Chapter 248: A Cinnabar Mole on the Brow (Part 1)
Merisa walked back into the hall and said to His Holiness the Pope, "What did you talk about?"
The Pope thought for a moment and replied, "We talked about everything, but... it seems we talked about nothing at all."
After saying this, he shook his head and continued, "That child asked about some things, all of which had nothing to do with himself. Not a single question I expected to hear did I hear. He didn't ask about the state religion, he didn't ask about the stars, he didn't ask about the Heavenly Book Monolith, nor did he ask about so-called intentions."
Throughout the entire continent, the most authoritative figure in interpreting the Heavenly Book Monolith was this old man in a linen robe. Even the Holy Maiden of the Southern Sect could not surpass him. Chen Changsheng had gained insights while observing the monolith at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum and had many questions, but today in the Detached Palace, he didn't utter a single word about them.
"It's still a lack of trust," Merisa said slowly.
"Although that child doesn't talk much, he's not stupid. Suddenly encountering such a huge matter, how could he fully trust everything?"
The Pope was unconcerned and said with a smile, "In the future, he will naturally understand that everything we've done is for his own good."
Upon hearing this, Merisa was silent for a moment before saying, "I used to worry that he was maturing too slowly. Now it seems his growth is faster than anyone imagined. Should we control it a bit?"
The Pope said nothing.
Leaving the Detached Palace, Chen Changsheng felt a soreness in his waist. Earlier on the Sacred Path, hundreds of priests had bowed to him in succession, and although he only slightly inclined his body in return, it was still somewhat exhausting.
Going from being the center of attention to being alone, he felt somewhat unaccustomed. Turning to look at the Detached Palace in the night, at those silent stone pillars, he too remained silent. He had enjoyed boundless glory in this palace, but for some reason, he felt a vague unease, even a hint of fear.
He had long guessed that his master was no ordinary person, but he never imagined he was so extraordinary. Moreover, over the past year, his mind had been entirely focused on cultivation and the Grand Examination, leaving him no time to think. As a result, when all the truths were laid bare in the Detached Palace tonight, the shock chilled his body to the bone.
Just like the conversation between the Pope and Merisa after he left, there were many things he hadn't said in the Detached Palace, many questions he hadn't asked. For instance, he didn't mention that he still had a senior brother. If the orthodox state religion needed an heir, his senior brother should be that heir. He also didn't mention the special condition of his body. The Pope's eyes were as deep as the ocean, as if they could see through everything, or perhaps he already knew all about him—like the two young Daoist priests in the old temple of Xining Town, the knowledge he had gained from observing the monolith at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, or the fact that all the meridians in his body were severed. But he didn't say a word.
The Pope and Merisa both said that Xining Town would be fine, but how could that be? Her Holiness the Empress would surely send people to hunt down his master and Senior Brother Yuren. He didn't know if they could escape successfully. Moreover, over a decade ago, the Academy of the State Religion was destroyed by the Pope and Her Holiness the Empress. The Pope had personally taken action. So why was he now showing such favor to him? Was it for those reasons? Because as he grew older, he began to feel nostalgic? Such reasons were truly hard to believe. He couldn't fully trust the Pope, even though the Pope appeared so kind and trustworthy.
Words like a tongue twister kept circling in his mind—trust or not trust, why and why—leaving his expression somewhat dazed. In a trance, he thought that if everything the Pope said was true, then from tonight onward, his life seemed destined to take a completely different turn.
From Xining Town to the capital, from the old temple to the Academy of the State Religion, whether passively or actively, the greatest shadow hanging over him had always been Her Holiness the Empress.
Her Holiness the Empress herself was a peerless powerhouse at the Saint Realm. With over thirty divine generals commanding a million troops of the Zhou Dynasty, the loyalty of families like Yuwen Jing, Zhou Tong, Mo Yu, and the Tianhai Clan, as well as the reverence and adoration of the common people, she was undoubtedly the most powerful human on this continent.
If it were anyone else in Chen Changsheng's position, they would have simply killed themselves long ago.
But as the Pope had said, even Her Holiness the Empress was unwilling to have a direct conflict with the state religion. Because the only force in this world capable of standing against her was the state religion. As the founding religion of the Zhou Dynasty, it possessed countless devout followers and millions of priests, giving it such confidence and conviction.
And now, he was the heir to the state religion.
Just as Merisa had said on the Sacred Path, he no longer had to bow to anyone.
But happiness came too suddenly—how could he believe it?
It all came back to trust and reasons.
Why.
These matters were too complicated. Although Chen Changsheng had thoroughly read the Daoist scriptures and could recite even the most obscure and difficult texts backward, he was not skilled in these things.
Because these were matters of the human heart.
He wanted to find someone to discuss it with, but Tang Thirty-Six was still at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. Even if he were present, he would surely say the opposite of whatever Chen Changsheng said. Luo Luo's status was too special and sensitive. Even setting that aside, whatever Chen Changsheng said, she would unquestioningly follow—how could there be any discussion?
