Chapter 820: Night Songs Inside and Outside the Dao Hall
Luo Bu stood beside the blind musician for a while, then suddenly began to sing along with the zither music.
The musician was playing an obscure tune, but the lyrics Luo Bu sang were extremely famous in the world.
Moreover, his voice was exceptionally rough and bold, offering a completely different flavor compared to the willow shade and lingering snow of Wenshui City, immediately drawing the attention of many.
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"I come from the west with my sword
Your robes flutter gently
So small and lovely
Flowing through the courtyard
I copy sutras in the temple
And tomorrow I must practice boxing and tendon exercises...
The spring mountains love to laugh
Tomorrow my road will be longer
Horses' hooves become butterflies
Drawing a bow and shooting arrows, passing through the green forest
I am that scholar who goes to the capital for exams but does not study
Coming to Luoyang only to see your reflection
The final brushstroke in the water, the lingering image in the sky's light
Bidding farewell to your small, slender form
A single gourd drinks in your small fullness"
(Note: Wen Ruian, Yellow River)
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The blind musician played for a long time, and Luo Bu sang for just as long. More and more people gathered by the riverbank, and the pile of copper coins and silver sui zi before the blind musician grew larger, glinting with a pleasing luster in the last traces of twilight.
The dusk deepened until it became night. Shops and inns on both sides of the Wenshui River lit their lanterns, their reflections scattering like stars on the water.
Suddenly, shocked murmurs arose from the crowd. Everyone's gaze shifted away from the blind musician and Luo Bu, turning toward the opposite bank.
There lay the rear garden of the Dao Hall.
Luo Bu raised an eyebrow slightly and turned to look in that direction.
He saw the Dao Hall blazing with light. The flowing clouds atop the hall rotated slowly, reaching their highest point, as elegant and dignified ritual music began to play softly.
This was a declaration.
His Holiness the Pope had arrived at Wenshui.
The people by the river paused once more, standing still in place, just like the scene that had unfolded on the main street during the day.
Seven vendors stopped hawking their wares. Six constables let their iron chains hang slack. Three fortune-tellers opened their eyes. Two old men selling malt candy let the paper wrapping their sweets tremble gently in the night breeze. The young girl buying rouge turned pale, as if she had already applied five layers of powder.
"I didn't expect him to be a clever man."
Watching the boundless light on the opposite shore and listening to the ritual music coming from the Dao Hall, Luo Bu thought to himself: "Or perhaps there's a clever person by your side."
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The history of Wenshui City was immeasurably ancient. The history of the Tang family was even older than that of the Chen imperial clan or the Liang family.
As the foremost of the four great clans and the wealthiest family in the world, the Tang family of Wenshui controlled countless industries—transportation, military equipment, grain, mines. In every truly vital sector, one could always find the Tang family's low-key yet undeniable presence. This had established the Tang family's position across the entire continent.
To this day, no one knew the full extent of the Tang family's power, because no force had ever managed to force them to reveal all their strength. Thus, when speaking of the Tang family, people could only describe them in the vaguest terms: depth of foundation.
Depth lay at the bottom, like the countless waterweeds in the Wenshui River that no one could count. The world knew they were there but had never seen them with their own eyes, only imagined and guessed. This made the Tang family increasingly mysterious and increasingly fearsome.
But there were always indirect proofs. For instance, no one had ever dared to swim or fish in the Wenshui River. For instance, whether it was His Majesty Emperor Taizong back then or the later all-powerful Saintess Tianhai, their approach to the Tang family had always been one of appeasement and pacification. Because entering the Wenshui River was easy to drown in, and moving against the Tang family would inevitably plunge the world into chaos.
Chen Changsheng was the current Pope, the most revered figure on the continent. But even he had no way to deal with the Tang family.
If, after leaving Songshan Military Prefecture, he had revealed his identity and announced his intention to come to Wenshui City, the Tang family could have devised countless ways to politely keep him out. So he had to conceal his identity and arrive in Wenshui City like an ordinary traveler, even though the city had long known of his arrival.
But now he was inside Wenshui City. If he still tried to act as he had in previous days—attempting to rescue Tang Thirty-Six, who was imprisoned in the ancestral hall, through covert actions—the Tang family might very well make him disappear into the darkness beneath the Wenshui River. Because this was Wenshui.
Thus, the Dao Hall blazed with light, and the flowing clouds rose to the dome.
He had directly revealed his identity to the entire city of Wenshui.
No matter how deep the Wenshui River was, no matter how terrifying the waterweeds at its bottom, would they dare to do anything to him?
This was a simple, straightforward declaration. To Luo Bu, to many others, and even to the Tang family, it seemed full of wisdom.
But in truth, this decision had little to do with Chen Changsheng. He was simply following what was written in the letter.
The Dao Hall had been so quiet all afternoon not because he was in discussion with people, but because he had other important matters to attend to.
Lush green trees filled the area. In this cold winter, it was clear that some formation beneath the Dao Hall was constantly supplying heat to the earth. Even in the imperial palace of the capital, this would be an excessively extravagant act. Only in Wenshui City did it not seem particularly unusual, because this city was simply too wealthy.
Within the grove was a quiet, winding stone path. From noon onward, bishops stood on both sides of the path every few zhang, their expressions humble and solemn.
The deeper one went, the higher the rank of the bishops on either side. By the divine gate of the rear hall, four red-robed cardinals stood.
Inside the divine gate grew a pear tree. Beneath the pear tree was the door to the rear hall, and outside that door stood the Archbishop of Wenshui.
Years ago, Chen Changsheng had once come to Wenshui and stayed in this very rear hall. At that time, he had already been appointed Dean of the National Academy by His Holiness the Pope, and the entire continent knew he would be the future Pope. Naturally, the Archbishop had entertained him with great diligence, but even then, it had not been like today.
For the Holy Church, Wenshui City was undoubtedly the most important place. Serving as its archbishop was certainly a plum assignment. The Church had been unstable in recent years, and the fact that this archbishop had held his post here for so long meant he was no ordinary figure. Yet he stood quietly outside the door, showing no sign of impatience even as time passed, not even moving his feet, appearing exceptionally humble, as if bowing to the dust itself.
Because Chen Changsheng was now the Pope.
Though they understood this fact well, watching the Archbishop being seemingly deliberately ignored, the red-robed cardinals dared not complain, but they still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
What gave them some comfort was that Zhe Xiu and Guan Feibai were also barred from entering the rear hall and were currently standing in the grove, lost in thought.
Zhe Xiu of the Wolf tribe and Guan Feibai of Lishan were both famous figures, and their relationship with the Pope was known throughout the world.
If even they could not enter the hall, then certainly no one else could.
From noon onward, the rear hall's door had never opened, and no sound had come from within. No one knew what Chen Changsheng was doing inside.
Until the dusk was at its deepest, when the grove by the river and the hall's roof seemed to catch fire simultaneously. Then a wave of real heat emanated outward.
It was the heat of actual fire, not from the formation beneath the Dao Hall. The green leaves on the pear tree curled slightly.
The Archbishop finally lifted his head, looking toward the tightly shut hall door, a tense expression appearing on his face.