Words on ideals, dreams, and persistence were naturally very fitting for the contents of the first lesson. But a matter that could be understood with a couple of concise sentences was clearly not enough to encompass the contents of an entire lesson. Chen Changsheng eventually had to speak about truly useful things.
He took from the bookshelf a book that summarized the meridians that had been approved by the Orthodoxy's Hall of Literary Glory. Flipping past those pages giving basic information, he went straight to the colorful diagram on the very last page. Pointing at the green and red lines drawn on the human body in the center of the diagram, he began to contrast this diagram to Luoluo's specific situation.
Those lines represented the meridians of the human body and were extremely complex. The basic introductions calculated there being several dozen meridians, but if one examined even more carefully, that number would double. However, based on what Luoluo had said herself, her body simply did not have this many meridians.
These were two completely different systems of meridians. One was complex and fragile, the other simple and resilient, thus allowing two species of intelligent beings to walk on two paths in completely opposite directions. It was impossible to conclude which path could go the farthest, but at least in known history, this competition still had no result.
Chen Changsheng did not sigh about the peculiarities of this other form of life. He was only stunned by the miraculous workings of the creator, and he understood even more that if these two forms of life wished to cross that boundary in the middle and learn the cultivation methods of the other side, it would be an incredibly difficult task.
If Luoluo's race had been able to easily learn the cultivation methods of humans, then she would assuredly not be learning the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong, but the secrets of the Mount Li Sword Style that she had gifted to Chen Changsheng yesterday. The Mount Li Sword Style was one of the strongest martial arts of the human world. For her race to learn it would naturally be as difficult as climbing up to the sky, so they might as well settle for second best.
All human cultivation methods were constructed from two parts: technique forms and methods of circulating true essence. To use the Wind and Rain Sword as an example, merely having a grasp of the sword manual was far from enough. One also needed a grasp of the true essence circulation methods used in this sword style, and only then could one display the sword style's true might.
Luoluo's body simply did not have the meridians possessed by humans, so how could she grasp these methods? She understood what it meant when the sword manual said to circulate and casually let true essence flow through her Rao meridian, but the problem was that she had no Rao meridian, so no matter how strong her soul was, where was she going to let it flow through?
"Only on that night, when I acted according to Teacher's words and attempted to move true essence, did I realize that I could control the Wind and Rain Sword like a human. Was this an imitation or…was this a method for me to match my true essence with the sword manual?"
Luoluo was very studious and seriously asked.
Chen Changsheng pondered this question, but did not answer her question immediately. He turned and exited the library, picking out a branch on the lake shore that had been severed from its tree by the fight from that night. Taking out his dagger, he peeled all the bark off the branch, transforming it into a slim and slightly white stick. He did not forget to use a rock from the lake to round off the end of the branch.
He returned to the library and said, "If you're not willing, just speak."
Luoluo gazed at the thin wooden stick in his hands, her eyes open wide. She thought to herself, I just acknowledged him as my teacher; could it be that now I have to suffer the rod? Could it be that Teacher is a person that believes in education through the rod? But it had not been easy to make Chen Changsheng acknowledge her as his student, so she was unwilling to utter the three words "I'm not willing" and forcefully nodded her head.
Chen Changsheng raised the thin stick in his hands and pointed at a certain place in her chest through her clothes, saying, "Bring your true essence to this place."
Humans had a so-called Qi Sea in their elixir field, but he didn't know if Luoluo had one. It wasn't very convenient for him to ask about these sorts of secrets about the bodies, but seeing Luoluo's expression, he felt that there shouldn't be any problems. After a moment, he asked, "What do you feel?"
Luoluo earnestly sensed the feeling coming from the place that stick was touching and said, "It's somewhat hot."
"When weak, Yang Fire can also be expressed externally. Since you have this feeling, then in my view, this place doesn't have too different of a use from the Rao meridian."
While speaking, Chen Changsheng was also taking notes.
On that night, he had spoken only one remark and had allowed Luoluo to successfully move her true essence and truly control the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong for the first time. But it was only one technique and luck had been involved. What he needed to do now was break through the limits of the human meridians and construct another system. It was naturally extremely difficult.
This was definitely not a one-day affair.
If he had not memorized the Daoist Canon ever since he was a child, if his long illness had not made him a doctor, and if his meridians were not so different from others, there might not even be a possibility of success.
After finishing his notes, he raised his head once more, thought, and then extended the thin stick to lightly poke at a place on Luoluo's neck. Of course, it was still through her clothes.
