Laughing at Chang'an

Although there is a good ventilation system, the room is still a bit stuffy, and the potted plants placed in the corner are also lacking in energy due to lack of sunlight.This secret room was built by Geng Yan in order to change his identity after he bought the Baishan Bieyuan. At that time, the old emperor had just died, and he often had to return to the empire to handle the affairs there personally... At that time, he actually considered dealing with Li Shen. showdown.

Many things are not so complicated at first.At the end of the South China Sea, after finally confirming his feelings for Li Shen, when he returned to Chang'an, Geng Yan bought Baishan Bieyuan and asked Li Shen to live with him.Renovate, move in, and then confess... This is the original plan.

But the house was still being renovated, and the old emperor of the Guangming Empire passed away. Although Geng Yan had been sitting on that chair all his life, and the preparations were even more thorough this time, it still took away his energy to some extent.However, after he settled the affairs of the empire and returned to Chang'an, the wedding invitation of Li Shen and Haitang's marriage was delivered to his desk.

In the renovated Baishan Bieyuan, he held the wedding invitation and sat alone all night.

I don't want to say that fate tricks people, because Geng Yan never believed in fate... But looking back now, I can't find a more suitable word than these two words.What stands between him and Li Shen is not only each other's positions and ambitions, but also this so-called fate.

"So you chose to be my enemy for this inexplicable reason?"

Geng Yan let out a sneer from his chest, he leaned back in the chair, leaned on the chair with his left hand, propped his cheek, and looked at the adjutant sitting opposite him with eyes that he didn't know whether it was amused or helpless.

——The light in people's hearts?what is that?An idealist's daydream?It's not that Geng Yan doesn't understand what he really wants to say, but in his opinion, this is more naive than Li Shen's naive ideal... Is it actually a delusion to change human nature?

The adjutant rubbed his nose and said in embarrassment: "It's a bit unrealistic to say, but I have to do it... But I have such an idea, it's all because of you."

Geng Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, and said in astonishment: "Because of me?"

"It's a long story." The adjutant coughed dryly with his fists clenched around his mouth, then raised his head and asked, "Is there any water?"

Geng Yan pointed to the refrigerator behind the adjutant, and ordered: "It's in the refrigerator, get me a bottle too."

There were dozens of bottles of drinking water in the refrigerator, as well as densely packed dry food for the march. He silently took two bottles of water with a bit of a tongue, returned to the table and sat down, and said casually: "Your life is too hard. How about...as for?"

Geng Yan nodded at him, and said calmly: "Thanks to you."

There was clearly a killing intent in these words, the adjutant shut his mouth obediently and drank water.

"The great sage of the previous generation, Tia, is also my teacher. From this level of name, we should be regarded as brothers." The adjutant closed the bottle cap and said in a flat tone. He lowered his head and showed a look of reminiscence.

"At that time, he praised you in front of me all day long, and he praised you so much that there was nothing in heaven or earth. I couldn't help being curious... You may not know that I have been watching you since you were an unfavored prince. ,until now."

Geng Yan took away the hand supporting his head, and slowly sat up straight.

"I watched you restrain your edge while cultivating influence in secret, I watched you seem to be able to predict the future, and made all kinds of arrangements that seemed strange to me at the time, but I suddenly realized it later, I watched you hide your identity and come to the world Chang'an."

The adjutant raised his head with a half-smile, and looked at Geng Yan who couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.

"So I followed you and came to Chang'an."

………………

Chang'an is a very strange city.

From the heart, the adjutant doesn't like Chang'an very much. He didn't like it at first sight. How can I say it? It's too turbulent. Here, it's like a small boat floating on the rough sea. It's ups and downs completely involuntarily. The feeling of being capsized by a wave at any time.

He doesn't like this feeling.

"I wanted to see what you were trying to do. It was purely out of curiosity, but I found something very interesting." The adjutant narrowed his eyes, showing a rather unbeatable expression, and asked Geng Yan: "When did you , is planning to kill Li Shen?"

Before Geng Yan could answer, the adjutant shook his head and laughed.

"But you didn't succeed. That's when I noticed Li Shen... Well, have you ever heard of Man of Destiny?"

"...The Man of Destiny?"

"It is the chosen one who is loved by the heavens, whether it is luck or chance, far surpassing ordinary people, or the child of destiny?" The adjutant explained solemnly, "For example, Li Sanduo, Xue Tuqi, And Dong Budong, they are all like this.”

