Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 957 – If There Is a Task, Let the Student Undertake It

It was very quiet in front of the Imperial City, so the conversation between the official and Xuanyuan Po was heard loud and clear by everyone present.

Orthodox Academy? Xuanyuan Po?

It was still quiet, though the silence this time did not last too long before it was broken by whispered conversations. These whispers grew louder and louder until they became a clamor, splashed with quite a few cries of surprise. Finally, it became the howling of a raging tide.

The crowd remembered a rumor from many years ago.

It was said that an exceptionally gifted youth of the Bear tribe journeyed eighty thousand li to the capital of the Human race, successfully entering Star Seizer Academy, one of the Six Ivy Academies. But he was then crippled by a youth of the Tianhai clan, yet this disaster was his fortune, as he then entered the Orthodox Academy. It was even bandied about that he had become Princess Luoluo’s student!

In these two years, this story of almost legendary proportions had been the topic of many a leisurely chat, that bear youth becoming the object of envy for many other demi-human youths. Yet as time passed, the situation changed, and with the final conclusion, this story and the bear youth were gradually forgotten. When someone occasionally remembered this rumor, they would just shake their heads and sigh.

But today, in the Heavenly Selection ceremony, the lower city crowds surged in front of the Imperial City like a tide while he stood at the very front, like a rock. He attracted everyone’s attention, telling all the world that he was the bear youth of that story, and he was still representing the Orthodox Academy.

The entire place was roaring with discussion, countless people staring at Xuanyuan Po, wanting to know just what the main character of this rumor looked like. They wanted to know even more just why he had suddenly disappeared several years ago, and, if the rumor was true, didn’t he escape from the Orthodox Academy? Why was he fighting for the Orthodox Academy today? What sort of problem might occur if the Pope were to learn of this?

There was a minor turmoil around the Imperial City as several dozen priests entered the plaza. These priests consisted of both demi-humans and humans. The vast majority were dressed in priestly robes of black, a few of them were dressed in Daoist robes of blue, and there was one wearing holy garments of red: the archbishop.

Seeing these solemn and indifferent priests, many people inadvertently lowered their heads into a bow and yielded the way.

Ever since a few days ago, the gates of the Daoist Church of the Western Wastes had been tightly shut. Everyone in White Emperor City understood why, and they had even heard that the archbishop had torn up his invitation to the banquet meant to welcome the prince from the Great Western Continent. Why had these priests and the archbishop abruptly appeared in front of the Imperial City?

The archbishop brought the several dozen priests over to Xuanyuan Po.

This scene coupled with the ending to that rumor made the populace feel both nervous and excited.

What happened next was a complete surprise.

The archbishop did nothing. He simply walked to Xuanyuan Po’s side and stood there. The several dozen priests spread apart, cutting off Xuanyuan Po from the crowd, especially from the Red River Beast Guard and the officials. It was clear that they were protecting him.

Immediately after, another turmoil took place as the several stewards from the Tang clan’s company, seemingly ordinary yet giving off a most valiant aura, walked in from the outside. After bowing to Xuanyuan Po and the archbishop, they stood behind them.

After a while, the ambassador from the Great Zhou’s embassy also arrived. Although he had rather mixed emotions, struggling and hesitant, he still walked over to Xuanyuan Po’s group and positioned himself on the other side of Xuanyuan Po.

Xuanyuan Po was of the Bear tribe, but his identity today was a student of the Orthodox Academy.

Whether it was the archbishop, the ambassador, or the stewards of the Tang clan’s company, they still did not know how the Li Palace, the Imperial Court, or Wenshui City and the south planned to respond, but at this tense and sensitive moment, they had to make their positions explicitly clear.

……

……

The ending of that rumor was that the stupid and shameless bear youth saw that the Principal of the Orthodox Academy, who was the current Pope, Chen Changsheng, was about to be killed by the Tianhai Divine Empress, the Orthodox Academy about to be destroyed. Thus, he fled.

