Chapter 97: Standing in the Light
Tang Thirty-Six opened the letter and realized that Chen Changsheng had overheard his earlier remark and, worried he might cause trouble, had written an explanation. In the letter, he said his injuries weren’t serious, but he simply needed Xu Yourong’s long-term treatment with the Holy Light Technique. Moreover, since Xu Yourong was still a young girl, it was only natural for her to be overly concerned.
These explanations were reasonable, but they couldn’t convince Tang Thirty-Six. Still, on the journey back to the capital, he wouldn’t stir up any trouble. He looked up, intending to ask Ye Xiaolian to deliver a reply to Chen Changsheng, only to find that this female disciple of Nanxi Zhai had a rather hostile expression, staring at him as if she wanted to devour him.
Two years ago on the Divine Path of the Li Palace, he had scolded this little disciple of Holy Maiden Peak so harshly that she had wept bitterly. To him, it was a trivial matter, long forgotten, until Chen Changsheng brought it up recently, jogging his memory and helping him match her to that little girl from back then.
“Please don’t look at me like that. You started it back then; I was just defending myself.”
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Ye Xiaolian seriously and said, “The one who provokes first is the low one. I hope you can agree with that principle.”
Whether such a principle truly existed in the world or not, when it came to the word “low,” it was hard to find anyone who could outdo him.
Ye Xiaolian knew this well and naturally wouldn’t take the bait, merely glaring at him.
Tang Thirty-Six lowered his head to write a letter, muttering, “Lately, you Nanxi Zhai disciples seem to have quite a temper.”
Ye Xiaolian thought to herself, anyone who had watched the Holy Maiden attend to Chen Changsheng day and night without rest these past days wouldn’t be in a good mood.
Tang Thirty-Six hastily finished his reply, handed the letter to her, and, seeing her expression, guessed what she was thinking. He said, “He’s injured after all. Don’t be too petty.”
Ye Xiaolian could no longer hold back and said, “We could take care of him too! Why does the Zhai Master have to do it herself?”
Tang Thirty-Six thought to himself that this was exactly the question he and Zhexui couldn’t figure out, but he wouldn’t bring it up in front of her. He said, “They have a marriage contract, so it’s naturally more convenient.”
“They *had* a marriage contract,” Ye Xiaolian corrected him earnestly. “The contract was already dissolved, and it was Chen Changsheng himself who dissolved it.”
…
…
“No matter who looks at them, they seem like a loving couple. It’s hard to imagine that their marriage contract was dissolved long ago.”
Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai stood in the grassland by the roadside, gazing at the large palanquin ahead on the path.
The King of Linghai glanced at Mao Qiuyu, trying to discern if there was any hidden meaning behind his sudden remark.
Mao Qiuyu looked at him calmly and said, “The situation is clear now. The Holy Maiden will likely marry Chen Changsheng. Are you prepared?”
The King of Linghai remained silent, his expression dark. At their level, no one would dare to impose worldly norms like “a wife follows her husband” on Xu Yourong. However, if Xu Yourong truly married Chen Changsheng, there would be no reason for her to oppose him. Thinking back to her shifting attitude on the Cold Mountain, he felt a chill.
For many years, Holy Maiden Peak had been an ally of the Holy Empress in the south. The Holy Empress had also received much help from the previous Holy Maiden in promoting the unification of north and south. Moreover, it was well known that the Holy Empress treated Xu Yourong like a daughter. So, to anyone’s eyes, this situation seemed unlikely to change for a long time.
But if this generation’s Holy Maiden truly married Chen Changsheng, would Holy Maiden Peak continue to support the Holy Empress?
…
…
As Xu Yourong had said, the ten-thousand-mile journey back from the Cold Mountain to the capital was peaceful, with no problems encountered.
Under the company of a sky full of stars, the convoy of dozens of carriages entered the capital. The red flower that had swayed in the wilderness for so long quietly vanished, and the man in the bamboo hat in the distance had gone to some high mountain to resume his stargazing pursuits.
After entering the capital, the convoy did not split up. It did not go to the National Academy, nor to the Imperial Palace, nor to the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion. Instead, it went straight to the Li Palace.
Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai stood beneath the pines and cypresses on either side of the Divine Path. They did not look at each other but instead gazed at the end of the path.
Aside from them, people like Tang Thirty-Six didn’t even have the chance to set foot on the Divine Path.
Xu Yourong pushed Chen Changsheng in his wheelchair along the Divine Path to the quietest hall deep within the Li Palace.
The Pope was waiting at the foot of the stone steps before the hall.
This was a gesture of respect for the southern branch of the state religion, Holy Maiden Peak, and also because he was deeply worried.
Chen Changsheng sat in the wheelchair, draped in a gray woolen blanket, looking very much like a patient.
In truth, his complexion was excellent, full of vitality and health, not at all like someone who was ill.
Seeing the Pope standing outside the hall, Xu Yourong was not surprised. She kept both hands on the wheelchair and bowed in greeting.
Chen Changsheng said to her, “I have some things to discuss with my uncle. Go wait for me somewhere else for a while.”
Xu Yourong was silent for a moment, but in the end, she did not overrule his decision. She turned and walked toward a nearby hall.
The clergy guarding the hall knew her identity and naturally dared not stop her, though their eyes were unavoidably shocked. After bowing, they quickly dispersed to spread the news.
Xu Yourong paid no attention to their gazes and walked expressionlessly into the hall.
The space inside this hall was immensely tall, appearing magnificent. Countless classic stories from the Daoist Canon were carved into the stone walls, along with many statues of ancient sages.
This was the main hall of the state religion—the Hall of Light.
The state religion was divided into northern and southern branches. The northern branch revered the Pope, while the southern branch was led by the Holy Maiden. For countless years, the two branches had engaged in open and covert struggles, with countless tales to tell. Later, as the situation gradually eased, several Holy Maidens from the south had visited the capital. Since they came from the same lineage, they naturally stayed in the Li Palace. Yet, because of the north-south divide, those Holy Maidens had never set foot in this Hall of Light.
As a child, Xu Yourong often played in the Imperial Palace and the Li Palace, and she had even sneaked into the Hall of Light to play hide-and-seek.
But now she was the Holy Maiden of the South. Stepping into the Hall of Light carried a completely different symbolic meaning.
Priest Siyuan rushed over upon hearing the news, accompanied by several Red Archbishops, and respectfully offered to give her a tour.
“Don’t bother with me. I just want some quiet time here,” Xu Yourong said.
Priest Siyuan and the Red Archbishops were speechless, thinking, if you just wanted peace and quiet, why did you have to come here?
Didn’t she know that if the world learned the Southern Holy Maiden had finally set foot in the Hall of Light, it would cause an uproar?
Xu Yourong said nothing more. She simply clasped her hands behind her back and stood quietly before the altar, gazing at the mural over thirty zhang high, lost in thought.
Priest Siyuan had no choice but to lead the Red Archbishops out of the Hall of Light and wait outside.
Even in the dead of night, the Hall of Light was brilliantly illuminated. Countless soft rays of light emanated from the pillars, walls, and statues.
Xu Yourong stood in the light. Perhaps because the light was too bright, her face looked somewhat pale.
“No matter who looks at them, they seem like a loving couple. It’s hard to imagine that their marriage contract was dissolved long ago.”