"Carefully, a little slower.
"What do you feel?"
"Somewhat cold."
"Mm.
"What about here?"
...
...
The wooden stick fell on Luoluo's body, pointing and then directing. This was instructing.
Chen Changsheng would receive feedback, record it on his notes, and then continue.
Time quickly passed under this directing and conversing.
At twilight, Chen Changsheng's arm felt somewhat sore. He placed the stick down and gazed out the window. He saw only yellow roof tiles and red walls, but he suddenly smiled.
Using half a day, he had come up with a certain possibility, found a possible path, a path within Luoluo's body.
"Try?"
He pulled his gaze away from the sight of the capital under the setting sun and turned to Luoluo, taking his dagger from his waist and offering it to her.
Luoluo received the dagger and took in a deep breath. Her eyes became abnormally bright, and then she closed her eyes and remained silent for a very long time.
In that second in which the setting sun was swallowed by the city walls, she opened her eyes and let out a soft shout.
This shout was very crisp without the slightest impurity. It was transparent as the spring waters or the spring breeze.
With this clear shout, the dagger in her hands floated up from her waist level like a poplar flower, gently drifting upwards until it seemed to reach the ninth heaven.
Countless sword shadows like the rain, unstoppable sword intent like the wind.
This was wind and rain.
The Wind and Rain Sword.
...
...
Without human meridians, it was impossible to use the true essence circulation methods described in the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong, but the sword that was ultimately displayed was actually the true Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong. This meant that the true essence circulation method used by the wielder could almost completely imitate the true essence circulation method used by humans.
The wind and rain gradually descended in the remnants of the setting sun. As the night gradually approached, the old garden was peaceful.
The library was silent.
Luoluo's hand holding the dagger was shaking slightly.
She turned to Chen Changsheng, her voice also somewhat shaky as she said, "Teacher, you truly are extraordinary."
She was very shocked. She felt that her teacher was an immortal descended from the heavens, or how else was it possible for him to teach her so many things in such a short amount of time?
So shocking that he must be a celestial being.
Chen Changsheng placed the thin stick down in front of his knees and began to happily laugh.
In these past few days, no, in these past few years to be precise, he had always been thinking about this problem of how to cultivate when one's meridians were severed. In the past, because he had not cultivated, all his contemplations were in the void, blindly advancing forwards in the darkness. Now, however, although he still did not have the slightest trace of true essence, he had a female student. This female student was outstanding, could perfectly realize all his hypotheses, and even proved all his conjectures right in the space of half a day.
Luoluo said, "Thank you, Teacher, for your instruction."
Chen Changsheng replied, "The same to you, the same to you."
The twilight was not at all like blood, but like the fires of the stove in the wonton stand, sublimely warm.
Luoluo returned to the Hundred Herb Garden. Her clansmen knew that her mood today was especially good because she was skipping the entire way back, her agile steps seeming to be treading upon the clouds; because she was humming a small tune, her singing like that of a yellow oriole; and because her brows seemed ready to fly off her face.
Guardian Jin and Guardian Li glanced at each other and hurriedly followed her. They naturally knew the reason for their princess's good mood, but they hadn't been able to see what was going on in the library. Inevitably, they had some questions. Was successfully acknowledging a teacher worth being so happy about? What was good about that Orthodox Academy youth?
Luoluo freshened herself up and changed into a clean dress. She accepted a cup of Jin Mei tea from her maid and took a couple of sips, then returned to the front hall and said to those two guardians, "If you have something to ask, quickly ask it. I have to sleep early tonight so that I can wake up early tomorrow to attend class. I don't dare be late."
(TN: Jin Mei, golden eyebrow, seems to be an expensive variety of black tea.)
Guardian Jin thought to himself, when did Princess become so diligent in attending class? Of course, unspoken criticisms naturally could not be voiced, so he said with a smile, "Arriving a little late won't be anything much, or would that youth dare act against Your Highness?"
"That is my teacher, so don't go saying 'youth this', 'youth that'. In the future…all of you have to call him Teacher Chen."
Luoluo thought of the solemn aura her teacher gave off when reading and cultivating and also about how he almost harshly valued his time. She said with an extremely pathetic look to the pair, "If I'm late to morning class, Teacher will truly be angry. I don't want to suffer from Teacher's lash on only the second day."
Guardian Jin was taken aback by these words, almost not daring to believe his ears! That youth dared to wield the whip against the princess! If this were heard by the people back in the eight hundred li of the Red River, it was highly likely that the capital would be overturned!
