Chapter 152 Who is the Fruit? Who is in the Game? Zhao Xuance's naming of names has completely
The wind gradually subsided in front of the Taiji Hall.
The morning light had already spread out, illuminating the white jade square, but at this moment everyone felt a chill down their spine.
Because Su Changqing's question just now was too direct.
It is not from beyond the heavens, nor from another realm, nor from some abstract and lofty "number of all lives".
But -
This world.
at this time.
What schemes have been laid here, who are being watched, and when will they reap the rewards?
If Zhao Xuance really answers, it won't just be as simple as lifting a veil.
That means exposing the road in front of many people, the ground under their feet, and the shadows behind them, for everyone to see.
Inside the fairy cage.
Zhao Xuance's expression changed several times, and in the end it was even uglier than when he was talking about "picking fruit in seven steps".
Because the former refers to the system.
The latter refers to coordinates, lists, and living, breathing people.
This is no longer a matter of "it would be embarrassing to say it".
Rather, once the words are spoken, many hands that were originally hidden in the shadows can no longer remain concealed.
He was silent for a long time.
So long that some people at the table even unconsciously softened their breathing.
Yue Zhenchuan sat in another corner of the cage, his face tense and silent, but his eyes narrowed slightly, as if watching to see if Zhao Xuance would actually reveal something.
Gu Changxuan lowered his eyes, his expression somewhat blank.
he knows.
If Zhao Xuance really makes this request today, then there will be absolutely no room for maneuver between this world and the Patrol Palace.
to be honest--
Yesterday was still a day of stepping on someone's face.
Today, we're truly going to strip the Patrol Hall bare.
at last.
Zhao Xuance slowly raised his head and looked at Su Changqing, his voice a few decibels higher than before.
"If you really want to know these things, you should understand—"
"The more you know, the faster you die."
Su Changqing laughed after hearing this.
The smile was faint, even a little lazy.
"It seems like all of you people in power like to say things like that."
"You're talking as if I don't know."
"But the problem is—"
He leaned back, hugged Su Xiaonuo, and gently tapped the armrest of the chair with his fingers.
"I'm still alive and well, aren't I?"
In short, it's all very superficial.
But to Zhao Xuance, it sounded like a needle pricking his ears.
Yes.
You said the more you know, the faster you'll die.
But the person in front of them had already rummaged through a lot of Gu Changxuan's consciousness last night, and today he forced them to reveal the secrets of the Patrol Palace in public, and even locked the outer coordinates of the Heavenly Palace through the boundary anchor.
The results of it?
Not only did he not die, but he's still sitting here, holding his child, drinking tea, and making money off them.
This can no longer be explained by the word "anomaly".
This is basically a monster that comes here specifically to overturn tables.
Zhao Xuance closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, it was as if he had finally accepted it.
"it is good."
"I said."
These words immediately caused the already tense atmosphere in the room to sink even further.
Su Xiaonuo, who was still munching on a small piece of dried fruit, immediately perked up upon hearing this and whispered to Su Changqing:
"Father, is he going to tell another bad story?"
Su Changqing patted her little head.
"Um."
"Then I'll listen carefully!"
The little girl immediately sat up straighter, her face serious, just like a little teacher coming to class.
This scene evoked mixed feelings in many viewers.
On one side lies the cruel truth concerning the fate of an entire realm.
On one side was a little girl with her hair in a small bun, listening attentively to the "bad guy's confession."
The scene is bizarre, yet somehow it makes you feel that this is the true essence of Changqinglou.
Sikong Changfeng had already quietly taken out another new account book.
This is not a book for keeping track of money.
It is specifically for recording the "key points of the immortal's spit".
He realized last night that this content was too valuable to memorize by memory alone and needed to be archived in a special book. Who knows, it might even become a "Record of the Dark Side of the Upper Realm" and sell like hotcakes in Apocalypse.
Xiao Se's lips twitched when he saw his action, but he didn't stop him.
Because he also had a pen next to him.
Some things are indeed worth remembering.
Zhao Xuance spoke slowly.
"This realm was not rated very highly on the boundary map."
"Because although this world has martial fortune, its upper limit is limited, the laws of heaven and earth are incomplete, the path to ascension is interrupted, and its origin has also been damaged."
"Under normal circumstances, such a world would at best be considered below average."
