The White Crane understood his meaning. It unfurled its wings and soared into the sky, flying toward the summit.
The wind rustled the courtyard and the flowers and trees rustled. Tang Thirty-Six grabbed a few petals from the air and walked back into the thatched cottage. Looking at Huai Ren, he said, "We are not Xiao Zhang. We are guests, right?"
Huai Ren knew what he had done, but she did not point it out. Smiling, she said, "Those who have come from afar are naturally guests."
Tang Thirty-Six replied, "Since we are guests, how can we not have tea?"
Huai Ren remained calm. "Ping Xuan, serve tea."
The South Stream Temple disciple that had been kneeling behind her this entire time softly assented and rose to walk out of the thatched cottage.
As she passed by Tang Thirty-Six, Tang Thirty-Six called out to her and stuffed the petals in his hand into her hand. He softly said, "Sister Ping Xuan, I like to drink flower tea."
At this sight, both the three elders and the disciples couldn't help but shake their heads, thinking, this is truly the style of a young master, truly vexing.
… …
… …
Even with ready boiling water, brewing tea still required some time, and drinking tea with chatting required even more time.
Just when Tang Thirty-Six was holding the cup of flower tea and chatting with Senior Sister Ping Xuan about the sesame cakes of Fuchun Province, there was enough time.
The clear cry of a crane resounded through the sky. Accompanied by the howling wind, the White Crane slowly descended in the courtyard.
The South Stream Temple disciples saw that there was someone on the crane and couldn't help but be shocked, thinking, could the Holy Maiden have come out of seclusion early?
The one riding the crane was not Xu Yourong, but a young man.
Upon seeing this young man, Ye Xiaolian and many other South Stream Temple disciples prostrated. Some of the South Stream Temple disciples who had never been to Mount Han or the capital were shocked at who could ride the Holy Maiden's White Crane, but upon seeing this sight and recalling the words their senior and junior sisters had once said, they came to their senses and hurriedly bowed.
"Paying respects to His Holiness the Pope."
Chen Changsheng nodded. After exchanging a few words with Ye Xiaolian and those South Stream Temple disciples he was familiar with, he walked toward the thatched cottage.
Huai Ren and the other two elders of South Stream Temple had already stood up and were quietly waiting outside the thatched cottage.
Chen Changsheng apologetically said, "Entering uninvited truly was inappropriate, but I was worried. I ask that you forgive me."
Huai Ren calmly replied, "Presumably, His Holiness the Pope has some misunderstanding. He believes that South Stream Temple is in internal strife and is worried about the Holy Maiden's safety, so he went straight to the summit."
At the very beginning, Chen Chang Sheng indeed thought so, but now it was not convenient for him to directly admit this.
Huai Ren continued, "But South Stream Temple is just about to announce a major event to the world. Your Holiness the Pope's timely appearance adds even more glory. Thank you for coming."
Hearing this, Tang Thirty Six's heart skipped a beat. He knew that this was the important matter that Ye Xiao Lian was worried about.
Chen Chang Sheng's expression turned serious and asked, "What is it?"
Huai Ren's expression was extremely calm, as if she was narrating a very ordinary and trivial matter. "South Stream Temple is preparing to close after the new year."
At these words, Ping Xuan, Yi Zhi, and the other second-generation disciples of South Stream Temple trembled. They turned to Huai Ren, wanting to say something, but ultimately decided against it.
Ye Xiaolian and the other disciples of South Stream Temple revealed expressions of unwillingness, but they could not make a sound.
When Chen Chang Sheng first heard this sentence, he didn't quite understand.
Wasn't Xu Yourong currently in seclusion in her cave abode? Who was closing the temple?
Then he recalled a passage from the South Altar's Bibliography that he had read when he was young.
South Stream Temple had three kinds of closing.
If a cultivator of South Stream Temple was in seclusion, it could be called closing the temple.
The entire South Stream Temple could also close the temple. The meaning was similar to that of a cultivator in seclusion, and it still took on the word 'closing'.
From the day the temple closed, South Stream Temple would no longer communicate with the outside world. Holy Maiden Peak's sealing array had been activated, so it could be said to be cut off from the world.
"By closing the temple … does Your Holiness mean that South Stream Temple will be cut off from the world?" Chen Chang Sheng looked into Huai Ren's eyes and asked.
