Way of Choices: Book I - Youths We Were, Schoolmates

by Mao Ni

  These past few days when he had been comparing the knowledge in the library with that contained in his mind, he had attempted to break through the limits of his meridians to circulate true essence. For this purpose, he had made several hypotheses. Since it was impossible to link his nine meridians, he had to find a completely new method if he wished to cultivate.

  He did not know if this method would have any use, or if it could control the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong, because he was just a normal person with no true essence. But at the time, that girl was already covered in wounds and was about to die before his eyes, so he had to take a gamble and hope that it could help her.

  Thus that remark.

  "The stars in heaven reflect the organs; let your true essence flow voluntarily. Bring your wrist up to your shoulder, and the wind and rain will be restrained."

  Fortunately, the problems in true essence circulation the girl encountered when using the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong were very similar to his own situation.

  Even more fortunately, she did not know who Chen Changsheng was, yet subconsciously complied with his instructions.

  And most fortunately of all, the hypotheses of Chen Changsheng's mind achieved success with her body.

  The Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong finally displayed its true might.

  "But how did you know where I was?" On the lake shore, that demon covered in blood spoke out as he stared at Chen Changsheng, his voice furious and perplexed.

  The Falling Rain Whip possessed shocking might, especially after the girl obtained Chen Changsheng's instructions and was able to use her true essence in the Wind and Rain Sword of Mount Zhong. Thus, as long as it could discover this demon expert's position, it would assuredly inflict heavy wounds upon him.

  That was precisely the problem: how had Chen Changsheng been able to see his hidden tracks with a single sentence?

  "Northern Snow, the Plum Step, and more than three thousand coordinates, all of them need to be firmly memorized."

  Chen Changsheng walked to the girl's side, his dagger held up in front of his chest. As he stared at the distant demon expert, his expression was extremely vigilant, but his words were very casual. "In the past, I did not know that this was precisely the Yeshi Step, but I memorized them."

  Yes, this was that most secretive movement technique of the demons, the Yeshi Step. With this foot technique, one could freely move in a fixed range. Crucially, one could borrow the heavenly secrets of wind and snow contained within this movement technique to conceal one's own tracks.

  Even amongst the demons, this movement technique was a secret that was not allowed to be passed down.

  But when Chen Changsheng was very young, he had already memorized all three-thousand-plus positions, as well as their sequence.

  At the time, he believed that he was reading a novel concerning preaching called Records on the Bewildering Mists of the Capital. Only eight days ago, when he saw a book in the library containing the records of a senior of the Orthodoxy on his battles with demon experts, and compared the two, did he understand that the novel was actually a secret technique manual.

  "So you were lying; you are not a person of the Mohe, and your surname is not Mohe."

  Chen Changsheng stared at the demon and solemnly concluded, "You are a person of the Yeshi tribe, and your surname is Yeshi."

  The demon expert froze, his complexion turning abnormally nasty.

  There were too many things that had taken him by surprise.

  He had originally thought that the youth in the library would not have any influence on tonight's plan because that youth had not even succeeded in Purification.

  He had not expected for that youth to almost break Lord Black Robe's plan.

  What surprised him the most was that this youth cared more about the small lie, insignificant to the grand scheme of things, he had told.

  This made him very depressed, very sullen.

  Then, he began to feel grief, muttering to himself, "The Lord Military Advisor truly does possess unparalleled wisdom. He calculated that I would not want to die, that I wanted to use the sacred artifact to help me depart…thus, he arranged for the strange you to appear."

  Chapter 31 – When the Sky Was Falling, He Stood Before Her

  Chen Changsheng didn't quite understand what the demon was muttering about. He moved towards the girl, doing as much as possible to put her behind him.

  With a mournful face, the demon continued, "Because of your appearance, I cannot kill her, so I can only activate the sacred artifact. As a result, I will have to die together with you. This is the Lord Military Advisor's will; no one can defy it."

  Chen Changsheng felt vaguely uneasy and tightened the grip on his dagger.

  The demon stood up and sighed sorrowfully at Chen Changsheng, "Young one, I do not know who you are, but I think that you would have definitely become someone extraordinary in the future. It is a pity that you will have to accompany me in death tonight."

  Upon saying this, he raised up the metal magical artifact in his hands. With this action, a terrifyingly monstrous Qi descended from the sky. Countless slender and tiny pieces of metal flew back from the darkness. The invisible protective screen that had cut off the world vanished.

