TWWDS - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Ruan Shifeng said, "Please, both of you, follow me." Then she added carefully, "Many people are gathered at the academy today. However, the prefect of Shouzhou has never cared for people of the martial world and has expressed criticism of the Academy Head. For now, we shall leave the matter aside. No one has been sent from his side either. In any case, the prefect is occupied now and may not have time to concern himself with affairs at the academy."

Chao Qingxiu asked curiously, "Is the prefect of Shouzhou also one of Prime Minister Sun's people?"

Ruan Shifeng fell silent for a moment before saying, "Prefect Yang Shangxian of Shouzhou is one of the Upright officials in court. Strictly speaking, he is more closely connected to the court's present Grand Guardian, Lord Situ."

Yan Kaixian, who knew something of the Gang Leader's knowledge of court affairs, promptly added, "Lord Situ is the foremost of the Upright faction in court. Because he often urges the emperor to govern diligently and care for the people, the emperor does not favor him."

Chao Qingxiu smiled. "So that is how it is."

Since this was a private conversation, Ruan Shifeng had no reason to conceal the matter. In other words, Prefect Yang truly was not part of Prime Minister Sun's faction.

He was not only outside that faction but belonged to the Upright officials, yet he could not be counted upon for support. Chao Qingxiu sketched a rough image of the prefect in her mind and gained a general sense of the man.

Ruan Shifeng continued, "Nevertheless, this affair is no small matter. The Academy Head has already sent word to Assistant Prefect Wei. Though she did not come herself, she sent her sworn younger brother to give the occasion some weight. Chief Constable Tang Fuguang of the Six Doors has also arrived, as has Chief Constable Wu Shidao. However, Wu was promoted by Prime Minister Sun, so he may seek to make things difficult. As for Northern Xi, the entire delegation is here, headed by a brother and sister from the Aba clan, Aba Gaotai and Aba Changhe..."

As she led them toward Wangyue Terrace, she carefully told Chao Qingxiu and Yan Kaixian the names of the people they would meet later.

The distance between the guest quarters and Wangyue Terrace was considerable. The three hurried there using lightness technique, and only after running for a quarter of an hour did they come in sight of its outline.

When they were still a hundred paces from the high platform, Chao Qingxiu suddenly felt as though a sharp thorn were digging into her back.

The summer mountain breeze carried a warm, raucous quality. Chao Qingxiu raised her head. She could not yet see anyone on the platform, but those up there already seemed to sense her presence.

Her heart gave a sudden jump.

She had practiced martial arts for some time now, and both her sight and hearing were far sharper than when she had first transmigrated. Though they remained far apart, she could still sense that someone of exceptional martial attainment was present on Wangyue Terrace.

Indeed, Chao Qingxiu was not the one who had discovered the other. The other had discovered her.

The trees around Wangyue Terrace were lush and green, making it an obvious scenic spot within the academy. The academy's students often held literary gatherings there, and their teachers would select the finest lines of poetry and prose for inscription. Seen now, the place added an air of refined elegance to Wangyue Terrace.

Before coming, Chao Qingxiu had deliberately returned the short sword Yingchen to the storage space of the Detective System. She had hung only a folding fan at her waist as a weapon of last resort.

According to Ruan Shifeng, no one was likely to come at her afterward. Still, given the complicated company on Wangyue Terrace, no one could guarantee that the two sides would not go from talking to fighting before the conversation was over.

Chao Qingxiu climbed the final stone step and saw that two rows of people were already seated on Wangyue Terrace. She had intended to ask whether the Northern Xi delegation sat on one side, but the moment she saw them, she realized there was no need to trouble anyone. Their clothing was plainly distinct from that of Great Xia, with an exotic character of its own, for the people of Northern Xi favored tattoos and used specially prepared dyes to paint unique patterns across their skin.

The principal seat on Wangyue Terrace was empty. A handsome youth of about twenty sat on the right, while a tall, slender middle-aged woman sat on the left. Though her clothing was plain compared with everyone else's, she had a scholarly gentleness that was impossible to overlook. At a glance, it was easy to associate her with a teacher. She was Academy Head Ying Lusheng of Chongming Academy.

On the way there, Chao Qingxiu had already learned that Ying Lusheng had achieved distinction while young. She had originally served at court, but later fell out with the powerful eunuchs. After many twists and turns, she eventually came to Chongming Academy as its head. Before entering officialdom, she had trained in martial arts under Venerable Eight Sufferings of Fayuan Nunnery. She was exceedingly gifted, and after years of vicissitudes, her martial arts had reached an even higher level.

Chao Qingxiu kept her eyes straight ahead and offered a respectful bow. Yan Kaixian, half a step behind, saluted alongside the Gang Leader.

Ying Lusheng returned the salute with clasped hands and said, "Please, both of you, sit."

A man from Northern Xi asked, "Are these the two outsiders who arrived at the academy the day before yesterday?"

Hua Yuanhuai had no choice but to answer. "They are."

The man from Northern Xi said, "Nothing ever happened here before the academy admitted them. The moment they arrived, an incident occurred. In my view, the two of them are highly suspicious. Why has the Academy Head not taken them into custody and questioned them thoroughly?"

The instant he finished, the newly arrived youth in white lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes reminded him of a blade submerged in a dark river, now glinting as it rose to the surface, its deadly edge only half concealed. For a moment, he almost mistook the folding fan at her waist for a killing blade awaiting its prey.

Chao Qingxiu turned her head and glanced at the man who had just spoken. Though he spoke with a strong, resonant voice, he did not look like someone with profound martial skill. She asked, "Who might you be?"

