Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 601 – Standing in the Light

Tang Thirty-Six opened the letter and looked it over. He realized that Chen Changsheng had heard that sentence of his from a while ago and was worried that he would stir up trouble, so he had written this explanation. In this letter, he said that his injuries were not at all serious, but they required long-term treatment from Xu Yourong’s Sacred Light technique. Moreover, Xu Yourong was still a young woman, so her somewhat overdoing things was to be expected.

These explanations were all reasonable but were wholly incapable of convincing Tang Thirty-Six. However, on the journey back to the capital, he had no plans to stir any trouble and so was prepared to have Ye Xiaolian bring back his reply to Chen Changsheng. To his surprise, he found that this female disciple of South Stream Temple had a rather unkind expression, those eyes fixed upon him seeming to want nothing more than to eat him alive.

Two years ago on the Divine Avenue of the Li Palace, he had once unleashed a torrent of abuse upon this disciple of Holy Maiden Peak, making her cry endless bitter tears. To him, that had only been a very trivial matter, almost forgotten by him. Only when Chen Changsheng had brought it up again did he recall this incident and match her up with that little girl from two years ago.

“Please don’t give me that look. Back then, you were the one to stir up trouble, so my actions were just reasonable self-defense.”

Tang Thirty-Six said firmly to Ye Xiaolian, “The one who provokes is the lowly one. I hope you can agree with this principle.”

Putting aside the fact that there existed no such principle as this in the world, when speaking about the word ‘lowly’, it was truly very difficult to find a person that surpassed him in this aspect.

Ye Xiaolian was keenly aware of this point and naturally would not respond. She just continued staring.

Tang Thirty-Six lowered his head and began to write his reply, commenting, “Recently, it seems that all of you South Stream Temple disciples seem very irritated.”

Ye Xiaolian thought, anyone who saw the Holy Maiden so diligently care for Chen Changsheng in the past few days would not be in any sort of good mood.

Tang Thirty-Six hastily composed a reply and placed the letter in her hands. Seeing her expression, he guessed what she was thinking and said, “He’s injured after all, you shouldn’t be too petty.”

Ye Xiaolian could no longer hold back, replying, “If he’s injured we can also take care of him, but why does the temple master insist on personally doing it?”

Tang Thirty-Six thought, this is also something that I and Zhexiu can’t understand. However, he wouldn’t say this aloud to her, so he replied, “They have an engagement, so it’s naturally more convenient.”

Ye Xiaolian seriously corrected, “They once had an engagement. The engagement has already been annulled, and by Chen Changsheng himself.”

……

……

“Anyone who saw this would think that they were a loving couple. They would find it impossible to imagine that the engagement between the two of them had long been annulled.”

Mao Qiuyu and Linghai Zhiwang stood in the grass by the road, watching the imperial carriage in front of them.

Linghai Zhiwang glanced at Mao Qiuyu, wanting to ask whether his sudden statement had any deeper meaning behind it.

Mao Qiuyu looked back at him and calmly replied, “The current situation is extremely clear. The Holy Maiden will probably be married off to Chen Changsheng. Has your side made the preparations?”

Linghai Zhiwang said nothing, his expression somewhat gloomy. At this level, there was naturally no one who dared to demand anything from Xu Yourong in terms of the mundane standards of obedience expected from a wife to her husband. However, if Xu Yourong truly did marry Chen Changsheng, there was also no reason to continue treating him as an enemy. As he thought about the change in Xu Yourong’s attitude that had occurred in Mount Han, he felt a little cold.

For many years, Holy Maiden Peak had been the Divine Empress’s ally in the south. When the Divine Empress pushed the confluence of the north and south, she had received a great deal of assistance from the previous Holy Maiden. Taken together with the well-known fact that the Divine Empress regarded Xu Yourong as her own daughter, anyone would think that this situation would not change for a very long time.

But if the current Holy Maiden was truly married off to Chen Changsheng? Would Holy Maiden Peak continue to support the Divine Empress?

