### Chapter 177: The Initial Appearance, the Cost of Growing Up
The lively procession came to a halt.
Zhao Ke, who had been in high spirits, now wore a gloomy expression.
Because ahead on the road stood an annoying figure.
It was a frail young man, his clothes riddled with patches.
He emanated a foul odor, and even the sword he held was damaged.
Yet, this downtrodden young man stood with a straight spine, and the sword in his hand appeared unwavering.
Seeing Chen Shisan before him, Zhao Ke’s face was filled with impatience.
“Kid, what do you want?”
“A few days ago, someone from Ten Thousand Flower Building pleaded for you, and I spared your life.”
“Now you dare to come and cause trouble; do you really think I won’t k*ll you?”
Hearing Zhao Ke’s words, Chen Shisan glanced at the flower sedan in the distance and said lightly, “Hongmei will d*e if she stays with you. I want to take her away.”
As he spoke, Chen Shisan took out a bl**d-stained purse.
Seeing the four liang and seven qian of silver in Chen Shisan’s hand, Zhao Ke rolled his eyes dramatically.
“Seriously, are you mentally ill or something?”
“Are you planning to use this little bit of money to buy back your person?”
“Even if you really want to cause trouble, could you use your brain a bit?”
“You should have directly charged over with your sword and said, ‘Today, I am taking her away.'”
“If you had done that, I might have even given you a bit of respect.”
“But you’re doing this; are you trying to make me feel pity for you, you idiot?”
Upon hearing Zhao Ke’s mockery, Chen Shisan put away the silver.
“Hongmei said that this world can be reasoned with; only when reason fails can one resort to violence.”
“Four liang and seven qian is all I have; you don’t want to make a deal based on principles.”
“So now, I want to take my sword and leave with Hongmei.”
After speaking, Chen Shisan slowly raised the broken sword in his hand, pointing it toward Zhao Ke on horseback.
Seeing this, Zhao Ke sneered and said, “Now that’s more like it.”
“If I k*ll a mentally deranged person, people will laugh at me afterward.”
With a wave of his finger, more than ten guards surrounded Chen Shisan tightly.
“Move quickly; don’t delay this young master’s auspicious time.”
“After killing him, chop him up to feed the dogs; I don’t want to see this mess.”
Upon receiving Zhao Ke’s order, the Zhao family’s guards immediately attacked Chen Shisan with their weapons.
Although Chen Shisan possessed the “broken sword” given by Chen Changsheng, any divine weapon is useless if it can’t reach the enemy.
Chen Shisan had only practiced basic sword techniques, relying on his own understanding.
Such crude movements were no match for the Zhao family guards.
At first, Chen Shisan could hold an advantage with the “broken sword”.
However, once the guards figured out his moves, he suddenly incurred several bone-deep wounds.
…..
In the air.
Having finished the braised pig’s head, Chen Changsheng began gnawing on a roast chicken.
Looking down at the bloodied Chen Shisan, Chen Changsheng smacked his lips and said, “System, is what I’m doing too cruel?”
“I could easily resolve everything, but I made this young man choose a much more painful path.”
“With my wisdom, coming up with a method that preserves Chen Shisan’s determination while saving Proud Snow Red Plum would not be difficult at all.”
Hearing Chen Changsheng’s words, the system’s electronic voice rang out.
“Theoretically, the host could indeed do that.”
Warm reminder: If you can’t find the book title, try searching for the author; they may have just renamed it!
“However, according to the system’s analysis, the host will not do so.”
“Why?”
“Because Chen Shisan embodies the initial appearance of everyone—stubborn, obstinate, unwilling to accept fate.”
“There is a saying that circulates in the cultivation world: ‘My destiny is determined by me, not by heaven.'”
“Younger cultivators believe this wholeheartedly, while older cultivators scoff at it.”
“Practice is a process of becoming stronger; living beings pursue strength to avoid being bound.”
“The sources of these bindings are varied: the bindings of lifespan, the bindings of the strong, the bindings of the rules of heaven and earth.”
“Everyone stepping onto the path of cultivation believes they will break free from these bindings.”
“However, as time passes, they bow their heads.”
“Just like the Zhao family, they can abandon dignity, familial ties, and wealth to survive.”
“As long as it’s something outside of life, they can discard it.”
“This approach does indeed increase their chances of survival, but in the end, they have lost their ‘initial intention.'”
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng put down the roast chicken in his hand.
“System, what do you think was Zhao Tian’s initial intention when he stepped into the cultivation world?”
“To gain ultimate freedom, to become the strongest person in the world, to never bow to anyone.”
“And now?”
“To maintain the prosperity of the family, to live cautiously, and to hope to live a little longer.”
Faced with this answer, Chen Changsheng fell silent.
Because he remembered the Heavenly Heroes Conference from thousands of years ago.
At that time, the Kunlun Sacred Ground was filled with geniuses, and every young person was full of ambition.
Although some lacked top-tier strength, they always believed they were the strongest and would continue to be the strongest in the future.
Among them, the most willful was undoubtedly Zuo Xinghe’s daughter, Zuo Jing.
Back then, she firmly believed that Xuanwu Kingdom was the strongest and that her brother Su Tian was the strongest.
Faced with such a willful girl, a slight strategy on his part revealed to her the vastness of the world.
Making her understand that Xuanwu Kingdom was not the strongest, nor was Su Tian the strongest.
Later, she gradually withdrew from the conflicts of the Central Courtyard.
The second time he saw her was during the initial domination of the Purple House Sacred Ground in the Central Courtyard.
The Purple House Sacred Ground had formed an alliance with Xuanwu Kingdom, and Xuanwu Kingdom fully supported Wu Li.
By that time, she had lost her former sharpness, becoming graceful and composed, stable and courteous.
Interestingly, she did not marry her brother Su Tian, as she knew she could not keep up with his pace.
Her changes seemed correct in everyone’s eyes, including Chen Changsheng’s.
But in the end, she lost her initial intention.
Or rather…
She grew up!
Thinking of this, Chen Changsheng pursed his lips.
Zuo Jing grew up, and others did too.
Ye Hensheng, Su Tian, Gongsun Huaiyu, Ziling…
These people were once determined to seize the Heavenly Mandate, but with his appearance and the appearance of others,
They abandoned that idea and began to pursue other goals.
This approach is indeed correct because competing for the Heavenly Mandate will only lead to d*ath; only d*ath will result.
But no matter how high their achievements, their former selves are still dead.
“Alas~”
Chen Changsheng sighed lightly, looking at Chen Shisan, who was on the verge of collapse, murmuring,
“I’ve led you down the most painful path, and I truly don’t know if that is right or wrong.”
“If I hadn’t been here, you might have died namelessly.”
“When a person dies, everything perishes; perhaps then your suffering wouldn’t be as much, nor as long.”
