Chapter 1397: Chapter 847: Liu Zheng: I Almost Want to Chop You

"Hmph, truly sacred matters cannot be stopped, and the City Hall will eventually come to realize this."

The priest said indignantly.

"Mm-hmm, you’re right."

Liu Zheng had no interest in arguing with him.

There are already enough deviant believers in the Metropolis, one more won’t make a difference.

And the priest had no intention of discussing further.

"Alright, it’s time for you to make a choice."

He said.

"Choose what?"

Liu Zheng asked in confusion.

"We Slavs are a people who admire art and science, and a truly excellent person can still showcase his talent even when drunk. So, you can choose to create now, or choose to answer the questions I have posed."

The priest stated.

"Ha? Can I at least ask what kind of questions you’ll pose?"

He inquired.

"Just some simple math problems."

"I’ll choose to create."

Liu Zheng said without hesitation.

When it comes to math, there’s nothing simple. For someone who hasn’t passed math since high school, he’d better not challenge himself.

"Are you really not going to try solving them? I think the questions I prepared are quite interesting."

The priest asked unwillingly.

"I have some self-awareness, priest. But I have a subordinate who is good at math. I can bring him to discuss with you sometime."

Liu Zheng responded.

"Alright then. Please start your creation. Do you need paper and pen or drawing tools?"

"No need."

He shook his head.

He had his own paper and pen, while drawing was too time-consuming.

"Then I’ll recite a poem."

Liu Zheng contemplated and said.

"If I have heard this poem and the author isn’t you, then your trial will fail."

The priest reminded.

"No problem."

Liu Zheng ran it through his mind first, then recited the poem.

"The final practice is to walk along the cliff"

"In dreams I hear, the soul"

"Like a gadfly"

"Buzzing at the window"

"In the shimmering sunshine, dancing and singing"

...

"At the forefront of light or the extreme of thought"

"In the overlooked existence of time"

"Life and death are one"

He didn’t have any poetry recital skills, just recited the poem at an even pace and articulated clearly.

This poem is considered very niche in reality. If the priest has heard it, he’d have to accept defeat.

"Hmm..."

The priest did not comment immediately upon hearing it, but savored it for a while.

"In terms of technique, this poem is not particularly clever."

After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Indeed."

Liu Zheng nodded.

After all, the original author was famous for prose, writing poetry was just a hobby in his spare time.

And Liu Zheng didn’t like his other poems, just purely fell for this one in a particular situation.

"However, there is something interesting about the person who created this poem. If I’m not mistaken, he is likely seriously ill and unable to walk independently. And he should be quite old, at least middle-aged."

The priest added.

"Why couldn’t it be a young person?"

Liu Zheng questioned.

He didn’t answer directly, but such a counter-question was an implicit acknowledgement.

"If a young person were seriously ill, he would either be full of hope or full of anger. Even those despairing with resentment would wish for the world to perish with them. Only those lying in the quagmire of time would try to accept and explain their fate."

The priest explained.

"Your theory makes some sense. But at least, here and now, I am the author of this poem."

Liu Zheng emphasized. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Alright, cunning young man, you’ve passed the test. I will tell you what’s been bothering me, but you must promise never to speak of it."

The priest said.

"Rest assured, priest. The secrets I keep exceed your imagination."

He’s just a priest from some obscure cult; how big could his troubles be? It couldn’t possibly be about how to assassinate the Supreme Councilman, right?

"... Our sect advocates a form of practice, that is to use the experience of climax as a medium to feel the joy of approaching the Lord."

The priest slowly began to speak.

"Joyful Zen, huh?"

Liu Zheng blurted out.

"Do not compare us to those hypocritical lamas."

The priest retorted unhappily.

"They preach transcendence yet enjoy themselves immensely. We are different; we acknowledge that the beauty in this world is the Lord’s creation. The closer to beauty, the nearer to the Lord. As for those less beautiful believers, we give them the opportunity to feel the Lord’s profound meaning through our bodies."

When he spoke, a light seemed to shine behind his head.

"Understood, the ugly ones, kill them."

Liu Zheng nodded.

"Don’t be so vulgar."

The priest glared at him.

"Okay, please continue."

He shrugged.

"Of course, this way of spiritual practice is not understood by everyone. Some believers’ families or their admirers are quite dissatisfied with me and always try to give me trouble. But with my abilities and the dignity of my protector, they dare not do anything substantial."

"But recently, my protector’s child fell seriously ill. I’ve tried many methods, but they haven’t been as effective as before. If the situation continues to deteriorate, this poor child will die, and I will lose the shelter of that esteemed protector. At that time, those who hate me will come at me like wolves and tear me apart."

The priest couldn’t help but feel some fear at the thought of that terrible scene, and he quickly grabbed a bottle of wine and poured it down his throat.