Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)
chapter-92

Chen Chang Sheng thanked Jin Yu Lu. If it wasn’t for him, no matter how bravely Tang Thirty Six and Xuan Yuan Po fought, they wouldn’t be able to protect the Tradition Academy before Prince Chen Liu and Officer Xin arrived. Jin Yu Lu looked at him and smiled, “Since you are the teacher of my princess, then you are one of us.”

Hearing this, Chen Chang Sheng felt a little embarrassed. This man standing in front of him was a truly legendary character and the only reason why he was present at the Tradition Academy to help helped these three youngster was because of Luo Luo’s request. Although Luo Luo wasn’t in Tradition Academy right now, her heart was still here. This made Chen Chang Sheng joyous.

“Are you going to stay at Tradition Academy?”

Xuan Yuan Po looked at Jin Yu Lu and inquired with respect. Chen Chang Sheng and Tang Thirty Six thought to themselves, although Jin Yu Lu had said to Tian Hai Sheng Xue that he had no reason to be at Li Palace, he still needed to take care of Luo Luo. How can he stay here? They suggested Xuan Yuan Po not say any more.

“It’s not impossible for me to stay.” Jin Yu Lu saw the looks between the three youngsters, laughed out loud and said, “I have never done anything wrong in my life because I don’t have anything that I really like except money.”

Chen Chang Sheng saw the coin figures on his clothes. He laughed knowing that Jin Yu Lu was ready to stay. Chen Chang Sheng bowed to show his gratitude.

Tang Thirty Six came close to Jin Yu Lu. He held Jin Yu Lu’s moderately coarse hand and shook it many times. He said, “You definitely know my family. My family doesn’t have anything, besides money. We lack anything but money.”

Wen Shui Tang family was a famous and rich family. After thousand years of saving, it had a endless amount of money. During the rebellion around ten years ago, the old royal family found Tang family for the first time and tried to get their support. Although they didn’t succeed, but it could be imagined how rich Tang family is.

“Excluding princess, the Tradition Academy already has us three students. We just need a teacher.”

Chen Chang Sheng looked at Jin Yu Lu, bowed down and said, “Sir, please stay to teach us.”

Jin Yu Lu’s xiuxing stage was even higher than the elder of Mountain Li, Xiao Song Gong. He was probably at a similar level to the principal of the Heavenly Academy, Mao Qiu Yu. In addition, with his vast experience in xiuxing, he was more than qualified to be a teacher in the Tradition Academy.

However, he didn’t accept Chen Chang Sheng’s request. He laughed, shook his head and said, “How is it reasonable for a student to ask someone to be a teacher?”

Feeling helpless, Chen Chang Sheng said, “Right now, the Tradition Academy only has students. We don’t even have a principal.”

Jin Yu Lu looked at him and said sincerely, “Since the Bishop gave both roster and key to you, then he obviously had his own thoughts.”

Chen Chang Sheng didn’t know what the Bishop was thinking. He was only focused on what role Jin Yu Lu should play during his stay at the Tradition Academy. He frowned and pondered.

“According to your wish, I think the gate won’t be fixed at least any time soon. It will be like this for a long time.”

Jin Yu Lu looked at the broken gate and said, “Since it’s a school, the most important thing is to study. Even if there are only three students, your regular learning time shouldn’t be disturbed. Since your gate is broken, you probably need a janitor?”

Understanding his meaning, Chen Chang Sheng felt surprised. How would he agree to that?

“I farmed in the East Hill outside of the White Emperor’s city for several hundreds of years. What do I need to be afraid about as a janitor?”

Jin Yu Lu smiled and said. He did not give the three youngsters any chance to refuse. He told them that he was going to get some materials to build a small room by the door and left.

Xuan Yuan Po felt very happy. On the other hand, Chen Chang Sheng and Tang Thirty Six looked at each other and remained wordless. They both thought to themselves, did they really just let such an epic figure like Jin Yu Lu be a janitor? If they did, then they were setting the standard way too high. From now on, who would dare to disturb the Tradition Academy?

The fall rain had already stopped and the fog of the morning gradually disappeared. Xuan Yuan Po went to the east wall to dig a hole and bury the horse. He didn’t need Chen Chang Sheng’s help so Chen Chang Sheng thought a bit and realized that he was lacking sleep. He decided to return to his small building to sleep, but he was dragged to the front of the library by Tang Thirty Six.

“Before when Tian Hai Sheng Xue and his soldiers arrived, I was actually scared.” Tang Thirty Six looked at him and said.

Chen Chang Sheng said, “Everyone is afraid of death. It is a very normal thing. You don’t have to feel down on yourself.”

Tang Thirty Six looked at him and spoke seriously, “Yes, everyone is afraid of death so when faced against that situation, everyone should be scared….But back then, I glimpsed at you and I actually didn’t see any fear on your face. I was shocked.”

Chen Chang Sheng thought a while and said, “You know that I am kind of dull. Maybe I simply didn’t show fear on my face yet.”

“No.” Tang Thirty Six shook his head and insisted. “I could tell that you were not scared back there.”

Remaining silent for a while, Chen Chang Sheng asked, “So? What is your point?”

Tang Thirty Six said, “Under such circumstances, since you were not scared at all, then there can only be two possibilities. The first is that you guessed that Luo Luo would send Jin Yu Lu here and didn’t need to be afraid. But obviously, you also didn’t know that Jin Yu Lu would come help.”

Chen Chang Sheng asked, “Then what’s the other possibility?”

Tang Thirty Six replied, “The second is that you are not afraid of death at all.”

Chen Chang Sheng rubbed his head and said, “As I said before, everyone is afraid of death.”

Tang Thirty Six felt very worried. He said, “I have been believing this too, so I think you definitely have some sort of secret or something must have happened recently.”

