Chapter 16
Yu Sui knocked on the door with her knuckles, calling: "Senior Brother."
She said: "I'm not here to discuss the Three-School Verdict matter. I want to ask you how to converse with Master."
Mei Liangyu inside said slowly: "Can you sense Master's presence?"
Yu Sui humbly asked for instruction: "For example?"
"Then you can't sense it," Mei Liangyu said leisurely: "When you can sense it, you won't ask how to converse. Oh right, ordinary practitioners also have difficulty sensing it. When your Five Elements qi circulates, you can barely manage."
The last part was as good as saying nothing, because ordinary practitioners couldn't use Five Elements qi at all.
"Must I enter to converse with Master?" Yu Sui asked.
Mei Liangyu answered: "Once you enter, if Master is still here, you can."
Yu Sui rolled her eyes and asked again: "Senior Brother, if I damaged the doors and windows here, whose responsibility would it be?"
Mei Liangyu laughed: "You broke it, so naturally it's your responsibility."
"What's Master's temperament like?" Yu Sui asked: "Would damaging doors and windows in front of all the ancestral masters and seniors result in punishment?"
"Master has no temper," Mei Liangyu glanced at the room door behind him: "The ancestral masters died who knows how many years ago. Even if they wanted to lose their temper, they have nowhere to vent."
Yu Sui made an "oh" sound.
Mei Liangyu waited. There was no movement outside.
He had thought Yu Sui would angrily try to kick down the door or take stones to smash the windows.
Relying purely on physical strength couldn't damage the doors and windows here. They were protected by curses, unafraid of even the most violent wind and rain.
Yu Sui placed one hand lightly on the door, her dark pupils reflecting the door's patterns, her slender white fingers gently tapping the wood grain.
Breaking down the door wasn't impossible.
No matter how powerful the curse protection on these doors and windows, they couldn't withstand the devouring of Strange Fire.
It was just that using Strange Fire would require Yu Sui to bear the risk of being devoured by it herself.
Excluding Strange Fire, she still had Five Elements Light Cores.
The shattering of Five Elements Light Cores could also be considered a type of explosion, an explosion containing Five Elements qi with a certain degree of damage.
These years studying Strange Fire and light cores, she had progressed from five per day in the past to 300 per day now.
All by not sleeping at night, repeatedly testing her mental strength, tormenting herself as much as possible.
Sometimes Yu Sui reflected that despite always sleeping poorly, she hadn't died suddenly yet, probably entirely thanks to Strange Fire not wanting to lose her as a host.
As for the Five Elements qi Mei Liangyu mentioned, she had some idea, but after all these years, her Five Elements Light Cores hadn't changed much. Yu Sui wasn't clear how to judge the realm of Five Elements Light Cores.
She only knew her current light cores weren't yet the Divine Soul Light Cores of the Tenth Realm.
Without guidance in learning the Nine Schools arts, Yu Sui's current abilities were still insufficient.
Yu Sui looked up toward the interior, her gaze carrying some inquiry.
She hadn't come to Ghost Way Saint Hall entirely for the Three-School Verdict matter. Earlier at Hundred Schools Hall when there were too many people, when Saint Chang Gen appeared, because the surrounding people were in a floating state, Strange Fire couldn't detect whether Saint Chang Gen's consciousness could be captured by Strange Fire.
If it couldn't be captured and detected in advance, it would be very disadvantageous for her, requiring careful action in the future.
An invisible, incorporeal, colorless "consciousness" existence that could appear and disappear without anyone knowing was very dangerous for someone like her who harbored secrets.
Yu Sui hesitated outside the door whether to use light cores to break it down.
Inside, Mei Liangyu was playing with his Wind-Listening Ruler.
Zhongli Shan said Gu Qian's friends would find Yu Sui, having Yu Sui as Saint Chang Gen's disciple participate in the Three-School Verdict.
Mei Liangyu replied: "Already at Saint Hall entrance."
Zhongli Shan asked: "What do you plan to do?"
"Block her, of course," Mei Liangyu said: "I closed the door."
Zhongli Shan thought for a while, not understanding what the last sentence about closing the door meant.
"She can't get in?" Zhongli Shan asked hesitantly.
Mei Liangyu looked back at the completely motionless doors and windows. It seemed she couldn't get in.
He said: "Can't get in, hasn't given up yet."
Based on Yu Sui's abilities, Mei Liangyu didn't think she could enter either.
