Chapter 73: 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 spouses and that Witch Clan elder had all died. Demonic beasts could not speak to humans. Nan Ke had told her father, and she would surely keep the secret. You Rong naturally wouldn’t tell anyone else. That left only... his master and Senior Brother Yu Ren.
Last night, Xu You Rong had already warned him, but he was unwilling—or perhaps 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; ignoring it wouldn’t make it disappear.
Today, the Heavenly Fortune Elder had directly torn through that layer of window paper, forcing him to confront this issue 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 and looked at the Heavenly Fortune Elder, asking, “What was the final outcome?”
The Heavenly Fortune Elder 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.”
“The White Emperor also suffered considerable injuries, requiring at least several years to recuperate, but the Demon Lord’s wounds were worse.”
“As far as I know, in Snow Old City, the Demon General and the Black Robe have always been at odds, barely suppressed by the Demon Lord’s force. Now that the Demon Lord is gravely injured, does that mean his control over the entire demon domain—especially his suppression of those two—will weaken?”
“One could say that.”
“Regardless of Her Holiness the Saint Empress, His Holiness the Pope, or you, Elder, the greatest concern should be the demons disrupting the unification of the North and South, correct?”
“Correct.”
“If internal affairs are unstable, it’s unlikely the demons can spare the energy to sabotage the unification.”
“Reasonable.”
“Then humanity and the demon race will gain precious time to consolidate, and the entire continent’s situation will tilt in our favor?”
“Yes.”
After this exchange, the garden fell silent once more.
No one knew how much time passed before Chen Changsheng said, “Then that’s enough.”
The Heavenly Fortune Elder raised an eyebrow again and said, “Enough?”
“Yes, I might have been bait, nearly dying, but if it can bring so many benefits... then that’s enough.”
Chen Changsheng looked at the Heavenly Fortune Elder seriously.
The Heavenly Fortune Elder gazed into his eyes and saw no trace of false emotion, no reluctance, only sincerity.
“Even if you were being used?”
“Yes, even if I was being used.”
“Doesn’t that make you angry?” the Heavenly Fortune Elder 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 Heavenly Fortune Elder understood his meaning, knowing he wouldn’t reveal the schemer’s name, 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 Heavenly Fortune Elder reached into the mist and, as if by magic, produced 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 carefully peeling the peach.
The sound of peeling was faint, and the garden was quiet. Before long, he had peeled a peach and politely offered it to the Heavenly Fortune Elder.
The Heavenly Fortune Elder shook his head, looking at him calmly, and said, “Peeling or not peeling a peach—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 since I thought you were eating it, and the elderly have weaker digestion, peeling is more suitable.”
That was his explanation.
To the Heavenly Fortune Elder, it meant nothing.
“Regardless of who the target is, or what the final choice is, you still made a choice.”
“So?”
“Sweet or salty, peel or not, live or die—these are always questions.”
The Heavenly Fortune Elder looked into his eyes and said calmly, “Life is made up of countless choices. Who can completely avoid them?”
Chen Changsheng asked, “If no choice can align with our own wishes, what should we do?”
“When the Demon Lord stopped you on the mountain path, as the master of Cold Mountain, I had two different responses. But whether I activated the Heavenly Stone Formation, trapping him and you together in Cold Mountain, forcing you into a dead end, or ignored the Demon Lord and saved you first—neither was a perfect solution for me.”
The Heavenly Fortune Elder said, “When I finally made my choice, I still followed my own heart.”
Chen Changsheng asked, “If it doesn’t align with your heart, you still act according to your heart?”
The Heavenly Fortune Elder said, “When the sky cracks and stars fall, you simply cannot make rational judgments. You can only follow the heart of that moment—that is your true heart.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time before saying, “I understand.”
“Everyone faces their own choices and gives their own answers. Choosing to activate the Heavenly Stone Formation, letting you, Tang Tang, and the others die alongside the Demon Lord—that was my heart’s intent. Though it was unfair to you, I feel no guilt, 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 like I was purely being used.”
“Everyone can only be responsible for their own choices. I don’t care what the schemer thinks, but toward you, I want to make some compensation.”
The Heavenly Fortune Elder looked at him calmly and said, “I suggest you seize this opportunity.”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was both surprised and bewildered.
Given the Heavenly Fortune Elder’s status on the continent, his words were an immense temptation for any cultivator.
Whether it was gold and silver, cultivation secrets, divine weapons, or even famous mountains and rivers, the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion could provide them all.
Yet Chen Changsheng lacked none of these. He had the Two Severing Sword Technique, the complete Li Mountain Sword Technique, the status of the Pope’s successor, the Heavenly Book Stele, and Tang Thirty-Six.
What could the Heavenly Fortune Elder give him? Or rather, what was the Heavenly Fortune Elder’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 had made up his mind and looked at the Heavenly Fortune Elder.
This answer clearly did not surprise the Heavenly Fortune Elder. He smiled slightly, the wrinkles on his face deepening.
“Who am I?”
This was the first question Chen Changsheng posed.
It was also the third-to-last question in the Dao Source Ode.
It was the answer that countless powerful experts throughout history had sought, standing at their peak and looking around in confusion.
It was a famously difficult question from the ten debates between that learned Pope and the demon race’s great scholar Tongus.
It was a metaphysical question, a philosophical one, one that had entered the realm of the Dao.
But the Heavenly Fortune Elder understood that Chen Changsheng’s question wasn’t so elaborate—it was direct and simple.
He simply wanted to know—who am I, really?