Chapter 64 – Majestic and Precise Question-Spotting
Lou Jiang was pushed to the back by the group of scions, watching helplessly as Zuo Yuesheng’s broad back disappeared majestically among the pavilions and terraces, completely beyond saving. He could already imagine the confusion of the Grand Elders, and the cracking composure on the Pavilion Master’s face.
“Can the fatty handle it? Will he be okay?” Lu Jing asked.
Lou Jiang gave him a wooden look, thinking to himself, Your whole charade is the biggest problem…
“Of course there’s a problem,” someone answered without hesitation.
Lou Jiang was startled.
There was actually a sane person among this group of scions, and that sane person was Chou Bodeng, of all people. The problem was, this was the guy who had been leading the whole spectacle just now.
Chou Bodeng turned back into the room and sat down by the window, one elbow on the table to support his weight, the other hand tossing a die up and down. “Although they say ‘like father, like son on the battlefield,’ if even the Pavilion Master can’t protect his own son and is forced to bring him onto the battlefield, isn’t that a big enough problem?”
“What?” Lu Jing was shocked. “Isn’t it that Pavilion Master Zuo had a pang of conscience and finally decided to pay attention to his son?”
The die paused in mid-air.
“Lu Shiyi, should I have someone bring you six walnuts? Do you need them?” Chou Bodeng asked with concern.
“What would I need those for?” Lu Jing was baffled.
“Walnuts are good for the brain.”
“…” Lu Jing slammed the table in anger. “Chou Bodeng! Don’t think I can’t tell you’re calling me stupid! I just didn’t react for a moment. Would it kill you to not speak in riddles?”
“Amitabha, well said, well said.” Monk Budu closed the door and slid the wooden bolt into place. “This poor monk thinks that Benefactor Chou means that Pavilion Master Zuo’s initial order for Benefactor Zuo to stay in Wuye Pavilion and not take a step out was not necessarily out of disdain for him. On the contrary, Pavilion Master Zuo was likely acting out of profound fatherly love. He probably thought that with several honored guests from immortal sects like Benefactor Chou, Benefactor Lu, Half-Diviner, and this humble monk here, and with Elder Tao Rong watching over, Benefactor Zuo’s safety could be guaranteed.”
Lu Jing sort of understood, but was also a little confused. “But this is the Mountain Sea Pavilion. He’s the Young Pavilion Master. How could it be more dangerous for him to stay at home than to be outside? …Wait a minute.”
His eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me this is why the fatty was exiled all over the place before… Damn it!”
“Looks like there’s hope for you yet, Lu Shiyi,” Chou Bodeng said coolly.
“The appearance of the Azure Batfish in the Tranquil Sea is exceedingly strange. This humble monk dares to guess that it may be related to the internal affairs of the Mountain Sea Pavilion,” Monk Budu glanced at Lou Jiang, replacing the blunt “internal strife” with the more tactful “internal affairs.” “Pavilion Master Zuo first ordered Benefactor Zuo to hide away, then ordered him to rush to the Mountain Sea Grand Hall. The contradiction between these orders must mean that something happened in between, something so urgent that Pavilion Master Zuo could no longer keep Benefactor Zuo out of the storm. If the master of a pavilion is in such a state, the danger of this meeting is not hard to guess.”
“Then… then the fatty is really going to a battlefield!” Lu Jing’s scalp tingled. “I thought his dad could back him up! But from the sound of it, his dad can’t even protect himself. Isn’t he in danger then?! What the hell is wrong with their Mountain Sea Pavilion!”
“I’ll go get him back.”
Lou Jiang turned to leave.
“Brother Lou, are you really completely unaware?”
Chou Bodeng spoke from behind him.
Lou Jiang froze.
“Elder Chou, what do you mean?” Lou Jiang turned, staring into Chou Bodeng’s eyes, his expression unusually cold. “Are you trying to say that I have some dissatisfaction with the Young Pavilion Master?”
Lu Jing looked at Chou Bodeng, then at Lou Jiang.
Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared in a violent storm; inside, turbulent waves surged and peaks rose one after another. He knew that Chou Bodeng had always been exceptionally sharp and perceptive. This guy probably knew about many things, but simply didn’t care enough to pay them any mind. But the current conversation was beyond Lu Jing’s comprehension. For a moment, he wanted to be a responsible sidekick but had no idea where to start, so he could only shut his mouth nervously.
“You know it in your heart, don’t you? You are the armor Zuo Liangshi prepared for his son.” The die spun between Chou Bodeng’s slender fingers, the red and blue dots blurring together. “When he’s provoked, you have to defend his honor. When he’s assassinated, you have to rush forward and take the sword for him. You are the number one genius of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, yet you have to follow a useless Young Pavilion Master, serving as his vanguard and his pawn.”
As he spoke, the muscles on Lou Jiang’s face twitched slightly, the lines of his jaw tightening one by one.
Chou Bodeng seemed not to see his ashen expression.
With a flick of his fingers, the white stone die was caught in his palm.
“How long can a debt of gratitude last?” Chou Bodeng propped his head on his hand, his tone casual and nonchalant. “Hesitating and dazed to the point of forgetting you should escort the Young Pavilion Master to the Mountain Sea Grand Hall… A lot of people have been trying to win you over, haven’t they? It’s a difficult choice, isn’t it?”
The room was silent.
Lou Jiang’s hands had unknowingly clenched into fists, his knuckles white.
Lu Jing looked from one to the other.
Finally, he retreated behind Chou Bodeng—mainly because he was afraid this guy’s words were too sharp and Lou Jiang would eventually lose his temper and hit him. But on the other hand… from Lou Jiang’s reaction, it seemed Young Master Chou was right.
Lu Jing’s mind was in a bit of a mess.
Admittedly, as a qualified profligate, Lu Jing had long been accustomed to being surrounded by a crowd of followers, but Lou Jiang was different.
Lou Jiang had also been through life and death with them, he was also a friend. Although Lou Jiang always played the role of the “old mother,” without the old mother, wouldn’t the profligates’ daily lives be a mess? But thinking from Lou Jiang’s perspective… he was the number one genius of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, a completely different kind of elite prodigy from them. In any other sect, his eyes would have been on the top of his head. That Ying Yuqiao was a prime example, wasn’t he? Why should he be ordered around by a good-for-nothing?
But Lu Jing didn’t know what to do, or what to say.
It was the first time he realized that there could be conflicts between friends.
On one side was this friend, on the other was that friend. Which side do you take? What do you use as a measure? The depth of friendship, or right and wrong?
“If you’ve made your choice,” Chou Bodeng said, looking out the window, “then leave while he’s away.”
…Thank goodness the fatty went to that damn Pavilion meeting.
Lu Jing thought.
If Zuo Yuesheng were here, it would have been difficult to bring this up directly. But letting it fester, letting Lou Jiang waver alone, was like letting a wound turn into an abscess. In the end, no one would be able to turn back. But maybe it wasn’t “thank goodness” after all. Chou Bodeng could be incredibly meticulous at times.
Or rather, if he wanted to, he could be more meticulous than anyone.
But the fatty would still be very hurt, wouldn’t he?
Alright.
Lu Jing admitted that he would be a little hurt too, just a little…
Unexpectedly.
After a long time with an ashen face, Lou Jiang asked a completely unrelated question: “Elder Chou, you look down on the Mountain Sea Pavilion, don’t you?”
Lu Jing was greatly surprised. What did this have to do with anything? How did it suddenly escalate from “the servant’s departure” to “sect prejudice”?
“Don’t you?”
Lou Jiang asked coldly.
“I do.”
“Why?” Lou Jiang continued calmly.
Chou Bodeng withdrew his gaze and suddenly smiled. “What happened in Ru City, you were surprised, but you quickly accepted the fact that ‘something like this happened in the Mountain Sea Pavilion.’ Why? Because you know of similar things… or rather, you know exactly what the Mountain Sea Pavilion is like now.”