Chen Chang Shang sighed and said, “You think I look like someone that wants to die?”

Tang Thirty Six responded, “Certainly not. Plus, since you can have Xu You Rong as your wife, then there’s no way you want to die.”

Chen Chang Sheng asked, “So what are you worrying about?”

Tang Thirty Six gazed into his eyes and asked, “Are you sick?”

Chen Chang Sheng didn’t know that this kid was actually this smart. He couldn’t believe that Tang Thirty Six was able to guess it after observing so many little details. But of course, it was also that this kid cared a lot about him. He felt a bit warm inside, but his face turned cold. He replied, “You are sick.”

Seeing his face turned cold, Tang Thirty Six then realized how inappropriate his words were and how much nonsense he was saying. He suddenly remembered another thing and he asked seriously, “In the beginning, did you really not know that Tian Hai Sheng Xue was the Divine Queen’s grandnephew?”

Chen Chang Sheng stayed quiet for a while and said, “I knew.”

Tang Thirty Six thought to himself, I knew it. Although you lived in remote village and after arriving in the capital, you also spent all your time in the Tradition Academy studying xiuxing, since you could guess that he was from the Tian Hai family, then surely you could guess Tian Hai Sheng Xue’s identity based on his age and temperament.

“Why?”

He was asking why Chen Chang Sheng pretended to not know that he cursing at the Divine Queen in front of so many people.

“Because I wanted to know Divine Queen’s attitude towards the Tradition Academy.”

Chen Chang Sheng said, “If the Queen really doesn’t want the Tradition Academy to continue to exist in the capital, then all she needs to say is one sentence. The Tradition Academy would disappear so there would be no conflict at all?”

Tang Thirty Six said, “They are guessing the Queen’s thought.”

“They can guess, but I don’t want to guess,” Chen Chang Sheng said. “I come to the capital to study xiuxing. I want to participate in the Great Trial, my time is very precious. The Tradition Academy is facing a lot of trouble, one after another. This is too troublesome.”

Tang Thirty Six lifted his eyebrows and asked, “So?”

“I cursed at her directly so the words will definitely be delivered to the palace. No one dares to keep it hidden.”

After taking a pause, Chen Chang Sheng said, “Then we should know the Queen’s attitude towards the Tradition Academy soon.”

Tang Thirty Six suddenly felt a bit cold and said, “You want to see whether or not the knife will fall? Do you really want to die?”

Chen Chang Sheng looked at him and said, “At least it’s better than having a knife always hanging right above your head.”

“So I didn’t say anything wrong. You truly are not afraid of death.”

Looking at him, Tang Thirty Six said shockingly, “What kind of disease do you have?”

“I don’t have any.”

Chen Chang Sheng smiled and said, “I know how to cure diseases.”

There was a sentence that he still hid in the bottom of his heart: The incurable disease was no longer a disease, but fate.

“Fake, too fake.”

Tang Thirty Six sai continuously and then he explained, “You are about to surpass that prince’s status.”

Chen Chang Sheng didn’t expect him to suddenly mention Prince Chen Liu. He felt a bit surprised so he asked, “How did Prince Chen Liu offend you?”

Tang Thirty Six said, “Didn’t you notice? Previously when he got off the wagon, he mismatched one of his buttons.”

“So?”

“If not, then how could he demonstrate his hurry and his concern for the Tradition Academy?”

“………You think too much.”

Chen Chang Sheng admired this kid’s observation skills but he disagreed with his thinking.

“Anyway, I don’t like Prince Chen Liu. He’s too fake.”

“Or maybe that’s because he also doesn’t like you?”

“I am so real. If he doesn’t like me, then it is because he is fake.”

“You can replace the word real with unrestrained.”

“Whatever, he’s still fake.”

“If you weren’t a pinhole like yourself, who would notice the detail that Prince Chen Liu mismatched one of his buttons?”

“In the code of ancestors in my family, there were similar words – it’s most accurate to look people through coin holes.” (There are holes in ancient Chinese coins.)

Chen Chang Sheng shook his head and stopped saying anything. He thought to himself, even if Prince Chen Liu’s action was intentional, as the only Chen royal family member staying in the capital, he was lonely so it was understandable that he wanted to gain the support from the elders of the Tradition by helping the Tradition Academy.

After Xuan Yuan Po buried the horse under the east wall, he came back and heard the two people’s conversation. He kept shaking his head and said, “You guys are so young but you already think things are so complicated. Humans are indeed too guileful and can’t interact with you.”

Back to the bedroom in the small building, Chen Chang Sheng felt his eyelids were heavy. He was very sleepy.

His feeling was also very heavy because his clear and calm studying life, from now on, was gone and would never return. He was worried about the Divine Queen’s attitude after his words this morning were passed to the palace. No matter what way it was looked at, a good thing was not going to happen.

In the discarded garden in the royal palace, Mo Yu had said that he was using others and that he was manipulating but actually, these were all taught by Luo Luo…..after all, she was the only daughter of the White Emperor. Although she didn’t have any siblings and she didn’t experience any palace competitions, as a member of the royal family, Luo Luo knew such things innately.

But how about him? He was excellent at calculating, not manipulating. (Author’s trying to make a pun, sorta, calculating in Chinese pronounced, Ji Suan, Manipulating, Suan Ji.)

Like how he said to Jin Yu Lu, he truly disliked it. This made him very tired.

He walked to the bed and was about to rest a bit more but suddenly, he stopped.

He went to the closet next to the window, took down the short sword and then walked to the bed again.

No pause. It was very natural.

That, that person didn’t even react.

Chen Chang Sheng looked at the bed. The joints on his fingers holding onto the handle turned somewhat white.

There was someone hiding under the quilt.