Chapter 738: Better Not to Meet
In the past, Chen Changsheng's fate had been very poor. Later, it became very good. In other words, his destiny had been changed.
That night atop the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, the Heavenly Sea Empress had defied the heavens to alter his fate for him.
From that moment on, his path of cultivation was smooth and unobstructed. The shadow that had loomed over his head for more than a decade vanished without a trace, leaving only brightness.
Of course, with the change in his fate and status, he encountered some new trials he could never have imagined back then. Even with the Divine Staff in hand, becoming the Lord of the National Church was exceedingly difficult. Fortunately, His Holiness the Pope had already made many arrangements for him before returning to the Starry Sea, paving the road ahead as smoothly as possible.
In a sense, His Holiness the Pope had also changed his fate.
To pass this great legacy into Chen Changsheng's hands, the Pope had devised an extremely meticulous and fitting design. Not to mention the rainbow in the Li Palace, the vanished figure on the orange garden cushion, or the starlight at the bottom of the North New Bridge well and the three green leaves on the stone wall—all of it revealed his painstaking efforts.
The Pope chose the Little Black Dragon as Chen Changsheng's guardian, certainly because she was powerful enough. Aside from those in the Divine Domain, few on the continent could defeat her. But the more important reason lay in her identity: she was the princess of the Frost Azure Dragon clan, which had helped the Demon race establish their nation countless millennia ago.
The White Emperor and his wife had likely known for a very long time that a Frost Azure Dragon was imprisoned by the human race near the Imperial City, yet they had never voiced any opinion on the matter. Perhaps it was because those events were too ancient, or perhaps because sentiment could never outweigh value. The Pope paid no heed to these concerns and directly rescued her, forcing White Emperor City to accept this debt of gratitude.
Even if the White Emperor and his wife wanted to play deaf and dumb, the tribes and elders on both sides of the Red River would never agree.
The Pope conducted himself with the clarity of moonlight and the purity of a breeze, never once dabbling in schemes or intrigues throughout his life. But having lived for a thousand years in this world, he understood human nature well.
In this regard, the Demon race and the human race were no different.
He had calculated correctly.
The Little Black Dragon left the bottom of the North New Bridge well and walked through the wind and snow toward the National Academy.
Madam Mu sighed and rode her seven-colored deer carriage away from the capital.
Up to this point, Chen Changsheng could not fully grasp His Holiness the Pope's painstaking intentions. He was too young. Even though he had thoroughly read the Daoist Canon and remembered many legends and stories, it was difficult for him to connect them to the present. So when he heard Shang Xingzhou's next few words, he was stunned for a long time before he understood their meaning.
"Do you know who Yin's guardian was back then?"
"No."
"Chen Xuanba."
This was truly an answer no one could have expected.
For a thousand years, the two most dazzling names on this continent were Zhou Dufu and Emperor Taizong.
But before Chen Xuanba's death, no one dared to say that Zhou Dufu and Emperor Taizong could dominate this world. During the unusually brief span of more than a decade compared to the long river of history, he had stood as an equal to these two men in different fields, each leading their own era, brilliant and stunning, astonishingly talented.
A man like that could be called unparalleled in the world.
Even if His Holiness the Pope was the orthodox successor of the Daoist sect back then, by all logic, he had no right to have such a remarkable overlord as his guardian.
Unless there was some hidden secret in this matter.
"Chen Xuanba should be your ancestor. It's even possible that you are the re-creation of his essence and blood left in this world. So Yin was repaying a debt."
Shang Xingzhou said, "Now do you understand his meaning?"
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time, then nodded.
His Holiness the Pope's care and pity might have come from many sources: repaying a debt, guilt, a promise.
He hadn't thought too deeply about this aspect, but he had always understood the meaning behind the Pope's arrangements.
His master didn't like him and wanted him dead, but that didn't mean he wanted the other to die either.
This meant that between him and Shang Xingzhou, it wasn't necessarily a life-or-death struggle.
If he continued to stay in the capital, he would inevitably become a source of turmoil, unless he decided to lead the National Church in war against the Imperial Court.
Of course, he wouldn't do that, because he could find no reason.
Was he going to seize his senior brother's throne?
As for sin... he knew Shang Xingzhou had enough confidence to respond to any inquiry. The Imperial Court had just been established; even if it wanted to commit evil, it hadn't yet had the chance. The so-called ugly sins now lay with Zhou Tong, and regardless of Chen Changsheng's emotional inclinations, Zhou Tong's sins should more properly be attributed to the Heavenly Sea Empress.
Chen Changsheng looked at Shang Xingzhou and asked, "And you? Do you understand the meaning of the master's words?"
Shang Xingzhou did not speak.
From the long talk that night to today, watching that little dragon walk through the wind and snow, he had fully understood Yin's meaning.
When had Changsheng become his own mental obstacle? Perhaps it should also be counted from that night at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books?
That year, by the stream, he had picked up—or rather, received—the infant in the wooden basin. He had lamented the child's poor fate because he already knew the child's destiny.
Before Chen Changsheng was even born, the sun wheel had collapsed, and the people of the other continent had poured an unimaginable amount of holy light into him. There was no possibility he would live past twenty.
Back then, when he told Chen Changsheng about defying the heavens to change his fate, it was naturally a lie. He had never thought Chen Changsheng could succeed. No matter how gifted he was, one had to remember that when he left Xining Town, he only had a few years left until twenty. Even if Zhou Dufu were reborn and Wang Zhice turned to darkness, how could such a thing be accomplished?
Facts proved his view was correct. Until the upheaval at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, Chen Changsheng still couldn't succeed in defying the heavens to change his fate. There wasn't even a glimmer of hope. He thought Chen Changsheng would die—either devoured by the Heavenly Sea or from the end of his lifespan. But who could have imagined that the Heavenly Sea, against all expectations, would make that choice?
If this was a grand game he had set up, the Heavenly Sea's death was the decisive move. He thought he had won the game, but when he looked at the board, he was shocked to find that a piece that should have died was still sitting there, perfectly fine.
The piece that should have died was still alive, and the seemingly dull endgame suddenly gave rise to countless changes.
This piece on the board seemed to have transcended the board itself, making Shang Xingzhou feel extremely uneasy and vigilant.
So on the Sacred Path in the morning light, he made a decision.
He wanted Chen Changsheng to die as soon as possible, to make this piece disappear quickly.
That was why on the Sacred Path, he didn't even glance at Chen Changsheng.
And that was why so many things followed.
It wasn't until that night's long talk that he vaguely understood.
Because of his relationship with this piece, because of the Daoist methods he cultivated, he had placed too much importance on this piece, draining too much of his energy.
Yin was right.
Since they found each other tiresome to look at,
It was better not to meet.
Shang Xingzhou turned and walked out of the National Academy.
Just like on the Sacred Path at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, he didn't look at Chen Changsheng again.
More than a dozen green-robed Daoists followed him away.
All of this happened too suddenly, without any warning.
Just then, a voice sounded in Chen Changsheng's sea of consciousness, without any warning.
"Go far away."
"Don't let the capital see you."
"Don't let heaven and earth see you."
"Don't let me see you."