Chapter 12: Koi, Pond, Gleam of the Iron Blade
Zhou Tong set down the case files and looked at his subordinate. “Confirmed?”
The subordinate took a portrait from his chest. “Absolutely certain.”
Zhou Tong didn’t take it, just glanced at it twice without speaking.
The subordinate continued, “According to the records, in the year Chen Changsheng has been in the capital, he has never mentioned this person.”
Zhou Tong stared at the sky outside the window for a long time, then suddenly said, “Tell me, did the Crown Prince Zhao Ming really die, or was he secretly taken away by those restless members of the royal family who refuse to give up?”
The subordinate didn’t know how to answer, very nervous, his voice slightly hoarse. “What do you mean, sir?”
Zhou Tong shook his head. “I mean nothing. It just came to mind subconsciously.”
The subordinate dared not respond.
“Some things can’t be investigated clearly for now, and that’s fine.” Zhou Tong withdrew his gaze from the window. “Why was Liang Xiaoxiao willing to trade with a demon like the Black Robe, even willing to commit suicide just to try to deal with Su Li and his daughter? Because he wanted revenge. Why did Su Li go to the Longevity Sect back then, kill so many people, and then run to Xunyang City to go on a killing spree, severely weakening the Liang family? Because the Southerners wanted to take advantage of the Great Zhou’s internal strife to advance north, so they kidnapped his wife to threaten him and drove him mad. Why did the Great Zhou fall into civil strife? Because of the bloodbath at the National Academy. So everything has its source. All matters, in the final analysis, come down to the issue of the Great Zhou throne. As long as we recognize this clearly, our direction won’t go wrong.”
The subordinate said, “In the past five days, Prince Chenliu has visited the Bureau of Religious Affairs three times.”
“Don’t forget, although Her Majesty has no biological son, the late emperor still had many sons and grandsons. Even if Her Majesty truly abdicates in the future and returns the throne to the Chen royal family, Prince Chenliu is so young—how much chance does he really have? Of course he’s anxious.”
“Do you mean, sir, that Prince Chenliu wants to win the support of the state religion?”
“Archbishop Melisande is about to return to the sea of stars. If he doesn’t show his face more now and win the favor of the clergy at the Li Palace, how could he have survived in the capital until now, and even thrived?”
“Although you don’t care about the throne, everyone else does. So I believe that all problems in the end—or rather, the root of all problems—is the throne. Dean Shang’s thoughts will ultimately fall on that chair.”
After hearing Tang Thirty-Six’s words, before Chen Changsheng could think, he first noticed the title.
“Dean Shang… who is that?”
“Your teacher, Shang Xingzhou.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time.
This was the first time he had heard this name, and he had lived with the owner of this name for fifteen years.
Recently, he had had many chances to learn this name, but he hadn’t asked—not Archbishop Melisande, not His Holiness the Pope—because he didn’t want to know this name, didn’t want to face problems that knowing it might bring. At the same time, he didn’t want others to know he didn’t know this name, because that made him sad.
Tang Thirty-Six vaguely guessed his feelings at that moment and, for some reason, felt a dislike for his teacher. “Have you ever thought about why he took you as his disciple?”
Chen Changsheng was a bit dazed. “Master found me by the stream. Could there be any other reason?”
Tang Thirty-Six stared into his eyes. “Your surname is Chen.”
“And then?” Chen Changsheng still didn’t catch on.
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Have you never considered… that you might be of royal blood?”
Chen Changsheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “No. I floated down from the mountain stream in the Cloud Tomb. My biological parents might have been descendants of the criminals back then.”
Tang Thirty-Six sneered. “You were just a baby then. What the hell would you know?”
Chen Changsheng said, “That’s what Senior Brother told me. Senior Brother never lies, and he would never lie to me.”
He said this very firmly, his clear eyes showing no hesitation.
Tang Thirty-Six wanted to say more, but looking into his eyes, he felt a pang of reluctance and changed the subject. “What are you planning to do next?”
Coming from Xining to the capital, Chen Changsheng had thought his path was clear—to find the secret of defying fate and escape the shadow of death. But now, he suddenly realized he was facing many crossroads before that.
“I don’t know.”
“You need help.”
“Who can help me?”
“Me.”
“Alright. Then help me.”
A simple conversation, a heartwarming trust, because they were both youths.
Whether steady and mature, or arrogant and flippant, they were both youths.
Youths are sometimes too hot-blooded and naively annoying, but compared to those weathered elders, their lives are much simpler, and their interactions are much simpler too.
Tang Thirty-Six said, “No problem. First, let’s sort out the cause and effect of this matter.”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. “First, help me with something.”
Without a second thought, Tang Thirty-Six said without hesitation, “Tell me. What is it?”
Chen Changsheng said to him, “Can you go take a bath and brush your teeth first?”
