Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 552 – Life is Difficult to Bear…

“I will learn how to grow accustomed to treating these stone pearls as beautiful pieces of jewelry and not Heavenly Tome Monoliths.”

Xu Yourong looked at Chen Changsheng and calmly continued, “And now, I’m somewhat hungry.”

No one had lived in Xun Mei’s grass hut for a long time, so it was covered in dust, but all sorts of tools and utensils were still at the ready.

Chen Changsheng picked two cabbages and a dozen or so peppers from the garden, covered a few slices of dried meat in honey, and steamed them. Adding on some white rice, he cooked a fragrant meal.

Xu Yourong ate very contentedly, but also with some embarrassment.

Afterwards, they discussed the next Grand Examination and next year’s Boiling Stone Summit, as well as how they would leave the Mausoleum of Books.

In order to avoid being seen by others and prevent anybody from guessing, thus allowing the capital to continue to buzz with rumors, the two agreed to leave separately. Xu Yourong would leave first while Chen Changsheng would stay in the Mausoleum of Books for another day. However, they failed to understand that attempting to hide it only made it more conspicuous and that this would utterly fail to conceal their relationship from others.

One might even consider it as deceiving themselves.

Yet before Xu Yourong could leave, the small yard received an uninvited visitor.

The visitor was the Monolith Guardian from Scholartree Manor, Ji Jin. Perhaps it was because he had recognized Xu Yourong’s identity or had guessed at something, but he stood on the other side of the fence, his expression rather desolate and his face rather pale. The hatred and unwillingness in his eyes were no more, replaced with complex and indescribable emotions.

Chen Changsheng was prepared to speak when Xu Yourong indicated that he should hold.

Her sleeves fluttering, she walked to the fence. Gazing at Ji Jin, she indifferently said, “I will propose to cancel your qualifications to be Monolith Guardian and have you expelled from the Mausoleum of Books.”

Sunlight leaked through the branches of the plum and orange trees and fell upon her face.

This sublimely beautiful face was instantly suffused with a divine and august majesty.

Because as she spoke, she was the Holy Maiden of the south that reigned above.

To become a Monolith Guardian of the Mausoleum of Books was an incredibly difficult task. One needed to swear an incredibly extreme blood oath that seemed to contain some of the power of the Heavenly Dao.

Once one swore the blood oath and became a Monolith Guardian, one would possess the lifelong dream of cultivators, the freedom to interact with the Heavenly Tome Monoliths at any time of day. Simultaneously, they would also lose the freedom to leave the Mausoleum of Books. For the rest of their lives, they could only research and study the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, forbidden from taking one step outside the Mausoleum of Books.

From the time the Orthodoxy established this rule to now, countless years had passed, but this rule had only been broken once—that was the time when Su Li invaded the Mausoleum of Books and poured a torrent of abuse on those two Monolith Guardians that had come from the Mount Li Sword Sect, then forcefully brought them back to Mount Li.

Those two Monolith Guardians later on became the two elders of Mount Li’s Discipline Hall and were also one of the principal causes of Mount Li’s internal strife.

The allure of the Mausoleum of Books to cultivators was far too powerful, just like a dream that was impossible to end.

The more profound one’s insights into the Dao, the more one researched the Heavenly Tome Monoliths, the less one was willing to leave.

Even a great Daoist possessing such extraordinary talent as Xun Mei took several decades to wake up.

To cancel out the blood oath of a Monolith Guardian and expel him from the Mausoleum of Books was something only the Pope and the Holy Maiden were qualified to do, and this Monolith Guardian would suffer the backlash of the blood oath and suffer extreme pains.

Upon hearing Xu Yourong’s words and seeing Ji Jin’s face instantly pale and body incessantly shudder, Chen Changsheng became vigilant.

In his view, for Ji Jin to be humiliated in this way, to receive so harsh a punishment, he would be so furious that he might even go mad and attack Xu Yourong.

But Ji Jin did not angrily lash out. After a moment, he gradually calmed. Separated from Xu Yourong by the fence, he bowed.

