Chapter 85: The Bamboo Gentleman of Great Qian
The sun slanted toward the west. Ruo Hong held a chess piece in his hand, still as an old monk in meditation.
Everyone held their breath and waited. No one had expected a single game of chess to reach such a state. If this were written into a storyteller’s tale, it would probably still be gripping enough to make people lose themselves in it.
Then again, was the scene before them not exactly like something from a storybook?
Beside him, the corners of Lan Ruoyun’s lips lifted as he glanced at Ruo Hong, who was deep in thought. Back then, he had been terribly tricked by this man. Those difficult years felt as though they had happened only yesterday. He had thought that, faced with someone like this, he would never have a chance for revenge. There had always been a sense of helplessness in his heart. But now…
Perhaps his chance had come.
Those endless pursuits and assassinations from the past—if he was always the one being bullied without the power to strike back, that would be far too dull. Although this time, his revenge probably would not require him to do anything at all. He glanced at Qi Zheng and Chen Bai, whose eyes were half narrowed as they studied Ruo Hong, and the curve of Lan Ruoyun’s lips grew even wider.
The chess piece in Ruo Hong’s hand finally landed on the board with a crisp clack.
With so many people watching, the fact that such a clear sound could still be heard showed just how tightly everyone’s hearts had climbed into their throats.
After watching for so long, most people had more or less understood the rules of Go.
Rather than saying Ruo Hong was the one playing chess, it would be better to say that everyone’s attention was fixed on the board, and they were all following along, trying to deduce the direction of the game.
As the piece fell, the hearts that everyone had been holding up finally eased.
“That move was brilliant. Placing it there actually gives one a sudden sense of clarity.”
“Exactly. Just now, the pieces looked tangled and complex, yet there seemed to be some sort of hidden pattern. It made one’s head feel twice as large just looking at it, and no one had any idea where to place the next piece. But with this one move, the situation suddenly became clear.”
“What a brilliant move.”
Discussions rose one after another.
The students of the academy also loudly relayed the move.
“His Highness Ruo Hong has placed his stone: four-four, Sinking Moon in the West, the point of the tip.”
For some reason, they somehow made the game sound sacred.
Ruo Hong finally came back to himself, a trace of a smile appearing on his lips. He had spent far too long on this move. After observing the whole board, this was the most brilliant move he could think of.
This game of Go was indeed rather interesting. Its way of thinking had actually reached such a level. It was quite good for training the mind.
Only…
The student who had gone upstairs to relay the move came running back down excitedly, shaking his head. Each of them looked as if they had been injected with chicken blood, their faces flushed with excitement.
“The computer has placed its stone: six-eleven, Daybreak, the point of severing.”
Ruo Hong froze. Impossible. How could the other side be so fast?
One had to know that the board position was now so complicated that no ordinary person could see through it in a short while. Even he had needed to think carefully for a long time before placing a piece. But now… the other side had placed a stone immediately after his, as if without thinking at all.
And…
The students were so excited their heads were shaking. “Your Highness Ruo Hong, you lost.”
Once the piece was placed, the computer naturally gave the result immediately. The students had seen the result on the computer, so of course they were this excited.
Ruo Hong frowned. Impossible. That move of his had absolutely been brilliant.
Clack.
But after the student placed the stone on six-eleven, Ruo Hong’s gaze suddenly changed. For a long time, he could not return to himself.
The surrounding people also stretched their necks, calculating the board.
Then came the sound of people sucking in cold breaths.
“Hiss…”
“It really has decided the winner.”
Chen Bai, however, did not show much expression. This was within his expectations.
After a long while, Ruo Hong finally said, “I lost.”
Perhaps even he himself had not expected that he would actually lose.
The happiest ones were probably the students. They were so delighted they nearly jumped up, as though they themselves had won.
The former number one crown prince of the states, who had never once been defeated, had actually lost to their academy’s computer. Although Ruo Hong’s reputation was no longer as dazzling as before, if this spread, it would still be an incredible matter.
Fortunately, the students still remembered to be reserved. Their faces were flushed, but they forced themselves to stand straight and proper.
Ruo Hong glanced at the tower before him. “What a pity that I could not see the true face of this master. What a pity that I could not enter the academy for a look.”
His face was filled with regret, making the surrounding people feel even more deeply how high the threshold of Cloudward Academy truly was.
