Chapter 33 – Apprentice (Part 1)

Between the Tradition Academy and the Herb Garden, there was an old wall that was covered with green ivy and dominated by moss.

Official Jin and Official Li leaned on the wall and eavesdropped on the conversation inside the library. Because the two were experts in xiu xing and the little princess didn’t hid anything, they heard the conversation and understood the situation. After they saw the action the princess made, suddenly they fell off the wall. It was a pretty bad fall.

From the library, sounds of heavy objects falling could be heard from far away but it didn’t affect the library. Inside the silent library, on the dark black floor there seemed to have a motionless picture. The picture depicted Luo Luo tightly hanging onto Chen Chang Sheng’s leg, who was acting like a sculpture not daring to move at all.

“Let go, let go of your hand first.”

Chen Chang Sheng felt very nervous, to the point that even his sound got somewhat shaken. Although this little girl just seemed to be a little older than ten, she’s was still a girl. Having his leg get hanged on tightly by a pair of small hands was extremely embarrassing. He didn’t dare to move but only unstoppably yelled out.

“If I let go my hand, master will run away.” Luo Luo said seriously.

Chen Chang Sheng felt helpless. He immediately promised “Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t run away. Now can you let go your hands? After you let go then we can talk.”

Luo Luo appeared very yielding. She trusted what he said and released her hands. Then she pointed to the floor and indicated him to sit down.

Cheng Chang Sheng thought about this little girl’s previous swift movement and knew that he had no way of running away from her hands so he silently sighed and sat down.

Seeing that he did not attempt to escape as expected, Luo Luo felt very happy.

The library was completely silent, Chen Chang Sheng did not know what to say and felt very embarrassing but obviously Luo Luo did not feel so.

She sat in front of him using her hands to support her lower jaw. She looked at him attentively with a smile.

The two were very close. Chen Chang Sheng could see his own face from her bright black pupils and could see the happiness from her heart – that’s a type of extremely pure happiness. Looking at her, Chen Chang Sheng got influenced and also felt the happiness come out from the deepest part of his heart. There were no reason for this but he felt it.

But he could not just agree with her request because of happiness and because looking at every perspective this was an unreasonable request. He said seriously “ I am really just a common person. I said before too, I just chose my destined star. I did not even purify successfully. You are stronger than me, how could I be your teacher?”

Luo Luo still used her hand to support her lower jaw and looked attentively at him as if she thought he looked very pretty. No matter how long she looked, it was not enough, “Master, if you were just a common person, how could you do those things? Also, you are a good person.”

Chen Chang Sheng did not understand why being a good person was related to him not stronger than her and not successfully purified yet and asked confusedly “and then?”

“Yesterday before I fainted, I saw master holding a sword trying to protect me from the falling sky so master is a good person.”

Luo Luo’s smile suddenly had an additional different meaning. “But actually that’s not the last image I saw. The last image I saw were stars filling up the sky. They were really stars, and at that time…..Yu Tian General Xue Xing Chuan didn’t arrive yet.”

Chen Chang Sheng realized that she saw it and felt somewhat hopeless. “so what?”

“Master, if your sword can break through Net of Fog then obviously it’s not a common sword. And you, obviously, are not a common person.”

Luo Luo’s eyes looked down and fell upon the seemingly common little sword tied to his waist.

Cheng Chang Sheng looked outside and surprisingly said “Ah!”

Luo Luo followed his eyes out and felt somewhat confused. She thought what happened?

“It’s kind of late.”

Chen Chang Sheng pointed outside and said “I have to go eating first. Can we talk about it later?”

Luo Luo’s face slightly plumped up like a bun and it was very cute, but it was also like a little tiger which was still cute.

She was about to hang on to him but Chen Chang Sheng’s voice slightly changed and said “Dont hang on to me!”

Although the time they spent together was very short, Luo Luo already grasped his personality. She understood that if she pushed him too hard, it would not be a good thing. Because of this, she took back her hands unwillingly and looked at Cheng Chang Sheng who already silently walked to the exit of the library. She said “Master, just accept me please.”

On the floor, her skirt hem spread out like a flower. She sat in the center of the flower looking pathetic but very cute.

How would Chen Chang Sheng dare to look back? If he did, he would definitely soften his heart. As he walked out, he waved his hand and ran away.

……………………………………………….

In the Hundred Blossom Street he ate a bowl of mixed rice with pickled veggies. Then he walked a while in the capital, thinking that the strange little girl should have already left, Chen Chang Sheng then returned to the Tradition Academy. After he walked into the library and took a glimpse, he finally relaxed because no one was there as he expected.

As the evening was about to arrive, thinking that he already wasted so much time today, he used his fastest speed to finish preparing. He began to calm down and meditate and got ready to absorb starlights to purify again. But before he even closed up his eyes, he saw that under the starlights a skirt was swaying. The little girl walked in.

Chen Chang Sheng said helplessly. “I already said. It’s impossible.”