He clasped his hands and raised them up, seeming exceptionally reverential.

His voice trembled, clearly very excited and also somewhat disappointed.

“Many thanks for the Holy Maiden’s pity. Ji Jin is endlessly grateful—only with death can I repay.”

As he watched Ji Jin’s figure gradually vanish into the forest, Chen Changsheng felt rather confused.

“Why?”

“Because he wanted to leave.”

“I hear…that the backlash of the blood oath is incredibly frightening.”

“In the end, it’s not as frightening as having no freedom.”

“But didn’t they become Monolith Guardians of their own will?”

“As time goes by, the thoughts of people often change in ways that they would never have imagined at the very beginning.”

Xu Yourong walked to his side, saying, “To many cultivators, the Mausoleum of Books is the most beautiful dream and also the longest imprisonment.”

Chen Changsheng remembered that he had once heard similar words.

She continued, “In fact, I’ve long held this opinion. I intend to convince the martial aunts back in the temple and then discuss with the Li Palace to remove this rule.”

Chen Changsheng gazed at her incomparably elegant and beautiful face and found it increasingly beautiful. He spoke from his heart, “You are a good person.”

Then he added, “If the Li Palace does not accept South Stream Temple’s request, then wait for me to become Pope, and I will endeavor to remove this rule.”

Xu Yourong quietly replied, “You are also a good person.”

……

……

On the next day, Chen Changsheng exited the Mausoleum of Books. Under the escort of several cardinals, he returned to the Orthodox Academy.

At this time, it was very early, the morning light was barely warm and the sky in the west was still as dark as the night. He was just preparing to go to the newly repaired kitchen by the lake to find Xuanyuan Po and get something to eat, but he suddenly realized that there was a person on the great banyan tree that he never expected to see. Unable to hold back his surprise, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Other than under extremely rare and special circumstances, Tang Thirty-Six would definitely not wake up so early, but now he was standing on the branches of the great banyan tree, staring off into the distance. Chen Changsheng didn’t know whether he hadn’t slept the entire night or something else. Tang Thirty-Six continued to stare into the distance, not turning to look at Chen Changsheng. With an indifferent expression, he asked, “Do you know what the most painful thing in the secular world is?”

Chen Changsheng shook his head.

Tang Thirty-Six sneered, “The most painful thing in the secular world is that when we’re all working until we’re tired as pigs and dogs, some people have the leisure to go on dates, and you even had a certain person keep a secret, pretty good…actually secretly meeting with your lover in the Mausoleum of Books.”

After the Orthodox Academy recruited new students, the first examination these students would face was the Grand Examination. For the sake of the Grand Examination that was about to begin, Tang Thirty-Six and Su Moyu were busy to the extreme, and even Zhexiu would occasionally come to teach a lesson to these students, using pain and blood to tell them just what a true battle was.

Yet although Chen Changsheng was the Principal of the Orthodox Academy, he paid no mind to this matter.

The true source of Tang Thirty-Six’s pain, though, was still the part about keeping a secret.

Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong had gotten to know each other in the Garden of Zhou, had mutual affection towards each other, and would often meet in private; in the entire capital, only he knew this secret.

With regards to secrets, once a secret was discovered, those people who knew of this secret would often greatly relax, just like Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong over these past few days.

But those who knew this secret, but could not speak of it to others, would bear their pain and pressure and even a little more than that.

The rumor had spread throughout the capital and everyone knew that Chen Changsheng was bitterly in love with Xu Yourong but that Xu Yourong refused. Tang Thirty-Six wanted nothing more than to sputter this secret over these people’s faces, wanted nothing more than to reopen Clear Lake Restaurant and then stand on its roof and tell the populace this story, announce the pair’s secret to the entire world.

But he could not act this way, so he was in terrible pain and even somewhat angry.

Chen Changsheng looked at him, somewhat confused. “Back then, you were the one that said I should bear it.”

Tang Thirty-Six looked back at him and said, “But I’m almost at the point where I can’t bear it anymore.”