Chapter 6: The Seven-Day Pact
"Of course not." Tang Thirty-Six looked into his eyes and said, "You can afford to lose face, but the National Teaching Academy cannot. How will His Holiness the Pope speak in front of Her Majesty after this? Don't forget, this isn't just your own affair—it's a matter for the entire national religion."
These matters were known throughout the continent, so there was no need to avoid the singing girls and dancers, but the atmosphere in the room inevitably grew tense.
Tang Thirty-Six wanted to lift Chen Changsheng's spirits, so he smiled and said, "And don't you want to assert your husbandly authority? Didn't you see how shocked those young ladies were when they heard you were about to concede?"
Su Moyu shook his head from the side and said, "That's not appropriate. Regardless of whether His Holiness the Pope has annulled their engagement, since Chen Changsheng has decided he doesn't want to go through with this marriage, then the phrase 'husbandly authority' cannot be used. It involves the Holy Maiden's reputation—not appropriate."
Tang Thirty-Six said dismissively, "Just joking around. Now the National Teaching Academy has only you two bookworms, Zhe Xiu the cold-blooded killer, and that blockhead Xuan Yuan Po. I don't even have anyone to chat with. How pitiful I am."
With that, he snatched the bowl from Chen Changsheng's table, poured out the tea, and replaced it with strong liquor from the Western Pass.
Chen Changsheng waved his hand and said, "I told you, I don't drink."
Su Moyu added from the side, "The sky is cold and it's snowing at night. We should head back early."
Tang Thirty-Six was very frustrated and said, "I'm trying to help him relieve some pressure, alright?"
Today, the white crane had landed by the lake, and Xu Yourong had returned to the capital. Chen Changsheng had been unusually silent, seeming heavy-hearted. That was why Tang Thirty-Six had specially arranged this night banquet, hoping to let Chen Changsheng vent some pressure. Who would have thought that after arriving at the tavern, Chen Changsheng and Su Moyu wouldn't even drink, sitting upright and proper, clapping and praising the dancers' performances with great seriousness—but this was hardly how people went out to have fun...
Looking at the dancer spinning continuously in the hall, he suddenly broke into a smile, so carefree and charming that the young singing girl in his arms gazed at him with even more adoration. As he smiled, he slightly curled his fingers and flicked a pine nut from the dish on the table.
Silently, the pine nut struck the dancer's knee. It wasn't heavy, but the spot was too sensitive. The dancer lost her balance and fell diagonally into Chen Changsheng's arms.
Chen Changsheng quickly steadied her and asked with concern, "Miss, are you alright?"
That dancer was also accustomed to romantic affairs and worldly matters. She knew exactly what had happened. She first gave Tang Thirty-Six a slightly reproachful glance, then looked tenderly at Chen Changsheng, her breath like orchid as she whispered softly, "It seems I can't hold my liquor well."
As she spoke, her arms naturally wrapped around Chen Changsheng's neck, and her entire body leaned into his embrace.
With soft jade in his arms, Chen Changsheng felt no ecstasy, only discomfort and awkwardness.
He was about to politely help the dancer sit beside him when he suddenly felt as if someone in the distant snowy night was watching him.
That gaze—that possibly nonexistent gaze—wasn't cold, but it stirred an intense unease deep in his heart. In the next moment, purely by instinct, almost like a reflex, he raised his hands extremely quickly.
He only meant to show that he had no improper intentions toward the dancer, and his hands weren't touching her body, but he never imagined how ridiculous this gesture would appear to others.
The tavern fell silent for a moment, then erupted into laughter. Tang Thirty-Six especially laughed so hard he nearly cried.
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...
Xu Yourong stood by the window, watching the scene in the tavern. When that dancer sat in Chen Changsheng's lap, even though her Dao heart was ever serene and self-contained, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
But the next moment, when she saw Chen Changsheng raise his hands high and heard the laughter from beyond the courtyard wall, she too broke into a smile, though she forcibly held back from laughing out loud.
Mo Yu took in every change in her expression and said, "If you want to laugh, just laugh. Why hold it in?"
Xu Yourong was still watching the tavern, looking at Chen Changsheng's flustered appearance. Hearing Mo Yu's words, she finally couldn't help it and burst out laughing: "Hahaha!"
Mo Yu was startled by her laughter, clutched her chest, and said, "Are you alright? Why are you laughing like an old lady..."
Xu Yourong's laughter was somewhat bold, or rather, unrestrained? In short, she didn't laugh like a sixteen-year-old girl, but more like that old woman at the entrance of Baihua Alley who sold fried dough sticks and soy milk—or more precisely, like that old woman in the small town she played mahjong with.
Xu Yourong felt a bit embarrassed and pretended to be calm, saying, "Look at him, acting like an idiot."
Mo Yu couldn't be bothered to look at Chen Changsheng; she was already stunned just watching Xu Yourong.
She remembered clearly that the first time she saw Xu Yourong, Xu Yourong was only five years old. Back then, she was still a little girl, always sitting quietly, reading and then cultivating, holy and serene, like a little saintess.
