Deep Love, Part 1 (Newly Revised)
It's said that half the swordsmen in the world are supported by the aristocratic families of Wenqu City. But if you were to ask what's most important in Wenqu City, it would undoubtedly be the scholars. And for scholars, the most important thing is certainly the academies that impart knowledge and teach skills.
If we were to say what is most important in Wenqu City, it would undoubtedly be the scholars. And for the scholars, the most important thing would certainly be the academies that impart knowledge and teach skills.
It's said that there are more academies than taverns in Wenqu City. Some say that if all the drunkards in the world were gathered together and placed in the academies of Wenqu City, only half of the academies would be needed for them to have a comfortable night's sleep. Even if they vomited in the middle of the night, they were guaranteed not to vomit on anyone else.
Among these vast array of academies, the "Wenqu Academy" stands out as the most prestigious. This is quite obvious, as not just any academy can bear the name of a city-state.
Wenqu Academy is located in the absolute center of Wenqu City. Even the government offices and the city lord's mansion have to be built a mile away from it. Naturally, all the academies, large and small, in Wenqu City radiate outwards from it.
Right across from this academy is the largest building in the entire Wenqu City, "Xihe Building," and the largest building, "Changfeng Pavilion," naturally stands next to "Xihe Building." When Chen Changji first proposed building here, he faced a lot of opposition, and he frequently wrote to Pei Jiangxi to complain.
The letter was sent to a tailor shop at the foot of Liuli Mountain. The shop was a secret location of Liuli Palace; after the letter was delivered to the shop, it was then carried to the mountaintop by palace spies. Because Pei Jiangxi was away from Liuli Palace for long periods and her whereabouts were unpredictable, these letters often piled up before finally reaching Pei Jiangxi's hands.
Pei Jiangxi could sense Chen Changji's frustration and distress between the lines. The moment she received the letter, she immediately wrote back to him. In her letter, she expressed her understanding of his difficulties, wrote some words of comfort, and if she happened to have a flower on hand, she would occasionally pick one and tuck it into the letter to send back.
On one occasion, Pei Jiangxi replied to a letter, enclosing a plum blossom inside. The letter also contained phrases like "A gentleman keeps away from the kitchen" and "Food is the first necessity of the people." According to a later letter from Chen Changji, he truly felt Pei Jiangxi's encouragement; the plum blossom inspired his indomitable spirit. He indeed used Pei Jiangxi's words to persuade the elderly people in the city.
In short, the largest buildings in Wenqu City, and Chen Changji's proudest creations, "Xihe Tower" and "Changfeng Pavilion," were thus completed. The officials and common people in the city benefited from this and gradually stopped criticizing his actions.
Xihelou has nine floors and a "回"-shaped structure. Because it is spacious enough, even with the central floors being open, it can still accommodate a large number of guests. Guests are seated in the wide corridors on the first to sixth floors, while the seventh to ninth floors are guest rooms and do not have a tea room.
It takes about ten steps to walk from the restaurant wall to the corridor railing, a distance long enough to fit three three-foot square tables side by side without feeling crowded. If you continue walking to the opposite corridor, it takes another twenty steps or so. Both the comfort of the seating and the expansive view are truly exceptional.
No matter which floor of Xihe Building you look up from, you can see the intricately carved "White Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" ceiling. It is said that there are indeed one hundred birds in it, and each bird was carved by a different person. However, the caisson ceiling is so large that no one has actually counted them to this day.
The caisson ceiling was personally supervised by Chen Changji, so the number is unlikely to be false. Chen Changji spent a fortune inviting renowned artists from all over the country to complete the wood carvings of this dome. The phoenix in the center was even carved by a master craftsman who lived in the palace.
That day, it was storytelling time at Xihe Tower. The tower was packed with people, and some were even leaning against the pillars, making it a very lively place.
In the very center of the first floor of Xihe Building, a stage was erected using lacquered wooden tables, extending all the way to the third and a half level. The storyteller, holding a yellow wooden stool, sat atop this perilous-looking stage. The story he told was also very relevant to current events and captivating, titled—"The Thunder Sword God Causes Havoc in Ping'an Courtyard, and Xue Xuanyuan Escapes and is Finally Exonerated."
The man held a folding fan and fanned himself slowly, saying, "Now, let's talk about this Thunder Sword God. His hair is like a hundred-times-forged silver spear, and his eyes are like purple-gold snakes. In front of him, the three sword gods of water, fire, and wind are heavily blocking his way, preventing him from getting close to the Peace Temple."
The storyteller shook his head and sighed, "Who could have imagined that brothers of yesteryear would turn against each other with swords drawn today?"
A sigh escaped from the crowd. Pei Jiangxi sat on the second floor by the railing, and with a slight tilt of her head, she could see the storyteller's expression clearly.
"At that moment, three thunderbolts fell from the sky." The storyteller put away his folding fan and tapped his head repeatedly, saying, "One, two, three, three thunderbolts that shook the heavens fell on the Thunder Sword God at the same time. With the three thunderbolts converging on his head, the Thunder Sword God rode forward with the force of the thunder."
The storyteller stretched out his arm, his folding fan suddenly opening, white dust swirling violently in the sunlight. "The sword intent of the three sword gods—water, fire, and wind—stormed forth, pouring forth entirely upon the Thunder Sword God. The brotherhood of yesteryear has come to an end."
"Lei Jianshen bypassed the crowd and, with the force of a thunderbolt, angrily struck the Ping An Courtyard." The storyteller paused for a moment before continuing, "In an instant, the palace collapsed and the mountain crumbled. The person imprisoned in the courtyard was none other than Xue Xuanyuan of the Western Frontier Blood Palace."
