Chapter 77: Not Everything Is Illusion
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The Demon Lord's appearance brought immense pressure to Chen Changsheng. The secret of his body had been discovered, and he was highly likely to face the greedy gaze of the entire world. The conversation on the island brought him even more pressure. It was also about the secret of his body—the severed meridians that would cause his death in the near future, and this too had been revealed.
So those severed meridians were blasted apart by the Sun Wheel. So he truly was a descendant of the Chen imperial clan. Then could he be Crown Prince Zhaoming? If he was a descendant of the Chen imperial clan, then their meeting by the stream sixteen years ago was certainly no coincidence. His teacher must have long known his origins. Did Senior Brother know too?
This was now his greatest pressure.
He had to start facing many things squarely. If the Demon Lord's appearance at Cold Mountain was truly a setup, it meant he could be abandoned. If his journey from Xining Town to the capital was also a setup, then what kind of role had he been playing all along in ignorance?
In the past, whether applying to the Six Ivies or taking the Grand Examination, no matter what obstacles or hardships he encountered, he was never overly worried, because he believed his roots were in the old temple of Xining Town, and his true foundation lay in his teacher and senior brother. Now he realized that all of this might be an illusion.
If trust could no longer be as steadfast as before, how could his Dao heart remain as tranquil as it once was?
If even Senior Brother Yuren could not be trusted, then who in this world could he still rely on?
Chen Changsheng was often praised for having a calmness and composure far beyond his age, but in the end, he was just a sixteen-year-old youth.
When things had developed to this point, to this state, he could finally no longer bear it. He stared blankly at the misty waves on the lake, his heart feeling sorrowful.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded on the platform.
Tang Thirty-Six and Zheshe walked over.
They looked at Chen Changsheng's back, feeling worried.
Ever since Chen Changsheng returned, he hadn't spoken a word, appearing extremely silent, even somewhat desolate. Clearly, something had happened.
"What exactly did the Heavenly Fortune Old Man tell you?"
Tang Thirty-Six finally couldn't hold back and walked over to stand beside him, asking.
Chen Changsheng leaned against the railing, still refusing to speak, looking somewhat dazed.
Zheshe suddenly said, "I don't believe there's any problem in this world that can't be solved."
Chen Changsheng straightened up, turned to look at him, and asked very seriously, "What if there is?"
Zheshe's answer was very much in line with his character—simple and forceful: "At worst, it's death."
Tang Thirty-Six added from the side, "And wanting to die is often not that easy either."
Chen Changsheng looked at them and suddenly spoke, "Do you believe that I am Crown Prince Zhaoming?"
When he didn't want to talk, he naturally said nothing, but in the end, he couldn't help feeling some reluctance, so he spoke. And when he spoke, he spoke of the most important matter.
Hearing this, Tang Thirty-Six glanced at Zheshe, looking a bit nervous.
In fact, there had long been rumors about this in the capital, but neither he nor Chen Changsheng himself had taken them seriously, thinking them too absurd. But since Chen Changsheng was asking so formally now, it meant that the Heavenly Fortune Old Man had spoken to him about this matter, and... it might be true.
Zheshe remained expressionless, offering no help to Tang Thirty-Six.
Tang Thirty-Six's expression froze for a moment, then he laughed, looking at Chen Changsheng and saying, "What kind of bullshit are you spouting? There's a few years' difference, you know."
Chen Changsheng didn't laugh. He looked quietly into his eyes and said, "Haven't you often said I'm precocious, that I'm like an old man?"
"Does being precocious mean you can magically gain a few extra years? Then wouldn't the precocious pig breeds in Black Mountain Hollow all have longer lifespans than their kin?"
Tang Thirty-Six said with a face full of mockery.
Hearing such an unrefined analogy, Chen Changsheng didn't get angry, nor did he laugh. He continued to ask seriously, "What if I am? Then what?"
Tang Thirty-Six fell silent, then looked at him seriously and said, "Even if you are, so what? Just treat it like a plate of pig ears—mix it up and eat it."
Chen Changsheng knew he was trying to tell him not to worry about it, but... "Will Her Holiness the Empress let me live?"