"But later, the graph showed several abnormal fluctuations."
"The first time was a long time ago. Someone severed the anchor chain in this realm, causing a break in the realm's records, and the Palace of Border Patrols lost its observation rights for a complete period of time."
"The second time was in recent decades, when the destiny line of this world suddenly became active, and several strong destiny tracks that should have been severed but were not were successively discovered."
"The third time is you."
As he said this, he looked up at Su Changqing, his gaze extremely complex.
"After you appeared, the rating for this generation was forcibly raised three times."
"It has been moved from the lower middle to the upper level."
"In the border patrol map, the world of Jia Shang is already at the level that deserves special attention, key cultivation, and key acquisition."
Upon hearing this, many people at the table were taken aback.
Key points extracted.
Those four words sent chills down one's spine.
Sikong Changfeng muttered subconsciously, "Jia Shang... doesn't sound like a good word."
Xiao Se said calmly, "For them, it's naturally a good term. The fatter the fishpond, the higher its grade."
Lei Wujie's fists clenched: "Who the hell is a fishpond?!"
Zhao Xuance ignored them and continued speaking.
"Before you appeared, there were already several lines in the process of maturing in this realm."
"However, most of them are still stuck between observing growth and forcing ripening, and have not yet truly entered the harvesting stage."
"Because the higher-ups believe that although this batch has produced some promising talents, it's not yet the best time to harvest them."
"The original plan was to raise them for another five to ten years."
"Five to ten years later, when the main storylines have completely converged, we will take advantage of a sufficiently large period of chaos to bring the fortune of the entire world to its peak, and then we will take action to close the net."
As soon as he said those words, Xiao Se's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Five to ten years."
"Chaos."
"Did you originally intend to use the great war between Bei Li and Nan Jue, or the internal strife in the imperial court as a pretext?"
Zhao Xuance glanced at him, and a barely perceptible strange light flashed in his eyes.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Xiao Se to react so quickly.
But he still nodded slowly.
"Both."
"If a dynasty wants to produce the most powerful results, the best way is not to have chaos erupt in one place."
"Instead, it burns both inside and out."
"A power struggle erupts in the imperial court, old cases are reopened, the imperial star falters, a great battle rages on the border, and martial arts prodigies are drawn into the fray—"
"The messier the lines, the more flexible they are."
"The longer it lives, the riper the fruit becomes."
boom.
These few words were spoken slowly.
But every word felt like a blow to the heart.
Especially for the many court officials, nobles, and even those who had personally experienced the Tianqi situation in recent years, hearing this now made their scalps tingle.
Because what Zhao Xuance said was not empty talk.
Rather, it is a reality that has almost already happened or is happening.
The struggle for the throne.
Old case.
Emperor Star.
A major battle on the border.
The martial arts world gets involved.
If Su Changqing hadn't suddenly appeared, would all of this have really burned all the way to the end, just as they had predicted?
The fire burned until the imperial court was awash in blood, until the land of Beili was shattered, until Xiao Se, the White King, the Red King, Lei Wujie, Wuxin, Wushuang, and many more were all swept into that invisible net, struggling, erupting, growing, maturing, and then—
It was removed.
Thinking about this, many people broke out in a light sweat.
Li Hanyi's fingers gently tapped the edge of the chair, her knuckles turning a very pale white.
Although she was not good at political maneuvering, she understood the meaning behind Zhao Xuance's words better than anyone else.
That's not about going with the flow.
That's like writing the lives of countless people in advance, like a pot of soup about to boil.
Who cries, who dies, who goes mad, who wins, who stands last—it's all just to make this soup taste better.
This kind of condescending malice is more disgusting than any sword.
Su Changqing remained unmoved, simply saying:
"List".
Zhao Xuance remained silent for a moment.
Which line would you like to hear first?
"Main storyline".
"That is—the Imperial Dynasty route."
After Zhao Xuance finished speaking those three words, the room fell even quieter.
Because everyone knows what that means.
His gaze slowly swept over the few people in front of the square at that moment.
Finally, it fell on Xiao Se.
"You were the first one listed as a candidate for the main fruit."
Although many people had a premonition when these words were spoken, they still felt a sudden jolt in their hearts when they actually heard them.
Xiao Se's expression remained calm, though his eyes were even colder.
"Because of me?"