The storyteller changed to a sorrowful tone and said, "All we heard was Xue Xuanyuan calling out 'Brother.' It turns out that Xue Xuanyuan did not die on Mount Mashou back then, but was imprisoned here."
"Thunder Sword God, bearing a hundred sword wounds, gazed with tears in his eyes at Blood Xuanyuan in the dungeon. Snowflakes drifted down with the wind, landing on their shoulders." The storyteller placed one foot on the edge of the stool, lowered his head, and hid his face behind his knees. Pei Jiangxi couldn't see his expression.
A brief silence fell over Xihelou, broken only by the soft clinking of wooden chopsticks against porcelain bowls.
The storyteller raised his head, dusted off the dust on his clothes, and said, "Why did Xue Xuanyuan call Lei Jianshen his elder brother? And why was he imprisoned when he should have died? To find out what happens next, please listen to the next chapter."
Anxious sighs rose from the crowd, and some shouted for the storyteller to finish the tale. Even the silent guests couldn't help but show expressions of unfinished business.
A series of cheerful footsteps approached Pei Jiangxi. Pei Jiangxi shifted her gaze from the storyteller to the table, where the newcomer was Chen Changji. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and he seemed a little plumper than Pei Jiangxi remembered.
"I rushed over as soon as I heard you said you were back," Chen Changji said eagerly, taking the tea that Pei Jiangxi poured for him.
After taking a sip of tea, Chen Changji hurriedly put down his teacup, the tea sloshing around so much that it almost spilled several times. He spread his arms out at shoulder height and shook them, gesturing for Pei Jiangxi to look at the 'Xihe Building'. It looked just like a girl waving her hands, showing off the bells on her wrists.
Chen Changji asked with a hint of pride, "How's it here?"
"So elegant and beautiful," Pei Jiang praised, "You are definitely the most aesthetically pleasing boss I have ever met."
Chen Changji was secretly delighted, but cautiously probed, "You listened to the storybook, didn't you?"
"I only listened to half of it," Pei Jiangxi said. "It's quite interesting."
"Not bad, right?" Chen Changji's serious expression vanished instantly. He looked like he couldn't hide anything, and lowered his voice to whisper, "I'll tell you a secret, I wrote it."
Pei Jiangxi chuckled and said, "Really?"
“Really!” Chen Changji said proudly, “After our long talk last night, I realized that I’m not actually good at poetry. So I thought, why don’t I try writing some storybooks?”
Pei Jiangxi cupped her face in her hands, looking intently at Chen Changji, nodding repeatedly. A clear light flickered in her eyes, perhaps from the sunlight streaming in through the window.
Chen Changji paused for a moment, took a breath, and continued, "I wrote a story and asked a storyteller to take it to Changfeng Pavilion to perform. The response was good, so I copied it and brought it to Xihe Tower."
After carefully listening to what Chen Changji had to say, Pei Jiangxi poured him more tea and said softly, "You've been to Ping'an Courtyard, haven't you?"
"You noticed."
"The Thunder Sword God wrathfully strikes the Peace Palace." Pei Jiangxi puts down the teapot, covers her mouth and laughs, "This is the first time I've seen someone write 'Upside Down' with such power."
Chen Changji scratched his head sheepishly, picked up his teacup, and took a big gulp.
Seeing Chen Changji finish his drink and put down his bowl, Pei Jiangxi encouraged him, saying, "Just write storybooks, you'll definitely succeed."
"Really?" Chen Changji was smug, and his ears felt hot.
“Really,” Pei Jiangxi replied affirmatively. “But wouldn’t it be a bit monotonous if all four heroes were called Sword Gods?”
“I’m thinking about it too,” Chen Changji said thoughtfully, looking somewhat troubled. “But I don’t have any good ideas.”
"How about 'Sword Demon'?" Pei Jiangxi asked, feigning a thoughtful expression.
"What the hell?" Chen Changji was somewhat confused, his finger constantly spinning the teacup in front of him.
Pei Jiangxi chuckled, picked up a chopstick, stood it upright, and waved it in front of Chen Changji, explaining, "It's not the 'cheap' kind, it's the 'sword' kind."
Chen Changji suddenly realized something. After pondering for a moment, he said, "I've also thought of one. How about 'Sword Prisoner'? Imprisoned by the sword."
“Yours is better than mine,” Pei Jiangxi exclaimed happily. “You are really suited to writing vernacular stories; you were born to write them.”
Chen Changji's ears were already bright red. He said shyly, "Please stop praising me, it makes me feel embarrassed."
Pei Jiangxi sighed and said jokingly, "Telling the truth is illegal in Wenqu City too."
Chen Changji took a short sip of tea and asked, "Is there something important that you've come back for?"
“There are things to do. The most important thing is to see old friends.” Pei Jiangxi looked directly into Chen Changji’s eyes and revealed a bright smile.
A sparrow flew through the wooden window and landed on the rim of Chen Changji's teacup. The tea, which was almost empty, began to slosh around again.
*
The carriage slowly came to a stop; we had arrived at this enchanting place once again.
Su Yishan, who was leading the caravan, dismounted and strode to the carriage. He asked respectfully, "Miss, the 'Scholarly Avenue' is just ahead. Would you like to dismount and take a walk?"
"You're here, Brother Yishan." A girl's soft voice rang out from inside the carriage.
The girl used her sword to part the carriage curtain, and a pink sword tassel swayed in the orange sunlight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
