Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The alley of the Northern Military Department was deathly still. The two crabapple trees in the courtyard had long since shed all their flowers, but in the past two days, they had accumulated some snow, making it seem like a sea of flowers had been reborn.

Zhou Tong stood under the crabapple trees, looking at the kneeling subordinate giving his report. Rather annoyed, he asked, "Do I even need to be especially informed of such trivial matters?"

The subordinate was quite perplexed, thinking, the match between Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng is, without doubt, the final major event of the year. Why is Your Excellency so completely indifferent to it?

"Since life or death is not decided there, it's a trivial matter."

Zhou Tong shared the exact same opinion as Tang Thirty-Six. Saying this, he turned and headed back to his room, no longer concerning himself with this matter.

Zhou Tong paid no attention to this battle, but there were still many people keeping close attention on it.

By a quiet and beautiful snowy lake to the north of the city, Tianhai Chenwu was leaning against a balcony, viewing the snow. For some reason, he suddenly recalled the lake by Clear Lake Restaurant and his mood took a turn for the worse.

In the past few days, whenever he spoke to Xu Shiji, he spoke with far more courtesy. This was because Xu Yourong had become the Holy Maiden far earlier than anyone had imagined.

But perhaps because of his rather sour mood, or perhaps because he was nervous, his attitude towards Xu Shiji returned to what it had been in the past, even far more unyielding and straightforward.

"You want to rely on the Li Palace, you also have to see if the other side lets you rely on it. The Pope directly annulled the engagement and the Divine General's estate was once more ridiculed by the common people. Just what benefit did that give you?"

Tianhai Chenwu continued, "Since this battle still has to be fought in the end, what need was there to have pursued those fool's errands?"

Xu Shiji was silent, his face emotionless. In reality, he was already furious to the extreme.

Tianhai Chenwu smiled, "Today, let's see if Yourong can help her father give vent to his anger."

……

……

The population of the Orthodox Academy was not great. All together, they only numbered a hundred-odd people.

But when all of them walked together on the street, their manner was quite astonishing. This was especially the case later on when they were followed by several thousand people of the capital down the street. Their momentum seemed even greater and they presented a rather stunning sight.

Not too far past the Monastery of the Returning Dragon was the Luo River, which was also called the Luo Canal. Not far ahead, one could already see that famous bridge.

But not everyone could go over. Besides Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six and all the other students that followed him were barred at the corner of Eight Willows Street.

From Eight Willows Street to Four Way Street, a perimeter several li around the Bridge of Helplessness had already been made.

As they could not get in, the spectating populace could only stand on the two shores of the Luo River. At the moment, there were already many people, a dense mass of people lining the shores far into the distance such that the end could not be seen.

They were all discussing the match that was about to begin, analyzing who was stronger and who would win.

Chen Changsheng was a different person than he was this time last year. At the Ivy Festival, he had engaged in a battle on the comprehension of swords with Gou Hanshi. In the Grand Examination, he had inconceivably obtained first rank of the first banner. In the Mausoleum of Books, he had brought starlight down over the entire capital and been compared by many people to Wang Zhice. Without even mentioning the events of the Garden of Zhou and the battles on his journey back south, and discussing only the time period between the start of the summer and now, the Orthodox Academy had confronted innumerable challenges, and Chen Changsheng had not lost once. Even more shocking was that he had won six consecutive victories over experts of the initial level of Star Condensation. It was only at this point that the people realized that the seemingly inconceivable feat of surpassing cultivation levels was actually no surprise for him, but something right and inevitable.

From the stupefaction at the beginning to the ‘right and inevitable’ of now, even a little numbness, Chen Changsheng had given this world far too many shocks.

There was even less to discuss about the other side. Xu Yourong had always been special. She of the true Phoenix blood was identical to Qiushan Jun. From the moment they began to cultivate, they exceeded the bounds of an ordinary person's imagination, and they had even managed to surpass the limits of their peers. She did not need to attend the Grand Examination, as she was qualified to enter the Mausoleum of Books whenever she wished. In truth, at the age of ten, she had already begun to study the Heavenly Tomes. Up until now, no one knew if she had ever fought experts at the initial level of Star Condensation, but many people, including Chen Changsheng, believed without a doubt that she could easily accomplish this feat traditionally regarded as most arduous.

If it was said that Chen Changsheng had given the world far too many shocks this year, then Xu Yourong could be said to have always been the world's most pleasantly surprising discovery.

"They've come!"

The people on the banks of the Luo River realized that Chen Changsheng and all the people of the Orthodox Academy had arrived and began to cry out. The scene became very noisy and lively.

Some of the crowd reverentially bowed and asked if he was well, some of them yelled out questions. But there were no cheers, and in the countless cries, nobody said 'you must win!'…

"The Four Great Markets sent news. Besides the Orthodox Academy and the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, there's basically no one who placed bets on you winning…even many of the priests of the Li Palace bet on Xu Yourong."

