Chapter 37

This sentence is very harsh and cold.

Chen Changsheng stood up, looking at the preceptor from Tian Dao College, and remained silent. Luo Luo was very angry, but seeing that he did not speak, she could only remain silent as well—since the master did not speak or give any instructions, she thought that as a disciple, she naturally could not act on her own.

The visitor stood at the entrance of the library, said a few extremely impolite words, which seemed to have no beginning or end, but Chen Changsheng heard the words "Qingting Banquet" and, recalling what Tang Sanshi said last night, understood the reason for this matter.

He had never thought that the Qingting Banquet would be related to him, because, like many others, he had forgotten that the National Teaching College was one of the six Qingting Colleges. However, it was clear that not the entire world had forgotten this fact, especially after the National Teaching College had a new student.

Chen Changsheng looked at the middle-aged man in a clerical robe standing beside the preceptor from Tian Dao College and realized he knew him. It was the cleric Xin from the Teaching Hub, who, although they had not met for several days, was responsible for the renovation of the National Teaching College.

Cleric Xin sensed his gaze and nodded in greeting, but his expression seemed somewhat awkward.

He looked at the preceptor from Tian Dao College and advised, "In the past, the National Teaching College had no students, so it did not need to participate. Now that there are students, it naturally should participate. The court and the national church have already approved it. Preceptor Peng, why don't you quickly complete the certification process and leave?"

Tian Dao College was the most important college of the national church in recent years, and the preceptor of Tian Dao College naturally held a very high position, far beyond what an ordinary cleric from the Teaching Hub could match. If it were any other situation, seeing the preceptor act this way, Cleric Xin would definitely follow suit. However... he knew better than anyone that the seemingly ordinary young man in front of him had a very strong background, and he dared not offend him, so he could only try to smooth things over.

"Do you really confirm that this waste of a person should attend the Qingting Banquet?" the preceptor from Tian Dao College said with a cold expression.

Cleric Xin said helplessly, "This is the rule, and I can't do anything about it, can I?"

"Rule? Everything has to follow the rule? Then let me talk about the rule too!"

The preceptor from Tian Dao College sneered, "According to the rules of previous years, the Qingting Banquet follows the format of the Great Imperial Examination, with two parts: the written and the martial. Students from each college and those who have passed the preparatory course can choose to participate. Now, it seems that this dilapidated college has only this waste of a person as a student. How can he participate?"

Cleric Xin was speechless, remembering that the Qingting Banquet indeed had this rule. Before coming, he had only thought about how to prevent a conflict between Preceptor Peng and Chen Changsheng, completely forgetting this clause. He couldn't help but feel anxious, thinking, "If so, why didn't you say it earlier?"

"To attend the Qingting Banquet, at least two students are needed... Now there's only this waste of a person. How can I certify it?"

The preceptor from Tian Dao College said with a cold expression, but his voice was full of mockery, "Cleric, do you think I came here because I couldn't resist the pressure from the Teaching Hub? No, I just wanted to see how long this joke of the National Teaching College can make me laugh!"

He stood at the entrance of the library, looking at the quiet and still somewhat dilapidated National Teaching College, and said with a cold voice, "National Teaching College... What a great reputation it had in the past! But now? It's just a dead tomb!"

"No matter how much you repair it, it's still a tomb!"

The preceptor from Tian Dao College's voice grew colder, "There are some rumors in the capital recently, saying that the Supreme Bishop is going to reopen the National Teaching College? Don't talk about how absurd this is, even if it were true, we old people would have to agree!"

He turned to look at Chen Changsheng, his eyes burning with a faint fire, and shouted, "I want to tell the world that nonsense is just nonsense! A ruined National Teaching College is just a wasteland! A waste of a person is just a waste of a person! No one can make a fuss about this!"

The National Teaching College was silent, and the wild grass that had not been cleared behind the building exuded a desolate atmosphere.

Chen Changsheng looked quietly at the preceptor from Tian Dao College and suddenly took a step forward.

Waste... joke... wasteland... tomb.

These words still lingered in the quiet library.

