513 The Sights of the Bridge of Helplessness

The alley of the Northern Military Department was deathly still. The twocrabapple trees in the courtyard had long since shed all their flowers, but inthe past two days, they had accumulated some snow, making it seem like a sea offlowers had been reborn. Zhou Tong stood under the crabapple trees, looking at the kneeling subordinategiving his report. Rather annoyed, he asked, "Do I even need to be especiallyinformed of such trivial matters?" The subordinate was quite perplexed, thinking, the match between Xu Yourongand Chen Changsheng is, without doubt, the final major event of the year. Whyis Your Excellency so completely indifferent to it? "Since life or death is not decided there, it's a trivial matter." Zhou Tong shared the exact same opinion as Tang Thirty-Six. Saying this, heturned and headed back to his room, no longer concerning himself with thismatter. Zhou Tong paid no attention to this battle, but there were still many peoplekeeping close attention on it. By a quiet and beautiful snowy lake to the north of the city, Tianhai Chenwuwas leaning against a balcony, viewing the snow. For some reason, he suddenlyrecalled the lake by Clear Lake Restaurant and his mood took a turn for theworse. In the past few days, whenever he spoke to Xu Shiji, he spoke with far morecourtesy. This was because Xu Yourong had become the Holy Maiden far earlierthan anyone had imagined. But perhaps because of his rather sour mood, or perhaps because he wasnervous, his attitude towards Xu Shiji returned to what it had been in thepast, even far more unyielding and straightforward. "You want to rely on the Li Palace, you also have to see if the other sidelets you rely on it. The Pope directly annulled the engagement and the DivineGeneral's estate was once more ridiculed by the common people. Just whatbenefit did that give you?" Tianhai Chenwu continued, "Since this battle still has to be fought in theend, what need was there to have pursued those fool's errands?" Xu Shiji was silent, his face emotionless. In reality, he was already furiousto the extreme. Tianhai Chenwu smiled, "Today, let's see if Yourong can help her father givevent to his anger." …… …… The population of the Orthodox Academy was not great. All together, they onlynumbered a hundred-odd people. But when all of them walked together on the street, their manner was quiteastonishing. This was especially the case later on when they were followed byseveral thousand people of the capital down the street. Their momentum seemedeven greater and they presented a rather stunning sight. Not too far past the Monastery of the Returning Dragon was the Luo River,which was also called the Luo Canal. Not far ahead, one could already see thatfamous bridge. But not everyone could go over. Besides Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six andall the other students that followed him were barred at the corner of EightWillows Street. From Eight Willows Street to Four Way Street, a perimeter several li aroundthe Bridge of Helplessness had already been made. As they could not get in, the spectating populace could only stand on the twoshores of the Luo River. At the moment, there were already many people, a densemass of people lining the shores far into the distance such that the end couldnot be seen. They were all discussing the match that was about to begin, analyzing who wasstronger and who would win. Chen Changsheng was a different person than he was this time last year. At theIvy Festival, he had engaged in a battle on the comprehension of swords withGou Hanshi. In the Grand Examination, he had inconceivably obtained first rankof the first banner. In the Mausoleum of Books, he had brought starlight downover the entire capital and been compared by many people to Wang Zhice. Withouteven mentioning the events of the Garden of Zhou and the battles on his journeyback south, and discussing only the time period between the start of the summerand now, the Orthodox Academy had confronted innumerable challenges, and ChenChangsheng had not lost once. Even more shocking was that he had won sixconsecutive victories over experts of the initial level of Star Condensation.It was only at this point that the people realized that the seeminglyinconceivable feat of surpassing cultivation levels was actually no surprisefor him, but something right and inevitable. From the stupefaction at the beginning to the ‘right and inevitable’ of now,even a little numbness, Chen Changsheng had given this world far too manyshocks. There was even less to discuss about the other side. Xu Yourong had alwaysbeen special. She of the true Phoenix blood was identical to Qiushan Jun. Fromthe moment they began to cultivate, they exceeded the bounds of an ordinaryperson's imagination, and they had even managed to surpass the limits of theirpeers. She did not need to attend the Grand Examination, as she was qualifiedto enter the Mausoleum of Books whenever she wished. In truth, at the age often, she had already begun to study the Heavenly Tomes. Up until now, no oneknew if she had ever fought experts at the initial level of Star Condensation,but many people, including Chen Changsheng, believed without a doubt that shecould easily accomplish this feat traditionally regarded as most arduous. If it was said that Chen Changsheng had given the world far too many shocksthis year, then Xu Yourong could be said to have always been the world's mostpleasantly surprising discovery. "They've come!" The people on the banks of the Luo River realized that Chen Changsheng and allthe people of the Orthodox Academy had arrived and began to cry out. The scenebecame very noisy and lively. Some of the crowd reverentially bowed and asked if he was well, some of themyelled out questions. But there were no cheers, and in the countless cries,nobody said 'you must win!'