Tang Thirty-Six consoled, "But you can understand it as the popular sentiment of the capital, not at all a judgment of your strength."

Chen Changsheng thought, even it really is this way, it's not too much of a comfort.

He asked Tang Thirty-Six, "And you?"

Tang Thirty-Six replied, "I have faith in you."

This was not a blind faith, and it didn't have anything to do with the bond between friends either. Rather, this was a statement made on the basis of sober acknowledgment.

Tang Thirty-Six was keenly aware how serious and arduous were the preparations Chen Changsheng had made in these seven days, watching every day as Chen Changsheng calculated and deduced in his room. He even felt that there was no one else in the world as serious as Chen Changsheng. This was what was meant by the saying, 'the heavens reward the diligent'. As long as the stars above still shone bright, there was no basis for as serious a person as Chen Changsheng to lose.

"I advise you to still bet on me to lose."

Chen Changsheng patted him on the shoulder, then, under the guidance of a priest, headed into Eight Willows Street.

Watching his back, Tang Thirty-Six wanted to say something but ultimately decided not to. He vaguely felt that those final words were indicating something.

Seeing his expression, Xuanyuan Po was rather solemn. Puzzled, he asked, "You just said a moment ago that since life or death isn't being decided, it didn't matter that much, so why are you beginning to worry now?"

"I'm not worried about whether or not he might lose, I'm worried about my money." Tang Thirty-Six turned and walked into the crowd.

Xuanyuan Po became even more confused. He shouted, "What are you going to do?"

Without turning his head, Tang Thirty-Six answered, "I'm going to the Four Great Markets to cancel my bet."

……

……

Eight Willows Street was very quiet. Besides the priest guiding him, there was no one else on the street.

But upon reaching the side lane of Eight Willows Street that led to the Luo River, the priest stopped and extended his hand, inviting Chen Changsheng to enter.

Chen Changsheng nodded his head and walked into the side lane. In a short while, he reached the edge of the Luo River. He just needed to walk up the steps and he would arrive at the lower end of the Bridge of Helplessness.

The Bridge of Helplessness was the greatest bridge over the Luo River. The bridge was incredibly broad—ten-odd carriages could run across it side by side. The bridge was very tall, but it wasn't very steep. Compared to other bridges, it was actually very flat. When standing at the base of bridge and looking across, one would think of the bridge as a plaza.

Chen Changsheng walked up the bridge. It didn't take long before he arrived at the very center of the bridge.

There was no one on the Bridge of Helplessness, nor was there anyone on the other side. There was no one as far as the eye could see. It was spacious and quiet.

He stood on the bridge, watching the river flow under it, and then remembered something.

A bridge pier of the Bridge of Helplessness had been struck two years ago by a boat. The Imperial Court had expended a vast sum of money in order to set up an array to make the bridge firm.

This array was right below the bridge.

Similarly, the important water gates along the Luo River also had arrays which prevented the water from freezing in the bitter winter. The grain boats and merchant ships from the south could travel unhindered. However, the capital today was under martial law, especially in the area around the Bridge of Helplessness. The Luo River, which on a normal day would provide the grand sight of endless boats traveling along it, was today very cold and cheerless.

Just like this bridge.

Not one person, not one boat.

Just as he was musing on this, he saw a great ship coming from downstream.

This boat was massive, most likely a warship of the Great Zhou Navy. The uppermost deck was almost level with the Bridge of Helplessness.

Many people stood on the deck of the great ship, but there were fewer people standing on the very top deck, many of which he knew.

With a light splash, the great ship slowly came to a stop and dropped its anchor. It was still about a li away from the Bridge of Helplessness.

Chen Changsheng could clearly see that standing on the uppermost deck of the ship were several Divine Generals clad in armor. He recognized Xue Xingchuan, Fei Dian…Xue He had unexpectedly also returned. Of course, there was also Xu Shiji. Also present were the directors of the Ivy Academies, with the current Principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Zhuang Zhihuan, standing at the center of them. Standing at a more forward position were the important figures of the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy. He saw Mao Qiuyu, Linghai Zhiwang, and Daoist Siyuan. He also saw the Minister of Rites as well as Mo Yu and Prince Chen Liu.

But these important figures were still not the people at the very front.

Standing at the very front of the ship were three painters from the Pavilion of Divination. One of them was the painter that had spectated Chen Changsheng's first match with Zhou Ziheng, while the other two were painters that the Pavilion of Divination had rushed over. All of them were Star Condensation cultivators. Back in Xunyang City, people found it inconceivable when they realized that the assassin Liu Qing was an upper level Star Condensation cultivator. Then three Star Condensation painters…

Chen Changsheng looked at the people on the ship.

The people on the ship looked at him on the bridge.

