The wind, the rain, and the reading of books. For the time being, today, the Orthodox Academy could only listen to the sound of books. The snowflakes that had just drifted down from the sky were too soft. It took a while for the students in the classroom to see them, eliciting a burst of exclamations of delight. The teachers from the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education harshly berated them, suppressing the faint uproar. However, in the next moment, the whistling of the wind came from outside the window, and no classroom could maintain its calm. The young students all rushed to the windows.
The wind swept up the thin snow that had just accumulated on the grass. A White Crane slowly descended from the sky, dancing in the snow, a sight incomparably beautiful.
"So beautiful!" The girls, seeing this sight, excitedly yelled.
With the rise of the demi-human race, the monsters that had once wreaked havoc on the continent had long ago been forced to hide in the great swamps and barren mountains. Correspondingly, divine beasts and immortal birds had also become extremely rare. Normally, only those sects deep in the mountains could see them. The majority of the new students of the Orthodox Academy came from the provinces and counties. Compared to the experienced and knowledgeable people of the capital, they had rarely seen these legendary immortal birds. However, there were also people who had lived in the capital for a very long time. Chu Wenbin, who had transferred from the Heavenly Dao Academy, looked at the White Crane and thought of something. In shock, he said, "This … isn't this the White Crane of the Xu Estate?"
At these words, his surroundings instantly fell silent. Soon after, all the classrooms fell silent. The students gazed at the White Crane, no longer daring to make too much noise.
This White Crane was no ordinary White Crane. Its appearance represented a name. To the students, that name was so holy and beautiful that it could not be profaned.
At the same time, the students also knew what the White Crane's return meant to the Orthodox Academy, to their principal.
Just as expected, it didn't take long before a figure appeared before the students.
Chen Changsheng walked onto the lawn by the lake and stood in front of the White Crane. The White Crane looked at him and nodded, then turned its head to the nearby library and those students by the windows. It seemed rather perplexed, as if it did not understand how in just one year, such a great change had occurred here.
Looking at the White Crane, he fell silent for a while, then asked, "She … returned?"
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The two lines headed straight for the capital, one white and one gray. The white was the White Crane, while the gray was the Golden-winged Great Peng that Xu Yourong had brought out of the Garden of Zhou.
— — The reason why it was grey was because this Roc hadn't matured yet. Its feathers hadn't become bright and it didn't have the color of flowing gold. It looked grey and a little small. Just like Chen Chang Sheng's first reaction, it now looked like a pheasant.
When it entered the capital, the White Crane gave a clear cry. The Red Falcons that were preparing to take off to intercept it naturally let it pass. However, this young Peng did not follow the White Crane to the Orthodox Academy. On the contrary, it seemed to have developed an interest in these "same species" of the Imperial City. It made a sharp turn in the air, flapped its wings, and landed on the palace wall.
It was said that a phoenix in distress was not as good as a pheasant. This young roc looked like a pheasant, but in the end, a phoenix was a phoenix, and a golden roc was a golden roc. It was impossible for it to become a pheasant.
It folded its wings, raised its head, and walked toward the flock of Red Falcons in front of the palace wall. It looked left and right, its eyes indifferent, seeming extremely arrogant and unruly.
The Red Falcons were the strongest attacking birds that the Great Zhou Army had tamed. Their speed was unimaginably fast, and they were naturally proud and valiant. No matter how powerful an enemy they encountered, they would not cower. It was said that in the war to exterminate the demons a thousand years ago, the Demon Commander of that generation raised a monster in the sky. In the end, it was pecked to death by several dozen Red Falcons in the blue sky at the cost of its life. Yet now, when they saw this rather small fellow that looked like a pheasant on the palace wall, the feathers of the ten-odd Red Falcons simultaneously stood up, seeming incomparably vigilant. Even the Imperial Guards on the side could feel their fear. As for the Red Geese perching on the side of the pavilion, their reactions were even more unbearable. They were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground, not even daring to stand.
What sort of bird was this? The Imperial Guards were somewhat confused. They warily looked in that direction and subconsciously tightened their grip on the spears in their hands.
At this moment, the Red Cloud Qilin that had been staring blankly at the distant Black Goat suddenly raised its head and looked up.
Xue Xingchuan, who had been mentally sharpening his spear in his room, seemed to sense something and followed suit and looked up.
On the palace wall, the young Peng suddenly stopped, because it had sensed a killing intent.
It looked down at the ground and its gaze fell on the Red Cloud Qilin. It felt that it was a little troublesome.
Then it noticed where the killing intent had come from. It looked at the room and realized that it was a very troublesome place.
If the Golden Peng were an adult, it would naturally not care about the Red Cloud Qilin's provocation, nor would it fear Xue Xingchuan. However, it could not do so now.
When it saw the Black Goat on the lawn of the Imperial Palace, the gray feathers on its neck instantly fluttered as it felt an intense unease.
The world outside the Garden of Zhou was just as full of dangers as it remembered from its previous life, especially this capital of the human race. It was exactly the same as it had been in the past. It had just landed here to play, so how could it have run into so many troubles? Just before the spears of the soldiers of the Imperial Guard approached, it unfurled its wings and flew down the palace wall. In just a few moments, it had flown over the plaza in front of the palace, over several princely estates and three straight streets, and finally landed on a distant street.