"Because you are the most suitable."
Zhao Xuance said in a low voice.
"You were born into a high-ranking family, had a righteous destiny, and were exceptionally talented, yet you still experienced a dramatic fall from your peak to the bottom."
"This kind of fruit has the most layers."
"If things had gone according to plan, you would have lost everything, your hidden connections would have been severed, you would have been forced to live in obscurity, witnessing the harsh realities of life, and then, due to old cases, brothers, family and country, borders, and old friends, you would have been pushed back into the game step by step."
"You will feel pain, doubt, anger, and awaken."
"He will truly mature when he is closest to the throne and the pinnacle of humanity."
"You were most valuable when we picked you then."
In front of the Taiji Hall, many people were so engrossed in listening that their breathing became disordered.
These words practically laid bare Xiao Se's original life.
If it weren't for Su Changqing's appearance, and if it weren't for Changqing Tower's series of seemingly outrageous but actually forceful interventions that changed their fate—
Will things really turn out this way, Xiao Se?
The answer is almost self-evident.
Xiao Se himself fell silent.
After a long while, he chuckled softly.
But that smile was cold.
"So, in your eyes, all the suffering I've endured, the paths I've walked, and the predicaments I've faced are merely processes to make the fruit sweeter?"
Zhao Xuance remained silent.
Silence is the answer.
Lei Wujie was so angry his eyes turned red, and he cursed out, "Go to hell with your fruit! Xiao Se is Xiao Se, when did it become your place to judge whether it's sweet or worthless?!"
Su Xiaonuo immediately echoed, her little face puffed up with anger.
"You bad guy!"
"We're not going to feed them!"
This time, no one laughed.
Because everyone feels very upset.
Li Hanyi turned her head and glanced at Xiao Se.
She didn't say anything to comfort her.
Because at times like these, any words of comfort seem inadequate.
Yet, in that single glance, there was a chilling resonance.
They were all people who had been under surveillance by the authorities.
They also understand more clearly that without Su Changqing, many people would never have had the chance to know that they were once involved in the scheme.
Su Changqing remained calm.
"Next item."
Zhao Xuance swallowed hard and continued:
"The second main storyline is the martial arts world storyline."
"The storyline involves not just one person, but a group of people."
"The purpose of this line is not to ascend to the throne, but to gather martial fortune, cultivate sword intent, and give rise to the collision of extreme destinies."
"Among those highlighted are Lei Wujie, Wushuang, Wuxin... as well as several others who were originally destined to rise or fall at specific junctures."
Lei Wujie was taken aback, then pointed to himself.
"I?"
"Am I considered a fruit too?"
Zhao Xuance glanced at him, his tone somewhat complicated.
"Yours is a secondary result."
Lei Wujie: "..."
The atmosphere in the room was already quite tense, but the phrase "secondary fruit" suddenly made it all the more strange.
Sikong Changfeng almost couldn't hold back and whispered, "I must say, it fits quite well."
Xiao Se coldly added, "The side dish next to the main course."
Lei Wujie immediately became anxious.
"What do you mean? How did I become a side dish?!"
Wushuang calmly said from the side, "Because you talk too much, you're good at stirring up trouble."
Lei Wujie: "???"
Su Xiaonuo also raised her little head and looked at Lei Wujie with a serious expression.
"Uncle Lei, are you the side dish?"
"I'm not!"
Lei Wujie was filled with grief and indignation on the spot.
This interruption eased the previously suffocating atmosphere somewhat.
But Zhao Xuance's next words quickly brought people's hearts down again.
"The reason why the Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) supports you is not because of your individual value."
"It's because when you come together, you ignite each other."
"Fire element paired with sword spirit, demonic nature paired with Buddhist nature, childlike heart clashing with imperial aura, youthful spirit encountering a fateful impasse... this is the best way to cultivate oneself."
"The most potent fruit in the martial arts world is never a single fruit."
"It's a string."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lei Wujie's grievances vanished, replaced by a chill running down his spine.
"A string?"
"Are you treating us like candied hawthorns?!"
Zhao Xuance ignored him.
He's already gone this far, there's no point in hiding it anymore.
"In the original plan, you would travel back and forth between the northern and southern martial arts worlds, the imperial court and the border, and between life-and-death feuds."
"Someone will die."
"Someone will go crazy."
