Chapter 101: Troubles Everywhere in the World (Part 1)
The street below the inn fell silent for a moment. Pedestrians and vendors looked up, a trace of shock on their faces as they gazed toward the source of the shout, spotting Chen Changsheng, then hearing his next words.
"I am Chen Changsheng. Su Li is in the room behind me. Whether you want to kill him or save him, anyone who wants to come, come quickly."
Just like the previous sentence, this one drifted through the sunlit city of Xunyang, spreading swiftly and far, and would soon leave the city walls, reaching every corner of the continent. Countless pairs of eyes fixed on the inn’s window, on Chen Changsheng’s face. The streets of Xunyang remained quiet for a moment longer, then were shattered by a cacophony of noise, plunging into chaos.
There was the sound of a porcelain bowl hitting the ground and breaking into eighteen pieces, the sound of windows being slammed shut almost violently, cries tinged with sobs, the innocent questioning of children full of confusion, the scolding shouts of parents, the urgent clatter of hooves racing into the distance, and even the faint, trembling rumble of the heavy city gates closing far away.
In just a few moments, the pedestrians and vendors on Xunyang’s streets had vanished completely. The long avenue stood empty and desolate, with only scraps of waste paper from oil cakes drifting along, and a few wisps of dust floating in from the distant city gates. Xunyang seemed to have instantly turned into a ghost town—not all empty cities were a ruse; sometimes an empty city meant a dead city, or one that would soon become a dead city.
Chen Changsheng stood by the window, gazing at the silent, deserted street, listening to the fading sounds of people, catching glimpses of timid eyes peeking through the cracks of tightly shut doors. He was stunned into silence. He couldn’t understand why merely shouting that Su Li was here had caused such an uproar. Vaguely, he felt he might have done something wrong, or perhaps he had still underestimated the gravity of the situation.
In the deep spring of Xunyang, the wind threading through the streets and alleys should have been warm, but now the roadside stoves had gone cold, and there was no trace of human life, lending the wind a chill. Chen Changsheng instinctively closed the window again and turned back. He saw Su Li sitting in a chair, looking at him with a mix of helplessness and mockery, asking, "Scared?"
Chen Changsheng’s voice was a bit tense as he said, "It’s just a gamble, after all."
Su Li’s left hand had somehow grasped the yellow paper umbrella, while his right hand lightly tapped the armrest of the chair. He looked into Chen Changsheng’s eyes and said, "Then I can tell you now… you’ve lost the bet."
The words "Su Li is here" spread through the entire city of Xunyang at an unimaginable speed. Not even the fastest red eagles or red geese of the Great Zhou military could intercept that news. Xunyang fell into a dead silence, but behind that silence was true chaos. No one knew how many ordinary households had smashed their bowls and dishes, or how many people had twisted their ankles.
The most tense place, of course, was the inn where Su Li and Chen Changsheng were staying. This inn was also the source of the chaos. The diners had fled at top speed, and many of the inn’s guests had abandoned their luggage to disappear with the crowd. Even the innkeeper and the waiters had sneaked away.
Now the inn was silent, with overturned tables and chairs everywhere, a scene of utter disarray. Only at the counter against the wall stood an accountant. His eyebrows slanted downward, giving him a somewhat shabby appearance. His long gown was washed clean but only made him look more impoverished. Perhaps because he was too poor to give up this job, he had not yet left the inn, still standing behind the counter, clicking away at his abacus, tallying the accounts.
The news had already spread, so people naturally began to arrive. What pleased Chen Changsheng was that the first to come were from the National Church.
The Bishop of Xunyang was the highest-ranking bishop of the National Church in the northernmost part of the continent, with immense authority and power. The current Bishop of Xunyang was Hua Jiefu, a trusted confidant of His Holiness the Pope. Thus, his status in Xunyang and even the entire Tianliang Prefecture was highly revered. He rarely needed to personally visit the City Lord of Xunyang or the prince’s mansion, but today he had to come to this inn himself, and the attitude he displayed left the whole city of Xunyang somewhat unsettled.
Hua Jiefu did not allow the dozens of accompanying clergy to enter the inn. He straightened his red robe on the stone steps and walked in alone, behaving with remarkable restraint, even a hint of humility. If Su Li had not been gravely wounded and near death, this respect would have been for him. But now, it was for Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng was now the Dean of the National Teaching Academy. As Archbishop Melisandre had said, within the National Church, aside from His Holiness the Pope, he did not need to bow to anyone. On the contrary, others should bow to him. Still, having a venerable Red Archbishop bow respectfully to him made him uncomfortable, and he instinctively shifted aside.
