Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Mo Yu said indifferently, "In the end, it all depends on your own decision. If you're asking for my opinion, you winning over her is best. Anyhow, I find her unpleasant to the eye."

Chen Changsheng was rather puzzled. "I remember you saying that you were very good friends with her."

"Between friends is when it's easiest to find each other unpleasant."

Mo Yu turned and walked out of the library.

While Chen Changsheng and Mo Yu were speaking, Tang Thirty-Six had kept his silence. Only after her figure had disappeared from the library did he walk up to Chen Changsheng and stare him in the eyes without saying anything.

"You're also rather scary this way," Chen Changsheng commented.

Tang Thirty-Six continued to stare into his eyes. "Everyone says that the eyes are the window into the soul. I really want to see just how much more you're hiding from us."

"What did I hide from you?"

"How did I not know that you were so familiar with Grand Lady Mo?"

Chen Changsheng didn't know how to explain.

The two belonged to different factions but were privately in touch…but this was a minor concern. The most important was that the reason he and Mo Yu knew each other was impossible to speak about. No matter how lofty Mo Yu's status, she was still a beautiful woman and her reputation was important. He couldn't just tell the entire world that the fairy-like Lady Mo Yu would climb onto his bed and sleep whenever she wasn't busy…

"Chen Changsheng, you're pretty good." Tang Thirty-Six sighed, "Your sheath is the divine artifact of the Li Palace, the Vault Sheath, your sword will also become one of the famous objects on the Tier of Legendary Weapons, your fiancée is Xu Yourong, you have a female student in Luoluo, and now you even have some sort of fuzzy relationship with the Grand Lady Mo beloved by all men of the Great Zhou…"

Chen Changsheng seriously said, "I have to clear this up, I haven't even touched her hand before."

Tang Thirty-Six's expression showed that he clearly didn't believe this, but in the next moment, he became very stern. He said gravely to him, "Keep your distance from her."

Chen Changsheng understood his meaning and nodded his head.

Tang Thirty-Six advised, "Remember my words, this woman isn't simple and her temperament is merciless. Even if you're doing business, you shouldn't choose her."

Chen Changsheng recalled the Mo Yu that had imprisoned him in the Tong Palace and nodded his head once more.

And then he thought of the Black Dragon in the depths of the Tong Palace, how he had been too busy recently and that it had already been quite a few days since he had last been to New North Bridge.

"Tonight, there's something I have to go out for," he said to Tang Thirty-Six.

Tang Thirty-Six sneered at him, "See, this is yet another secret."

Chen Changsheng laughed but said nothing more.

Shoulder to shoulder, the pair walked out of the library, when suddenly Tang Thirty-Six said, "In the future, I won't blame you for that matter anymore."

Confused, Chen Changsheng looked at him and asked, "What matter?"

"Last year in the inn, I wanted to hold your sword, but you didn't let me. This matter always made me very unhappy…now that I think about it, I had only just got to know you back then. It makes sense for you to be a little cautious."

That head manager from the Pavilion of Divination had just ascertained the worth of Chen Changsheng's sword. Tang Thirty-Six thought to himself, if it were me, I would also treat this sword as a precious treasure and not easily show it to others.

Chen Changsheng was dazed for a few moments before finally recalling that old matter. Shaking his head, he said, "You were holding a bit too much of a grudge."

Tang Thirty-Six perked his straight eyebrows as he said, "Did you know that the stars the demons can see where they live are much less than what we can see?"

This fact was recorded in the Daoist Canon. Moreover, it wasn't too long ago that Chen Changsheng had returned from the snowy plains, so he was very aware of this fact and nodded his head.

"At night, our sky is covered all over with stars, but it's different over there. There are some places where the stars are densely packed and others where they're very sparse. The stars close to each other form a picture."

"I know. Nanke's Southern Cross Sword was realized from the two of rivers of stars in their night sky."

"The river of stars is very broad and vast. What we're going to talk about is something within the river of stars."

"What thing?"

"The demons will take differently shaped combinations of stars and call them constellations. Those born at different times of the year will belong to different constellations and possess their own special characteristics."

"And then?"

"If I were born on the demons' side, then based on my date of birth, I should be under the Heavenly Scorpion Constellation."

Chen Changsheng halted his steps. He recalled that the Daoist Scriptures really did record this sort of information, but he didn't understand why Tang Thirty-Six had so suddenly brought it up. It must be known that the demons and humans had always had different cultural contexts. Moreover, in their own territories, the idols and objects of veneration of one side would become taboos of the other side.

"Right, that head manager of the Pavilion of Divination…" He paused in confusion because he realized that he couldn't quite remember what that head manager looked like.

