453 The Heavenly Dao Flows Wes

It was unknown whether Zhou Tong had managed to spy a span of time on ChenChangsheng's body, but he was currently gazing at the Scroll of Time in hishands. The Scroll of Time was also called the 'Canon of Flowing West' and was one ofthe most important scriptures of the Orthodoxy. Simultaneously, it was also themost profound and abstruse classic of the Daoist Canon. 'The trend of the rivermoving west cannot be slowed' was the meaning of its name and it gave anaccount of subtle observations of the Dao concerning time. Before he died, MeiLisha had not forgotten to read this Daoist scripture—What did this mean? As Zhou Tong gazed at the cryptic and incomprehensible words of the Canon ofFlowing West, he silently pondered this question. Priest Xin continued to describe what had happened in that room filled withplum blossoms. "He said that Principal Shang truly is an extraordinary man." Zhou Tong narrowed his eyes and his gaze abruptly turned cold and sharp. Aperson on the verge of death would speak the truth. An extraordinary priestlike Mei Lisha had long since become indifferent to the thought of death. Onthe eve of his death, why did he read this Daoist scripture, why did hesuddenly mention this man who had disappeared into hiding for many years? Priest Xin paused for a moment, and then remembered the archbishop's finalemotional sigh. "He was very curious to see just how the Daoist Canon wouldrecord the life of the next Pope." Zhou Tong's two eyebrows leapt up. There was no wind in the quiet room, buthis red official's gown began to undulate as if the sea of blood had come tothe world. The outer appearance originated from one's mental state. This phenomenonindicated just how heavy the mental assault brought on by Priest Xin's accountwas—because from these words and this book, he had faintly been able to seizeupon a clue. The next Pope? The entire continent knew that if nothing too out of theordinary occurred, the Orthodoxy's next Pope would inevitably be ChenChangsheng. Mei Lisha had been the staunchest promoter of this matter and so hewould naturally not be thinking of anyone else. So then why was he curiousabout how Chen Changsheng's life would be recorded? Why did he think thismatter was so interesting? Or was it because he believed that there woulddefinitely be a different view expressed in the annals of history? And justwhat matter would it differ on? What was the most important thing in life? Tocontribute to a great cause or to cultivate and live a moral life? Zhou Tong's official's robe blew around ever more fiercely and the room reekedwith the stench of blood. The sea of blood surged with monstrous waves, justlike his current emotional state. Priest Xin's face was deathly pale. He was almost unable to bear thisterrifying pressure, but he also didn't dare to retreat. Suddenly, all the pressure vanished without a trace, and Zhou Tong's eyebrowsslowly went flat. His gaze was no longer sharp and official's robe returned toquietly covering his body. On his face appeared an unfathomable smile. "Do you know what the most important thing in a person's life is?" "The most important?" Priest Xin did not understand why the lord wouldsuddenly ask this sort of question. The smile on Zhou Tong's face grew increasingly sincere, like a bloomingflower. However, when paired with his sinister aura, it only made the wholepicture increasingly bizarre. "The most important thing in a person's life is not the level to which one hascultivated, nor is it power and the symbols of authority, but rather…the datesof birth and death." He walked to the door and looked out at those twocrabapple trees, listening to the sounds of carriage wheels rumbling along inthe distance. "Whether discussing the scriptures of the Orthodoxy or the annalsof history, in order to record a person's life, the first thing that must beconfirmed, and also the first words that must be written, are what year andmonth you were born, as well as the place of birth. Only by confirming thesepieces of information can we confirm just which person is which." Priest Xin walked behind, not knowing how to respond. He could vaguely sensethat although Zhou Tong seemed very calm on the surface, he was actuallyextremely nervous within. What sort of words or matters could have occurred to cause such a terrifyingfigure as Zhou Tong to get nervous? "The crabapple blossoms had already begun to wilt and the prison possessed adivine might. He stood between them, and yet he was unmoving as a lake." Zhou Tong's eyes narrowed once more, except this time his gaze was not sharplike a sword. Rather, it was brimming with perplexity and a sort of unease thatnot even he was able to realize. Priest Xin also wished to know: the lord had orchestrated such a large stage,but besides clearing up the motives of some powerful figures, was he able tosucceed in his most important objective? Zhou Tong wanted to see what sort ofperson Chen Changsheng was, but it could also be said that he wanted to seewhat person Chen Changsheng was. But normally, the phrase was ‘unmoving like amountain’, so why did he rate Chen Changsheng to be unmoving like a lake? "He's very similar to a person." Zhou Tong's face suddenly revealed a smear offear. "He's very similar to the man described in the secret records within thepalace, Chen Xuanba." Priest Xin was confused. In the annals and legends of the common folk, ChenXuanba was the strongest expert of the Chen Imperial clan in the past onethousand years, on par with Emperor Taizong. He had always possessed a fierceand crude reputation, so in what aspect was he the slightest bit like ChenChangsheng? And why did he have to say it was the Chen Xuanba of the secretrecords in the palace? His Excellency naturally had the opportunity to accessthe top-secret records in the palace. Perhaps the Chen Xuanba recorded therewas different from the Chen Xuanba spoken of in the legends? "Our grand Emperor Taizong modified all the histories and Daoist scripturesthat he could modify, so Chen Xuanba naturally became a crude warrior that hadno idea of the general situation and couldn't grasp the bigger picture. Nocould have thought that the true Chen Xuanba was actually a very quiet person,"Zhou Tong said with a derisive air. Priest Xin thought those two lines of commentary were rather familiar, then heremembered that it was the same evaluation the archbishop had given of ChenChangsheng not too long ago. After a moment of silence, Zhou Tong said, "Chen Changsheng is also a veryquiet person." The ‘quiet’ here had many meanings. For instance, when talking was notrequired, one did not speak. Or when one's words were clumsy, the actions weresharp and the heart was calm. Or when encountering some great task, one wouldhave a