Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Book 7: Dare to Order the Sun and Moon to Shine Over New Skies

In hazy dreams, I curse the time passed,

Ah my home, thirty-two years have gone.

The red flag stirred the peasant to take up the halberd,

While the black hand held high the tyrant’s whip.

Only because one seeks grand goals are there many sacrifices,

And I dare to order the sun and moon to shine over new skies.

In joy, I see the wave after wave of beans,

And the heroes from all-over returning in the evening mist.

—Shaoshan Revisited, Mao Zedong, 1959

Chapter 1043 – Good People Should Kill Bad People

On the sea was a ship.

This ship had departed from White Emperor City many days ago. It had not yet reached its destination because its occupants still hoped to receive good news and turn back.

No news had come even now, so the people on the ship had finally given up.

As she watched the coastline gradually appear before her eyes, a hint of relief finally appeared on Mu Jiushi’s haggard face.

Her imperial uncle had died and something had probably happened to her older sister. She had no idea how to face her imperial brother, but to be able to return home was still something to be happy about.

The Second Prince glanced at her and lightly sighed. He knew that after this, it would be centuries before they would be able to step on the Central Continent.

At this moment, a boom could be heard in the air. The clouds in the sky scattered in fright. As the ship swayed, a person appeared on the bow.

It was a white-haired elder, his face round and large. He looked rather comical, or perhaps one could say that his appearance made one feel extremely happy.

Mu Jiushi and the Second Prince had no idea where this person had come from, but they knew that someone who could suddenly appear from out of the blue was assuredly powerful.

Moreover, this round-faced elder made no attempts to conceal his Qi—that divine Qi that exceeded the bounds of the mortal world.

Mu Jiushi warily looked at the elder and asked, “Who are you?”

The round-faced elder rubbed his head as if confused on how to answer. After a while, he said, “I apparently have the surname Cao.”

This surname shocked both Mu Jiushi and the Second Prince.

There were few experts of the Divine Domain on the continent, and only one of them had the surname Cao.

It could only be Cao Yunping.

Cao Yunping was the Elder of Heavenly Secrets’ nephew through his sister and had once been a member of the Storms of the Eight Directions.

Around a hundred years ago, for various unknown reasons, he had fought with Su Li and lost.

After this loss, he suddenly decided to give up on the technique he cultivated and begin learning a completely new one.

This was naturally extremely dangerous. Anyone could see that it was incredibly unwise.

But neither the Elder of Heavenly Secrets nor the Tianhai Divine Empress had been able to change his mind.

Cao Yunping had dispersed his cultivation and begun to cultivate anew, and just as he was about to succeed, the star radiance in his body had exploded. Although he had barely managed to cling to life, his sea of consciousness had been gravely damaged, causing his mind to become confused. To put it another way, he became mentally disabled.

From that moment, the Storms of the Eight Directions lost a member and no one could find any trace of him.

Mu Jiushi had never expected that this person would appear on her ship, and it was clear that he had recovered his lost cultivation, had perhaps even surpassed it.

“Does Senior… have any instruction?”

Upon hearing this question, Cao Yunping once more sank into a daze. He began to strenuously think back, his brow furrowing in exertion. This made his round face grow taut, making it look like a newly-stuffed pillow.

But neither Mu Jiushi nor the Second Prince dared to laugh.

Cao Yunping really might be mentally disabled, but he still had a terrifying level of strength and cultivation, which meant that he was extremely dangerous.

Cao Yunping finally remembered, his brow unfolding. With a joyful face, he said to them, “I remember now.”

Mu Jiushi cautiously asked, “What did Senior remember?”

Cao Yunping did not directly answer her question, instead complaining, “Why did you all return so late? I’ve been waiting for you for many days.”

Mu Jiushi suddenly felt rather uneasy, asking, “For what was Senior waiting for us?”

Cao Yunping replied, “I promised Chen Changsheng that I would kill you all.”

Mu Jiushi and the Second Prince paled.

Cao Yunping remembered more and hurriedly said to the Second Prince, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, I remembered wrong. You weren’t there. Only this girl must die.”

Mu Jiushi glanced at the approaching coastline and forced herself to calm down. “Senior, why must you kill me? Might there be some misunderstanding between us?”

In her view, Chen Changsheng must have used some method to move this hidden expert, or else used words to deceive. So she naturally felt that she could think of some way to convince him or promise him some reward. The difference between the two depended on whether this hidden expert was actually a fool or just pretending to be one.

“I’m already a fool, really. So I’ve been hiding in the mountains all this time precisely because I’m afraid that if I randomly attack someone on the outside, I’ll end up killing a good person by mistake.”

Cao Yunping earnestly explained, “But you are not a good person, because you colluded with the demons and also killed Bie Yanghong’s son. I know Bie Yanghong. He is a good person.”

Mu Jiushi was very nervous, but her expression remained indifferent. “Senior, why are you so sure that I am not a good person? Just because Chen Changsheng told you?”

“Yes, I believe in Chen Changsheng’s words, because he is a good person. Qiushan also believes in him, and Qiushan is also a good person.”

Cao Yunping patiently said to her, “They are all good people, but you are a bad person, so we want to kill you.”

……

……

After leaving the shore of the Red River, the White Crane did not fly too far before landing in the mountains.

The four Prefects of the Orthodoxy and the three thousand cavalry had made camp here while they waited.

Linghai Zhiwang reported to Chen Changsheng, “A letter came from the Qiushan clan. It seems that person has gone to the Western Sea.”

Chen Changsheng froze, then asked, “Confirmed?”

Linghai Zhiwang replied, “Yes.”

Xu Yourong asked, “Who went to the Western Sea?”

“Cao Yunping.”

Chen Changsheng explained, “Some time ago, I met him in the sky.”

Xu Yourong knew that when he was flying from the Prince of Luling’s estate to White Emperor City to give aid, a supreme expert had attempted to make trouble for him mid-journey. It was only now that she discovered that it had been Cao Yunping. She knew who Cao Yunping was and knew of his relationship to Qiushan Jun. She was naturally able to guess why Cao Yunping had appeared, so she gave Chen Changsheng an apologetic glance.

Chen Changsheng said, “It’s fine. It should have been the Prince of Xiang that had someone send a message, nothing to do with the Qiushan clan.”

Xu Yourong said, “I heard Senior Brother say before that this senior truly does have a problem with his mind. Won’t that affect his judgment?”

“It truly has been damaged somewhat. Senior’s current level of intelligence is around that of a child, but… he is a good person.”

Chen Changsheng sighed, “I didn’t expect that my random remark from that night would really make Senior trouble himself to go to the Western Sea.”

Linghai Zhiwang took out a sheet of paper and passed it to Chen Changsheng.

It was a yellow sheet of paper, and ten-some names were written on it in cinnabar.

These names had been written out on the first night after the arrival of Linghai Zhiwang’s group in White Emperor City.

Madam Mu’s name had been written at the top of the page. It had already been crossed out, signifying that she had died.

Chen Changsheng took a brush from Daoist Siyuan. He dipped the brush in dissolved cinnabar and, on the second row, drew a line across Mu Jiushi’s name.

This was a list of people to be killed.

From Hanqiu City to Wenshui, from Wenshui to Fengyang City, from Fengyang City to Holy Maiden Peak, and from Holy Maiden Peak to White Emperor City, all the people that needed to be killed had their names written down.

Next to Mu Jiushi’s name was Chusu’s.

Everyone’s gazes fell on this name.

The camp became somewhat quiet.