Luo Luo, as if she did not hear what he said, said, “Master, I already move all the things into your bedroom. Among those little buildings only one of them had a stove. That room should be yours? Those herbs were placed in the attic. Everything else was under your bed.”

Chen Chang Sheng already noticed, the Legendary Luminous Pearl and the sword

technique already disappeared. He originally thought that the little girl took back the things. Who would expect she actually help him put the things inside the building. He did not even know how to react at all.

“I want to xiu xing.”

He felt very helpless, but really did not want to waste any more time and miss the night to absorb starlights and purify. So he could pretend as the little girl was nonexistent and tightly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, he smelled a very light fragrance coming from his right side.

He was a bit surprised and opened up his eyes. He saw that the little girl was already at his side. Her little face was only about an inch away from him. If she got even closer, her face would be touching his.

He asked helplessly “What do you want?”

Luo Luo’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Master, I want you to be my teacher.”

Chen Chang Sheng did not know what to say. He give up, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

He was truly someone who was with boring scrolls since youth. Even under a little girl’s staring at such close distance, he still could actually meditate.

The day gradually became lighter and chicken crowing among the families could be heard coming into the Tradition Academy.

Chen Chang Sheng opened his eyes and slowly woke up. He suddenly felt his right shoulder was somewhat heavy and somewhat stiff.

He looked back, got scared, and then sighed.

The little girl was hanging onto his arm was leaning her head onto his shoulder. It looked like she was having a sweet dream and it seemed like she had slept here last night.

Chen Chang Sheng lightly woke her up and said “Go home.”

“No.” Luo Luo rubbed her eyes and said aggrievedly.

Chen Chang Sheng sighed and said, “Why do you have to do this?

“Yesterday when master was absorbing starlight and purifying, I hung on to master and smelled for a really long time….I am sure, that smell is from you. The smell is really good. I feel really comfortable next to you. It was as if I ate a longevity fruit.”

Luo Luo remembered last night and her eyes became even brighter like the Tai Bai star that even morning light could not cover. Then she laughed embarrassedly and continued “I never eat a longevity fruit, but I heard it from my mom.”

Chen Chang Sheng was wordless again. Thinking that just because smell was good, she wanted to be his student? Just so she could smell him everyday?

“My xiu xing encountered a very troublesome obstacle. No one can solve it, not even the professors at the Heavenly Academy and Startaker Academy could solve it. But master you can….in order to use Wind and Rain Sword of Mountain Zhong, I can only use what you said that night. This is the evidence.”

The method of operating Qi to use the Wind and Rain Sword of Mountain Zhong was related to the secret in Chen Chang Sheng’s body. Of course, this was not the main reason he rejected this little girl. “I have no right to teach you. Also I have no time to teach you. I want to read, I want to xiu xing, and I have a lot of important things to do.”

Luo Luo saw him for a whole day and obviously knew he cared a lot about time, even to an extreme extent. She asked, “Master, why are you so anxious?”

Yes, such care to time that it even appeared somewhat anxious.

Chen Chang Sheng saw the sincere concern from the little girl’s eyes and suddenly felt a bit warm. He always appeared to be very calm because very little people could see the anxiety hiding under his calm appearance. For no reason, he suddenly wanted to talk.

“I want to participate in the Great Trial. Also….I must get first place.” He looked at her and said seriously.

That morning in the library was the most peaceful time. There were no chirping of cicadas and sparrows. Even frog was sleeping.

After a very long time, there was no sneering nor surprising questions.

Even after Tang Thirty Six heard Chen Chang Sheng’s goal, he would have some emotional change.

Yet Luo Luo’s face had no change. She looked seriously at Chen Chang Sheng and waited for his next words.

Chen Chang Sheng asked, “You..don’t you think this goal is very funny? At least…somewhat surprising?”

“Funny? Surprising? Why?”

Luo Luo who heard this question, on the contrary, felt puzzled. “Master participates in the Great Trial, of course will get first place.”

The library becomes quiet again, from far away there was faintly a twitter, yet the place became even more quiet.

Chen Chang Sheng was dazed.

Her tone made him feel that if he did not get the first place in the Great Trial, then that would be a strange thing.

He never ate the legendary longevity fruit, but he thought that even if he ate several hundreds of longevity fruits, it would not make him feel as comfortable as hearing this sentence.

“But, why does master must participate in the Great Trial?

Luo Luo did not know how much console her reaction gave Chen Chang Sheng and asked curiously, “Do you want to see the Mausoleum of the Books? I can take master there.”

Chen Chang Sheng did not notice the last part of her sentence.

He stood up, walked to the window. He looked at the royal palace not far from here and looked at the direction of the Ling Yan Pavilion.

The top three tiers of the Great Trial could go to the Mausoleum of the Books to feel the way, this was what he wanted.

Yet only the first place on the Great Trial would get the chance to meditate for a night in the Ling Yan Pavilion.

This was what he wanted the most.