Heaven's Silence

Chapter 62 – Go see for yourself

Cheng Feng asked Wen Chaoshen where he got those letters. After learning the answer, he slumped onto the cold ground, staring blankly at the wide-open courtyard gate for a long time, as if he had lost all his strength.

Seeing him like this, Wen Chaoshen asked again about the letters. After a long silence, Cheng Feng sighed:

"In principle, I can't reveal anything about the academy."

"After all, it's not just my concern."

"But if Brother Chaoshen really wants to know, there is a way, though it's very dangerous..."

Wen Chaoshen was curious and asked:

"Oh, what way? Tell me."

Cheng Feng replied:

"Get into Langan Pavilion and find the answers you seek in the academy."

Upon hearing this, Wen Chaoshen laughed and said:

"Me, go to the academy?"

"Not to mention the tedious academic assessments, I haven't even read Mr. Wang Shenghai's 'Treatise on Governing the Nation.' If I were to take the exam, I'd be eliminated in the first round."

The warm sunlight shone on Cheng Feng, heating him up as he seemed to be caught in some kind of decision, his tone complex and conflicted:

"I... might be able to write a recommendation letter to that esteemed person."

Wen Chaoshen gradually restrained his smile, looking at him with some surprise:

"With a recommendation letter, I don't have to take the exam?"

Cheng Feng:

"Of course, you still have to take the exam."

Wen Chaoshen scoffed, turned around, and waved his hand:

"Pointless trouble."

Cheng Feng's voice grew louder behind him:

"But the exam won't be on those books or Wang's 'Treatise on Governing the Nation.'"

Wen Chaoshen stopped, turned back, and met his gaze:

"Then what will it be on?"

Cheng Feng lifted his head, his tone mysterious:

"Whatever they need, that's what they'll test."

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"Brother Chaoshen, the academy is a place of disputes, very different from the rumors outside. It's like water and fire; if you enter, you might find yourself unable to leave."

"If you've made up your mind, come find me tomorrow, and I'll teach you how to pass the exam."

After pondering for a moment, Wen Chaoshen agreed.

"Alright."

He and A Shui left Cheng Feng's courtyard and entered the bustling streets.

After a long silence, A Shui asked him:

"When did you become so skilled with a knife?"

She had noticed the technique.

That strike from Wen Chaoshen earlier, not to mention ordinary people, even a typical Light Feather Realm martial artist might not be able to execute it. To A Shui, it was something that shouldn't have happened, especially since Wen Chaoshen didn't have a dantian and couldn't cultivate. Even if he could cultivate, his progress shouldn't have been so rapid.

Facing A Shui's question, Wen Chaoshen smiled and said:

"You taught me, remember?"

A Shui was taken aback.

"I taught you?"

"When?"

Wen Chaoshen replied:

"That night in the snow, you said you'd teach me to kill, and I learned."

"I first killed a few crossbowmen, took their crossbows, and then killed an assassin from Wangchuan... No, strictly speaking, you killed that assassin, but I did hit him."

A Shui's tone showed a hint of fluctuation as she shook her head:

"Impossible. The knife skills I taught you, even if you could learn them at a glance, would require a lot of honing and practice. Just because your eyes learn doesn't mean your body has."

Wen Chaoshen tilted his head, noticing the rare confusion and puzzlement on A Shui's face, and explained:

"I practiced."

"Chopping wood every day is practicing sword and knife skills."

A Shui listened, somewhat thoughtful.

"Practicing knife skills by chopping wood... interesting, it's the first time I've heard of it."

As she pondered, Wen Chaoshen led her into a less crowded alley and asked A Shui a strange question:

"A Shui, did you notice anything unusual about Mr. Lü's courtyard?"

Prompted by Wen Chaoshen's question, A Shui immediately snapped back to reality, thought carefully, and shook her head:

"No."

"Is there something unusual?"

Wen Chaoshen stroked his chin and changed the question:

"When you looked at the loquat tree in Mr. Lü's courtyard, did you notice anything else?"

A Shui answered decisively:

"No."

"It's just a tree. Besides bearing loquats, what else could it have?"

Hearing A Shui's answer, Wen Chaoshen seemed to understand.

Not everyone could see something else on that loquat tree, and it had nothing to do with one's cultivation level.

To see something else on that loquat tree required fate, a quality that ordinary people found hard to acquire.

"Did you see something on the loquat tree?" A Shui asked casually, and Wen Chaoshen shook his head, saying:

"Maybe it was a dream, or my eyes were playing tricks on me."

"I've always seen strange things, even now."

A Shui didn't dwell on it, casually swiping at Wen Chaoshen's waist, and the not-so-sharp woodcutting knife ended up in her hand.

Wen Chaoshen felt the weight leave his waist and immediately asked:

"What are you doing with my knife?"

A Shui skillfully played with the knife, lazily saying:

"Going to get some wine from Seventh Master."

"You broke two fingers of that thug today. They've done plenty of bad things at Cheng Feng's place before, so they won't dare report it to the authorities. But they won't swallow their pride either, and will likely cause trouble for Seventh Master, the local tyrant."

"Instead of waiting for Seventh Master to find Cheng Feng, we should go to him first and settle this."

Wen Chaoshen sighed and took the knife back from A Shui.

"The martial world isn't all about fighting; there's also human relationships."

"I'll handle Seventh Master's matter."

A Shui glanced at Wen Chaoshen, crossing her arms:

"Wen Chaoshen, you might have some knife skills now, but dealing with Seventh Master might still be beyond you."

"Be careful not to get beaten up."

Wen Chaoshen secured the knife at his waist, patting it, and said seriously:

"I said I won't fight him."

"I'm keeping Seventh Master as a pawn to test Chun Qiong's sincerity."

"Regarding the letters, we can't investigate further for now. Digging deeper would lead us to the Royal City, and I don't know if you can go there. I need a suitable identity to enter the Royal City, and I can only get that from Cheng Feng..."

A Shui walked a few steps with him and suddenly said:

"Actually, you don't have to keep investigating."

"This matter doesn't really concern you."

"Anything that enters the Royal City becomes especially complicated. Anyone or any thread involved could lead to your family's ruin."

Wen Chaoshen smiled:

"To have a ruined family, you need a family first."

"I'm not talented, but now I'm the only one left of my nine clans."

A Shui pursed her lips, looking at Wen Chaoshen with a complex expression:

"Aren't you afraid of death?"

Wen Chaoshen:

"Let me correct you again, I'm not afraid of death; I cherish life."

"I wouldn't want to investigate this matter myself, but I owe Aunt Mi a debt of gratitude... At the very least, I need to find out if her son Zhang Changgong is alive or dead, and where he is."

Saying this, he stepped closer to A Shui and whispered:

"Aunt Mi is such a good person; she saved my life twice. She's sixty-three this year, her legs aren't good, and her health is failing. She might not have many years left, and she relies on those letters from her 'son' and the scenery from her window to get by. Now even those letters are fake; what else is real in her remaining years?"

"I don't necessarily have to tell her the truth, but I can't just stand by and watch her be deceived. If possible, I need to bring her son back to her."