Geng Yan showed a somewhat complicated look, shook his head, and said, "This is the first time I've heard such a statement."

"Well, it's normal if you haven't heard of it." The adjutant nodded and said, "Because this is a saying only in my family, it may sound weird, but I think you should also know that when the empire was founded, the light The first sage established by the society, the holy teacher Luo Hen who is known as one of the seven heroes of mankind, is said to have the ability to foresee the future...he is my ancestor."

Predicting the future... Having personally experienced rebirth, Geng Yan has a very strange feeling about such a bizarre-sounding thing. In his opinion, it may not be impossible to be true.

"It's not such an outrageous ability to predict the future." The adjutant explained, "It's just that in my family, there are occasional people who can see things that normal people can't see. We call this kind of thing 'Mandate of Heaven'."

He spread his right hand to Geng Yan, and said with a smile: "It's like when I look at you now, I can see that you are covered with a huge layer of destiny, but compared to before, it has weakened a lot...Everyone The degree of being loved by God is different, and it has nothing to do with status or status. Maybe an ordinary little beggar on the side of the road will have more destiny than an official. Your destiny is the largest I have ever seen in the entire empire. Yes, even in Chang'an, and even looking at the whole Fanglu, I have only seen the only person who is more beloved by heaven than you."

"That person is Li Shen."

From birth, the adjutant saw the world differently from others.In his eyes, there is light in everyone, bright and dim, warm and depressing... What he can see is not only destiny, but also those colors that belong to the soul.

In his eyes, the world is particularly black and white.

The adjutant recalled the first time he met Li Shen, he was so shocked that he couldn't speak in the face of the terrifyingly huge destiny.He still remembers the shock at that time, and the almost manic throbbing in his heart that he felt at that moment.

Geng Yan's expression was a bit strange, and he said in a subtle tone: "So, because of this so-called destiny, you chose to follow Li Shen?"

"Uh..." The adjutant was keenly aware of his displeasure, with an embarrassing expression on his face, "I can't say that completely. At that time, I still... paid close attention to you."

Geng Yan didn't want to discuss the matter of his half-hearted empathy, and said indifferently: "After that, you disguised your identity, sneaked into Li Shen's side, and used your identity as a sage to secretly start against me."

"No, no, at that time, I didn't have the idea of ​​being your enemy." The adjutant waved his hands again and again to clarify, "It's not that I was full and had nothing to do, and I had to make trouble for myself and mingled with Li Shen. In order to find a good seat at the theater...whether you want to be the emperor or set up a mercenary regiment in Chang'an, I'm just a bystander."

"And I didn't know you were a bystander by my side." Geng Yan said coldly.

"After all, I didn't do anything, just watched, and it's normal for you not to notice." The adjutant smiled, "It's a terrible thing to be an enemy of you, even if your ambition is a little bit less, I won't You will make such a choice... It is your crazy ambition that forced me to go crazy too."

He suppressed his smile, and whispered in a deep sigh——

"I look at you like I'm looking into an abyss."

………………

The heavy snow that had fallen all night finally stopped, and the ruins destroyed by artillery fire were covered with thick snow, making them even more dilapidated.The Chang'an army stationed outside the ruins of the city was about to break out and set off for the next battlefield. Li Shen was wearing a heavy cloak and standing on the gangway of the empty boat, looking towards Chang'an.

He coughed suddenly, frowning and pressing his chest, a dazzling scarlet overflowed from the corner of his mouth.Huang Sha stepped out of the airship and stood behind him with worried eyes.

"Can you hold on?"

"……Um."

Li Shen wiped away the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, straightened up, and grasped the handle of the knife at his waist.

"After taking Yumen, I have to go back to Chang'an." He whispered, "There is news that the river is closed."

Huang Sha was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"I knew this kid was lucky, otherwise he wouldn't be called the Nine-Life Cat." He smiled, with a look of relief in his eyes, and said with emotion, "I'll go back and settle accounts with him after this battle is over."

Li Shen couldn't laugh.

He didn't tell Huang Sha that along with Feng He's news, there was also the truth about the rebellion in the Northland—Feng He asked someone to bring him a sentence in a secret language that only he and Yang Huxing knew.

Before Li Xifeng died, he also said this sentence to him.

— Be careful of those around you.