Chapter 101: Those Who Follow Me, Die
Setting aside the Pope for now, and not thinking about Senior Brother, let us only ask: between his teacher and Her Holiness the Empress, whom did Chen Changsheng trust more? Not long ago, he could have answered without needing to think, but now, after a very long period of reflection, he could only gloomily discover that he trusted neither.
He had never met Her Holiness the Empress, only gaining some indirect understanding through Mo Yu, Xu Yourong, and Prince Chenliu. Of course, he had read too many records about Her Holiness the Empress in books. He knew how unmatched and ruthless that woman who held the highest power in the world was. Now, thinking back, his teacher might also be such a person. Or perhaps, the higher the realm of cultivation, the fewer things one cares about or fears, and the colder one becomes toward this world? After stepping into the sacred domain, one can no longer be considered a mortal, so naturally, one would no longer possess too many mortal emotions.
"If things really go as you say, there will be no room for buffer between Her Holiness the Empress and the Pope. Even if everyone has been deceiving themselves these past two years, there are always reasons for that self-deception. The conflict between the imperial court and the state religion will rapidly intensify. Perhaps the capital will descend into chaos by tomorrow."
Chen Changsheng looked at her and said, "I am not Wang Po, who, after his family was destroyed, could still take the world as his responsibility. But if this world falls into chaos because of me, I would still feel a great deal of psychological pressure. Moreover, if I really am Crown Prince Zhaoming, I cannot imagine any reason Her Holiness would have to let me go."
"If you really are Crown Prince Zhaoming, then Her Holiness is your biological mother."
Xu Yourong looked at his calm expression and knew this statement was not enough to convince him; it could not even convince herself. For someone like Her Holiness the Empress, it should be very difficult to be bound by so-called familial affections. She looked out the window at the autumn trees and said, "I will plead for you."
"If Her Holiness truly wants to kill me, whose plea would be of any use? And I think she already knows everything now."
Chen Changsheng stood up, walked to the window, and stood shoulder to shoulder with her.
On the ten-thousand-mile journey back from Cold Mountain, under Xu Yourong's meticulous care, his injuries had not improved, but they had not worsened either. Under the influence of the Phoenix True Blood, he had even recovered some strength.
Starlight fell on Xu Yourong's exquisitely beautiful face, making it appear even paler. "We have to find some way to resolve this."
"Actually, there is one simplest method."
"What method?"
"Whatever conspiracy my teacher is secretly weaving, it must have something to do with me. If that's the case, if I disappear, these matters will naturally disappear along with me."
The bubbles on the lake's surface reflected the starlight, beautiful and illusory, but in truth, the walls of those extremely thin bubbles were all water.
Without water, those bubbles naturally would not exist.
Xu Yourong vaguely guessed what he was about to say.
For people like Her Holiness the Empress and the Daoist Calculator, disappearing from before their eyes was an extremely difficult thing.
There was only one situation that even Her Holiness the Empress and the Daoist Calculator could not resolve.
That was truly leaving this world.
The soul returning to the sea of stars, the body turning to dust.
Death.
"Since leaving Cold Mountain these past few days, I have actually been thinking that perhaps I am a person who should not have lived."
"If I am Crown Prince Zhaoming, then according to Her Holiness's theory of defying fate and sacrificing to the starry sky, I should never have been born. Perhaps it is for this reason that while I was still in the womb, before I had even opened my eyes, the sun wheel within my body collapsed. But for some reason, I did not die."
"A person who should have died long ago has instead lived for over a decade. This itself is a defiance of the Heavenly Dao, and it naturally disrupts the mortal world."
"Although it is over a decade late, if I die now, it might still count as a remedy, like building a new wall for the sheepfold."
"If I die, these conspiracies will all be useless. These conflicts will seem meaningless. Only peace will remain. That's good."
Chen Changsheng looked into Xu Yourong's eyes and said this very seriously.
His speech was not fast; he tried to make every word as clear as possible, ensuring his intentions could be heard.
Xu Yourong heard him and confirmed his meaning. Her expression remained calm, but her voice sank a few degrees, carrying some annoyance. "I will not let you die."
"You understand. Even if I don't want to die, I will eventually die. It's just a matter of a few dozen days earlier or later."
Chen Changsheng looked at her and explained earnestly.
In the detached palace, he had had a long conversation with His Holiness the Pope, talking about stories from a thousand years ago, about the foreign continent countless miles away, about his illness. But they had not discussed it in detail, let alone how to cure it.
It was already very clear. The Pope could not cure his illness either.
Perhaps it was because he had been thinking about this matter since he was ten years old that when it truly arrived before him, Chen Changsheng was not particularly afraid.
Maybe he had become numb? He thought to himself.
At this moment, he was seriously considering that since he was going to die, what he should do before dying, and how he should die.
At most, it was a difference of a few dozen days. Dying early or late was not important. What was important was when he died.
Would his meridians wither and he die from blood depletion, or would he be devoured by the strongest beings in this world? How he died was not important either. What was important was that he decided it himself.
He cultivated the Way of Following One's Heart. If he could not live as he wished, he certainly had to value the ending.
Thinking about these questions, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Looking into his eyes, Xu Yourong confirmed his resolve, and her heart ached faintly.
"I won't let you die," she said.
On Cold Mountain, during the journey, and earlier, she had often said to Chen Changsheng: I will not let you die.
Now she said: I won't let you die.
These two sentences differed by only one word, but they carried completely different meanings, representing entirely different moods.
Generally speaking, when a girl says this, she often has red-rimmed eyes, or even chokes up.
Xu Yourong, however, remained very calm, even deliberately indifferent.
But she herself did not notice that when she said this, her voice was trembling slightly.
That was the deepest despair.
...
...
On the entire continent, only five people knew that Chen Changsheng was going to die.
For the ordinary people in the capital, this was just an ordinary day in early autumn. They lived as usual, working and eating, walking and watching, drinking and chatting. When they saw a noble's carriage crash into a stone lion, they went to watch the excitement. Hearing some rumor from somewhere, they began to relish sharing their opinions.
On this ordinary autumn day, a shocking message spread throughout the entire capital, capturing the attention of all the people.
Many had known yesterday that the procession of the Holy Maiden Peak and the procession of the state religion had arrived in the capital together. But it was not until this morning that they learned the Holy Maiden had not stayed in the detached palace, nor had she entered the imperial palace, nor had she returned to the Eastern Guardian General's Mansion. Instead, she had gone directly to the National Academy.
Moreover, it was said that she had stayed in the National Academy for an entire night.
"The Holy Maiden absolutely stayed overnight at the National Academy!"
A pawnshop manager stood at the entrance of his shop, waving his arms and speaking loudly, his expression extremely solemn, as if he were expounding on the scriptures of the state religion.
No one could accept such a thing quickly, especially the young men. Whether they were scholars or laborers, the people gathered in front of the shop all had very ugly expressions.