Chen Changsheng's gaze pierced through the black willow forest and rested on the Great Zhou cavalry in the snowy plains. He understood what Su Li had just said. Other than the demons, the people on this continent that wanted him dead the most were the people of Zhou. These Great Zhou cavalry that were clearly searching everywhere for their target was clear proof, but he still felt that there were other possibilities. For example, these Great Zhou cavalry had come to save them?
"Why do you always like to think of things in the worst possible way?" Su Li listened to his question and said with a hint of mockery, "Because everything often develops according to people's worst assumptions."
As if to prove his words, several dozen of the several hundred cavalry split off and rode towards the black willow forest. They painted a black line on the monotonous snowy plains. Arriving in front of the black willow forest, the cavalry all unsheathed their weapons from their saddles and dropped their helmets. They seemed extremely vigilant — no matter how one looked at it, these cavalry did not come to save people, but to kill.
The cavalry entered the forest, and the clopping of hooves could occasionally be heard. Occasionally, there would be the sound of a black willow branch snapping. Whether it was to save people or to kill people, they did not need to hide their tracks. And if the target they were searching for was really as the intelligence had said, a cripple, then what happened next should be extremely simple.
At some point, Chen Changsheng's right hand had already landed on the hilt of his dagger, ready to pull it out at any time.
His body was currently very strong. Even if he had traversed ten thousand li of snowy plains, all his fatigue and hidden injuries had completely disappeared after a night's sleep on the cold kang. His true essence had gradually recovered, and even the injuries he had received in the Garden of Zhou were much better. He was confident that he could defeat or even kill all the several dozen cavalry that had entered the forest, even if these cavalry were definitely elites that had succeeded in Purification. But he did not have the slightest confidence that he could silently kill these cavalry without alerting the cavalry that was currently advancing east. More importantly, these cavalry were all soldiers of the Great Zhou, while he was a person of Zhou. He truly could not just suddenly kill them without asking for any reason.
He did not know what he should do. He silently stared at the indistinct figures of the cavalry in the black willow forest. As those figures got closer and closer, his breathing became more and more hurried, more and more nervous. The hand that gripped the hilt of his dagger became whiter and whiter. If he allowed the situation to continue like this, it would not be long before those cavalry saw him and Su Li's figures.
"Senior, let's go."
He finally made his decision. Turning around, he indicated for Su Li to come closer, and then he prepared to carry Su Li and escape.
Since he could no longer continue to hide, nor could he unsheathe his sword to kill, he could only run. Fortunately, he now possessed an unimaginable speed, so he was confident that those cavalry would not be able to catch up in a short amount of time. As for what sort of trouble the Zhou army would bring once they discovered his and Su Li's whereabouts, he temporarily did not care about it.
Su Li had no intention of leaving. He said, "Open the umbrella."
Chen Changsheng did not understand. He took the Yellow Paper Umbrella and opened it. Then, according to Su Li's instructions, he poured his true essence into the handle of the umbrella. At the same time, he activated a certain mechanism on the umbrella ribs. A faintly discernible Qi descended from the surface of the Yellow Paper Umbrella. It was like a formless waterfall, covering the surroundings. The cold wind was unable to blow into the Yellow Paper Umbrella, but snow began to fall from the sky. The light snowflakes landed on the umbrella silently.
Dozens of cavalrymen came to the depths of the Black Willow Forest and stopped not far from them.
Chen Chang Sheng was very nervous. Looking at the cavalrymen that were ten yards away, he could even clearly see the color of the eyes of the leader of the cavalry.
The dozens of cavalrymen acted as if they hadn't seen anything, continuing to disperse into the black willow forest.
…
… …
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Changsheng confirmed that the cavalrymen had already left the black willow forest. Only then did he realize that the two hands that were holding onto the handle of the umbrella and the hilt of the sword had become somewhat stiff because of his nervousness.
"Close the umbrella," Su Li said.
He did as he was told and properly closed the Yellow Paper Umbrella. He tied it to his waist and then prepared to leave.
"Don't be in too much of a hurry. Those cavalrymen should still be waiting outside," Su Li said again.
Chen Changsheng did not question him. He once again sat down in the pile of snow by the tree. Afterwards, he looked at the Yellow Paper Umbrella and sighed ruefully, "I really didn't think that this umbrella would have such a wondrous use."
The corner of Su Li's mouth perked up. "Why don't you think about who I am?"
Chen Changsheng did not respond. He really was somewhat tired of it, and he also knew that even if he did not respond, this narcissistic senior would definitely have a way to continue the conversation for him.
Just as expected, Su Li's eyebrows perked up, as if he wanted to fly up. He proudly said, "This is a magical artifact that I and Old Man Tang designed together. It uses the Heaven Shrouding Sword as the pivot and uses countless rare materials as the body. Even Meditation cultivators might not be able to see through the illusion. Don't tell me these ordinary cavalrymen want to see through my umbrella?"
Chen Changsheng wanted to say something, but then hesitated.
Su Li's eyebrows perked up even higher. "If you have something to say, then say it."
Chen Changsheng said, "Senior, this umbrella … is mine."
The black willow forest was very quiet. The snow fell without a sound.
When they had first left the hot spring in the snowy ridge, they had argued over this matter. Chen Changsheng thought about how heavily injured he was, so he did not continue. However, at this moment, he could not hold it in any longer, because he believed that this umbrella had always been his.
