Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 914 – Thoughts Are Easy to Guard, but Not the Heart

Huai Shu looked at Huai Bi and angrily said, “Why aren’t you quickly releasing Senior Sister!”

Xu Yourong’s gaze suddenly shifted to Huai Bi’s face.

Huai Bi felt like two blazing rays of light had appeared in front of her as her view was engulfed by a blinding radiance.

With a bang, a gale howled through the cottage, causing the white thatch to sway. Wings of fire, ten-some zhang in length, occupied everyone’s gazes.

Xu Yourong had revealed the body of the true Phoenix!

Infinite light spread in all directions while the temperature rapidly climbed, the thatched cottage seemingly on the verge of blazing.

Huai Bi felt an unimaginable pressure. In her wrath, she retreated, but she did not let Huai Ren go.

Suddenly, Huai Ren’s face went ghastly white and she vomited a mouthful of crimson blood!

Huai Bi slightly froze, lowering her head to look as she felt a hint of wariness.

But it was already too late.

Huai Ren’s seemingly thin and fragile body exploded with a vigorous power, so pure that it seemed to have been washed in the south stream for several centuries!

The frigid black sword was sent flying.

Huai Bi felt like a green mountain had smashed into her stomach. With a roar, she quickly retreated backward.

Huai Ren turned around, her figure like smoke and also like the fragrance of a flower as she attacked.

Her hands descended, seemingly subdued, but also imbued with the purest principles of the world, absolutely unavoidable.

Ten-some light pops echoed through the flowering trees of South Stream Temple.

These were the sounds of Huai Ren’s finger pressing upon Huai Bi.

There was a thump, the howling of wind, and then it all gradually dissipated.

A pit, three feet deep, had appeared amongst the trees of South Stream Temple.

Huai Bi stood in the bottom of this pit, her face pale and body drenched in blood.

“How is this possible?”

She somewhat crazily muttered to herself.

Huai Ren calmly stood in front of her. “Know what it is to be male, protect what it means to be female, thus allowing one to become the Worldstream. Junior Sister, you’ve never managed to learn this finger technique correctly.” (TN: This saying originates from the first line of Chapter 28 of the ‘Daodejing’.)

Huai Bi shrieked and turned to leave.

With a rush of wind, a figure descended like thunder and slammed against her.

Huai Bi gasped in pain as she crashed amongst the trees.

The figure walked out. It was the fiery Huai Shu.

There was not only fragrance amongst the flowering trees, but also sword intent.

Ten-some sword intents rose with an intimidating aura.

Huai Bi let out yowl after yowl. Her body suddenly fell, finally unable to endure as she was forced back by the sword glows.

Flowers fell, forming a burial mound.

She fell back into the pit.

Her left arm had been severed and her body was covered in wounds from which blood dripped. She was in a most miserable state.

She looked at Huai Ren and arduously crawled forward. With a sob in her voice, she called out, “Senior Sister, spare me.”

Huai Ren quietly gazed at her, saying nothing.

Those sobs tinged with pain gradually faded, a symbol of her despair.

Huai Ren thought quietly for a very long time. Finally, she turned to Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng in the cottage, bowed, then left.

Huai Shu glanced at the bottom of the pit and then followed.

The disciples of South Stream Temple entered the pit and dragged Huai Bi out and to the back of the plateau.

Huai Bi imagined the miserable fate she would soon meet. A life of imprisonment was truly worse than death, and she became filled with endless hatred. She hissed, “The venerable Daoist will save me! When the time comes, not one of you whores will have a good end! I’ll have you kneel and beg me for your lives!”

The disciples looked at each other, not knowing what they should do. After all, she was their martial grandaunt, so no matter how angry they were, it was not appropriate for them to respond.

Huai Bi continued to curse, her words becoming more unpleasant, her endless obscenities of the most insidious nature.

Tang Thirty-Six and Zhexiu were standing in a pavilion near the cottage. They couldn’t help but shake their heads at this sight.

At this moment, Xu Yourong glanced at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng froze, then glanced at Tang Thirty-Six.

Tang Thirty-Six sighed, “Truly a fine couple of…”

Then, he glanced at Zhexiu.

A chill wind stirred, making the fallen leaves on the pavilion dance without rest.

Zhexiu arrived amongst the flowering trees. There was a zing, and then the Demon Commander Sword flew through the air, shining with a gloomy light.

Huai Bi’s venomous curses suddenly stopped. She gripped her bleeding throat, and her eyes filled with disbelief as she slowly collapsed.

……

……

Twilight in the mountains came much faster than it did on the plains.

It was still rather early in the day, but the sun was already near the line sketched out on the horizon by the unbroken mountains. Its light was somewhat dim and the blossoming trees seemed ablaze.

On the mountain path in front of South Stream Temple, Ping Xuan, Yi Chen, and a hundred-some of their direct disciples were sending off their martial grandaunts Huai Ren and Huai Shu. Though rather far away, it was still possible to hear the sounds of sobbing, and the atmosphere was a depressed one of mourning.

“I didn’t think that this martial aunt was so powerful.”

Chen Changsheng stood at the edge of the cliff, watching that scene in the distance.

Earlier, when Huai Bi launched her sudden attack in the thatched cottage, she had used the Divine Finger of the Worldstream to seal off Huai Ren’s meridians and Ethereal Palace. No one had expected that Huai Ren’s personality was many times fiercer than it normally appeared, and her cultivation even more unfathomable. She had forcefully stimulated her true essence and spiritual sense to break her restrictions and easily capture Huai Bi. With just a single move, she had stripped Huai Bi of any ability to fight back.

The Divine Finger of the Worldstream that she used was at a far higher level than Huai Bi’s, indescribably profound and tinged with a transcendent aura, even vaguely divine. If she were unwilling to obey Xu Yourong’s will and leave, and relied on just her cultivation to resist, it would be very difficult to know just how today would have ended.

“My South Stream Temple has countless years of history. Although unobtrusive, we have extremely deep resources. Martial Aunt Huai Ren has been obsessed with cultivation for her entire life and has hopes of reaching the Divine. It’s only natural that she be so formidable.”

Xu Yourong added, “But I don’t know how they were persuaded by your master.”

Chen Changsheng stood at the side. Her petite face, beautiful beyond compare, was incredibly serene, yet also bore an aura of august majesty. Perhaps it was because she held her hands behind her as she stood at the edge of the cliff.

By this point, he was now extremely sure that the ill omen he had sensed at the summit of Holy Maiden Peak yesterday had come from himself.

To put it another way, he was Xu Yourong’s greatest problem. If he had not come to Holy Maiden Peak, Xu Yourong might not have been forced to break through the stone wall and end her seclusion in advance.

When he thought of this, he said, “I’m sorry. In the future, I will act with a cooler head.”

Xu Yourong turned and smiled. “If matters involving me couldn’t break your cool demeanor, wouldn’t that be the appropriate time to apologize to me?”

Chen Changsheng considered this, then agreed. “That’s reasonable, so I won’t change it then.”

It had been several years since their last meeting, and two years since they had exchanged letters. Logically speaking, they should have found each other a little strange.

But in truth, they had experienced life and death together far too many times. Their bloods were mixed, his in her and hers in him.

Just like it was in the eyes of the common people, they were truly a match made in heaven.

They met now with the same calm indifference as in the past.

Xu Yourong closed her eyes, seemingly pondering something.

The wind gently blew on her face, causing her lashes to tremble.

Twilight came with this wind.

Seeing her face, Chen Changsheng felt slightly moved and slowly lowered his head.

Xu Yourong’s eyes remained closed, but a subtle shift occurred in her expression.

Perhaps she had sensed something?