By now, the sky was no longer early. Ruo Hong cupped his hands in farewell and began returning to Shangjing with some regret.
The people around looked at one another. Even the former number one crown prince of the states had come here specially, yet he had still failed to enter.
With his back to the crowd, Ruo Hong’s lips slowly curved upward. He had lost, but he had also succeeded.
Reputation was a good thing. But when one stood too high, one had to endure all the wind and rain—just as he had back then.
Back then, he had chosen to avoid the sharpest edge and dodge that storm capable of sweeping everything away. As for Cloudward Academy, what would it do…?
After Ruo Hong returned to Shangjing, he said to the Yan guards accompanying him, “Spread the news of the Saint disciples gathering at Cloudward Academy to the various states. Spread everything that happened today throughout the world…”
At this time, Chen Bai and Qi Zheng were also discussing the matter.
“Do you think Ruo Hong happened to be there by coincidence, or did he deliberately come to the academy?” Chen Bai asked.
Qi Zheng did not confirm or deny it. “No matter what, Ruo Hong is worth suspecting. I will have people keep close watch on his movements.”
Chen Bai nodded. “If Ruo Hong’s outward appearance is truly an act, then he really is terrifying. He played the whole world in the palm of his hand. But there is one thing I cannot understand. Why would someone like that willingly give up the position of crown prince?”
Not only could Chen Bai not figure it out, Qi Zheng could not figure this out either.
Chen Bai looked at the sky. Tomorrow morning, he had to go to the Crown Prince’s residence to learn swordsmanship from Qi Zheng, so he had to return to Shangjing.
He went to ask the group of students if any of them wanted to return together. In the end, every one of them shook their heads like rattle-drums, their eyes darting around as they pretended to be calm and nonchalant. They had already decided that tonight, they would battle the computer for three hundred rounds.
Chen Bai and Qi Zheng returned to Shangjing together. Since it was already late, they parted ways as soon as they arrived in the city.
That night, however, was not exactly peaceful.
At least, Ruo Hong did not sleep. He stayed alone in his room, no one knew what he was thinking.
Only when the moon hung high in the center of the sky did he suddenly say something inexplicable in the quiet room.
“Go and find out what exactly is inside Cloudward Academy.”
Silence. It was as if he had only muttered it casually.
Meanwhile, downstairs at Cloudward Academy, a figure completely shrouded in black appeared in the deep night. A black iron sword hung at his waist, and he looked like a ghost.
Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, he stood before the academy gates and could not enter.
He reached out and felt the gate, then frowned. What a sturdy door. It was probably no weaker than a thousand-jin stone gate.
Forcing his way through would likely not be easy. Slipping in silently would be even more impossible. This was somewhat troublesome.
Inside the academy, Chen Xiaobu was rubbing his eyes and yawning as he stumbled upstairs. He was going to steal a cat. After playing games for half the night, he needed to stroke Dalmatian with his left hand and pet a cat with his right hand to keep himself from dozing off and continue playing chess against the computer.
But when he passed by the surveillance room, he froze, because the screen inside was flashing red.
He understood this. It meant there was a suspicious person peeping around their academy.
In the past, when the surveillance room detected a suspicious person, it would also make a loud noise. Later, his brother had turned off the sound, because during the day, there were always unfamiliar faces coming to study their gate, and the surveillance room would mark them as suspicious people. As a result, the alarm kept going off nonstop, making it impossible to attend class.
Chen Xiaobu scratched his head and looked out the window. It was the middle of the night. There were still people coming to study their main gate?
He stretched his head toward the surveillance screen for a look, and with just one glance, his little body jolted. He swallowed. “A normal person wouldn’t dress like this in the middle of the night and sneak around in front of someone else’s door, right?”
Chen Xiaobu stopped stealing the cat and hurried toward Meng Huanchao’s room. He knocked rapidly on the door.
“Meng-jun, Meng-jun, wake up quickly! Our academy seems to have a thief.”
Chen Xiaobu’s voice startled the other students as well. They were all still playing games like night owls. Actually, since their floor was high, even if Chen Xiaobu’s voice was louder, it still would not have reached the ground floor.
Soon, a group of people were staring eagerly at the surveillance screen. Downstairs, that ghostlike person was still carefully hiding his tracks, his methods rather skillful.
“From the way he looks, he probably isn’t here because he’s curious and wants to study our gate, right?”
“I think he’s a thief. He must have taken a fancy to the good things in our academy and wants to steal them.”