He didn't know why the preceptor from Tian Dao College had such deep hatred for the National Teaching College and himself, but he knew one fact—he was a student of the National Teaching College, the only student. He hadn't lived there for long, but because he was the only one, the National Teaching College was his. Every flower, every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, every tile, every stone was his. He had seen it come back to life, and he studied quietly there. It was his paradise, not a wasteland.

He didn't like being humiliated, and he especially didn't like the National Teaching College being humiliated.

He thought of the humiliations he had encountered since entering the capital, and of Shuang'er who had just left, and decided to do something.

"I will attend the Qingting Banquet."

He looked at the preceptor from Tian Dao College and said, "I don't know why you have such a strong opinion about me and my college, but if you want to keep me out of the Qingting Banquet, I can only regretfully tell you that you won't succeed, because your attitude is very impolite."

The preceptor from Tian Dao College said with a cold expression, "To attend the Qingting Banquet, you need two students, or... two wastes. Even if you have the courage to attend, I can only regretfully tell you that you won't succeed, because no one in the entire continent wants to enter the National Teaching College, except for you, this idiot."

Cleric Xin didn't speak, but he knew that what the preceptor from Tian Dao College said was true—no one would want to enter the National Teaching College. Chen Changsheng might have been exiled here by some important people, or he might have some responsibilities, but there wouldn't be a second person like him.

The library was very quiet.

Chen Changsheng looked at the black and shiny floor in front of him and suddenly asked, "Do you still insist?"

A young and determined voice sounded, "I insist."

"I can't teach you anything."

"Master has already taught me a lot."

"Becoming a student of the National Teaching College, you might face many white eyes."

"Master, I'm very good at rolling my eyes."

"You might... suffer a lot of humiliation and oppression."

"Master, no one dares to humiliate me."

The conversation ended.

Chen Changsheng smiled and looked at the side, saying, "I still don't know your name."

Luo Luo's eyes were extremely bright, and her left hand tightly grabbed his sleeve, very worried that he would change his mind. She said, "Master, my name is Luo Heng."

Chen Changsheng reached out and held her left hand, then looked at the preceptor from Tian Dao College and said, "Look, now we have two people."

Luo Luo was a bit shy, leaning on his right arm, and repeated like a parrot, "Yes, two people."

Cleric Xin was stunned.

The preceptor from Tian Dao College was extremely angry and scolded, "How can this be! When did this place have another student! Who do you think you are! Do you think you can make her a student here just by saying so!"

Chen Changsheng ignored him and gestured for Luo Luo to fetch the register and ink from the side room.

He added Luo Luo's name to the register, very solemnly and seriously.

Luo Luo held it up, facing the sunlight, puffed her cheeks, and blew hard, hoping to dry it quickly.

In the sunlight, the register was very clear, with only two names, but two names were enough.

"The register is in my hands. Whoever I add to the register is a student of the National Teaching College."

Chen Changsheng pointed to the register and said to the preceptor from Tian Dao College, "Even if you are the Supreme Bishop, you can't change this fact."

...

...

Cleric Xin quickly smoothed things over, saying soft words to give the preceptor from Tian Dao College a way out, while also asking him to certify Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo's eligibility to attend the Qingting Banquet. The preceptor from Tian Dao College was silent for a long time, then stamped his private seal on the dossier in Cleric Xin's hand.

The matter was not over yet.

The preceptor from Tian Dao College looked at Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo and said with a cold expression, "The Qingting Banquet is open to all students who have passed the preparatory course, and many come from all over the continent. Are you, as a waste of a person, preparing to bring shame to our Great Zhou Dynasty?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, preparing to say something.

At this moment, Luo Luo tugged at his sleeve and asked timidly, "Master, can I speak?"

Chen Changsheng said, "You are now a student of the National Teaching College, of course you can."

Luo Luo looked at the preceptor from Tian Dao College and asked seriously, "But, what does it have to do with you?"

