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Chapter 24
Editor: Sahloknir
“When the Lotus Immortal was still young, a handsome and magnificent man caught his eye from afar. A person beside him said, “That is the most beautiful man in the world, he is the Cang Yang Sect Master.” Suddenly, he saw that this Sovereign seemed to be aware of his stare, and stopped to smile back at him. Seeing this, the Lotus Immortal was shaken to his core and could not help—”
The hall was silent for a long time, and Xu Shuangtze tapped one of his long fingers on the book and said, “Could not help but what?”
The morning light shone into the vast hall of the Xuanji Palace. On either side of an intricately made wooden table, the master and disciple pair were seated, their brushes, ink and jade slips neatly arranged in order.
If one ignored the expression on Gong Wei’s face, which now looked like his soul had been sucked out of his body, this scene really could be described as ‘wise teacher and earnest student, learning from each other’.
“…could not help but…” Gong Wei paused and said numbly, “blush bashfully.”
There was silence outside the hall.
Xu Shuangtze flipped a page of the book and asked, “And then what?”
There was a clanging of the table and chairs, and Gong Wei rose to make a long and deep bow, “Shizun, this disciple didn’t memorise the next part.”
“Why?”
“This disciple couldn’t bear to see unruly people slander Shizun, and I was so angry that my heart and internal organs could burn!”
“Oh, really,” Xu Shuangtze flipped another page of the book, “but you finished reading it, kept it pressed under your pillow and don’t seem to have any intention of throwing it away.”
Gong Wei, “…”
“Besides, since it’s merely a rumour, there’s no need to take it seriously or be angry.” Xu Shuangtze closed the book and gently tossed it in front of Gong Wei, saying, “Take it back and continue to memorise. After lunch you need to recite the first chapter fluently. If you can’t, you will have to recite it aloud a hundred times in front of me. Go on.”
A short while later there was a creak and the door of the hall opened.
Sheng Bo, who stood on the steps, turned around and saw Gong Wei who was now pale and in a trance, step across the threshold slowly. He still had the scandalous book under his arm.
“…” Sheng Bo could not hold back, “Are you alright?”
Gong Wei shook his head without saying a word, he stopped and stood still on the steps.
Gong Wei rested one hand on his forehead and squinted his eyes at the vast sky above him, his long, black hair and scarlet robe tossing in the wind, his facial expression now calm. Sheng Bo knew full well that the man in front of him was a halfwit, but at that moment, he couldn’t help but avert his gaze and chide awkwardly, “You, why are you still standing here? Quickly go and memorise your book!”
“Look at how lively that bird is.”
“?” Sheng Bo looked over inexplicably, only to see two sparrows perched on the roof of the palace, hopping freely and naively.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Ktfs’ii yf vfjv ys klcafg,” Xbcu Qfl rjlv jwljyis.
Vtfcu Db, “?”
“Obbx tbk qgfaas atf oibkfgr jgf lc ogbca bo atja mbegasjgv,” Xbcu Qfl jvvfv lc jvwlgjalbc.
“…,” Vtfcu Db obiibkfv tlr ilcf bo rluta, bcis ab rff atf rwjii, rajggs oibkfgr yibbwlcu bc atf wbecajlc qjat lc atf vlrajcmf lc ogbca bo atf qglralcf qjijmf kjii.
“They’ll be dead before winter.” Gong Wei said in a soft voice.
Sheng Bo cried, “Hey, you—”
“Look how wonderful the clouds are in the sky.”
A few fluffy white clouds drifted slowly across the distant sky.
“When the winds will come…”
“They will be dead!” Sheng Bo said angrily, “Are you finished or not! I think you are really going to die if you don’t memorise your book!”
Gong Wei finally withdrew his gaze, stared straight at Sheng Bo, smiling oddly, he wagged his index finger, “No need to memorise, I already know what’s next. ‘The Lotus Immortal blushed abashedly, and he fell for the Cang Yang Sect Master at first sight. The two became deeply in love with each other and were blissful like a pair of newlyweds. However, nothing in the world is predictable. After all, the Lotus Immortal is a popular subject of forbidden tales of romance with all the great sect masters.
There were various different versions of his scandalous relationships spreading across the famous sects, such as being the infatuation of both the Immortal Alliance Master and the Guqin Sect Master. Finally, one day, Yuchi Changsheng of the Golden Gate Sword Sect also fell for this stunning beauty, so he tried all sorts of tricks and provocations to drive a wedge between the lovebirds. The Cang Yang Sect Master who heard the rumours, vomited three litres of blood in anger…'”
Sheng Bo cried, “Stop! Stop!! Stop talking!!”
“Lotus Immortal, with sorrowful tears in his eyes, took the hand of Cang Yang Sect Master and said with affection, ‘Shuangtze, do you really believe that I am that kind of person?’ Xu Shuangtze held back his pain and said, ‘Zhiyu…'”
“Stop! Stop!!” Sheng Bo covered his ears with both hands and screamed miserably, “Xiang Shidi! You are my dearest Shidi! No, I’ll address you as Shixiong alright?!!!”
