Was this kind of youth really the trash that was being ridiculed from before? As Gou Han Shi had said this morning, if he were to be a toad, then what were the students that were currently here? Were all these people spongers as well? Does he really need the backing of Her Highness or the use of a betrothal vow in order to establish himself upon this world?
Su Mo Yu said he wasn’t truly strong; then what was the true definition of strength?
Tang Thirty-Six stared at the group from Temple Seminary, glaring at the student that had mocked Orthodox Academy the hardest this morning, gave out a cold laugh and said: “For visionless people, even if they were to crawl up to the top of the Mausoleum of Books, they wouldn’t be able to recognise a single word within.”
The student’s face turned pale.
“… this is what we call a proverb.”
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the crowd and continued with an expressionless face. It was clear as to what he was referring to; since the Ivy League gathering, a lot people mocked Chen Chang Sheng as to being a toad that wishes to dine upon the Phoenix; this was brought up this morning and joked as to being close to becoming a proverb.
The divine avenue was silent.
At this moment, Chen Chang Sheng suddenly spoke out.
“You were saying what it means to have true strength…”
While saying this, he looked towards Su Mo Yu. The students of Li Palace College had a drastic change in expression; thinking that he intended to follow Tang Thirty-Six and mock Su Mo Yu.
Contrary to their expectations however, he said: “Your words have merit; I may be able to help my companions become stronger, but if I don’t want to become a burden, then I need to become strong myself. I hope that I can become stronger by the time of the Grand Examination, we’ll meet again at that time.”
Upon finishing those words, he gestured a formal farewell and turned around, heading off along the divine avenue.
Su Mo Yu gazed at his disappearing figure, hints of respect evident on his face, returned the gesture of farewell and said: “We’ll meet again at the Grand Examination.”
Upon seeing the silence surrounding both sides of the divine avenue, Tang Thirty-Six felt an invigorating sense of glee; he laughed out loud and said: “It won’t be easy to meet at the Grand Examination, after all, his aim is to get…”
Chen Chang Sheng didn’t even turn his head, and just said: “Xuan Yuan Po, stop him.”
In the mind of Xuan Yuan Po, Chen Chang Sheng was now a classmate, a teacher and the benefactor that saved his life, not to mention his Grand Master from the perspective of Her Highness. Upon hearing those words, he had no hesitation in extending his fan-like hands and smothering Tang Thirty-Six’s entire face, before lifting him up and carrying him across his shoulders.
“Un… un… un…”
With Tang Thirty-Six’s ability, he could have easily defeated Xuan Yuan Po, but he couldn’t bring himself to raise his hand; upon being covered by Xuan Yuan Po, he was immediately silenced and could only let out small sounds of struggling; not being able to declare the words he had put so much energy into preparing made him agonised.
Xuan Yuan Po on the other hand, wasn’t discomforted in the slightest, he was actually rather happy, being listed on the Proclamation of Azure Clouds made him uncontrollably jubilant, but he didn’t know how to express himself. With both, feelings of jubilation and vigour in excess, he didn’t know how to control himself and he started running faster and faster, while carrying Tang Thirty-Six and occasionally smacking him on the back; they very quickly approached the main gate of Li Palace.
Chen Chang Sheng gave out a laugh and followed behind; Jin Yu Lu also followed in suit while laughing.
Under a mild warmth, surrounded by the signs of Autumn, within the quiet Li Palace, three youths ran off into the setting sun, with occasional outbursts amongst them.
This scene, set within the eyes of those gathered here, remained a topic of conversation for many years to come.
Yet no one noticed, atop those never-ending steps, that was akin to the long path towards cultivating The Way, atop the highest reaches of the Hall of Clear Virtue, Luo Luo was watching them; with the evening mist upon her small face, a gleaming smile was present.
With the departure of the youths from Orthodox Academy, the crowds that had gathered around the divine avenue also began dispersing; apart from the sounds of footsteps, little else could be heard, everyone was still in the midst of shock or contemplation and thus, even the sound of discussion was absent.