The alley of the Northern Military Department was quiet. The two crabapple trees in the courtyard had long since shed all their flowers, but they had received some snow in the last two days, so it seemed like a sea of flowers had reappeared.
Zhou Tong stood under the crabapple tree and looked at his subordinate kneeling in front of him. He said with some loathing, "Does such a trifling matter need to be reported?"
His subordinates were very confused, thinking, this battle between Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng is unquestionably the last major event of the year, so why is His Excellency so indifferent?
"Since life and death will not be decided, it's a trifling matter."
Zhou Tong and Tang Thirty-Six had the exact same opinion. After saying this, he turned and entered his room, no longer caring about this matter.
Zhou Tong was not paying attention to this battle, but there were many people who were.
On the shore of a quiet and secluded snowy lake in the northern part of the city, Tianhai Chenwu was leaning against a railing and gazing at the snow. For some reason, he suddenly thought of that lake outside Clear Lake Restaurant and his mood became rather foul.
In the past few days, he had spoken to Xu Shiji more courteously than before, because Xu Yourong had become Holy Maiden much earlier than anyone had imagined.
But because his mood was rather foul, or perhaps because he was rather nervous, his attitude towards Xu Shiji returned to the past, even more unyielding and direct.
"If you want to rely on the Li Palace, you also have to see if they're willing to let you rely on them. If the Pope forcefully annuls the engagement and the Divine General's estate is once more ridiculed by the common people, what benefit will that bring you?"
Tianhai Chenwu asked, "Since this battle is going to be fought in the end, why do you need to do those useless things first?"
Xu Shiji said nothing, his face expressionless, but in reality, he was already furious to the extreme.
Tianhai Chenwu faintly smiled. "Today, let's see how Yourong will help your father vent his anger."
… …
… …
There were not many people in the Orthodox Academy, only a hundred-some in total.
But when so many people walked together on the street, their aura was rather astonishing, especially when several thousand people of the capital were walking with them. It was a vast and awe-inspiring sight.
Not far past the Monastery of the Returning Dragon was the Luo River, also known as the Luo Canal. Not far ahead, one could already see that famous bridge.
But not everyone could cross it. Besides Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six and the accompanying students were all blocked at the entrance to Eight Willows Street.
From Eight Willows Street to Four Directions Street, the area of several li around the Bridge of Helplessness had already been cut off.
Unable to enter, the spectating crowd could only stand on the banks of the Luo River. At this time, many people had already arrived. The dense mass of people lined up along the banks of the trees, so far that it seemed impossible to see the end.
Everyone was discussing the battle that was about to begin, analyzing who was stronger and who would win.
He was completely different from last year. The current Chen Changsheng was no longer the same as before. In the Ivy League gathering, he battled with Gou Hanshi's sword of words. In the Grand Examination, he inconceivably obtained first place upon the First Banner. In the Mausoleum of Books, he attracted starlight to fall upon the capital. Many people compared him to Wang Zhice of the past, and there was no need to mention what happened in the Garden of Zhou afterwards, or those battles that occurred on the road back south. Just from the beginning of summer until now, the Orthodox Academy had welcomed countless challenges, and Chen Changsheng had not lost a single one. Even more shocking was that he had consecutively defeated six cultivators at the initial level of Star Condensation. It was only at this point that people finally realized that the seemingly inconceivable feat of surpassing cultivation levels to win was not an accident for him, but something that was to be expected.
From being dumbfounded at the beginning to being expected, and even somewhat numb, Chen Changsheng had already given the world far too many shocks.
There was even less to say about the other side of this battle. Xu Yourong had always been special. Possessing the bloodline of the true Phoenix, she was the same as Qiushan Jun. From the beginning of cultivation, she had already surpassed the scope of the imagination of ordinary people, and in reality, she had also surpassed the scope of her peers. She did not need to participate in the Grand Examination. She had the right to enter the Mausoleum of Books at any time. In reality, from the age of ten, she had already begun to study the Heavenly Tomes. Even today, no one knew if she had ever battled with a cultivator at the initial level of Star Condensation, but many people, including Chen Changsheng, believed without the slightest hesitation that she was absolutely capable of easily accomplishing something that was traditionally extremely difficult to accomplish.
If Chen Changsheng could be said to have given the world far too many shocks in this year, then Xu Yourong had always been the world's most pleasantly surprised discovery.
"They've come!"
Some of the people on the shores of the Luo River discovered the arrival of Chen Changsheng and the people from the Orthodox Academy. They all began to yell, and the scene became very noisy and lively.
Some of the people very respectfully greeted him, some of the people loudly asked questions, but no one cheered for him. Out of the countless voices, not a single "You have to win" could be heard …
"The news that the Four Great Markets sent over is that besides the Orthodox Academy and the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, basically no one else bet on you winning … even many priests of the Li Palace bet on Xu Yourong."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and comforted him, "But you can understand this as the will of the people of the capital. It's not a judgment of your strength."