The [Good Eating] four-person group jumped out with messages again:
Xing Chun asked again: "Dinner?"
Mei Liangyu felt he had nothing else to do, so replied: "Eat."
Cang Shu: "Eat."
Zhongli Shan: "Eat."
Xing Chun was overjoyed: "Come quickly."
Mei Liangyu walked to the table in the corner, wrote a few sentences on paper, then quietly left through the back window of Saint Hall.
……
Yu Sui suddenly realized no one was there.
Strange Fire remained still.
She knocked on the door and called: "Senior Brother?"
Strange Fire still didn't move.
He actually left?
Yu Sui pinched the bridge of her nose and laughed lightly.
With Mei Liangyu gone, Yu Sui had no more concerns and decided to blast open the door with light cores.
Anyway, Mei Liangyu had said she could only sense Saint Chang Gen after entering.
Yu Sui placed her hand on the door again, a faint light flashing in her palm as a Five Elements Light Core shattered.
One wasn't enough. Yu Sui continued without stopping. She'd never had the chance to compare Five Elements Light Cores with the Nine Schools' curses before. This time was perfect for testing the light cores' power, seeing how many it would take to blast open Saint Hall's door.
Yu Sui closed her eyes and concentrated her mental power, continuing to test. It wasn't until the thirty-sixth light core shattered that Saint Hall's main door made a muffled sound.
The slight noise made Yu Sui open her eyes to look. She saw the previously tightly closed main door had a crack.
She gently pushed with her hand, and the door opened.
Yu Sui touched the door and looked around. Good, it wasn't damaged, so she didn't need to pay compensation.
The interior of Saint Hall's main hall had a high ceiling with lights at the very top, spiraling into taiji circles. The lighting below wasn't strong, making the entire space rather dim.
The candlelight was just right, neither too bright nor too dark. Being within gave one a warm, safe feeling of being "embraced" by light.
The green vines' floral fragrance mixed with the hall's faint incense created a mind-calming effect.
Only after entering did Yu Sui discover the hall was circular, with gold-plated human-shaped statues carved around the walls. They sat cross-legged with hands in different mudra gestures, heads slightly lowered but with kind expressions.
Hanging beside the statues were portraits of past Saints, some colorful and brilliant, others in simple black and white, recording their lively appearances when alive.
Yu Sui roughly scanned and found about twenty-some Ghost Way School Saints. She looked toward the leftmost side and found a familiar portrait, her master Saint Chang Gen.
The portrait showed a kind-eyed old man with only one hand forming a mudra, the other behind his back, slightly bowing toward the front.
He looked gentle and elegant, hard to imagine such a person would use the domineering, dignified Nine Schools arts from Hundred Schools Hall.
Yu Sui stood in the center, looking up at Saint Chang Gen's portrait. Soon she was attracted by the table below the portrait.
She stepped forward and came before the table.
The table was wide with scattered items: music, chess, calligraphy, painting, ink, brush, inkstone, everything was there, even half-drawn talismans, School of Names character practice sheets, Yin-Yang School's fish diagram, half-read military strategy books, and so on.
Yu Sui stood before the table, her gaze moving over these items one by one, finally stopping on a stack of white paper.
The topmost white paper had ink characters written: "Are you serious about taking this disciple?"
Just as Yu Sui's eyes registered these characters, she felt the still Strange Fire gently sway. The Five Elements qi in the hall rippled outward, and the ink in the portrait ahead began slowly rotating, bringing the dead painting back to life.
It seemed Strange Fire could sense whether Saint Chang Gen's consciousness was approaching.
Yu Sui felt slightly relieved and slowly looked up. The ink-colored lines rotated on the painting, making the figure seem to come alive.
"Master?" she tentatively called.
The portrait flowed, she heard no sound, but consciousness invaded her mind giving an answer:
"You could enter, not bad."
Yu Sui became more respectful: "Just some small tricks, Master is too kind."
She waited but didn't hear Saint Chang Gen's consciousness speak again, so she continued: "Master, I heard all Nine Schools value the apprenticeship ceremony. Should I also perform one to show respect?"
Ritual was still important, right?
Saint Chang Gen answered: "My school doesn't practice that."
Simplicity was good.
Yu Sui rolled her eyes, feeling this conversation could easily die. She didn't beat around the bush and knelt directly: "Master, this disciple has a request."
"Speak."
"Regarding the Three-School Verdict of School of Names, Legalist School, and Ghost Way School, could you let me represent you in participation?" Yu Sui was prepared for rejection and how to continue persuading.
