# Chapter 581: Life Is Nothing But Countless Choices (Part 1)
The wind over the lake came in countless strands, somehow passing through the formation to reach the space between them, thinning the mist and lowering the temperature.
Just like the feelings of the two people in this space at this moment.
"My medical skills are inferior to Shang's, and also inferior to Yin's."
The Old Heavenly Mechanism looked at him and said, "If neither of them has any solution, I don't know where to begin either."
Chen Changsheng looked into the distance. Through the thinning mist, he could vaguely see the azure blue lake. It was very beautiful.
"However, based on my speculation, since your problem lies in the blocked meridians caused by the explosion of the solar wheel when you were an infant, then if you try not to cultivate, or even directly disperse all the true essence within your body, you might be able to barely maintain the current state. At least... it could delay the outbreak of your injuries for a while."
Hearing the Old Heavenly Mechanism's words, Chen Changsheng withdrew his gaze and asked, "Senior, how certain are you?"
Regarding this matter, the Old Heavenly Mechanism had already calculated for a long time while Chen Changsheng was unconscious. He said directly, "Twenty percent."
Twenty percent. This was truly an awkward number. Call it hope, yet it was somewhat dim and uncertain. Call it despair, yet the path ahead was still visible.
Today, Chen Changsheng had learned many things, many things about himself. Yet at the end of the road ahead, there was still a vast shadow.
If it were someone else, oscillating between hope and despair several times, their spirit would likely have collapsed long ago. But not him.
He even quickly broke free from his previous emotions and returned to true calm.
The Old Heavenly Mechanism's expression remained unchanged, but a storm was rising in his heart—with a disposition like this young man's, if heaven had not denied him life, how could he not attain the Great Way?
Chen Changsheng's will was truly terrifying. He recovered his calm at an unimaginable speed, even forgetting the previous conversation.
Then, he asked a very naive and childish question.
"Senior, which side are you on?"
...
...
If anyone else had asked the Old Heavenly Mechanism such a question, the consequences would have been dire.
But Chen Changsheng's identity was very special—whether it was his relationship with the Pope and Shang, or his possible relationship with the Holy Empress.
The Old Heavenly Mechanism actually answered him in full detail.
"My relationship with the Li Palace has always been good, but my relationship with Yin is not good. My relationship with your Zhou Kingdom is not good, but my relationship with Her Majesty is good."
"Then... if I really am Crown Prince Zhaoming... would the Holy Empress kill me?"
Chen Changsheng's next question was not only naive and childish, but even somewhat excessive.
And even more excessive was that the Old Heavenly Mechanism actually answered again.
"Based on my understanding of Her Majesty, ultimately, yes. She has already waited for two years, but she cannot wait forever."
"Why?"
"Have you heard the rumors about defying heaven and changing fate?"
"I always thought they were just rumors."
"Rumors often come from truth, and truth can be even more bizarre than rumors."
Chen Changsheng fell silent.
A certain theory had long circulated on the continent.
Hundreds of years ago, the Holy Empress was expelled from the palace by Emperor Taizong. In the Hundred Herbs Garden, she met two friends and learned the secret of defying heaven and changing fate.
Those two friends were the current Pope and his master, the former dean of the National Academy, Shang Xingzhou.
The Holy Empress swore an oath to the starry sky, willing to sever her bloodline in exchange for this unparalleled achievement.
"Sever her bloodline..." he murmured.
The Old Heavenly Mechanism looked into his eyes and said somberly, "Fate, that fellow, never does a one-time deal. Defying heaven and changing fate has no so-called moment of completion. From the sacrifice to the starry sky to the return to the sea of stars, it is ongoing at every moment. If Her Majesty's defying heaven and changing fate is to be perfected, she cannot have any blood descendants."
"And if she does?"
"If she does, that would be the gap in her fate, her greatest weakness."
"But... if I really am Crown Prince Zhaoming... then Her Majesty... she is my mother."
