Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-607

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Su Moyu and the others didn't know what to say. After looking at each other's eyes, they realized that they still didn't know what to say.

"Just what are you saying?" Tang Thirty-Six stared into Chen Changsheng's eyes.

"I'm going to die. I can probably live for about twenty more days."

Chen Changsheng's voice was very calm, his expression very indifferent. It was like he was speaking about a very ordinary affair.

It's going to rain, mother's going to get married, who is going to take in the clothes on the roof?

The newly added peppers in the jar have already had their holes poked, and don't forget to occasionally add water to the jar's trough, or else white stuff might start growing in the jar, and even the saltiest picked vegetables will have to be thrown out.

(TN: Punching holes in peppers is part of the process for pickling peppers. Chinese pickling jars have a trough around the lid that holds water. The water acts as a seal around the jar that keeps external air from entering.)

I hear from the elders that if there's white in the pickling jar, it can still be saved by adding in strong alcohol, but how can such pickled vegetables be considered perfect?

Look how pitch-black it is over there, like the den of some thief. It seems that it really will rain.

Silence, a deathly stillness.

There was only the gushing of the fountain.

After a very long time, Tang Thirty-Six finally managed to open his mouth once more. "What sort of joke are you playing?"

They were all keenly aware that Chen Changsheng was the person least prone to making jokes, and was even less likely to joke about such matters, so they all had awful complexions.

Seeing the expressions of the four, for some reason, Chen Changsheng felt somewhat apologetic.

Xuanyuan Po's voice was somewhat shaky. "What's wrong?"

Tang Thirty-Six and Zhexiu had gone together with him to Mount Han and knew that he had been heavily injured by the Demon Lord. They had seen him break into Star Condensation and then collapse, but they did not know that the problem was so serious.

Because Chen Changsheng had not mentioned it, they had not asked. Even now, they still did not inquire on what had happened, only looked at him.

There were some things that still required explanation, because only when they were clearly explained could he finish handing over things.

Chen Changsheng said to the four, "I have an illness, an illness from the moment I was brought out of the womb. My meridians have always had problems. For a very long time, I've known that I would not live past the age of twenty. I've never told any of you about this, which is my fault. I originally thought that I could resolve my problem, but I didn't expect for my illness to start acting up in Mount Han. My meridians are all shattered with no method of reconnecting, so I'm probably going to die."

"Just what are you wanting to say? Were you communicating your last words just now?"

Tang Thirty-Six's straight eyebrows perked up as he teased, "If you're sick, go find a doctor. What are you doing playing out such a tragic scene with us?"

This teasing was only to conceal the unease and fear behind these words, and also an indescribable anger.

"I am the best doctor."

Chen Changsheng looked at him as he explained, his voice very calm and his look very sincere.

He was not boasting, only asserting a fact, however, it still had the same effect as before, making the four speechless.

If the circumstances were not so special, perhaps Tang Thirty-Six would have produced a quite intense response, but now, he only kept silent.

"The Pope?" Zhexiu suddenly asked.

Chen Changsheng shook his head.

Su Moyu questioned, "Then the Holy Maiden? Her Sacred Light technique is regarded as unparalleled—how can it not cure your illness?"

Tang Thirty-Six was also thinking along this line. He was prepared to say something when he suddenly recalled a few matters and choked those words back down.

On the journey back from Mount Han, he and Zhexiu had personally witnessed the fact that Xu Yourong had never left Chen Changsheng's side. Associating this with the fact that after returning to the capital, Xu Yourong had stayed at the Orthodox Academy, caring not for the rumors or the face of the Divine General of the East's estate, it was clear that she had long known of this matter and she also had no means of resolving it.

The scene settled once more into silence, everyone's complexion unsightly to the extreme.

Chen Changsheng said apologetically, "Sorry."

Tang Thirty-Six found himself once more incapable of suppressing his emotions. Gnashing his teeth, he asked in a cold voice, "You're going to die; just who are you saying sorry to?"

"Of the myriad matters in the world, only one's death is one's own matter, but I think there's a problem with your attitude."

Upon hearing this shocking news, Zhexiu had displayed the most calm. He looked into Chen Changsheng's eyes and said, "Since you're still alive at present, you cannot regard yourself as a dead man. Even if you can only live in these days with the thought that you're going to die, you still have to put the focus on the word 'afterwards'."

Chen Changsheng understood his meaning.

In the blizzard-ridden plains of the north, Zhexiu, who had been exiled from his tribe and had a terrible illness, still incessantly struggled. He was the most experienced in this sort of matter.

"Yes, but I still have to make some preparations in advance. There are some matters that require planning."

Chen Changsheng turned to Tang Thirty-Six and said, "Yourong, she…and I once had an engagement. She is my fiancée. Even though the engagement has already been annulled and I won't be able to marry her anyhow due to the current situation, I'm still going to treat her as my wife. But all the property that should have been divided was already dealt with at the beginning of the year. I'm going to sort out some things, and when the time comes, I want you to help me give them to her."

Tang Thirty-Six had grown used to thinking of a few jeers, like 'what things of value does someone as poor as you have?' In the end, however, he said nothing, only silently nodded his head.

Chen Changsheng followed by saying, "Luoluo is my student. Leave one-third of my property to her, and also leave one-third to my senior brother. The last third should be left in the academy. Students whose family finances are somewhat lacking can apply to use it. As for you guys, I've gifted swords to you, so I won't leave anything else."