“In Ru City, rice was as precious as gold, and many starved to death. How strange. Your Mountain Sea Pavilion is the richest under heaven, using pearls for lamps and fine jade for stones. Even if you were unwilling or afraid to confront Kongsang directly, couldn’t you have provided some grain relief? You could have, but in the hearts of your Mountain Sea Pavilion, Ru City was already a dead city. Why waste grain and resources on a dead city? Many people probably wished for Ru City to die quickly, right? Every day it clung to life, a thorn remained in their hearts, reminding some of them how many benefits they had received from Kongsang, reminding others of how incompetent and cowardly they had been.”
The candlelight made his features exquisitely beautiful, but the words he spoke were as sharp as a knife.
“One can glimpse the heavens through a tube, one can measure the sea with a gourd.”
“Insatiably greedy, ears plugged and eyes closed.”
“A decaying mountain, a withered sea.”
Chou Bodeng raised his eyes, his beautiful black pupils holding a cold smile.
“A Mountain Sea Pavilion like this, why should anyone look up to it?”
Lightning lit up the heavens and earth, and wind swept up the torrential rain.
***
The rain beat against the double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, making a crisp sound that did not penetrate the hall.
The Mountain Sea Grand Hall was nine bays wide, with thirty-two pillars carved with Golden Crows and floating clouds. The bracket sets on the pillar tops were heavy and complex, lifting the eaves high like majestic peaks. Inside, ten thousand candles burned brightly. Gilt and silver-inlaid bronze tables were arranged in rows, and behind each knelt a person with the power to decide the fate of the Mountain Sea Pavilion. All their faces were illuminated by the candlelight. Outside, the wind howled and the rain poured; inside, it was silent and solemn.
All the bronze tables were carved with the image of the Black Tortoise suppressing the sea, except for the two at the head of the hall on the left and right, which, in addition to the sea-suppressing image, were also carved with the image of the Golden Crow carrying the sun.
One belonged to the current leader of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, the other to its future leader.
For the past dozen years, it had always been empty. Today, its destined master had appeared.
Almost everyone was silently observing this finally-appeared Young Pavilion Master.
Zuo Yuesheng.
Zuo Liangshi had tossed his disappointing son around everywhere, calling him “dull, mischievous, and an eyesore.” When Zuo Yuesheng was young, he had spent half his time in the Buddhist Sect, the Taiyi Sect, and other sects, under the fine-sounding pretext of “cultivating relationships with future immortal sect leaders.” Later, when he was older, it was no longer convenient to foster the future leader of the sect elsewhere, so he was sent down to the various small cities and towns under the Mountain Sea Pavilion’s jurisdiction. Therefore, although he was the Young Pavilion Master of the Mountain Sea Pavilion and his fame as a profligate was widely known, many of the Grand Elders were seeing him for the first time.
Those who could become Grand Elders of the Mountain Sea Pavilion were all powerful experts with profound cultivation and deep-seated authority. A casual glance from them could make an ordinary disciple tremble with fear.
At this moment, Zuo Yuesheng, being scrutinized by the sharp gazes of all the Grand Elders, remained as steady as a mountain!
He knelt with his back straight behind the bronze table, his mountain-like figure made even more imposing by the candlelight, casting a shadow like a ferocious demon god on the screen wall behind him. He was adorned with Kui Dragons and fire phoenixes, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at the bronze table before him. Yet no one thought he was being timid, because the flesh on his face was taut, his features fierce.
This was a Young Pavilion Master completely different from his father, so majestic that it made one look twice!
Silence fell all around.
Everyone was unsure what kind of routine this Young Pavilion Master was following. These Grand Elders had been revered on a pedestal for too long. The people they usually interacted with were either gentle and elegant, respectful and well-mannered, or had the air of immortals, detached and carefree. They had never encountered a common highwayman, and with Zuo Yuesheng’s fierce expression, they were all momentarily intimidated.
The corner of Zuo Liangshi’s eye twitched imperceptibly.
Others might not understand Zuo Yuesheng, but as his father, how could he not know what kind of crap this little brat was pulling? This kid had guts, but under normal circumstances, he would absolutely not be able to remain calm under the scrutiny of so many Grand Elders. The only reason he could be “unmoved by a collapsing mountain” today was definitely because of…
That golden belt, which was clearly too short.
Averting his eyes out of sight, out of mind, Zuo Liangshi cleared his throat, signaling the start of the Pavilion meeting.
