Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 893 – To All the People of the World, I Am Roasting Fish by a Stream

The Imperial Court had made its stance known.

The White Tiger Divine General standing up with those several hundred experts was also a stance, and also incredibly intimidating.

The crowd became somewhat disorderly, with many sects turning to look at their companions around them to know which side they would choose.

Chen Changsheng watched this sight in silence, his thoughts inscrutable.

Hu Thirty-Two also felt that it would be best if the Pope could summon the Black Dragon to clearly explain this matter, but for some reason, the Pope refused to do so. He walked up to Chen Changsheng and softly said, “While protected by South Stream Temple’s sword array, Your Holiness should summon Nanke and escape.”

Chen Changsheng remained silent.

He had not expected that the foreboding he had felt yesterday in front of the stone wall at Holy Maiden Peak’s summit would actually concern himself.

This was truly a terrifying plot. At present, he still could not find any obvious flaws.

He could already tell that this plot was not just about Bie Tianxin’s death. There were more things concealed behind it.

Firstly, that person had succeeded in using the closing of South Stream Temple to disturb his mind and cause him to travel alone, resulting in him falling into today’s encirclement on this plateau. If it had been like in Wenshui City, where he had brought several thousand Orthodoxy cavalry and Linghai Zhiwang and An Lin at his side, treasures of the Orthodoxy in hand, what would he have to fear?

And then that person had used the Black Frost Dragon’s Deep Freeze Dragon Breath to kill Bie Tianxin, causing Bie Yanghong and Wuqiong Bi to firmly believe that the true culprit was the Black Dragon, and that person had known beforehand that he was unable to summon Zhizhi to give her account. As a result, Bie Yanghong and Wuqiong Bi confirmed that he was the schemer of this assassination, creating the current situation.

Only Divine Domain experts like Bie Yanghong and Wuqiong Bi, grief-stricken over the death of their son, would dare to attack the Pope. And it was only in this situation that the Prince of Xiang and the Imperial Court would have sufficient excuse, resulting in his being surrounded.

Yes, it was not that Chen Changsheng was unwilling to summon Zhizhi, but that he could not summon her.

When Bie Yanghong stretched out his right hand and he saw those grains of ice imbued with the Deep Freeze Dragon Breath, he had already attempted to communicate with her through the connection in their souls.

But no message came back.

Based on their plan and the time that had passed, Zhizhi should be in White Emperor City and was probably not in danger.

But at this moment, he could only sense that she was still alive. He could not communicate with her, much less summon her to Holy Maiden Peak.

This was clearly a part of the actual schemer’s meticulous preparations, which had seemingly calculated everything he could possibly do.

Just who was this person?

Chen Changsheng looked at the Prince of Xiang and the White Tiger Divine General, as well as those blue-clothed Daoists and experts of the Imperial Court, and thought, the instigator of this is not Master, but Master must have known of this matter, and was deeply involved. But… does Master really want me to die this much? Does he still want me to die so badly?

It now appeared that this was truly his last chance to leave.

But he could not leave, as he could not leave those South Stream Temple disciples standing in front of him to struggle alone. He had promised Xu Yourong that he would help her protect Holy Maiden Peak.

The plateau was deathly still.

The White Tiger Divine General gazed impassively at him from the distance.

Those blue-clothed Daoists from the Monastery of Eternal Spring were also impassively watching him.

Several hundred experts of the Imperial Court and various sects were also gazing impassively at him.

The Prince of Xiang was impassively looking at him.

Wuqiong Bi was impassively looking at him.

Everyone was impassively gazing at him.

It seemed like time had frozen, the clouds, mountains, trees, and cliffs losing all color and vitality.

The mood on the plateau was incredibly oppressive and tense.

“Senior Brother, what should we do?”

Bai Cai looked at the surrounding crowd and nervously asked.

He did not know Chen Changsheng, much less that evil dragon of legend, so he naturally wasn’t willing to step up. However, as a disciple of the Mount Li Sword Sect, he naturally wanted to protect his martial sisters of South Stream Temple. At the moment, almost everyone on the plateau was standing opposed to Chen Changsheng and South Stream Temple, so what could Mount Li do with its small group?

Gou Hanshi looked at the nervous disciples of South Stream Temple and said, “If something unforeseen occurs, we naturally have to unsheathe our swords and assist.”

All the evidence available pointed to Chen Changsheng, but Gou Hanshi had never once thought that Chen Changsheng would really kill Bie Tianxin, because he knew that Chen Changsheng was not that sort of person.

Bai Cai thought that he understood his senior brother’s meaning. His right hand rested on his hilt as he gravely said, “Be at ease, Senior Brother. Even if I give up my life, I will protect our martial sisters.”

Gou Hanshi said, “I was talking about His Holiness.”

Bai Cai was shocked. He looked to him and asked, “Then… what would Eldest Brother think?”

“If Senior Brother were here, he would do the same.”

Gou Hanshi added, “Of course, Senior Brother’s intelligence far surpasses yours or mine. If he were here, he might have already found a method to resolve this matter.”

……

……

The situation on the plateau was extremely tense and was highly likely to fall into a bitter and chaotic battle. However, this had no effect on the other places of Holy Maiden Peak.

At the foot of Holy Maiden Peak was a stream with water so clear that one could see the bottom. Two people were currently seated on a stone at the stream’s edge, roasting and eating fish. The slightly scorched aroma of the cooked fish drifted very far, attracting the cries of several birds and causing a few nearby shrubs to rustle.

The Qiushan clan head took a stick of roast fish and gave it a thorough examination. Upon confirming that it was not drugged, he took a bite.

“Why’d you take the trouble to come? You must know that if you miss such a good chance today, you really will incur the wrath of the heavens.”

He looked at the person sitting by the fire and said, “You banished yourself for five years already. If you don’t do something now, and let things continue like this, the world will only know of Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng. They won’t possibly remember the name of Qiushan Jun.”

The man roasting fish was Qiushan Jun, and also Luo Bu of Sloping Cliff Horse Farm.

After leaving Wenshui City, he had returned to Mount Li. Under the fierce implorations of his junior sister, he had finally shaved off all of his beard, revealing his true face.

It was very difficult to describe Qiushan Jun’s face. To put it briefly, even the Qiushan clan head would have some second thoughts every time he saw the son that was his pride, often wondering, how did I father such a handsome son?

Qiushan Jun took out the second roast fish and took a satisfied bite. In a somewhat muffled voice, he said, “It’s not like I live so that I can be remembered by others.”

The Qiushan clan head snapped back, “Then go into seclusion. What are you doing here?”

Qiushan Jun chuckled but said nothing.

The Qiushan clan head became even angrier at this, saying, “If I hadn’t come specially to stop you, you would probably already be on the mountain.”

Qiushan Jun said, “It’s presumably quite exciting on the mountain. I just want to take a look.”

The Qiushan clan head grumbled, “Do you really think that you can trick your father? You just want to help Chen Changsheng break out of this trap. Really, how did I, a selfish and crafty person with a mind full of evil tricks, manage to father a fellow like you, so moral, warm-hearted and high-minded?”

Qiushan Jun couldn’t help but laugh, and replied, “Father, these words are truly interesting.”

The Qiushan clan head angrily replied, “Don’t you go worrying about what’s interesting and not interesting. Just tell me if what I say is right or wrong.”

“Correct, I truly was prepared to go up the mountain and end that scheme.”

Qiushan Jun explained, “Because I think the person who made that scheme is insulting my intelligence.”