Chapter 467: Chance Encounter at Cheng Lake Tower
The railing belonged to the restaurant, the table was a wine table, and the restaurant was the most famous and most expensive establishment in the capital—Cheng Lake Tower. Naturally, it was a place for dining, and very few people were qualified to share a meal with Tianhai Chengwu. Xu Shiji happened to be one of them.
As the nominal and universally recognized future father-in-law of Chen Changsheng, his feelings toward Chen Changsheng were now quite complicated. Last year, the Eastern Imperial Divine General’s Mansion had been thoroughly humiliated by this young Daoist from the countryside, laughed at by the entire continent. Yet how could he have known beforehand that Chen Changsheng would turn out to be the Pope’s favored successor? How could he have known that the so-called Daoist Calculator was none other than the once-glorious Dean of the Academy... Whenever he thought of this marriage contract, he couldn’t help but feel resentment toward his father, who had long since returned to the Starry Sea. If so many hidden matters lay behind this marriage contract, why hadn’t he explained them clearly beforehand?
With such complicated feelings, his thoughts were naturally tangled as well. Xu Shiji’s attitude toward this marriage had become somewhat elusive. When he received the invitation from the Tianhai Mansion yesterday, he had guessed that the notoriously cunning head of the Tianhai clan intended to force him to take a stand. So after arriving at Cheng Lake Tower, he remained mostly silent, especially when Tianhai Chengwu brought up Chen Changsheng.
Tianhai Chengwu smiled and glanced at him, as if fully aware of his thoughts, and calmly continued, "Shengxue has been cultivating diligently in the north, using battle to refine his intent. He has successfully broken through to the Star Gathering realm. After the new year, he should return to the capital to view the Heavenly Book Stele again."
Xu Shiji didn’t understand why he suddenly mentioned Tianhai Shengxue, even though Tianhai Shengxue was the most outstanding young man of the third generation of the Tianhai family and one of the younger generation most admired by Her Holiness the Empress.
"During the Grand Examination at the start of the year, Shengxue’s actions couldn’t be hidden from anyone, but the boy is clever and didn’t try to hide them either. Honestly, that counts as using open schemes quite skillfully... But I’m still somewhat displeased with his going his own way. When a family is too large, it’s inevitable that its members have their own judgments and ideas. But when the family faces pressure, those individual thoughts are meaningless. We must pool all our strength to ensure the entire family continues walking the correct path. As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned... if you can’t even protect the nest, trying to save your own egg is quite ridiculous, isn’t it?"
Hearing Tianhai Chengwu’s seemingly lighthearted banter, Xu Shiji’s mood grew even heavier. How could he fail to understand the subtext of these words? The so-called correct path was, of course, the Tianhai family’s plan to replace Chen and continue ruling the human world. The so-called dissatisfaction with Tianhai Shengxue was actually a warning to him—not to entertain any other ideas.
"Aunt hasn’t said much lately, so many people in the capital have misunderstood." Whether in the palace or at court, Tianhai Chengwu always used the respectful title when referring to Her Holiness the Empress. Only in very private settings did he call her Aunt. This wasn’t a subtle hint but a naked display of power. He turned and stared into Xu Shiji’s eyes, saying, "But they forget one thing: Aunt’s surname is Tianhai after all. Could she bear to watch everyone in the family die?"
Xu Shiji knew he couldn’t let this continue and said, "I don’t understand why His Holiness the Pope has also remained silent."
This, of course, referred to the hottest topic in the capital lately—the battles between the Orthodox Academy and the other academies. Tianhai Chengwu’s smile faded as he said, "When no one understands, there must be a deeper meaning... I always feel that His Holiness the Pope is using this method to make Chen Changsheng mature as quickly as possible. Sometimes I even think His Holiness is trying to force growth too fast."
Xu Shiji frowned slightly, thinking that his cheap son-in-law was widely recognized as steady and precocious. At less than sixteen, he was already close to the threshold of the Star Gathering realm—unprecedented in history, with only his precious daughter able to match him. And yet His Holiness the Pope was still unsatisfied, wanting him to mature even faster?
"Besides Aunt, who can truly understand His Holiness’s intentions?" Tianhai Chengwu turned his gaze to the faint mist over the lake and spoke slowly.
Xu Shiji was even more confused, thinking that if His Holiness wanted to use the Tianhai family and the new faction of the National Church to temper Chen Changsheng, why hadn’t the Tianhai family ever used their real methods?
"Starting from Melisarius and continuing to this day, the Li Palace has been building momentum for Chen Changsheng. If I were to go against this current, it would take too much effort. So why not go along with it? I’ve been sending people to challenge the Orthodox Academy nonstop. If Chen Changsheng can survive this period, his strength, realm, and willpower will surely improve greatly. But what if he can’t hold on?"
A mocking smile appeared on Tianhai Chengwu’s face. "I know what you’re thinking, and what many are thinking—that my Tianhai family sending those people to challenge the Orthodox Academy is like offering sacrifices to Chen Changsheng, like constantly adding firewood to a bonfire, unable to extinguish it but instead making it burn more fiercely. But have you considered that if a great tree suddenly falls, can that fire keep burning? Or if no more firewood is added, how quickly will this violently burning fire go out? Or will it set the forest behind it ablaze? Since the Li Palace wants to build momentum, I’ll help them push it to its peak, and then let it come crashing down. At that point, I want to see how Chen Changsheng can bear that drop. Will His Holiness’s tempering grind him into a pile of sand!"
Xu Shiji raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Boiling oil over a roaring fire often ends in desolation... but if we ultimately resort to using a strong opponent, the Li Palace will likely step in to stop it."
Tianhai Chengwu shot him a glance, thinking sarcastically that even now he was still pretending. He wondered how Aunt had ever chosen him.
"There is one person who can definitely defeat Chen Changsheng, and even His Holiness the Pope won’t be able to find the slightest fault, because she is even younger than Chen Changsheng and hasn’t yet succeeded in Star Gathering either." He looked at Xu Shiji calmly and said, "In a few days, your little Phoenix will return to the capital. Aunt’s affection for your Phoenix is known throughout the world. If the Li Palace wants to build momentum for Chen Changsheng, why can’t we build momentum for your Phoenix?"
Xu Shiji knew that this conversation had finally reached its critical moment. He was silent for a long time before saying, "She is still young. How can she bear the consequences afterward?"
Stopping the momentum of the Orthodox Academy’s revival, even using this to cut short Chen Changsheng’s path to becoming Pope—these were not too great a burden for his genius daughter. The problem was that behind the turmoil at the Orthodox Academy lay the power struggle between two saints. Even though Xu Yourong was the reincarnation of the Divine Phoenix, she was still underage. How could she withstand those storms?
"You need to understand one thing. From Zhou Tong to many others, these days it seems like nothing has been done, but in reality, they have been cooperating with the southern saint."
Tianhai Chengwu gazed at the misty, vast lake, thinking of that matter. Even someone as powerful and cold-hearted as he couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing. He sighed emotionally, "This year, the unification of north and south might truly come to pass. It is under this backdrop that His Holiness the Pope and Aunt have remained so calm. Both sides can only contend for momentum and cannot take concrete action. So you don’t need to worry too much."
...
...
The meal ended, and they descended the stairs.
For people of Tianhai Chengwu and Xu Shiji’s status, they naturally did not take the same passage as ordinary guests but used a private path reserved by Cheng Lake Tower. No one expected that on this path, where two groups of guests should never meet, they did indeed encounter each other today.
Coming face to face with Tianhai Chengwu and Xu Shiji were three young people.
The three young people of the Orthodox Academy.