“This thief is way too bold. He actually dared to steal from our academy.”
The corner of Meng Huanchao’s mouth twitched. What a group of innocent children.
Chen Xiaobu patted his chest. “Good thing I got up to pee and caught him red-handed.”
“Why would you run upstairs to pee?”
Chen Xiaobu: “Huh?”
He would never say he had come to steal a cat, because if his classmates found out, they would definitely do the same. There were only a few cats. How would that be enough?
“Meng-jun, what should we do now?”
…
At the main gate, that “thief” studied it for a long while but still could not find a way in. However, he was not too worried about being exposed. First, it was deep in the night. According to Shangjing customs, everyone should already be sound asleep. Second, he was rather confident in his own abilities.
But just then, the door before him suddenly opened.
Before the “thief” could react, a sharp sword thrust straight through the crack of the door toward his face.
Thankfully, this “thief” was highly skilled. Otherwise, just that one strike would have stabbed him into rolling all over the ground.
The “thief” retreated violently. But the figure inside the door had already lunged out, fierce and ferocious.
“The Eight-Direction Sword Style!”
There was no need to look. He knew who had suddenly stabbed at him. Among those living in the academy who knew the Eight-Direction Sword Style, there was only Great Qian’s eldest princess, Le Xun.
Swish, swish, swish!
The lights on the second floor also lit up. Little heads squeezed out of the windows one after another.
“Beat this thief to death!”
“Catch him and send him to the authorities! He actually dared to steal from our academy!”
In an instant, the place became lively.
In truth, Le Xun was also somewhat surprised. This person’s swordsmanship was quite extraordinary. Even after being caught off guard, he had managed to avoid her sword. Now, he could still fight evenly with her.
This person… was probably not some thief. If all thieves had skills like this, that would be absurd.
When masters exchanged blows, they naturally had to concentrate fully.
But the other party did not seem to want to fight her. At the cost of being stabbed three times, he hurriedly escaped.
Le Xun looked at the blood on the edge of her sword. “He would rather die than expose his identity? Who exactly is this person, to be so interested in the academy?”
On the second floor, Meng Huanchao looked thoughtful. “Someone who can wield a black iron sword so well… Judging from his figure… could it be him?”
Meng Huanchao shook his head. “If I had not spent some time with him before, I really would not have recognized him. He intentionally concealed his sword style just now, but in the end, there was still a trace of the Mo Stone Sword Style.”
He could not help glancing at Le Xun. “To think she could wound him. It seems another top-tier swordsman has appeared in the world.”
The students were still indignant.
“That thief is way too cowardly. Why did he run?”
“What a pity, what a pity. We should have caught him and sent him to the authorities, to make an example of him. Let’s see if anyone dares to spy on our academy again.”
Tonight was destined to be restless.
Meanwhile, in Shangjing, at Ruo Hong’s residence.
Ruo Hong looked at the black-clothed man whose wounds had been simply treated but were still seeping blood. He frowned slightly. “You are extremely skilled at concealment. How were you discovered?”
The black-clothed man was also full of doubt. He had shown no sign of exposure at all, yet the other side seemed to know his movements clearly. That sword thrust from behind the tightly shut door had been absolutely certain that he was right outside.
He could only answer, “I do not know.”
After thinking for a moment, he added noncommittally, “Gan Shisan was also inside the academy tonight. Perhaps it had something to do with him.”
This was probably the worst time Gan Xin had ever been framed. He had merely watched the commotion from the window. He had not even dared to go downstairs.
Doubt appeared on Ruo Hong’s face. He had met that Gan Shisan before and even played a game of chess with him. In his eyes, the boy was merely somewhat clever.
However, there were countless strange people and strange things in this world that could not be judged by appearance, so he did not dare draw a hasty conclusion.
Ruo Hong asked again, “Then who injured you?”
This time, the black-clothed man answered with certainty. “Great Qian’s Eldest Princess, Le Xun.”
Ruo Hong: “…”
He had heard a little about Le Xun’s swordsmanship, but he had not expected it to have already reached such a level.
“Go and recover from your wounds. These next few days, take care not to appear before others.”
The black-clothed man nodded, then left without a sound.
He carefully circled around several times, and finally entered a book studio—Green Bamboo Book Studio, the residence of Zhu Shimo, one of Great Qian’s Four Gentlemen.
