Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-508

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

This was a very simple room. There was one bed, one desk, two bookshelves, one wardrobe, and three basins.

Being a girl, the first thing Xu Yourong did was open up the wardrobe.

The contents of the wardrobe were also very simple. They basically consisted of plain clothes, the majority being the school uniform of the Orthodox Academy. Besides the faint scents of soap, there was no other fragrance.

She was very pleased with all this, but when she saw the fifty towels and handkerchiefs neatly stacked at the bottom of the wardrobe, she was still very quiet for a long time.

Closing the wardrobe, she walked to the bookshelves. She randomly pulled out a few books and realized that they were all novels on ghosts and the supernatural that had been quite popular in the capital in these past few years. This caused her to fall into another bout of silence.

He had become well-read in the Daoist Canon as a child, so now he didn't think about advancing anymore?

Suddenly, she saw a small item on the bookshelf and her expression went blank.

It was a bamboo dragonfly. It was clearly very old and had already begun to yellow. It even seemed to have been soaked in water, its edges almost rotted away…she felt it to be rather familiar. After thinking about it for a long time, she remembered that when she was very small, she had placed it in a letter that she had sent to him.

As she reminisced over those matters of the past, she grew somewhat frustrated. Seeing how after so many years, this bamboo dragonfly had been preserved by him…fine, he didn't preserve it that well, but he still managed to preserve it. Was he a person that did things for old times' sake? She was rather pleased, but for some reason, she soon afterwards became rather angry. After a moment, she came to her senses. The reason she was angry was herself, so should she be angry or happy? She contemplated this problem, unaware that a smile had been on her face the entire time.

She carefully placed the bamboo dragonfly back on the bookshelf and went to the bed. Of course, she did not sit down, just looked it over.

The bedding had been folded very neatly and was exceptionally clean. Not even the smallest stain could be seen on the bedsheets or the pillow case. There wasn't even a hair, no…what was that?

In the shadow of the pillowcase was a very hard-to-see strand of hair.

Xu Yourong fell silent.

This hair was long and thin. It was clearly a woman's.

Suddenly, she felt a little cold.

After a while, she realized that the window was open.

It was snowing tonight. Snowflakes were drifting in from the window and wetting a corner of the desk.

She was rather puzzled. Given that Chen Changsheng was cool-headed, steady, and also a clean freak, why would he not close the window before he left?

Even if the snow could be disregarded, what if dust or leaves came in?

This window that wasn't closed—could it have been for someone?

Xu Yourong suddenly awoke from her trance.

These suspicions, these endless calculations, were not being used in battle or in cultivation, but instead to explore the truths of this strand of hair. Just when had she become this sort of person?

She shook her head and headed towards the wardrobe. Opening the wardrobe, she intended to take out a towel and wipe up the snow that had fallen on the desk.

However, what happened next made her understand that her suspicions and resentment were not because she had become unbearable, but because that guy had always been very unbearable.

With a flutter of snowflakes, a waft of faint fragrance, a woman leaped through the window and landed in the room.

Simultaneously, a few words fell in Xu Yourong's ear.

"Don't blame this older sister for not telling you, your fiancée bears an extreme resentment towards you. You have to be careful, when her little temper gets up, tsk, tsk. In fact, you absolutely must not tell her that I often come here to sleep, or else…"

Suddenly, her teasing voice came to an abrupt halt.

Because she suddenly realized that the person behind the wardrobe door was not Chen Changsheng.

Xu Yourong closed the wardrobe and stared at the woman. She felt what her master had said was correct: in the mortal world, the most unbearable thing was talking. Whenever one said anything, things would often develop in accordance with what one said.

For example, as she was leaving the Divine General's estate, Shuang'er had asked her what she was going to do. She had lied and said she was going to see Mo Yu. Thus, now…she was seeing Mo Yu.

But this was not the Imperial Palace, nor was it the Orange Garden that Mo Yu lived in. Instead, it was a room on the third floor of this house in the Orthodox Academy.

……

……

Mo Yu's mouth fell open and for a long time, she couldn't speak. Then, she gave an unnatural laugh. Her voice a little hoarse, she asked, "Can you act like you didn't see me?"

Xu Yourong calmly looked at her. "I've already seen you."

Mo Yu used her right hand to rub her neck, her left hand to point at Xu Yourong. "Don't be in a rush to ask questions. Let me explain to you the current situation."

Xu Yourong calmly replied, "Take your time to think."

Mo Yu really was quite speechless, her mind in some disorder. She had originally planned to take advantage of Xu Yourong's return to the capital to tease Chen Changsheng and at the same time, give him a little warning. Who could have imagined that she would actually meet the primary subject in Chen Changsheng's room? And she even heard those words.

"First, we should reach a consensus that you should listen to my explanation with a cool head."

Mo Yu put down her hands and very solemnly explained, "The line about little temper was me speaking ill of you behind your back, but you absolutely cannot misunderstand the part about sleeping."

Xu Yourong smiled, "Continue."

Seeing her face, Mo Yu knew that she truly was angry. Sighing in her heart, she lifelessly continued, "Sleeping is just sleeping, not the sleeping that you're thinking of."

"Oh, what sort of sleeping is that?" Xu Yourong's smile grew even warmer.

Mo Yu helplessly said, "In any case, you absolutely cannot misunderstand."