The man from Northern Xi raised his head and replied, "My name is Boli Yang."

Chao Qingxiu said, "Judging from your name, you are no local. An outsider who comes to a Great Xia academy as a guest should not casually speak out and interfere with the affairs of the host."

Many of those on Wangyue Terrace were teachers from the academy. Although they were suspicious of the two messengers whose arrival had immediately been followed by trouble, they approved of what Chao Qingxiu had said.

Moreover, it was more fitting for those words to come from her than from any of the teachers. After all, she was not an academy student, so the man from Northern Xi could not on that account fault the academy for an unwelcoming attitude.

The man from Northern Xi had an argument of his own. "Your Prime Minister Sun had already said that this matter should be jointly overseen by Northern Xi and Great Xia..."

Chao Qingxiu smiled. "You have Prime Minister Sun on the tip of your tongue and can do nothing but repeat him. You might as well resign your post in Northern Xi and become a door attendant at Prime Minister Sun's residence, waiting to be summoned, so you can regale everyone else with everything he has to say, day after day."

Boli Yang immediately flew into a rage. Chao Qingxiu happened to be standing close by, so he sprang up from his seat and reached for her shoulder.

Chao Qingxiu still had much room to improve in weapon techniques, but she practiced the palm techniques from the Yuxuan Taiyin Scripture every day and had now achieved some measure of success. Catching his movement from the corner of her eye, she shifted her body, evaded his attack, and at the same time drove a palm toward his ribs.

Her palm force was tightly concentrated, yet the movement of her palm was as elusive as smoke and mist. Even if Boli Yang had prepared to meet her directly, he would have had little hope of prevailing, especially with her attack so wholly unexpected. In an instant, her sleeve merely flickered, but the blow had already landed on his shoulder.

Boli Yang felt a surge of intense pain and involuntarily staggered backward. After their single exchange, Chao Qingxiu remained standing calmly in her unruffled white robe, elegant and composed, as though she had never moved at all.

Besides Ying Lusheng, some of those present were students who had come with their teachers. When they first saw Chao Qingxiu, they had mistaken her for a scholar from who knew where. Now they had watched her make her move and send a member of the Northern Xi delegation sprawling with all four limbs spread wide. They could not help whispering, "Could someone so gentle also be a desperate rogue of the martial world?"

Someone from the Northern Xi delegation immediately called out, "Is this how Chongming Academy welcomes its guests?"

Chao Qingxiu's expression did not change. "Desperate outlaws of the martial world naturally care little for courtesy. I never expected the people of the Northern Xi delegation to make the first move. Still, it is no wonder they came all the way from a thousand miles away to the academy to study the manners of Great Xia."

Another lavishly dressed man from Northern Xi turned toward Ying Lusheng, his tone revealing neither anger nor delight. "Will you truly permit this person to act as she pleases?"

The speaker was Aba Gaotai. The young person seated beside him was his younger cousin, Aba Changhe.

Aba Changhe was still dressed in the men's clothing of Great Xia and had made herself up as a man. Standing beside her older cousin, she would have looked almost like a pair of twin brothers if not for the differences in their clothing and builds.

Unlike her stern-faced cousin, Aba Changhe had not spoken from beginning to end. She seemed rather shy, but since she had become a member of the delegation, she could hardly have been a coward. This only made Chao Qingxiu give her an extra glance.

Because Ruan Shifeng had already introduced the key members of the delegation on the way there, Chao Qingxiu had little difficulty matching the people present with their names and identities.

The Northern Xi delegation was headed by the pair from the Aba clan. The Aba was said to be one of the great surnames of Northern Xi. In earlier years, the clan had fought Great Xia's Changyun Army and suffered a disastrous defeat, losing its authority within the military. It had gradually declined since then. Still, a centipede may lose its legs and yet not die. Many members of the family continued to serve at court, and some of them had even appeared in the delegation.

Apparently displeased at having been summoned to answer questions as suspects, Aba Changhe, who was skilled at "painting," had disguised herself once more as the young man who had deceived the students of Chongming Academy that day. It was a small act of mockery.

Perhaps sensing Chao Qingxiu's gaze, Aba Changhe raised her head and glanced at her.

The people from Northern Xi called upon Chongming Academy to dispense justice. Before Ying Lusheng could speak, another person, likewise dressed in the uniform of the Six Doors, coughed and said helplessly, "Perhaps you can both say a little less."

This person was Tang Fuguang, one of Ruan Shifeng's superiors.

Tang Fuguang had heard Ruan Shifeng speak of Chao Qingxiu before, and every word had been praise. Ruan Shifeng said that although the girl was young, she was steady and shrewd, and especially adept at distinguishing right from wrong. If given the chance to take part in an investigation, she would surely bring the truth to light.

So extravagant was this account, so readily did it invite the suspicion that the teller had been duped, yet it even won Hua Yuanhuai's approval and Li Guixian's tacit agreement.

At that moment, Tang Fuguang raised her head and looked around. First she surveyed the academy members muttering among themselves, then she studied the displeased faces of the people from Northern Xi, and finally she looked at Chao Qingxiu, who remained calm and composed and might well have been considering how to provoke them further. Tang Fuguang suddenly felt that Ruan Shifeng's description of Chao Qingxiu as steady and shrewd might not be false after all, but in giving that description, she had conspicuously failed to mention the girl's reckless daring.

Chief Constable Tang suddenly felt that the prospects for her own promotion looked rather dim. For a moment, she wondered whether she had been too dismissive of her subordinates, allowing such an important omission to slip through in the intelligence passed to her.

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