Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-446

Chapter 446 – Where Is the Carriage Going?

Merely by glancing at that person in the crowd, Chen Changsheng’s eyes grew somewhat sore. Only after the wind blew past and the curtain’s descent cut off his line of sight did he no longer feel so uncomfortable.

It was a very powerful sword intent. In these past few months, Chen Changsheng had encountered many experts. In the Garden of Zhou, he had joined hearts with ten thousand swords, and then he had joined together with Su Li on the journey south. His sense for the keenness of sword intent had long surpassed that of the average person. He could sense that although this person’s sword intent did not match up to that of a powerful figure in the Divine Domain like Zhu Luo, it was still extremely frightening. Even more frightening was that this person’s sword intent also contained a killing intent. That killing intent was not concealed at all and was targeted at him.

“Who is that?” he asked.

Tang Thirty-Six had noticed his strange appearance just a few moments ago. Lifting a corner of the curtain and looking over, he very naturally discovered the figure of that man. His expression immediately grew very solemn as he declared, “He is Guan Bai.”

Chen Changsheng had heard this name before. After a moment’s silence, he asked, “Is it that Guan Bai from the Heavenly Dao Academy?”

“Correct.” Tang Thirty-Six lowered the curtain and turned his head to Chen Changsheng. “After completing his education at the Heavenly Dao Academy, he has always been out traveling. I didn’t think that he would return to the capital all of a sudden. You should be keenly aware why he returned.”

Chen Changsheng asked, “He had a good relationship with Zhuang Huanyu?”

Tang Thirty-Six replied, “Zhuang Huanyu was not willing to receive his own father’s support. After entering the capital, Principal Zhuang entrusted him to Guan Bai’s care for a year. The two could be considered brothers.”

Chen Changsheng was speechless. At present, everyone believed that he had forced Zhuang Huanyu to death. If Guan Bai really did regard Zhuang Huanyu as his own brother, then it was only a matter of course that he would come to take vengeance.

“He probably won’t use the Ivy All-School Martial Exhibition’s name to challenge you.” Tang Thirty-Six saw the expression on his face and added, “After all, he’s an expert of the Proclamation of Liberation. He won’t be as shameless as Zhou Ziheng.”

Chen Changsheng asked, “Then what method do you think he will use?”

Tang Thirty-Six answered, “If my calculations are not wrong, he will give you one year of time.”

Chen Changsheng did not understand the meaning of these words.

Tang Thirty-Six explained, “Next year there will be a Boiling Stone Summit. At that time, he will take the stage and kill you. His Holiness will be powerless. Even if an explanation is demanded after the fact, at most, he will only have to return his life to the Li Palace.”

Chen Changsheng didn’t know what to say. The sword intent that he had previously sensed already told him that Tang Thirty-Six’s conjecture was most likely correct.

Tang Thirty-Six empathized with him. For an expert of the Proclamation of Liberation to vow to take one’s life at the cost of even his own, anyone would be extremely miserable. Moreover, this sort of situation would persist for a year.

It was impossible for him to imagine just how he could possibly endure this one year if this matter concerned him instead.

But it was beyond his imagination that Chen Changsheng was already extremely experienced with bearing this sort of pressure, with confronting this sort of shadow. Thus, it only took a few moments for his expression to return to normal.

Tang Thirty-Six was rather taken aback at this change of expression. He was afraid that Chen Changsheng was pretending to be calm, so he decided to change the subject.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore.” He asked Chen Changsheng in a serious tone, “You said to Zhou Ziheng just a moment ago that there were at least five other people at Ethereal Opening that could defeat him. Who are these five people?”

There had been many listeners to this previous exchange and it was also a topic everyone viewed with the greatest interest.

“I know I’m definitely not one of them.” Directly looking into Chen Changsheng’s eyes, Tang Thirty-Six said in a very indifferent manner, “So you don’t need to care about my feelings.”

Chen Changsheng did not need to take too long to ponder this question. He straightforwardly said, “Qiushan Jun, Xu Yourong, Lady Chujian, Gou Hanshi, Nanke.”

It was plainly obvious that this was a question he had considered many times.

In his view, besides him, these five people at the level of Ethereal Opening had the ability to defeat the Star Condensation expert Zhou Ziheng.

“Qiushan Jun, Xu Yourong, and Gou Hanshi should have the ability. As for that Demon Princess, I’ve only heard rumors about her. A few days ago, I heard you say that in the Garden of Zhou, she beat you black and blue, where living was worse than death. No matter how I see it, for her to handle Zhou Ziheng would be a simple affair for her. Only…who is Lady Chujian? How come I’ve never heard of her before?”

Tang Thirty-Six asked him with great curiosity.

The story of the Plains of the Unsetting Sun had only been completely divulged to Luoluo. He had never mentioned that genius elf girl to Tang Thirty-Six.

Now, upon hearing Tang Thirty-Six’s question, he didn’t know how to answer. Thinking about how the status of that girl was still unknown made him lapse into an even deeper silence.

Tang Thirty-Six saw that his current emotional state was rather strange and ceased pursuing this line of questioning, thinking to find some other time to inquire about it. Instead, he asked, “Where are we going right now?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “To pick someone up.”

Watching as the carriage galloped off into the distance, the crowd was abuzz with discussion. After just concluding a shocking battle that involved surpassing cultivation levels, just where were these youths of the Orthodox Academy in a rush to get to?

The personnel of the Four Great Markets responsible for construction went to inquire if they should begin taking apart the awning. Unexpectedly, they received a reply in the negative.

The Celestial Pole Market was the most powerful of the Four Great Markets and possessed the deepest backing. All gazes rested upon the Grand Steward of this market.

The Grand Steward shot a glance at the nearby steward from the Heavenly Fragrance Market and said, “There will be many more matches afterwards. This old awning, of course we have to keep it.”

There were no objections because everyone understood.

The new rule of the Orthodoxy had already been promulgated. From tomorrow on, there would be many more people coming one after the other to challenge the Orthodox Academy.

Chen Changsheng’s victory today was not at all indicative of a conclusion. On the contrary, this was only the beginning.

Many matters of the secular world were like this. Whether in life or work, how could there possibly be such an easy way to bring things to a close? The vast majority of cases required dull and dry repetition.

For instance, the two officials from the Department for Purging Officials in that carriage on the other end of the street had just finished their report on today’s battle and performed some initial analysis. Soon after, they still had to do their own jobs!

Just after the Orthodox Academy’s carriage left, that carriage also began to move, following it from a distance.

The two carriages, one in front and one behind, traveled through the streets of the capital.

Along the way, countless pieces of information from the agents and spies the Department for Purging Officials had spread throughout the capital were transmitted to the carriage behind.

Those two officials were also very curious to know just where the Orthodox Academy’s carriage was going. Of course, besides curiosity, they absolutely had to know the tracks and destination of that carriage.

The Orthodox Academy did not take any sort of circuitous route, having no intention of concealing its tracks, so following it was very smooth.

But the complexions of the two officials in the carriage were growing increasingly solemn and the shock in their eyes was growing ever more evident.

It seemed to them that this route they were taking was very familiar.

Because every day when they woke up in the morning, they would always take this route to go to work.

If the Orthodox Academy continued on this route, it would reach a certain location.

That place was called Zhou Mansion, and it was also called Zhou Prison.

Of course, that place also had a more formal name: The office of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s Department for Purging Officials.