The preceptor from Tian Dao College was not the preceptor of the National Teaching College, so what right did he have to manage the students of the National Teaching College? Luo Luo looked like a girl of eleven or twelve, and she spoke seriously, with a childish tone, which was very endearing. However, her words hit the core, and the preceptor from Tian Dao College was momentarily speechless, extremely angry, but didn't know how to respond.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He laughed in anger and said coldly, "I want to see how the National Teaching College can turn things around! At the Qingting Banquet, you, as a waste of a person from a wasteland, will be humiliated and become a laughingstock for the entire continent. Don't blame me for not warning you in advance!"

After saying this, he swept his sleeve and left.

Cleric Xin did not leave with him. He walked into the library and explained a few things to Chen Changsheng in a low voice.

Chen Changsheng then learned that the Qingting Banquet was hosted by the six Qingting Colleges in rotation, and this year it was the turn of Tian Dao College, with the preceptor from Tian Dao College responsible for certifying the participants. The National Teaching College had not had students attend the Qingting Banquet for many years and had gradually been forgotten, but this year was different. Of course, this was not the reason for the preceptor from Tian Dao College's bad attitude, especially his humiliation of Chen Changsheng. The main reason was a certain regulation of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

According to that regulation, if a college failed to recruit a student for several consecutive years, it would lose its teaching qualifications and all policy protections. The National Teaching College had not recruited students for many years, and if it continued for one more year, it would quietly disappear from the annals of history. However, who would have known... in the last year, the National Teaching College had a student named Chen Changsheng.

"Is it just because of this?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Cleric Xin was silent for a moment and then said, "That year, something happened at the National Teaching College... Preceptor Peng's three senior brothers all died here."

Chen Changsheng was silent, thinking that if he were in the same situation, he would also hope that the National Teaching College would close and disappear, and his attitude towards the student who suddenly appeared and changed the fate of the National Teaching College would naturally not be good, hoping that the student would leave as soon as possible.

"However, you don't need to worry too much. As long as you don't participate in the Qingting Banquet, Preceptor Peng and the old people from that year can't do anything to you."

Cleric Xin comforted him a bit, looked at Luo Luo standing quietly by his side, and patted his shoulder, saying, "You can do it."

...

...

Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo, both only fourteen years old, didn't understand what these four words meant. Chen Changsheng still thought Luo Luo was a girl of eleven or twelve.

Chen Changsheng looked at Luo Luo's small face and suddenly felt a bit hesitant, because it was only then that he noticed how beautiful this little girl was.

Luo Luo grabbed his sleeve and said, "Master, you can't change your mind."

Chen Changsheng scratched his head helplessly, thought for a long time, and finally said, "Have you... eaten?"

Luo Luo opened her big eyes, a bit confused, "Didn't we eat dumplings in the morning?"

"Um... it's noon now."

Chen Changsheng looked out the window and said, "It's time for lunch."

Luo Luo put her hands together in front of her, bowed slightly, and said gently, "I'll go make lunch for Master."

"Let's buy it," Chen Changsheng said.

Luo Luo asked, "Dumplings?"

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "There's a noodle shop in the alley besides dumplings, the noodles are quite good. By the way, less bean sprouts, more Sichuan pepper powder."

Luo Luo ran off, laughing and playing, her ponytail bouncing.

On the wall of the courtyard, Jin Changshi and Li Nushi looked at each other.

"Is this good?"

"I think it's pretty good."

...

...

After eating the noodles, it was already afternoon. The spring breeze carried a natural fragrance, making one feel drowsy.

Chen Changsheng looked at Luo Luo and said, "I only asked your name today, sorry."

Luo Luo smiled but didn't say anything.

"Take the night pearl and those things back, I really can't accept them."

"Master, are you thinking of changing your mind again?"

"Of course... not."

"Then... how can you return the gift of respect?"

"Didn't you buy me a bowl of noodles earlier?"

Luo Luo's smile faded slightly, lifted her skirt, and slowly bowed on the black floor.

Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, bowed towards Xining Town, and then bowed to her.

The spring was clear and bright, the lake calm like a mirror, and the occasional breeze passed through the hall, around the bookshelves, and through the hair.

Chen Changsheng straightened up and helped her up.

Luo Luo said, "Thank you."

Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say, thought for a long time, and said the same, "Thank you."