Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 279 – The Sword Calls

The boxes were very heavy. The moment they appeared, Chen Changsheng and those two women began to descend even faster to the lake bottom.

Astonishment crept into the eyes of the two women. They had no idea how these boxes appeared or what was in them.

The boxes were not locked, so under the pressure of the water, their lids tore open, illuminating their contents in the gentle and beautiful light of those wings. At the same time, the items within the boxes began to emit their own sort of gentle and beautiful light.

It was an almost sacred white light, holding an unimaginable amount of magic, at least for humans.

If this were not such a tense and perilous moment, perhaps even those two women would also think this way.

The boxes contained silver, and the light they emitted was called silver light. It was even more real than starlight, even more enticing, and thus, more beautiful.

The silver came from various places. Some was gifted to Chen Changsheng by his master and senior before he left Xining Village for travel and living expenses, some was given to him by Luoluo as when she was paying respects to him as her teacher. There was also some from Tang Thirty-Six’s generous donations, as well as generous gifts from various priests from the Li Palace. Chen Changsheng had never counted up exactly how much silver there was. He just had them converted into silver ingots and carried them with him.

Now, when his life was at its most perilous moment, he had used up all the silver in one go.

In the space formed by those two wings of light, the rushing of the water caused those silver taels to roil about. Like stone, they pounded against the faces and bodies of all three people.

However, this was still not enough; it was not sufficient to break through those wings of light.

He still needed more things.

Thus, Chen Changsheng’s spiritual sense continued deeper into the hilt of the dagger.

The next thing to come out was a Night Pearl.

The Night Pearl was very large and very round, even more than the Night Pearls embedded into the Dew Platform, even more than the Night Pearls that attached to the roof of the Black Dragon’s underground cavern. The Night Pearl had been Luoluo’s first gift to him, and it looked very much like a big washing bowl. Of course, for those two women who had grown up in Xuelao City, perhaps they would be willing to use the sacred moon to describe this extraordinary Night Pearl.

Only, the two women could not be like ordinary women, being shocked and moved, then fall into a fervor. One reason was because they were engaged in battle. The other reason was that the Night Pearl directly smashed against the demon woman’s face. Even in the water, the boom could be clearly heard. Soon after, that demon woman’s nose began to bleed a stream of green blood.

The demon woman was filled with rage, and also very confused. She simply had no idea where this Night Pearl had come from, and its impact was not light.

But this still was not enough. It was not sufficient to help Chen Changsheng escape the constraints of those wings of light.

Thus, Chen Changsheng continued deeper into the sword hilt, taking out item after item.

The next item to appear….was half of a whole roasted lamb.

The half a roast lamb, from which steam still seemed to rise, appeared within those wings of light, then collided with that dignified woman’s body.

It was very obvious that the dignified woman was somewhat of a clean freak, so when that half roast lamb caked with oil embraced her, she almost went crazy.

But this still was not enough.

One roast chicken, two roast chickens, three roast chickens… around a dozen roast chickens, like thrown stones, appeared between those wings and smashed at her body.

There was Liaobei County’s roast deer tail, Wanzhou County’s roast fish, Wenshui’s spicy thirteen plates, the South Sea’s steamed double fish heads…

With the continuous stimulation of Chen Changsheng’s spiritual sense, innumerable pieces of food appeared one after the other. In a flash, the space between those wings of light was crammed.

These were pieces of food that the Black Dragon had required him to prepare when they left the capital. Right now, the Black Dragon was merely a spiritual soul inside a jade ruyi, so she could not eat very much.

Thus these foods had been stored away, extremely fresh, very hot and pungent, and still maintaining their original flavors.

Within those wings of light, roast chicken took flight with duck wings, red soup blurred together with persimmons.

It was complete confusion, absolute chaos.

Countless foods and juices mixed together, producing a revolting mix.

“Just what’s going on here?!”

That demon woman pushed her head through a Yingou stew jade cabbage and angrily shouted, her eyes expressing bewilderment.

The last thing Chen Changsheng took out was that which he possessed the most of—books.

Nobody knew that the three thousands scriptures of the Daoist Canon were no longer in Xining Village’s old temple, but rather with Chen Changsheng.

He took out the three thousand scriptures of the Daoist Canon so that he could use the scriptures to beat the demons.

Boom!

Countless books filled up that space created by the two wings of light.

The two wings of light could no longer stay closed.

Accompanied by a cry of shock and even a little absurdity, those two wings finally separated.

The books and food shot off in all directions like powerful arrows, then gradually slowed down.

Regretfully, even though the wings of light had come apart, those two women still held Chen Changsheng tightly. He continued to sink towards the bottom of the lake.

Those books and food, the Night Pearl and the boxes of silver, all sank with him, creating an exceptionally strange scene.

The Night Pearl was not far from him. It illuminated the pitch-black water, letting him see very clearly some of the things that were falling with him.

Those books and food, the Night Pearl and the silver, the various herbs: they were his living, his memories. In other words, they were his life.

Seeing the items, he very easily remembered those days more than ten years ago in Xining Village’s old temple where he recited the Daoist Classics with his senior by the riverside. He remembered the little girl that climbed the wall from the Hundred Herb Garden to the Orthodox Academy. As he sunk towards the bottom of the lake, he thought of many things and many people.

The rich Tang Thirty-Six, the poor Xuanyuan Po, Jin Yulu drinking tea by the gate of the Orthodox Academy, the Pope, Mei Lisha, master, senior, are you still doing okay?

Then he saw a letter and a little trinket, and this made him think of the white crane.

As he continued to sink, it grew colder and colder, and death grew closer and closer. His Qi grew increasingly weak, although judging by his still-open eyes, he seemed very calm.

His eyes were so clean that even in the water, they still gave off the impression of a clear and limpid lake, able to reflect one’s innermost thoughts.

This sort of calmness and cleanliness made those two women feel an unprecedented unease. It was like that first day in which they possessed life and still saw Nanke’s cold and indifferent appearance.

Amongst the items that were sinking to the lake bottom with Chen Changsheng, the brightest was obviously the Night Pearl. They did not notice that behind the radiance of the Night Pearl was a metal ball. Through the gentle movements of the water, the metal ball slowly landed in his palm. He subconsciously drew his fingers together and gripped it tightly.

The extremely faint and elusive sword intent was still in the deepest depths of the lake, seemingly calling him, wanting to him to cut open a path to live. Yet his blood had almost run dry, his Qi was about to disappear. Even if he could perceive it, what use was it? Even if he could grip that metal ball, he had no means of taking out the Yellow Paper Umbrella, so what use was it?

Suddenly, the metal ball fiercely shuddered in his hand, then began to quickly spin.

With a clamor, the scales on the metal ball split open, then with the clashing and rubbing of metal, an umbrella swiftly bloomed in the water, splashing water in all directions.

The Yellow Paper Umbrella was once more in Chen Changsheng’s hand!

Only now did the two women realize, but they were too late.

The Yellow Paper Umbrella began to quickly revolve, stirring up the water. The seemingly dull edge of the umbrella scored countless deep and bloody wounds on the bodies of those two women.

With cries of agony, the two women were jolted apart by that powerful force.

The water at the bottom of the lake stirred once more, and once again it seemed like it was boiling. The Yellow Paper Umbrella brought along the finally unconscious Chen Changsheng as it barreled through the lake like a dragon made of water, breaking open a path. It hurtled swiftly towards some place several li away.

That elusive sword intent was there.

The strand of sword intent had never been calling Chen Changsheng. It had been calling the umbrella!