Gong Wei continued cruelly, “‘So the two men locked hands and gazed into each other’s teary eyes, and the Lotus Immortal said, ‘Shuangtze, just remember that you are the only one in my heart…'”
“I’ll kill you!!” The last strand of Sheng Bo’s sanity finally snapped and he lunged at Gong Wei in a frenzy.
Gong Wei turned and ran, the next instant Sheng Bo was picked up by the back of his collar. Wen Xiuyang had appeared behind him at some point and frowned, “What’s with all the noise? Is this appropriate?”
“Shixiong!” Sheng Bo was in tears when he saw his saviour, “Shixiong, save me, quick! Get him out of here!”
Wen Xiuyang said coldly, “Why don’t you say this to the Sovereign?”
Immediately, Sheng Bo shivered and dared not say a word. Wen Xiuyang put him down and looked at Gong Wei again, pondering for a moment without speaking.
“Shixiong?” Sheng Bo asked while glaring at Gong Wei, “Why are you up here at this hour, aren’t you off duty today?”
Wen Xiuyang said, “Something happened.”
“What’s the matter?”
“…”
Wen Xiuyang seemed to be deliberating something. His expression was slightly strange, before, after a pause, he said, “You should head back first.”
Sheng Bo looked puzzled, but Wen Xiuyang sounded authoritative, so he obediently grabbed his sword and left the main hall of Xuanji Palace. But on his way out, he still looked over three times out of curiosity. It was only until he had completely disappeared at the end of the long flight of white jade steps that Wen Xiuyang turned to Gong Wei and glanced up and down at him for a moment.
“…” So Gong Wei could only ask, “What happened, Wen Shixiong?”
Wen Xiuyang did not answer at first, but only looked at him, and suddenly asked for no apparent reason.
“What kind of person do you think the Sovereign is, Xiang Shidi?”
What a refreshing question!
He had always been persuaded by many saying to him that “Sovereign Xu is not the kind of person you think he is” —just as the words “Chief Gong is not the kind of person you think he is” had been told to Xu Shuangtze. But this was the first time that Gong Wei was given the opportunity through a question to voice his thoughts.
“The Sovereign is wise and formidable, he is a man of celestial bearing and admired by the entire world!“ Gong Wei bowed long and solemnly, projecting his voice loudly and clearly.
Wen Xiuyang could not help but fall silent, “…I am not asking about the opinions of the world, I want to know how you feel.”
Gong Wei maintained that long bowing posture, “Of course I feel the same way.”
“Is that so?”
“What I said is from my heart, there is not a word of falsehood!”
Wen Xiuyang didn’t know whether he was stunned by his nonchalant attitude or what, but he said after a long pause, “Get up.”
Gong Wei straightened up and modestly straightened his cuffs.
“…strange.” Wen Xiuyang seemed a little confused and murmured, “You obviously don’t resemble Lotus Immortal at all, you’re completely different…but why?”
Gong Wei thought in his heart, Do I really not have much resemblance to that Lotus Immortal who was beloved by everyone? But said instead, “What ‘why’?”
Wen Xiuyang did not answer.
“Wen Shixiong?”
Wen Xiuyang stood there, although he was looking straight at Gong Wei, it also seemed that he was looking through him into a hazy time of long ago, a time that was far more complicated—like an unspeakable past. He said softly later, “I used to feel grateful for the outcome of the Ascension Platform sixteen years ago, but in recent years, I’ve come to believe that it could actually be a terrible mistake.”
Gong Wei’s eyebrows jumped.
“It might have been better if that incident did not happen.”
—What did he mean?
Gong Wei didn’t have time to think about it, only to see that Wen Xiuyang had already walked passed him and stepped up a flight of white jade steps until he reached the closed door of the main hall, before he bent down and paid a long obeisance, saying in a deep voice.
“Reporting to the Sovereign!”
The next moment Gong Wei finally understood the reason why Wen Xiuyang had asked him to stay.
“Yuchi Xiao of the Golden Gate has arrived, seeking the audience of the Sovereign, please give your instructions!”
After a moment of silence, the door swung wide open.
Xu Shuangtze stepped across the high threshold with the wind in his face. He gestured to Gong Wei, who was unable to see the slightest emotion in his expression, with a wave.
Gong Wei’s emotions at this moment were indescribable, almost like when he was preparing to ascend to the Ascension Platform. He took a deep breath and walked down the white jade steps, calling out emotionally, “Shizun…”
Suddenly, his shoulder sank.
Xu Shuangtze pressed one hand on Gong Wei’s shoulder, it felt like the pressure of a thousand pounds, but also like a light and unhurried touch. Then, he pulled Gong Wei close and pressed him against his side.
The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, and then Xu Shuangtze turned to Wen Xiuyang, his voice also unhurried, “What is the matter?”
Wen Xiuyang bowed his head, oblivious to the scene, “He said that he came to offer a gift.”
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Sahl’s mini theatre:
Xu Shuangtze: I do not feel in the least threatened by this junior. *Drags Gong Wei into ‘lover-like’ embrace*
Gong Wei: I feel very threatened by Shizun! *Tries to escape*
Yuchi Xiao: I wish I could hug Yunfei like that… *Daydreams*