… "The Four Great Markets sent news. Besides the Orthodox Academy and the Bureauof Ecclesiastic Education, there's basically no one who placed bets on youwinning…even many of the priests of the Li Palace bet on Xu Yourong." Tang Thirty-Six consoled, "But you can understand it as the popular sentimentof the capital, not at all a judgment of your strength." Chen Changsheng thought, even it really is this way, it's not too much of acomfort. He asked Tang Thirty-Six, "And you?" Tang Thirty-Six replied, "I have faith in you." This was not a blind faith, and it didn't have anything to do with the bondbetween friends either. Rather, this was a statement made on the basis of soberacknowledgment. Tang Thirty-Six was keenly aware how serious and arduous were the preparationsChen Changsheng had made in these seven days, watching every day as ChenChangsheng calculated and deduced in his room. He even felt that there was noone else in the world as serious as Chen Changsheng. This was what was meant bythe saying, 'the heavens reward the diligent'. As long as the stars above stillshone bright, there was no basis for as serious a person as Chen Changsheng tolose. "I advise you to still bet on me to lose." Chen Changsheng patted him on the shoulder, then, under the guidance of apriest, headed into Eight Willows Street. Watching his back, Tang Thirty-Six wanted to say something but ultimatelydecided not to. He vaguely felt that those final words were indicatingsomething. Seeing his expression, Xuanyuan Po was rather solemn. Puzzled, he asked, "Youjust said a moment ago that since life or death isn't being decided, it didn'tmatter that much, so why are you beginning to worry now?" "I'm not worried about whether or not he might lose, I'm worried about mymoney." Tang Thirty-Six turned and walked into the crowd. Xuanyuan Po became even more confused. He shouted, "What are you going to do?" Without turning his head, Tang Thirty-Six answered, "I'm going to the FourGreat Markets to cancel my bet." …… …… Eight Willows Street was very quiet. Besides the priest guiding him, there wasno one else on the street. But upon reaching the side lane of Eight Willows Street that led to the LuoRiver, the priest stopped and extended his hand, inviting Chen Changsheng toenter. Chen Changsheng nodded his head and walked into the side lane. In a shortwhile, he reached the edge of the Luo River. He just needed to walk up thesteps and he would arrive at the lower end of the Bridge of Helplessness. The Bridge of Helplessness was the greatest bridge over the Luo River. Thebridge was incredibly broad—ten-odd carriages could run across it side by side.The bridge was very tall, but it wasn't very steep. Compared to other bridges,it was actually very flat. When standing at the base of bridge and lookingacross, one would think of the bridge as a plaza. Chen Changsheng walked up the bridge. It didn't take long before he arrived atthe very center of the bridge. There was no one on the Bridge of Helplessness, nor was there anyone on theother side. There was no one as far as the eye could see. It was spacious andquiet. He stood on the bridge, watching the river flow under it, and then rememberedsomething. A bridge pier of the Bridge of Helplessness had been struck two years ago by aboat. The Imperial Court had expended a vast sum of money in order to set up anarray to make the bridge firm. This array was right below the bridge. Similarly, the important water gates along the Luo River also had arrays whichprevented the water from freezing in the bitter winter. The grain boats andmerchant ships from the south could travel unhindered. However, the capitaltoday was under martial law, especially in the area around the Bridge ofHelplessness. The Luo River, which on a normal day would provide the grandsight of endless boats traveling along it, was today very cold and cheerless. Just like this bridge. Not one person, not one boat. Just as he was musing on this, he saw a great ship coming from downstream. This boat was massive, most likely a warship of the Great Zhou Navy. Theuppermost deck was almost level with the Bridge of Helplessness. Many people stood on the deck of the great ship, but there were fewer peoplestanding on the very top deck, many of which he knew. With a light splash, the great ship slowly came to a stop and dropped itsanchor. It was still about a li away from the Bridge of Helplessness. Chen Changsheng could clearly see that standing on the uppermost deck of theship were several Divine Generals clad in armor. He recognized Xue Xingchuan,Fei Dian…Xue He had unexpectedly also returned. Of course, there was also XuShiji. Also present were the directors of the Ivy Academies, with the currentPrincipal of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Zhuang Zhihuan, standing at the centerof them. Standing at a more forward position were the important figures of theImperial Court and the Orthodoxy. He saw Mao Qiuyu, Linghai Zhiwang, and DaoistSiyuan. He also saw the Minister of Rites as well as Mo Yu and Prince Chen Liu. But these important figures were still not the people at the very front. Standing at the very front of the ship were three painters from the Pavilionof Divination. One of them was the painter that had spectated Chen Changsheng'sfirst match with Zhou Ziheng, while the other two were painters that thePavilion of Divination had rushed over. All of them were Star Condensationcultivators. Back in Xunyang City, people found it inconceivable when theyrealized that the assassin Liu Qing was an upper level Star Condensationcultivator. Then three Star Condensation painters… Chen Changsheng looked at the people on the ship. The people on the ship looked at him on the bridge. Daoist Siyuan said, "Even though I've always felt that they were just makingtrouble, he's still the Principal of the Orthodox Academy. I can only hope thatin