Chen Chao lowered his head and said in surprise, "How am I considered big?"
Xie Nandu did not notice his action and still had an indifferent look as she explained, "Although you might not be considered a big fish now, it's evident that as time passes, your upper limit will definitely be very high. Moreover, considering your complicated identity, His Majesty cannot truly be indifferent."
Chen Chao said, "I'm not that pessimistic. Although the imperial family has no true relatives, it's clear that this emperor of ours is different from ordinary emperors."
Xie Nandu glanced at Chen Chao and asked, "Are you trying to say that you're different from a typical royal too?"
Chen Chao felt a bit embarrassed, "How can my status be considered royal? I'm just an illegitimate child."
Xie Nandu smiled and did not refute Chen Chao's words. However, she also did not agree, saying, "In this world, few people would be kind to you without any reason. It's often better to believe in the balancing act of interests than those choices based on feelings."
Chen Chao did not speak, understanding the logic.
Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao, saying each word carefully, "You must become powerful quickly."
Chen Chao also looked at Xie Nandu and said, "So that when the day comes that His Majesty wants to kill me, I can resist a bit?"
Xie Nandu shook her head, leaving Chen Chao somewhat surprised. Did he say something wrong?
"Not just His Majesty, you still have many enemies. You need the ability to protect yourself. By the way, what are you cultivating for?"
Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao, suddenly curious.
Yes, ever since Chen Chao left Tianqing County and arrived in the Divine Capital, truly appearing under the scrutiny of various prominent figures, everyone started paying attention to this young man always dressed in black. Everyone knew his future was limitless, and everyone knew that he was a genius, but no one had ever asked this genius what he was cultivating for.
Xie Nandu was probably the first.
Chen Chao frowned and fell into silence.
Many years ago, before he saw the girl in the coffin, Chen Chao could not recall his childhood. His memories began when he lived by the Wei River with an old man. Then, the great flood came, so he had to leave the Wei River and go to Cang Prefecture. During this process, he witnessed scenes described only in historical records, exchanging children to eat. Where he passed through, devastation lay in its wake. At that time, countless people were staring at his frail body, eager to eat him too.
At that time, Chen Chao's only thought was to become stronger to survive.
Then, he arrived in Cang Prefecture, came to the Sublime Bright Sect, and experienced near-death situations.
Later, amidst the mountains, he faced countless life-and-death struggles against demons.
What was cultivation for? Of course it was in order to survive.
Cultivation was to become stronger and stronger until no one could say otherwise when I wanted to live my life like this.
This was the meaning.
Chen Chao spoke softly, his voice somewhat hesitant, and then he said, "I think I know why you cultivate."
Xie Nandu naturally understood what he meant, shook her head, and said, "That's just the goal, not the reason."
Chen Chao then asked, "So, why do you cultivate?"
"Of course, it's to live longer. The world is fascinating, and I naturally want to witness more years of it."
Xie Nandu had a look like it was a matter of course.
Chen Chao fell into a long silence before saying, "Seems like a very reasonable reason."
Xie Nandu said, "Of course it's reasonable."
Chen Chao said with vicissitudes of emotion, "Actually, I find it very strange. Sometimes you seem to have thought about a lot of things, and sometimes you appear incredibly simple, as if you haven't thought about so much."
"These two states are not contradictory. When I need to think about those things, I naturally do, and when I don't need to, that's when I am myself."
Xie Nandu rubbed her head. This girl under the umbrella seemed a bit irritated at this moment.
Suddenly, Chen Chao asked, "This time, Mr. Wei didn't choose to do anything. Is there some trouble?"
Wei Xu seemed quite active in the earlier stages of this plot, but later on, he became increasingly silent. After that night, he never left the Wei residence, as if he had completely withdrawn from the events outside this plot. Such a situation naturally showed that Wei Xu was not an easy person to deal with.
Xie Nandu said indifferently, "Among Teacher's students, Senior Brother is among the most intelligent few. If he had done something just like that, it would have been surprising."
As the Dean gradually grew older, the inevitable question of who would be the next dean had inevitably entered people's minds. The next dean naturally had to be chosen from among the disciples of the current dean. In the past few years, when scholars like Liu Banbi voluntarily gave up and chose to go North, the question of the next dean became clearer.
However, with the Dean taking in his last disciple, the situation became confusing once again.
The talented girl from the Xie Family and the elegant gentleman from the Wei Family, which one would be more suitable as the next dean?
"Teacher can live for many more years, and I have plenty of time to grow. By the time I stand opposite my senior brother, I will be able to defeat him."
Xie Nandu spoke casually, and her demeanor did not reveal any sense of confidence. However, it was evident that she was confident at this moment.
Chen Chao said, "I should still be alive when that day comes."
Xie Nandu raised an eyebrow, "With me around, you won't die so easily."
……
……
In the long snowy street, the young men and women always had so much to say, and it seemed that they would never run out of things to talk about.