Zhexiu and Xuanyuan Po were not at all well-off, but with Tang Thirty-Six here, he had no need to be concerned.

"Are you really handing over the Orthodox Academy to me?" Su Moyu asked. "I'm somewhat uneasy because this burden is somewhat heavy."

As he spoke, he gazed at those students in the distance, studying in the buildings and on verandas.

In the autumn of last year, the Orthodox Academy had enrolled a hundred–plus new students. Under the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Orthodoxy, these new students had no means of transferring to another school. In other words, they had put their fates together with the Orthodox Academy's fate. If Chen Changsheng truly did die, the Orthodox Academy would naturally not have its present glory, so how long would it be able to last?

"Just let me do it," Tang Thirty-Six expressionlessly said. "It can't be helped that nature plays the leading role in one's fate. Moreover, when the principal farts, it should be this academy superintendent that steps forward."

Chen Changsheng was somewhat startled by this statement. After that long conversation they had by the lake, he knew more than anyone else just how much pressure Tang Thirty-Six bore. He lived a free life in the capital and the Orthodox Academy, but as he matured, the Wenshui Tangs would assuredly demand that he return as quickly as possible to inherit the clan.

Tang Thirty-Six continued, "Although that father of mine isn't all that talented, he's still my father. And besides, the old man's health is quite good, so there shouldn't be too much of a rush."

Chen Changsheng knew that this was a lie. Even if the Wenshui Tangs were not in a rush to raise up their successor, they also wouldn't be willing to expose Tang Thirty-Six to danger and pause for an extended period of time in the capital.

"If you really do die, I'll delay my return for two years. They should understand."

Tang Thirty-Six firmly warned, "So you absolutely cannot deceive me. When the time comes, you have to die."

This was naturally a joke, but it wasn't amusing and was delivered very stiffly. Especially at this sort of occasion, it was as stiff as a frozen mantou that had been left out for two nights, so choking that nobody could speak, and very difficult to accept.

Su Moyu looked at Chen Changsheng and soothed, "Relax, I'll remain behind to watch over him."

Zhexiu said, "If you do die, after I finish with that matter, I'll return north."

He was a hunter from the north who would occasionally stop by at the bustling capital to treat and recover from his illness. After the treatment was over, he would naturally leave.

But what matter did he want to finish?

The mood became rather oppressive, and after Zhexiu spoke, a little chill was added into the mix.

They all knew what Zhexiu needed to do before leaving the capital: kill Zhou Tong.

……

……

Chen Changsheng was the first student of the Orthodox Academy in ten-odd years.

And it was also precisely because of him that the Orthodox Academy obtained a new life.

(TN: A reminder that 'new student' (新生) can also be read as 'new life'.)

If he had to talk about what he wanted to let go the least in the capital, then besides those people, it was naturally this beautiful and secluded academy.

After he left this world, could the Orthodox Academy continue to exist? Could it continue to exist as it did now?

Tang Thirty-Six and Su Moyu had given their promises, and after Zhexiu had received Tang Thirty-Six's promise that he would pay enough money, he also indicated he would at any time kill someone for the Orthodox Academy's sake and asked him to be at ease when he left. At that moment, Chen Changsheng felt that perhaps he should close his eyes and put on the appearance of quietly passing away?

When they turned to Xuanyuan Po, wanting to know what he planned, Xuanyuan Po made a sudden statement and then left. What he said was, "I'm going."

Xuanyuan Po left extremely quickly. There was no sloppiness, no hesitation. It was like someone was pursuing him or the Orthodox Academy was about to collapse.

"This is what is meant by rats fleeing a sinking ship?"

After confirming that Xuanyuan Po had even taken away the heavy sword in the kitchen, Tang Thirty-Six inhaled a breath of cold air.

Zhexiu impassively noted, "It's obvious that he's in a rush to return to White Emperor City."

Confused, Tang Thirty-Six asked, "Why is he returning to White Emperor City?"

"To find Princess Luoluo and tell her that Chen Changsheng is going to die. Only Princess Luoluo can request His Majesty the White Emperor to come to the capital and treat Chen Changsheng."

After Zhexiu finished this statement, he then turned to Chen Changsheng and said, "You see, many people do not want you to die. Princess Luoluo most certainly does not wish for you to die, and don't forget that you have to treat my illness. If you die, I might follow you in another two years, so it's best that you live."

Chen Changsheng replied, "I will struggle to the utmost."

To him, the Heavenly Dao, or fate, had never been fair and always been very cruel, but this world had treated him rather well. Many people were unwilling to let him die, like Luoluo, Xuanyuan Po and Tang Thirty-Six. In addition, if he did die, what would happen to Zhexiu? Or the Black Dragon? Who would worry about her?

Just when he was thinking about these matters, a guest arrived at the Orthodox Academy. This guest had a noble status but was also extremely troublesome.

If Xu Yourong had not been summoned to the Imperial Palace and Chen Changsheng were still in the house, then there would have been no opportunity to meet with Prince Chen Liu, let alone speak to him.

"You…really are Zhaoming?"

The rays of the sun leaked through the gaps in the splashing of the fountain and fell upon Prince Chen Liu's handsome face, a mottled light that produced a complex image. It just so happened that his present expression was complex and sorrowful.

In these past two years, Chen Changsheng and this descendant of the Chen Imperial clan had not met much, but their relationship was quite good.

He did not expect that the prince would ask this question so directly.