Chapter 579: To Peel or Not to Peel, That Is the Question
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Very few people knew the secret of his blood. In the Zhou Garden, that pair of demon general husband and wife and that Witch Clan elder had all died; demonic beasts could not speak to humans. Nan Ke had told her father and would surely keep the secret afterward. You Rong naturally wouldn't tell anyone else. So that left only... his master and Senior Brother Yu Ren.
Last night, Xu You Rong had actually already reminded him, but he was unwilling—or rather, dared not—to think about it, so he hadn't taken up her words.
But both he and Xu You Rong were well aware that the problem had always existed. Not answering it didn't mean it could be ignored.
Today, the Old Heavenly Man had directly torn through that layer of window paper, forcing him to face this problem and arrive at his own answer.
If this truly was a scheme to assassinate the Demon Lord, then was it really arranged by his teacher and Senior Brother Yu Ren?
Chen Changsheng suddenly lifted his head, looked at the Old Heavenly Man, and asked, "What was the final outcome?"
The Old Heavenly Man raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting that this youth could regain his composure in such a short time.
"I said that when the Demon Lord returned to Snow Old City, he was severely wounded."
"I meant both sides."
"White Emperor was also not lightly injured; he needs at least a few years to recuperate, but the Demon Lord was hurt worse."
"As far as I know, in Snow Old City, the Demon Marshal and Black Robe have always been at odds like fire and water, only forcibly suppressed by the Demon Lord. Now that the Demon Lord is gravely wounded, does that mean his control over the entire demon domain—especially his suppression of those two—will weaken?"
"That could be said."
"Whether it's Her Holiness the Empress, His Holiness the Pope, or you, Senior, your greatest worry should be the demons disrupting the unification of north and south, right?"
"Correct."
"If the demons are internally unstable, they likely won't have the energy to disrupt the unification of north and south."
"Reasonable."
"Then humanity and the demon race will gain precious time to integrate, and the entire continent's situation will tilt in our favor?"
"Yes."
After this exchange, the garden fell silent again.
No one knew how much time passed before Chen Changsheng said, "Then that's enough."
The Old Heavenly Man raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "Enough?"
"Yes, I might have been bait, nearly dying, but if it could bring so many benefits, then that's... enough."
Chen Changsheng looked at the Old Heavenly Man and spoke seriously.
The Old Heavenly Man looked into his eyes and saw no trace of hypocrisy or reluctance, only sincerity.
"Even if you were being used?"
"Yes, even if I was being used."
"Wouldn't that make you angry?" the Old Heavenly Man asked.
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Yes, I am angry—or rather, sad. I'll find a chance to ask him face to face later."
The Old Heavenly Man understood his meaning, knowing he wouldn't reveal the name of the schemer, and said, "Everyone has their own choices. I only hope you won't regret it."
Chen Changsheng said, "Actually, I've never understood why you all always want me to make choices."
The Old Heavenly Man reached into the mist and, as if by magic, pulled out a basket of peaches.
Those peaches were plump, pink, and tender, looking extremely tempting.
He took a peach from the basket and handed it to Chen Changsheng, along with a small knife.
Chen Changsheng naturally took the knife and began to carefully peel it.
Peeling the peach made no sound. The garden was very quiet. Before long, he had finished peeling one and politely offered it to the Old Heavenly Man.
The Old Heavenly Man shook his head, looked at him calmly, and said, "Whether to peel a peach or not—that is a choice."
Chen Changsheng's hand, holding the peach, froze in midair.
"If I were eating the peach myself, I wouldn't peel it, because the skin has nutrients. But I was thinking of you eating it, and since the elderly have poor digestion, peeling it is more suitable."
That was his explanation.
To the Old Heavenly Man, it meant nothing.
"Regardless of who it's intended for, the final choice may differ, but in the end, you made a choice."
"So?"
"Sweet or salty, peel or don't peel, live or die—these are always questions."
The Old Heavenly Man looked into his eyes and said calmly, "Life is made up of countless multiple-choice questions. Who can completely avoid them?"
Chen Changsheng asked, "If no matter how you choose, it doesn't align with your own wishes, what should we do?"
"When the Demon Lord stopped you on the mountain path, as the master of Cold Mountain, I could have made two different responses. But whether it was activating the Heavenly Stone Formation to trap him and you together in Cold Mountain, forcing you into a dead end, or ignoring the Demon Lord and rescuing you first, neither was a perfect solution for me."
The Old Heavenly Man said, "In the end, when I made my choice, I still relied on my own heart."
Chen Changsheng asked, "If it doesn't align with your heart, you still act according to your heart in the end?"
The Old Heavenly Man said, "When the sky splits and stars fall, you can't make rational judgments. You can only follow the heart at that moment—that is your true heart."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time before saying, "I understand."
"Everyone faces their own multiple-choice questions and gives their own answers. I chose to activate the Heavenly Stone Formation, letting you, Tang Tang, and the others die along with the Demon Lord—that was my heart. Though it was unfair to you, I don't feel guilty, and I believe no one will blame me, because the Demon Lord's life is more important than all of yours combined."
"I don't have many complaints about that."
"Even toward the schemer?"
"I just think... they should have told me beforehand, or... that would have made me feel better, not purely used."
"Everyone can only be responsible for their own choices. I don't care what the schemer thinks, but to you, I want to make some compensation."
The Old Heavenly Man looked at him calmly and said, "I suggest you seize this opportunity."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was both surprised and bewildered.
Given the Old Heavenly Man's status on the continent, his words were a great temptation to any cultivator.
Whether it was gold and silver, cultivation manuals, divine weapons, or even famous mountains and rivers, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion could provide them all.
However, Chen Changsheng lacked none of these. He had the Two Severing Sword Technique, the complete Mount Li Sword Art, the identity of the Pope's successor, the Heavenly Book Stele, and Tang Thirty-Six.
What could the Old Heavenly Man give him? Or rather, what was the Old Heavenly Man's greatest strength?
It was wisdom, experience, understanding of this world, and countless unknown secrets.
"I would like to ask you some questions."
Chen Changsheng made up his mind and looked at the Old Heavenly Man.
This answer clearly didn't surprise the Old Heavenly Man. He smiled slightly, deepening the wrinkles on his face.
"Who am I?"
That was Chen Changsheng's first question.
It was also the third-to-last question in the Dao Source Ode.
It was the answer that countless powerful experts throughout history, upon reaching their peak, had looked around in confusion to find.
It was a famously difficult question from the ten debates between the erudite Pope and the great demon scholar Tongusi.
It was a metaphysical question, a philosophical one, a question that had entered the realm of the Dao.
But the Old Heavenly Man understood that Chen Changsheng's question wasn't that complicated. It was direct and simple.
He just wanted to know—who exactly am I.