Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

(TN: There’s a wordplay here with ‘plum blossom’ (梅) and ‘beautiful’ (美), which share pronunciation. The more commonly used line is 四季皆美, ‘the four seasons are all beautiful’, but here it is 四季皆梅.)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

In the eyes of the common people, the Pope's trust and love towards Chen Changsheng could not be any greater, and was even somewhat unfathomable. Logically, it was only natural that Chen Changsheng act according to the Pope's will, but in reality, from the military fort to Xunyang City, Chen Changsheng had done many things that had gone against it. No matter what angle it was looked at from, the Pope should be very disappointed or at least ask for some reason.

The Pope did not ask. He only calmly gazed at Chen Changsheng and said, "It's really difficult to imagine that my Senior Brother could actually raise a student like you."

Chen Changsheng was struck dumb. He suddenly realized that his impression of his master was very blurry. Just what sort of person was Master? In the Pope's view, just what sort of student should Master have raised? He didn't know the answer, but he was very certain that the Pope's words were correct, because he had never been raised by his master. It was Senior Brother Yu Ren that had raised him…

As he thought about Xining Village's old temple, the mist behind the mountain and those sounds in the mist, and also his senior brother and the wildflowers, he became somewhat lost in thought.

The Pope looked at him calmly and then smiled. He thought to himself, at this time, anyone else would get nervous, but it seems that this little kid actually has the leisure to think about other things. Truly extraordinary.

"Sit," he said to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng gave an affirmative and then very obediently sat down on the chair. He didn't lean against the back of it, nor did he deliberately attempt to adjust his seat. In brief, he acted very obediently and did nothing intentionally.

The Pope pointed at a teapot.

Chen Changsheng understood. Raising the teapot, he filled the cup in front of the Pope. After thinking about it, he also filled the cup that was in front of him, and then his mind began to wander off once more.

It was because he remembered those two nights in the Hundred Herb Garden, that small table, and sitting across from that woman as they drank tea in silence.

The Pope placed the cup down and randomly said, "Talk about the Garden of Zhou."

It was said randomly, and what he wanted to hear was also any random thing that had happened in the Garden of Zhou, because there was only one matter that was certain: there was no Su Li in the Garden of Zhou.

"In the Garden of Zhou…I met a girl," Chen Changsheng inadvertently said.

The Pope was a little surprised. "Oh?"

At this, Chen Changsheng awoke from his stupor and felt his face heat up. He hurriedly elaborated in great detail on what had happened in the Garden of Zhou, from the time he had obtained the Yellow Paper Umbrella from the Tang clan in Wenshui up to the Mausoleum of Zhou. It was just that there were some details unrelated to the general picture, such as that girl, that he naturally did not mention. In addition, for some inexplicable reason, he did not mention the Halving Blade technique in the Mausoleum of Zhou, nor those lost Heavenly Tome Monoliths…

Light seeped in through the eaves of the hall, resting on the floor as glossy as jade. It created numerous patterns on the floor, forming what seemed like a chessboard.

The Pope sat in his chair, gazing silently at him for what seemed like forever.

The Mausoleum of Zhou, the Heaven Shrouding Sword, the Yellow Paper Umbrella, Mount Li, the Sword Pool, the monster tide, the story from several hundred years ago, the destiny linking the two worlds—after he had finished hearing about these things, even he could not help but sigh with regret.

"As it turned out…the Sword Pool was a Sword Sea and was really the Plains of the Unsetting Sun. That person's grave was also within."

The Pope's voice resonated through the peaceful hall.

As one of the supreme Saints of the human world, his understanding of the world far surpassed the imaginations of the common people, but even for him, it was only today that he realized that the plains that he had seen so many years ago actually contained so many secrets.

"The obsidian coffin in the Mausoleum of Zhou was empty." Chen Changsheng would naturally not forget this most important detail.

The Pope smiled, but said nothing. That person's fate was an enigma for many people, but time was ultimately the world's strongest object. At this time, he no longer paid too much attention to it.

Comparatively speaking, the Pope cared more about another matter. "This being the case, those swords are all with you?"

Without any reluctance, Chen Changsheng took the dagger from his waist and used both hands to offer it to the Pope.

Back then in the Plum Garden Inn, when Tang Thirty-Six wanted to hold this dagger, he had been rejected, but now Chen Changsheng could not reject. This was because the Pope was the Pope and also his martial uncle.

The swords of the Sword Pool were in his hands—this was a matter impossible to conceal. Back then in the wilderness when he was battling Divine General Xue He, those swords had already revealed themselves.

"Do you know what this sheath is?" The Pope did not take the dagger, instead gazing at him and asking this question.

Chen Changsheng shook his head.

The Pope was somewhat sorrowful as he explained, "This was once the treasure of the Orthodox Academy's Suppressing Courtyard. Later on, it vanished amidst that scene of fire and blood. It seems now like your master took it away."

Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say.

"I and Senior Brother were schoolmates and even fellow disciples. As a matter of fact, in terms of talent in cultivating the Dao or intelligence, he has always been above. Yet in the end, I inherited the position of Pope while he went to become the Principal of the Orthodox Academy."

The Pope lifted his eyes up to the sky outside the hall, the stars in the ocean of his eyes slowly winking in and out of existence, like the passing of clouds or time. "Because his obsession was too great. You should not learn from him."

Chen Changsheng still did not know what to say. Concerning the Orthodox Academy's past, even today, he still did not have a clear picture of what had really happened. Even if he knew, he didn't have the qualifications to talk about it.