At times like this, the Dean seemed to have developed a liking for eating mutton. A pot full of mutton; enough for an ordinary person to eat for three to five days, but the Dean had a pot almost every day and enjoyed it thoroughly.
When the Lord Warden Commander arrived at the pavilion, the pot of mutton had turned into a table full of sheep bones, with only a few small pieces of mutton meat left. The Dean's hands were greasy, and his beard was also stained with oil, making him look nothing like a scholar.
"Teacher Zhang has been locked up in the Left Guard. Dean, aren't you concerned?"
When the Lord Warden Commander brought up this matter, his gaze was fixed on the Dean's face. He was watching the Dean's reaction.
Without looking up, the Dean replied nonchalantly, "Why wouldn't I be concerned? I've already sent that girl to find that kid. If I talk to him, he might not care, but if the girl he likes speaks, will he ignore her?"
The Lord Warden Commander praised, "What a clever move."
The Dean sneered, "If it weren't for the fact that there's currently no one to replace him in his classes, I wouldn't care about his life or death. A person as stupid as him, so easily manipulated by others, I suspect he might mislead students instead."
The Lord Warden Commander said, "Teacher Zhang's temperament is like that. It's not necessarily bad, but those with ulterior motives can indeed manipulate him. There shouldn't be many people like that among the foreign cultivators, but it's unclear where they are hiding. The Divine Capital is so vast, it's not easy to find."
The Dean looked at the Lord Warden Commander strangely, "Why do you still like to use official language in front of me?"
The Lord Warden Commander's face turned red and he said embarrassedly, "It's a habit."
The Dean chuckled and did not say much more.
The so-called difficulty in finding was always an excuse. It was almost certain now that there was a group of foreign cultivators hiding in the Divine Capital. They were not the spies lurking in the Great Liang Dynasty in the past but have quietly entered the Divine Capital during this period. They might not necessarily be trying to use the so-called rumors this time to overthrow the Great Liang Dynasty, but they did want to take a closer look at the Great Liang Emperor.
They had countless possible hiding places in the Divine Capital, perhaps within the depths of the prominent families that had been passed down for centuries, where their presence might be found.
It was not easy for the Great Liang Dynasty to find them.
The Lord Warden Commander said, "They are very cautious. There has been no action for so long. Now, they brought out an Assistant Minister Song. Furthermore, it's very likely that Assistant Minister Song had no idea who was behind him. He's just a confused sucker."
The Dean said, "Being able to bring out a Nepenthe Realm cultivator to observe your reactions was already not bad. The bait wasn't small, it was just a bit hard to part with. After all, in the end, he's not a part of their foreign lands."
The Lord Warden Commander said, "Is it possible that they are hiding in those two families?"
Mentioning those two families, the Dean's brows could not help but furrow. He sighed and said, "It will be very difficult for me if that's the case."
The Lord Warden Commander raised an eyebrow, "If it's really those two families, it will be very troublesome for His Majesty too."
Whether it be the Wei Family or the Xie Family, the importance of these two major families to the Great Liang Dynasty was self-evident. If there were indeed foreign cultivators blatantly hiding within one of these families, the problem would be significant.
Whether to investigate was a problem.
After investigation, how to handle it was another problem.
Although the Lord Warden Commander held the highest military official position in the Great Liang Dynasty and was one of the top three martial artists, facing such matters, he still found it rather troublesome and did not dare to casually make a decision.
"At least it's almost New Year's."
The Lord Warden Commander said, "His Majesty will be returning to the Divine Capital soon."
The Dean chuckled and said, "A loyal subject should alleviate the monarch's concerns; otherwise, they are not very qualified."
The Lord Warden Commander said helplessly, "With my limited abilities, even if His Majesty is dissatisfied, there's nothing I can do. Even if His Majesty wants to replace the Lord Warden Commander, there's currently no one better than me."
Pausing for a moment, the Lord Warden Commander continued, "In a few more years, when that kid takes over, perhaps His Majesty will be satisfied."
Curious, the dean asked, "Are you satisfied with the things he's done so far?"
The Lord Warden Commander raised an eyebrow, "Why wouldn't I be satisfied?"
The Dean lamented, "Since you're satisfied, then try not to let him die too soon."
Hearing this, the Lord Warden Commander suddenly looked at the Dean, finally understanding the meaning behind those words. Some things were gradually becoming clear.
The Lord Warden Commander did not speak, but his heart was far from calm.
The Dean said, "The world isn't simply black and white, and there are no absolute rights or wrongs. Good people don't always survive, and bad people don't always die."
"That's how the world has always been; truly lame."
The Dean reached out to wash his hands in the basin, then dried them. However, the grease on them could not be washed away in the clear water. Even after drying them, he still felt something on his hands, feeling a little sticky.
Looking down at his hands, the Dean said, "Let's hope this time will be different."
