441 Be Optimistic About That Plum Blossom For Many Years

Priest Xin suddenly realized that the plum blossoms filling the room wereexuding a chilly air, even though most plum blossoms loved the cold. In orderto drive away this chill, he barely managed to muster a smile and continuenarrating the excitement surrounding the Orthodox Academy. He particularly tookcare to describe how after Chen Changsheng had received the challenge for theOrthodox Academy, the Four Great Markets had reacted quickly and erected anawning at the entrance to Hundred Flowers Lane. Moreover, the Four GreatMarkets were at this very moment collecting silver for betting stakes. "It seems that there aren't as many people betting as during the GrandExamination." Mei Lisha smiled as he spoke. Priest Xin didn't understand. Even though this battle between Zhou Ziheng andChen Changsheng had naturally attracted the gazes of many, just how could it bediscussed on the same level as the Grand Examination? In the next moment, hefinally remembered something. During the Grand Examination, when nobody elsewas optimistic about Chen Changsheng, he had bet all his property on ChenChangsheng—because the archbishop was optimistic about Chen Changsheng. "I understand." He smiled at the archbishop and said, "In a while, I'll havesomeone help me put down a bet." All of the Li Palace knew that after setting the Orthodox Academy on the roadto recovery, Priest Xin had become Archbishop Mei Lisha's trusted aide. Hisattitude was the archbishop's attitude. In this year's Grand Examination, whenPriest Xin bet all his property on Chen Changsheng, every priest of the Bureauof Ecclesiastic Education, out of fear of being seen as unsupportive of ChenChangsheng, also bet huge sums of money on Chen Changsheng. This was an enormous amount of silver. The Heavenly Fragrance Market's final loss had been so miserable because,apart from the unyielding and callous assault of the Wenshui Tangs, it had topay out the winnings for all these Li Palace priests. Hearing Priest Xin's words, Mei Lisha began to laugh, and then he began tocough. The room resonated with the painful sounds of coughing. After a longtime, they stopped. After tiredly gasping for breath, Mei Lisha gazed outsidethe window at the day and sorrowfully said, "I had originally wanted to seejust how much Chen Changsheng had progressed. Sadly, it seems that I won't beable to see it." For Chen Changsheng, tomorrow was the first time after the Grand Examinationthat he would formally display his power and cultivation. Viewing the monolithsin the Mausoleum of Books, holding up the sky in the Garden of Zhou, carryingSu Li on his back and escaping from the snowy plains of the land of the demons,returning south...all the things he had learned and comprehended over thesedays would be displayed tomorrow. He was about to give a full report and exhibition of the gains he had made tothose people that were concerned about him. Tomorrow would be a brand new day for him. However, to Mei Lisha, there would be no tomorrow. Priest Xin suddenly felt his legs grow soft. With great difficulty, he drewcloser and gazed at the calm expression on the archbishop's face, but hisnerves prevented him from saying anything. The entire Bureau of EcclesiasticEducation quickly became immersed in a nervous atmosphere and a piece of newswas sent to every corner of the capital. The bloodstains from the past year had long since vanished from the plaza ofthe Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, but that row of maple trees were as redas blood, as if the harsh and somber autumn had come early. As it turned out,it was the coming of twilight. Whichever interpretation it was, in the end, they were both ominous, evokingmelancholy in others. Since the autumn had already come, could the deathly stillness of winter befar away? With the coming of twilight, wasn't the night right before the eyes? As the night descended and the lanterns were being lit, Chen Changshengquickly made his way over to the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education. Ignoring thesalutations of the priests, he directly proceeded to that room in the very back. The room was still filled with plum blossoms, but many of the plum blossomswere no longer so flourishing. Signs of wilting could already be seen. "I am going to die." Mei Lisha gazed at him, his voice so gentle that itseemed like he was afraid of scaring a small child. Chen Changsheng had pondered over life and death countless times and had manytimes believed that he could already see past it, like that time when he wasfacing the Black Dragon, or that time in the Garden of Zhou. He even believedthat he struck up some of the real meanings of life, like how those who saidthey were the most afraid of death would often be the people least afraid ofdeath, or like how there were many times in life where only by not being afraidof death could one evade death, that only by putting one's life on the linecould one continue to live. But now as he stared at the elderly archbishop, he suddenly realized thatthose thoughts of his were still not complete, because he had never thought,ifone had no enemies, or if one's enemy was time, then how could one battleagainst it? When death comes, how could one maintain their calm? He did notknow, so he did not know what to say at this time. Mei Lisha looked at him and chuckled. Not continuing on this topic, he asked,"What do you believe your chances of success to be tomorrow?" Perhaps because death was on the verge of arrival and time was too short, thearchbishop today spoke very straightforwardly. Chen Changsheng was also very straightforward. Without the slightesthesitation, he said, "One hundred percent." Mei Lisha thought that he was just soothing him. Laughing, he said, "I believethat you've actually thought about it many times, why I've been so good to you." 