Xu Yourong sized her up and observed the red nightgown she was wearing, her two bare feet, and the black hair draped over her shoulders, slightly damp and speckled with a few snowflakes, as if she had just come out of a bath?

"Hmmm, please tell me so that I won't misunderstand."

Mo Yu followed her gaze to her own body, and her heart seemed to give a thud. After Chen Changsheng had mentioned it, she really would take a bath each time before coming over. It had gradually become a habit, and tonight, she had naturally done the same before coming over…then, this was what was meant by not being able to wash oneself clean, even after jumping to the sea of stars.

There was a saying that after shattering a jar, one could gain the upper hand by a show of strength, and Mo Yu chose to do so. Although she could see that her explanations were to no avail, she seemed to become much more bold and confident. Looking at Xu Yourong, she declared, "This story is very long and I can't imagine that you're interested in it. But what about you? I'm really quite curious to hear your story. It’s your first day after coming back to the capital, but instead of staying at home, why come here?"

Xu Yourong walked to the window. She didn't say anything, nor did she look at Mo Yu. The lights from beyond the school walls fell upon the snow and then reflected upon her face.

Mo Yu examined that face so beautiful that even she was somewhat envious, then with a fluid glance, continued her questioning, "The Holy Maiden's heart is concerned with mundane things?"

Xu Yourong glanced at her, then asked, "Back then when you wrote about the matter of him and the young Black Dragon…was it true or false?"

"Absolutely correct, at that time, he and she were embracing each other." Mo Yu saw an opportunity to divert the subject, so she would not just let this chance pass her by. She was even willing to swear an oath on the Divine Empress's name, but she suddenly recalled what had happened a moment ago and said uncertainly, "But just like how you saw me come in and heard my words, what the eyes see is not necessarily the truth."

Xu Yourong said nothing, a pensive look on her face.

Mo Yu seemed to think of something and asked in disbelief, "Why are you asking this? You're not really interested in him, are you? No wonder the first thing you did after coming back was to see him."

"I have an engagement with him. For me to see him upon coming back to the capital is a very natural thing to do."

Xu Yourong was very calm. Only her hands tightly clasped behind her back showed that she was truthfully rather nervous.

Mo Yu did not expect her to so calmly admit it. A little surprised, she said, "When you wrote to me back, you definitely weren't talking about it this way! In order to break the engagement between the two of you, I paid no small price. To be clear, Chen Changsheng is currently no ordinary person. I offended the Principal of the Orthodox Academy, the future Pope! If you're telling me now that you really plan to get together with him, then I'm definitely not done with you!"

Xu Yourong looked at her slightly wet black hair and the red nightgown, then calmly said, "The price truly is not small, but he shouldn't feel it to be an affront or offense, right?"

Mo Yu was powerless to refute this and indignantly replied, "Other people may know not, but you and I both clearly understand that the Pope has already annulled the engagement between the two of you! Even if there is a relationship between me and him, just what status do you have to worry about it?"

Xu Yourong lightly said, "You don't have to worry about it."

After a moment of silence, Mo Yu asked, "Just what are you thinking?"

Xu Yourong gently lowered her head and softly said, "You still don't have to worry about it."

Only those most familiar with her would know that under her seemingly calm appearance, she was actually very delicate.

Mo Yu sighed at her, "Just suffocate yourself to death."

Xu Yourong calmly asked, "Where did he go?"

Mo Yu perked her brows. "How should I know? You'd better not really misunderstand."

At this moment, the music coming from beyond the academy walls suddenly got louder. Mo Yu gazed over, and even the heavy fall of snowflakes dancing in the wind could not block her powerful eyes. She could see that in a brightly lit restaurant, a dancing girl was just beginning her dance.

"Don't be angry, but it seems he's over there," she said as she glanced at Xu Yourong.

Xu Yourong looked over. Sure enough, at the very top floor of the restaurant, that guy was drinking wine. At his side were three or four young men, and there were even many women walking over, like butterflies amongst the flowers.

This really was giving into sensual pleasures.

She gazed at the restaurant, quietly thinking to herself. It was at this moment that the dancer on the stage suddenly seemed to misstep and fell into that guy's bosom…

For some reason, she found it somewhat difficult to maintain the tranquility of her Dao heart, and her chest began to rise and fall.

……

……

“If Xu Yourong came back, she came back, but what are you scared of? And what are you worrying about? Don't let yourself be hindered by any sort of mental block. If you should fight, fight."

In the restaurant, Tang Thirty-Six held up a wine cup and hugged a young singing girl. Looking at Chen Changsheng, he said, "Men and women have always been equal. Just don't hold on to that common and trite view that you shouldn't hit women. You have to fight anyway."

As he spoke, the young singing girl at his chest raised her head up to look at him, her eyes brimming with adoration and happiness.

The singing girl at Chen Changsheng's side was somewhat resentful. It wasn't merely because Chen Changsheng had been far too well-behaved, not even bumping against her fingers, but also because the entire continent knew full well who the fiancée of this young Principal of the Orthodox Academy was. She was just a pleasure woman, so by no means did she wish to offend the Divine General of the East's estate and the Phoenix high above.

"I'm prepared to lose, do you think it's okay?"

Chen Changsheng abruptly asked.

With this statement, the entire audience became quiet.