Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Returning to the courtyard, Yu Ren made more food. After first eating his fill, he prepared several more lunchboxes and then walked once more into the Mausoleum of Books.

When he reached the straight path heading into the Mausoleum of Books, he suddenly changed his mind and turned right.

The weather was bright and sunny and the mountain mausoleum had many people. He had just met with them, and now if he were to meet them again, it would be a little too close. Moreover, if they met again, would that mean they were acquaintances? Or perhaps acquaintances that weren't acquainted with each other? Then if he were to just nod his head in greeting, might he be taken as lacking in courtesy?

These questions were very troublesome and Yu Ren was not very skilled in handling them, so he decided to enter the Mausoleum of Books through another path.

He had no idea of the saying known by the vast majority of this world's cultivators, that there was only one path into the Mausoleum of Books.

In the lush mountain forests, he made many attempts, but he still did not succeed. Because of the difficulties presented by his legs, he also fell a few times. His body was covered in grass and pine needles, making him look rather miserable.

He was somewhat helpless as he thought, how come I can't find another path?

Then, he saw a path on the mountain. This path was paved with white stones, like white jade under the sunlight.

This path was very straight and also extended straight towards the peak of the Mausoleum of Books.

Yu Ren happily walked towards that path. When he got close, however, he felt rather strange, as there was not a single person on that mountain path.

This mountain was the straightest path in the Mausoleum of Books and was also the closest path, so why was no one walking it?

Could it be that the monolith viewers wanted to hone their wills and so deliberately did not take this shortcut?

Thinking of this possibility and then thinking about the happiness he had felt upon seeing the straight mountain path, Yu Ren felt somewhat ashamed.

But he glanced at his leg and thought to himself, in the end, I'm still different from the average person, so maybe taking the shortcut isn't too shameful an action?

Blushing somewhat, he leaned against his walking stick and walked towards the mountain path.

With his legs, crossing those clear and shallow canals was truly troublesome. After only walking up to the start of the mountain path, he felt somewhat tired. Thankfully, there was a pavilion here where he could rest for a while.

Walking under the pavilion, he saw a statue of bronze, covered all over in dust and rust. He thought, if Junior Brother saw this, he would feel very unwell.

This was referring to Chen Changsheng's obsession with cleanliness.

Yu Ren glanced at the ramrod-straight mountain path and thought to himself, it will definitely require a lot of energy to climb it, so it might be better to first rest and store up enough energy. Thus, he sat down by the bronze statue.

But he was somewhat uncomfortable. Since he had grown up together with Chen Changsheng, the two had influenced each other, and so he had a slight obsession with cleanliness as well.

He fell into thought, then took out a handkerchief from his sleeve. Walking to a small pool on the side, he lowered his body with difficulty and soaked the handkerchief. He returned to the bronze statue and began to carefully clean it.

He had just wiped the left arm of the bronze statue clean when he suddenly heard a voice come out of the statue's armor.

This voice was very low and not at all loud. It was unable to travel very far, but in his ears, it was like a clap of thunder.

"It's fine if you just wipe the helmet a bit."

The autumn wind rippled the clear waters in the canals and carried away the dust on the armor. The pavilion was extremely quiet.

Yu Ren stared at the bronze statue in a daze for a long time, thinking in shock, it's actually alive!

……

……

When Chen Changsheng first entered the capital, he had no understanding of the world's common sense. Yu Ren had grown up with him, so he was also naturally awful in this aspect.

He did not know that this ramrod-straight mountain path was the Divine Path and that besides the Tianhai Divine Empress and the Pope, no person could step upon it.

He also did not know that this statue of a general under the pavilion was not a statue, but a real general, the number one Divine General of the continent who had guarded the mausoleum for more than six centuries, Han Qing.

However, he at least now knew that this statue was a living person, and judging by the dust and rust on his armor, this person had probably been sitting here for a very long time.

To sit here for such a long time, could he not be bored? Yu Ren did not like dealing with other people, and was not skilled at dealing with them, but he asked himself honestly and concluded that if he couldn't see a single person for many years, he would still find it very dull. Besides that, there was still one very important question: this person had been eternally sitting here, so how did he eat?

Thinking of the question of eating, he subconsciously took out a lunchbox and placed it in front of the armor, gesturing to ask, is Sir hungry?

No voice came from the armor.

Yu Ren considered his options, then made a few more complex gestures, their meaning asking, what if I go and cook Sir a bowl of noodle soup?

A voice came from the armor. "Placing it here is fine. In addition, you cannot walk this Divine Path."

Yu Ren left the lunchbox on the ground, bowed, gave an unwilling glance at the Divine Path, then hobbled away with his walking stick.

Not long after he left, the autumn wind once more descended over the shallow canals and pavilion, carrying away the dust in the chinks of the armor.

Two deep eyes, weathered by the vicissitudes of time, lit up within the depths of the helmet.

Han Qing opened his eyes.

Then, he closed his eyes.

A lunchbox was quietly placed on the ground before him.

……

……

Following the original path and returning to the Heavenly Tome Monolith he did not know the number of, Yu Ren continued to view the monoliths.

