Capítulo 16: A Black Goat
The way Chen Changsheng walked was very special, and what was special about it was that there was nothing special about it. He would always raise his knees this high, his steps would always go that far. His gaze was level, able to both see into the distance and pay attention to what was in front of him. His chest was straight, but not deliberately so, instead possessing the natural sturdiness of a pine. His black hair was tied tightly, not in a topknot, but casually with a cloth, yet not one hair was out of place. His clothes were also very ordinary, washed so many times that they were losing color and exceptionally clean. Even his shoes were free of any filth. Everything was done with particular care. As he walked, the dagger at his waist swayed. This dagger was also very ordinary.
For the past few days, he had kept this dagger in the inn. Today was the first time he had brought it out. This ordinary dagger signified an unordinary meaning. After the conversation with the middle-aged woman, if the Divine General of the East's estate really did want to do something against him, this dagger was his preparation. It was just that this dagger was very similar to his person, very ordinary, commonplace, and not eye-catching in the slightest. Let alone legendary weapons like 'Frost God', 'Halving', and 'Dragonscale', it was even very difficult to compare this dagger to the weapons carried by pedestrians. Just what could it help him do?
Outside the inn, he was not at all surprised to see the carriage of the Divine General of the East's estate. In the morning sun, the gloomy insignia of the bloody Phoenix on the shaft of the carriage was all the clearer, almost like it was on fire. The warhorse that possessed the noble blood of the Unicorn raised its head and looked down on him from above.
As he passed the carriage, he gripped the handle of his dagger, but then after a while, loosened his grip. He halted in front of the carriage window, silently bowed, then continued moving forward in the direction of the rising sun. The window curtain was raised and the middle-aged woman peered out at the youth's figure in the morning light, her emotions somewhat complex.
Chen Changsheng walked to the northern part of the city. The second-to-last school on the list was located in Hundred Flowers Lane. After taking a very long time to walk there, he realized with some astonishment that this place was actually located very close to the Imperial Palace. Standing at the entrance to the lane, he could clearly see the majestic buildings of the Imperial clan, even almost smell the scent of history from within those palace halls.
As he walked deeper into Hundred Flowers Lane, the suspicions in his mind also deepened. Did a place so close to the Imperial Palace actually hide a school? But why was it so cold and cheerless? Finally, he saw the main gate of the school at the very end of the lane. The stone walls to the sides of the gate were all covered in green ivy, the sunlight that had penetrated through leaving faint specks of light. There was no name.
Was it this place? He wanted to ask someone, but the lane was very desolate, a far cry from the liveliness of the Heavenly Dao Academy and Star Seizer Academy. He stood there for a long time, but no one passed by. Only the clearly rather dilapidated academy gate served as his silent companion. This quiet pocket in a noisy neighborhood, so close to the incomparably noble place that was the Imperial Palace, seemed to be a lifeless ruin of interest to nobody.
He walked up to the wall by the academy gate and used his hands to pull away at the dense ivy. Finally, he saw a word carved onto the wall, the word 'Ortho'. The deeply carved word had once been brightly colored, but it had long been weathered away by countless years of storms. Even the wall itself was showing signs of flaking.
As he thought of the name of this school on his list, Chen Changsheng froze, realizing that this really was the place. He couldn't help but be filled with even more questions. The previous schools Master had chosen for him had all been the most famous and most outstanding schools of the entire continent, so why was this school so broken down and deserted?
As he thought of all this, his hands continued to grip the ivy, tearing at it once more, thus letting him see the second part of the word, 'dox'. He had no time for more sighs, as with this action, the ivy that had not been taken care of for so many years all slid to the ground with a rustle, stirring up clouds of dust.
Chen Changsheng moved backwards a few steps so as not to be touched by the ivy and dust.
The green ivy fell, the dust settled, and it didn't take too long for that stone wall that had not been seen for so many years to finally reveal its surface to the world once more.
On the mottled stone wall, two words were carved.
'Orthodox Academy'.
The deeply carved words did not have much paint, only accumulated dust and the dead leaves left behind by the ivies last year. The corners of the words had even been somewhat worn away by the wind and rain. If one did not carefully inspect it, it would be difficult to recognize just what those words were.
