Chapter 71

At the end of the River of Forgetfulness lies the White Emperor City, where the eight hundred miles of the Red River serve as its fief... Who else could it be?

The only princess of the demon race actually appeared here!

The people inside the hall were stunned, and with the rustling of their clothes, they all stood up to prepare to bow.

"My mother, the eldest princess of Daxizhou."

Luoluo looked at everyone in the hall and continued, "My father, Bai Xingye."

As these two names were mentioned, the atmosphere in the hall became even more oppressive, tense, and silent, as if it were dead.

These two names represented supreme authority and power, and both were among the Five Sages.

The couple in the White Emperor City were on par with the Empress and the Pope.

The people of the Southern delegation were silent, and when they saw Chen Changsheng behind Luoluo, their faces turned even uglier.

People had already noticed that the relationship between Luoluo and Chen Changsheng was different from the norm.

Sure enough, Luoluo looked at the Southern delegation and said, "My teacher, Chen Changsheng."

After saying this, she glanced back at Chen Changsheng.

"My father, my mother, my teacher."

She said this, which was equivalent to placing these three on the same level.

Unlike what some people in the capital had thought, Luoluo did not enter the National Teaching Academy for an interesting experience, but to truly learn, and she regarded Chen Changsheng as a family member and a respected elder.

The people in the hall were stunned and speechless, and Gou Hanshi's expression became even more solemn.

Who was this young man named Chen Changsheng, who could be mentioned in the same breath as the White Emperor and his wife!

"May I ask, in what way is my teacher inferior to Qiushan Jun?"

Luoluo asked the Southern delegation.

The Southern delegation was speechless, for they had no answer.

No matter how talented Qiushan Jun was, in terms of status and position, how could he compare to the teacher of the imperial princess?

Luoluo then looked at the shabby young scholar who had previously spouted nonsense and raised an eyebrow, asking, "To fight against the demons, humans need to unite, and the North and South need to merge, so Xu Yourong must marry Qiushan Jun? Just because of so-called righteousness, should a woman be forced to marry someone she does not want to marry?"

The young scholar's voice trembled as he said, "Shouldn't it be so?"

"Of course not!"

Luoluo looked at him with a mocking expression, "She is my teacher's wife, and you want her to marry another man. I really doubt if you are a spy for the demons."

The young scholar's face turned bright red with anger, but he dared not say anything.

Luoluo looked at everyone in the hall and said, "Righteousness and status? I am the princess, and my teacher naturally has righteousness. How dare you try to threaten him with righteousness? What a joke!"

The young scholar wanted to explain but found himself speechless, breaking out in a cold sweat.

No one in the hall dared to oppose Luoluo's words.

Because to fight against the demons, humans need to unite, and the process of the South merging with the North should be accelerated. That's why the young scholar had said Xu Yourong should marry Qiushan Jun.

But everyone knew that the alliance between the demons and humans was the foundation for fighting against the demons!

If fighting against the demons is righteousness, then maintaining good relations between the demons and humans is the greatest righteousness!

According to the logic of the young scholar and some shameless people, since Luoluo would definitely represent the demons in supporting the marriage between Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong, anyone trying to stop this marriage would be trying to anger the demons and destroy the alliance between the two races. What else could they be but spies for the demons!

Should the process of the North and South merging be prioritized over offending the most steadfast and powerful ally of the humans? Ridiculous!

No one would make such a choice. Not just the people in the hall, but even the Pope, the Southern Saintess, the Li Mountain Sect Master, or even the Empress, would not bear such responsibility.

Righteousness? In the end, it's just about interests, or power. When you think about it, it's really quite laughable.

The young scholar was drenched in sweat, and only now did he see the hidden thoughts beneath his robes and the guise of righteousness.

His face was still red, but now it was from shame, not anger.

The hall was silent, and many people, like the young scholar, felt ashamed and did not know what to say.

Gou Hanshi looked at Luoluo with a complex expression.

"If you had any shame, you would have left by now. What's the point of struggling here?"

Tang Sanshiu mocked him, "Give up, your senior brother Qiushan Jun won't get a wife... Do you dare to kill Chen Changsheng in public now?"

The disciples of Li Mountain Sword Sect stood up, furious, and gripped their sword handles, then looked at Gou Hanshi.

Gou Hanshi looked at him calmly, his eyes gradually brightening, not sharp but more determined.

The head of the Qiushan family had been silent since Chen Changsheng presented the marriage contract, but now he could no longer hold back. He stared at Tang Sanshiu and said coldly, "Is Mr. Wen Shui well?"

Tang Sanshiu's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Trying to use my old man to pressure me? Do you have any shame?"

The Qiushan family was a true thousand-year-old clan in the South, and they valued their reputation. As a member of the Tang family of Wen Shui, he understood this but was not polite.

The Qingteng Banquet had undergone many changes tonight, and there were several opportunities for both sides to ease the tension and find a way out, but due to certain reasons or misjudgments of the situation, the Southern delegation made the wrong choices, leading to the current awkward situation.

The current awkward situation, besides the aforementioned reasons, was also due to the continuous mocking and ridicule from Tang Sanshiu and Luoluo.

Luoluo scolded and berated Elder Xiaosonggong and others because they had mocked and berated Chen Changsheng first. She could not stand such behavior, and with her status, she was justified in doing so.

Tang Sanshiu's scolding and berating of Xiaosonggong and the head of the Qiushan family were entirely due to his personality.

Regardless of his seniority or other aspects, he should not have behaved this way, which would seem too absurd, too unrestrained, and too unruly.