The Grand Elders also temporarily suppressed their scrutiny of the unconventional Young Pavilion Master. After a moment of silence, following the custom that “major events must be preceded by preliminaries,” they began to discuss some trivial matters.
The candlelight flickered.
Almost everyone was exchanging glances, almost everyone was engaging in a silent assessment.
Except for Young Pavilion Master Zuo Yuesheng.
He was as still as a mountain.
Tight! Tight! Tight!
My intestines are about to be squeezed out!
The unmoving Zuo Yuesheng stared intently at the patterns on the bronze table, having thrown all thoughts of Grand Elders and his own father to the nine heavens. His mind was filled with only one thought: “This is killing me!”
When he was standing, Lu Jing and Monk Budu had to work together to fasten the golden belt for him. As soon as he sat down, the already precarious belt instantly let out an ominous groan. The so-called “taut flesh and fierce features” were entirely because Zuo Yuesheng had to use all his strength to hold his breath and suck in his stomach.
Otherwise, the hook holding the golden belt would fly off on the spot.
Lu Shiyi! Damn you! You’ve screwed me over!
Zuo Yuesheng gritted his teeth, concentrating all his attention on the battle with his belt.
“Young Pavilion Master.”
“Young Pavilion Master!”
Zuo Yuesheng abruptly looked up, and following the voice, he met a face… a face so gloomy it could almost drip water!
“Grand Elder Ying.” Zuo Yuesheng was still holding his breath and sucking in his stomach, so he had to be concise. “What is it?”
A vein throbbed on Grand Elder Ying’s forehead.
After beating around the bush for a while, he had finally found the right moment to get to the point, directly throwing the topic to Zuo Yuesheng, who had been as still as a mountain since the beginning of the meeting. He thought his turn of phrase was a stroke of genius, both sharp and nonchalant, showing his tolerance as a Grand Elder towards a junior.
Unexpectedly, Zuo Yuesheng pretended not to hear and didn’t respond, forcing him to address him respectfully as “Young Pavilion Master” in front of everyone.
Grand Elder Ying took a deep breath, a fake smile on his face. “This old man was just asking, what is the Young Pavilion Master’s view on the Black Tortoise’s early hibernation?”
Holy crap! It’s a match!
Zuo Yuesheng almost blurted it out.
For a moment, the way he looked at Grand Elder Ying became somewhat strange. If one had to describe it, it was the look of someone who had “spotted the right exam question.” Before he left, Chou Bodeng had stuffed a piece of written-on curtain cloth into his hands. Zuo Yuesheng had glanced at it a couple of times on the way.
The saying “the handwriting is the man” did not apply to Young Master Chou. He was a first-class hellion, but his handwriting was like iron strokes and silver hooks, full of character and integrity. The tiny, densely packed characters on the curtain cloth were not messy at all and were easy to read. The content was all of Chou Bodeng’s speculations on the difficult questions that would appear at the Pavilion meeting, complete with a bunch of response strategies.
At the time, Zuo Yuesheng had thought: What, are you, Young Master Chou, a worm in the Grand Elders’ stomachs? You can even guess what they’re going to say?
However, holding onto the sentiment that he couldn’t waste his brother’s good intentions, Zuo Yuesheng still took the time to memorize it as he walked.
And the result!
Not only did Young Master Chou guess what they would say, he even got the damn order right.
Young Master Chou, are you even human?!
Zuo Yuesheng’s gaze was so bizarre that Grand Elder Ying felt a faint chill run down his back. For a moment, he didn’t know if this guy was just a simpleton or had been hiding his true abilities for a long time. As their gazes met and the air in the hall grew stagnant, Grand Elder Ying suddenly had the thought that perhaps he shouldn’t have been the one to “stick his neck out.”
But soon, he dismissed the thought.
No matter how well he hid his abilities, Zuo Yuesheng’s cultivation was at the Mind Illumination Stage. What could he possibly do?
“Young Pavilion Master,” Grand Elder Ying coughed heavily, pressing on coldly, “Regarding the matter of the Black Tortoise’s early hibernation, do you have any brilliant insights?”