As he blankly stared at the stone wall, Chen Changsheng said nothing for a very long time, filled with the gloom of failure. He placed his heart and soul in seeking the Dao and rarely experienced this sort of emotion. Yes, he really wanted right now to just turn and leave—even if he did pass the entrance exam for such a dilapidated school, how could it be of any help to his life?
He raised his head to look at the sky and determined that he still had time. He decided to enter this dilapidated school and take a look around. If it was no good, he would go to the final school on the list.
His hand rested on the gate and gently pushed.
Creak.
After many years, the gate to the Orthodox Academy was opened once more.
...
...
The carriage of the Divine General of the East's estate was parked outside Hundred Flowers Lane, its proud white horse with its head slightly raised bored to death. In the carriage, the middle-aged woman was not as calm. Her eyes were brimming with a deep sense of confusion and doubt as she mumbled to herself, "Why did he come here?"
She was keenly aware that the school in the depths of Hundred Flowers Lane had long since withered away, but when she thought of how this youth seemed quite skilled at surprising others, she didn't dare neglect it. Her finger lightly rapped against the window, indicating that the white horse should pull the carriage. However, just at this moment, a carriage galloped from behind and blocked her carriage from moving forward.
Hundred Flowers Lane was very narrow, barely able to accommodate a single carriage. Now that it had been blocked in such unreasonable fashion by this carriage, the carriage of the Divine General's estate naturally could not proceed forward. The middle-aged woman slightly arched her brow, rather displeased. However, when she thought of how close this place was to the Imperial Palace, she did not yell at the other carriage to give way.
The carriage that had suddenly appeared was very low and small, even somewhat simple and crude. A blue cloth served as a curtain, and the animal pulling the carriage was also very low and small. Its fur was pure black and it seemed like a donkey. The middle-aged woman was a little taken aback, silently jeering, the capital actually still has someone that uses a donkey to pull their carriage, truly pitiful.
The middle-aged woman was not yet angry, but the white horse could no longer hold back. How could a bearer of Unicorn blood possibly allow a small black donkey to block it? It furiously raised its head, wanting to threateningly neigh, but at this moment, the animal pulling the blue-curtained carriage slowly turned its head and glanced at it.
It wasn't a black donkey, but a pitch-black goat. Its fur was smooth like satin and it was clearly no ordinary being.
The most unimaginable part was that its eyes were actually serene and deep, cold and indifferent, like some divine being that dwelled above the clouds.
If one were to say that this horse's nobility came from its Unicorn blood, then this black goat's nobility came completely from its bearing. Before its eyes, the white horse was completely like some naughty child, easily angered and irritated, while it was an Imperial that dwelled above, living in the palace halls and unstained by dust.
This black goat turned its head and glanced at the white horse.
The white horse was just on the verge of neighing in anger, but when it saw the black goat's cold and indifferent eyes, it instantly quieted down. Its eyes bubbled with boundless fear and its front hooves went soft. It could no longer support its heavy body, its knees bent, and its body heavily crashed against the ground. Shuddering all over, it didn't dare rise, and it seemed to be bowing to the black goat like a minister bowing to its king.
The middle-aged woman rushed out of the carriage. Upon seeing the kneeling white horse, she was shocked speechless. She thought, this horse is the sole son of the steed ridden by the Divine General—it's always been arrogant and tyrannical. When did it become so cowardly? When she turned her head to the black goat, she suddenly remembered something. And when she turned her gaze to the blue-curtained carriage, her eyes were filled with extreme surprise.
She used her swiftest speed to kneel down on the ground, bowing towards the blue-curtained carriage. Her face was pale and she didn't dare to speak.
An elderly voice emerged from the carriage.
"I want to go in first—does Nanny Hua have an objection?"
Upon hearing this voice, the middle-aged woman somewhat relaxed. As it turned out, it was not that lady who had come, but the nanny who served at the lady's side. As for why this nanny knew that she was surnamed Hua and that she was often referred to as Nanny in the Divine General's estate, she didn't need to ponder, because this woman knowing about anything was only right and expected.
