On the ten thousand li journey south, Xu Yourong would at intervals use the Sacred Light technique on Chen Changsheng, isolating his Qi from this world.
As they passed through Beishan County, she had even given Chen Changsheng two transfusions of blood.
Whether it was her mind, her true essence, or her most precious Heavenly Phoenix true blood and Sacred Light, she had already consumed far too much of it.
Moreover, in Mount Han, in order to save Chen Changsheng, she had forcefully received the Sword of the Heavenly Dao and had already suffered significant injuries.
But she still could not rest.
At this time, she quietly stood in the Great Hall of Light because this place could allow her to recover faster, especially since she could obtain the replenishment of the Sacred Light.
Moreover, this place was the closest to that place, only separated by a wall. If something happened, she could blast through that wall in the shortest amount of time and rush over.
At this time, the Pope and Chen Changsheng were talking.
The many stars in the sky made the capital seem to be shrouded in a silvery watery light. Eaves could be seen everywhere in the depths of the Li Palace, so it still retained more of the darkness.
Chen Changsheng lifted the blanket, but he did not stand up from his wheelchair.
He lowered his head and very earnestly folded the blanket into a small square. Then he raised his head and asked the Pope, "Martial Uncle, just who am I?"
He had asked this question to the Elder of Heavenly Secrets.
The Elder of Heavenly Secrets had given him a very certain answer, but it was not accurate enough.
The Pope calmly gazed at him, gazed at him for a very long time. Just when Chen Changsheng believed that it would be the same as before, that he would still be unable to obtain an accurate answer, the Pope slowly spoke, "At the very beginning, when I received your master's letter, I believed that you were my martial nephew who had come to the capital to treat his illness. Treating illness is to cultivate the body, and your cultivation is to follow your heart, so I did not appear."
Hearing these words, Chen Changsheng thought of those things that had happened two and a half years ago when he first entered the capital. He faintly understood that before he entered the Orthodox Academy, his master's letter had arrived in the capital.
The Pope walked behind him and pushed the wheelchair into the hall. On both sides of the stone steps was a ramp carved with the pattern of flowing clouds. The wheels of the wheelchair rolled over it, emitting an extremely rhythmic creak. It was just like the Pope's voice at this moment, calm but tinged with sorrow. "Only later on did Mei Lisha find me. Only then did I know that he had also received a letter."
The night hall was very quiet. The clear water in the pond reflected the starlight, sprinkling mottled clear light on the stone walls and pillars. The lush green leaves in the pot swayed gently, so beautiful that it was almost enchanting.
"To be honest, I still don't know what your master wants to do."
The Pope released the wheelchair and walked to the edge of the pool. Picking up a wooden ladle, he scooped up half a ladle of water and began to water the Green Leaves.
Starlight descended from the glass on the roof of the hall, falling upon the Pope's hemp robe as if writing down countless incomprehensible runes.
Chen Chang Sheng looked at his slightly bowed body and asked after a moment of silence, "If you don't know what he wants to do, then why did you help him?"
"I know very well that what you want to know the most is why your master sent you to the capital … if you really are Crown Prince Zhaoming."
The clear water in the wooden ladle fell into the basin with a gurgling sound, but it did not drown out the Pope's voice. It was more like a background noise.
"What your master wants to do in his life is very simple: to invite Tianhai down from the imperial throne, or perhaps to drive him down, so that the imperial throne can return to the Chen clan. I think … he definitely had this in mind when he sent you to the capital. Today, I can already faintly guess at your master's intentions, but I can't be sure. "
"In the bloody incident of the Orthodox Academy, everyone said that it was Martial Uncle who personally killed my master. Now that I look at it, it's naturally not true."
The Pope's voice was as clear and gentle as flowing water. "The Orthodoxy only has me and your master, so how could I have the heart to kill him? Moreover, although he was heavily injured by Tianhai in the Imperial Palace, killing him was not so easy … I originally thought that this matter would forever remain hidden, but I didn't expect that you would come to the capital."
Chen Changsheng replied, "Because I came to the capital, because of my master's letter, because Sir wanted to take care of me, the Divine Empress will very easily find out that my master is still alive."
"Everyone says that the Elder of Heavenly Secrets can see through the Heavenly Dao, that Black Robe's schemes are unparalleled, but in truth, your master is the true schemer. Putting aside his true goal in sending you to the capital, just the fact that he intentionally let Tianhai know that he is still alive is tantamount to tearing open a crack between me and Tianhai, and this crack will only grow larger and larger."
"Since this crack cannot be mended, the suspicion between Sir and the Divine Empress will eventually turn into enmity."
"Yes, once there is enmity, once one senses the other's enmity, then when they stand opposite each other, they will become enemies."
"Doesn't this mean that Master is using the kindness Sir showed him back then to force Sir to stand on his side?"
Chen Changsheng gazed at the Pope's back and realized that he was becoming more and more stooped, more and more like a tired old man. His voice subconsciously became downcast, just like his current mood.
The Pope's voice, however, remained calm. "I said before, your master is the true schemer. In his view, in order to achieve his goal, anything can be sacrificed."
Hearing these words, Chen Changsheng's mood became even more downcast. "Why is it like this?"
The Pope's hand released the handle of the wooden ladle and picked up a dry towel by the basin to wipe his hands. "Back then, I had a falling out with your master because we had a different view of this world. Now, your master has used all his methods to force me to stand on his side, but I can calmly accept it. This is because time has changed many things. Tianhai and I already have a different view of this world."
Chen Changsheng recalled the conversation he had had in this dark hall after leaving the Mausoleum of Books.
"I also now believe that Tianhai should abdicate."
The Pope's voice resounded through the dark hall. It was not very loud, but in the extremely distant night sky, it seemed like a clap of thunder.
The hall was silent, except for the sound of the wooden ladle suspended in the air pouring water into the Green Leaf.
After some time had passed, Chen Changsheng spoke again. "Then what about me? Just what sort of role am I playing? You and Archbishop Mei Lisha have taken such care of me these past two years, just why? "
"I can only guess at your master's thoughts. Mei Lisha probably knows a little more, but you must believe that this old man who has already returned to the sea of stars will not have any thoughts of harming you. His thoughts are not completely the same as your master's. He insists that in this process, you will suffer many injuries, but you will also obtain many benefits."
"Benefits?"
"Mei Lisha believes that only through this method can your illness be cured."
"Can my illness be cured?" Chen Changsheng's voice began to tremble.
The Pope walked up to the wheelchair and looked into his eyes. His voice was as calm as water. "Even fate can be changed, much less an illness?"
Chen Changsheng very quickly calmed down. He looked at the Pope and seriously asked, "Martial Uncle, you already knew that I was ill."
The Pope replied, "Yes."
Chen Changsheng's expression became even more serious. "Then, did you also know of that matter?"
This was the deepest part of the Li Palace, the most secluded, even gloomy. Only the colored glass at the top of the hall allowed some starlight to shine down.
He sat on the wheelchair, the wool blanket neatly folded into small cubes placed on the side of his legs. His clothes were thin.
Time passed and the stars moved. At some point, the brightest star in the night sky, the Dragon Stallion, had arrived above the hall. Starlight pierced through the glass and fell upon his body.
Starlight was even softer than snowflakes, and when it fell, it was naturally noiseless. Yet for some reason, there seemed to be a slight hiss, as if something had been ignited.
This was Chen Changsheng borrowing the starlight to ignite the little remaining star radiance in his body.
All the meridians in his body had already been severed. Whether it was the true essence produced in his Ethereal Palace or the snowy plains, there was no place for it to flow, so it charged around.
Very quickly, his body began to heat up. His face, neck, and even his hands, which were exposed outside his clothes, all became somewhat red.
If one looked at it with their eyes, it would be a light pink, but in his body, it was a blood-red, because it represented that his body was currently bleeding from the inside.
As his body temperature grew higher and higher, his skin grew redder and redder, already transforming from an illusion of health into a strange and demonic demon. At the same time, an extremely faint Qi emerged from the countless pores on his body and from his facial features. Drifting in the night wind, it arrived in front of the Pope.
The Pope's expression suddenly changed. The boundless starlight in his deep and serene eyes instantly transformed into a raging river of stars.
In those two eyes, there was no longer any benevolence, only a powerful apathy and a callous will.
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