"Some people will become possessed by demons."
"Some people will have a sudden realization."
"Then, once all the fruit in your bunch has ripened, we'll collect or harvest them separately based on their quality."
Wushuang remained quiet.
But upon hearing this, he lightly tapped the sword case with his fingertips.
The movements were very gentle.
But for the first time, a deep chill surfaced in the boy's eyes.
Because he suddenly understood why he used to think that many of the events happened too coincidentally.
It was as if someone was deliberately pushing him forward.
It turns out it wasn't an illusion.
Su Changqing glanced at Wushuang but didn't say anything.
It was just a light tap of the fingertip on the table.
A faint blue aura fell upon Wushuang, like a spring breeze caressing her face, instantly calming her newly agitated state.
Wushuang was slightly taken aback, then lowered her head and said softly, "Thank you, boss."
Su Changqing hummed in agreement.
Don't overthink it.
"They set the trap, but you forged your own path."
This wasn't said loudly.
But this caused a slight tremor in Wu Yan's eyes.
Yes.
Being targeted doesn't mean you're a fake.
Being schemed against doesn't mean that everything about you was written by someone else.
At least for this moment, the one who can draw his sword against this net is himself.
It's not about who gave him the script.
Zhao Xuance continued:
"The third storyline is the one between the Empress and the Sword Immortal."
Upon hearing this, Li Hanyi's gaze turned icy.
Su Changqing finally raised his eyes.
Zhao Xuance's heart tightened, but he still forced himself to continue.
"Originally, you were not on the key maps of the Patrol Hall."
"Because although you are a sword immortal with an extremely strong destiny, you are too isolated and sharp, making it difficult to integrate into the overall strategy."
"But later, because of your sword intent, your emotional tribulations, and the possible karmic consequences between you and certain people, they were redefined."
"If things had continued on the original trajectory, you would have become one of the flashpoints that ignited the situation at several key junctures."
"Your sword will cut some things down, and it will also force some people to become familiar."
"So you are not the main fruit, but you are an excellent... ripening tool."
Li Hanyi's expression didn't change much after hearing this.
But the layer of snow under my eyes looked noticeably colder.
The blade that accelerates ripening.
These four words almost instinctively aroused her disgust.
She spent her life learning swordsmanship, not to become someone else's weapon.
It's not about cutting open some pre-arranged scheme.
Su Changqing glanced at her, then reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand, which was resting on the side of the chair, and gently squeezed it.
The movement was minor.
But everything is perfectly fine.
Li Hanyi paused, turned her head to look at him, and the coldness in her eyes eased slightly.
"Did you hear me?"
Su Changqing said calmly.
"They say you're a knife."
"But now, you are my wife."
"Not at all."
In short, it was said lightly.
But something inside Li Hanyi suddenly softened.
She didn't say anything, but simply squeezed his hand lightly in return before letting go.
But my ears still got a little hot, which was a shame.
The tense and heavy atmosphere in front of the Taiji Hall was somehow warmed by this sentence.
Sikong Changfeng watched from the sidelines, marveling at the sight.
Even at a time like this, Mr. Su still managed to coax his wife.
This level of skill is truly something that cannot be learned.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuance, trapped in the cage, grew increasingly despondent.
He said all this to make these people realize how terrifying the net above their heads was.
But who knew—
This group of people were indeed angry, and indeed chilled.
But the one who truly held the line was always Su Changqing.
It's as if no matter how big the network is or how dense the lines are, as long as he's still sitting here, no one will really cause trouble.
This is the most terrifying place.
Zhao Xuance took a deep breath and continued:
"The fourth one is the special outlier line."
"This warning line was originally just a vague one."
"The map was not completely locked until you stormed into the Abyss Dimension and seized the World Origin Pearl."
"This line has only one name—"
"Su Changqing".
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell into an almost excessive silence.
Because everyone knows that Su Changqing is the one who has truly turned the whole situation upside down.
But knowing is one thing.
When Zhao Xuance, the Immortal Official in charge of the Imperial Guard, said it himself, it was a different story.
Su Xiaonuo immediately perked up and swung her legs, asking:
"Father, are you a fruit too?"
The room fell silent for a moment, and then many people's shoulders began to tremble.
This question... is so insightful.
Su Changqing chuckled and lowered his head to pinch her little face.