  A black net that seemed as enormous as a mountain descended towards the Orthodox Academy.

  "The Heavenly Net[20]?" Luoluo muttered, her face slightly pale.

  Nineteenth on the Tier of Legendary Weapons, the Heavenly Net.

  A sacred artifact of the demons.

  It was said that it was the hunting net used by the first Demon Lord when he went hunting. Once it descended, the heavens and earth would all be entrapped. Nothing could break it.

  Even those famed divine weapons and enchanted swords could not break it.

  Based on principle, such a powerful magical artifact of the demons should have been ranked even higher on the Tier of Legendary Weapons; at the very least, not behind the Falling Rain Whip. But because the Tier of Legendary Weapons had been drawn up by the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets of the human world, its ranking was inevitably somewhat suppressed. More importantly, the Heavenly Net had once been severely damaged.

  It was said that in the distant past, the Heavenly Net was actually called the Yama[21], but it had been severely damaged by some peerless expert of nigh-unimaginable power. It was no longer able to match up to its power when it was held in the hands of the first Demon Lord, so its name was changed to the Heavenly Net.

  If it were still the Yama in its pristine condition, the moment it opened, it could easily render anyone under the net into nothing. The Heavenly Net that was now seriously damaged could also cut off the heavens and earth, but in order for it to attack, it would require the user to give up their life essence blood as an offering!

  This was why the demon had been unwilling to use this magical artifact to attack at the very beginning. Only when Chen Changsheng's one remark startled the wind and rain and he had become heavily injured did he understand that it was impossible for him to kill Luoluo without any harm to himself, thus forcing him to activate this magical artifact.

  To be forced into rushing towards death, he was naturally somewhat sorrowful.

  As she stared at the falling black net, Luoluo was in shock, her face pale. She had recognized this net, and knew that even though the Heavenly Net no longer possessed the monstrous might of its past, it was not something a normal person could block.

  Her Falling Rain Whip could definitely not block it.

  The legendary Frost God Spear could probably break through it, but the God Spear was in the Imperial Palace, so who could come to their aid?

  She raised her head to the black net in the night sky, the Falling Rain Whip stabbing out like a bolt of lightning, carrying the howling wind and rain with it.

  There was only a thump.

  The Falling Rain Whip was like a dragon serpent struck by lightning, its bones shattered into countless pieces as it retreated in rui
n.

  An unimaginably horrifying strength traveled through the whip into her petite body.

  With a groan, she vomited blood and fell to the ground.

  Tonight's bitter battle had placed far too much of a strain on this fourteen-year-old girl, and she now found it impossible to hold on. Her vision was hazy as she teetered on the verge of unconsciousness. The final scene she saw was that youth wielding his dagger and thrusting it at the pitch-black night sky.

  This sword was very dull, very ordinary, and also rather short.

  The youth's hand was raised up high, confronting the black and enormous net that was like the sky.

  His actions were somewhat awkward, giving off a rather sorrowful feeling.

  Because the difference was too great, he gave off the feeling of someone that had too excessively overestimated their capabilities, a very hopeless act.

  It was like a praying mantis raising an arm to stop a run-away carriage; like an egg crashing down from the Dew Platform onto solid ground.

  Luoluo was very sad, very apologetic. If not for her, he would not also have to die.

  Then, she fell unconscious.

  Riiiip.

  A massive tear suddenly appeared in the middle of the seemingly impregnable black net. The night wind that had been kept out for so long fiercely poured in through the center of the night, followed soon after by the true starlight, pouring down like a waterfall.

  In the depths of the sky brimming with starlight appeared a fiercely burning cloud. This red cloud seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, instantly landing in the center of the Orthodox Academy. The grass on the lawn became slightly scorched, the tender leaves of the scholar trees curled in the heat, and the temperature began to incessantly increase.

  The front hoof of the Red Cloud Qilin heavily struck the demon expert's chest. With a crisp crack, the demon expert's breastbone was completely shattered. Vomiting blood everywhere, the demon's body sunk heavily into the grass, but his right hand continued its stubborn grip on the magical artifact.

  There was yet another harsh crack!

  A fiercely burning blade glow illuminated the night sky over the Orthodox Academy.