……

……

Just as Xu Yourong had said, the ten thousand li journey from Mount Han to the capital was very peaceful and no problems were encountered.

Under the company of the multitudinous stars in the night sky, a convoy of several dozen carriages entered the capital. That red flower which had been swaying about in the plains for a very long time noiselessly vanished, while that man in the bamboo hat even further away had gone off to some high mountain to once more appreciate the stars.

After entering the capital, the convoy did not disperse. It did not go to the Orthodox Academy, not to the Imperial Palace, not to the Divine General of the East’s estate, but instead, the entire convoy went to the Li Palace.

Mao Qiuyu and Linghai Zhiwang stood under the pines and cypresses lining the Divine Avenue. They did not gaze at each other, but simultaneously gazed towards the end of the Divine Avenue.

Other than these two, people like Tang Thirty-Six and the others did not even have a chance to step upon the Divine Avenue.

Xu Yourong pushed the wheelchair-bound Chen Changsheng up the Divine Avenue, all the way towards that serene palace hall in the deepest depths of the Li Palace.

The Pope stood at the stone steps in front of the hall to welcome them.

This was respect towards the Orthodoxy’s southern faction aligned with Holy Maiden Peak and also because he was deeply concerned.

Chen Changsheng sat upon the wheelchair, a blanket of gray wool draped over his shoulders. He looked very much like an invalid.

In reality, his complexion was very good and seemingly brimming with vigor. He looked very healthy, totally unlike an invalid.

Seeing the Pope standing in front of the palace hall, Xu Yourong did not find it strange. Without taking her two hands off the wheelchair, she bowed.

Chen Changsheng said to her, “I have some things to say to Martial Uncle. Go to someplace else and wait for me.”

After a moment of silence, Xu Yourong ultimately did not reject his decision and walked off towards a nearby hall.

The priests standing guard outside the palace knew her identity and naturally did not dare to obstruct her. Their eyes understandably showing some shock, they bowed and scattered to inform the others.

Xu Yourong paid no attention to their gazes and expressionlessly walked into the hall.

This palace hall was exceptionally tall and lofty, grand to the extreme. Carved upon its stone walls were countless stories from the classics of the Daoist Canon, as well as many sculptures of past worthies.

This was the great hall of the Orthodoxy: the Great Hall of Light.

The Orthodoxy was separated into a northern and southern faction. The northern faction paid respects to the Pope while the southern faction treated the Holy Maiden as leader. In these countless years, the open struggles and secret battles between the two factions had produced countless stories. Later on, the situation gradually settled down and several Holy Maidens of the south had even paid visits to the capital. As both factions still had the same origin, it was only right that the Holy Maidens dwell in the Li Palace, but since there were differences between the north and south, none of them had ever stepped into the Great Hall of Light.

When Xu Yourong was small, she often played around in the Imperial Palace and the Li Palace, and she had even sneaked into the Great Hall of Light to play hide and seek.

But she was now Holy Maiden of the south, and stepping into the Great Hall of Light carried a completely different meaning.

When Daoist Siyuan heard the news, he quickly hurried over with several cardinals and a reverential attitude, wishing to show her around.

“You don’t have to worry about me, I just wish to quietly compose myself here,” Xu Yourong said.

Daoist Siyuan and those cardinals were all speechless, thinking, if my lady only wishes for silence, what need is there to do it here?

Could my lady not realize the shock that would be brought about if the world were to know that the Holy Maiden of the south has finally stepped into the Great Hall of Light?

Xu Yourong said no more. She only held her hands behind her and quietly stood below the altar, examining those thirty-some-zhang murals on the wall, pondering something.

Helpless, Daoist Siyuan could only bring the cardinals out of the Great Hall of Light and wait outside.

Even though it was late in the night, the Great Hall of Light was still brightly lit, with countless gentle rays of light exuding from the pillars, wall, and sculptures.

Xu Yourong stood in the light. Perhaps because those rays of light were too bright, her face was rather pale.