Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 831 – On a Sleepless Night, Nothing to Do but Follow the Water

Zhexiu looked thoughtfully at the deep pit in the grass.

Chen Changsheng, Nanke, and Guan Feibai walked over. They noticed a few repulsive pieces of gray flesh scattered on the ground, presumably left behind by the monster.

Such a large turmoil in the back garden of the church had naturally alarmed many people. Linghai Zhiwang, An Lin, and the Archbishop of Wenshui, who had just gone to carry out their orders, had quickly rushed back.

Nobody spoke, only looked at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng said, “If I am not wrong, that monster is the Chusu that I asked all of you to investigate just now.”

Linghai Zhiwang asked, “The Longevity Sect?”

Chen Changsheng thought for a while, then replied, “I suspect that it is the result of the previous Sect Master of the Longevity Sect’s Corpse Beheading before he died.”

Linghai Zhiwang and the others were all deeply learned and experienced, so upon hearing the words ‘Corpse Beheading’, they associated it with that insidious Daoist technique Chen Changsheng had mentioned earlier, and their expressions flickered.

Guan Feibai cared more about another question, which he asked to Chen Changsheng. “Chusu? Which two words are those?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “It should be the two words that you’re thinking of.”

When he had heard the name ‘Chusu’ earlier, Guan Feibai had felt that something was strange. The name had made his body inexplicably shiver, and now he finally understood where it had come from. He harshly said, “So it turns out that the Longevity Sect still hasn’t forgotten that old grudge. With just that monster alone, they want to deal with Martial Granduncle?”

Zhexiu said, “This monster has a powerful strength, a pure Daoist technique, an evil Qi, and most troublesome of all are its body of poison, speed, and ability to flee underground. It can appear in our vicinity at any time and assassinate us. It’s extremely terrifying.”

He was the most frightening ambusher and assassin of the snowy plains, and now, even he had admitted the danger this monster presented.

These words cast a silence over them all.

Despite the protection of the Daoist church’s array and Guan Feibai close by, that monster had still managed to silently approach Chen Changsheng and initiate a sinister sneak attack. Even more frightening was that even after receiving powerful blows from Guan Feibai, Nanke, and Zhexiu in succession, the monster had only suffered wounds and not died on the spot.

Although these three people were young, they were some of the strongest and most fearless of the younger generation of cultivators.

This monster was far from enough to deal with Su Li, but if it were hidden amongst the crowd and struck out at a random moment, it would truly be difficult to defend against.

“In the future, everyone should be more careful.”

Chen Changsheng looked to Guan Feibai and cautioned, “Especially you. If you encounter Chusu in the future, don’t lightly resort to those killing moves that exchange wound for wound. Although I’ve never touched it, I can sense that the poison on its body is very troublesome. Even I might not be able to cure it.”

He was referring to how Guan Feibai had earlier been prepared to use the final move of the Mount Li Sword Style to recklessly fight against the monster.

“I’ll be more careful, but what about you? Are you injured?” Guan Feibai looked at Chen Changsheng’s ankles.

Chen Changsheng replied, “I’m fine.”

A few of those black strands had still been on his ankle a few moments ago, but they had withered away and been blown into nothingness by the wind.

Guan Feibai then turned to Nanke and thought, you directly struck against that monster’s body; were you not worried about being poisoned?

Immediately after, he recalled her true identity and understood that he was overthinking things.

The blood of the Surpassing Bird was the most poisonous substance in the world, so how could she be afraid of poison?

Linghai Zhiwang suddenly harshly reprimanded Chen Changsheng. “I also request that Your Holiness be more prudent, avoiding at all costs the previous situation.”

Earlier, Chen Changsheng had sent their group of three off with orders, but he had not had Nanke come to guard him, electing to stand alone in thought by the shore.

In Linghai Zhiwang’s view, this was incredibly unwise and displayed a lack of responsibility to the Orthodoxy’s millions of believers.

Chen Changsheng understood his good intentions and replied, “Do not worry. I still haven’t fully recovered, so was slow to activate my Qi, causing me to fall into such a situation. This won’t happen in the future.”

After saying this, he looked to the opposite shore.

So much noise had been made in the Daoist church, but the opposite shore was still peaceful, with not a single person appearing.

A few barking dogs could be heard in the distance.

The buildings lining the river cast their shadows on the street and water. Who knew what they were concealing?

……

……

Perhaps because the wine of Wenshui City was too authentic, or perhaps because the people often became lazy after basking in the warm light of the sun, Luo Bu did not leave after he finished drinking, but chose to stay the night in the inn behind the restaurant. He slept until late in the night, after which he inexplicably woke up.

He walked into the shadow of the alley next to the restaurant and gazed at the nearby river, wanting to confirm whether his feeling from the daytime had been a misperception or not.

He did not see that clump of water grass, as it had been approaching the opposite shore at that time, seeping through the cracks in the rocks to flow underneath the Daoist church.

He bore witness to everything that happened next.

That monster truly was unexpectedly savage and horrifying. Even he had subconsciously gripped his sword.

He did not attack at the beginning, because he was curious to see Chen Changsheng’s true level.

He did not expect to see his junior brother.

He still did not move, because he trusted in his junior brother.

Of course, this was also because he firmly believed that he still had control over the situation.

Under the starlight, the Wenshui was like a broad belt of silver.

If Chen Changsheng or his junior brother really did encounter a danger that they could not resolve, his sword would naturally go over, disregarding the broadness of the river.

What happened next also took him by surprise.

Chen Changsheng and his junior brother were actually unable to capture or kill that ambushing monster.

This monster actually could travel through the earth, and its speed was quite shocking, allowing it to instantly vanish into the depths of the Wenshui.

All these surprises ultimately made him feel rather helpless.

He had just found himself unable to sleep in the middle of night and gotten up to relieve his boredom, after which he intended to go back for a sound sleep.

In the end, he just had to see such a turmoil, and he had even seen the direction in which the monster ran off.

Thus, he could only follow.

……

……

The monster was in the bottom of the river, hiding himself in the mud and sand to stealthily and silently advance, but he was still moving very fast.

Luo Bu leapt from house to house, borrowing the shade of roofs and the occasional clouds flitting across the sky to conceal his figure. He was similarly silent and very fast.

At the end, he was not able to catch up to the monster, only see through the light ripples in the Wenshui that it had turned into a canal on the right and vanished into an estate.

He took out a charcoal pen and paper, and drew what he had just seen. The stars above the estate and the countless lanterns within all seemed incredibly lifelike.

The estate was truly large. The external appearance of the buildings within was very ordinary, but it could not conceal the aura of nobility.

He then noticed that he was outside the side gate of another estate.

The two estates faced each other across the river, each lit up by countless lanterns. Even in the late night, they did not appear deserted.

He walked into the estate.

Perhaps because the master of this estate was deathly ill and its young master had been imprisoned in the ancestral hall, morale was loose and the guard was not very heavy. From the houses and small courtyards on the perimeter of the estate, the voices of people could occasionally be heard, making the luxurious courtyard in the center seemed much more quiet and secluded.

In the luxurious courtyard, he saw the anxious faces of elderly and loyal servants, the miserable expressions of maids.

Soon after, he heard an argument from the corner gate.

“Clear up your heads! Master is on the verge of death, so who dares to fight with the Second Master?”

“The Pope? This place is the Wenshui Tang clan—they don’t have to give face to anybody!”

“Don’t think that just because the Pope has come, the chief branch has a backer, or why would that prodigal son still be kneeling in the ancestral hall?”