Chapter 16

(Alright, now that I finish writing "Zetian Ji" every day, the first thing I do is correct the typos. I really... hate my brain and this unattractive handwriting! I want Microsoft YaHei! The above is just a rant, and below is today's first chapter. Chen Changsheng's new life and wonderful journey begin... amidst my nagging!)

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Chen Changsheng's way of walking was quite distinctive, but the distinctive thing about it was that it was not distinctive at all. He always lifted his knees to the same height, took steps of the same length, looked straight ahead, able to see far and also notice what was in front of him. He stood straight, not deliberately upright, but naturally exuded the strength of a young pine tree. His black hair was tied extremely tightly, no longer in a topknot, but casually wrapped with a cloth, meticulously neat. His clothes were very ordinary, washed until they were almost white, extremely clean, with not a speck of dirt on the shoes, very particular. As he walked, the short sword tied to his waist swayed slightly, and the sword itself was also very ordinary.

He had left the short sword in the inn for the past few days, and today was the first time he brought it with him. The ordinary short sword carried an extraordinary meaning. After the conversation with the middle-aged woman, if the Eastern Divine General's Mansion really wanted to do something more, this short sword was his preparation. However, the short sword, like him, was so ordinary that it was hard to attract attention. It couldn't compare to the legendary "Frost Remains," "Two Cuts," or "Rebellious Scale," nor could it compare to the weapons on the waist of passersby. How could it help him?

Outside the inn, he saw the carriage from the Eastern Divine General's Mansion as expected. Under the morning sun, the slightly faded blood phoenix emblem on the carriage shaft became much clearer, almost as if it were burning. The warhorse with the noble bloodline of a unicorn held its head high, looking down at him from a height.

As he walked past the carriage, he gripped the hilt of the short sword, but after a moment, he let go. He stopped by the window, silently bowed, and then continued forward, walking toward the rising sun. The curtain lifted, and the middle-aged woman looked at the young man's figure in the morning light, her emotions complex.

Chen Changsheng walked toward the north of the city. The address of the second-to-last college on the list was in Hundred Flowers Lane. After a long time, he was surprised to find that it was so close to the imperial palace. Standing at the entrance of the alley, he could clearly see the majestic imperial buildings, and it seemed he could even smell the history of those palaces.

As he walked deeper into Hundred Flowers Lane, his doubts grew deeper. Could there really be a college so close to the imperial palace? But why was it so desolate? Finally, at the end of the alley, he saw the main gate of the college. The stone walls on both sides were covered with green vines, and the sunlight filtered through, leaving faint patches. There was no name.

Is this it? He wanted to ask someone, but the alley was extremely quiet, unlike the bustling entrances of the Heavenly Dao Academy or the Star Plucking College. After standing for a while, no one passed by, only the clearly dilapidated gate silently accompanied him. In such a quiet, prestigious place near the imperial palace, it now seemed like an abandoned ruin.

He walked to the stone wall beside the gate, reached out, and pulled aside the dense green vines. Finally, he saw a character carved on the wall below, the character "Guo" (国). The deep engraving, once brightly painted, had long been eroded by years of wind and rain, and the surface of the stone wall itself showed signs of peeling.

Thinking of the name of the college on the list, Chen Changsheng was slightly stunned, confirming that this was indeed the place. He felt even more confused. The first few colleges his master had chosen for him were the most famous and excellent in the capital and even the entire continent. Why was this college so dilapidated and desolate?

While thinking about these things, his hand still held the green vines and pulled down a bit more, revealing the second character, the character "Jiao" (教). He didn't have time to feel more emotions. With this action, the green vines, which had been neglected for many years, rustled and slid to the ground, stirring up a lot of dust.

Chen Changsheng took a few steps back to avoid being covered in dust and debris.

As the green vines fell, the dust gradually settled. Soon, the stone wall, which had not seen the light of day for many years, finally reappeared.

On the mottled stone wall, four characters were carved.

"Guo Jiao Xue Yuan" (National Teaching College)

The deep engraving had lost most of its paint, only covered in accumulated dust and the withered leaves and twigs left by the green vines from the previous year. The edges were even eroded by the wind and rain, and if you didn't look closely, it was hard to recognize the characters.

Staring at the stone wall, Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time, feeling a sense of defeat and depression. He rarely felt this way, but now he really wanted to turn around and leave. What could such a dilapidated college do for his life if he were to pass the entrance exam?

He looked up at the sky, confirming that he still had some time, and decided to go into this dilapidated college to take a look. If it wasn't suitable, he would go to the last college on the list.

His hand landed on the gate and applied a little force.

With a creak, the gate of the National Teaching College finally opened again after many years.

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The carriage from the Eastern Divine General's Mansion stopped outside Hundred Flowers Lane. The proud white horse held its head high, looking bored. Inside the carriage, the middle-aged woman was not as calm as the horse. Her eyes were full of confusion and doubt, muttering to herself, "Why did he come here?"

She knew very well that the college deep in Hundred Flowers Lane had long been in decline. But thinking that the young man seemed to be good at surprising people, she didn't dare to be careless. She tapped the window frame lightly, signaling the white horse to pull the carriage in. However, at that moment, a carriage came from the side and blocked the way in front of them.

Hundred Flowers Lane was very narrow, only wide enough for one carriage to pass. Now, with the other carriage blocking the way, the carriage from the Divine General's Mansion couldn't move forward. The middle-aged woman raised her eyebrows slightly, feeling displeased, but since this place was very close to the imperial palace, she didn't immediately shout at the other carriage to move.

The carriage that suddenly appeared was very small and even looked somewhat shabby. The canopy was made of green cloth, and the animal pulling the carriage was also very small, with pure black fur, seemingly a donkey. The middle-aged woman was first stunned, then felt a bit mocking, thinking that there were still people in the capital who used donkey carts, which was truly pitiful.