a little while, when he loses, it won't be in too unsightly a fashion." On the side, Mao Qiuyu calmly replied, "To already speak of victory and defeatbefore it's even begun is too early." Linghai Zhiwang expressionlessly declared, "Victory and defeat have alreadybeen decided." In the eyes of these peak Star Condensation experts only a step away from theDivine Domain, slightest detail before or within battle was enough to affectthe final outcome. Linghai Zhiwang believed that since Chen Changsheng had come first, his defeatwas inevitable. There was still some time before the appointed start. For himto come so early perhaps indicated that his mind was not calm enough.Furthermore, being the sole person standing on the Bridge of Helplessness, ifhe wanted to steady his mind, he would find it very challenging to do. Because he had to wait, and waiting indicated passivity. These moments of timeon the bridge required thoughts to fill them, and thinking too much had neverbeen a good thing before a great battle. "It's not necessarily good, and it's not necessarily bad either." Mao Qiuyu gazed in the direction of the Bridge of Helplessness and opined,"Perhaps flighty and impetuous, perhaps calm and serene and coming early to getused to the environment. In the end, it all depends on the person'stemperament." This was a very reasonable statement. In truth, each person had their own reasons. It was just that because theirstandpoints and tendencies were different, the reasons they supported and thewords they spoke would naturally be in conflict. Similarly, one could seefrom the reasons they supported and the words they spoke just where each of thepeople present actually stood. "I don't understand cultivation, but from Principal Chen's actions in thepast, there's really no need to doubt that he's calm and patient." The one speaking was the Minister of Rites. Many people shot glances of shock at him. Even Prince Chen Liu shot this highofficial a sideways glance. It was only at this point that everyone presentrealized that the Minister of Rites was actually favorable towards the oldImperial clan! …… …… In the Orthodox Academy, Zhexiu looked out his window at the ashen sky. Aftera long silence, he finally stood up, took up the walking stick leaning on thewall, and walked out. Just as he walked out of the house, he suddenly felt a slight chill on hisbody. He extended his hand to feel it and discovered that it was snow on theverge of melting. He raised his head up to the sky and realized that it was beginning to snow. …… …… "It's snowing," someone on the ship said. The snowflakes fluttering down caused the people on the ship to show a littlemovement and then once more settle into an eerie silence. As the crowd watched Chen Changsheng on the bridge, they thought, if the snowgets worse, it will disturb his mindset. Seeing this snow, would Xu Yourong come earlier, or deliberately come later? The flakes of snow gradually transformed into pieces of snow. It didn't take long for Chen Changsheng's body to be speckled in white. The populace on both shores of the Luo River began to raise up umbrellas.Several tens of thousands of umbrellas simultaneously opened, creating a ratherspectacular sight. Chen Changsheng could not see this scene. He could only see the snow fallingbefore his eyes. He had already stood on the bridge for a very long time, but precisely asLinghai Zhiwang had judged, he found it impossible to completely settle hisheart. Because he was currently very nervous. To be more precise, he had always been very nervous. From the moment the White Crane landed on the shore of the Orthodox Academy'slake, he began to feel nervous. He had been nervous all this time, all the wayup until now. He was not used to this feeling of nervousness. He was aware that this sort offeeling was not good for his health and would have an even greater effect onhis fighting performance. As a result, he gradually became somewhat anxious. The source of this nervousness and anxiety was naturally this battle, but itwas primarily because his opponent in this battle was her. Far too many things had happened after he had come to the capital from XiningVillage, and the source of all of it was her. And now, he was finally going tomeet her. In the previous few days, besides calculating and deducting, he inevitablyalso began to think about just what he should say in their first true meeting. He had not been able to think of what to say. Since he couldn't think of it, he wouldn't think about it anymore. At this moment, he finally made a decision. He would no longer look at the people on the ship and on the bridge. Thosewere all worldly things, far too complex. He would also no longer look at the snow falling from the sky. Snow movedwithout pattern, too unpredictably. He looked at the water under the bridge. The Luo River in the deep winter was calm, but under the surface, the watercontinued to flow. In this channel of water, the moving and unmoving had achieved unity. This wasto act as one. As he gazed below the bridge, he handed over all his thoughts to the flowingwaters. He gradually calmed down until he forgot all things and almost entereda state of emptiness. Then, Xu Yourong arrived. She walked over from the long street on the other end of the bridge. Sheseemed to come with the snow, noiselessly and without movement. The falling snow was a very natural occurrence, and her arrival was also avery natural occurrence. Without disturbing a single person, she arrived at thebase of the Bridge of Helplessness. At this moment, Chen Changsheng was on the bridge, seeing the sight of flowingwater. She was looking at the person on the bridge that was taking in the sights. The White Crane flew in from some far-off place, snow dancing around it. Itlanded on the black eaves of some house behind the bridge. All of this made for a very beautiful sight. ……