Tang Thirty-Six said, "In the Zhou Garden, did Nanke intend to let you live? On the mountain path, did the Demon Lord intend to let you live?"
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning, and the dazed look on his face gradually faded.
"Others wanting you dead doesn't mean you have to die. No matter who it is—Nanke, the Demon Lord, or Her Holiness."
Tang Thirty-Six looked into his eyes and said, "Look on the bright side. If you really are Crown Prince Zhaoming, then as long as you survive, you are the first heir to the Great Zhou throne."
As he said this, his expression was very serious, but the content was extremely unserious.
He knew that Chen Changsheng had no interest whatsoever in something like the throne, but he just wanted to use these words to lighten the oppressive atmosphere.
"Speaking of which, which is better—being the Pope or the Great Zhou Emperor?" He looked at Chen Changsheng with a smile and asked.
Chen Changsheng didn't answer this question. The one who answered was Zheshe. The Wolf Tribe youth, usually so indifferent to worldly affairs, clumsily offered his advice: "Better to be the Emperor. You'd have an army under your command, the Thirty-Eight Divine Generals. When it comes to fighting the demons, you'd be the commander."
It was good.
Having friends like this was truly good.
Chen Changsheng thought to himself.
Xining Town might be an illusion, his existence might be an illusion, but at least now he could be certain that these days in the capital were utterly real.
"Thank you," he said to Tang Thirty-Six and Zheshe. Then he sensed something and said, "I have some things to take care of first."
Zheshe didn't know what he needed to handle, but Tang Thirty-Six guessed it easily, especially after sensing the fluctuation of his own magical artifact and catching a glimpse of a skirt flitting past the white sand and shallow water downstairs. This made him quite annoyed, thinking, sure enough, this guy forgets his friends when he sees a pretty face.
...
...
That jujube pit lay quietly in the white sand, in the clear lake water. Perhaps because it carried her aura, this jujube pit had become an object that many fish in the lake were eager to approach. Its surface had been pecked clean, very smooth, looking like a stone carved with some lines.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong sat on the edge of the platform, their feet soaking in the lake water. They didn't deliberately sit closer, their shoulders occasionally brushing lightly.
This distance, this rhythm, this tranquility—it was what they were most accustomed to and most enjoyed, just like their feelings for each other.
Xu Yourong said softly, "Having friends like that is something worth being happy about."
Chen Changsheng said, "You... don't have friends like that?"
Then he remembered. Since childhood, she had been the little princess cherished and adored by the entire capital, the successor carefully cultivated by Her Holiness the Empress and the Holy Maiden. From the age of five, she had already left the ordinary world, so it was indeed difficult for her to have ordinary yet extremely precious friends.
Xu Yourong smiled slightly and said, "All the senior and junior sisters in the temple... even the elders besides my teacher, all treat me with great respect. There's no way to chat casually. But in a small town at the foot of the mountain, I do have some acquaintances I can talk to about my feelings... I'll introduce you to them later."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng was curious, thinking, how could she have acquaintances in an ordinary small town?
"If I really have to talk about friends... actually, the senior and junior brothers from Lishan are more like them. It's just that we're not in the same place, so we have fewer opportunities to interact."
"I heard... isn't the place where Autumn Mountain Lord practices swordsmanship not far from Cijian Temple?"
"What are you trying to ask?"
"Nothing."
"Alright, you're not wrong. I've always regarded Senior Brother as a very important friend."
"The problem is, he definitely doesn't think that way."
"Princess Luoluo has taken you as her teacher, but I wonder what she thinks."
"I can't out-argue you."
"Because you don't have a leg to stand on."
"Fine."
"Why aren't you talking anymore?"
"What do you want to hear?"
"You... are you really Crown Prince Zhaoming?"
The wooden platform beneath the small building suddenly became quiet.
The lake water gently rippled, the white sand lay still and unmoving, and the fish swam far away, as if sensing the change in atmosphere.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time, then said, "I don't know, but I don't think so."
Xu Yourong tilted her head slightly and gently leaned it on his shoulder.