Before the middle-aged woman could get angry, the white horse couldn't stand it anymore. How could a horse with the bloodline of a unicorn allow a small black donkey to block its way? It raised its head angrily, ready to neigh and intimidate, but at that moment, the animal in front of the green cloth carriage slowly turned its head and looked at it.

It wasn't a black donkey, but a completely black sheep, with smooth fur like silk, clearly not an ordinary creature.

What was most unimaginable was its eyes, which were so deep and cold, as if they belonged to some divine being in the clouds.

If the white horse was noble because of its unicorn bloodline, then the nobility of this black sheep came entirely from its own demeanor. In front of it, the white horse seemed like an easily angered and unruly child, while it was like a royal family member in the palace, high above and untainted by the dust of the world.

The black sheep turned its head and looked at the white horse.

The white horse, about to burst into a furious neigh, saw the cold and indifferent eyes of the black sheep and instantly became quiet, filled with infinite fear. Its front hooves suddenly went weak, unable to support its heavy body. It fell to the ground, trembling and unable to get up, as if paying homage to the black sheep.

The middle-aged woman rushed out of the carriage, looking at the kneeling white horse, stunned and speechless. She thought this horse was the only son of the Divine General's mount, always proud and domineering. When had it become so cowardly? When she turned to look at the black sheep, she suddenly remembered something. Looking at the green cloth carriage, her eyes filled with extreme shock.

She quickly knelt down, bowing to the green cloth carriage, her face pale, not daring to speak.

An old voice came from the green cloth carriage.

"Do I need to go in first, Auntie Hua? Do you have any objections?"

Hearing this voice, the middle-aged woman felt slightly relieved. It turned out that it wasn't the young lady, but the old lady by her side. As for why the old lady knew her surname was Hua and was often called "auntie" in the Divine General's Mansion, she didn't need to think about it, because it was natural for the other party to know anything.

The old lady in the green cloth carriage was also an auntie, but compared to the auntie in the Divine General's Mansion, this auntie was the most famous in the entire capital. Even Zhou Tong, who made all the royal family, ministers, and generals tremble, had to force a smile in front of this auntie. What was she?

"Auntie, you are too kind. I didn't recognize you earlier, and my thoughts were disrespectful. Please forgive me."

The middle-aged woman's voice trembled slightly. She hadn't shouted earlier, and now she felt somewhat lucky, but even so, she didn't dare to hide the恶意 (malice) that had appeared in her thoughts, because according to the rumors, any concealment in front of the black sheep was a death sentence, and she knew that only this way could satisfy the old lady.

If it weren't for the close relationship between the Divine General's Mansion and the young lady, she wouldn't even dare to explain, but would cut off her right arm as an apology.

The old lady in the green cloth carriage asked, "Are you here to watch the young man?"

The middle-aged woman didn't dare to look up, respectfully answering yes. At this moment, she confirmed that the young lady in the palace had indeed known about this matter all along.

The old lady said, "You don't need to watch him anymore from today."

The middle-aged woman was somewhat surprised, lowering her head and asking in a trembling voice, "Please instruct, Auntie."

The old lady's voice had no emotion, "Do I need to explain my actions to you?"

The middle-aged woman touched the ground with her forehead, not daring to say more.

The black sheep looked at her, then turned and pulled the green cloth carriage deeper into Hundred Flowers Lane.

It was a long time before the middle-aged woman dared to raise her head, her face still pale.

The old lady in the green cloth carriage indeed didn't need to explain her actions to anyone, even to the Divine General's Mansion.

Because she was the old lady by the side of Miss Moyan.

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The buildings in the college still faintly showed the grandeur of the past, but they were all dilapidated and lacked vitality.

Chen Changsheng stood by the lake, looking at the wild grass growing wildly under his feet, silent and speechless. He had decided to come in and take a look because he remembered seeing records about this National Teaching College in the Daoist scriptures. Being able to use "National Teaching" as a prefix, this college naturally had a long history and was once extremely powerful, producing countless remarkable figures. But... why had it become like this?

The lake water rippled gently, silent and still. The buildings were old, and there was no one here.

He had many questions but didn't know who to ask.

At that moment, a voice sounded from behind him.

He turned around and saw a black sheep.

It was a completely black sheep, giving a somewhat eerie feeling.

In such a desolate environment, most people would feel afraid or at least avoid such a black sheep, but Chen Changsheng didn't. He liked this black sheep. Because the black sheep was very clean, just like him. He picked some grass by the lake, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped off the dew on the grass, and offered it to the black sheep.

The black sheep looked at him quietly, tilting its head, looking somewhat confused, as if it didn't know what he was doing.

No one had ever fed this black sheep grass before.

Neither Prince Chenliu nor the Crown Prince dared to feed it grass.

Everyone in the palace knew that it only ate fruits picked by Miss Moyan herself.

"Eat it, there's no dew, it won't give you a stomachache."

Chen Changsheng looked at the black sheep, shaking the green grass in his hand, and said earnestly.

The black sheep understood the young man's meaning, its eyes changing slightly, as if it saw a fool.

Chen Changsheng didn't understand, still holding out the grass.

The black sheep was somewhat annoyed but, for some reason, felt a sense of joy from the young man's aura.

It hesitated for a moment, finally taking a step forward, tentatively reaching out, lowering its head slightly, and taking a few strands of grass from Chen Changsheng's hand, slowly chewing.

Under a nearby tree, an old woman holding a yellow locust wood cane was watching this scene, her face's wrinkles trembling slightly, like grass stirred by the wind.

Even when the Crown Prince was smothered to death by the former empress, she had never been so shocked.