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 verybig matter, but he didn't want to think in that direction. "I have hidden some things from you and even deceived you, but you mustbelieve in me, believe in His Holiness, and believe in your teacher." Mei Lisha continued, "Maybe there will be many things where the trueappearance is different from the outward one, but that's only walking adifferent path. The ultimate destination has never changed. Just like all thatwe have planned for you. In the future, there may be a time where you feelresentful, even angry, but you must see what the final outcome is. I believethat no matter what, it will not be of harm to you." Chen Changsheng didn't quite understand the meaning of these words, but heunderstood the archbishop's meaning—these two meanings were different. As longas the result was good, the process and methods used to reach it were not tooimportant. Mei Lisha wanted to say precisely this. But was he talking about themind or talking about actions? As Chen Changsheng gazed at Mei Lisha's agedface, he no longer wanted to think about these questions. He believed that toan elder that was about to depart from this world, to continue questioning wasan exceptionally cruel act. In addition, he could feel that this elder wassincerely thinking about his well-being. In everyone's view, in both the Ivy Festival and the Grand Examination, thereason that Chen Changsheng was able to obtain the final victory and his namewas able to shake the capital, the person he and the Orthodox Academy had tothank the most, was precisely Archbishop Mei Lisha. Prior to the Popepersonally crowning Chen Changsheng with the crown of thorns, Mei Lisha hadbeen his sole supporter in the world, the patron of the Orthodox Academy. Itwas only natural that he was very close to Chen Changsheng. Only ChenChangsheng himself clearly understood that, in fact, he and Mei Lisha had onlymet each other a few times. Coming from Xining to the capital, everything hadhappened too quickly, time had flowed by too fast. Without any warning, he andthe 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 hundredyears of existence, it was naturally impossible to say that they were goodfriends; yet he could feel Archbishop Mei Lisha’s heartfelt goodwill towardshim, and even a great...pity, as if Mei Lisha knew his greatest secret, causinghis eyes to always be filled with apology. Every emotion was mutual. As ChenChangsheng gazed at him on the verge of death, Chen Changsheng did not knowwhat he could help with. He felt rather useless and deeply apologetic, so muchso that his eyes began to grow moist. Mei Lisha allowed Chen Changsheng to depart. He had Priest Xin come into theroom and take a book off the bookshelf. In the final moments of his life, he was still reading. It was a Daoistscripture with a rather old cover. He read it for a very long time, then closed the book and gazed out the windowat the darkness. He mumbled, "Principal Shang truly is an extraordinary man." Priest Xin didn't comprehend why the archbishop, at this time, would mentionthat once-principal of the Orthodox Academy, even though he had just met ChenChangsheng who had been that man's student. "Interesting." Mei Lisha's dried-up and thin finger tapped twice against thebook, and then he said, "I'm very curious about just how the next Pope's lifewill be recorded in the Daoist Canon." Priest Xin didn't understand, not expecting that the archbishop would beconcerned about the great matters of the Orthodoxy that would occur after hisdeath. He asked, "Who does Your Eminence believe will win the match tomorrow?" This was changing the subject, but he was also truly interested. It hadnothing to do with all his property, only that he really didn't understand. During the Grand Examination, Chen Changsheng's victory could be described asa miracle. He broke into Ethereal Opening in the middle of the match, and then he usedthe final move of the Mount Li Sword Style to compel Gou Hanshi to concede thebattle. 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 StarCondensation in the middle of the match. A miracle by definition was extremelyrare to see. If a miracle were to occur twice in the short span of a year, thenthat was no longer called a miracle. It was called impossible. No matter howPriest Xin looked at it, he couldn't make out whether or not Chen Changshengtruly believed he had a chance at defeating Zhou Ziheng. He wished to know ifthe archbishop really believed Chen Changsheng could win or if he was justhoping, in the final moments of his life, to inspire a little confidence inthat youth, to escort him for a little while more. The petals gradually wilted and dropped off, but the branches of the plumblossoms remained firm and upright. Even if they were twisted, even if thetemperature in the room suddenly dropped and it became bitterly cold, theystill did not show the slightest sign of snapping. Mei Lisha gazed at the plum blossom on the table and smiled. "I am stilloptimistic 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 offin the distance, not coming up to disturb them. Some people like Zhou Zihengsometimes forgot about the fact that this youth was the Principal of theOrthodox Academy, but these people could never forget this. Moreover, the moodwas somewhat oppressive. After a while, Chen Changsheng raised his head and realized that the hall wasabnormally silent. Those priests had vanished off somewhere. An old man dressed in a hempen robe quietly stood in the great hall in frontof 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 wasthe Orthodoxy or the South Stream Temple or the Mount Li Sword Sect, whenteaching the next generation, they all carried on this way of thinking. Chen Changsheng rose up and walked over. After bowing respectfully, he asked aquestion which had perplexed him for many days. Maybe because tonight was particularly special, or maybe because Mei Lisha hadspoken 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, ofthe Imperial clan, of the world.