Daoist Siyuan said, "Even though I've always felt that they were just making trouble, he's still the Principal of the Orthodox Academy. I can only hope that in a little while, when he loses, it won't be in too unsightly a fashion."

On the side, Mao Qiuyu calmly replied, "To already speak of victory and defeat before it's even begun is too early."

Linghai Zhiwang expressionlessly declared, "Victory and defeat have already been decided."

In the eyes of these peak Star Condensation experts only a step away from the Divine Domain, slightest detail before or within battle was enough to affect the final outcome.

Linghai Zhiwang believed that since Chen Changsheng had come first, his defeat was inevitable. There was still some time before the appointed start. For him to come so early perhaps indicated that his mind was not calm enough. Furthermore, being the sole person standing on the Bridge of Helplessness, if he wanted to steady his mind, he would find it very challenging to do.

Because he had to wait, and waiting indicated passivity. These moments of time on the bridge required thoughts to fill them, and thinking too much had never been a good thing before a great battle.

"It's not necessarily good, and it's not necessarily bad either."

Mao Qiuyu gazed in the direction of the Bridge of Helplessness and opined, "Perhaps flighty and impetuous, perhaps calm and serene and coming early to get used to the environment. In the end, it all depends on the person's temperament."

This was a very reasonable statement.

In truth, each person had their own reasons. It was just that because their standpoints and tendencies were different, the reasons they supported and the words they spoke would naturally be in conflict. Similarly, one could see from the reasons they supported and the words they spoke just where each of the people present actually stood.

"I don't understand cultivation, but from Principal Chen's actions in the past, there's really no need to doubt that he's calm and patient."

The one speaking was the Minister of Rites.

Many people shot glances of shock at him. Even Prince Chen Liu shot this high official a sideways glance. It was only at this point that everyone present realized that the Minister of Rites was actually favorable towards the old Imperial clan!

……

……

In the Orthodox Academy, Zhexiu looked out his window at the ashen sky. After a long silence, he finally stood up, took up the walking stick leaning on the wall, and walked out.

Just as he walked out of the house, he suddenly felt a slight chill on his body. He extended his hand to feel it and discovered that it was snow on the verge of melting.

He raised his head up to the sky and realized that it was beginning to snow.

……

……

"It's snowing," someone on the ship said.

The snowflakes fluttering down caused the people on the ship to show a little movement and then once more settle into an eerie silence.

As the crowd watched Chen Changsheng on the bridge, they thought, if the snow gets worse, it will disturb his mindset.

Seeing this snow, would Xu Yourong come earlier, or deliberately come later?

The flakes of snow gradually transformed into pieces of snow.

It didn't take long for Chen Changsheng's body to be speckled in white.

The populace on both shores of the Luo River began to raise up umbrellas. Several tens of thousands of umbrellas simultaneously opened, creating a rather spectacular sight.

Chen Changsheng could not see this scene. He could only see the snow falling before his eyes.

He had already stood on the bridge for a very long time, but precisely as Linghai Zhiwang had judged, he found it impossible to completely settle his heart.

Because he was currently very nervous.

To be more precise, he had always been very nervous.

From the moment the White Crane landed on the shore of the Orthodox Academy's lake, he began to feel nervous. He had been nervous all this time, all the way up until now.

He was not used to this feeling of nervousness. He was aware that this sort of feeling was not good for his health and would have an even greater effect on his fighting performance.

As a result, he gradually became somewhat anxious.

The source of this nervousness and anxiety was naturally this battle, but it was primarily because his opponent in this battle was her.

Far too many things had happened after he had come to the capital from Xining Village, and the source of all of it was her. And now, he was finally going to meet her.

In the previous few days, besides calculating and deducting, he inevitably also began to think about just what he should say in their first true meeting.

He had not been able to think of what to say.

Since he couldn't think of it, he wouldn't think about it anymore.

At this moment, he finally made a decision.

He would no longer look at the people on the ship and on the bridge. Those were all worldly things, far too complex.

He would also no longer look at the snow falling from the sky. Snow moved without pattern, too unpredictably.

He looked at the water under the bridge.

The Luo River in the deep winter was calm, but under the surface, the water continued to flow.

In this channel of water, the moving and unmoving had achieved unity. This was to act as one.

As he gazed below the bridge, he handed over all his thoughts to the flowing waters. He gradually calmed down until he forgot all things and almost entered a state of emptiness.

Then, Xu Yourong arrived.

She walked over from the long street on the other end of the bridge. She seemed to come with the snow, noiselessly and without movement.

The falling snow was a very natural occurrence, and her arrival was also a very natural occurrence. Without disturbing a single person, she arrived at the base of the Bridge of Helplessness.

At this moment, Chen Changsheng was on the bridge, seeing the sight of flowing water.

She was looking at the person on the bridge that was taking in the sights.

The White Crane flew in from some far-off place, snow dancing around it. It landed on the black eaves of some house behind the bridge.

All of this made for a very beautiful sight.

……