…
By the time Chen Bai received the news, it was already the next day. He was at Qi Zheng’s residence.
Hearing the messenger’s report, Chen Bai froze. “A thief broke into the academy?”
“He did not get in. Eldest Princess Le Xun stabbed him three times. He suffered some injuries and escaped.”
Chen Bai paused. Wait. He had escaped from Le Xun?
Le Xun had once fought against the swordsmen from the other princes’ residences as Qi Zheng’s guest retainer and won first place in one move. Her strength was obvious.
Chen Bai muttered, “This thief probably has some background. He may not really be some petty burglar.”
He asked, “Are the academy students all right?”
“All are safe.”
Chen Bai asked a few more questions, but there was no further news. Aside from the fact that the person had excellent swordsmanship and had been stabbed three times, there were no other clues.
Qi Zheng stood at the side, seemingly deep in thought. “I will send men to guard the academy.”
Chen Bai thought that this was a good idea. Nowadays, all kinds of people were mixed around the academy, and the people inside were basically students who could not even truss a chicken. Having guards there would make things safer.
Chen Bai changed the subject. “Did I arrive on time today? Since Your Highness asked me to come learn swordsmanship, I did not delay for even a moment.”
He did indeed have the potential to be a bootlicker.
The corner of Qi Zheng’s mouth twitched. He looked at the sky. “The sun is already three poles high.”
He had heard that Chen Zixiu had quite a few habits of a noble young master. Now it seemed true. The sun was already so high, yet he actually still thought he had arrived early.
Did he not know that Qi Zheng had been waiting eagerly for a long time? Even the steward had come over every now and then to ask several times whether something had happened before they finally managed to wait for him.
Chen Bai sighed inwardly. Ancient people really were something. They clearly had no electric lights, yet they woke earlier than roosters. Unlike him—if he had nothing to do, he just wanted to lie in his warm quilt.
Chen Bai directly ignored Qi Zheng’s expression, which clearly thought he had arrived late. His eyes rolled around. “Your Highness, I brought you a gift this time. I spent quite a bit of effort to obtain this gift.”
Qi Zheng only then noticed the book box in Chen Bai’s hand. It looked rather heavy.
Chen Bai placed the book box on the ground. “I copied out quite a few more books. Later, I will take them to Green Bamboo Book Studio and have the scholars there transcribe them for me, so we can enrich our academy’s collection.”
Qi Zheng frowned. “You are just going to let others transcribe these books?”
Chen Bai smiled. “Relax. I thought of the problem you are thinking of long ago. The contents have all been scrambled before being given to them to transcribe. From just scattered words and phrases, it will be impossible for them to understand anything. Once they finish copying, I will sort them into complete volumes myself.”
Only then did Qi Zheng relax. He regarded those books as extraordinary treasures. How could he allow them to be leaked so easily?
Chen Bai’s expression suddenly became solemn. He pulled out one book from the pile, then handed it to Qi Zheng without looking away. “I think this book suits Your Highness best, so I am giving it to you.”
It truly suited Qi Zheng best. If Qi Zheng still failed to awaken after reading this book, then Chen Bai would have no choice but to drag him to some pleasure quarter and force the seedlings to grow. Though the consequences were a little unpredictable.
For some reason, the corner of Qi Zheng’s mouth actually lifted. He took the book. “The Plum in the Golden Vase? From the title, it sounds like an elegant collection of poetry.”
Chen Bai coughed. “More or less. It is all about cultivating sentiment and teaching life philosophy. A rare good book.”
“Oh?” Qi Zheng found it rather interesting. But why did Chen Zixiu’s voice sound somewhat thought-provoking?
He was just about to open the book when Chen Bai immediately stopped him. “Your Highness should read this book later.”
Reading this book in broad daylight in front of everyone—was he trying to die? It should be taken back and read secretly under the quilt. Only then would the world become more wonderful.
Chen Bai continued, “Did Your Highness not want to teach me the Eight-Direction Sword Style?”
Qi Zheng nodded. True. He put the book on the stone table in the courtyard, then tossed a sword to Chen Bai and began teaching him, move by move.
Chen Bai thought he might as well treat it as going to the gym. He even had a free personal trainer. Not bad.
For some reason, Chen Bai had originally thought today’s “personal trainer” would be especially fierce, but now it seemed different from what he had imagined.