Chen Changsheng thought, if it's really like this, it can't really be considered a comfort.
He asked Tang Thirty-Six, "Then what about you?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "I have confidence in you."
This kind of confidence was not blind, and it had nothing to do with friendship or intimacy. Instead, it was recommended on the basis of clear cognition.
Tang Thirty Six was very clear that in the previous seven days, Chen Chang Sheng had prepared very seriously and painstakingly. Looking at the scene of Chen Chang Sheng calculating in his room every day, Tang Thirty Six even felt that there was no one more serious than Chen Chang Sheng in this world. As long as the stars were still bright, there was no reason for someone as serious as Chen Chang Sheng to fail.
"I suggest you bet on me to lose."
Chen Chang Sheng patted his shoulder and then, under the guidance of the priest, walked towards Eight Willows Street.
Looking at his back, Tang Thirty Six wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He faintly felt that Tang Thirty Six's last words seemed to be pointing at something.
Xuanyuan Po looked at his serious expression and asked in confusion, "Just now, you said that it doesn't matter if it's life or death. Why are you worried now?"
"I'm not worried about whether he will lose or not. I'm worried about my silver." Tang Thirty-Six turned around and walked out of the crowd.
Xuanyuan Po became even more puzzled and shouted, "What are you going to do?"
Tang Thirty Six didn't turn his head and said, "I will go to the Four Great Markets to cancel my bets."
…
… …
Eight Willows Street was very quiet. Aside from the priest who led the way, no one else could be seen.
And when he reached the side alley that led from Eight Willows Street to the Luo River, the priest also stopped and extended his hand to invite Chen Chang Sheng.
Chen Chang Sheng nodded and walked towards the side alley. Not long after, he arrived at the Luo River. Ascending the stairs, he arrived at the bottom of the Bridge of Helplessness.
The Bridge of Helplessness was the largest bridge on the Luo River. The bridge was extremely wide, able to carry over ten carriages side by side. The bridge was very tall, but not steep. Compared to other bridges, it was very flat. Standing under the bridge and looking over, one would feel that the bridge was more like a plaza.
Chen Chang Sheng walked onto the bridge and not long after, he arrived at the very center of the bridge.
There was no one on the Bridge of Helplessness, no one on the other side of the bridge, and no one on the other side. Even in the places that he could see, there was no one. It was very spacious and quiet.
He stood on the bridge and looked at the flowing water under the bridge. He remembered something.
Two years ago, the pier of the Bridge of Helplessness had been hit by a cargo ship. The Imperial Court had spent a great deal of money to reinforce it with an array.
That array was right under the bridge.
Similarly, several of the important water gates of the Luo River had arrays attached to them. Only in this way could the surface of the water not freeze during the bitter winter, allowing the supply ships and merchant ships from the south to pass through as they pleased. But today, many places in the capital were under martial law, especially around the Bridge of Helplessness. The Luo River, which was normally a magnificent sight to behold, was very deserted today.
Just like this bridge.
There was not a single person, not a single ship.
Just as he was thinking of these things, he saw a large ship slowly approaching from the lower reaches.
This ship was truly very large. It was probably a military ship of the Great Zhou Navy. The uppermost deck was actually almost parallel to the Bridge of Helplessness.
There were many people standing on the large ship, but there were relatively fewer people standing on the uppermost deck. Most of them were people that he recognized.
With the soft sound of water, the large ship slowly stopped and dropped its anchor. It was still around a li from the Bridge of Helplessness.
Chen Changsheng could clearly see that on the uppermost deck of the large ship stood several fully-armored Divine Generals. He recognized Xue Xingchuan and Fei Dian … since Xue He had actually returned, Xu Shiji would naturally not be missing. There were also the administrators of the Ivy Academies. In the very center was the current Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Zhuang Zhihuan. Even further in front were the important figures of the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy. He saw Mao Qiuyu, Linghai Zhiwang, Daoist Siyuan, the Minister of Rites, Mo Yu, and Prince Chen Liu.
But these important figures were still not the people standing at the very front.
Standing at the very front of the large ship were three painters from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. One of them had once witnessed the battle between Chen Changsheng and Zhou Ziheng, while the other two had just rushed over from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets. They were both Star Condensation cultivators. Back in Xunyang City, when they saw the upper level Star Condensation assassin Liu Qing, they found it inconceivable. Then these three Star Condensation painters …
Chen Changsheng looked at the people on the ship.
The people on the ship looked at him on the bridge.
Daoist Siyuan said, "Although I've always felt that he's just messing around, he's still the Principal of the Orthodox Academy. I just hope that when he loses, he won't look too ugly."
