Chapter 440 – Be Optimistic About That Plum Blossom For Many Years (2/2)

Chen Changsheng said nothing. Of course, he had thought about this many times, but he had never found an answer. He knew it assuredly had to do with some very big matter, but he didn't want to think in that direction.

”I have hidden some things from you and even deceived you, but you must believe in me, believe in His Holiness, and believe in your teacher.”

Mei Lisha continued, ”Maybe there will be many things where the true appearance is different from the outward one, but that's only walking a different path. The ultimate destination has never changed. Just like all that we have planned for you. In the future, there may be a time where you feel resentful, even angry, but you must see what the final outcome is. I believe that no matter what, it will not be of harm to you.”

Chen Changsheng didn't quite understand the meaning of these words, but he understood the archbishop's meaning—these two meanings were different. As long as the result was good, the process and methods used to reach it were not too important. Mei Lisha wanted to say precisely this. But was he talking about the mind or talking about actions? As Chen Changsheng gazed at Mei Lisha's aged face, he no longer wanted to think about these questions. He believed that to an elder that was about to depart from this world, to continue questioning was an exceptionally cruel act. In addition, he could feel that this elder was sincerely thinking about his well-being.

In everyone's view, in both the Ivy Festival and the Grand Examination, the reason that Chen Changsheng was able to obtain the final victory and his name was able to shake the capital, the person he and the Orthodox Academy had to thank the most, was precisely Archbishop Mei Lisha. Prior to the Pope personally crowning Chen Changsheng with the crown of thorns, Mei Lisha had been his sole supporter in the world, the patron of the Orthodox Academy. It was only natural that he was very close to Chen Changsheng. Only Chen Changsheng himself clearly understood that, in fact, he and Mei Lisha had only met each other a few times. Coming from Xining to the capital, everything had happened too quickly, time had flowed by too fast. Without any warning, he and the Orthodox Academy had come to this day, and the archbishop was going to die.

Their meetings had been few and, given they were separated by several hundred years of existence, it was naturally impossible to say that they were good friends; yet he could feel Archbishop Mei Lisha’s heartfelt goodwill towards him, and even a great...pity, as if Mei Lisha knew his greatest secret, causing his eyes to always be filled with apology. Every emotion was mutual. As Chen Changsheng gazed at him on the verge of death, Chen Changsheng did not know what he could help with. He felt rather useless and deeply apologetic, so much so that his eyes began to grow moist.

Mei Lisha allowed Chen Changsheng to depart. He had Priest Xin come into the room and take a book off the bookshelf.

In the final moments of his life, he was still reading. It was a Daoist scripture with a rather old cover.

He read it for a very long time, then closed the book and gazed out the window at the darkness. He mumbled, ”Principal Shang truly is an extraordinary man.”

Priest Xin didn't comprehend why the archbishop, at this time, would mention that once-principal of the Orthodox Academy, even though he had just met Chen Changsheng who had been that man's student.

”Interesting.” Mei Lisha's dried-up and thin finger tapped twice against the book, and then he said, ”I'm very curious about just how the next Pope's life will be recorded in the Daoist Canon.”

Priest Xin didn't understand, not expecting that the archbishop would be concerned about the great matters of the Orthodoxy that would occur after his death. He asked, ”Who does Your Eminence believe will win the match tomorrow?”

This was changing the subject, but he was also truly interested. It had nothing to do with all his property, only that he really didn't understand.

During the Grand Examination, Chen Changsheng's victory could be described as a miracle.

He broke into Ethereal Opening in the middle of the match, and then he used the final move of the Mount Li Sword Style to compel Gou Hanshi to concede the battle. Only this way was he able to obtain first rank of the first banner.

Tomorrow's opponent was Zhou Ziheng, a person in the Star Condensation Realm. He couldn't repeat the scene of the Grand Examination and break into Star Condensation in the middle of the match. A miracle by definition was extremely rare to see. If a miracle were to occur twice in the short span of a year, then that was no longer called a miracle. It was called impossible. No matter how Priest Xin looked at it, he couldn't make out whether or not Chen Changsheng truly believed he had a chance at defeating Zhou Ziheng. He wished to know if the archbishop really believed Chen Changsheng could win or if he was just hoping, in the final moments of his life, to inspire a little confidence in that youth, to escort him for a little while more.

The petals gradually wilted and dropped off, but the branches of the plum blossoms remained firm and upright. Even if they were twisted, even if the temperature in the room suddenly dropped and it became bitterly cold, they still did not show the slightest sign of snapping.

Mei Lisha gazed at the plum blossom on the table and smiled. ”I am still optimistic about Chen Changsheng.”

Chen Changsheng sat in the great hall of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, Luoluo at his side. She said nothing, only holding his hand. Priests stood off in the distance, not coming up to disturb them. Some people like Zhou Ziheng sometimes forgot about the fact that this youth was the Principal of the Orthodox Academy, but these people could never forget this. Moreover, the mood was somewhat oppressive.

After a while, Chen Changsheng raised his head and realized that the hall was abnormally silent. Those priests had vanished off somewhere.

An old man dressed in a hempen robe quietly stood in the great hall in front of that mural on the wall. It was the Pope.

That mural was massive, but it was only a drawing of a plum blossom.

The fragrance of the plum blossom arose from the bitter winter. Whether it was the Orthodoxy or the South Stream Temple or the Mount Li Sword Sect, when teaching the next generation, they all carried on this way of thinking.

Chen Changsheng rose up and walked over. After bowing respectfully, he asked a question which had perplexed him for many days.

Maybe because tonight was particularly special, or maybe because Mei Lisha had spoken so directly to him, the question he asked was also very straightforward.

”Why did Your Holiness suddenly change your view?”

The view was naturally indicating the Pope's view of the Divine Empress, of the Imperial clan, of the world.

Chen Changsheng gazed into the depths of the great hall and said, ”It naturally can't be because of me, and I also think that it shouldn't be because of him.”