Chapter 1138: Leave Alive
Chen Changsheng thought of a possibility. Just now, when his teacher mentioned the matter of a secondary wife, he had refused it... So were these two magical artifacts made from fragments of the Heavenly Tome Mirror a form of praise?
—Yes, his teacher had always seemed to admire Xu Yourong. Ten years ago in White Emperor City, he had already expressed that sentiment.
According to Yu Ren, during the New Year, Shang Xingzhou rarely mentioned Chen Changsheng, but he did bring up a few times that Li Mountain was, after all, another sect, and as the Holy Maiden, Xu Yourong shouldn't always be troubling them there.
If she shouldn't go to Li Mountain, then where should she go? The Li Palace or Luoyang?
Thinking about how Xu Yourong could easily win the affection of elders, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but feel a bit envious.
Shang Xingzhou, considering the inconvenience of their long-distance separation, had crafted this little device, unaware that they had already solved that problem long ago.
He and Xu Yourong had a special method to stay in contact, which was why, when the white crane flew to White Emperor City, he could immediately inform her on Holy Maiden Peak.
The faintly glowing stone bead on his wrist was a Heavenly Tome Stele.
The Heavenly Tome Stele was originally a spatial passageway, as proven by the rules within the Heavenly Tome Mausoleum and the current method of entering and exiting the Zhou Garden.
Over ten years, Xu Yourong and he had continuously studied and researched the Heavenly Tome Stele, eventually mastering some of its mysteries.
Their voices could pass through the Heavenly Tome Stele to reach the other side, but slightly condensed spiritual sense and tangible objects still could not achieve this.
At that moment, another gray stone bead on Chen Changsheng's wrist lit up.
"Luoluo greets the Master!"
A crisp voice rang out from the stone bead.
Yes, she also had a Heavenly Tome Stele there, and she too had learned how to communicate with Chen Changsheng.
With a soft *pa* sound, coming from somewhere unknown, the stone bead used to talk with Xu Yourong went dark.
Chen Changsheng opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
On Luoluo's end, seeing that he hadn't replied, she grew a bit worried and called out repeatedly, "Master! Master! Master, are you alright?"
Chen Changsheng said, "It's nothing, just a little distracted."
"That's great!"
Even across a distance of a hundred thousand li, Chen Changsheng could almost see Luoluo's adorable expression of relief, her small hand patting her chest repeatedly.
Suddenly, he finally understood why Xu Yourong had been unhappy these past few days, whether on the grasslands of the Xiuling tribe or back in Xunyang City at the very beginning.
It was because of that day's incident.
That day was very similar to today.
The white crane had come from Songshan Military Prefecture, and when he contacted Xu Yourong, he was boating on the Red River.
At that time, Yu Jing was singing in the water, and Luoluo was by his side, feeding him fruit with her little hand.
Luoluo didn't know that Xu Yourong could hear what she said.
He hadn't thought of that at the time either.
...
...
"What exactly did Her Highness Luoluo say back then?"
Tang Thirty-Six's face was full of curiosity, and even the long beard flapping wildly in the wind against his face couldn't hide it.
Chen Changsheng, confirming out of the corner of his eye that no one was watching him or listening to Tang Thirty-Six's words behind him, lowered his voice and said, "She said... 'Master, be good, open wide.'"
Tang Thirty-Six was stunned for a moment, then wanted to laugh but didn't dare, his face turning red from holding it in.
The people on the city wall finally noticed the commotion over here.
The Prince of Zhongshan raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat displeased, while the Prime Minister beside him whispered a few words of comfort with a low laugh.
The King of Linghai and Si Yuan Daozi exchanged a glance and pretended not to see anything.
Anlin, the Archbishop who had just returned from the Bear Tribe and resumed her post, gave a bitter smile but said nothing.
This was Xunyang City.
The important figures were all on the city wall.
The spring in the Central Plains was deepening, the grass and trees growing thick, and the snowy plains in the north were also warming. That great event had finally occurred.
After centuries, humanity was once again marching north.
