Chapter 603: Standing in the Light
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Tang Thirty-Six opened the letter and read it, realizing that Chen Changsheng had overheard his earlier words and, worried he might cause trouble, had offered an explanation. In the letter, he said his injuries were not serious, but he simply needed Xu Yourong to use the Holy Light Technique for long-term treatment. Besides, Xu Yourong was still a young girl, so it was only natural for her to be overly concerned.
These explanations were reasonable, yet they failed to convince Tang Thirty-Six. Still, during 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 sacred path of the Li Palace, he had scolded this young disciple of the Holy Maiden Peak so harshly that she had wept bitterly. To him, it was a trivial matter, one he had long since forgotten. It wasn’t until Chen Changsheng brought it up recently that he remembered it and matched her with the 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 cheap one. I hope you can agree with that logic.”
Whether such logic truly existed in the world was debatable, but when it came to the word “cheap,” it was hard to find anyone who could surpass him.
Ye Xiaolian knew this well and naturally wouldn’t take the bait, simply glaring at him.
Tang Thirty-Six lowered his head to write a letter, muttering, “Lately, you Nanxi Zhai disciples all seem to have a lot of fire in you.”
Ye Xiaolian thought to herself, anyone who watched the Holy Maiden attend to Chen Changsheng day and night without rest wouldn’t be in a good mood.
Tang Thirty-Six quickly finished his reply, handed the letter to her, and, seeing her expression, guessed what she was thinking. “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 if he’s injured. Why does the Zhai Master have to do it herself?”
Tang Thirty-Six thought that this was exactly what he and Zhexiu couldn’t understand, but he wouldn’t mention it in front of her. “They have a marriage contract, so it’s naturally more convenient.”
“They *had* a marriage contract,” Ye Xiaolian corrected him seriously. “The contract has already been dissolved, and it was Chen Changsheng himself who dissolved it.”
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“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 this level, no one would dare to impose worldly norms like “a wife follows her husband” on Xu Yourong. Yet, if Xu Yourong truly married Chen Changsheng, there would be no reason for her to oppose him. Recalling Xu Yourong’s shifting attitude on the Cold Mountain, he felt a chill.
For many years, the Holy Maiden Peak had been an ally of the Holy Empress in the south. The Holy Empress had pushed for the unification of north and south, receiving much help from the previous Holy Maiden. Moreover, it was widely known that the Holy Empress treated Xu Yourong like a daughter. So, to anyone, this situation seemed unlikely to change for a long time.
But what if this generation’s Holy Maiden truly married Chen Changsheng? Would the Holy Maiden Peak continue to support the Holy Empress?
...
...
As Xu Yourong had said, the ten-thousand-mile journey from the Cold Mountain back to the capital was peaceful, with no issues 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, farther away, had gone to some high mountain to reclaim his rustic pleasure of stargazing.
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 entirely to the Li Palace.
Mao Qiuyu and the King of Linghai stood under the pines and cypresses on either side of the sacred path. They did not look at each other but instead gazed together at the end of the path.
Besides them, people like Tang Thirty-Six didn’t even have the chance to set foot on the sacred path.
Xu Yourong pushed Chen Changsheng in his wheelchair along the sacred path to the deepest, most secluded hall in the Li Palace.
The Pope waited at the bottom of the stone steps before the hall.
This was a gesture of respect for the southern branch of the state religion, the Holy Maiden Peak, but also because he was deeply worried.
Chen Changsheng sat in the wheelchair, draped in a gray wool blanket, looking very much like a patient.
In truth, his complexion was excellent, full of vitality and health, not at all like someone 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 ultimately did not overrule his decision. She turned and walked toward a nearby grand hall.
The clergy guarding the hall knew her identity and naturally dared not stop her, though their eyes betrayed shock. 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 immense, appearing majestic beyond compare. The stone walls were carved with countless classic stories from the Daoist Canon, 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 factions. The northern faction revered the Pope, while the southern faction was led by the Holy Maiden. For countless years, the two factions had engaged in open and covert struggles, producing countless tales. Later, as the situation gradually eased, several southern Holy Maidens 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, even sneaking into the Hall of Light to play hide-and-seek.
But now, as the southern Holy Maiden, stepping into the Hall of Light carried an entirely different symbolic meaning.
Upon hearing the news, Priest Siyuan hurried over with several Red Archbishops, hoping to give her a tour, their demeanor very respectful.
“You don’t need to bother with me. I just want some quiet time here,” Xu Yourong said.
Priest Siyuan and the Red Archbishops were speechless. They thought, if you just want peace and quiet, why must you come here?
Didn’t she know that if the world learned the southern Holy Maiden had finally entered the Hall of Light, it would cause an uproar?
Xu Yourong said nothing more. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood silently beneath the altar, gazing at a mural over thirty zhang high, lost in thought.
Priest Siyuan had no choice but to withdraw from the Hall of Light with the Red Archbishops, waiting outside.
Even in the dead of night, the Hall of Light remained brilliantly illuminated, with countless soft rays of light spilling from the pillars, walls, and statues.
Xu Yourong stood in the light. Perhaps because the light was too bright, her face looked somewhat pale.
Zhetian Ji