The appearance of the Great Zhou’s ambassador, the stewards of the Tang clan, and especially the Archbishop of the Western Wastes declared to the world that the ending of this rumor was false.

Xiaode gazed at the distant Xuanyuan Po, his two brows slightly raised.

He knew of Xuanyuan Po’s name, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

The ‘legend’ that had once been the talk of the demi-human populace had not even been worth mentioning to influential figures like him.

In the Orthodox Academy of those years, Xuanyuan Po was undoubtedly the least remarkable, the most ordinary. Tang Thirty-Six, Su Moyu, and Zhexiu were all more famous, and this wasn’t even considering Princess Luoluo and Chen Changsheng.

Xiaode had not expected that Xuanyuan Po would suddenly appear today and gather together such a powerful force. He couldn’t help but be a little wary over this. It appeared like Xuanyuan Po had hidden himself in White Emperor City for many years. Could it possibly be that Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy had made preparations long ago for this day?

Many powerful figures of the Demi-human race thought the same thing as Xiaode. The palace hall behind the Imperial City’s observation platform was abnormally quiet. The Bear tribe leader disregarded the gazes of his colleagues as he rose and slowly walked out of the hall. The Chief Elder on the highest seat still seemed to be sleeping.

The only person with the right to sit higher was Madam Mu. She knew that Xuanyuan Po had been living in White Emperor City all this time, and she had even dispatched guards to keep watch on him for a very long time at the start. But Xuanyuan Po’s continued inactivity led to the guard gradually being loosened. Now, he had suddenly reappeared. However, she thought differently from Xiaode, the elders, and the ministers. She could guarantee that neither the Orthodoxy nor the Great Zhou Imperial Court had time to react, let alone make advance preparations. Logically speaking, there was nothing that she needed to worry about, but she had clearly heard those words just now.

“Orthodox Academy, Xuanyuan Po.”

In the end, this fellow was a student of the Orthodox Academy. Might this affect her plans in some way?

A faint killing intent flashed across Madam Mu’s eyes.

When the Heavenly Selection ceremony began, Luoluo was standing at a high place and gazing at nine Celestial Trees in the distant mountains, quiet and thinking of nothing.

When all of White Emperor City was intoxicated by the matches, Luoluo began her noontime nap. She was using the freshest of incense, so she slept very soundly.

As twilight descended and the candidates who had obtained the right to be baptized by the Wildfire of the Celestial Trees were just about to be announced, she was drinking tea, appearing very calm.

She did not suppress her emotions, nor did she feign them.

This was because of her innate noble air, and it was also because her teacher had taught her that one needed to be calm before a great undertaking.

She was truly very calm, as she simply did not care about the Heavenly Selection ceremony. No matter what the final result was, what her father and mother thought, what the Council of Elders, the ministers, or the people thought, what the Demon race or Human race thought, as long as she was not willing, she would not accept.

She had once heard Mo Yu talk about the Divine Empress’s evaluation of… her teacher’s wife.

If her teacher’s wife could do it, she naturally could as well.

The reason she had not expressed any objection and had only been quietly waiting was that she knew that objections were meaningless. The more important reason, however, was that she had always been waiting for her teacher to come. If her teacher did not come, no, if her teacher could not come, no, if her teacher was too late…

In the end, she would leave, bidding farewell to the Imperial Palace, this city, and the Red River, never to meet again.

She held the tea cup and glanced at the stone pearl on her wrist as she silently thought.

At this moment, Guardian Li rushed over, a complex expression on her face as she said, “Seven victors.”

“Nine Celestial Trees, so why are there only seven victors?”

Luoluo thought that there was undoubtedly some scheme behind this. In her vexation, she lightly took a sip of tea.

Guardian Li hesitated, then said, “One of them is Xuanyuan Po.”

With a pffft, Luoluo spat out her tea.