So be it. Regardless of whether the music ends and the people disperse in the end, he had to do what was in front of him first.
Just as Shang Xingzhou had said, Xuelao City was right before their eyes.
As he got closer and closer to Xuelao City, the distance between Chen Changsheng and the small carriage also decreased. Now, there was only ten-some li between them, allowing him to clearly see the other party.
It was still a small hill. There was a withered tree on the hillside, and a few jackdaws perched on it. Their eyes were not red, so they probably had not eaten human flesh before.
The small cart stopped under the tree. The little Daoist was squatting on the ground, digging something.
Chen Chang Sheng suddenly said, "I think the White Crane lied to you."
Xu Yourong crossed her arms and draped an unlined garment over her shoulders. She turned her head and asked, "What did you lie to me about?"
Chen Chang Sheng hesitated for a while and said, "I wasn't that good-looking when I was young."
Xu Yourong smiled faintly and said, "Jealous?"
Chen Chang Sheng looked at the small hill in the distance and softly agreed.
Xu Yourong said, "Only your Senior Brother and that person remember what you looked like when you were young. If there's a chance, you can ask them."
Who would have thought that the opportunity would come so quickly?
In the evening of the same day, Shang Xingzhou sent a message, asking Chen Chang Sheng to come over.
The master and disciple ate a few papayas personally roasted by the young Daoist. This could be considered as their last dinner, and then they began to talk.
At the beginning of this conversation, they did not speak of the nearby Xuelao City, nor did they speak of the urgent matter of the capital, much less reminisce about the life in Xining Village's old temple.
The style of this conversation was very similar to Shang Xingzhou's attitude towards the world, but it also had a hint of Chen Changsheng's Way of the Sword, with an extremely deep disdain hidden behind the directness.
"The White Emperor once said that no one on this continent would trust me. This is where I'm inferior to you."
Shang Xingzhou said, "But that's because you're very young and have endless possibilities, but I'm already old."
There seemed to be no logical connection between the two sentences.
Chen Chang Sheng listened quietly.
"When the greatest fear of death is placed in front of us, it's hard for anyone to escape."
Shang Xingzhou continued, "In this aspect, I'm far inferior to you. I'm very anxious, so over the years, I've been too hasty in some things."
Chen Chang Sheng confirmed that he understood.
So, behind the disdain, there was something else hidden.
This could be considered an explanation, or even an apology. In any case, it was something Shang Xingzhou would never say directly.
That was how old people were.
Chen Chang Sheng suddenly felt a little sad and didn't want to continue this topic.
"I think there's something wrong with this."
Shang Xingzhou was not worried at all about the rebellion in the capital, nor was Chen Changsheng. What he truly needed to worry about was Xuelao City.
The demons had been defeated too quickly.
Not only did the master and disciple have this kind of opinion, but the entire court also had this kind of feeling.
In the original plan, the Human Race had already prepared to fight for three years or even longer. But now, it had been settled in less than half a year.
This made Chen Chang Sheng feel a little uneasy.
"Black Robe might want to do something, but she will never succeed. Those who are used to mysticism do not understand what true strategy is. In the end, they will only die in the rat's nest of mysticism. Three hundred years ago, if not for Wang Zhice getting in the way, your martial uncle and I would have already killed her. This person is not worth mentioning."
Shang Xingzhou made a very harsh evaluation of the demon military advisor who had a great reputation. It was not only because he had the qualifications to evaluate the advisor in terms of strategy and mysteriousness, but also because he and Black Robe had fought and worked together for several centuries, so they were very familiar with each other.
He took out a porcelain bottle and gave it to Chen Changsheng. "This medicine is not as effective as the Cinnabar Pill, but it's very simple to make. The main ingredient is the ancestral spirit fire from beneath White Emperor City."
Chen Changsheng froze at these words. He opened the bottle and took a sniff, then asked uncertainly, "The golden thread from the Monastery of Eternal Spring?"
Shang Xingzhou replied, "Correct."
Confused, Chen Changsheng said, "Back then, I truly did think about using this medicine to control its strength, but …"
Shang Xingzhou said, "Your medical skills were taught by me. Do you think you can surpass me?"