That street was currently bustling with noise and bustling with activity. Standing on the palace wall, one could faintly make out a magnificent carriage slowly advancing on the street.
The soldiers saw the strange bird land on the carriage and realized that it had come from Holy Maiden Peak. They thought to themselves, no wonder it's so terrifying.
An official hurried over and reported a piece of news that he had just learned.
"The previous Holy Maiden has abdicated? Xu Yourong's successor? "
Hearing this news, Xue Xingchuan gazed in the direction of that distant street and thought in surprise, just what had happened to South Stream Temple? Why had there been such a huge change?
To the disciples of South Stream Temple and the common people of the south, Xu Yourong was the future Holy Maiden. To the common people of the capital, Xu Yourong was their pride, because she had grown up here. As the news that Xu Yourong had officially succeeded as Holy Maiden of the south spread, the common people of the capital who had lined the streets to welcome her were shocked into silence, and then their cheers shook the heavens and the earth.
Children chased after the carriage, young women waved handkerchiefs and flowers, and pious believers knelt where the carriage passed, incessantly praying and blessing. The gazes of the young men were blazing — even if the wind was mixed with the light snow and the weather was so cold, it could not reduce the enthusiasm of the capital by even a little. And when the wind rustled the curtain of the carriage, faintly revealing the figure of the girl within, the atmosphere became even more fervent. Many people no longer cared about the reprimands of the Li Palace priests, the obstruction of the City Gate Department, or the vigilant gazes of the cavalry of the south. They all squeezed through the middle of the street. Although they were ultimately stopped by the cavalry, they could not stop the things in their hands.
For a moment, flowers that were extremely rare to see in the middle of winter fell like rain. In just a few moments, the carriage in which Xu Yourong resided had become a sea of flowers.
Those washed melons and fruits were thrown into the hundred-some carriages as if they were worthless. In the carriage behind, Ye Xiaolian extended her hand and took a bright red Holy Maiden Fruit. She took a light bite and felt that it was sweet and sour, her eyes squinting in joy. Of course, just like the other senior sisters in the carriage, her joy came more from the enthusiasm of the people of the capital. When she thought about how the Holy Maiden was so beloved by the people of Zhou, it could be assumed that after the confluence of the north and south, the status of Holy Maiden Peak would not necessarily decline. It might even be better. The unease caused by the temple master's swift departure was greatly reduced. With seventy percent joy and thirty percent pride, they thought, The rumor that Zhou Yuren entered the capital was probably just like this.
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"When Zhou Yuren entered the capital, he truly was almost killed. I remember when I was still young, I was standing on Clear Lake Restaurant with the cousin of the scholar's estate, peeping. That excitement …"
Perhaps because she saw Xu Yourong and recalled her younger self, the Tianhai Divine Empress revealed a rare expression of nostalgia. However, it was only for a few moments before she returned to her usual indifferent appearance. "If I don't want to be killed, I have to be a little thicker on my skin, and I also have to make my body a little stronger."
In the eyes of the common people, Xu Yourong had always been a quiet and indifferent fairy, and it was only in front of her Holy Maiden teacher and the Empress that she was the most natural. She said, "Being thick-skinned … is also not a good thing."
The Divine Empress looked at her, a warm expression in her eyes. Tenderly, she said, "What's so good about being thin-skinned? Just look at how your little face is slightly red. "
There was naturally a deeper meaning in these words. Whether it was being thick-skinned or having a stronger body, they were both suggestions the Divine Empress had given her.
If she wanted to sit stably on the position of temple master of South Stream Temple and ultimately become the Holy Maiden acknowledged by all of the south, in the Divine Empress's view, being vicious and merciless was a necessary condition.
To be thick-skinned was to be vicious. Only when one was strong enough would one have the strength to be vicious.
"If you want to make your body a little stronger, shouldn't we start eating?"
Mo Yu stood on the side, currently arranging the dishes. Seeing Xu Yourong's somewhat dazed appearance, she knew that perhaps she did not want to respond, or perhaps she had let go of her thoughts just like when she was young. She smiled and changed the topic.
The Divine Empress said, "Children these days don't really like listening to us old fellows talk."
Xu Yourong softly replied, "The Empress is not old, the Empress will never be old."
Mo Yu shivered as she listened. "I haven't seen you in a few years, but your little mouth is still as sweet as ever."
"Don't talk while eating."
The Divine Empress took up her chopsticks, placed a dish in Xu Yourong's bowl, and then began to eat.
There were no eunuchs or maids in the massive palace hall, only the three of them. It seemed very spacious.
Especially after they began to eat, there was no more sound. The scene was rather strange.
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(A new chapter in the Book of Choosing Heaven has already begun. At this time, the leader and I have already passed through the Shanhai Pass. This, I know that we are very slow, just like writing a book, but this is the way to be steady … Let me report to everyone, because the stock manuscript is truly almost finished, in order to be able to continuously update it as much as possible, in the next period of time, it will become a new chapter. I hope that everyone knows.)
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