On the side, Mao Qiuyu calmly said, "To speak of victory and defeat before the battle has even begun is too early."
On the side, Linghai Zhiwang expressionlessly said, "Victory and defeat have already been decided."
In the view of these peak Star Condensation experts who were only a step away from the Divine Domain, any detail before or during the battle was enough to affect the final outcome.
Linghai Zhiwang believed that since Chen Changsheng had arrived first, he was doomed to lose. There was still some time before the appointed battle, but he had arrived so early. Perhaps this meant that his mind was not calm enough. Moreover, he was currently standing alone on the Bridge of Helplessness. Even if he wanted to calm his mind, it would still be very difficult.
Because he was waiting, and waiting meant being passive. These moments on the bridge required thinking to fill in, but before a great battle, thinking too much was never a good thing.
"It's not necessarily good, but it's not necessarily bad."
Mao Qiuyu looked in the direction of the Bridge of Helplessness and calmly said, "Perhaps one's heart is restless and impatient, or perhaps one's mind is calm and tranquil. One must first adapt to the environment. In the end, it all depends on one's temperament."
These words were very reasonable.
In truth, everyone had their own reasons, but because they had different standpoints and inclinations, the reasons they held and the words they spoke naturally conflicted with each other. Similarly, one could also see from the reasons they held and the words they spoke just what standpoint the people present held.
"I don't understand cultivation, but based on Principal Chen's past, there's no need to doubt his calmness and patience."
The speaker was the Minister of Rites.
Many people cast surprised gazes at him, and even Prince Chen Liu turned his body to glance at this high official. It was only now that everyone realized that the Minister of Rites' heart was actually on the side of the old Imperial clan!
… …
… …
In the Orthodox Academy, Zhexiu gazed out the window at the overcast sky. After a very long period of silence, he finally stood up, took his cane from the wall, and walked out.
Just as he walked out of the house, he suddenly felt a little cold on his face. Touching it, he realized that it was snow on the verge of melting.
He raised his head to the sky and realized that it had begun to snow again.
… …
… …
"It's snowing," someone on the ship said.
The fluttering snowflakes caused the people on the ship to stir, and then they fell silent once more.
The crowd looked at Chen Changsheng on the bridge, thinking, if the snow gets any heavier, it will disturb his mental state.
Looking at the falling snow, would Xu Yourong come earlier, or would she purposely come later?
The snowflakes gradually turned into flakes.
It didn't take long for Chen Changsheng's body to be dyed white.
The people on the two shores of the Luo River began to open their umbrellas. Tens of thousands of umbrellas opened at the same time, creating a rather spectacular sight.
Chen Changsheng could not see this sight, only the snow falling before his eyes.
He had already quietly stood on the bridge for a very long time, but just as Linghai Zhiwang had judged, his heart was still unable to completely calm down.
Because he was currently very nervous.
To be more precise, he had always been very nervous.
From the moment he saw the White Crane land on the shore of the Orthodox Academy, he had begun to feel nervous. He had been nervous for so many days, and he was still nervous now.
He was not used to this sort of nervous mood. He was well aware that this sort of mood was not good for his body, and it would also affect his performance in battle.
As a result, he gradually began to feel nervous.
The source of his nervousness and anxiety was naturally this battle, but the primary reason was that his opponent in this battle was her.
From Xining Village to the capital, far too many things had occurred, and the source of all of it was her. And now, he was finally going to meet her.
In the past few days, besides calculating and deducing, he had inevitably thought about what he should say to her when they actually met.
He had not thought of it.
If he could not think of it, he would not think about it.
At this moment, he finally made his decision.
He no longer looked at the ship and the people on it, because those were the affairs of the world, too complicated.
He also no longer looked at the snow falling from the sky, because snow moved without a trace and was hard to fathom.
He gazed at the water under the bridge.
The Luo River in the depths of winter was calm, but the water was constantly flowing.
Motion and motion were unified in this canal. This was motion and motion as one.
He gazed at the bottom of the bridge and threw all his thoughts into the flowing water. He gradually calmed down, until he forgot all things and became empty and bright.
It was at this moment that Xu Yourong arrived.
She walked over from the other side of the street, seeming to walk with the wind and snow. She arrived noiselessly, without the slightest disturbance.
The wind and snow were very natural things, and her arrival was also a very natural thing. Without alerting anyone, she arrived under the Bridge of Helplessness.
At this moment, Chen Changsheng was standing on the bridge, looking at the scenery of the flowing water.
She was looking at the person on the bridge who was looking at the scenery.
The White Crane flew over from the distance, stirring up snowflakes as it landed on the black eaves of a house behind the bridge.
This was a very beautiful scenery.
… …
… …
(There was another chapter tonight.)
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