Chapter 525: Rendezvous at Dusk
Popular Recommendations: , , , , , , ,
At this moment, Zhe Xiu emerged from the building, leaning on her crutch. She looked at the three of them and said, "If you want to know, just ask him directly."
Tang Thirty-Six shook his head. "I asked. He didn't say. And judging by his reaction then, he'd probably die before telling us."
Xuan Yuan Po rubbed his temples, looking troubled. "What do you think is most likely going on?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "I suspect he might have planned from the start to let Xu You Rong win, which is why he told me to bet on him losing. But then he accidentally won himself, and now he's acting so strange..."
Su Mo Yu shook her head. "Even if it deviated from his prior calculations, it shouldn't be this extreme."
Tang Thirty-Six replied, "You don't understand. What I mean is, he probably bet his entire fortune... on himself losing."
The courtyard fell silent. It took Xuan Yuan Po a moment to process this, then he gasped sharply. "So Chen Chang Sheng was throwing the match?"
Zhe Xiu, seeing their conversation growing more absurd, shook her head and walked away, dismissing the matter.
Su Mo Yu said helplessly, "In my opinion, Chen Chang Sheng's Daoist cultivation is simply deepening. He can now treat victory and defeat with equanimity. You're overthinking this."
Xuan Yuan Po thought it over, then shook his head. "That doesn't match how he was acting in the carriage earlier—laughing one moment, frowning the next."
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "If even a bear can see it, then he's definitely got a problem."
Just then, a shout suddenly came from that window upstairs.
It wasn't because of an enemy, nor a cockroach—it was him venting.
"See? If he hadn't lost so much money, why would he be in such agony? When have you ever seen his emotions fluctuate like this?"
Tang Thirty-Six gazed at the third-floor window, sighing with feeling.
Yet the next moment, the shouting from that room turned into humming—a tune that was barely recognizable as some obscure folk song.
Su Mo Yu looked at Tang Thirty-Six. "And you still think he's in a bad mood?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "I told you, this isn't about good or bad moods. It's about emotional volatility."
Su Mo Yu thought it over and realized Tang Thirty-Six had a point.
Among the people at the National Academy, when it came to emotional control, Zhe Xiu was the strongest, followed by Chen Chang Sheng. Whether in daily life or in cultivation battles, Chen Chang Sheng had never lost his composure. He was calm and steady far beyond his years, even giving the impression of someone who had weathered many storms.
But today, Chen Chang Sheng was clearly different.
"Have you heard the story of the Jin merchant who passed the imperial exams?" Tang Thirty-Six squinted at the third-floor window. "If my earlier guess is wrong, then it's highly possible that winning against Xu You Rong sent him into such wild ecstasy that he's lost his mind."
Just then, the third-floor window suddenly slid open. Chen Chang Sheng poked his head out and looked down.
Tang Thirty-Six and the others were startled. They quickly lowered their heads, mumbling random things to each other, pretending to be chatting idly so he wouldn't notice anything odd.
How could Chen Chang Sheng know that the people at the National Academy were worried about his mental state? He called out, "Tang Tang, come up here and help me with something."
...
...
"What do you need?"
"Help me figure out what to wear," Chen Chang Sheng said, pointing at the row of neatly arranged, spotless clothes in his wardrobe—still looking brand new even after a year. He said to Tang Thirty-Six, "Well... it's not a very formal occasion, but I don't want to be rude."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the dozen or so plain-colored outfits in the wardrobe and said helplessly, "Do you think anyone can tell the difference between these clothes?"
Just like when Xu You Rong had secretly visited the National Academy back then, Chen Chang Sheng's clothes were always the same style, the same plain colors—clean, but with no distinguishing features.
Chen Chang Sheng realized he was right. After a moment's thought, he said, "How about I borrow one of your outfits?"
"Has the Demon Lord's moon really come to the capital?"
