Chapter 48 – On Top of the Tree
While the stars were twinkling in the night sky, Chen Chang Sheng and Luo Luo were sitting on the floor enjoying their late night snack. It contained a few types of delightful desserts and two bowls of herb gruel with a side of salted meat. It delicious so the master and apprentice enjoyed themselves and didn’t speak a word during the meal.
After finishing the gruel and dessert, Luo Luo finally took a break and spoke. Thinking back to the carriage she saw near the side door of the Heavenly Academy, she couldn’t resist but ask while chewing her salted meat. “Master, what kind of relationship do you have with the Dong Yu General’s Mansion?”
Chen Chang Sheng knew curiosity couldn’t be oppressed for a long time and was mentally prepared for her question. He casually answered a few sentences and wanted to switch the topic – his preparation was to fool her and use his status as the master to skip the questioning. It seemed like an easy task.
But tonight’s view was too beautiful and Luo Luo couldn’t resist her curiosity. She knew he didn’t want to answer and her black pupils started to move from one side to the other. She tried a few different possibilities, such as the trivial plots of a son of a friend or family feuds.
Chen Chang Sheng never knew her imagination was so rich and didn’t know how to answer. Therefore he kept his silence.
Luo Luo stared at the night sky full of stars above the Tradition Academy and thought. She picked up a small green orange that she previously got from the woods and chewed it. Suddenly, she let out a voice.
Chen Chang Sheng thought she was surprised by the sourness of the fruit and shook his head, “I told you it was too sour and inedible. Plus it is not good for the stomach.”
Luo Luo swallowed the green orange and she didn’t seem to be bothered by the sourness. She looked at Chen Chang Sheng surprisingly and said, “Master, are you vowed to marry to Xu You Rong when you were an infant?”
Chen Chang Sheng opened his mouth slightly and didn’t know what to say. On the side of respecting her imagination, he couldn’t help but to admit to the fact.
“Ah…..”
Before he made an response, Luo Luo waved her hands and embarrassment filled her face. “Silly me, how could I even think of such nonsense. How could it be possible? It’s that Xu You Rong we talking about.”
Chen Chang Sheng grew even more silent because he didn’t know what he should say. His mouth was closed bitterly and thought to himself ‘this marriage vow was way too ridiculous.’ Even Luo Luo, who had nothing but utmost respect for him, would think like this too? Why is it impossible between him and Xu You Rong?
“Go back to sleep,” He thought for a second and told Luo Luo, “I have some business to take care of tomorrow, don’t come here too early.”
Luo Luo was nervous and said insecurely, “Master, are you angry?”
Chen Chang Sheng said, “Did you do anything today that would make me angry?’
Luo Luo thought hard and found she didn’t do anything that would anger her master. Previously on the Ivy Festival her actions are arrogant and not nice as usual, but since her master said he wouldn’t blame her, then of course he wouldn’t blame her.
Never did she realize that a causal word of her had hurt Chen Chang Sheng’s self-pride.
Since she said it causally, therefore he was hurt deeply.
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After Luo Luo left, Chen Chang Sheng cleaned out the lunch box on the floor and organized the books back onto the bookshelves and dimmed the light. He walked back to the library and glanced around, then left in the night as if he was saying goodbye.
After returning to the small building, he started packing his luggage and collected everything necessary into a box and drew out his short sword from his waist and started to meditate on his bed. He wasn’t absorbing the starlight and trying to Purify himself. He was waiting for people to show up.
Tonight’s Ivy Festival Luo Luo handicapped Tian Hai Ya Er. For sure she started a big trouble. That trouble would target her, target him, and mostly importantly target the Tradition Academy. He doesn’t know who would come for vengeance, but he knew that those people would be powerful.
He knew that Luo Luo’s background is mysterious and extraordinary. Or else the principle of Heavenly Academy, Mao Qiu Yu, wouldn’t protect her on the Ivy Festival. But the little monster she handicapped is the nephew of the Divine Queen, he was one of the Family of Tian Hai – the most terrifying Family in the entire continent.
From the beginning Chen Chang Sheng thought Luo Luo’s background would stop the people to not make trouble on the surface. But after Xu Shi JI said that the Heavenly Academy professor would commit suicide tonight, he didn’t have much hope in Luo Luo’s background anymore.
