Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 362 – Full-time Teaching (Part Three)

Translated by: Pipipingu

Edited by: Nora

Su Li said expressionlessly, “The best and final opportunity of the southerners was lost just like this. Will they thank me? Other than believing that I am a madman, the people of Zhou won’t thank me either.”

Chen Changsheng thought about it and then said, “…dislike, being unthankful—this does not mean that they want Senior to die.”

Su Li said, “In a blink of an eye, over ten years have passed. Tianhai, old man Yin and that lady on the Holy Maiden Peak still wholeheartedly want the north and south to unite. But I won’t allow it. If I won’t allow it, then Mount Li will not allow it, then the Longevity Sect won’t allow it. The unification of the north and south… will forever be an idea on paper. Are you saying that perhaps these Saints don’t want me to die?”

Listening to what Su Li had said, Chen Changsheng did not say anything for a long time. He thought about the great situation that the demons had set up on the snowy plains the moment he had left the Garden of Zhou and said, “The demons… also really want Senior to die.”

“Don’t you feel that this is very absurd? Remember, the enemies of your enemies are not necessarily your friends, because there is something called profit in between. If I die, the continent will fall into unrest, and the Demon Lord and Tianhai are the two most confident people in the world. They are confident that they can use the unrest and gain what they want from it, so they obviously really want me to die.”

Chen Changsheng looked at Su Li and asked very seriously and sincerely, “Senior, why don’t you support the unification of the north and south? No matter how you look at it, it is beneficial for the Human race.”

“Just because it’s beneficial for the Human race, I have to support it? Okay, what I said sounds too villainous, I take it back.”

Su Li looked at him calmly. “But can you answer my question? What difference is there from being unified by Tianhai or the demons?”

Chen Changsheng really wanted to say that the difference was very big, as the war between different races could easily bring the danger of extinction. The battle between the humans was just a problem of who was willing to lower their heads. However, he knew that to people like Su Li, being governed by someone was a situation he could not accept, so there was indeed no great difference between the two.

“Senior, has the world in your eyes always been so dark?”

“Not dark, just colorless, frigid like ice. As I have said, that is profit.”

“Perhaps… you are just unable to think of the world optimistically?” This was already Chen Changsheng’s third question of a similar nature.

“I can’t because matters like this have already occurred many times in the past. The so-called history is just evidence of the moment, and the so-called present is just the repetition of history.” Su Li looked at him and said, “I don’t want to become a second Zhou Dufu, so no matter if it is the demons or you Zhou people, I won’t believe any of you.”

It became silent in the black willow forest again. Chen Changsheng stayed silent for a very long time before suddenly opening his mouth, “Senior, are you teaching me?”

Ever since they had left the military stronghold, the quantity of conversations between Su Li and him increased. Afterwards, no matter if it was the pursuit of assassins, meeting the cavalry of the Great Zhou or the seeming casualness within the conversations, there were actually extremely deep choices of topics, all indicating that he attempted to teach Chen Changsheng some things—it should have been how to view the world and how to survive.

Su Li looked at him and laughed at him slightly, “Isn’t it be a little too late for you to realize it now? In the rumors, they say that you know the Daoist Canon thoroughly, but why do I currently feel that you don’t have any perception at all?”

“But… why?”

Chen Changsheng did not mind the Senior’s mockery and only felt confused. He was a citizen of Zhou and Su Li was a southerner. He was a part of the new generation of people being raised and groomed by the Orthodoxy, while Su Li was a senior and an important existence that cultivated the path of the sword. Originally, the two did not have any connections, and belonged to different factions, or were even secret enemies. Not to mention the terrible relationship between the Orthodox Academy and the Mount Li Sword Sect, it was likely that competition would occur between him and Qiushan Jun in the future. Su Li had no reason to instruct him like a teacher.

“Because I admire you very much.” Su Li looked at him and said expressionlessly, “Is this reason, not enough?”

Chen Changsheng shook his head very sincerely and said, “Senior, it obviously isn’t enough.”

Su Li was slightly at a loss for words. If this was any other junior, to be taught so patiently, perhaps they may not have cried out of gratitude, but at least after he had provided a reason, they would definitely not continue asking. He looked at the clear, bright eyes of the youth and suddenly smiled. He thought that it was indeed right; if this little guy was not such a person, how could he act as he wanted?

“Because I wish that you can survive well, and the longer you live, the better it is,” he said seriously to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng was slightly surprised. He thought that perhaps the senior knew about the matter of his broken meridians and knew his days were numbered?

What Su Li followed up with showed that he did not know the secret. He said, “Because only by living long enough can you become strong enough. I wish for you to always be strong, all the way until the end.”

“What is the end?”

“The next Pope.”

“…Senior wishes for me to become the next Pope?”

“Correct, because if you become the Pope, it is the best to the southerners.”

“Why?”

“Because you are unwilling to kill, you are and even more unlikely to become intoxicated by killing. You view the other matters outside of life and death very clearly. I have never seen such a person at your age who does not care for his name so much… of course, your obsessiveness over my Yellow Paper Umbrella sometimes makes me begin to doubt my judgment.”

“I don’t know why Senior thinks that I don’t care about my name… it’s just that I can become the Pope with just this?”

Chen Changsheng subconsciously looked at the graying sky. He looked at the snowflakes that landed in a place that was an unknown distance away and said, “I feel it’s so far away.”

Su Li looked at him with slight interest and said, “Have you perhaps never had such a realization?”

Chen Changsheng retracted his gaze and asked slightly blankly, “What realization?”

“The Li Palace views you with so much importance and puts so much into raising you so that you are the youngest to reach the upper level of the Ethereal Opening realm and the youngest principal of the Orthodox Academy… if it were not for raising you to be the next pope, what are those old guys doing?”

Chen Changsheng said nothing. He currently already knew why Archbishop Mei Lisha cared for him so much, but what was the Pope thinking?

After leaving the Mausoleum of Books, all of the mysteries had already received answers. However, he was always very confused by this matter and subconsciously did not want to remember it. Too many things had happened in the Garden of Zhou to the point that he had really forgotten about it until he was reminded by Su Li again right now.

He was the successor of the Orthodoxy.

Only, his eyes still rested on at a location not far in front of him habitually, and he was not used to raising his head to look at the sky. No matter if it was the grayish sky or the brilliant blue sky, the rays of light were all so dazzling. If he returned to the capital and became the successor of the Orthodoxy, perhaps he would have to directly confront the awe of the Empress. This made him very uneasy. Of course, he needed to return to the capital first.