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him as if he'd heard something utterly absurd. Staring into his eyes for a long moment, he said incredulously, "For ordinary people, the Palace's victory banquet is certainly important. But you can come and go from the Palace as you please now. Why are you taking it so seriously?"
Chen Chang Sheng was taken aback. Only now did he remember that there was a banquet at the Palace this evening... The Battle of the Bridge of Helplessness had drawn the world's attention. As the Dean of the National Academy and the tacitly acknowledged successor to the Pope, having defeated Xu You Rong, who represented the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress and the Southern Sect, this victory banquet was inevitable.
"I have something to take care of later... You and Su Mo Yu can represent me at the Palace. I might need to trouble you to explain things to His Holiness the Pope."
Tang Thirty-Six was astonished. He wondered what could be more important than this banquet, especially since the Pope might use the occasion to announce certain matters.
"What do you need to do?"
"I really can't tell you."
Tang Thirty-Six didn't press further. He walked to the window, clasped his hands behind his back, and gazed at the snow-covered Winter Lake, saying casually, "Where will the academy's carriage pick you up?"
The two of them knew each other too well. Chen Chang Sheng understood exactly what he was trying to do, and he knew that if he asked, Tang Thirty-Six would surely say the night was cold and the roads were treacherous...
"I won't tell you the location, and don't think about following me."
He looked at Tang Thirty-Six's back and said, "This is my own matter. Let me handle it myself."
Tang Thirty-Six didn't turn around. "Are you sure you can handle it properly?"
Chen Chang Sheng said, "I'm not sure. I hope so."
With that, he took his most commonly worn plain-colored robe from the wardrobe and changed into it. He glanced at the bamboo dragonfly on the bookshelf, then walked out the door.
Tang Thirty-Six stood by the window, watching him leave the small building and disappear into the winter woods by the lake. After a while, he saw him scale the courtyard wall and vanish completely. He couldn't help but frown slightly, thinking, So cautious, so secretive—what exactly are you going to do?
Through the cold winter woods, over the snow-covered courtyard wall, with a lowered bamboo hat, he merged into the crowd on the street. Heading toward the dim sun behind the snow clouds, it didn't take long before he reached a very ordinary alley in the western district. The alley was short, but its location was excellent—not far from the Palace—so it was lined with many eateries and taverns.
This alley was Fu Sui Road, as written on the note.
Chen Chang Sheng stood at the entrance of the alley, lowered his head to check himself, confirmed everything was in order, and relaxed a little.
He wore ordinary clothes, but they were very clean. Earlier at the National Academy, he had also washed himself thoroughly clean.
On the Bridge of Helplessness, her fingertip had left a drop of blood on his brow. As he had confirmed after leaving the Zhou Garden, his blood no longer had any scent. After washing three times, there was no lingering odor. Now his body only carried the fresh, faint scent of soap leaves.
His black hair was tied tightly, still slightly damp, not fully dry. Blown by the deep winter wind through the alley, a thin layer of frost formed on the surface.
Just like his mood at this moment.
...
...
(Today, the Tencent Book Academy awards ceremony gave me the honor of Novelist of the Year, for the novel "The Night." I'm very honored and very happy... In 2013, due to health reasons, I rested for most of the year, which meant that the latter half of "The Night," in my opinion, never received the recognition it deserved. In other words, for the past two years, I've always felt that "The Night" was the most underrated of my novels. Now, besides you, my great readers, it has gained some new recognition. I'm truly happy about this. I'm very grateful to Tencent Book Academy. Logically, I should have attended the award ceremony. I could have even sat with Liu Cixin and taken some selfies to show off. But as everyone knows, I've been constantly on the move this month. I simply don't have the time. It's a great pity. Today has also been very busy and tiring. Just this one chapter. I'll go sort out the detailed outline later. There will be two chapters tomorrow. Thank you, everyone. Even if my thanks seem a bit scattered, still, thank you. See you tomorrow.) r1148