Nowadays even the Royal Chen Family is under the influence of Family of Tian Hai. Even the professor of Heavenly Academy would die due to the handicap of Tian Hai Ya Er. Then what should be expected for him and Luo Luo who directly caused the handicap of him? plus they around want to ruin the Tradition Academy.
He waited for the enemy’s arrival and was ready to leave. Although he would miss the Tradition Academy and next year’s Great Trail, but is done cannot be undone. Then at least he should leave a complete ending for this event.
In his plan, the entire Tradition Academy would turn into an ocean of flame later.
He had a plan to escape.
Tradition Academy would pay for the handicap of Tian Hai Ya Er and Luo Luo isn’t an ordinary character. For sure the enemy would be satisfied by this ending.
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This entire night.
Chen Chang Sheng sat alone in the room.
Only a old worn-out luggage sat near his feet.
He waited silently for another turning point in his life.
He waited with a patience unseen of peers his age.
No one knew that he waited in the Tradition Academy for an entire night. Even until countless years afterward no one knew. Only himself knew how long this night was and how hard did he struggle to stay and how much effort he put in.
Even until the sunlight shined on the school, nothing had happened.
This night, many people also paid attention to the Tradition Academy in silent.
Those people were just like him, they thought that the ruthless officials of the Department of Investigation would rush into the Tradition Academy at night and bring Chen Chang Sheng into the terrifying Jail of Zhou, or the xiuxingists of Li Palace would arrive at night and start slaughtering and fire in this place to burn the academy that Divine Queen hated into the ground.
But the above didn’t happen.
The sunlight was just like usual and the gong in the royal palace was stroke.
Chen Chang Sheng opened his eyes and walked to the window and glanced at the quiet sight of morning of the capital. He didn’t understand, then he realized.
Due to his request from last night, Luo Luo didn’t enter the Tradition Academy until noon. Of course, she didn’t forget to bring the heavy lunch box.
Chen Chang Sheng asked her to search for some information.
Before they finished their lunch, a message arrive from the other side of the wall. Luo Luo lowered her head and listened quietly for a while.
“No one saw the professor from the Heavenly Academy.”
She raised her head and looked at Chen Chang Sheng, “The vice principal receive a report, it should be the letter of resignation.”
Chen Chang Sheng was silent. Looking at his expression, Luo Luo realized something as well.
Disappearing after resignation. No one knew if he returned to his home village or he hid in the wild to xiuxing. It was impossible to find out in such a short time either.
It wasn’t a resignation from his job, it was a leaving from this world.
Perhaps in the mansion of the professor an extra white rope was found. In the River Luo perhaps the ashes already sank to the very bottom and mixed with the mud.
A big character like him died silently like this.
Chen Chang Sheng felt a breeze around his neck and he peaked at Luo Luo with complicated look.
It was a plot, a plot to ruin the Tradition Academy.
The professor of Heavenly Academy asked the little monster to help him. No matter how the Tradition Academy respond, there will be problems…..because he is the nephew of the Divine Queen. If he won, then the Tradition Academy would be destroyed. If he lost, the Tradition Academy would face the wrath from the palace.
But no one expected that the ending of this plot was the professor facing the wrath of the palace and died. The young boy and girl in the Tradition Academy didn’t need to be responsible for anything, Why? because Luo Luo is powerful, because Luo Luo’s background is way more powerful…….in conclusion, Luo Luo is way too powerful.
Chen Chang Sheng looked at her and sighed, “It seems, that you are more amazing than I expected.”
Luo Luo felt a little embarrassed, “Master, you are the person who’s truly amazing.”
Chen Chang Sheng scratched his head and said, “Is it really fine for us to compliment each other like this?”
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Chen Chang Sheng always thought that if a person lives for a few hundred years, time passes quick and should be valued. If there are only few decades, then he should treat time with even more respect. If there is nothing to do, then one should continue to read and xiuxing. Only until dusk did he and Luo Luo put down their books and began to eat their dinner. Afterwards they started to walk around the lake in the Tradition Academy.
Walking may seem to waste time, but he didn’t mind, because he knew it would benefit his body.
The two walked to the other side of the lake and arrived at the bottom of a big tree. Chen Chang Sheng got childish for once and proposed to climb to the top of it and view some scenes. Luo Luo always listened to him, talk less of a fun thing like this. Of course she accepted the proposal.