The occupant of the blue-curtained carriage was also a nanny, but when compared to the nanny of the Divine General's estate, this nanny was far more famous, the most famous nanny in the entire capital. Even Lord Zhou Tong, whose name struck fear into all members of the Imperial clan, great ministers, and Divine Generals, would have to squeeze out a smile in front of this nanny. Just what did she count for?
"What is Nanny saying, this humble servant did not recognize you. My thoughts were deeply disrespectful, and I ask for Nanny's forgiveness."
The middle-aged woman's voice slightly trembled. She had previously decided not to yell out, and now she couldn't help but feel lucky. Even so, she didn't dare conceal the evil intentions she had, because according to the rumors, hiding anything before this black goat was looking for death. Moreover, she was keenly aware that only acting this way could she appease this nanny.
If not for the fact that the Divine General of the East's estate had always been close to the lady this nanny served, she wouldn't have even dared to explain. She would just have cut off her right arm to make amends for her crimes.
The nanny in the blue-curtained carriage asked, "You came to look at that youth?"
The middle-aged woman didn't dare raise her head, only respectfully grunting in reply. Only at this moment did she confirm that the lady in the palace had known of this matter the entire time.
The nanny continued, "Then from today onwards, you don't need to look at him anymore."
The middle-aged woman was somewhat shocked. With a low and trembling voice, she requested, "I ask that Nanny instruct me."
The nanny's voice was emotionless. "When I act, do I have to explain things to you?"
The middle-aged woman touched her forehead to the floor, not daring to say a word more.
The black goat glanced at her, then turned around and pulled the blue-curtained carriage into the depths of Hundred Flowers Lane.
Only after a long while did the middle-aged woman dare to raise her head, her face still pale.
Whatever the nanny in the carriage did truly did not require any explanation to anybody, even if the other party was the Divine General's estate.
Because she was the nanny that served at Lady Mo Yu's side.
...
...
The academy's buildings still displayed faint signs of their former magnificence. It was just that they were all decayed without any sign of habitation.
Chen Changsheng stood by a lake, gazing at the rampant weeds at his feet in silence. He had decided to come in and take a look because he recalled the records of this Orthodox Academy in the Daoist Canon. To be able to use the Orthodoxy as a prefix, this academy naturally had a long history. It had once been incomparably powerful and raised countless extraordinary individuals, but…how had it turned into this?
The surface of the lake gently rippled. The place was quiet and still, the buildings old-fashioned. There was not a single person here.
He had many questions, but he didn't know whom he should address them to.
At this moment, a sound came from behind him.
He turned his head and saw a black goat.
This was a pitch-black goat that emanated a strange aura.
If a normal person, in this deathly still environment, were to see this sort of black goat, they would subconsciously feel a little afraid and at the very least attempt to avoid it, but Chen Changsheng did not. He really liked this black goat. This was because this black goat was very clean, just like him. He plucked some grass from the lake shore, took a handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped off the dew on the grass, and then offered it to the black goat.
The black goat quietly looked at him, tilting its head. It seemed to be confused, wondering just what he wanted to do.
Nobody had ever fed this black goat grass before.
No matter if it was Prince Chen Liu or the Crown Prince, nobody dared to feed it grass.
Everyone in the palace knew that it would only eat fruit plucked personally by Lady Mo Yu.
"Eat, there's no dew, you won't get indigestion."
Chen Changsheng looked at the black goat, waving around the grass in his hand as he earnestly spoke.
The black goat understood this youth's meaning and the expression in its eyes subtly changed. It looked like it was gazing at an idiot.
Of course, Chen Changsheng did not understand, so he still offered up the grass in his hands.
The black goat was somewhat fed up, but for some reason, this youth's Qi made it feel somewhat affable towards him.
It hesitated for a few moments, then finally took one step forward, feeling things out. It slightly lowered its head, took a few stalks of grass from Chen Changsheng's hand, and slowly began to chew.
Under a nearby tree, an old lady holding a wooden cane made from a yellow poplar was watching this scene. The wrinkles on her face faintly trembled, just like the grass in the wind.
Even when the previous Empress had smothered the then–Crown Prince to death, she had not been this shocked.
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