Perhaps because this Heavenly Tome Monolith was too abstruse and difficult to understand, or perhaps because he was thinking about certain matters, he stood in front of this monolith for a very long time.

All the way until the dead of the night, he was still standing there.

He was somewhat hungry when a small drizzle began to fall from the night sky.

He moved into the monolith hut, took out the remaining lunchbox and placed it on the Heavenly Tome Monolith, and began to eat.

This rain was not copious, but the sound of it was rather vexing.

Yu Ren tidied up the lunchbox and leaned against the Heavenly Tome Monolith, looking out.

This place was already high up in the Mausoleum of Books. After his eyes pierced through the thin curtain of rain, he could see the lights of the capital.

Perhaps because it was too late at night, the lanterns of many houses were already extinguished, making the capital seem rather gloomy.

Yu Ren once more felt concerned over Chen Changsheng.

He believed that his master could assuredly resolve any problems his junior brother encountered, but what about his illness?

Suddenly, he sensed something and turned to a certain place in the darkness. He slightly creased his brow, not understanding what this feeling was.

There were no stars at that place, but a high platform.

The Dew Platform.

……

……

There was a person on the Dew Platform.

The Tianhai Divine Empress clasped her hands behind her and stood on the edge of the platform, quietly gazing into the night sky.

Tonight, many clouds suddenly drifted over the capital, seeming like an even deeper darkness. It was naturally not possible to see the stars.

But that darkness and those clouds could not obstruct her eyes.

Just like how the light emitted by the Night Pearls and the drizzle descending from the sky could not stain her body.

Her beautiful face had a somewhat solemn expression because she could clearly sense that the Heavenly Dao had changed.

Was that fate?

Her Fated Star was high up in the distant sky, a faint shadow cast over it.

Perhaps because her other Fated Star was now in the capital.

This was the baneful star upon her fate.

What should she do?

Wave her sleeve to obscure that star's light?

But what use would that be?

If she really did do this, in the future, it would be very difficult to truly obtain victory over the Heavenly Dao.

But if she did not do this, could she obtain victory over the Heavenly Dao right now?

……

……

Chen Changsheng knew that his time was growing short.

This time, it truly was growing short.

In order to kill Zhou Tong, he had paid dearly. His blood was at this very moment flowing into his internal organs, his meridians fractured into utter chaos. The layer of Sacred Light Xu Yourong had cast over his body was growing thinner and thinner, fainter and fainter. At any moment, he might send off to the world's beings a fantastic temptation, and at that moment, he might die.

How much time was left? One day or two days? One song or one cup of tea?

He had no second thoughts. Rising from the bed, he took out the Yellow Paper Umbrella and jumped out of the window.

Tang Thirty-Six, Zhexiu and the others had not slept. They were standing guard outside his room and in the trees, but they could not prevent him from leaving. Even if Zhexiu in the great banyan tree had sensed him leaving, he probably would have granted him his final freedom. As a wolf youth that had grown up in the desolate and bloody snowy plains, he knew that death should be a tranquil affair.

The drizzling rain landed upon the Yellow Paper Umbrella without a sound, a gentle and humid rain.

He propped up the umbrella and entered the dense forest by the lake, and then doubled back. It didn't take too long before he reached the outer wall.

Deep within the dense forest was a door that led directly to the Imperial Palace.

On this wall was a door that Luoluo had her subordinates construct.

However, he did not use either of these doors because he could not guarantee that the people within the Imperial Palace or the people sent by his martial uncle the Pope were not standing guard by these doors.

He glanced at the old walls completely covered in moss and lightly jumped over.

After this year's spring winds and autumn rains, the Hundred Herb Garden that had once been completely plundered by him and Tang Thirty-Six was now brimming with life once more. Many precious medicinal herbs and spirit fruits quietly watched him from their orchards and branches, waiting for him to pick them. However, he displayed a single-minded focus and ventured further in.

His final destination was the Imperial Palace.

He wanted to confirm Xu Yourong's safety.

He wanted to meet the Tianhai Divine Empress, to ask her a few things. He wanted to ask her if those things were true, if she really was his mother, and then…and then it would be enough.

He still had Su Li's letter in his bosom, five Heavenly Tome Monoliths as stone pearls on his wrist, and the Garden of Zhou.

But he was not prepared to do anything in the Imperial Palace, it truly was enough. What schemes, what general situation, what righteous cause, what war between the humans and demons? To someone about to die like him, what importance did these hold? And just who would be so heartless to ask him to do anything more at this time?

He just wanted to know a few things, and then he would quietly depart.

No person could decide how they would come to this world, but when leaving, anyone would hope to be clear-minded.

Many people had said these words before, as had he, so he should do it.

But he did not enter the Imperial Palace.

Because deep within the forest of the Hundred Herb Garden, he saw a scene he had once seen before.

There was a stone table in the forest. An iron teapot was placed on the table, with two teacups sitting next to it. Judging by the color of the tea in the cup, the tea brewed today was most likely white tea.

The person drinking the tea was still the middle-aged woman.

Seeing her calm expression, Chen Changsheng was somewhat surprised.