Moments later, these two climbed to the middle part of the big tree and stood on a thick branch. It was around ten or more yards away from the ground. They could see into the distant streets, and barely they could see the shape of the Li Palace.
Under the setting sun, the view of the capital was nice.
They could see the entire Hundred Blossom Street out of the Tradition Academy. It was quiet as usual but he and Luo Luo knew that the Hundred Blossom Street was different from before. In the shadow and under the roofs in the streets, countless eyes were staring into the inside of the school.
“Master, I’m sorry.”
Luo Luo said lightly, she believed that it was because of her that Chen Chang Sheng was pulled into this mess. She also knew that he valued time and the quiet life of xiuxing. Her apology was true and sincere.
“The one that should apologize should be me.”
Chen Chang Sheng said, “If I didn’t write your name on the list that day, then you wouldn’t be a student of the Tradition Academy, then how would you encounter this trouble? although you are not afraid of these troubles, but troubles are still troubles.”
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Time doesn’t bend to the will of a human, or else the time around Chen Chang Sheng would be unmovable as a giant boulder.
A few days later, the second night of the Ivy Festival arrived as expected.
Looking at the invitation letter on the floor, he was surprised. No matter the words of Xu Shi Ji that night or the warning from Officer Xin previously, speaking logically this year’s Ivy Festival are different from the previous year’s. Besides, after the first night’s bloody battle he thought the second night would be delayed.
Luo Luo asked, “Master, are we really not participating?”
Chen Chang Sheng shook his head and said, “We are not going.”
Ivy Festival is an event created by the academies of the capital, it wouldn’t affect them to participate in the Great Trial next year. The reason Chen Chang Sheng joined the first night was to understand the rules of the Great Trial and as well as knowing what kind of person was Xu Shi Ji. Now he has reached both of his goals, why else should he go?
Plus in the second night of the Ivy Festival, countless people would pay attention to the Tradition Academy and stare at him and Luo Luo. He’s not used to such attention.
Luo Luo never thought that he wouldn’t go just like he said. She was confused and sad, “If we went, perhaps we could actually obtain a high ranking.”
The rest of Ivy Festival consisted of intellectual exam and arena. They are similar to the Great Trial in that they would announce the result in ranking. In addition, they wouldn’t end so hastily like the first night. If Luo Luo participated in the arena and Chen Chang Sheng in the intellectual exam, perhaps the Tradition Academy could actually regain a small portion of its former glory.
Chen Chang Sheng said, “It’s meaningless.”
Luo Luo looked at him and said praisingly, “Master is treating fame and glory as dirt. I respect you so much.”
Chen Chang Sheng said honestly, “I’m mainly avoiding troubles.”
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Heavenly Academy was probably very lively in the second night of the Ivy Festival. The Tradition Academy was quiet as usual and the Hundred Blossom Street finally obtained true peace. The people who watched over the Tradition Academy for days finally left due to the Ivy Festival.
After every night’s dinner, they would take a walk around the lake. Although the view of the lake and the shadow of the forest are beautiful, but after seeing them many time they grew out of it. After climbing the big tree many times it became meaningless as well. Seeing the amount of disturbing people in the Hundred Blossom Street grew short, Luo Luo wanted to capture this precious chance. She used every technique known to little girls and finally dragged Chen Chang Sheng out of the library. The two walked out of the school door and walked into the Hundred Blossom Street and started shopping.
Not far away from the Hundred Blossom Street was the famous night market. Under the ruling of the Divine Queen the capital prospered greatly. The wealth of the world flown to the capital and the night markets were grand as well. People are walking side by side and the food on the streets attracted the bypassers.
Chen Chang Sheng bought Luo Luo a cotton candy. Luo Luo was surprised and happily accepted it – paying respect to her master and treating him three meals a day are things that she’s supposed to do. The master buying her a snack is a nature thing for him to do as well.
She held the cotton candy and licked it carefully. She worried that that if she wasn’t careful there would be only a wooden stick left and her master would be scared.
Her action was cute.
Standing in front of a shop selling baked shellfish, she curiously looked at the shellfishes that were still moving and asked Chen Chang Sheng if they are edible. Suddenly, she saw a large figure washing dishes in the corner of the shop. Her eyebrows wrinkled.
Her action was serious.
Of course, still cute.