The Emperor himself offered a libation, sending the army out from the Imperial Palace to the outskirts of the capital.
The Pope, Chen Changsheng, had personally escorted them all the way to Xunyang City.
The wilderness outside Xunyang City was filled with people, a dark tide like surging waves.
These people were all going to their deaths, so this tide was the most violent billow in the world.
The combined might of hundreds of thousands of powerful spiritual senses and killing intent was something even the fiercest west wind in the world couldn't match. Even if the Golden Dragon returned to the Central Continent, looking at this soaring murderous aura from a thousand li away, it would be frightened away, not daring to approach.
Over ten thousand national religion cavalry, sixty thousand black-armored cavalry, and far more ordinary soldiers than that. Six Li Palace magnates, twenty-three great Zhou divine generals, three thousand priests, the elite of Nanxi Zhai all deployed, the disciples of Li Mountain Sword Hall gathered together, along with cultivation experts from various sects and sects, and honored warriors from various aristocratic families. Not to mention the many sacred domain powerhouses like Wang Po, Xiao Zhang, Huai Ren, the Li Mountain Sect Leader, Mao Qiuyu, and the Prince of Xiang, all ready to act at any moment. In terms of sheer momentum, this was already no less than the northern expedition of years past.
Hundreds of thousands of troops set out one after another, embarking on their journey. The wilderness outside the city gradually quieted, the atmosphere growing more and more grim.
No one laughed anymore, nor did anyone pay attention to the earlier commotion.
Tang Thirty-Six looked toward the mountain range to the west, frowned, and said, "I didn't expect the Prince of Xiang to be willing to advance with the left army."
Xunyang City was the starting point for ten thousand arrows, a crucial location that required a sacred domain powerhouse to hold it down.
Cao Yunping had good relations with all sides, was honest and approachable in nature, and had earned everyone's trust, so in the end, he was chosen.
In recent years, the Prince of Xiang had spent most of his time at Yonglan Pass, behaving extremely low-key.
This was certainly not because of his son, Prince Chenliu, who remained in the capital as a hostage, but because of the circumstances.
Everyone had assumed he would surely jump out to compete for this position, but unexpectedly, he said nothing.
If it were the Prince of Zhongshan, it would be easy to understand. That hot-tempered prince, for the pride of the Chen imperial clan, would surely lead the charge at the front.
"There are many things I didn't expect, like the fact that you grew a beard."
Chen Changsheng looked at Tang Thirty-Six's face, shook his head, and still found it very strange.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "My charm is even greater now than in the past. Growing a beard to cover up a bit is also to reduce some romantic entanglements."
In recent years, his temperament had indeed become much more steady, and he rarely cursed in front of others, but his narcissism was as strong as ever.
It couldn't be entirely called narcissism, though. There was some truth and some helplessness in his words.
The Matriarch of the Mutuo family had fallen seriously ill last year. After recovering, she saw through worldly affairs but couldn't let go of her most beloved granddaughter. So she personally went to Wenshui, moved into the Tang family's old residence, and shamelessly pestered them for three months, wanting to arrange a marriage with the Tang family. This forced Tang Thirty-Six to not dare go home or stay at the National Academy. In the end, he went back to Xiling's Wanshou Pavilion with Su Moyu to spend the New Year.
Chen Changsheng said, "I heard that young lady is extremely beautiful?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "The Mutuo family has many beauties, but am I the kind of superficial person who only looks at appearances?"
Chen Changsheng said, "Yourong knows her. She says her temperament is excellent and she's straightforward. You should at least meet her."
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "I bet that's not her exact words."
Chen Changsheng was stunned for a moment, then said, "Her exact words were that you're not good enough for that young lady."
Tang Thirty-Six was furious and stormed off, flicking his sleeves.
He descended the city wall, took the reins, mounted his horse, and headed north.
Throughout the entire process, he didn't even glance at Chen Changsheng.
"Come back alive."
Chen Changsheng shouted loudly.
Countless eyes fell on him, but he seemed not to notice.
Tang Thirty-Six waved his hand without turning around.