But Saint Chang Gen was so straightforward, directly responding: "Yes."
Yu Sui made an "eh" sound, blinking at the ink-flowing master's portrait. She thought, then asked: "Senior Brother's side..."
"You and he are both my disciples, either can represent Ghost Way School in the verdict."
"However, whatever choice you make, you must bear the consequences yourself."
Ink lines flew from the painting, wrapping around Yu Sui's wrist in thin lines, leaving Saint Chang Gen's single-hand mudra from the painting on the back of her hand.
This was proof granting Yu Sui the right to represent him in the verdict.
Yu Sui touched it and said quietly: "Thank you, Master. I have one more question. Why did Master take me as a disciple?"
She said pitifully: "I have no talent, only ten percent compatibility with all Nine Schools, so ordinary even as a common practitioner. How could I catch the eye of a Saint like you?"
After Yu Sui pretended to pitifully say all this, Saint Chang Gen only replied: "Fate."
This conversation was about to die again.
Yu Sui asked again: "What about Senior Brother?"
Saint Chang Gen: "Fate."
Yu Sui silently stood up from the ground: "Thank you, Master. Goodbye, Master."
She turned and walked away, but after two steps, she returned to the table and took away the note Mei Liangyu had written to Master.
Zhang Yuxuan was still waiting for Yu Sui at the entrance.
Even though Sheng Hao had urged him countless times on his Wind-Listening Ruler, Zhang Yuxuan remained steady, convincing himself each time to wait a bit more, maybe Yu Sui would come out soon.
When he put away his Wind-Listening Ruler for the thirty-sixth time, telling himself to wait a bit more, he finally saw Yu Sui coming down the stone steps.
Zhang Yuxuan's eyes lit up as he waved at Yu Sui.
"Senior Zhang, you're still here," Yu Sui ran over gasping: "Perfect, do you know how to get to Legalist School?"
"Legalist School? What are you going to Legalist School for?" Zhang Yuxuan wondered: "Shouldn't you return to Ghost Way Academy?"
Yu Sui looked up and smiled: "I'll be right back."
……
Blackbeard waited at the Legalist School entrance with the Di Su Balance Scale. Seeing Yu Sui brought over by Zhang Yuxuan using wind-riding techniques, he respectfully said: "Princess."
He handed over the black box containing the Di Su Balance Scale.
Ji Meng and Huo Xiao were both waiting nearby. Seeing Yu Sui, their expressions were complex.
Yu Sui took the black box and turned to thank Zhang Yuxuan: "Thank you, Senior."
Zhang Yuxuan sighed: "Worthy of being a disciple Old Chang favors, having courage, boldness, and no fear, able to do what ordinary people dare not."
Put nicely, it was praise.
Put harshly: You're really bold.
Yu Sui pretended not to understand the implication, laughing innocently: "Senior is too kind."
Ji Meng twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking quietly: This doesn't sound like praise at all.
Yu Sui, accompanied by Ji Meng and Huo Xiao, went to find Legalist School's Saint Yu.
In the Criminal Law Pavilion, Yu Sui placed the black box on the table, then extended her hand to show the ink mark on her wrist, saying to Saint Yu and Old Master Zhu sitting in front: "If the two elders feel overturning the first trial is improper, this moment can also be treated as a second verdict."
"The Di Su Balance Scale's test results were witnessed by all. I believe people at the Trial Ground also think Gu Qian didn't lie, and there's no evidence proving he stole the Silver River Water."
"I am Saint Chang Gen's disciple, with his personal authorization to represent my master in the verdict. Therefore, this result is legitimate."
Following Yu Sui's explanation, Saint Yu and Old Master Zhu exchanged glances, then silently nodded after a moment.
When Yu Sui left this time, she didn't take the Di Su Balance Scale, but she got the prison key.
Saint Yu of Legalist School stood by the window watching Yu Sui and others leave below. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the Di Su Balance Scale on the nearby table. The Nangong family's child cared too much about Gu Qian, losing the opportunity to grasp Legalist School's fatal weakness.
Fortunate, perhaps.
This child with no talent at all, who knows why she caught Chang Gen's eye.
……
On the way to rescue Gu Qian, Yu Sui heard Ji Meng introduce Huo Xiao beside him: "He's a Legalist School disciple named Huo Xiao, same batch as us entering the Academy, also from Qingyang."
Yu Sui: "Haven't seen you before."
