Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Pipipingu

Edited by: Nora

Liang Hongzhuang stared at Su Li. Expressionlessly, he asked like a dead person, “Why?”

There was silence. No one was able to answer this question.

He made a bitter smile, “I thought that the heavenly laws would cycle in the end, not because of my revenge, just that the time had not yet come, even if it was slightly late, but there would always be one outcome in the end. Who would have thought there is no heavenly law? Why would it let someone like you always live so well? Seeing that you were about to die today, he appeared out of nowhere.”

Chen Changsheng lowered his head. He did not look at him, and his hand which grasped the dagger trembled slightly.

“Just how has our Liang clan offended you? What exact benefits has the Chen clan of Tianliang given you? A decade ago, you wanted to wipe out my Liang clan!”

Liang Hongzhuang’s laughter became louder and louder, the blood on his body flowed faster and faster and his voice became shriller and shriller. When he said this final sentence, his questioning became a roar, a roar produced by an injured beast. It was full of anger and unwillingness, despair and pain. It pierced into the deepest parts of the souls of those who heard it.

Chen Changsheng’s head lowered even more, his face became even paler, and his hand trembled even more. It was as if he was unable to hold onto the hilt of the dagger in the next moment. He did not wish to see Liang Hongzhuang who seemed to already go crazy, and also did not dare to look at Su Li. This was because he was very worried that if he saw them, he would feel an unrestrainable feeling of guilt for what he had done, and sink into pain and struggle.

Hearing Liang Hongzhuang’s grieving and indignant questioning and seeing Chen Changsheng who had his head lowered, Su Li remained expressionless—things that had already occurred could never be changed. Thus, whether one regretted it or not, it was all pointless, so there was no need to blame oneself. Even if there was regret, it could only happen in his own heart. He definitely would not fall to the level of explaining it to the world.

This was how he was. If it was the past, no matter how miserable Liang Hongzhuang was, he would leave without even a change in his expression. Today, he was also like that, without a change in his expression, but for some reason, he said a few words before leaving. Perhaps it was because Chen Changsheng’s head hung too low, and that the dagger in his hand trembled too much?

“When your ancestors of the Liang clan were emperors, just how many people in the south did they kill, and how many sects did they exterminate?”

Su Li looked at Liang Hongzhuang expressionlessly and said, “As for wiping out your Liang clan… if I really wanted to do that, how would you be alive today, and how would Liang Wangsun still be alive?”

He suddenly felt rather annoyed. He looked at Chen Changsheng and said coldly, “Why are you standing there idiotically and not leaving? Imitating loneliness or are you filled with despair? Don’t think that just because you’ve saved me, you have the right to lecture me.”

After saying that, he walked towards the other side mountain.

After these days of resting, he was still heavily injured, but he could slowly walk slightly.

The two furry deer were full with the green grass and returned back towards them. They looked at Su Li who walked in the distance and Chen Changsheng who remained head-down. They seemed to be rather perplexed, not knowing who to follow.

Chen Changsheng raised his head and looked at Liang Hongzhuang. He wanted to say something, but only said a single word in the end, “Sorry.”

After saying this heavy word, his mood did not become more relaxed because of it. He extended his hand to pull the ropes around the necks of the two furry deer, and silently chased after the lonely person in the distance.

The side of the mountain faced south.

Liang Hongzhuang was no longer able to endure it anymore, and collapsed on his bottom. He looked at the two people who gradually became closer together and yelled painfully, “You think you really can return to the south? If you continue to follow him, you will definitely die!”

Chen Changsheng did not turn around, and continued onwards with his head down silently.

Su Li walked very slowly, so it was not too long before Chen Changsheng caught up.

The furry deer lifted its front limb and placed its knee on the ground. He lifted Su Li onto its back.

From the start to the end, no one said anything.

Walking past the mountain and traversing another two mountains, the furry deer stopped by the side of a grassy hill that was green like moss.

Chen Changsheng got off the back of the deer and sprinted to the edge of the path. He bent over and began vomiting.

Su Li looked at him and sneered, “It’s not like that guy died. What is there to vomit over?”

Chen Changsheng waved his hand and wanted to explain a little. However, he was unable to suppress the uncomfortable feeling in his chest, and began vomiting again.

His battle with Liang Hongzhuang was his first upfront battle where he defeated a Star Condensation expert all by himself. If the battle was not overly ordinary which seemed to de-emphasize it, perhaps it was a battle that had a spot in history.

