The Elder of Heavenly Secrets slightly creased his brow. "What did you say?"
"I said … there is no such thing as fate."
Chen Changsheng raised his head, his eyes calm and resolute. "Then there is naturally no fated bane."
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets solemnly said, "Fate is in the starry sky."
Chen Changsheng replied, "Then I ask Sir to first calculate it clearly, then tell me who I am and what I should do, not let me decide what to do myself."
"There are not many things that I cannot calculate clearly, and there are very few people, and you are one of them." The Elder of Heavenly Secrets's face suddenly became somewhat weathered. "Because your teacher can obscure the secrets of the heavens, and so can Black Robe. If this is their scheme, I truly do not have the confidence to break it."
Upon hearing the name of the Demon Military Advisor, Chen Changsheng's mood became rather strange. "… this matter is related to Black Robe?"
"If my expectations are correct, your departure from Xining to the capital was a scheme aimed at the Empress." Perhaps because the Elder of Heavenly Secrets had used up too much of his energy in persuading him, he seemed rather tired. "I cannot calculate what they will do, but it is definitely related to you."
Chen Changsheng fell silent once more.
He recalled the words Xu Yourong had said to him that night.
He recalled the words Tang Tang had said to him in the Orthodox Academy long ago.
Those words, those words, and the words the Elder of Heavenly Secrets had said at the very beginning, all pointed directly at his teacher and the Pope.
"I … will not cooperate."
These were very simple words, but to Chen Chang Sheng, it took a long time before he could spit them out with difficulty.
Because this meant that he was beginning to doubt his teacher and the Pope.
Perhaps his teacher and the Pope were using him for a grand goal.
Just like how Han Shan had heavily wounded the Demon Lord.
He could endure it, but he did not like it.
Once was fine, but not too many times.
"But … what if you have always been a part of this scheme?"
"What if you have always been living in a scheme?"
"What if your existence itself is a scheme?"
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets did not drop the matter because of his answer. Instead, he asked three questions in an extremely unyielding and even callous manner.
Moreover, this wasn't the end, there were still a few more questions that were akin to icy rain, slapping towards Chen Chang Sheng's face.
"If you really are Crown Prince Zhaoming, why did Principal Shang and the Pope want you to enter the capital?"
"Could it be that they think they can hide from Your Highness' All Seeing Eye? No, they're even deliberately letting the Empress see you and pay attention to you. "
"Why? Could it be that they want to send you to the Empress to be killed so that she can change her fate? "
"Chen Chang Sheng, don't try to answer these questions, because when you see the answer, you will already be a part of the answer."
"Before all of this happens, leave and disappear. Don't let anyone find you again."
Chen Chang Sheng didn't want to continue listening.
He stood up, looked at the Elder of Heavenly Secrets, and said, "In truth, if you want to resolve this problem, there is an even simpler method."
"What?"
"You can just kill me now."
"No, I won't kill you."
"Why?"
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets calmly replied, "Because I will not make the choice for the Empress."
Chen Chang Sheng calmly gazed at him and said, "Then, I also ask that Your Highness not make the choice for me."
After saying this, he did not linger any longer. He turned and walked out into the thick fog outside the garden.
Gazing at his back, the Elder of Heavenly Secrets said with some exhaustion, "Disappear, just like Su Li. This is the greatest kindness to the world."
Chen Chang Sheng stopped, but he said nothing.
He took a bite of the peach in his hand and then walked into the fog.
… …
… …
The fog gathered and dispersed, people left and people came.
Not long after Chen Chang Sheng left, Xu Yourong rode a boat to the small island in the center of the lake and sat in the same position as before.
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets said, "In truth, before you and Chen Chang Sheng, there was another person who also sat here."
Xu Yourong asked, "Who?"
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets replied, "Liu Qing."
Xu Yourong thought about it and finally remembered this name.
"I asked Liu Qing what sort of person Chen Chang Sheng was."
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets continued, "He very seriously thought about it for a very long time, and then he said to me … Chen Chang Sheng is a good person."
For a world-renowned assassin to have such an evaluation of Chen Chang Sheng, Xu Yourong felt rather strange.
"Then what about you? In your view, what sort of person is Chen Chang Sheng? "
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets calmly asked her.
This question was asked too calmly, the elder's eyes also too calmly, so calmly that it seemed like he knew many secrets.
No one knew what Xu Yourong was feeling. The white veil gently drifted in the lake wind, seeming to merge with the fog.
Her voice pierced through the veil, very soft, very certain.
"He is a true person."
Hearing this, the Elder of Heavenly Secrets was slightly moved. He had not expected Xu Yourong to have such a high evaluation of him.
Thinking of all the things that had happened to Chen Chang Sheng in these past two years, he realized that this evaluation was actually very accurate.
"To be able to maintain a pure and innocent heart in the secular world truly is not easy."
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets sighed, then said, "Tell the Empress that if Chen Chang Sheng returns to the capital, kill him. Do not hesitate."
The first sentence was praise, and the next sentence was to kill.
Crowns covered the entire capital, and the people all desired to kill him.
The garden was very quiet, the sound of the lake water lapping against the shore very clear.
Xu Yourong said nothing, only looked at the elder.
The fluttering white veil could conceal her perfect face, but it could not conceal her calm and unyielding gaze.
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets did not meet her gaze. Standing up, he clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the surface of the lake beyond the fog. In an emotionless voice, he said, "If you are unwilling, then take him and leave. Use your emotions, your intentions, your White Crane, your childhood. No matter what method you use, the further you go, the better."
Xu Yourong gazed at the elder's back and asked, "Just what did Sir calculate?"
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets did not turn around. "He was unconscious for three days and three nights, so I calculated for three days and three nights. It was still a dense fog, only a ray of light."
Xu Yourong muttered, "Light?"
"That light was incomparably clear, just like Su Li's sword …"
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets finally said, "If he returns to the capital alive, the Empress will die. What will you choose?"
… …
… …
Returning to the house, Chen Chang stood by the railing and gazed at the great lake in front of him, but he did not feel at ease.
He thought about what the Elder of Heavenly Secrets had said: to leave like Su Li was the greatest kindness to the world.
Then, where is the kindness this world has shown Senior Su Li? Where is the kindness it has shown me?
Leaning against the railing and facing the wind, he fell into a long silence.
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