Chapter 364: Full-Time Education (Part 3)
Su Li said expressionlessly, “The Southerners’ best and final chance has been lost just like that. What would they thank me for? As for the Zhou people, aside from thinking I’m a madman, they won’t thank me either.”
Chen Changsheng thought it over for a moment, then said, “…Not liking or thanking someone doesn’t mean they want you dead, Senior.”
Su Li replied, “In the blink of an eye, over ten years have passed. Tianhai, Old Man Yin, and that woman on Holy Maiden Peak are still fixated on uniting the North and South, but I still disagree. If I disagree, Li Mountain cannot agree, and the Longevity Sect cannot agree. The unification of North and South… will forever remain nothing more than a pie in the sky, drawn on paper. Tell me, don’t you think those sages wish I were dead?”
Hearing Su Li’s words, Chen Changsheng fell silent for a long time. Recalling the grand formation he had seen on the snowy plains when he first left the Zhou Garden, he said, “The Demon race… also wants you dead, Senior.”
“Do you find that absurd? Remember, the enemy of your enemy is not necessarily your friend, because there’s something called interest in between. If I die, the continent will fall into turmoil. The Demon Lord and Tianhai are the two most confident people in the world. They believe they can exploit the chaos to gain what they want, so of course they both want me dead.”
Chen Changsheng looked at Su Li very seriously and sincerely, and said, “Senior, then why don’t you support the unification of North and South? No matter how you look at it, that would benefit humanity.”
“Just because something benefits humanity, I have to do it? Alright, that sentence sounds too much like something a villain would say, so I take it back.”
Su Li looked at him calmly and said, “But can you answer me one question? What’s the difference between being ruled by Tianhai and being ruled by the Demon race?”
Chen Changsheng wanted to say the difference was enormous—racial wars risked extinction, while wars between humans were merely about who would bow their heads. But he knew that for someone like Su Li, being ruled itself was an unacceptable situation, and there really wasn’t much difference between the two.
“Senior, is the world in your eyes always this dark?”
“It’s not dark; it’s colorless, like cold ice. I told you, it’s interest.”
“Then… can’t we think of the world in a better light?” This was already the third time Chen Changsheng had asked a similar question.
“No, because things like this have happened many times before. So-called history is nothing more than evidence of the present, and the so-called present is nothing more than a repetition of history.” Su Li looked at him and said, “I don’t want to become a second Zhou Du Fu, so I won’t trust either the Demon race or you Zhou people.”
The Black Willow Grove fell silent again. After a long pause, Chen Changsheng suddenly spoke up and asked, “Senior, are you teaching me?”
Ever since entering the military camp, Su Li’s conversations with him had increased. Whether it was encountering assassins, or the Zhou cavalry, or the seemingly casual yet deeply meaningful topics of their discussions, it all showed that Su Li was trying to teach Chen Changsheng something—how to view the world and how to survive.
Su Li looked at him with a hint of mockery and said, “Isn’t it a bit late to realize that now? Rumor has it that you’ve read through the Daoist Canon, so why can’t I see even a trace of insight in you?”
“But… why is this?”
Chen Changsheng didn’t mind the senior’s ridicule; he was simply puzzled. He was a Zhou, Su Li was a Southerner. He was the key figure of the next generation being groomed by the National Church, while Su Li was a highly respected and senior Sword Dao master. The two had no connection, and their respective camps were even secretly hostile. Not to mention the poor relationship between the National Academy and Li Mountain Sword Sect, or the competition between him and Qiu Shan Jun that had occurred and would likely continue. There was no reason for Su Li to teach him like a mentor.
“Because I admire you very much.” Su Li looked at him expressionlessly and said, “Is that reason enough?”
Chen Changsheng honestly shook his head and said, “Senior, of course not.”
Su Li was momentarily at a loss for words. If it were any other junior, being patiently taught by him like this, they would at least be grateful, if not weeping with joy. After he gave a reason, they would absolutely not dare to keep pressing for more. He looked at the young man’s clear, bright eyes and suddenly laughed, thinking, well, if this kid weren’t like this, how could he have caught his fancy?
“Because I hope you can live well, and live as long as possible.” He said to Chen Changsheng seriously.
Chen Changsheng was slightly startled, thinking, could it be that Senior knows about his severed meridians and his impending death?
Su Li’s next words showed he didn’t know this secret. He said, “Because only by living long enough can you become strong enough. I hope you can keep growing stronger, until the very end.”
“The end of what?”
“The next Pope, of course.”
“…Senior, you hope I become the next Pope?”
“That’s right, because if you become the Pope, that would be the best thing for the Southerners.”
“Why?”
“Because you don’t want to kill people, and you’re not intoxicated by killing. You see things other than life and death very clearly. I’ve never seen a young man your age who cares so little about fame and fortune… Of course, your obsession with my yellow paper umbrella sometimes makes me start to doubt my own judgment.”
“I don’t know how you can tell I don’t care about fame and fortune, Senior… but can that really make me the Pope?”
Chen Changsheng subconsciously glanced at the gray sky, watching the snowflakes falling from some immeasurably high place, and said, “It feels so far away.”
Su Li looked at him with great interest and said, “Have you never had that kind of self-awareness?”
Chen Changsheng withdrew his gaze, slightly stunned, and asked, “What kind of self-awareness?”
“The Li Palace values you so much, nurtures you, makes you the youngest Tongyou Upper Realm cultivator, the youngest Dean of the National Academy… If they didn’t want you to become the next Pope, what are those old fellows thinking?”
Chen Changsheng was silent. He now understood why Bishop Melisandre had been so kind to him, and what the Pope’s intentions were.
After leaving the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, all the mysteries had already been solved. But he had never fully understood this matter, subconsciously not wanting to remember it. Too many things had happened in the Zhou Garden, so much so that he thought he had truly forgotten, until now, when Su Li reminded him again.
He was the successor of the National Church.
But his gaze was still habitually fixed on the ground not far in front of him; he wasn’t used to looking up at the sky. Whether it was the gray sky or the clear blue sky, the light was always so dazzling. If he returned to the capital, as the successor of the National Church, he would have to face the majesty of Her Holiness the Empress directly. This made him very uneasy. Of course, first, he had to return to the capital.
…
…
(Today was the leader’s birthday. I rushed home after nine o’clock and hurriedly wrote over three thousand words. But when I checked, I found that the last thousand-plus words were completely wrong—shockingly wrong. I had to delete them and just post this much. There will be two chapters tomorrow.)