Ji Meng explained: "He doesn't live in the imperial capital."
Huo Xiao suddenly said: "I'm not nobility."
Yu Sui nodded casually: "Mm-hmm."
Huo Xiao: "......"
He instantly had no thoughts left.
Ji Meng coughed lightly, looking at Yu Sui: "This time we owe it all to you, Princess. Without you, we wouldn't know what to do."
Yu Sui smiled: "I'm also happy I could help Brother Gu."
She had to be happy, she had no choice. If Nangong Ming's task wasn't completed, there would be more trouble later.
Besides, having Gu Qian out was much more useful than keeping him locked up and unable to move.
Nangong Ming wanted her to help assist Gu Qian in finding the Floating Pagoda at Taiyi Academy. This sounded like a world-class treasure, most likely not obtainable through legitimate means.
Having Gu Qian out to search himself while she only provided intelligence was better. Anyway, Gu Qian wouldn't let a talentless ordinary practitioner like her do the physical work.
"You just arrived and became Saint Chang Gen's disciple, then immediately seized Mei Liangyu's authority. This might make him hostile toward you," Huo Xiao said.
"Right, right," Ji Meng nodded: "You need to be careful."
Only then did Yu Sui look at these two: "What else do you know about my Senior Brother?"
"We don't interact much, only heard things. Mei Liangyu and Zhongli Shan belong to Class A disciples, while we're still Class B. Our activity areas don't usually overlap," Huo Xiao analyzed calmly: "I heard he has a strange temperament, sometimes compassionate, sometimes ruthless, arrogant and defiant, respecting no one."
"But he's indeed quite capable. He's been a Class A disciple since entering the Academy, same as Zhongli Shan and others, never dropped grades," Ji Meng said, suddenly remembering something and asking Yu Sui: "Right, Zhongli Shan's sister is called Zhongli Que, right? Wasn't she in the same National Academy period as you?"
Yu Sui nodded: "Yes."
Ji Meng said: "Didn't she mention anything about Zhongli Shan at Taiyi?"
Yu Sui shook her head regretfully: "We weren't close."
"I thought Zhongli Shan would mention Mei Liangyu to his family since he has a good relationship with him." Ji Meng stroked his chin: "Besides Mei Liangyu, I know another person, Agricultural School disciple, Cang Shu."
Huo Xiao added: "And Yin-Yang School disciple, Xing Chun."
Yu Sui asked: "Do these people have good relationships with my Senior Brother?"
Ji Meng shrugged: "Don't know if their relationships are good, but we often see them eating together at the dining hall."
Yu Sui scratched her face after hearing this. This Senior Brother had quite a few dining companions.
The three had just reached Legalist School's Third Provincial Prison when they saw a white figure standing at the prison entrance from afar. Yu Sui was oblivious, but Ji Meng recognized it as Xun Zhiya and instinctively looked at Yu Sui beside him.
The relationship between Gu Qian and Xun Zhiya was hard to define. To say it was ambiguous, it wasn't entirely without substance.
But Ji Meng also felt there was something ambiguous between Gu Qian and Yu Sui. He even thought Yu Sui liked Gu Qian, otherwise why would she have indulged Gu Qian in the imperial capital, helping him and cleaning up his messes?
Even after coming to Taiyi, she constantly worried about him, prioritizing Gu Qian above all.
Her feelings were so pure and sincere. If she knew about Gu Qian and Xun Zhiya's ambiguous relationship... Ji Meng shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about such things!
Let Gu Qian come out and resolve it himself!
Yu Sui saw Xun Zhiya. She had also heard about the love triangle between Xun Zhiya, Gu Qian, and Sha Qian. She heard Xun Zhiya was a Legalist School genius, also a Saint Maiden of Nanjing Kingdom with noble status, and was an ice-cold beauty. Whether looking at appearance or wealth, she was the type that would be hard not to find attractive.
But Yu Sui's attention was more drawn to the "youth" standing behind Xun Zhiya.
The cross-dressing Li Jin Shuang had a sword at her waist, silver-white as snow. She was as silent as a stone, and though standing behind Xun Zhiya, seemed to exist outside the entire world.
If Xun Zhiya's world was intensely playing out love and hatred, then Li Jin Shuang was a passerby with no interest in it.
Thinking this, Yu Sui couldn't help but smile.
After Ji Meng approached, he discovered there was also a veiled Xiang Feifei with arms crossed, her arrogant eyes scanning those who came over.
Ji Meng: "......"