“Did the sun rise from the west?” he muttered. As he practiced, he said, “Your Highness, if I learn swordsmanship from you like this, how long will it take me to become a first-rate swordsman?”
The corner of Qi Zheng’s mouth twitched. What an overly ambitious fellow. In the past, his face probably would have darkened, but today his mood seemed rather good. He only said, “Practice for three to five years first, and you may barely enter the third rate.”
Chen Bai: “…”
He felt Qi Zheng was not a good coach. Was this not dampening his enthusiasm?
Three to five years of hard practice, and he would only be third-rate…
“Why does your Eight-Direction Sword Style look so soft and weak?”
“This is a killing technique, not something for you to twist around prettily for others to watch.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Luckily, after Qi Zheng taught him a few starting moves, he let him practice on his own.
Chen Bai also breathed a sigh of relief. Practicing by himself was fine. He had said long ago that he was not suited for sword practice. Was it not because someone’s brain had short-circuited and he had nothing better to do than force him to learn?
Still, the exercise did have its benefits. As Chen Bai practiced and practiced, he lost track of time.
As for Qi Zheng beside him, he picked up the book on the stone table and read it with a pleasant mood, occasionally glancing at Chen Bai.
Tsk, tsk. Why was his mood so good today? Strange.
But as he flipped through the pages one by one, Qi Zheng’s expression slowly began to change.
This was a poetry collection for cultivating sentiment and teaching philosophy?
This was the gift Chen Zixiu had spent great effort to find, specifically because it suited him best?
Why did it look to him like…?
Look at what filthy things were written in here.
Chen Bai was practicing his sword. To be honest, it was really tiring. On top of that, the weather was gradually getting hotter, so this exercise was especially draining.
But… why did he suddenly feel a chill? There was no wind.
“Your Highness, I have practiced for so long. Shouldn’t you teach me the next move…”
Chen Bai turned around. Before he could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped.
In his eyes was Qi Zheng holding the book, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Chen Bai shuddered.
Damn. Hadn’t he told Qi Zheng to hide under the quilt and read it secretly? How had he started reading it now?
And judging from Qi Zheng’s expression…
Chen Bai hurriedly said, “Your Highness, this really is a good book. Do not be fooled by its surface content. We must look at it with a critical mindset. This is a classic, a classic…”
Qi Zheng was so angry that he nearly laughed. “Then explain it to me properly. What exactly is good about this book? If you cannot give me a reasonable explanation, Chen Zixiu, do not even think of walking out of this residence today.”
Qi Zheng stared at Chen Bai, as if waiting to see how silver-tongued he could be.
Chen Bai: “…”
“Your Highness, it is the natural order of heaven for people under heaven to marry and have children, right? Since it is the natural order of heaven, we naturally need to carefully… carefully study its principles, do we not?”
“In Great Qian, people hide this sort of matter as if it cannot be seen by others. That is not right…”
This time, Qi Zheng was truly nearly choked to death by Chen Bai’s words. “By your logic, should we openly publicize it everywhere?”
Chen Bai quickly answered, “Exactly. Your Highness speaks with reason. I think we should write a book specifically teaching the common people how to properly have children…”
Before Chen Bai could finish speaking, disaster struck. Qi Zheng was already looking everywhere for a tree switch.
If such outrageous words spread, no matter how great Chen Zixiu’s reputation was, it would be ruined.
Chen Bai was so frightened that he turned and ran.
By the time Qi Zheng found Chen Bai, Chen Bai was hiding in the bathhouse taking a bath, water splashing everywhere.
Surely Qi Zheng would not dare barge in like this.
Qi Zheng stood outside the door for a while. “If you have the ability, walk out of my Crown Prince’s residence.”
When Qi Zheng next received news of Chen Bai, it was from the steward, who came especially to inform him.
“Your Highness, Grand Secretary Zhaoxue has already left the residence.”
Qi Zheng froze. “How? Did I not tell you to keep watch and not let him walk out?”
The corner of the steward’s mouth also twitched. “Because Grand Secretary Zhaoxue did not walk. He climbed a tree and flipped over the wall. Grand Secretary Zhaoxue asked me to pass a message to Your Highness. He said this should not count as disobeying Your Highness’s order, right?”
Qi Zheng: “…”
At this moment, Chen Bai was carrying his heavy book box toward Green Bamboo Book Studio, humming a little tune as he walked.
No matter. If he could hide for one day, then one day it was.
