Chapter 795: Inviting You to Leave the Mountains
The surface of the frost grass was covered with a very thin layer of white fuzz, which was precisely what the Dragon Steeds loved most to eat. After the wind and sand had passed, the meadow was a hazy gray, but it was truly dust, and the herd had nowhere to graze. They stood by the stream for a long time, gazing until they had taken in all the scenery, but could do nothing about it, and had no choice but to turn back.
With delicious food right before them yet unable to feast, neither humans nor horses would be happy. If at such a time someone was seen laughing especially cheerfully, one would inevitably think they were mocking someone else. Whether or not humans would think this way, it was clear that the horse staring at Chen Changsheng thought so.
—It suddenly charged toward Chen Changsheng.
As the finest breed of warhorses, even the worst-tempered Dragon Steed would not casually attack a soldier. The cavalrymen knew well that this Dragon Steed only wanted to startle Chen Changsheng. On an ordinary day, such horseplay wouldn't have caught their attention, but remembering that Chen Changsheng was still recovering from severe injuries and had only just regained the ability to move, they still gripped their wooden staves warily.
What happened next caught everyone off guard.
That Dragon Steed didn't continue its charge. Over a hundred feet away, it slowed its pace to a leisurely walk, its head swaying from side to side as if deeply puzzled, its nostrils flaring constantly as if sniffing something. Its mischievous and malicious expression quickly gave way to a longing for closeness.
It ambled up to Chen Changsheng, lowered its head submissively, as if wanting him to pet it.
The other Dragon Steeds noticed the commotion and came galloping over. Like the first one, they gathered around Chen Changsheng, cautiously yet unable to suppress their joy as they nuzzled against him. One bold Dragon Steed even secretly licked the hand holding the tree branch.
Watching this scene, the laughter of the Banya Horse Farm cavalrymen had long since ceased. They were stunned, wondering what was going on.
Just then, the most spirited Dragon Steed, the leader of the herd, pushed through the others to reach Chen Changsheng. With a humble posture, it bent its front knees and knelt on the ground.
It seemed to be inviting Chen Changsheng to mount, or perhaps asking him to bestow a blessing.
Gasps of astonishment rose and fell all around.
But Rob, standing at the edge, had dropped his smile. He watched Chen Changsheng, surrounded by the herd, lost in thought.
...
...
That night, the starlight was as usual, and a pot of meat stew still simmered on the stove in the room, but it was not as noisy as the previous days.
Not a single cavalryman from Banya Horse Farm stayed in the room to chat with Chen Changsheng, because there was a guest tonight.
Rob glanced at Nanke, who was squatting by the stove staring at the meat pot, then turned his gaze to Chen Changsheng on the bed. Without any pretense, he said directly, "You are certainly no ordinary man."
Chen Changsheng thought of the nearly perfect military arrangements in the mountain meadows and the study, and replied, "And you are certainly no ordinary man either."
Rob looked into his eyes and asked, "Did my actions have anything to do with your fall from the mountain?"
"No," Chen Changsheng met his gaze calmly and said, "In a sense, I really am a medicine merchant."
Rob asked calmly, "Then today, when you wandered around Banya Horse Farm all day, did you see what you wanted to see?"
Chen Changsheng answered honestly, "Yes."
"What did you see?"
"I saw that there is a great general here at Banya."
Hearing this, Rob was silent for a moment, then said, "Speak your mind directly."
Chen Changsheng looked into his eyes and said, "I want to invite you to leave the mountains."
Leave what mountains?
The ten-thousand-mile Cold Mountains.
Beyond the Cold Mountains lay the Snow Plains, the true battlefield against the demons.
Chen Changsheng continued, "I don't know if you're aware, but Ning Shiyi is already dead. Songshan Military Prefecture needs a new Divine General."
Rob was silent for a while, then said, "Can I take this to mean that you admire me, and have therefore decided to push me into the position of Divine General of Songshan Military Prefecture?"
Chen Changsheng said nothing, which was tacit agreement, because that was indeed what he thought. At the same time, he noticed that although Rob had been exiled to the remote Banya Horse Farm, he seemed to have a grasp on information from Songshan Military Prefecture and even higher levels. This made him even more curious about this man's background and origins.
"So a medicine merchant can decide the position of a Divine General. I suppose I can understand why the Great Zhou Dynasty is sinking deeper and deeper into decay."
Rob looked at him with a smile and said, "So, are you a man of Prince Xiang or the Tianhai family? Or are you a secret envoy from the Luoyang Daoist Temple?"
The secret envoy from the Luoyang Daoist Temple mentioned at the end of this sentence referred to the green-robed Daoists now serving the Daoist Master Shang Xingzhou.
Hearing someone mention his master again after two years, Chen Changsheng felt a slight pang of emotion.
He did not explain his origins to Rob, nor did he explain why he was doing this.
Because he did not represent Prince Xiang, nor the Tianhai family, nor any faction within the Great Zhou court. He represented the Li Palace, the State Religion, and the world.
He was the Pope, and thus he bore the responsibility for the entire world, and it was only right that he consider the future of humanity.
In his view, a man like Rob being placed in a place like Banya Horse Farm was a tremendous waste.
"I can probably guess what you're thinking—nothing more than the old phrases about wasted talent or unrecognized worth."
Rob looked at him calmly and said, "But you don't know that I came to Banya Horse Farm to live in seclusion, or rather, I was forced into seclusion, but ultimately, it was something I accepted."
Chen Changsheng looked at him very seriously and said, "If it was due to external pressure, perhaps I could help resolve some of it."
For some reason, the more serious Chen Changsheng's expression became, the more relaxed Rob's expression grew. Perhaps it reminded him of those earnest classmates, and then he thought of that year when sword energy filled the mountains. Subconsciously, he looked down at his own chest, thinking that some things ultimately had to be resolved by oneself. He shook his head.
"I don't like trouble."
"And I don't want to cause you trouble either."
"So I won't leave the mountains."
Rob calmly and succinctly ended the discussion on this matter, saying, "In a couple of days, when your injuries are better, I'll have someone escort you away."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then said, "Very well. If anything comes up in the future, come find me."
Rob smiled and said, "I don't like seeking people out. That's still too troublesome."
In this plain sentence was hidden a remarkably carefree confidence, much like the signatures on those two paintings.
Chen Changsheng said, "A life-saving grace must be repaid."
Rob said, "Do as you will. No need to speak of it."
Chen Changsheng said, "A friend of mine taught me that some things must be done, but they must also be spoken."
Rob found this statement interesting and said, "That friend of yours is either a hypocrite or a true villain."
Chen Changsheng thought of that friend he hadn't seen in two years, and how he hadn't received a letter from him in half a year. A surge of longing arose, hard to suppress.
He explained to Rob very seriously, "That friend of mine is a false villain and a true gentleman."
Rob laughed at this, then looked at Nanke and asked, "Is she really your sister?"
This question carried a hidden meaning.
Chen Changsheng heard it clearly, but he could not abandon Nanke. He nodded.
"Sometimes, a liar is not necessarily a reckless person, but perhaps a true one."
Rob looked at him with a smile and said, "I don't know who you are, who you represent, whether you are good or evil, but at least in this regard, I admire you."
The room grew quiet, with only the gurgling sound of the meat stew boiling.
Nanke ladled a bowl of meat stew and walked toward the bedside.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.
The door was pushed open forcefully, and a personal guard rushed into the room, shouting something in shock, completely unaware that he was about to collide with Nanke.