Just as he was prepared to give Chen Changsheng a firm lecture, he suddenly felt Guardian Li almost imperceptibly pull on his sleeve. Only then did he notice that his little princess was not the least bit unhappy, her pathetic appearance all pretend, behind it an unconcealable happiness!
Guardian Jin's expression became somewhat dazed. He simply could not comprehend what had happened in these past few days, was utterly mystified as to what that youth called Chen Changsheng…fine, that Teacher Chen, besides bravery and kindheartedness, possessed to actually make his little princess adore and worship him so!
"Teacher is not an ordinary person."
Luoluo naturally understood what her clansmen were thinking, and, prompted by Guardian Jin's vacant expression and Guardian Li's concerned expression, made this statement.
It was inconvenient for Guardian Jin to speak, while Guardian Li was somewhat closer to her and couldn't help but murmur, "Not even succeeded at Purification yet…it can't get more ordinary than this, can it?"
Luoluo said, "The two of you feel that an ordinary person that hasn't even succeeded at Purification can solve a problem that not even my father could solve?"
Guardian Jin hesitated before finally saying, "Perhaps…it's luck?"
Luoluo thought of her experience this afternoon and then proudly declared, "No, the thing Teacher needs the least is luck."
Puzzled, Guardian LI asked, "Since…this Teacher Chen is not an ordinary person, why did he enter the Orthodox Academy? What is he hiding?"
"Silently reading and cultivating, always remaining hidden and concealing, a fish that nobody cares about in a stream that is just waiting for a great storm. When the time comes, this fish will leap over the Dragon Gate and transform into a true dragon, overlooking the entire continent, its reputation ringing throughout the world…"
Luoluo's eyes were getting brighter and brighter, her voice getting louder and louder. "Teacher's way of thinking is truly great!"
Guardian Jin silently gave a bitter smile as he thought, this is the real world, where did all these plot points from stories come from? Princess seems to have matured a lot, but it turns out she's still a child.
On the next morning at five o'clock, Luoluo promptly awoke. Of course, under her normal routine, this girl that was fond of sleep would definitely have failed to get up, but her maids, following her commands, had begun beating on gongs and banging on drums in the yard from four-forty-five, and so she had to get up, even if she didn't want to.
She wrapped some clothes around herself, rubbed her eyes, opened her door, and angrily mumbled, "It's so noisy!"
Those maids that had forcefully suppressed their fear and unease to bang on the gongs and drums, their faces pale, were so frightened by their princess's anger that they immediately groveled on the ground, repeatedly asking for forgiveness.
"I was just randomly commenting."
Luoluo yawned and then indicated that they should rise, saying, "None of you were wrong and you've done well. In a little while, go to Mama Li and receive your rewards of silver…precisely according to the rule I established last night, if you wake me up before five, there will be a reward. If I can't wake up, your pay for the month will be gone!"
The maids all looked at each other and, after confirming that the princess was truly not angry, they fearfully rose and brought over all sorts of tools, grooming the princess and assisting her in her toiletries. Another person came with ten-odd dresses, asking the princess which one she would wear today.
Luoluo picked out the most simple yet elegant dress, casually dined on porridge made from polished rice and a fried pancake with a piece of smoked meat inside. She then opened the already-prepared lunchbox and carefully examined the contents. Nodding her head with satisfaction, she took the lunchbox and walked towards the academy wall.
Pushing open that brand-new door, she ended up going from the Hundred Herb Garden to the Orthodox Academy.
There was no wooden basin here, and so there was no naturally no bathing youth either. His past encounter had engraved far too deep a memory on Chen Changsheng's mind. After dinner, the first thing he did was to bring the wooden basin inside the house. At the same time, he did not forget to add a lock to the house and to also draw closed the curtains of the bathroom.
Changes noiselessly occurred in the Orthodox Academy.
Because this place no longer had solely Chen Changsheng.
The Orthodox Academy now had two students.
...
...
Reading and then cultivating.
This remained the theme of the Orthodox Academy.
Besides no longer being able to bathe outside or sing when he was on the toilet…Chen Changsheng felt that the greatest change in his life was that the quality of his meals had improved enormously. From the second day after Luoluo had acknowledged him as her teacher, he began to eat the breakfast, lunch, and dinner she brought over from the Hundred Herb Garden.
He was extremely satisfied with the three meals made in the Hundred Herb Garden. Whether it was the variety of dishes; the pairing of vegetables, grain, and meats; the nutrition; or the taste; he felt that they all surpassed his finest imagination. In Xining Village's old temple, it was always his senior that cooked the meals. Although nutrition was no problem, the taste was truly very ordinary.
