Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The sound of wind, rain and studying, but today, one would only be able to hear the sound of studying at the Orthodox Academy. The just-fallen snowflakes had descended far too gently. It took a while before the students in the classrooms saw them, drawing a burst of elated gasps. The lecturers from the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education said a few words of rebuke, thus suppressing the faint uproar. Yet in the next moment, the sound of howling wind came through the window, making it impossible to maintain silence and calm in the classrooms as the young students all rushed towards the windows.

(TN: “The sound of wind, rain, and studying” is actually a reference to a famous line about the Donglin Academy: “风声雨声读书声，声声入耳；家事国事天下事，事事关心”, which translates to “The sound of wind, the sound of rain, the sound of studying, sound after sound enters one’s ear. The matters of home, the matters of state, the matters of the world, matter after matter is one’s concern.”)

The wind rolled up the thin mantle of snow that had just settled on the grass. A white crane slowly descended from the sky, almost seeming to dance in the sky. It was beautiful beyond compare.

"It's so beautiful!" the girls yelled excitedly as they gazed at this sight.

As the humans and demons surged in power, the monsters that had once wreaked devastation upon the continent had long been forced into the deep lakes and barren mountains. Correspondingly, the divine beasts and immortal birds also became harder to see. Normally, only those sects located deep within the mountains would be able to see them. The new students of the Orthodox Academy mostly originated from the counties and provinces. When compared to the much worldlier people of the capital, they very rarely saw these legendary immortal birds. But there were still some people who had lived in the capital for a very long time. When the transfer student from the Heavenly Dao Academy, Chu Wenbin, saw that white crane, he recalled something and said in shock, "This…isn't this the White Crane of the Xu Estate?"

Upon hearing this, everyone by him grew quiet. Soon after, all the classrooms grew quiet. The students all stared at the White Crane, no longer daring to make any loud noises.

This White Crane was no ordinary white crane. Its appearance represented a name. To these students, that name was pure, holy and beautiful, forbidden to blaspheme.

Simultaneously, the students also knew just what this White Crane's return signified to their principal.

Just as expected, it didn't take long before a figure appeared before the students' eyes.

Chen Changsheng walked to the lawn by the lake and stood in front of the White Crane. The White Crane nodded its head at him and then inclined it towards those students at the nearby library and by the window. It seemed rather bewildered, as if it couldn't understand how such a massive change had occurred in the span of just a year.

He looked at the White Crane in silence, then finally asked, "She…came back?"

……

……

Two streaks had entered the capital, one white and one gray. The white was the White Crane, but the gray was actually the Golden-winged Great Peng that Xu Yourong had brought out of the Garden of Zhou.

The reason it was gray was that the Great Peng had not fully matured. Its feathers had not taken color, let alone begin flowing with that golden color. It looked dark and gray and was also rather small. Just like Chen Changsheng's initial reaction towards it, it looked like a pheasant.

As they entered the capital, the White Crane only needed to cry out for those Red Falcons preparing to fly up to intercept to naturally let it pass. However, this young Peng not only did not follow the White Crane to the Orthodox Academy, but also seemed to grow rather interested in these birds of the "same kind" as it that guarded the Imperial City. It made a rapid turn in the air, its wings aflutter, and eventually landed on the walls of the palace.

It was said that a Phoenix in dire straits was not the match of a pheasant. This young Peng really did seem like a pheasant, but, ultimately, a Phoenix was a Phoenix, a Golden Peng was a Golden Peng, so there was no way it could really have become a pheasant.

It folded its wings, raised its head and puffed out its chest, then began walking towards that flock of Red Falcons. It glanced to its left and right, its eyes indifferent and seeming exceptionally proud and unyielding.

The Red Falcons were the most powerful attack birds raised by the Great Zhou Army. They possessed an unimaginable speed and a naturally proud and valiant disposition. Even when confronting a foe far more powerful than they, they would show no fear. It was said that in the war of extermination with the demons a thousand years ago, the then-Demon Commander had raised a Sky Monster. In the end, at the cost of several dozen Red Falcons, it was pecked to death in the sky. Yet now as they looked at this rather small bird that looked just like a pheasant, their head feathers all went erect as they became incredibly vigilant. Even the Imperial Guards at their side could feel their fear. As for those Red Geese perched in the pavilion to the side, their reaction was even more extreme. They were so frightened that they fell paralyzed to the ground and were unable to stand back up.

What sort of bird was this? The Imperial Guards were quite confused. They warily watched, subconsciously tightening the grips on their spears.

At this moment, the Red Cloud Qilin, sitting by the palace walls and gazing off vacantly at the Black Goat, suddenly raised its head upwards.

In his room, Xue Xingchuan, who had been intently polishing his spear, seemed to sense this action and also gazed upwards.

On the palace wall, the young Peng suddenly stopped, because it had sensed a murderous intent.

It looked towards the ground, its gaze falling upon the Red Cloud Qilin. It felt that this would be a little troublesome.

Then he noticed the origin of that murderous intent and looked towards that room. It realized that this would be incredibly troublesome.

If the Golden Peng was fully matured, it would naturally have completely disregarded the Red Cloud Qilin's provocation, and it would also have not been afraid of Xue Xingchuan. Now, though, it could not.