When had she ever seen her like this?
"You're not... actually falling for that guy, are you?"
Mo Yu was very surprised and very worried.
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The night banquet at the tavern ended after this bout of laughter. Chen Changsheng and the other two climbed over the courtyard wall and returned to the National Teaching Academy.
Just as they entered the small building, the door to the adjacent room opened. They looked over and were surprised to see Zhe Xiu standing there, leaning on a crutch.
"Finally in the mood to get up and walk a bit today?" Tang Thirty-Six teased.
Zhe Xiu ignored him, looked at Chen Changsheng, and said, "She came by."
"Who?" Chen Changsheng didn't understand.
"Xu Yourong."
After saying this name, Zhe Xiu closed the door, apparently ready to go back to sleep.
The three of them were very startled upon hearing this name. They stared at the closed door, knowing they probably wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight.
Tang Thirty-Six walked back to the front of the small building, frowned, looked around, then turned to Chen Changsheng with an apologetic expression and said, "She might have seen us drinking with the girls just now. Sorry."
Chen Changsheng covered his face and said, "I said I didn't want to go, but you insisted on dragging me."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him like this and felt annoyed, saying, "You're not planning to marry her, and she probably doesn't want to marry you either. What are you afraid of?"
Chen Changsheng only then came to his senses and thought, "That's right." Feeling that his earlier face-covering gesture was embarrassing, he forced himself to appear calm and said, "Exactly. So what if she saw?"
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "Stop pretending to be a tough guy. If you've got the guts, put your hands on that girl."
"I have a cleanliness obsession," Chen Changsheng explained seriously to him and Su Moyu. "It's not that I think those girls are dirty; I just can't get past it psychologically."
Tang Thirty-Six said irritably, "We know. It's not that you think they're dirty—you think everyone is dirty."
Su Moyu had been very quiet, but now he suddenly asked, "Why did the Holy Maiden come to the National Teaching Academy?"
"Yeah," Tang Thirty-Six stopped his mockery and looked seriously at Chen Changsheng. "Was she so angry that she sneaked over, planning to run you through with her sword?"
After a brief pause, he sighed, "That would really be killing her own husband."
His statement seemed non-mocking, but in reality, it was even more sarcastic.
Su Moyu, who appeared to have everything figured out but was actually still wooden, said, "As I said, since the engagement is void, Chen Changsheng cannot regard the Holy Maiden as his fiancée. So even if she really did come to run Chen Changsheng through with her sword, it wouldn't count as killing her husband—it would only be attempted murder."
In fact, Chen Changsheng had already asked the Pope to forcibly annul that engagement, but for certain reasons, he had never publicly announced it.
Su Moyu looked at Tang Thirty-Six and continued earnestly, "Besides, she is the Holy Maiden after all. You should show her some respect."
Tang Thirty-Six raised an eyebrow and said, "Other than being better at fighting than me, I don't see any reason to respect her."
Just then, Zhe Xiu's voice came from behind the door.
"I have always respected Xu Yourong, so you should respect her too."
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Things developed faster than expected. The next morning, disciples from the Qing Yao Thirteen Departments and the Nanxi Zhai visited the National Teaching Academy.
Thinking that Xu Yourong had been here, and might even have entered his room, Chen Changsheng's mood was somewhat unsettled. As a result, his sleep quality that night was unusually poor. When he appeared before the three disciples from the Qing Yao Thirteen Departments and Nanxi Zhai, there were dark circles under his eyes, making him look a bit haggard. The senior sister from Nanxi Zhai, recalling the row of taverns she had seen before entering the academy gate, made some assumptions and looked at him with a hint of disdain.
The senior sister from the Qing Yao Thirteen Departments—Chen Changsheng and Zhe Xiu had met her before in the Zhou Garden and had some acquaintance. She smiled apologetically, didn't make any small talk, and directly handed over the letter.
Since the summer when the national religion began the academy martial exhibitions, the National Teaching Academy had received countless similar letters, but Chen Changsheng still felt a weight in his hands as he took this one.
The letter was a common challenge, but the person was special—Xu Yourong.
The battle that the entire continent had been anticipating for a long time had finally arrived, straightforward and decisive.
Chen Changsheng opened the letter and read it carefully. From the handwriting, he judged it wasn't Xu Yourong's own. There was nothing particularly special in the content—the most important parts were the date and location.
The date was seven days later.
The location was the Bridge of Helplessness.
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(Please don't worry, everyone. This has nothing to do with plot progression—it's only about the writing speed. The plot can't be rushed; maintaining the pace is ultimately the most important thing. I'm just concerned about affecting the moods of students taking the college entrance exam. To avoid everyone constantly thinking about what comes next and increasing anxiety, I'm reporting to you: Chen and Xu's confrontation will take a few more days. Nothing major will happen. Chen will win. It's not a tragedy. Spoiler over. Everyone, go into the exam hall with peace of mind tomorrow. Enjoy these two days well.)