He was very satisfied with these meals, but he was even more satisfied with Luoluo's expression. Essentially, these meals and her diligence were her expression, her kind intentions.
Luoluo was very close to him, wanting to spend every moment by his side. The moment his attention strayed, this girl would hug his arm and bury herself in his chest, constantly sniffing. She was just like a cute kitten, and if he did not so firmly insist, she would not even go back to the Hundred Herb Garden to sleep.
Chen Changsheng was only fourteen years old and was not at all used to the respect and dependency Luoluo displayed. Although he even now mistook her for being around ten years old, even being so close to a female child was inevitably rather embarrassing. However, he thought this sort of feeling was very good, so good that he was willing to endure it all.
But there had still been no progress in his cultivation. Many days had already passed and he had constantly been drawing in starlight for Purification, yet his body still had not undergone any transformation. Even someone with as resolute a will as him began to doubt himself, or at least feel that his luck was seemingly not very good.
He did not know that Luoluo had once said to her clansmen that he was a person that needed luck the least.
Luoluo's luck was extremely good, and if one were to speak in terms of destiny, her destiny swept away all others before it—none could obstruct it!
From the night she became acquainted with Chen Changsheng to acknowledging him as her teacher, and then in these several dozen days, the late spring had still not come to an end. Chen Changsheng had helped her find three paths of circulating true essence, and she had managed to grasp seventeen moves of the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong!
Just as it was beginning to feel like summer, the pre-examination to the Grand Examination also concluded.
The grand streets and small alleys of the capital were all lively, crowded with countless students from various places across the continent, in ecstasy or in sorrow, celebrating with wine or drowning their sorrows in it. The restaurants were all packed and though it wasn't even night, those famous brothels had already hung up their colored lanterns.
Because of his recent problems with cultivation, Chen Changsheng's mood was rather downcast. He knew that being constantly tense was not a good thing, that he needed to relax his mind somewhat. Consequently, he finally emerged from the Orthodox Academy, taking an extremely precious half day of time to go see the sights. Interestingly, or perhaps in his way of rendering others speechless, he did not go to the Li Palace to see those ivies which seemed to be in eternal spring, nor did he go the Bridge of Helplessness to count the stones. Rather…he took Luoluo to the entrance of Hundred Flowers Lane and sat by the well under the eaves to gaze vacantly at the activity on the street.
Luoluo had always obeyed every one of his orders. No matter what he decided, she had always followed without a single complaint. She believe that any choice he made was correct. No matter how absurd, there was undoubtedly some deeper meaning behind it that she had yet to grasp. Only today was she finally upset.
"Teacher…"
She sat on a stone step, looking at the moss growing on the edge of the well as she pouted, bored to death, and kicked around a small leaf at her feet. She had originally planned to grumble a few phrases, yet she couldn't. She felt that since they had finally managed to come out for a stroll, shouldn't they go a little farther? Walking the streets with her teacher was quite an interesting proposition.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Changsheng, holding two ice pops, said, "You don't want to eat it? If I eat two, it'll upset my stomach."
Luoluo thought to herself, Teacher still loves me. As a result, she grew happy again and took the ice pop from his hand. Seating herself by his side, she vacantly gazed at the sea of people on the street.
Licking the ice pop, she asked, "Why is it so lively today?"
With a crunch, Chen Changsheng took a bite out of his ice pop and said in a muffled voice, "Just now when I was buying ice pops, I heard somebody say that the pre-examination for the Grand Examination just ended."
Luoluo opened her eyes wide and exclaimed, "Ah!"
Chen Changsheng turned his head to look at her, asking, "What's wrong? Is it too cold?"
Luoluo turned to him and said uncertainly, "I just feel like we've forgotten something."
Chen Changsheng began to seriously recall, his brow twisting tighter and tighter and then finally relaxing.
"I've remembered, we have to represent the Orthodox Academy in attending the Ivy Festival."
Yes, the pre-examination for the Grand Examination had concluded and summer had come.
The Ivy Festival was about to begin.
Luoluo asked, "Do we have to go?"
Chen Changsheng thought it over, then replied, "We should go."
Luoluo asked, "But it seems that no one has come to notify us."
Chen Changsheng replied, "If the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education has forgotten, then we can just not go."
Luoluo took a satisfied lick of her ice pop and said, "Yeah, whatever Teacher says."
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