Chapter 188: A Dialogue with the World, a Negotiation with Oneself
A profound silence.
Wind brushed the pear tree.
The answer was revealed.
Luoluo’s head hung even lower.
Chen Changsheng remained silent for a long time, then said, “If Your Majesty is willing, I can pretend none of this ever happened.”
Madam Mu asked, “What comes after the word ‘willing’?”
Chen Changsheng replied, “Our two races were once comrades and allies. We share a common enemy.”
Madam Mu gave a faint, mocking smile. “You mean that one?”
Chen Changsheng said, “Correct. The Demon Lord should still be in White Emperor City, along with those two strangers.”
This was his invitation.
He was inviting Madam Mu to join him in killing.
The ones he intended to kill were no ordinary people—they were the sovereign of the northern continent, a presence as vast and dark as the night itself.
As for the two strangers from a distant continent, they were beings beyond imagination.
Madam Mu was silent for a moment, then said, “If I accept His Holiness the Pope’s invitation, then what comes after?”
Chen Changsheng said, “Nothing comes after.”
Luoluo could not understand this exchange between her teacher and her mother.
Madam Mu naturally understood.
Chen Changsheng’s meaning was clear: if she agreed to this invitation, he would no longer concern himself with that black cliff.
Whether White Emperor lived or died, whether he could escape his predicament, would have nothing to do with him.
A faintly mocking smile curled at the corner of Madam Mu’s lips.
“You’ve finally matured,” she said, looking at Chen Changsheng. “Aren’t you afraid of becoming the very thing you once despised?”
Chen Changsheng thought of his conversations with Tang Thirty-Six by the lake and the stream, of the golden carp sinking into the rotting mud. He was silent for a long time before saying, “At certain critical moments, one must learn to make choices.”
Madam Mu said, “I thought that was the defining trait of maturity—or decay.”
Chen Changsheng fell silent again for a long time.
He thought of Bieyang Hong and Wuqiong Bi, who had just left this world.
He thought of the dozen rebel kings entering the capital, of Heavenly Sea Saint Empress standing atop the Mausoleum of Books, of the sea of lotuses before the Divine Path, of the many red flowers.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t think this way.”
After saying this, he suddenly felt a lightness, as if even his sea of consciousness had become much clearer.
Madam Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting him to change his mind so quickly.
One moment he was contemplating schemes and tactics, compromises and sacrifices; the next, he cast them all aside.
Such fickleness, in many people’s eyes, would be the hallmark of a petty man or a woman.
But Chen Changsheng was not.
He was merely climbing an extremely treacherous solitary peak, walking in silence for a very long time, feeling a bit lonely and tired.
So he glanced over the edge of the cliff.
“Then I’ll take my leave,” Chen Changsheng said to Madam Mu. “You’re right. I should have said these things after meeting His Majesty White Emperor.”
Madam Mu’s expression turned cold. “His Majesty will not see you.”
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then said, “Or perhaps it’s because he cannot see me right now?”
Madam Mu looked into his eyes and asked, “If things are as you imagine, and he is already dead, what will you do?”
Hearing this, Luoluo lifted her head, her face even whiter than the pear blossoms falling from the branches.
“The fact that you imprisoned the Frost Azure Dragon will spread across both sides of the Red River in the shortest possible time,” Chen Changsheng continued. “Then I will announce that you have colluded with the demon race and become an enemy of the National Church.”
Madam Mu smiled faintly. “Do you think I care about such things?”
Chen Changsheng’s two statements—the first meant to stir the fury of the demon race’s people against her, the second to ignite a fire across the entire continent.
But she was the Queen of the demon race, a Saint, and had enough confidence to ignore any wildfire sweeping through mountains, rivers, and lakes.
Chen Changsheng said, “I don’t know if you care, because until now, no one seems to know what you truly care about.”
This negotiation ended there, but it could not be called a breakdown.
Because from start to finish, neither side had clearly stated their terms.
In a sense, they were both negotiating with themselves.
This was not a difficult thing to understand.
A dialogue with the world is often a dialogue with oneself.
Convincing the other party is far less important than convincing oneself.
In the end, Madam Mu withdrew her hand, and Chen Changsheng retracted his invitation—not because they were convinced by the other, but because they had convinced themselves.
……
……
Chen Changsheng took a secret passage to the Falling Star Mountains.
Everything had already been revealed under the starry sky, so Luoluo followed as well.
The quiet imperial city grew even quieter and more desolate, and Madam Mu’s figure seemed even more solitary and cold.
Mu Jiushi walked out of the hall and stood beside her, her face full of worry.
Madam Mu looked at her with a smile and said, “Do you think your aunt is pitiable?”
Mu Jiushi instinctively nodded, then came to her senses and shook her head repeatedly.
Heavenly Sea Saint Empress was dead, and the Southern Saintess had gone to a distant continent. In this world, Madam Mu was the most honored woman.
But in Mu Jiushi’s eyes, her aunt was truly pitiable—because she was lonely.
“If you want to achieve something, you must endure something. That principle is simple,” Madam Mu said, touching her face. “You should go back tomorrow, because I don’t want you to endure this.”
Mu Jiushi was shocked. Could the situation have deteriorated to this extent? She trembled and said, “Then why not strike now?”
In her view, this should be the best opportunity to kill Chen Changsheng, with Snow Old City as a buffer.
If the human race reacted and sent more powerful experts, what would they do then?
Madam Mu was well aware of the principle of cutting through a tangled knot with a sharp blade.
But Xuan Yuan Po’s appearance had disrupted the process of the Heaven-Selection Ceremony, and Chen Changsheng… had arrived too quickly, directly changing the entire situation. Most importantly, that one’s thoughts, even if not completely altered, had certainly been affected.
……
……
Dawn arrived. Countless swords flew back through the air, like streams of light sheathing themselves, hiding their sharpness.
Chen Changsheng stood up and looked at the black cliff before him. His face was tired, but his eyes were bright.
Even using the Nanxi Zhai sword formation as a tool, breaking this forbidden formation, which rivaled the Tong Palace, was still an extremely difficult task.
But everything was progressing for the better. In a little more time, he believed they would see the answer.
Jin Yulu was an old veteran of the northern campaign against the demon race. He had seen countless schemes and unimaginable emergencies. He was not pleased by the progress they had made; instead, his expression grew even more solemn.
He said to Chen Changsheng, “Last night, the Queen clearly had murderous intent but ultimately did not act. We must find out the reason.”
Xiao De added, “The experts from the Xiang tribe suddenly withdrew. Three armies were advancing toward White Emperor City but suddenly stopped two hundred li away. On both sides of the Red River, there seems to be a hidden force that changed the decisions of Madam Mu and the Council of Elders.”
The changes in the situation last night were favorable to them, yet they remained extremely vigilant.
White Emperor was trapped, his life or death unknown. Where did that powerful yet hidden force come from?
Naturally, their gazes turned northward, toward distant Snow Old City.
When Chen Changsheng returned to White Emperor City, he received an invitation.
This invitation came from the large compound very close to the Xiang tribe’s estate.
But in truth, everyone knew this invitation also came from the north, from Snow Old City.
The Demon Lord invited Chen Changsheng to meet.
Chen Changsheng thought it over and accepted the invitation, but set the time for four days later.
Four days passed quickly.
A heavy snow fell over White Emperor City.