Hua Jiefu straightened up, not even glancing at the closed door nearby, and said to Chen Changsheng, "We only just learned that you were still alive, but we couldn’t confirm it. Seeing you today is truly a joyful thing. I believe that when this news reaches the capital, His Holiness the Pope will also be delighted, and countless people in the capital will eagerly await your return."
He didn’t say everything, but he had been direct enough. The Bishop came straight to the point, asking Chen Changsheng to leave Xunyang. If Chen Changsheng agreed, the Xunyang Cathedral would undoubtedly dispatch powerful guardian cavalry, and Hua Jiefu might even escort him personally.
Chen Changsheng looked at the closed door, was silent for a moment, then said, "You know, I’m in a bit of trouble right now."
"I admit, that gentleman is indeed a huge trouble, perhaps the biggest trouble in centuries." Hua Jiefu glanced at the door and said, "But this is not your trouble, nor the National Church’s trouble. If you insist on staying in this inn, this trouble will grow bigger and bigger, until even I cannot handle it."
Chen Changsheng asked, "When… will those troubles appear?"
Hua Jiefu said, "Very soon. And news from the capital says that someone from Huaiyuan may have come to the north. Their identity cannot be confirmed for now, but it’s certain that they are a big trouble."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can’t I take Mr. Su back to the capital with me?"
Hua Jiefu didn’t need to think and replied directly, "The Li Palace has not said so."
Chen Changsheng fell silent again, understanding his meaning. Some time had passed since he encountered the two assassins and Xue He. The Li Palace must have known about Su Li and him by now, yet they only ordered the subordinate cathedral to escort Chen Changsheng back to the capital, saying nothing about Su Li. This already represented the Li Palace’s stance.
"I might need to wait a bit longer at the inn."
"We will certainly protect your safety, but we cannot protect that gentleman just because you want to protect him. You should understand, that’s not fair."
"Yes."
Chen Changsheng looked at Hua Jiefu and said, "So you can pretend you don’t know I’m in Xunyang."
Hua Jiefu said, "But you are in Xunyang, and how long will you stay? Everyone’s troubles must eventually be solved by themselves, especially since that gentleman himself is a trouble."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "I want to wait until someone from the Li Mountain Sword Sect arrives, or… someone he trusts, someone capable of protecting him."
Hua Jiefu sighed with emotion and said, "Everyone knows that Su Li has never trusted anyone… He has no friends, not a single one. If you wait for such a person to appear, how long will it take?"
"Maybe… but I still feel someone should be willing to help him."
After saying this, Chen Changsheng turned and walked toward the room.
Hua Jiefu suddenly called out from behind him, "You probably don’t know… something happened outside the Zhou Garden. You really need to return to the capital as soon as possible to resolve it."
Chen Changsheng stopped and asked, "What happened?"
Hua Jiefu said, "Liang Xiaoxiao is dead."
Chen Changsheng hadn’t expected to hear such news. He was stunned for a moment before asking, "He was a spy for the demon race. Who killed him?"
Hua Jiefu’s expression was somewhat complicated as he said, "He said you killed him."
Chen Changsheng was shocked and asked, "He said that? I killed him?"
"Yes, although he didn’t explicitly say so before he died, everyone understood his meaning." Hua Jiefu looked into his eyes and said, "He died under the final form of the Li Mountain Sword Sect’s Dharma Sword. In the Zhou Garden, only Qi Jian and you know that sword technique."
Chen Changsheng was dumbfounded, unable to understand what was going on.
Hua Jiefu concluded, "Liang Xiaoxiao said that you and Zhexiu were spies for the demon race. Zhexiu… has already been thrown into the Zhou Prison."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time. He knew he had to return to the capital as soon as possible, but how could he leave now? He looked at the closed door and felt that this was truly troublesome.
(The Spring Festival hasn’t ended yet, but the holiday is over. Let me say a belated Happy New Year to everyone I haven’t seen in a while. I’m just starting to get back to work, so I need to slowly find my rhythm. The update volume won’t be too large. Last month, I fell short of the promised eighty thousand words, but I’ll make it up this month. New year, new atmosphere—though I may not achieve it, I’ll try harder. Once again, my regards to everyone.)