The sword had been viewed just a few moments ago and his memory had always been good. How could he forget the appearance of a person he had just met?

Tang Thirty-Six didn't hear any further questions about constellations and was feeling somewhat frustrated, but upon hearing Chen Changsheng's words, he also couldn't help but be stunned.

He realized that he had also forgotten the appearance of that head manager. It was so bad that as time passed, the memory of that period of time was becoming fainter and fainter!

Not everything about that period was becoming faint, only matters concerning that head manager. He even had a feeling that when they were viewing the sword in the library, only he, Chen Changsheng and Mo Yu had been in the library.

He and Chen Changsheng looked each other in the eyes, each able to see the unease and fear in the other's eyes.

Was a head manager of the Pavilion of Divination this powerful?

Just who was that head manager?

Just…who was he?

Upon leaving the Orthodox Academy, the head manager did not wait for Mo Yu but headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

The one who greeted him at the gate was that elderly chief eunuch.

That chief eunuch's face carried a faint arrogance. Whether it was the chief imperial bodyguard or other palace eunuchs bowing to him, he would only let out a ‘hmph’ from his nose. He would naturally not speak to this head manager.

No one noticed that in the depths of the palace when no one was around, the cold pride on that chief eunuch's face utterly vanished. As he whispered to that head manager, his bearing even seemed rather humble.

In this continent, there were not more than ten people who could make this chief eunuch act so humbly.

In the secular world, a head manager of the Pavilion of Divination was naturally an important personage, but he would definitely not rank within these ten people.

So the truth was very simple: this old man was not a head manager of the Pavilion of Divination.

Although he truly did come from the Pavilion of Divination.

In a desolate palace hall, the Divine Empress met with this old man.

Even she acted very respectfully towards this old man. She invited him to sit first and then sat down.

At this point, the old man's identity was on the verge of being disclosed.

This conversation of theirs concluded very quickly because the Divine Empress and this old man from the Pavilion of Divination only spoke three sentences in total.

Two of these sentences were spoken by the old man.

"His surname is Chen."

"I cannot make out how old he is."

Upon hearing these two sentences, the Divine Empress fell silent for a very long time. She then calmly said to the old man, "It's been difficult. The scenery at Mount Feiya is not bad. In the future, if I have the chance, I will pay a visit."

The old man nodded his head, then stood up and left the Imperial Palace.

At this time, the hot tea on the table had just been served and steam still rose up from the cups.

The Divine Empress gazed at the steam above the teacup. She was in a quiet trance, thinking about something.

Mount Feiya was a famous mountain on the coast of the Western Sea. It encompassed an area several hundred li in circumference. Its scenery was quiet and beautiful. It was said that when the weather was at its best, one could stand at its highest point and be able to faintly make out the Horn of the White Deer of the Great Western Continent.

This famed mountain had once belonged to the south and it had also been occupied by the Great Western Continent. In the past two centuries, it was actually the territory of the Great Zhou, but this fact had not obtained the recognition of all powers. As a result, Mount Feiya was nominally ownerless.

The Divine Empress had said that if she had the opportunity, she would go to Mount Feiya to visit. Her meaning was that from this day forward, the Great Zhou was no longer Mount Feiya's owner.

Today, Mount Feiya changed owners.

This famed mountain by the sea was the price she had paid to invite this old man to the capital.

For this, the old man needed only a glance.

Of course, he wasn't looking at the sword, but at a person.

Even if the Stainless Sword was a divine weapon to be recorded in the Tier of Legendary Weapons, how could it be worth the price of Mount Feiya?

What was truly worth this price was Chen Changsheng.

The Divine Empress gazed in silence at the gradually dispersing steam, thinking of those two sentences the old man had left behind.

Chen Changsheng was definitely surnamed Chen.

The old man said his surname was Chen, his meaning being that he was of the Chen Imperial clan.

Many people knew that Chen Changsheng was sixteen this year.

The old man said that he couldn't make out how old he was, indicating that he could possibly be less than sixteen or even older.

The Divine Empress stood up and walked out of the hall.

With a sweep of her sleeve, the steam coming from the tea instantly vanished. The tea in the cup had become ice.

Walking out of the hall, she clasped her hands behind her and gazed somewhat proudly at the small pool before her.

But it was a mystery what she was thinking about.

The water in the pool was very green and very calm. As the night breeze swept across it, countless patterns appeared on its surface.

She stood by the pool for a very long time, from morning to twilight and then on to the descent of darkness.

The pool suddenly began to bubble as if something was about to emerge from below.