Chapter 181 – The Academy Gate Repaired (2/2)

And it was a white jade gate?

Could it be that the Tian Hai clan really was conceding defeat? How could this possibly be?

Under the accompanying gazes of countless citizenry, Chen Chang Sheng’s group entered the academy, Jin Yu Lu continued to do what he had always done, he lit a fire at the gatehouse and began to make tea, he then carried the bamboo recliner and placed it before the academy entrance, after telling the nervous craftsmen that were currently surveying the work that had to be done that they should not disturb him, he began to enjoy the night view.

Under the banyan tree by the lake side, the lawn had only been dyed with patches of green by early Spring, Chen Chang Sheng’s group headed towards the direction of the library.

Xuan Yuan Po asked what should be eaten for dinner and whether if cured meat, though tasty, would be too salty? Tang Thirty-Six replied with a question of what kind of occasion was it, how could they bother caring and that over the past few days his tongue was close to being insipid to the point where a “fowl” was on the verge of emerging from it.

The voices and the fluttering of a flock of wild birds from the woods, drifted towards the direction of the Hundred Herb Garden.

The lights in the library were lit, making it slightly yellowish, very cosy. The academy was the same as it ever was, slightly drab, very peaceful; even if the Grand Examination had only just ended and they had experienced and completed many things, neither the academy or the three youths underwent any sort of change.

Chen Chang Sheng looked at Tang Thirty-Six and said his first words upon returning to the academy: “Where did Zhe Xiu go to? Did you recover the Sword of Wen Shui?”

“If you didn’t ask, I would have almost forgot, how did you and Gou Han Shi fight? How did you make my sword fly off to such a distant place? Will you stop staring at my waist? It clearly isn’t there… Minister Xin said it had landed within a restriction, he’ll return it here after a few days.”

Speaking up to that point, Tang Thirty-Six frowned and said: “Zhe Xiu got up once his injuries became slightly better, he ignored the advice from me and Her Highness and directly left the Education Palace, I don’t know where he went, but… with his personality, he will definitely look for you, it’s only a question of when.”

He then looked at Chen Chang Sheng and asked: “Just how did you fight against Gou Han Shi? Have you really completed your Ethereal Opening? Even if you have, you couldn’t have possibly been able to win, have you really completed your Ethereal Opening?”

In a single speech, he had asked about the Ethereal Opening twice.

Tang Thirty-Six stared at Chen Chang Sheng, his eyes glimmering to the point of resembling stars; the topic of Ethereal Opening made him far more shocked and envious of Chen Chang Sheng than his taking of first place in the Grand Examination.

Not just him, for all the young geniuses that were ranked at the top upon the Proclamation of Azure Clouds, what they wanted to achieve the most, was to surpass that hurdle as early and as safely as possible.

Chen Chang Sheng wanted to say he hadn’t even figured out as to what had happened, but suddenly, he heard a loud noise from the direction of the entrance, outside of the library, he involuntarily felt a little startled.

Xuan Yuan Po pushed open the doors and left, to see what was happening, after a while, he returned to the library. Rubbing his head, he said, in a slightly confused tone: “They’ve started to repair the gate.”

“That quickly?” Tang Thirty-Six raised his brow and said: “What does that fellow from the Tian Hai clan want to do?”

With such an interruption, Chen Chang Sheng had forgotten what he wanted to say; remembering Tian Hai Sheng Xue’s voluntary forfeiture when faced against Luo Luo in the Education Palace, he felt that there had to be some reason he did not know of for the event.

Outside of the window, it suddenly began to rain.

The trickle of chill rain in the early Spring fell upon the window’s upper frame, it lacked any sound, only carrying with it moisture.

Thinking of the spells of rain that fell within the Tower of Purging Dust today, Chen Chang Sheng became even quieter.

Those spells of Autumn rain were the handiwork of His Holiness.

Yet, why had His Holiness saved him? Ignoring the fact that he was only an unimportant character, even if he wasn’t, His Holiness had personally destroyed Orthodox Academy many years ago, why would His Holiness now intervene on behalf of the academy?

His mood became rather complicated, because he found that events were becoming more complicated.

On the night the examination ended and the same night they returned to the academy, the dinner cooked by Xuan Yuan Po was unavoidably a little simple, after consuming three slices of cured meat and having three bowls of rice steeped in tea, Chen Chang Sheng felt full, he then felt that he could no longer restrain the feeling of fatigue from taking over his body and that it was difficult to continue sitting around.

“Let’s rest a little earlier,” he said as he stood up.

Tang Thirty-Six was very displeased with tonight’s dinner, as he was eating, he had continuously grumbled, seeing Chen Chang Sheng preparing to leave, he became even more displeased and said: “Just like that?”

Chen Chang Sheng was slightly confused and asked: “What else should there be?”

“Please, you’ve only just taken first upon the First Banner in the Grand Examination and smacked the faces of those who had looked down upon you, can you not appear so calm?”

Tang Thirty-Six yelled: “Didn’t we already discuss this before, tonight we eat stuff that isn’t healthy at all and then get drunk? If we need dancers, then just a single call from me will get you a troupe of over a dozen.”

Chen Chang Sheng felt a little troubled. He understood that they really should do a few things to celebrate at a moment like this and that it would be considered normal, but the three slices of cured meat he had just eaten were already a big compromise for himself, getting drunk was something he really couldn’t bring himself to accept.

He looked outside the window, only seeing the cold snow slowly thaw, the stars slowly twinkle and that the time was now late, he turned to face Tang Thirty-Six and said: “The day after tomorrow, no, it should be tomorrow, I’ll… drink a few with you?”

That was the day the Banners are official released for the Grand Examination.