Chapter 507 - An Old Friend Comes with a Flurry of Snow
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
She had previously been thinking about these matters, but now that she thought about them again, she found them impossible to repress.
Of course she was not thinking about him, nor was she thinking about going to see him.
So she said to herself.
She was just a little curious to see him…he was up to, to know just how he had been getting on in the capital.
At the Mausoleum of Zhou, when she had been talking with that guy about Senior Qiushan and the engagement, she had mentioned that what she most cared about was following her heart.
Now, her heart was fixed, so she would naturally no longer hesitate. She returned to her room and changed her clothes, took up the umbrella, then began making her way through the snowy night, out of the courtyard.
Shuang'er, who was returning with a plate of veal, asked in shock, "Young Lady, at such a late hour, you still plan to go out?"
"Yes."
"Is Young Lady going to visit Grand Lady Mo?"
"…Yes."
……
……
At night, the Orthodox Academy was very peaceful, but Hundred Flowers Lane outside the academy was bustling with activity. The lights of the restaurants shone upon the falling snowflakes, and coupled with the mists produced from the heat of the restaurants, the scene seemed somewhat fantastical. Holding the umbrella, Xu Yourong quietly stood at the end of the lane. With her white ceremonial clothes and her red cloak, she was this fantastical scene's most beauteous feature.
Because of the Yellow Paper Umbrella, no one could sense her existence. The people within the restaurants were not blessed to see such a beautiful sight. Naturally, they would also not have any misgivings. Just as they did every other day, they conversed with loud voices, happily guzzled their wine, called out to friends, and dallied with women. Although the sound of music would occasionally be interrupted, the joyous singing and jokes never ceased.
Hearing the lewd songs and romantic lyrics coming from the restaurant, Xu Yourong made a small frown.
She was very curious about the newly reborn Orthodox Academy and had many conjectures, but she had not imagined that just a wall away would be such a hive of scum and villainy.
"They all say he's been acting like a principal now, so why isn't he concerning himself with this?"
It was very inexplicable. Because of all this, she became rather dissatisfied with that guy.
With a gust of wind and a flurry of snowflakes, she noiselessly flew over the academy wall, those Orthodoxy cavalry patrolling in the snow completely unaware of her presence. As she landed within the academy, she was confronted by a lake, with a row of houses lined up along its shore. She could faintly smell the scent of firewood. She guessed that this should be the kitchen. She confidently strode over, confirmed that no one was within, and opened the door to take a look.
"The food really is rather good."
She looked at the food within the Orthodox Academy's kitchen and contentedly nodded her head, but she didn't sense that her own position was somewhat biased. (Author's note: The principal's wife carries out an inspection.)
When she saw those shells of blue lobsters piled up in the food preparation area, she finally believed Shuang'er's words.
She shook her head, thinking to herself, Clear Lake Restaurant really was moved over here. That young master of the Wenshui Tangs really is a strange person.
Hugging the lakeshore, she walked to the opposing shore. She saw the great banyan tree, and then she saw the lights and that building on the other side of the short wall.
She recalled the scenes he had mentioned in the snowy temple within the Plains of the Unsetting Sun and those matters he had talked about, as well as the rumors involving him. She supposed that the building was the library. It was in that building where he had found his own Fated Star.
Not far behind the great banyan tree was a house. Compared to the light and activity of the other places of the Orthodox Academy, this house was much more peaceful.
She pushed upon the door to the house and, carrying the Yellow Paper Umbrella, walked right in.
Then, she stopped.
This was the first floor. She paused in front of a door in the house. The scent of medicine seeped out from the seams of the door.
In the room behind the door was a bed.
Zhexiu was lying on the bed.
Although his injuries were gradually improving, the wounds of his meridians were not completely healed. As a result, he still needed to spend quite a bit of time quietly lying in bed.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
He slowly shifted his gaze towards the door, his expression exceptionally grave, like he was facing a powerful enemy.
His current expression reflected even more caution than when he faced that Demon General couple in the Garden of Zhou.
His gaze rested on the door, his pupils constricted.
His right hand slowly moved through the bedding, grabbing onto the Demon Commander's Banner Sword.
The moment he grasped the sword, many black hairs sprouted out from the back of his hand and his constricted pupils swiftly turned red.
He had finished his preparations for battle, even intending, without the slightest hesitation, to undergo his berserk metamorphosis, because he could clearly perceive that the person on the other side of the door was very powerful.
In terms of cultivation, that person was basically on the same level as him, yet it gave him a very dangerous feeling.
This was the heart of the problem.
Because of his peculiar bloodline and the ruthless environment in which he grew up, slaughter had been his constant companion since he was a child and he had hunted demons for a living. It could be said that the wolf youth Zhexiu was the young expert in the world most skilled at fighting or killing. As far as he was aware, as everyone was aware, no one at the same level of cultivation as him could defeat him. That he had still thought about how to kill Gou Hanshi, who was at Ethereal Opening, back when he was still not at the Ethereal Opening Realm was clear proof of this fact.
Yet now he felt that even if he were uninjured and returned to his peak strength, he was still no match for the person on the other side of the door.
This was a very strange feeling. He was sure that he had never exchanged blows with the person on the other side of the door, yet he also felt like he had exchanged blows with them countless times. Moreover…he had never won.
It was precisely this dangerous feeling and bizarre mood that made him sensitive, thus wary and even uneasy.
Just who was the person on the other side of the door?
……
……
Carrying the Yellow Paper Umbrella, Xu Yourong quietly gazed at the door, saying nothing.
She had already guessed at who the occupant of the room was.
She and he had never met, but they had truthfully met many times.
They had met each other on the stone walls at the gates of the Six Ivies and every other school.
That place was the Proclamation of Azure Sky.
They had met each other at the very summit of the Proclamation of Azure Sky.
In the past three years, she had always been in first place on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, and that person had always been second.
If this were the past, she would definitely have not missed the opportunity to fight with him, but she knew at the moment that he was still heavily injured, so she naturally did not send out an invitation.
After a moment, she turned and went upstairs, not concealing the sound of her footsteps.
……
……
From the sound of the other person's footsteps, Zhexiu could hear that the person bore no ill will.
But just who was this person? Why had this person come to the Orthodox Academy in the night?
Suddenly, he recalled the news that had caused the greatest stir in the capital today as well as the White Crane that had stayed for half a day by the lake. His face was instantly filled with shock.
He abruptly recalled what Chen Changsheng was doing at this time, and his shock immediately transformed into sympathy and pity.
……
……
Xu Yourong went straight to Chen Changsheng's room.
To her, this was not a very difficult task. It didn't require her to understand the special privileges of a principal. Just understanding him was enough.
She clearly recalled that when they were in the Garden of Zhou, no matter how exhausted or busy he was, running day and night to escape, when there was simply no time to take a bath, he would still do his utmost to keep his face and hands clean.
This level was very clean, incredibly clean, so clean that it could make someone a bit angry.
There were no spider webs, no scraps of paper, no trash, and not even any dust in the seams of the floorboards in the corner.
The floor of the corridor seemed even more like it had been washed with water ten times a day, so clean that one could almost see one's reflection in it.
Xu Yourong glanced at the dress she was wearing and grew somewhat uneasy. She thought to herself, do people obsessed with cleanliness all have a few abnormalities?
She walked towards that room. When her shoes landed on the corridor, they made no sound, only leaving behind the snow and mud that had stuck to them.
Reaching the door, she turned her head to take a look at the clear trail of footprints she had left on the clean corridor. A contented smile revealed itself on her face.
Confirming that no one was inside, she opened the door and walked into the room.