However, the price he paid was not ordinary. A battle that surpassed cultivation realms was obviously not as simple as it seemed. Under the pressure of Liang Hongzhuang’s Star Domain, he had also suffered very heavy injuries. All of his bones seemed to want to crack. Back then when his body had been trembling nonstop, it was an issue with his mood, but also because his body really could not last anymore.

However, the true injury was not in the body, but in the mind.

He did not have talent in calculation like Xu Yourong, much less innate talent that was strong enough to surpass cultivation realms. He had only begun learning the Intellectual Sword, yet he forcefully used it against the opponent. Also, he used seven strikes, which was not something he could endure currently. Most of the collection and analysis of information, with complicated calculations that were vast and boundless like the ocean, or even the starry sky, directly squeezed all of his mental energy dry, shaking his sea of consciousness all the way until it was about to collapse.

He spent all his spiritual sense on those seven strikes, and his sea of consciousness was emptied.

The body of the cultivator was a boat in their sea of consciousness. Now that the sea of consciousness was dry, the boat constantly fell into the void, never stopping. This was a very terrifying process. He felt that all of his surroundings, the mountain and the grassy hill, were constantly spinning and changing. The brilliantly blue sky seemed to fall over his head, which made him feel extremely bothered, uncomfortable, dizzy, painful and weak. It was like drinking alcohol for seven days and seven nights without rest, with the alcohol being strong alcohol or even bad alcohol.

The feeling was extremely painful and extremely uncomfortable, and it was something at a mental level, unable to be expelled from his body no matter what.

He vomited all of the roast meat and wild fruit that he had eaten last night and in the morning. He also vomited his stomach acid, and in the end, he could only vomit things like water, until he could not vomit anything else. He did not stop, and began to vomit without anything, as if he wanted to vomit until seas dried and stones became soft, for all of eternity. Only like this could he express his feelings to the world.

Su Li looked at the teenager who vomited at the side of the path and said nothing.

After an unknown amount of time, he used the Yellow Paper Umbrella as a cane and slowly walked behind Chen Changsheng. He slowly raised the Yellow Paper Umbrella, and then hit the back of Chen Changsheng’s neck.

With a slap, Chen Changsheng slowly collapsed. Before he collapsed, he used his last amount of energy to ensure that he would fall backwards and not be contaminated by the filth he had vomited up.

However, he did not faint. His eyes remained opened, and he looked at the sky. He was in extreme pain and was extremely weak.

Su Li said indifferently, “If you are unwilling to faint, you might go insane.”

The strike from before consumed all of the energy he had accumulated secretly in the past few days. Originally, he thought that perhaps it was not enough to kill opponents, but it should be enough to save someone. However, he did not think that the body of this teenager was actually so tough.

Chen Changsheng opened his mouth like a fish in agony and said weakly, “Senior, there’s a blade of grass on the mountain.”

“You can’t be wanted to write a poem before you die?” Su Li said, “Don’t be like this, it makes people uncomfortable.”

Chen Changsheng raised his hand with great difficult and pointed at the grass. He said, “That’s a Hundred Day Intoxication.”

Just like how Su Li had said, if he continued like this, it really was possible for his sea of consciousness to collapse, resulting in his death or directly turning him into an idiot. Also, most importantly, he really was very uncomfortable and felt very painful right now. If he could still see clearly at this time, able to see the white clouds in the brilliant blue sky, he would definitely unwind the golden needle at the first moment, and make himself unconscious. However, he could not do it.

Fortunately, when he collapsed, he saw a grass that could make him unconscious.

Su Li understood what he intended, and picked the grass. He crushed the grass roughly with his hand, and then shoved it into Chen Changsheng’s mouth.

Chen Changsheng finally closed his eyes. His face was still pale, and his eyelashes quivered slightly.

Su Li breathed a few times tiredly, and sat down cross-legged. He glanced at the silent mountain, and his right hand landed on the umbrella handle.

A while later, Chen Changsheng suddenly opened his eyes, and looked at the the sky absent-mindedly.

Su Li glanced down and said, “Unwilling to faint?”

Chen Changsheng said tiredly, “The effects aren’t that fast.”

Su Li said, “Then close your mouth, close your eyes and wait.”

Chen Changsheng said with difficulty, “But there are some things I want to say to Senior.”

Su Li stayed silent for a while and then said expressionlessly, “Go.”

“Senior… you should kill fewer people in the future.”

With that, Chen Changsheng finally felt that he had completed what he needed to do. He relaxed, closed his eyes and passed out.