Maybe Gu Qian shouldn't come out after all.
Yu Sui leisurely walked into people's sight, smiling: "How lively. Are you all here waiting for Brother Gu?"
Ji Meng gave Huo Xiao meaningful looks, but Huo Xiao directly turned away, indicating he should not look at him and that he knew nothing.
Yu Sui paid no attention to what others thought and took the key to open the door and release Gu Qian.
……
The dining hall was now crowded with people.
Xing Chun had arrived early and secured a good spot on the second floor, choosing a table by the window with good view and quiet atmosphere, waiting for the other three to come eat.
Zhongli Shan arrived first, sitting beside Xing Chun. He took the teacup and poured water for himself, then soaked a handkerchief in hot water and wiped the table surface and utensils clean.
Xing Chun was preparing dipping sauce in small dishes, casually asking: "Where are No-Conscience and No-Brain?"
Zhongli Shan said: "Getting side dishes."
Xing Chun placed the sauce bowls in front of everyone, then just sat back down when he saw Mei Liangyu and Cang Shu each carrying a bowl of vegetables over.
The two sat across from them and began passing bowls, serving rice, wrapping vegetables, and adding sauce with perfect coordination.
Xing Chun ate with full energy. Compared to his vigor, the pale and thin Cang Shu seemed listless, even eating was tiring.
Mei Liangyu was casual, Zhongli Shan serious and rigid.
While competing with Mei Liangyu for food, Xing Chun asked: "I heard you got a Junior Sister today. Is she pretty?"
Mei Liangyu replied perfunctorily: "See for yourself."
Xing Chun: "Pretty means pretty, not pretty means not pretty. What does 'see for yourself' mean?"
Mei Liangyu looked up at Xing Chun, his eyes clearly saying "are you sick?"
Xing Chun spooned minced meat into his steamed bun and swallowed it whole: "Then tell us about your Legalist School verdict today. Not giving Legalist School face like that, do you want to drop grades this year?"
Mei Liangyu remained nonchalant: "What does my dropping or not dropping grades have to do with Legalist School?"
Cang Shu slowly chewed his vegetables, saying weakly: "Your Junior Sister can also go to Legalist School for a new verdict."
"Can't go." Mei Liangyu said casually: "I locked her outside Saint Hall."
Xing Chun tapped his bowl with chopsticks: "She can't get in?"
Mei Liangyu: "How can an ordinary practitioner get in?"
Xing Chun was somewhat surprised: "She's really an ordinary practitioner? Her father is one of the three Yama Kings of School of Names."
"Ten percent talent compatibility. If she weren't, her father would have thrown her into School of Names long ago." Mei Liangyu felt this topic wasn't worth discussing and responded with little interest.
Cang Shu glanced out the window and asked: "So... Gu Qian can't be released anytime soon?"
Zhongli Shan said: "Won't be out in the short term."
Cang Shu swallowed his food, pointing outside with chopsticks: "Then who's that person below?"
Who?
This single sentence made the other three look up from their rice bowls, all looking out the window toward the street below.
On the main road to the dining hall, people had stopped in surprise at the appearance of certain individuals, their gazes following the moving figures.
Flower trees swayed on both sides of the road, casting dappled shadows with shaded areas at intervals.
Gu Qian still wore the clothes from his Legalist School detention, walking at the front with his outer garment draped over one shoulder. When he looked up in response to people's discussions, his eyes were fierce and menacing.
Ji Meng and Huo Xiao walked on either side of him like guardians of a fierce beast.
This was rest time for various academies, so there were many disciples coming to the dining hall. Quite a few recognized Gu Qian and knew about the Three-School Verdict. They had clearly heard that morning that Gu Qian's verdict was continued observation, yet now at noon they saw the person under observation swagger into the dining hall.
Xing Chun leaned out the window, made a "hey" sound, and turned back to ask Mei Liangyu: "Isn't he out now?"
Mei Liangyu wasn't looking at the attention-grabbing Gu Qian below, nor at Xun Zhiya or Xiang Feifei following behind amid discussions. His expression was inscrutable as his gaze precisely landed on Yu Sui at the very back of the group.
Yu Sui brushed her temple hair as she emerged from the tree shade, her sleeve sliding down to reveal the ink mark on her wrist.
It was the Ghost Way School mark that Mei Liangyu knew all too well.
Mei Liangyu stared at Yu Sui, seeing the girl below look up and glance at him, her bright apricot eyes carrying a hint of smile.