"What do we do about the swords from the Sword Pool?"

"The Li Palace will send out a notice informing the world. Those sects that still have descendants can first register, and then we will return their swords. As for those sects whose succession has already come to an end, those swords are yours to hold."

Chen Changsheng understood. In carrying out this matter in this fashion, after that night of bathing the Mausoleum of Books in the radiance of the stars, he would once again have achieved a great merit for the human world. The criticisms brought by Liang Xiaoxiao and Zhuang Huanyu's death would, for the most part, be mollified. He said, "I leave it up to Sir to take care of it."

He did not deferentially say 'His Holiness' and he did not pull on his sleeve and say 'Martial Uncle'. He only softly said the word 'Sir'. This was already a sort of progress, the sort of progress where he had finally returned to the naturally intimate world of his master's home.

The Pope was very satisfied and said to him, "Go, and rest up well."

Seeing his expression, the Pope understood what he was concerned about. He added, "Zhexiu will quickly come out."

From start to finish, the Pope had not asked him anything about Su Li.

Having just returned to the capital, how could he possibly rest up well? Exiting the Li Palace, he had no time to return to the Orthodox Academy or inquire after Zhexiu. Priest Xin came and took him over to the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education.

The row of maple trees there should have been as red as fire, but in the deep spring and beginning of summer, they were a verdant green that surpassed the color of jade—just like how that building behind them had the two important identities of being the Imperial Court's institution for managing education as well as the hall of the Orthodoxy responsible for learning.

Deep within the hall in that room filled with all sorts of plum flowers, Mei Lisha sat behind the table. His eyes were closed, seemingly asleep but not. The old spots on his face were clear to see, just like that rouge plum blossom on the table. Chen Changsheng stood in front of the table, separated by that rouge plum blossom from the archbishop, his emotions somewhat complex.

Unlike the Pope, there was no relationship between him and Archbishop Mei Lisha. Logically, it would be more appropriate for them to be strangers, but he always thought that the archbishop really was extremely kind to him for some reason. Whether during the Grand Examination or the journey to the Garden of Zhou, Archbishop Mei Lisha had always offered aid or convenience. Although there were times when those matters placed a rather large pressure on him, it was not these things that made his emotions complicated. Instead, it was the fact that the archbishop was getting older.

Chen Changsheng didn't know what level of cultivation Mei Lisha had reached, but given that his seniority and level of influence in the Orthodoxy could be said to be on par with that of the Pope, and then considering the attitude Zhu Luo and those other people had for him, he was probably not very far from the Divine Domain. Priests at this level of cultivation were not different from other cultivators. To live eight hundred years was a very common occurrence, and in those long and endless years, even as these experts with profound cultivations aged, they would only show it in their hair and a few wrinkles on their face. They would absolutely not grow weak and elderly. Only in the final stage of life would they begin to consider the question of descendants and continue their bloodline. Then, with an almost unimaginable speed, they would become old.

Would they die like the quiet beauty of the autumn leaf? No, it was more like the descent of a fruit knocked down by the wind.

In this year, the entire continent knew that Archbishop Mei Lisha had become old.

This signified that the archbishop did not have many days left on this world. At any moment, he could return to the sea of stars.

The rouge plum blossom's gaudiness, and the plum blossoms blooming throughout the room made it seem like it wasn't late spring, but rather any of the four seasons of the year, any time of the year in which the plum blossoms could bloom.

In comparison to the flowers filling the room, the archbishop's elderliness was all the more shocking to see.

Chen Changsheng felt somewhat sorrowful.

At this time, the archbishop opened his eyes and smiled at him. "Come here."

Chen Changsheng complied and approached him.

Mei Lisha looked at him and said emotionally, "When I heard that you were still alive, I was very happy, and at the same time, somewhat sad."

Chen Changsheng didn't understand the meaning of his words, but for some reason, his heart was abruptly filled with unease and even fear.

"Since Su Li did not die, I still must withdraw my gaze and have it fall upon the capital once more, just like you must return to the capital in the end."

Mei Lisha continued, "The Boiling Stone Summit will happen next year. I do not know if I will be able to see it, but at the very least, I will be able to see this year of yours to the end."

Chen Changsheng wanted to say some comforting words, but then he realized that he wasn't so good in that aspect. He lowered in his head in self-reproach.

Mei Lisha calmly watched him and said, "This year is very important for you."

Chen Changsheng said, "I don't understand."

"You must mature as quickly as possible."

As he said these words, his expression became somewhat heavy and his eyes somewhat dimmed. However, he soon after brightened up just as before. "Believe in me. Ultimately, you will obtain victory from us."

Chen Changsheng really couldn't comprehend. He thought to himself, who am I battling with? Is it the Divine Empress? Even if it is, what sort of strength do I have to partake in a battle at that level?

"The problem between the Orthodoxy and the Empress is still about that seat in the Imperial Palace."

Mei Lisha somewhat laboriously stood up and walked Chen Changsheng over to the window. Looking at the Imperial Palace not too far away, he said, "In this battle, you will play an extremely important role."

Chen Changsheng said, "Is it because…I am Teacher's student? Representing the support for the Imperial clan?"

Mei Lisha sighed with regret. "Of course it's not just this."

The archbishop did not give a more elaborate explanation. It was because this matter was too difficult to explain, even impossible, and also because someone just so happened to knock upon the door!

After the door was pushed open, the person that appeared was a person that Chen Changsheng had not expected to see.