Chapter 887: The Grand Ceremony Begins
Senior Brother Qiu Shanjun of the Lishan Sword Sect had been missing for five years and had only recently returned to the mountain. Everyone knew the reason for that.
Gou Hanshi smiled bitterly and shook his head, thinking that the Huaiyuan Academy always refused to accept defeat, wanting to gain an advantage in these matters. How could this be any resemblance to Wang Po?
At that moment, he sensed someone watching him. Looking over, he paused briefly, then smiled and returned the greeting.
Chen Changsheng smiled back. It had been nearly four years since he last saw Gou Hanshi, and he occasionally missed him.
The Southern Brook Temple honored the south as the seat of authority. Chen Changsheng sat on the southern platform, separated from the Lishan Sword Sect disciples by more than ten zhang, making it inconvenient to rise and approach them.
He looked at the young man beside Gou Hanshi, whose expression seemed slightly dull and honest, and curiously used his eyes to inquire.
The other Lishan Sword Sect disciples stood behind Gou Hanshi, but only that young man sat side by side with him, clearly holding a high status within the sect.
Gou Hanshi gestured for the young man to stand and introduced him: "Sixth junior brother, Bai Cai."
Only then did Chen Changsheng realize this was the one member of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom he had never met. He smiled warmly and nodded in greeting.
But Bai Cai held his head high, his face full of stubborn pride, ignoring him completely. Even Gou Hanshi’s increasingly stern gaze could not make him lower his head.
Chen Changsheng was puzzled at first, then figured out the reason in the next moment, feeling quite helpless.
He suddenly felt that the name Bai Cai sounded familiar, and then remembered that this fellow’s alias was Luo Bu… which made him feel even more helpless.
Luo Bu Bai Cai—Radish and Cabbage—that guy was really too lazy, or perhaps too carefree.
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Chen Changsheng couldn’t easily move around, but Tang Thirty-Six had never felt anything was inconvenient in his life. He walked straight toward the Lishan Sword Sect disciples.
Seeing him approach, the people from various sects and schools seated in that area rose one after another to bow. Some recognized his identity; others were prompted by those nearby.
Tang Thirty-Six waved his hand to acknowledge them, then came before Gou Hanshi and asked, "Did that guy go back?"
Gou Hanshi knew he was asking about Guan Feibai and replied, "He only arrived two days ago. By the way, congratulations."
The struggle for the Tang clan patriarch position, Tang Thirty-Six’s imprisonment in the ancestral hall for half a year, and the events that followed had now spread across the entire continent.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Who am I? How could these trivial troubles stump me?"
Gou Hanshi smiled and said nothing. Bai Cai, however, felt that this line sounded familiar—though he hadn’t heard it often, it left a deep impression.
"The grand-uncle master’s catchphrase," Gou Hanshi said to him.
Bai Cai suddenly understood, recalling the scene a few years ago when the grand-uncle master gathered the Lishan disciples for a meeting, and couldn’t help shaking his head repeatedly.
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t learn it from him. It’s just that our tastes are similar."
Bai Cai sneered, "The grand-uncle master has the right to say that. If it weren’t for the protection of His Holiness the Pope, you’d probably still be locked up. How is that similar?"
Tang Thirty-Six raised an eyebrow and said, "Having such a friend is my skill. To put it bluntly, who can claim to have a better eye for people than me?"
He was naturally referring to how he had met Chen Changsheng back then at the Heavenly Academy and later at the Plum Garden Inn.
As for who next discovered Chen Changsheng’s extraordinary qualities, it should be Luo Luo, and then Gou Hanshi after that.
At the time, the Lishan Sword Sect disciples and the National Academy students were rivals, but Gou Hanshi had never looked down on Chen Changsheng.
Gou Hanshi naturally wouldn’t argue with him about whose judgment was better. Pointing at the platform, he said, "It’s about to start. Aren’t you going back?"
"Is that your way of kicking me out? We haven’t seen each other in three or four years. What’s wrong with chatting a little longer?"
Tang Thirty-Six had no intention of returning. He simply grabbed a chair from the nearby Huaiyuan Academy seats and sat down right next to Gou Hanshi.
He spoke a few words to Gou Hanshi in a very low voice, so quiet that even Bai Cai couldn’t hear.
Gou Hanshi’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Understood. You can go now."
Tang Thirty-Six knew that Gou Hanshi was a true gentleman. Since he said he understood, he would surely follow through. Relieved, he still refused to leave.
He said to Gou Hanshi with emotion, "Look at Chen Changsheng sitting there all alone—how uncomfortable he must be. I wouldn’t want that."
Bai Cai interjected, "I think you’re just worried that if you go over there, you’ll have to stand behind His Holiness the Pope without a seat."
Tang Thirty-Six’s face didn’t change as he said, "Since you understand, why be so tactless and insist on exposing me? In this regard, you really should learn from your second senior brother."
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Tang Thirty-Six naturally didn’t want to stand, but his earlier remark wasn’t entirely false.
With the Pope present, the Southern Bishop could no longer remain seated. He had already come over to stand beside Hu Sanshier, flanked by more than a dozen attending priests. Chen Changsheng’s figure on the platform didn’t look too lonely, but… it was somewhat lonely.
Clouds veiled the sun. The gentle breeze summoned by the formation swept across the cliff-top clearing, which spanned over ten li in circumference, making it very comfortable and pleasant.
Three Daoist nuns arrived at the scene, followed by over a hundred inner disciples of the Southern Brook Temple.
The breeze stirred their Daoist robes, rustling softly.
Everyone rose to bow. The Prince of Xiang and the two clan heads also stood up. Only Chen Changsheng remained seated.
He couldn’t even bow to these three grand-aunts of the Southern Brook Temple, as it would violate the canonical rules and propriety.
Was being different the reason for loneliness?
Huai Ren first thanked His Holiness the Pope for attending, then mentioned the Prince of Xiang and the two clan heads, and listed the various sects and schools before beginning to explain the day’s proceedings.
Her first words were very clear: "The Southern Brook Temple has decided to seal the temple for ten years. We ask all fellow Daoists to bear witness…"
Before coming, Gou Hanshi had already guessed the Southern Brook Temple’s intention to seal itself, but he thought Chen Changsheng’s arrival would surely bring a change. He hadn’t expected that this highly senior grand-aunt of the Southern Brook Temple would still insist on sealing the temple. Then he noticed that Chen Changsheng’s seat was actually some distance away from the Southern Brook Temple, which made him even more worried.
"Since you arrived last night, couldn’t you convince them?" he asked, looking at Tang Thirty-Six.
Tang Thirty-Six sneered at Huai Ren and said, "These old relics pretend to be compassionate, not wanting to drag the Southern Brook Temple into this muddy water. But in truth, they’ve just been lonely for too long and can’t bear to stay idle. They want to stir up trouble and prove that they are the true masters of the Southern Brook Temple. How could they be convinced?"
For generations within the Lishan Sword Sect, across all peaks, there were over a thousand masters and disciples. Except for Su Li, the highest in seniority, who was the most unrestrained and flamboyant in temperament, the rest—whether from humble origins or scholarly families—were extremely upright and rigorous, placing great importance on seniority and order.
Hearing Tang Thirty-Six’s words, Bai Cai felt very uncomfortable and frowned.