novelraw Chapter 67 – Did the Mastermind's plan fail?
Chapter 67 – Did the Mastermind's plan fail?
Upon learning Song Chengshan's identity, you were quite surprised. As a direct descendant of the Song family, he certainly shouldn't lack resources, yet after more than ten years, Song Chengshan was still only at the Skin Refining Stage. This made you hesitate.
Sixty years later, the scar-faced elderly man would become a Three Decays Heaven-Human. If Song Chengshan was this much of a failure, it could be concluded that he wasn't the scar-faced elderly man. However, you recalled Song Chengshan mentioning the Qin King's Manor's technique that didn't require innate talent, leaving you uncertain.
You thought for a moment and asked, "Chengshan, can Song Fan practice that technique from the Qin King's Manor?"
Song Chengshan shook his head, "Master Xu said that practicing that technique is very grueling and shortens one's lifespan. I don't want Xiao Fan to practice it."
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Your spirit was shaken as you remembered the scar-faced man's aged appearance, increasing your suspicion of Song Chengshan.
Feigning surprise, you asked, "Then why do you want to practice it? Aren't you afraid of a short life?"
"I don't care about a short life," Song Chengshan lowered his head, his voice deep, "I just want to prove myself."
You were somewhat surprised, "Oh? Why?"
Song Chengshan was silent for a long time before speaking slowly, "I come from the direct line of the Song family, but unlike my brother, I was born without martial talent and am quite dull, once considered a waste by the family."
"I envy my brother, but I don't resent him, because I know that no one, not even my parents, treats me better than my brother does. From a young age, with poor innate talent and bullied by peers, I grew up under my brother's care."
"You might not understand, but the Song family of the Divine General's Manor is different from ordinary families. The sense of kinship here is much weaker, and the environment is colder." Song Chengshan looked up at the sky, "Everyone in the clan is an absolute believer in talent. Your innate talent determines the clan's attitude towards you, the protection you receive, and even... whether your parents love you."
"And I," Song Chengshan's gaze shifted to you, "because of my poor innate talent, am destined to be at the bottom. Except for my brother, no one cared when I learned to speak, when I learned to walk, whether I ate, lived or died, or if I was bullied in the Martial Practice Field."
Seeing this, Chen Shi sighed softly, feeling some sympathy for the chubby boy doing push-ups. In the Divine General's Manor, where martial prowess is revered, he had delivered horses to the Martial Practice Field several times and often witnessed scenes of "campus bullying." Growing up in such an environment, it's no wonder the chubby boy was eager to prove himself, even at the cost of practicing the life-shortening technique from the Qin King's Manor.
"With demons causing chaos and unrest at the border, the Song family, as a crucial force against demons and a martial family, has every reason to prioritize talent for the sake of national peace and family prosperity. It's a normal decision, and I've never complained about it."
You looked at Song Chengshan, "So, what do you complain about?"
"I don't complain about anything." Song Chengshan straightened his back, his voice becoming firm, "As a person, as a man, merely resenting the family's injustice and the parents' heartlessness is futile. I have poor innate talent, I'm a failure, but as long as I don't believe that, I'm not a failure."
"With poor innate talent, if others practice for one hour, I'll practice for two. If others practice for ten hours, I'll practice all day. For over ten years, from the first second I open my eyes each day, I'm faced with at least a hundred thousand push-ups, forty thousand punches, and countless muscle conditioning exercises."
"I never believed in the heavenly reward for diligence, but I believe that effort will never be in vain." Song Chengshan clenched his fists, his voice growing louder, "So, my existence is to prove to the world, to the family, that an ordinary person with average talent can still reach the heights of a genius through hard work. I want to prove that in this world, there are no failures, only those who give up on themselves... become failures."
As someone who also felt like a failure, your expression was somewhat complex.
...
"Why does this suddenly feel like a scene from Naruto?" Watching the rapidly scrolling simulation text, Chen Shi's expression was a bit strange.
Quickly skimming through, you bid farewell to Song Chengshan and returned to the courtyard. Your suspicion grew that King Qin was the royal time traveler who would take your life sixty years later, as the Song family's annihilation was undoubtedly directly related to the Mastermind. If Song Chengshan were the scar-faced elderly man sixty years later, he couldn't possibly serve the mortal enemy who killed his brother.
Moreover, according to your current timeline, the ambush on the escort team would happen in just a few days. Song Chengshan, a young man at the Skin Refining Stage, still in the Song Manor, couldn't have any connection with the Mastermind, let alone participate in an ambush on imperial soldiers.
Additionally, if Song Chengshan were truly the Mastermind's henchman, there would be no need to go to such lengths to ambush the escort team. Even if Song Chengshan were a failure, as a direct descendant of the Song family, taking the life of a horse servant like you would be as easy as turning a hand.
Considering all this, you believe the likelihood of Song Chengshan serving the Mastermind is very low. Combining this with Song Chengshan's desire to practice the Qin King's Manor's technique that doesn't require innate talent, you deduce that King Qin is the royal time traveler who took your life in a previous life, assuming the scar-faced elderly man is indeed Song Chengshan...
Seeing this, Chen Shi became even more puzzled. In the seventh simulation, after leaving the Spirit Clan Paradise, he encountered the scar-faced elderly man in a tavern and tested him to see if he was the Man in Black waiting for him at the Liangzhou Borderlands. Based on the scar-faced elderly man's reaction, it was clear he knew about the Mastermind's plan to ambush the escort team.
The problem lies here. If the scar-faced elderly man served King Qin, how could he be so aware of the Mastermind's plans? And honestly, even if sixty years later, the person who killed him wasn't King Qin but the Mastermind, and Song Chengshan served the Mastermind for some reason, with the Mastermind's cautious nature, he wouldn't tell Song Chengshan about such matters.
Chen Shi thought this was unlikely. Could it be... he guessed wrong? Song Chengshan wasn't the scar-faced elderly man at all? The person who killed him wasn't King Qin? Or perhaps... after the Mastermind orchestrated the demon chaos back then, he slipped up, and King Qin, the hidden royal time traveler, caught him and conducted a thorough Soul Search, with Song Chengshan, as a revenge-seeker, also involved, thus learning of the matter? This... seems plausible too.