Chapter 590: Letting Go
A clamor is a collection of many voices.
Voices of discussion, voices of exclamation.
Between the Li Mountain Sword Sect and the National Academy, the relationship was no longer the initial hostility, just as Gou Hanshi had instructed his junior brothers before coming to Cold Mountain.
Not enemies, yet still opponents.
Even without hostility, they would still meet, meet again.
The Li Mountain Sword Sect easily repelled the hostile experts from Tianliang County, and Gou Hanshi, revealing his Star Gathering realm, forced Zhong Hui of Huaiyuan to retreat without a single word.
With the situation having developed to this point, naturally, the moment for him to meet Chen Changsheng arrived.
Nearly two years had passed since the final battle of that Grand Examination. In those two years, many things had happened. Would the outcome of this battle change?
In the world, only Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi had thoroughly read the Daoist Canon. They possessed realms and talents that their peers could hardly reach. People were eager to know who was truly stronger.
Gou Hanshi had already succeeded in gathering stars; Chen Changsheng had not. Logically, he could not be Gou Hanshi’s match. But everyone knew that what happened last summer at the gates of the National Academy—crossing realms to defeat a Star Gathering cultivator, something unimaginable for ordinary cultivators—was not too difficult for him. Yet people could not fully favor Chen Changsheng either, because although Gou Hanshi had probably not been in the Star Gathering realm for long, he was Gou Hanshi—just this name alone confirmed that he was definitely no ordinary early-stage Star Gathering cultivator.
Chen Changsheng stood up and walked toward the stone platform. Countless gazes followed his movement.
Gou Hanshi was also watching him, calm and serious.
Just then, from somewhere among the lakeside pavilions and towers, a clear note suddenly rang out.
This clear note arose from between the strings of a zither, flowing like water.
Then, a second note of the zither sounded, and after that, it never ceased.
It was a very elegant piece of music. It was clearly evident that the person playing the zither was highly skilled in the study of musical theory. The sound of the zither, with the light press of fingertips, was extremely evocative. Yet, for some reason, at certain turning points in the melody, mistakes that even a beginner wouldn’t make appeared—obvious pauses and interruptions.
“Who is playing the zither?”
Many people looked toward the small tower from which the sound of the zither came, wondering this question in their hearts. Some people’s thoughts had a few more words added.
Who dares to play the zither at this moment?
The door of that small tower was closed. Some remembered that from a few days ago until today, that door had never been opened. So there was actually someone inside.
The Old Heavenly Mechanism looked at that small tower and shook his head. He naturally knew who was inside the small tower, but he hadn’t expected that the other party would disregard his advice and still insist on coming out to fight.
“It seems our match will have to be left for another time.”
Gou Hanshi said to Chen Changsheng on the stage. He had already recognized who the zither player was.
Chen Changsheng had also recognized it. He said, “I hope it won’t be too long.”
There were many who could recognize the sound of the zither. The murmurs of discussion gradually rose and then gradually fell. Countless gazes turned toward the small tower, a faint excitement stirring.
The person playing the zither was Guan Bai.
The true leader of the younger generation of the Heavenly Dao Academy, his name was Guan Bai.
Gou Hanshi truly wanted to spar with Chen Changsheng, but upon hearing the sound of the zither, he had to yield.
The people present were indeed looking forward to seeing the contest between Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng, but they were even more eager to see the contest between Chen Changsheng and Guan Bai.
Because the people of the continent had been waiting for this contest for an entire year.
Last summer, the area in front of the National Academy was incredibly lively. Guan Bai did not step into the fray; he merely stood by the street and quietly looked at Chen Changsheng.
He didn’t say anything.
But many in the capital knew.
He had given Chen Changsheng a year to grow.
After that, there was no trace of Guan Bai to be seen. This sword master of the Heavenly Dao Academy seemed to have vanished.
Now, it seemed that Guan Bai had been in seclusion, cultivating in preparation for this very battle today.
With a soft creak, the door of the distant small tower was slowly pushed open.
A man walked out from the small tower. His posture was very upright, his expression serene and peaceful, with not a trace of travel dust on his temples.