How does that saying go? I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet… Anyway, Tang Thirty-Six was somewhat annoyed as Chen Changsheng shooed him out of the library. He used two large buckets of hot water, scrubbed himself from head to toe until he was spotless, ensuring not a speck of mud from the Mausoleum of Books remained, then changed into clean clothes, grabbed a steamed bun freshly made by Xuan Yuan Po, and came to the lakeside.
Chen Changsheng put Xun Mei’s notes back on the shelf, logged them, then washed Xun Mei’s bedding and Tang Thirty-Six’s fur coat. It took half an hour to get them clean, then he hung them under the big banyan tree, looking like two swings.
The morning rain had long stopped. The early summer sun shone on the lake, not steaming up too much moisture, without any stuffy feeling.
The shouts of Tianhai Yaren were no longer heard. The National Academy was quiet and serene.
Standing by the lake, looking at the scenery on the opposite shore, Tang Thirty-Six said, “My grandfather said His Holiness the Pope is a good old man, so don’t worry too much.”
As he spoke, he focused on tearing the steamed bun into pieces.
The Pope was Chen Changsheng’s uncle in the sect. Logically, he should have been happy to accept this view, but having followed Su Li south from the demon realm’s snowy plains, witnessing countless assassinations and conspiracies along the way, he found it hard to convince himself that His Holiness the Pope was truly a good old man.
“Zhu Luo and the Stargazer were probably both invited by His Holiness the Pope.”
Chen Changsheng looked at the blue sky and white clouds reflected in the lake, thinking of the unrealistically perfect sky in the Green Leaf World, and shook his head. “How could a good old man become His Holiness the Pope?”
“That view of the world seems mature, but it’s actually very vulgar.”
Tang Thirty-Six threw the torn pieces of bun into the lake. “His Holiness the Pope has never been known for his wisdom. He became the leader of the state religion because he was very close to Her Majesty the Holy Empress back then. But most importantly, his cultivation realm is indeed unfathomable. Even your teacher, Dean Shang, ultimately lost to him.”
Chen Changsheng said, “But… he wants to kill Su Li.”
“We’re going in circles again.” Tang Thirty-Six looked at him mockingly. “To say something you won’t like: Su Li has killed so many people in his life. Countless people want him dead. Are all those people bad? In fact, in their eyes, you, protecting Su Li on his journey south, are the real bad guy.”
Chen Changsheng wondered, could it really be like that?
“We still need to figure out what Dean Shang wanted you to come to the capital for.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “You should know, my grandfather said there are only four and a half people in this world he truly fears, and your teacher is one of them.”
Chen Changsheng was very curious. “Who are the others?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Her Majesty, the Heavenly Mechanism Elder, and the Black Robe.”
Chen Changsheng counted the most powerful figures on the continent and asked in confusion, “What about the Demon Lord?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “The Demon Lord isn’t human.”
“Then who is the half?”
“The Black Robe. Since he serves the demon race, he can no longer be considered human.”
Chen Changsheng caught the key point in this sentence. “Does Old Master Tang know the Black Robe’s identity?”
Tang Thirty-Six didn’t answer.
Time passed, the sun shifted, the azure sky gradually turned red, and dusk filled the air.
Behind the big banyan tree, a hint of night was about to arrive.
They stood by the lake, whispering about matters they had no interest in.
Back at the Plum Garden Inn, Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six had their first real meeting. At that time, they both subconsciously tried to act mature, learning to make small talk and socialize like adults, but they were clumsy and adorably childish.
Now they had finally touched upon these things, but suddenly found they didn’t want to be mature anymore.
Because maturity often means decay, complexity, and exhaustion.
Dozens of koi fish wagged their tails in the lake water, listless from eating too many buns. One of the fattest koi slowly sank toward the mud at the bottom of the pond.
The atmosphere by the lake was heavy.
“The world is inherently vast, and people’s hearts are inherently complex. Darkness darker than night, dullness duller than the Heavenly Academy. Especially the old men who rule this world—the smell they give off is full of dust.” Tang Thirty-Six looked at him. “But that doesn’t really matter, because we’re not like that.”
Chen Changsheng looked at his reflection in the lake, at his own face, feeling uneasy. “Have you ever thought… that we might one day become the kind of people we most despise now?”
Tang Thirty-Six sneered. “That’s each person’s own problem. If you turn into a piece of shit, do you have the nerve to blame the world?”
He continued, “You need to understand: the kind of person we want to become determines what our world will be like.”
Chen Changsheng felt these two sentences were incredibly profound.
Before leaving Xunyang City, Su Li had said something to him. Only now did he fully understand it. He looked up at Tang Thirty-Six and said, “Thank you.”
Given Tang Thirty-Six’s temperament, he would usually casually say “You’re welcome,” but for some reason, he didn’t.
A cool evening breeze blew, cutting the golden ripples on the lake into countless fragments.
He seemed to return to Xunyang City, to the long street in the pouring rain, where spatial cracks appeared everywhere, their edges blazing with blinding light.
An iron blade stood before the wind and rain, unshakable.
“I want to become someone like Wang Po.”
He said, “I want to live like him.”
(There is a second chapter. Release time not yet determined.)