When it saw that Black Goat on the lawn of the Imperial Palace, its gray feathers instantly puffed up a little, and it was overcome by an intense uneasiness.

True enough, the world outside the Garden of Zhou was still just as brimming with dangers as the world it remembered, especially this capital of the humans—it was exactly the same as before. It had just come down to amuse itself, yet how had it run into so many troubles? Just as the Imperial Guards were coming with spears to force it away, it opened its wings and flew down the walls of the palace. With only a moment's effort, it had rushed past the plaza in front of the palace, flew over several princely estates and three streets, and descended into a distant street.

People were currently shouting in that street and the street was incredibly lively. Standing on the palace walls, one could faintly make out an ornate imperial carriage slowly making its way through the street.

The soldiers watched as the strange bird landed on the imperial carriage. Only then did they realize that it had actually come from Holy Maiden Peak. No wonder it’s so frightening, they thought.

An official hurried over, reporting on some news he had just learned.

"The previous Holy Maiden abdicated? She let Xu Yourong succeed to the post?"

Hearing this news, Xue Xingchuan gazed in the direction of that street. A little shocked, he thought, did something happen at South Stream Temple? Why did such a massive change occur?

To the disciples of South Stream Temple and the common folk of the South, Xu Yourong was the future Holy Maiden. To the common folk of the capital of the Great Zhou, Xu Yourong was their pride. Because she had grown up between these two locations, as the news that Xu Yourong had formally succeeded to the position of Holy Maiden of the South gradually spread, the people of the capital that lined both sides of the street to in welcome became momentarily silent out of shock and then exploded into cheers that shook the heavens and the earth.

Children ran alongside the imperial carriage, young women waved handkerchiefs and flowers. Pious worshippers kneeled down at places the imperial carriage had passed, incessantly murmuring prayers of blessing, while the gazes of young men were scorching hot. Even though the wind was mixed with snowflakes, even though the weather was so cold, it was impossible to dampen the passion blazing in the capital today. And when the wind raised the curtain of the imperial carriage, revealing the indistinct figure of the maiden within, the mood became ardent to the extreme. Many people ceased to care for the Li Palace priests' rebukes, the obstructions of the City Gate Department's cavalry, or the wary gazes of the southern cavalry. One by one, they squeezed towards the center of the street. Although they were still all ultimately blocked by the cavalry, the cavalry could not block the items in their hands.

In a moment, flowers that were exceptionally difficult to see in the depths of winter fell down like rain. In just a few moments, the imperial carriage carrying Xu Yourong became a sea of flowers.

Those fruits washed clean were continuously thrown, free of charge, to those hundred-odd carriages. In one of the carriages in the back, Ye Xiaolian caught a cherry tomato and lightly took a bite. She found it both sweet and sour and very tasty, and her eyes squinted in pleasure. Of course, just like her other senior sister sitting with her in the carriage, her pleasure was even more a result of the passion of the capital's populace. In light of how the Holy Maiden was so revered by the people of Zhou, after the confluence of the north and south, Holy Maiden Peak's status might not fall and might even improve. The unease caused by the temple master floating away was suddenly greatly dispelled. With seventy percent pleasure and thirty percent pride, they commented, "Not even the sight when Zhou Yuren entered the capital was probably as great as this."

……

……

"Back then when Zhou Yuren entered the capital, Zhou Yuren really was almost adored to death. I remember that I was still young back then. I remember standing together with my cousin on the upper floor of Clear Lake Restaurant trying to catch a peek. That excitement…"

Perhaps because she saw Xu Yourong and began to recall her young self, the Tianhai Divine Empress fell into a very rare moment of nostalgia, but it was only a moment. She quickly returned to her normal serene appearance, saying, "If you don't want to be adored to death, you must get a thicker skin and also a stronger posture."

In the eyes of the people, Xu Yourong was always quiet and calm like a fairy. Only in front of her teacher the Holy Maiden and the Empress would she act the most natural. She replied, "A thick skin…that's not that great of a thing."

The Divine Empress looked at her, her eyes warm and gentle. She said tenderly, "What's so good about having thin skin? Look at how your little face is blushing."

This conversation naturally had some deeper meaning. Both the thicker skin and the stronger posture were the Divine Empress's advice.

In the Divine Empress's view, to sit stably on the seat of temple master of South Stream Temple and to ultimately become the Holy Maiden recognized by the entire South, to be heartless and cruel was an absolute must.

A thicker skin was to be heartless, and only by having a strong enough posture would ruthless methods have force.

"If we want to make our postures stronger, should we not begin eating?"

Mo Yu stood at the side, serving the food. Seeing Xu Yourong's dazed appearance, she knew that she either did not want to respond or perhaps had emptied her mind again like when she was small. Chuckling, Mo Yu changed the subject.

The Divine Empress sighed, "Children nowadays don't like to hear the talk of us old folks."

Xu Yourong softly replied, "Empress is not old, Empress will never be old."

On the side, Mo Yu shivered. "I haven't met you for a few years, but that little mouth of yours is still so sweet."

"When eating, don't talk."

The Divine Empress took up her chopsticks and ferried some food into Xu Yourong's bowl, then also began to eat.

In such a vast palace hall, devoid of eunuchs or maids, the space seemed very empty with just the three of them.

Especially after they began to eat. There was no more noise, causing a strange atmosphere to settle over them.

……

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