He was Guan Bai, but he was very different from the Guan Bai of before, and also very different from the Guan Bai in the memories of those who knew him.
The Guan Bai of before had always been on a journey, covered in the dust of a traveler, his sharpness pressing upon others.
Anyone who saw Guan Bai would feel as if a sword light had flashed in their eyes, and might even be made to shed tears by the invading sword intent emanating from him.
The Guan Bai of now was still like the long sword hanging at his waist, quietly resting in its sheath, revealing not a trace of its edge.
The noonday sun fell upon the stone platform by the lake, slightly scorching, exceptionally bright.
Guan Bai walked over slowly.
The scene was completely silent. Hundreds of gazes followed his movement. The crowd gradually parted, making way for him.
Suddenly, there was a slight disturbance in the crowd, and then gasps of surprise gradually arose. No one knew what they had seen, but they looked exceptionally shocked.
Tang Thirty-Six stood up, looked over there, and his expression immediately froze.
Chen Changsheng had already seen it. His expression was very grave.
The lake breeze gently brushed, and sleeves lightly fluttered.
Guan Bai’s sleeves fluttered gently, occasionally being rolled up.
His right arm… was actually severed!
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A clamor arose—a true clamor. Gasps of surprise filled the air. Everyone had thought that during this past year, Guan Bai, like in previous years, had been continuing his journey, or had gone incognito to the northern battlefield to kill enemies, or had been in seclusion preparing for battle. Who could have imagined that when he appeared before the world again, he would be missing an arm!
What was even more shocking was that the arm he had lost was his right arm.
In the past, many had considered Guan Bai the most likely sword genius to enter the top ten of the Carefree List. He was much younger than Wang Po’s generation.
Now, he didn’t even have his right hand to hold a sword… Would this former sword genius fall from grace into the mortal world?
Amidst the shocked gazes, Guan Bai arrived at the scene. After bowing to the Old Heavenly Mechanism and Xu Yourong, he naturally came to the platform where the National Education members were.
Regardless, he was ultimately a member of the Heavenly Dao Academy, and thus a member of the National Education.
He bowed to the King of Linghai and Mao Qiuyu.
It was clear that the King of Linghai and Mao Qiuyu knew about his severed arm. The King of Linghai said, “Just do your best.”
Mao Qiuyu, as the former dean of the Heavenly Dao Academy, naturally had much more complex emotions. He looked at Guan Bai, seemed to want to say something but stopped, and finally just said with emotion, “You’ve come.”
Guan Bai replied, “In the end, I had to come.”
Then he looked at Chen Changsheng, and bowed calmly and meticulously.
Chen Changsheng did not avoid it; he accepted this bow, and then returned the bow.
Guan Bai quietly looked at him, and also did not avoid it; he accepted this bow.
A faint, indistinct light was born in his eyes, clear and solemnly murderous, like the autumn sky on a high day.
“Everyone is waiting. Come on,” he said to Chen Changsheng.
After saying this, that sword light vanished deep within his pupils, no longer visible.
Chen Changsheng looked at his empty sleeve and said, “I don’t think this is right.”
Guan Bai said, “During this past year, no miracle has happened to you again. I have also newly learned the left-handed sword. It’s very fair. It’s just right for us to let go and fight it out.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why can’t you just let go?”
“No one has let go as thoroughly as I have,” Guan Bai said with a faint smile.
His hand was already gone. What was there left to let go of? But some things, in the end, could not be let go.
His smile gradually faded. He looked at Chen Changsheng and said calmly, “No matter how worthless Huan Yu was, in the end, he was still my junior brother.”
Yes, there are many things that cannot be let go.
Although Liang Xiaoxiao had colluded with the demon race and his crime was unforgivable, disciples of the Li Mountain Sword Sect like Gou Hanshi would still miss him.
Just as Zhe Xiu had said, if Tang Thirty-Six were to do something that angered both gods and men in the future, Chen Changsheng still wouldn’t be able to abandon him.
Matters of gratitude and resentment are, by their very nature, insoluble and incomprehensible.
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(Things are mostly taken care of… but it seems the laziness bug has bitten me. I’ll try my best to recover soon.)