Chapter 7: Returning to the National Teaching Academy
Chen Changsheng looked at Xu Yourong.
From the side, she was very beautiful.
Just as she was beautiful from any angle.
She was as calm as usual.
But for some reason, Chen Changsheng always felt he could see a hint of autumn chill on her face.
Was it because of what Mo Yu had said to him yesterday?
From last night until now, he had thought for a long time and hesitated for a long time, but finally he asked.
“Is there something… you want to say?”
Xu Yourong was slightly startled and said, “Say what?”
Whether it was her expression or the movement of turning to look at him, everything was so natural.
Chen Changsheng suddenly didn’t know how to continue this topic, and his gaze fell on the patch of grass not far away.
A smile appeared on Xu Yourong’s face as she said, “Are you talking about Her Majesty?”
Chen Changsheng nodded.
Xu Yourong’s smile gradually faded, and she said softly, “She was like a mother to me.”
Chen Changsheng looked at that spot and asked, “Are you planning to do something?”
Xu Yourong looked at him calmly and said, “Did Mo Yu say something to you last night?”
Chen Changsheng answered honestly, “She thinks you will seek revenge for Her Majesty the Saint Empress.”
Xu Yourong said, “If I were to do it, would you be worried?”
Chen Changsheng’s answer was still honest: “Yes.”
Xu Yourong said indifferently, “Isn’t she the one who should most do this? You should be worried about her instead.”
Chen Changsheng said, “Last night she told me that the year he killed Zhou Tong, that was her repayment for Her Majesty’s kindness over the years.”
Xu Yourong was silent for a moment, then said, “To borrow and repay, that is only natural.”
Chen Changsheng couldn’t discern her true thoughts and asked, “What do you think?”
Xu Yourong countered, “What do you think?”
“Although my master and I are now like strangers because of this matter, when it comes to the matter itself, I really don’t know who is right and who is wrong.”
Chen Changsheng said, “If we look at it from the fact that they both used Zhou Tong, I would say they were both wrong.”
Xu Yourong said, “So you think there’s no reason to fight one wrong with another wrong.”
Chen Changsheng said, “I just can’t convince myself.”
Xu Yourong said calmly, “That makes sense, but you don’t need to try to convince me, and you don’t need to worry about me, because I’m not planning to do anything. I cultivate the Great Way, and Her Majesty also cultivated the Great Way. If she still has a wisp of her soul in the Star Sea, I don’t think she would want me to focus my mind on such trivial matters.”
Chen Changsheng said nothing.
Logically, since Xu Yourong had just cooperated with Shang Xingzhou, there should be nothing to worry about, but he still felt something was off.
Xu Yourong continued, “If I really were going to do something, I would definitely tell you in advance. And besides, how could the Dao Venerable not notice?”
Chen Changsheng felt a little more at ease, because he knew Xu Yourong wouldn’t lie to him.
Xu Yourong didn’t dwell on the matter. She looked at the courtyard wall deep in the woods and asked, “Is that the National Teaching Academy?”
Chen Changsheng was very familiar with these woods and said, “It’s just beyond that wall.”
Since they were already at the Hundred Herbs Garden, there was no reason not to go to the National Teaching Academy.
Chen Changsheng walked over in that direction.
Xu Yourong was a step behind.
Because she took one more look at that patch of grass.
Her gaze was very calm.
Her Majesty the Saint Empress was buried there, deep, deep underground.
And in her heart, there was also a place deep, deep down.
……
……
That gray-black courtyard wall was somewhat high, very old, having weathered who knows how many years of wind and rain.
But the door in the wall was clearly not old; whether it was the door frame or the mortar in the cracks, it was at most a few years old.
The door that suddenly appeared on the seemingly endless, gray-black wall looked like a mouth grinning wide.
Chen Changsheng seemed to see the young girl who had pushed open that door back then, and he couldn’t help but smile.
Pushing open the courtyard door, they arrived at the National Teaching Academy.
On the other side of the wall, there was no steaming wooden bucket.
Tang Thirty-Six had long since left the Heavenly Dao Institute and now lived in the National Teaching Academy. If he were to flee again in wet clothes, where would he borrow clothes to wear?
That small building was still in its original place.
Chen Changsheng had lived in that small building for a long time and walked in with familiarity.
Entering the first floor, one could see a room—that was Zhe Xiu’s.
The building was very quiet, as if there was no one there.
Whether it was the hallway or the layout, nothing had changed compared to three years ago.
Su Moyu and Tang Thirty-Six lived upstairs.
His room was on the third floor.
The room hadn’t changed at all either, but it was clearly cleaned often; one could say it was spotless.
That row of plain-colored Daoist robes, some light and some dark, still hung in the wardrobe. The books were still on the bookshelf. The bedding was still neatly arranged.
It looked as if he had never left, or as if those three years had never existed.
Xu Yourong pointed to an empty spot on the bookshelf and asked, “What about that thing I gave you when we were children?”
“I usually carry it with me when I go out.”
Chen Changsheng took out the old bamboo dragonfly with his fingers.
Xu Yourong carefully took it and then placed it very precisely on the bookshelf.
Watching this scene, Chen Changsheng felt a warmth, but then also a strange feeling.
He remembered that Xu Yourong had never been to his room at the National Teaching Academy, so how did she know a bamboo dragonfly had been placed there?
He looked at Xu Yourong, wanting to ask.
Xu Yourong’s expression seemed very calm, but her cheeks were slightly flushed. She spoke first, “It’s a bit old. I’ll make you a new one later.”
Chen Changsheng knew he couldn’t ask anymore, smiled, and said okay.
Leaving the small building and crossing the lawn, they arrived at the lakeside.
The large banyan tree was laden with countless patches of white snow, looking very beautiful, yet also making one worry if it could withstand such cold.
A slight breeze stirred, and Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong stood on a thick branch as snowflakes rustled down.
“Is this where you used to stand and look at the capital?”
“Yes, we thought the view from here was very good.”
“What’s over there?”
“The small kitchen. It was destroyed by Wuqiong Bi and then rebuilt. No one uses it now, but I heard the firewood pile and cooking utensils are all well prepared.”
“Just waiting for Xuan Yuan Po to return?”
“By the time he returns to the capital next time, he should already be a general of the demon race.”
……
……
In the light snow, the capital was very quiet, and the National Teaching Academy was also very quiet. Faint sounds came from afar; listening closely, it seemed many people were reading aloud in unison.
The National Teaching Academy was very large. The place where Chen Changsheng used to stay was only a very small part of it. He knew things were different now.
He wanted to go over there and take a look, and Xu Yourong naturally had no objection.
Following the sound of reading, they walked over, passed the library, the gatehouse where Jin Yulu had roasted three deer, and then the fountain that had finally been fully repaired, entering a patch of woods.
The dormitories of the National Teaching Academy were on the other side of the woods.
The sound of reading became clearer.
Interestingly, the woods seemed to become even more secluded.
Suddenly, the sound of crying came from ahead.
Chen Changsheng looked over.
A young man was leaning against a tree, wiping his tears.
The young man’s clothes were ordinary; he wasn’t from a wealthy family, but he probably wasn’t from a poor one either.
The young man’s face was covered in bruises and swellings, clearly from being beaten.
Xu Yourong was about to go over and ask.
Just then, hurried footsteps and a mix of laughter and cursing came from outside the woods.
“Today we have to beat Xue Baoqin until he’s completely done for!”
“That’s right, can’t let him run away again.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s see if he still dares to come to our National Teaching Academy!” (To be continued.)