Chen Changsheng was speechless, but he quickly became happy. No wonder the army had so few casualties this time.
Shang Xingzhou said, "In the future, don't refine the Cinnabar Pill. It's not like you're a woman, so what's the point of bleeding every month?"
Chen Changsheng was once more speechless. His mouth slightly opened, but he didn't know what to say.
For some reason, Shang Xingzhou felt a little angry at his appearance. "There's nothing else. Let's go."
He was still so stern, and at times, extremely cold.
Chen Changsheng suddenly thought of his childhood in Xining Village's old temple. His master's attitude toward him had always wavered between cold and stern, just like today's conversation.
Sternness was much better than indifference.
Shang Xingzhou had been cold to the young Chen Changsheng precisely because he was afraid that Chen Changsheng would fall in love with the little Daoist he had raised.
Because he knew that he was using Chen Changsheng.
Later on, he loathed Chen Changsheng precisely because he loathed that part of him that was related to Chen Changsheng.
Both master and disciple knew this. They had spoken of it in the Orthodox Academy and in the Mausoleum of Books, so there was no need to speak of it now.
The current Shang Xingzhou was probably very happy, because he no longer had to worry about falling in love with the little Daoist he had raised.
As he gazed outside the carriage at the soot-blackened face of the little Daoist, Chen Changsheng thought to himself, you're also happy.
Before leaving, he finally couldn't help but ask that question.
"Master, was I not pretty when I was a child?"
Shang Xingzhou thought it over, then replied, "Not bad."
… …
… …
"Your two students have treated you rather well."
After Chen Changsheng left the hill, the Tang Old Master returned from the back of the mountain.
In the days that he had been on the front lines, the Tang Old Master had not spent time with the people of the Tang clan. Instead, he spent every day with Shang Xingzhou.
Shang Xingzhou said, "It's not like you don't know how those two little thieves forced me ten years ago."
The Tang Old Master sighed, "But they're still much more filial than my own grandson. That little brute almost tore down his own ancestral hall."
Shang Xingzhou glanced at him and asked, "Just what do you want to say?"
The Tang Old Master seriously asked, "Are you still well?"
Shang Xingzhou fell quiet for a while, then replied, "Not very well."
The Tang Old Master gazed at Xuelao City under the starlight and said, "It's already come to this. You have to wait a little longer."
Shang Xingzhou replied, "Those people that I personally sent away didn't see it, so I naturally have to see it myself."
… …
… …
The human armies did not retreat south, but continued to prepare for the final assault. The Western and Eastern Armies fanned out to clear out the strongholds and strongholds outside the city, but the news of the rebellion could not be completely suppressed. It quickly spread, causing the mood in the camps to grow more and more tense.
Perhaps the Demon Lord in Xuelao City had learned of the internal strife of the Human race, and he had organized several wolf cavalry to launch a counterattack, but they were all resolutely beaten back by the human armies. Strangely, the upper echelons of the Demon race still had no intention of abandoning Xuelao City, and no one knew what they were thinking.
One morning, at five o 'clock, Chen Changsheng opened his eyes and woke up. He used five breaths of time to calm his mind, then got out of bed. With An Hua's help, he put on his shoes and clothes, washed his face and rinsed his mouth, and then walked out of the tent. He circled the hill where the Central Army tent was, and then he stared blankly at Xuelao City shrouded in mist.
After defying the heavens and changing his fate in the Mausoleum of Books, his life was still simple, simple, and healthy, but he was no longer as rigidly disciplined and almost painstakingly cultivated as he had in the past ten-some years.
In truth, it had been a very long time since he had gotten up so early.
At six o 'clock, Xu Yourong woke up, and the two ate breakfast together.
After eating two bowls of wheat porridge, Xu Yourong decided to sleep a little longer. Chen Changsheng felt very free, so he decided to take a stroll.
The morning sun gradually rose and the mist dispersed. He felt a slight vibration on his wrist, and then Luoluo's voice came from within.
Chen Changsheng glanced at the gradually clearer Xuelao City, then went to that small hill ten-some li away.
He stood in front of the carriage and said, "The time has come."
Shang Xingzhou was quiet for a while, then said, "Enter the city."
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