The capital was so vast, yet he couldn't find a single person to talk to about what had happened tonight. This made him feel somewhat lonely.
The night was deep, and the lights of the Detached Palace still shone brightly. Chen Changsheng turned around and looked toward the quiet streets and alleys. His right hand rested on the hilt of the short sword at his waist.
The true qi in his body circulated slightly, and his breath gradually calmed.
Vaguely, it seemed as if a clanging sound rang out, but the sword did not leave its sheath—only its momentum remained.
The starting sword stance of the Zhongshan Wind and Rain Sword.
Borrowing the sword's momentum, he activated the Yashi Step. In the cool breeze, his figure suddenly vanished, flickered a few times, and then disappeared into the night, heading to who knows where.
A moment later, several people emerged one after another from the quiet streets and alleys.
Their eyes still held traces of shock.
They exchanged glances, recognizing each other's origins, but said nothing and dispersed.
The method Chen Changsheng used to leave seemed simple, but it was far from it.
None of these people sent by the major powers of the capital to monitor him could track his whereabouts.
Now, Chen Changsheng had finally stepped into the realm of the strong.
The bells of the Detached Palace rang out, announcing to the entire continent that Chen Changsheng had assumed the position of the new Dean of the Academy of the State Religion. This news once again shocked everyone.
From the imperial palace to the Tianhai Clan and the Eastern Imperial Divine General's Mansion, many people were unable to sleep because of this news, endlessly analyzing what it signified.
As the subject of all this discussion and speculation, Chen Changsheng was at that moment strolling through a bustling night market in the southern part of the capital.
He first went to the famous Quyuan Roast Lamb Shop on the street corner and ordered a whole roasted lamb, then began buying things nonstop at the street stalls.
Half an hour later, he appeared under a tree outside Beixin Bridge.
The spring night was already deep, and the temperature was not as cold as in previous days. There wasn't much dew on the grass.
In the distance, the lights from the corner towers of the imperial city fell to the ground, illuminating the newly sprouted leaves on the tree, making them look exceptionally green, like fresh tea.
This place was very close to the palace walls, heavily guarded. Especially the night crows on the walls responsible for nighttime surveillance, their eyes as bright as night pearls.
Chen Changsheng hid his body in the shadow of the big tree, quietly sensing his surroundings. When a patrol of imperial guards passed by and the night crow at the southeastern corner of the imperial city turned its head to the left according to its routine, he suddenly moved. With a low muffled sound, two puffs of dust rose from under the tree, leaving two clear footprints, and he had vanished.
A moment later, the dust slowly settled, just covering the two footprints.
Before that, his body had traced an afterimage through the night sky, landing above the abandoned well.
From under the tree to the well, he had taken only one step.
At that moment, he could only think that if the Pope was lying, he would surely fall in a very embarrassing manner—so could this be considered a test of trust?
With a whoosh.
He landed precisely inside the abandoned well, his clothes not even brushing against the well walls.
Such accuracy was indeed astonishing.
The bottom of the abandoned well had indeed been dug open again.
Chen Changsheng fell directly from the well bottom into that abyss-like underground space.
Endless darkness instantly surrounded him. He could only see the faint trace of starlight above and hear the increasingly sharp whistling of the wind in his ears.
After falling for an unknown amount of time, the air around him suddenly became thick, and his descent naturally slowed.
Finally, he drifted down like a leaf, landing on the ground with a crackling sound under his feet—he had stepped on a piece of ice.
Having been here several times before, he wasn't panicked. He took out a night pearl and shone it around.
As the light of the night pearl illuminated the area, the thousands of night pearls on the dome of the underground space slowly lit up, turning the pitch-black world into daylight.
A creaking sound echoed—the sound of space twisting.
Chen Changsheng looked up and saw the mountain-like black dragon slowly drifting over.
The dragon's body was so massive that as it moved, the cold wind in the underground space grew increasingly fierce.
It stopped in front of him, its palace-sized head filling his entire field of vision.
Chen Changsheng smiled happily, waved his hand, and said, "Zhi Zhi, I've come to see you."
The black dragon's gaze was very indifferent, its whiskers gently swaying.
With this movement, countless frost and snow fell from its body, blown by the wind, covering him from head to toe.
Chen Changsheng wiped the frost and snow off his face, looking quite disheveled.
He saw the mischievous look in the black dragon's eyes and realized it was teasing him, or perhaps punishing him for not coming for so long.
Then, he noticed the wound between the black dragon's eyes.
Compared to the dragon's massive head, this wound was very small.
But in Chen Changsheng's eyes, this wound was terrifyingly hideous.
He remembered clearly that the black dragon's brow hadn't had this wound before.
"Who did this?" His expression was more serious than ever before.
Even though the black dragon was chained and imprisoned beneath the Great Zhou imperial palace, it was not something that could be casually humiliated or tormented.
For someone to leave such a terrifying wound on its brow, one could imagine how powerful that person must be.
But Chen Changsheng didn't care about that. He only thought about seeking justice for the black dragon.
Because at this moment, he was very angry.
(No more today.)