan Sword Sect disciples nodded in agreement, saying that without Senior Brother, Chen Changsheng would never have broken the deadlock today. Even with Wang Po's help, he would likely have ended up dead. Even if the Lishan Sword Sect disciples drew their swords to assist, he might not have died, but the outcome would still have been somewhat disgraceful.
Just then, a clear yet overly lazy voice came from deep within the forest.
"Where did that nonsense come from?"
Bai Cai's expression turned cold at the words. Just as he was about to find the speaker and demand an explanation, he suddenly found the voice very familiar, and his expression shifted once more.