Chapter 469: A Plate of Blue Lobster Sparks a Bloodbath
If the three of them hadn’t stepped aside back then, Tianhai Chengwu might have, out of respect for the Pope and Old Master Tang, merely given Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six a casual reprimand. But what if it had been Xuan Yuan Po blocking the path? To a figure of Tianhai Chengwu’s stature, Xuan Yuan Po’s life was no different from an ant’s.
Chen Changsheng quickly reached a conclusion: if Tang Thirty-Six hadn’t reached out and shoved Xuan Yuan Po against the wall, Tianhai Chengwu would have had no qualms about killing him.
As a Star Condensation peak powerhouse, even a casual strike from him would have left Xuan Yuan Po with broken bones or dead on the spot.
Even now, Chen Changsheng couldn’t forget the terrifying sensation he’d felt in Xunyang City when facing Liang Wangsun’s Vajra Staff, especially Xiao Zhang’s dreadful iron spear. And Tianhai Chengwu, in terms of cultivation realm, killing intent, and sheer ruthlessness, was clearly stronger, fiercer, and more seasoned than Liang Wangsun or Xiao Zhang. The key point was that he was the head of the Tianhai clan. Aside from those with extremely deep backgrounds like Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six, ordinary people like Xuan Yuan Po—he could kill them without a second thought. Who in the entire continent would dare say a word? Even the White Emperor and his wife would stay silent.
After a moment, Chen Changsheng shook off the chill in his heart and looked seriously at Tang Thirty-Six. “Didn’t you used to act dismissive of the Tianhai clan all the time?”
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression soured. “I was talking about my grandfather. When did I ever say that about myself?”
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, “Last year, when Chief Secretary Jin invited us for barbecue the second time, you said it. Then during the Grand Examination, when you saw Tianhai Shengsheng, you said it again. And later…”
“Alright, stop right there. What’s so important that you have to dredge up memories with the same effort you’d use to decipher the Heavenly Book Stele?” Tang Thirty-Six snapped irritably.
Xuan Yuan Po looked at him with a mocking grin. “You only ever bully me. In front of those big shots, you’re not tough at all.”
Tang Thirty-Six fumed. “Get it straight, you two! That was the head of the Tianhai clan! Not just some random nobody! And where was I not tough? Didn’t you hear what that old geezer said before he left? No one’s dared to provoke him in years! So who provoked him now? Who made him miss out on autumn crabs and blue-blooded lobsters? Huh? Say it!”
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the stairs.
It wasn’t the invited guest of the day but a priest from the Li Palace stationed at the National Academy.
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression tightened as he looked at the priest. “What’s happened?”
The priest gave him a complicated look and asked, “I heard… you just contradicted the Tianhai clan head a few times?”
In Tang Thirty-Six’s words, it was “provocation.” But in the eyes of the major powers in the capital, he was merely a junior from the Tang family of Wenshui, while Tianhai Chengwu was an absolute elder, so it was called “contradiction.” Of course, using the term “contradiction” was, in a way, also for Tang Thirty-Six’s benefit.
“Just say what it is,” Tang Thirty-Six said impatiently.
The priest said nothing more, directly pulling out a thick stack of letters and placing them on the table. Then he looked at Chen Changsheng. “Dean Chen, please take a look.”
With that, he left.
Chen Changsheng picked up the letters and opened them one by one.
The Lake Residence was eerily quiet. Tang Thirty-Six and Xuan Yuan Po’s eyes stayed fixed on the letters.
They had already guessed what was inside. Over the past twenty-some days, the National Academy had received many such letters.
Sure enough, they were challenge letters.
There were over forty of them here.
Chen Changsheng only skimmed through them, not bothering to see who was challenging the National Academy. He just felt the weight of these letters.
Before leaving, Tianhai Chengwu had said he’d only wanted to stir up some fun before, but now he intended to make the National Academy suffer… The suffering came quickly.
How much time had passed since the confrontation in the alley? And already this many challenge letters had arrived.
Chen Changsheng could almost see countless challenge letters flying into the National Academy like snowflakes.
Twelve consecutive wins? Over twenty straight wins? What use were they? What meaning did they hold? Countless experts could easily overwhelm the entire National Academy.
Truly worthy of being the number one clan in the human world.
The Tianhai clan was terrifying. Even the Li Palace would struggle to handle them, let alone the National Academy.
“You wouldn’t let others eat lobster… so now they’re making us eat bitterness.”
Chen Changsheng looked at Tang Thirty-Six and sighed. “Back then, you said we’d drown them. Now we’re about to be drowned ourselves. What do we do?”
Before he finished speaking, light, hurried footsteps came from the stairwell. The bead curtain was lifted, producing a crisp clatter, followed by a voice as clear as silver bells.
A voice he hadn’t heard in days.
In the sweltering summer, the top floor of Cheng Lake Tower by the lakeside used formations to draw in a gentle lake breeze, making it the coolest and most pleasant place in the capital. Only big shots like Tianhai Chengwu and the new owner Tang Thirty-Six could ascend here.
But the young girl who now appeared before Chen Changsheng was even more refreshing than the lake breeze, soothing to the soul.
Luo Luo giggled at him twice.
Seeing her innocent features, Chen Changsheng instantly forgot his troubles and smiled. “What are you grinning about?”
Luo Luo said matter-of-factly, “It’s been too long since I’ve seen Master and received his teachings. Naturally, I’ve gotten a bit silly.”
That statement was anything but silly, carrying a hint of displeasure. Chen Changsheng wasn’t stupid either; he caught it and decided to play dumb. Normally, Xuan Yuan Po would have already knelt on one knee to greet Luo Luo, and Tang Thirty-Six would be teasing the master-disciple pair with sarcastic remarks. But now the Lake Residence was silent. Xuan Yuan Po and Tang Thirty-Six stared at the thick stack of challenge letters on the table, looking utterly dejected. They thought about the endless fights ahead, leaving no time even for meals or bathroom breaks, and felt nothing but misery.
Luo Luo finally noticed their odd behavior and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”
Tang Thirty-Six snapped out of it, his eyes lighting up as he looked at Luo Luo. “Your Highness…”
Chen Changsheng knew exactly what he was plotting. He walked to the table, tossed the challenge letters into Tang Thirty-Six’s arms, and blocked Luo Luo’s view. “Bring out the food.”
Luo Luo peeked curiously from behind Chen Changsheng and asked Tang Thirty-Six, “What is it?”
Tang Thirty-Six met Chen Changsheng’s gaze and understood that if he actually asked Luo Luo for help, his days back at the National Academy would be far worse than facing these challenges alone. So he firmly and smoothly changed the subject. “Cheng Lake Tower is closing down starting tomorrow. Let’s eat all the blue lobsters they have in stock!”
…
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(The bloodbath hasn’t happened yet. Suddenly recalling that Hu Ge’s video was from years ago—time, please slow down. Time flows like water, drowning people without mercy. Time is like a blade, every cut drawing blood. So we must live more comfortably. A few days ago, on May 12th, I posted on Weibo and WeChat, roughly meaning this.)