Su Li looked at him and sneered, "Do you know the origins of this umbrella?"
Chen Changsheng had heard a few stories about the Yellow Paper Umbrella from Zhexiu. Combined with what he had seen and heard in the Garden of Zhou and on the snowy plains, he basically knew everything. He nodded his head.
Su Li paid no attention to him, and continued to tell the story of the umbrella. In the end, he stared into Chen Changsheng's eyes and said, "I found the sword, I designed the umbrella, and in the end, you say that this umbrella is yours?"
Chen Changsheng said, "But the materials for this umbrella were all found by the Tang Old Master. Back then, didn't Senior leave this umbrella in the Wenshui Tangs because you couldn't afford it?"
Su Li's expression gradually grew cold. "Say that again."
Chen Changsheng thought to himself that saying he couldn't afford it was indeed somewhat inaccurate. He reorganized his words and said, "Wasn't it because you, Senior, reneged on the debt that the Yellow Paper Umbrella ended up in the Wenshui Tangs' hands?"
Su Li was so angry that he laughed. "I am the most senior elder of Mount Li. I travel the four seas, raid and plunder, and commit all sorts of crimes. Do you think I lack money?"
Chen Changsheng did not care that he had committed all sorts of crimes, such as raiding and plundering. He seriously explained, "But you didn't pay."
Su Li realized that he had nothing to say, so he did not say anything.
The atmosphere became rather awkward. Chen Changsheng hesitantly stood up and climbed onto the black willow tree to observe the movements of the Great Zhou cavalry in the distance. At the same time, he blew away the heat on his face.
After a while, he descended from the black willow tree and said to Su Li, "Senior, those cavalry should have really retreated."
Su Li ignored him.
Chen Changsheng said, "Senior, if those cavalry really did come to kill you, then do you still need to hide your tracks? You don't believe us Zhou people, but there will always be people you can trust. Just like you said before, there will be people who will come to kill you, and there will also be people who will come to save you. Although you are far from the mountain, those people who want to save you might be very close. "
Su Li looked into his eyes and said, "The problem is, are there more people who want to kill me, or are there more people who want to save me? Which one is more urgent? "
Chen Changsheng said with some hesitation, "Senior … aren't you thinking of human nature too darkly?"
"It's not human nature, it's the human heart. Human nature cannot be tested, and the human heart cannot be guessed. Fanatical love and loathing, in the end, are all benefits. Emperor Taizong was clearly a shameless person who killed his brother and forced his father, and Zhou Dufu was clearly a butcher who killed without counting. Why is it that in the eyes of ordinary people, there is a golden light on their bodies? It's because Emperor Taizong and Zhou Dufu brought them enough benefits. They drove the demons back to Xuelao City, allowing the humans living in the Central Plains to avoid the flames of war, to avoid being enslaved by other races. Thus, they are naturally what the hearts of the people desire. "
Su Li looked at him and seriously asked, "And me? I live in a peaceful era without war. Other than killing a few Demon Generals, I haven't done too much. What have I done for the human world? What kind of benefits have I obtained for cultivators and the common people? Is it worth them traveling tens of thousands of li to help me? Is it because my path of the sword is powerful and invincible, and my bearing is free and unrestrained? "
It was clearly a very serious, even very serious discussion or instruction, but because of those last two sentences, it had a different flavor. Chen Changsheng did not know how to respond at all. He asked, "Then what about the southerners?"
In ordinary people's minds, Mount Li's Junior Martial Uncle Su Li was currently the strongest person in the southern world. It was also because of his existence that the south could maintain its last dignity and pride before the flourishing Great Zhou.
"Of course there are many southerners who thank me, but there are also many southerners who hate me. As I said a few days ago, I killed many people. Since I grew up in the south, then the majority of the people I killed were southerners. They all had relatives, schoolmates, and descendants, so how could they like me? Of course, no matter how many people there are who hate me, they can't be the majority. Otherwise, wouldn't I become a street rat that everyone wants to beat up? The problem is that many years ago, I did something that disappointed the entire southern world, so there are more and more people who don't like me. "
"What thing?" Chen Changsheng asked curiously.
"Ten years ago, the bloody case of the Orthodox Academy. You should know about it."
"I know."
"Speaking of which, is Daoist Ji really your master?"
"Senior … actually, I really don't know about this matter."
"Fine, let's get back to the main topic. In short, after the case of the Orthodox Academy, the Pope was heavily injured, the army was in internal turmoil, the Imperial Court was in conflict, Zhou Tong was randomly killing people, the capital was in disarray, and your Zhou Kingdom was in shambles. In the eyes of the southerners, this was, without question, the best opportunity. Moreover, it has to be admitted that the Longevity Sect at the time was truly very strong, capable of contending with the Li Palace. "
"And then?"
"When the southerners were about to act after several years of preparation, I went to the Longevity Sect for some reason and killed off all those elders. As a result, the matter they were preparing to do could only be left unsettled."
"Senior, this sort of secret is truly shocking to hear, but why do I always feel that Senior is using this method to praise himself?"
"What's there to praise about such a tragic matter?"
It was very rare that Su Li did not continue to praise himself. His expression was so calm that it made one's heart palpitate.
… …
… …
"See you tomorrow."
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