Thinking of this question, Chen Changsheng could not help but feel his emotions become complicated.
The Old Heavenly Mechanism's expression was very calm, even somewhat cold: "Her Majesty once had many children, but they have all died."
Chen Changsheng said, "What about Princess Ping?"
The Old Heavenly Mechanism said, "Many people, including myself, know that Princess Ping is not Her Majesty's biological daughter. She just doesn't know it herself."
Suddenly hearing such news, Chen Changsheng was shocked into silence. Then he found that many things he had previously not understood now had answers.
For example, why the Holy Empress doted on Princess Ping but her education was problematic.
For example, why Princess Ping was always the loser when she tried to compete with Xu Yourong for favor.
"If Her Majesty has any descendants in this world, it can only be Xu Yourong."
The Old Heavenly Mechanism seemed to know what he was thinking, saying, "Even though this is a transmission of spirit and bloodline talent."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time, then asked, "Since you have a good relationship with Her Majesty, why are you telling me these secrets?"
The Old Heavenly Mechanism said, "Because I hope to help you make the right choice."
As he said this, he glanced at the peach in Chen Changsheng's hand.
The peach had been peeled for a long time. The color of the flesh hadn't changed, but it somehow felt no longer fresh.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said, "What choices do I have?"
The Old Heavenly Mechanism said, "You can pretend you know nothing, return to the capital, and be executed by Her Majesty. Or you can choose to leave, change your name, hide yourself, and never be seen again."
Chen Changsheng raised his head, looked at him, and asked, "But why must I be the one to choose?"
"Because... I don't want Her Majesty to face such a difficult choice again." The Old Heavenly Mechanism sighed with deep emotion. "From the moment you entered the capital, she has been hesitating. Otherwise, you would have died long ago... A tiger devouring its own cub—what a desolate tragedy that is."
Chen Changsheng's nostrils flared slightly, his breathing becoming somewhat rough.
Only those who knew him best would understand that this was a sign of his extremely bad mood.
In the past year or so, he had rarely shown such behavior.
So Luoluo knew, Tang Thirty-Six knew, but even Xu Yourong didn't know.
"And what about the cub devoured by the tiger? What about those cubs devoured by the tiger? Aren't they even more desolate and miserable?"
He looked into the Old Heavenly Mechanism's eyes and said, "And I may not even be Crown Prince Zhaoming. Even if I am, it shouldn't be me making the choice. It should be her. You want me to change my name, hide myself, and never be seen again. Why can't she pretend to know nothing and do nothing?"
The Old Heavenly Mechanism said, "Because you have already appeared in the capital. How can she pretend not to see you? From the National Academy to the Green Vine Banquet, from Meri Sar's declaration on the Li Palace Divine Path to your first place in the Grand Examination, too many people deliberately made Her Majesty see you."
Chen Changsheng said, "So what if she sees?"
The Old Heavenly Mechanism said, "If you truly are Crown Prince Zhaoming, then you are the most fatal gap in Her Majesty's defying heaven and changing fate. Every day you remain in the capital, every day she looks at you, it is an unimaginable torment for her. If she always leaves you alone, then you will eventually become the bane of her fate. On that night two years ago when you fixed your fate star at the National Academy, many people sensed it. And these past days, I have been calculating, finally confirming that there was no mistake."
After hearing these words, Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time.
The so-called starry sky, the so-called fate—they were all presented on the Heavenly Book Steles. The so-called defying heaven, the so-called changing fate—they were all recorded in Wang Zhice's notes. He had seen them, he had read them, and he remembered them clearly. The lines woven by the stars on the Heavenly Book Steles were uncertain. The opening of Wang Zhice's notes read: There is no fate!
"There is no fate," he said softly.
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(In "The Night," there is a chapter I personally liked very much, and also a chapter many readers liked, called "Life Is Like Questions, All Kinds of Obsession." This chapter talks about questions again. Yes, like "The Night," it begins to break down the questions.)