Huai Ren seemed not to sense the emotion in his eyes and calmly replied, "Correct."
The thatched cottage was silent, and no one spoke for a very long time.
Chen Chang Sheng walked to the door and gazed at the beautiful scenery in front of the cliff. He asked, "How long?"
Huai Ren walked behind him and softly said, "Ten years."
At these words, the mood of the South Stream Temple disciples was as gloomy as before. It was clear that they already knew.
"Ten years …" Chen Chang Sheng muttered to himself.
The lifespan of cultivators far surpassed that of ordinary people. It was very normal for them to live for two or three hundred years. Those cultivators of profound cultivation could even live for six hundred years, up to one thousand.
To such a long life of cultivation, ten years was a very short period of time. Beauties might not grow old, and the world would still not see white hair.
But ten years of isolation from the world was still a very difficult matter for these young girls of South Stream Temple to accept.
They could only see the clouds above Holy Maiden Peak, but not the clouds outside. They could only see the flowering trees on the plateau, but not the flowering trees outside.
They could only see themselves, and could no longer see the people outside.
If one did not think about these things, then to Chen Chang Sheng, if South Stream Temple closed for ten years, it would mean that the Li Palace would lose its strongest ally for ten years.
Back in Fengyang City, Xiao Zhang had said that he had encountered a diplomatic mission from the Imperial Court. He had not understood why, but now he finally understood.
Who was most willing to see South Stream Temple close for ten years? Of course, it was his teacher Shang Xingzhou and everyone else in the Great Zhou Imperial Court.
The Prince of Xiang and Wuqiong Bi, two experts of the Divine Domain, had personally led the diplomatic mission to ensure that this matter would proceed smoothly.
Based on this, it was assuredly related to Shang Xingzhou and the Imperial Court that these three Daoist nuns, who were elders of South Stream Temple, had returned from their travels and forcefully demanded that South Stream Temple close.
At this thought, he glanced at Hu Thirty-Two, thinking, why has the Orthodoxy not received any news of such a major event in South Stream Temple?
Hu Thirty-Two imperceptibly shook his head and used his eyes to indicate that he would immediately investigate.
These were all matters for later. The most important thing right now was how to persuade these three martial grandaunts of South Stream Temple to change their minds.
"Can we speak in private?" Chen Chang Sheng asked Huai Ren.
Huai Ren replied, "Everything is as Your Holiness wishes."
… …
… …
The sun was setting.
Because the beautiful mountain range around the Tong River was very high, the sun very quickly touched the mountains, giving off the feeling of dusk.
Chen Chang Sheng stood on the edge of the cliff, silently gazing at the distant setting sun, his thoughts inscrutable.
"Correct. It truly was the venerable Daoist who sent people to find us and then personally persuaded us, which is why we ended our travels early."
Huai Ren stood at his side, her still very young and elegant face gilded by the setting sun, making her seem abnormally dignified and holy.
"To the disciples, being cut off from the world is naturally very difficult to accept, and I believe that the Holy Maiden would also not agree, but I still insisted on doing it."
Huai Ren turned to him and calmly said, "Your Holiness the Pope, Your Holiness should also know that closing the temple has three meanings. Cultivators closing the temple is to seclude themselves, and the temple itself closing the temple is to cut itself off from the world. But the original meaning of closing the temple was to reunite South Stream Temple with the Li Palace. If I do not want this final situation to occur, I can only choose the second."
Chen Changsheng replied, "The Idle Window of South Stream, personally written by the first Holy Maiden, spoke of this final closing of the temple. It can be clearly read between the lines. Although South Stream Temple was founded by her, she still hoped that the Orthodoxy could be unified once more. What Yourong and I wish to do is completely in line with her wishes. What is inappropriate about it?"
"That was a matter from countless years ago. Time will always change many things. South Stream Temple now has its own legacy, so why should it sever its legacy and become one with the Li Palace? Crucially, if Your Holiness and the Holy Maiden continue as Your Holiness and the Holy Maiden intend, South Stream Temple is highly likely to step into the abyss of destruction. "
Huai Ren looked into his eyes and calmly and firmly said, "I cannot just watch as Your Holiness and the Holy Maiden bring South Stream Temple into this war."
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