Chapter 197 – Unexpected Apathy (1/2)

Chapter 197 – Unexpected Apathy

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Changsheng woke up. However, he felt very refreshed, and while looking internally with meditative introspection, he realized that all of the injuries he had received from the Grand Examination were already healed. Still, he looked at the black rock within his palm and stayed silent for a very long time. He did not feel overjoyed at all.

He vaguely understood that this black rock was what he was looking for. Other than the diary of Wang Zhice, the black rock was the main reason why Daoist Ji had him enter the Pavilion of Ascending Mist. According to what Wang Zhice had said, Emperor Taizu may have given him this black rock before the emperor’s death. Perhaps, it was extremely vital to the secret of changing fate.

The black rock was very important; however, he could not stop thinking about Wang Zhice’s diary.

After experiencing that springtime thunder, countless storms of wind and rain arose within his sea of consciousness. He saw many images, and he was able to understand many things by cross-referencing Wang Zhice’s records. However, he still could not come to a decision.

Changing fate required one to change the position or brightness of one’s Fated Star. Thus, changing the person’s position and role within the mortal world, and so…. the positions were related.

If it was impossible to change the brightness or position of one’s Fated Star, then to change the brightness or positions of the surrounding stars could also create a similar effect. The logic was the same. If you wanted to change your fate, you had to first change the fate of other people in your life. The closer the relationship between you and these people, the greater the change in fate you would experience.

Such as father and son.

Such as brothers.

Such as a lord and his subjects.

This truth was very cold and harsh.

Chen Changsheng could not confirm whether the images he had seen were illusions or truly history. For the whole night, his body had been drenched in sweat before being dried off. As a result, he felt very cold when he woke up.

If those bloody, yet cold images were indeed the true face of history, then were the two great lords of Zhou really such cold-blooded people? Was it really worth it to pay such a large price like performing terrifying acts to change fate? Immediately afterwards, he thought of the Divine Empress. If she was the third person who succeeded in changing fate, then how great of a price did she pay?

Were those bloody and cruel rumors that had long been circulated among the people true? Was her firstborn son from all those years ago really poisoned to death by the previous queen’s assassins or was he truly killed by the Divine Empress herself according to the rumors? Most of her children had never lived past the age of six. Was it really because the imperial palace’s environment was too dangerous at that time, or were the children some type of offering? Were they an offering to the stars?

Chen Changsheng’s body grew colder and colder. He did not want to continue thinking out of fear of where it would lead him. He could stay calm even in the face of death, but he, a fifteen-year-old, was still too afraid to approach these truths that had been hidden from the light too closely. He wanted to leave this place.

The Pavilion of Ascending Mist was still pitch-black like before. He was unable to see any light from the doors or windows, so as a result, he could not confirm the time. However, he knew from experience that it was already five o’clock, the time he woke up everyday.

He stood up and repaired the green stone wall. The Pavilion of Ascending Mist was a forbidden location deep within the palace, and it only opened up at most two or three times a year. With such sporadic openings, the slit in the wall that his short sword had created should not become discovered. Also, he really did not have any energy to care about this matter.

Logically, the Pavilion of Ascending Mist could block out all light and sound. However, in the next moment, a clear, distant ringing chimed from below, as if a person was hurrying over from far away to wake up the people in tranquil contemplation within the pavilion.

A soft wind blew as the chiming stopped, and the Pavilion of Ascending Mist’s large door slowly opened. The soft morning sunlight landed on the green stone floor and on the dozen or so paintings on the walls. Those people within the paintings once did countless good deeds for the Zhou Dynasty, but now, they could only see sunlight a few times a year.

Chen Changsheng walked out of the Pavilion of Ascending Mist with the soft wind and morning sun. He walked with the sounds of chimes; however, he could not calm his heart. Even as the soft wind entered his bosom, he could not become clear-headed and instead felt even colder.

Standing on the high platform in front of the Pavilion of Ascending Mist, he glanced at the morning sun, which had just risen above the horizon. Then, he looked over at the capital, which was being slowly awakened by the morning sun. The countless streets and alleyways seemed to be like the lines of a chessboard, and the countless rivers and water canals seemed like wires, which had been dropped on the board. The countless markets were like an infinite amount of squares, and countless people lived inside the countless residences located within these squares.

To change his own fate by changing the fate of others; could such a thing really be done? Even if those streets and alleyways became decadent…even if those residences fell into ruins…even if millions of people became homeless…even if there were endless wars and major floods….Did he still have to do it?

He remembered the last sentence in Wang Zhice’s diary again——There is no such thing as Fate, but only choices.

Yes, the experts of the world were split into two types: one who changed the fate of others to perfect their own fate, and others who completely disregarded fate, firmly believing that one could control everything connected to oneself. Even if fate proved itself stronger in the end, the latter would still hold their head high.

The father and son, Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were the former, and Wang Zhice was the latter. What about him? Currently, he was still very weak, but if he became strong in the future and had to face this choice, what would he choose?

Looking at the streets and countless residences of the capital under the morning sun, Chen Changsheng questioned himself: What type of person should I be? What was more important: a complete life or a complete life?