Unruly people are not necessarily rakes; they could be more like spoiled brats or scoundrels.

In many people's eyes, Tang Sanshiu's behavior was very crude, very rude, very unpleasant, and very despicable, completely unlike a member of a noble family or a genius from the Heavenly Dao Academy.

But he did it anyway because he did not like these people.

Dislike is dislike, and that means he would scold them.

That was his personality.

He was a sixteen-year-old boy, a true boy, who did not rejoice at the spring breeze, did not grieve at the autumn wind, did not sigh at the winter snow, and did not get annoyed at the summer cicadas. He only rejoiced at what he liked, got annoyed at what he hated, sighed at what was unfair, and grieved at the heroic figures in the sunset.

He liked being alone, liked sleeping, and did not like dealing with people. He was slightly narcissistic, very proud and confident, and lived a very free life. The petty squabbles of the world had nothing to do with him. When he saw something he did not like, he would scold it, and when he saw something he liked, he would get close to it.

He was such a boy, and that was his nature. Even if he was not a genius on the Qingyun List but just a young beggar basking in the sun at the corner of a wall, he would still whistle at a pretty princess passing by in a carriage and kick a rich young man who bullied others, regardless of whether he would be beaten by the guards.

So he had few friends in the capital, except for Chen Changsheng, and he offended many classmates in the Heavenly Dao Academy, including Zhuang Huan Yu. He had announced early on that if he met the little monster from the Zongsi Temple who liked to harm ordinary people, he would definitely cripple him. That was why he could not attend the first two nights of the Qingteng Banquet.

Tang Sanshiu was such a person, truly liking or disliking something, so those who liked him would really like him, like the old man from the Wen Shui family or Deputy Dean Zhuang from the Heavenly Dao Academy, and those who disliked him would really dislike him, like the angry young people in the Southern delegation.

He did not care.

But someone did.

"Rude! Hurry up and apologize to your seniors!"

A voice came from the Heavenly Dao Academy's seats.

At that moment, everyone in the hall was standing, so it was unclear who it was, but a moment later, people realized it was Zhuang Huan Yu.

People were surprised, not understanding why he would scold Tang Sanshiu, and even more puzzled as to why he would speak up.

Even if Tang Sanshiu's words were crude and despicable and disrespectful to the seniors of Li Mountain Sword Sect and the Qiushan family, the Heavenly Dao Academy's Dean Mao Qiuyu or Deputy Dean Zhuang could discipline their students. It was not Zhuang Huan Yu's place to do so, even though he was a genius ranked tenth on the Qingyun List, he was still just a student.

Moreover, in the current situation, Dean Mao Qiuyu had remained silent, so why would Zhuang Huan Yu scold Tang Sanshiu?

Mao Qiuyu turned to look at Zhuang Huan Yu, his expression calm.

Many people's gazes fell on Zhuang Huan Yu.

Zhuang Huan Yu's expression changed slightly; he did not know why he had blurted out those words.

But the words were out, and there was no taking them back. He tightly pursed his lips, his face turning somewhat pale, but he still stared at Tang Sanshiu.

He thought he looked impartial, but to others, he seemed to have lost his composure.

The reason for Zhuang Huan Yu's sudden loss of composure was complex. Tonight, the Qingteng Banquet had brought countless important figures, and even he had to sit quietly, not daring to speak freely. But who would have thought that Tang Sanshiu, whom he usually looked down upon, would speak so boldly and rudely in front of everyone, which made him subconsciously feel a lot of disgust.

The more important reason was because Luoluo had revealed her identity.

The legend in the Heavenly Dao Academy, when it returned to reality, was still a legend.

He had imagined countless times about the future with that teacher, but tonight, those dreams were shattered.

That teacher... was the legendary Princess Luoluo!

No matter how hard he fought, even if he became a genius surpassing Qiushan Jun, he could never be with her.

Deep disappointment and despair turned into anger—but that affection had always been hidden in his heart, never revealed to anyone, so tonight's disappointment and anger had nowhere to vent.

At that moment, he saw Tang Sanshiu, a junior he could scold at will.

Thus, those words came out.

The hall became abnormally quiet.

Everyone looked at Tang Sanshiu.

Previously, Guan Feibai of Li Mountain Sword Sect had scolded Tang Sanshiu for being rude, and Tang Sanshiu had replied, "Go to hell."

Now, Zhuang Huan Yu scolded him for being rude. How would he respond?

Some people in the Southern delegation had a look of schadenfreude, thinking that the Zhou people had internal problems to deal with.

Gou Hanshi looked at Zhuang Huan Yu, somewhat surprised, and raised an eyebrow.

Guan Feibai looked at Zhuang Huan Yu, frowning slightly, not pleased.

Tang Sanshiu's face was somewhat ugly. He looked at the Heavenly Dao Academy's seats, but none of his classmates responded. Mao Qiuyu sighed and was about to say something, but Deputy Dean Zhuang, looking pale, shook his head at him, hesitating, as if very conflicted.

He was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "What a drag."

"Indeed, quite a drag."

A voice sounded beside him.

Chen Changsheng looked at him and said, "Not at all like you."

...

...

(There is a boy who is a bit rebellious and a bit arrogant... Hehe, I suddenly realized that the author's notes are not visible on mobile and WeChat, so I'll put them in the main text from now on. There are many interesting chapter-end notes in the earlier chapters, like the one where I flattered my wife last night... If you're interested, you can go through the web version of the novel from the beginning. Also, there's only one chapter today because the upcoming plot is very exciting and powerful, and I... need some confidence. I'll work on the detailed outline tonight.)

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends