Just what was war?
Many of the Mount Li disciples had once served on the front lines and participated in the war against the demons.
But in terms of understanding of war, no one present could compare to Zhexiu.
Guan Feibai and the others turned to Qiushan Jun.
Whether it was in cultivation or in life, whenever they encountered a difficult question, they would seek Eldest Brother's guidance. This was a habit they had developed over the years.
Qiushan Jun said, "Don't look at me. I also don't know, and I don't intend to know. "
Guan Feibai and the others were rather surprised, but Gou Hanshi was shocked, because he understood the meaning hidden in these words.
Before Nanke left, she had said that they would meet again there.
Could it be that Senior Brother … does not intend to go there?
… …
… …
The morning light gradually brightened, revealing the true appearance of the grassland. The mountain range had left a wound on its surface that was several dozen li long, a rather spectacular sight to behold.
The massive paper kite rode the morning wind into the distance. It was a mystery where it had been hidden last night or how it had been taken out. The White Crane was very curious. It flapped its wings and followed the kite for ten-some li. Only when Xiao Zhang, tied to the kite, could no longer endure the awkwardness of being stared at and began cursing did Xu Yourong call it back.
Wang Po also prepared to leave, not chatting too much with Chen Changsheng. He was as straightforward as Xiao Zhang, because everyone knew that they would meet again very soon.
He had left the Red Cloud Qilin behind, but he did not say whether it was his idea or the idea of that person in Luoyang. Chen Changsheng guessed that it was the latter.
The spring sun was warm and the grass grew extremely quickly. As Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong walked deeper into the grassland, they discovered a few traces left behind by the elves.
In the Garden of Zhou, he had believed her to be an elf girl bent on restoring her country. Later on, when he returned the swords of the Garden of Zhou to the sects of the world, the Pope had asked him what reward he wanted. One of his conditions was that he wanted this grassland, with the intention of helping her fulfill her final wish.
Later on, he realized that this was a misunderstanding, and he also knew that the elves had moved to the Great Western Continent and had no intention of returning to the Eastern Continent.
This grassland became his and Xu Yourong's property.
From a certain perspective, this grassland was a token of love, and it could also be understood as a betrothal gift.
Arriving deep into the grassland, Chen Changsheng spread his left hand in the sunlight, revealing a black stone pearl in his palm.
Accompanied by howling gales, rumbling thunder, and a faint stench, the spring sun was obscured and the world was gloomy.
Tens of thousands of demonic beasts appeared on the grassland like a black tide.
These demon beasts, who were famous for being violent and aggressive, actually didn't move. They obediently lay on the ground, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
These monsters came from the Garden of Zhou.
According to the agreement Chen Changsheng had made with the monsters, those that were willing to leave the Garden of Zhou were now being sent to the plains of the Elf race.
The number of monsters that were willing to leave made up roughly a third of the monsters in the Garden of Zhou.
The Monster Bull and Mountain-toppling Fiend did not come out. They were already used to life in the Plains of the Unsetting Sun, and they had seen the cruelty of the real world several centuries ago, so they were not curious.
The Earth Monkey had come out again. It knelt at the very front of the monster horde, the position closest to Chen Changsheng. It incessantly kissed the dirt at his feet.
"Remember not to leave this grassland."
Chen Changsheng said to the Earth Monkey.
This was also part of the agreement.
The grassland that had once belonged to the Elf race was extremely vast, and there were even two long mountain ranges on its borders. If not for the unbearable winter and the heavy fiendish Qi, it would have never been so desolate. But to these monsters, these were all difficulties that could be overcome.
"Have you ever thought about what sort of trouble will appear when the monsters multiply and their numbers continue to increase?"
Xu Yourong gazed at the scattered monsters, a complicated expression in her eyes.
"That's a matter for several thousand years from now. There's no need to consider a problem so far in the future."
Chen Changsheng thought it over, then added, "I probably won't be able to live until then."
Xu Yourong replied, "It's precisely because you'll already be dead by then that we need to consider this problem. Besides you, these monsters won't listen to the orders of any other human."
Chen Changsheng sighed, "These words are truly too reasonable."
Xu Yourong added, "If these monsters are used to fight against the wolf cavalry of the Demon race, they should be extremely useful."
Chen Changsheng had nothing to say to the previous question. He was rather emotional, but he wanted to seriously answer this question.
"This is a war between us and the demons. There's no reason for them to participate. It's very dangerous."
Xu Yourong asked, "Shouldn't we use all our strength in a war against the demons?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "I don't think so. It's fine as long as we do our best."
Last night, Mountain Man Yanzhi had stopped Mountain Men Jingbo and Yichun from taking revenge for him and had them leave on their own.
He had done his best for the demons, and after death, he would have the face to see his teacher, so there was no need for him to do anything more.
Chen Changsheng had never thought about whether he would have the face to see his martial uncle and Archbishop Mei Lisha after death. He only needed to consider whether his actions could convince himself.
Because he cultivated the Dao of following his heart.
In the end, he came to a conclusion very similar to Mountain Man Yanzhi's. It was fine as long as he did his best. As long as he truly did his best, his heart would be at ease.
What was doing his best? He could give up his life for it, but he didn't need to give up anything more.
Like changing the way he interacted with the world.
This was even more important than living.
Xu Yourong thought for a while, then said, "Even if you really think this, you shouldn't say it."
He was the Pope of the Human race. His every word and action would have a massive influence on those zealous believers, and could even affect the course of this war.
Chen Changsheng understood what she meant and sighed, "I'll only say it in front of all of you."
As his status and reputation grew, there were many things that were inconvenient for him to do. For instance, he could no longer sit with Tang Thirty-Six on the great banyan tree and pluck out the bark to knock out those fat carps in the lake. He could have Xuanyuan Po stew them for an hour with ginger and green peppers, and then finally throw in ten blue lobsters to feast on.
It was written very clearly in the rules of the Orthodox Academy that fishing, fishing, smashing fish, and any other form of harming fish were strictly forbidden. Su Moyu enforced these rules with extreme strictness, and crucially, there were so many teachers and students watching. Ten blue lobsters was far too extravagant. Tang Thirty-Six could eat them, but he, the Pope, could not.
Xu Yourong knew who he meant by 'all of you'.
Besides her, there were those people in the Orthodox Academy.
Even if some of them had already left the Orthodox Academy and returned to White Emperor City or Mount Li.
They were also Chen Changsheng's most trusted and closest people.
"Tang Thirty-Six will probably only feel that it's a pity that these monsters can't be used to their full potential, but Zhexiu will definitely be furious. In that wolf cub's view, anything that can help kill an enemy should be done. Your actions seem benevolent, magnanimous, and broad-minded, but in truth, they're just stupid. "
Xu Yourong's face was brimming with ridicule.
It was still as beautiful as a painting.
"Perhaps."
Chen Changsheng bitterly smiled. "I feel like you also think this way."
Xu Yourong ignored him and turned to walk out.
Chen Changsheng suddenly thought of something and called the Earth Monkey back to say a few words.
The Wolf tribe currently lived in the northeast corner of the plains. Although they were still very far away, he was worried that the two sides would meet in the future, so he gave them a few words of warning.
Zhexiu had used money to buy that plain from him.
Three years ago, when they were all celebrating the new year at Mount Li, Zhexiu had suddenly made this request. It was truly rather shocking.
Chen Changsheng was naturally unwilling to accept money, but Zhexiu was very insistent.
He took out all the money he had accumulated over the years. Although it was not enough to buy a plain, it was still a considerable sum. Even Tang Thirty-Six clicked his tongue in wonder.
It was only then that everyone learned that Zhexiu had been expelled from the tribe by the Council of Elders when he was very young, but many of the women and friends of the tribe had been secretly helping him.
He wanted to repay this kindness, wanted to move the tribe out of the bitter cold of the snowy plains to a better place.
In the past few years, he had lived extremely frugally, desperately killing enemies in exchange for military merit, all for the sake of saving enough money.
Now that he had finally done it, how could those old fellows in the Council of Elders dare to show him any disrespect?
In the Grand Examination, Tang Thirty-Six had used half a roast chicken to bribe Zhexiu. In the following battle, Zhexiu had battled Gou Hanshi, who was one cultivation level higher than him, until the heavens and earth darkened. He had played a crucial role in Chen Changsheng's final victory, but he had also paid an extremely heavy price. When he was carried out, his entire body was covered in blood.
But when everyone was incomparably moved, he was only thinking of one thing: more money.
When he thought of those old scenes, Chen Changsheng was deeply moved. He thought to himself, I wonder how Zhexiu is doing in Mount Li. The war between the humans and demons is about to begin. He will definitely head north, but Nanke … the smile on his face gradually faded.
He had a very clear understanding of Nanke's condition.
For many reasons, he had not been very fond of staying in the capital in the past few years. He would often travel around and go to Mount Li many times.
Besides the people of the Orthodox Academy, only those fellows from the Mount Li Sword Sect dared to not treat him as the Pope. This made him feel very comfortable.
Every year, his senior brother would go to Luoyang to celebrate the New Year. Other than one year in Wenshui, he would spend the rest of his time with Xu Yourong at Mount Li.
In the past few years, he had gone to Mount Li no less than thirty times.
But every time Nanke saw him, her innocent face would reveal the most sincere smile, and she would grab onto his sleeve, unwilling to let go.
Even when he slept at night, she insisted on sleeping in his room, even if it was a mattress on the floor, even if Xu Yourong's expression was very indifferent.
This was a habit she had developed in Sloping Cliff Horse Farm, and Qiushan Jun was well aware of this past.
Nanke was still somewhat dazed, but she trusted Chen Changsheng very much and even felt attached to him.
She was well aware of who treated her the best.
Chen Changsheng truly did treat her very well.
The two of them were like true brother and sister.
Chen Changsheng was well aware of her illness. He had left her at Mount Li in the hopes that the Sect Master of the Mount Li Sword Sect could cure her.
He had always been very concerned about the progress of her illness. At the New Year this year, he knew that she was about to recover.
This also meant that she was about to wake up.
When the time came, what would she do? What should he do?
After a very long period of contemplation, he left a letter for Gou Hanshi. He said that if Nanke showed signs of waking up, he should open the letter.
He wondered if the letter was still intact at this time.
… …
… …
The Red Cloud Qilin could travel several thousand li in a day, and the White Crane was the fastest immortal bird. If they had wanted to, Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong could have flown straight back to the capital, but they had stopped midway. Perhaps it was because a scarlet flame had appeared in the sky up ahead.
This flame was not a real existence, but a condensation of countless strands of blood Qi and killing intent. Only those who had broken into the Divine Domain could see it with the naked eye.
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong were still some distance from that threshold, but their statuses were special. They were Saints and they carried Heavenly Tome Monoliths with them, so they could sense it.
The plains were filled with people. From the sky, they looked like dense black dots, like ants, but this was not the case.
The White Crane looked at the invisible flame, fear appearing in its eyes. The Red Cloud Qilin, on the other hand, became excited, flapping its wings even faster.
The army of the Cong Province Army had gathered on the plains, and they were currently undergoing intense training. From time to time, powerful Qis would soar into the sky from the army. Some were clearly the work of array masters, while others were cultivators skilled in controlling swords. Chen Changsheng could even see the Inferno Shroud of the South's Triple Yang Sect in the southwest corner of the army.
This array was truly terrifying. Not even he and Xu Yourong could face it head-on.
Finally, Chen Changsheng saw the general at the very front.
This general had an extremely powerful Qi. He was actually an upper level Star Condensation expert, presumably a Divine General of the Cong Province Army.
A gale blew through the plains, causing the Great Zhou banners to flap in the wind and the clothes of the soldiers.
The general's sleeve swayed in the wind. He had actually lost an arm.
He was Xue He.
In the coup of the Mausoleum of Books, his older brother, Divine General Xue Xingchuan, was poisoned to death by Zhou Tong. Soon after, the Imperial Court and the military carried out a cruel purge, and he was naturally not spared. He was stripped of his military post and imprisoned in the alley of the Northern Military Department. It was only on the day that Chen Changsheng, Mo Yu, and Zhexiu killed Zhou Tong that he saw the light of day once more.
Later on, the Li Palace intervened and he was released, but he was not allowed to stay in the capital or return to Cong Province. The Imperial Court demoted him to Huang Province to serve as a deputy commander. Fortunately, he encountered a rather decent commanding official there. Every day, he would travel the rivers and mountains, compose poems, and though he could not be described as happy, he passed his days in peace.
Only when the storm suddenly arrived and master and disciple battled in the Orthodox Academy, turning the Maple Forest Pavilion into ruins did the situation finally change.
Afterwards, His Majesty began to implement new policies, bringing back a group of old officials from the previous government. Xue He was among them, sent to Star Seizer Academy to teach.
In his three years at Star Seizer Academy, Xue He diligently studied the art of war and made a major breakthrough in his cultivation. Unknowingly, he had reached the upper level of Star Condensation.
The emperor transferred him to Cong Province, where he took over his older brother's position and became the Divine General of the Cong Province Army.
… …
… …
There was a muffled slap.
Xue He knelt on the ground, his knee shattering the stone floor.
His eyes were slightly red and his body was trembling.
The calm and imposing manner he had displayed when commanding the tens of thousands of soldiers outside the city had vanished long ago.
Young Madam Xue, together with her two sons of eight or nine, knelt behind him.
The Xue clan was extremely strict. The two young masters did not understand why their father had lost his composure, but they did not dare say anything.
Young Madam Xue, on the other hand, had guessed at the arrival of this young man and woman. He knelt willingly, but he was worried that he was not being respectful enough. (To be continued …)
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