calm air. The small courtyard was quiet for a very long time. Finally, Zhou Tong said, "In addition, he is also surnamed Chen." Priest Xin left, departing from the alley of the Northern Military Departmentwith an extreme pressure and anxiety on his mind. This pressure on his mind hadnothing to do with his two identities, but rather with that piece ofinformation that had faintly revealed itself in Zhou Tong's words. Could ChenChangsheng really be a descendant of the Imperial clan? He did not dare dwell on this, much less pry deeper, because it was veryobvious that even Lord Zhou Tong was nervous about this matter. Zhou Tong truly was very nervous, because he knew much more than Priest Xin,and due to his status and identity, he was required to think about and clear upthese concerns. He stood on the stone steps of the small courtyard, gazing at those crabappletrees now utterly devoid of blossoms. For what seemed like forever, he remainedsilent in contemplation, not caring for the disturbances coming from outsidethe courtyard. Before Mei Lisha died, he said that the traitor Shang was a trulyextraordinary man. Before Mei Lisha died, he was reading the Canon of Flowing West, reading abouthow time was like water. Yes, the traitor Shang could help the Empress go against the heavens andchange fate. To halt an infant's growth for four years, just what did thatamount to? Perhaps Chen Changsheng was just a mature youth? But to be so dull and gloomy,to be that mature, could he really just be a sixteen-year-old youth? Actually, the age of the disciple that the traitor Shang had brought with himaway from Xining Village was a match. Moreover, it was said that he was acripple and a mute, much more in agreement with what was said in the rumors. But that was too conspicuous, too precise, and thus too untrustworthy. Maybe, that disciple was used as a method to hide from the Heavenly Dao? Perhaps the true one had long since had his life essence adjusted by thetraitor Shang through the Canon of Flowing West? Zhou Tong felt like his body was getting ever colder. He knew that the chief eunuch most loved by the Empress had, in the past fewmonths, been checking up on that old case in the palace. That the Empress had not let him do this did not mean that the Empress did nottrust him, but rather signified that the Empress did not want anyone else toknow of this matter. Crown Prince Zhaoming really could still be alive. If the Empress really did go against the heavens and change fate, and itreally was as described in the rumors, then the price paid for this defiancewas much more miserable than the common people could imagine. She was doomed to have no sons and grandsons, for her bloodline to becompletely wiped out. Only this way could she become a person that was trulycut off from all others. If Crown Prince Zhaoming still lived, it indicated that the Empress's changeof fate was not yet truly complete! It at least indicated that the Empress's changing of fate still had a weakness. If all of this was true. Then shouldn't it be that Crown Prince Zhaoming's existence should beeradicated to have everything return to tranquility? Zhou Tong felt that the temperature of the courtyard was dropping by thesecond. It was obviously the beginning of summer, but it somehow felt like thecourtyard was in the throes of a bitter winter. Even he who was regarded as the most cold-blooded of all, when thinking aboutthose stories of the past and the story that could possibly take place,couldn't help but feel that it was too cruel. And yet, why did those people send Chen Changsheng to the capital? Did theythink they could hide it forever from the Empress? Hide it from me? Zhou Tong's complexion grew extremely unsightly. He realized that this puzzlehad many things about it that were currently impossible to clarify. The Divine Empress stood upon the Dew Platform, gazing up at the sky. In the early morning, the sky was an azure blue. Later on, a fight took placein front of the Orthodox Academy and a carriage went off to the Department forPurging Officials. A cloud emerged from some place and the sky became gray andgloomy. It seemed like the gray sky wanted to cover up all truths, but howcould it possibly have the power to obscure her eyes? The vast majority of people believed that it was impossible to see the starsduring the day, but she could. It was just that she did not like to see thestars in the day, because it would cause her to remember Emperor Xian, toremember Emperor Taizong, and to remember many other people with the surname'Chen'. Now when she gazed up at the sky, it was precisely because she wasthinking of someone with the surname 'Chen'…a youth. She knew that Zhou Tong had guessed at something, checked on something, andbegun to suspect, consequently bringing about today's excitement in the capital. She did not care about it, much less become angry, because there were stillmany things that she herself was not sure of. The stars in the day were hidden behind the radiance of the sun, but theirpositions were not at all different than what they were at night. She calmly gazed at the star that was her own Fated Star, that star which wasthe brightest in the sky. She calmly remembered how several centuries ago, shehad used an unimaginable power to change the position of this star,simultaneously changing its brightness. Automatically, the countless starsaround her own also began to change. The changing of a single person's fate would eventually affect countlessothers, even the fate of the entire world. Even a butterfly flapping its wings twice could cause a storm in the GreatWestern Continent, to say nothing of what placing herself proudly in the cloudsabove could cause. But, with all these fates gathered together, just what sort of power decidedit? Was it the Heavenly Dao? If Zhaoming really was still alive, what sort of retribution would theHeavenly Dao send against her? If Zhaoming really did die back then, what sort of retribution would theHeavenly Dao send then? Several centuries ago, when she offered a sacrifice to the stars, she had oncesent a wrathful and unyielding excoriation towards the Heavenly Dao. Back then,her wrath had been out of despair and grief, and she held no love or hatetowards the world. Therefore, she was so powerful that not even the HeavenlyDao dared to stare directly into her eyes. But she had not imagined that Zhaoming would actually be born. From that moment on, she knew that she would have to directly confront theHeavenly Dao, but before she had time to do anything, the Heavenly Daonoiselessly vanished, retreating into the darkness. Until last year, when the radiance of a star fell upon the Orthodox Academyand a person lit up their Fated Star. The Heavenly Dao had seemingly come to find her.