"no."
"Then what are you?"
"I plant trees."
"Planting trees?"
"Hmm," Su Changqing said slowly, "They wanted to pick the fruit, so I took the tree and its pot away."
"..."
After those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, the heaviness in many people's hearts was inexplicably dissipated.
Yes.
Others are the players, the fruit, the knife, the fire, the fuse.
But Su Changqing is not.
He was never standing on that tree from the very beginning.
He went straight for the tree roots.
Zhao Xuance watched this scene, a bitter smile playing on his lips, and continued:
"The assessment of you by the graph was initially an 'out-of-control variable'."
"Later changed to 'Broken Chain Anomaly'."
"Later, some people within the Patrol Hall even suggested that you be reported as a 'Reverse Shepherd' warning-level target."
Reverse shepherd.
Even Su Changqing raised an eyebrow at the mention of this word.
"Oh?"
"What do you mean?"
Zhao Xuance said in a low voice, "It means... you're not like Guo."
"You're like someone who would turn around and steal the orchard."
The room fell silent.
The next moment, Lei Wujie couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"That assessment is pretty accurate!"
Sikong Changfeng almost slapped his thigh in frustration.
"Not just accurate, every word is a gem!"
Xiao Se lowered his head, took a sip of tea, covered his lips, and did not deny it.
Even Li Hanyi's eyes flashed with a faint smile.
Reverse shepherd?
Although the name is unpleasant to hear, it is strangely fitting for Su Changqing.
Su Changqing laughed at himself.
"Okay, I'll keep this title for now."
"When we actually fight, we'll see if they're fit to be my gardeners."
Zhao Xuance: "..."
He was starting to lose track of whether this person was joking or seriously planning for the future of the industry.
After listening to the entire series of main storylines, everyone at the table finally realized one thing—
Their generation has been involved in this situation for a long time.
It didn't start when Su Changqing appeared.
It was earlier than that.
Many people's lives, many people's paths, many people's ups and downs and ruptures have already been touched, manipulated, and nurtured by a certain pair of hands.
But now, this net has finally been pulled into the light.
At this moment, an elderly man from the martial arts world who had been sitting in the back row suddenly stood up, his voice trembling.
"Now that we have a main storyline, what about the rest of the characters?"
"What are we, the ones who aren't being specifically targeted, anyway?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuance remained silent for a moment before slowly uttering a sentence.
"Count the soil."
"..."
The entire room fell silent.
The old man was stunned, and many others were also momentarily taken aback.
Zhao Xuance continued:
"The fruit grows on the tree, and the tree is rooted in the soil."
"Without sufficient soil, you can't grow truly valuable fruit."
"So ordinary people, common江湖客 (jianghu ke, a term referring to people who travel the world in martial arts), and countless nameless people are all in the tent."
"It's just that you're not the head of the household."
"You are the foundation."
That dispelled even the last shred of hope.
It turns out that it wasn't only the prodigies who were caught up in the situation.
It turns out that the nameless person was not an outsider either.
However, the prodigy was treated as a victim.
Ordinary people are treated like dirt.
They are trampled on, kept, and exploited, and in the end, they won't even leave their names behind.
At that moment, almost everyone in front of the Taiji Hall felt a tightness in their chest.
But precisely because of this, their gazes toward Su Changqing were even brighter and more intense than before.
Because only now did they truly understand—
Su Changqing pulled down more than just a few immortals.
What he pulled off was a layer of skin that was pressing down on the entire human world.
And Su Changqing finally spoke again amidst the oppressive silence.
"very good."
His voice remained calm, as if he had already memorized all those words.
"Now, one last question."
Zhao Xuance subconsciously looked up.
Su Changqing looked at him with a detached expression.
"You said that this world was originally supposed to take another five to ten years to recover."
"But after I appeared, the rating was raised three times in a row."
"So that means—"
He paused, and a faint smile slowly appeared on his lips.
"They must be getting restless by now, right?"
Zhao Xuance's face turned pale.
Su Changqing continued:
"So, who's next?"
The wind swept across the fairy cage.
The platinum runes shimmered gently.
At that moment, Zhao Xuance's throat visibly tightened.
Because he knew.
After this issue, the real, bigger storm will probably no longer be just at the level of "situation" and "line".
But -
people.
Those who truly come from a higher place.