  The demon expert's right arm was sent flying in a stream of blood, landing far away in the lake.

  A middle-aged man was seated on the Red Cloud Qilin, his body covered all over in armor, similarly dark red in color. His expression was solemn as he stared down at the demon.

  A tinge of despair flashed through the demon expert's eyes as he muttered, "So it was you…no wonder the Heavenly Net was broken."

  Xue Xingchuan, the Great Zhou Divine General of the Heavens, mounted on a Red Cloud Qilin, wielding a divine blade that glowed with blood!

  He was deeply trusted by the Divine Empress and had commanded the Imperial Guards for many years.

  Of the thirty-eight Divine Generals of the Great Zhou, he was ranked second!

  "Yeshi Tanlu, you really were hiding in the capital."

  Xue Xingchuan gazed expressionlessly at the blood-drenched man under the foot of his mount and said, "Of course, you don't have the qualification to have this general search for you for so long, but I really wish to know, after you are sent to the Department for Purging Officials, whether you will be able to stop yourself from speaking of Black Robe's whereabouts."

  The demon man was actually called Yeshi Tanlu. He had already been despairing, but only after hearing these words did he realize that the humans had always been preparing to find the whereabouts of Lord Black Robe from his body, which only deepened his despair. When he realized that he couldn't even commit suicide, his despair reached its nadir.

  What was a true expert? Xue Xingchuan was a true expert!

  Before him, even if one wanted to die, they wouldn't succeed!

  Swishswishswishswish. The sound of countless people cutting through the air echoed throughout the Orthodox Academy. In the night sky, one could even faintly see several flying carriages approaching at high speed.

  The scene of battle was extremely close to the Imperial Palace. Once the Heavenly Net was broken, countless people were naturally alarmed.

  The true expert that was Xue Xingchuan was the first to arrive; the other Imperial Guards and palace experts came quickly in succession.

  In the darkness, countless more figures jumped over the academy wall. When those people saw the scene, they were abnormally shocked. Without even paying attention to the demon under Xue Xingchuan's custody, they madly rushed to Luoluo and swiftly brought her away.

  Xue Xingchuan knew the identities of these people and did not stop them. Finding the Yeshi tribesman most skilled in concealment in the capital, and even alive, thus perhaps getting even closer to that enigmatic Military Advisor, made him very satisfied.

  But the final words Yeshi Tanlu said before falling unconscious…

  Xue Xingchuan wrinkled his brow slightly. He was keenly aware that by the time he had hurried over, the Heavenly Net had already been broken.

  Several Imperial Guards placed the demon under even stricter guard and dragged him into the darkness to await his even more miserable end.

  The Red Cloud Qilin slowly turned so Xue Xingchuan could face the nearby youth, and he impassively asked, "And who are you?"

  Chen Changsheng was still tightly gripping his dagger, still somewhat unclear on just what had occurred. On hearing this question, he awoke from his daze, returned his dagger to its sheath, and answered, "I am a student here."

  Xue Xingchuan's expression turned a little strange. He had not expected for this unremarkable youth to be the rumored new student of the Orthodox Academy.

  He glanced him over and knew that this youth was an ordinary person. That dagger of his had also been extremely ordinary, so he knew that tonight, this youth had simply been caught in the crossfire. That this youth dared to take his dagger and stand before that demon made Xue Xingchuan somewhat admire him.

  But this was just admiration.

  No person dared to care about the Orthodox Academy. This was a cursed place.

  He also did not want to care.

  A person stepped forward to confirm Chen Changsheng's identity.

  The Red Cloud Qilin stamped on the ground and rose. Driving the red clouds, it soon disappeared into the Imperial Palace.

  Chen Changsheng stared at this sight in shock.

  * * *

  Very early on the morning of the next day, Luoluo awoke. Her body had always been different from an ordinary person's, and she had fallen unconscious last night primarily because of the strain on her body. She had not incurred any real injuries and her mind had long since completely recovered.

  However, she did not immediately rise from bed. She opened her eyes wide and gazed at the intricate embroidery of her bed curtains. She thought of what had happened last night, especially that scene before she fell unconscious, which she found somewhat baffling.

  That massive black net descended like the sky itself was falling.

  Just when she thought that she would die in the next moment, she saw that youth stand in front of her and bring up his dagger to meet it.

  Her father had always said that when the sky is falling, there would be someone tall to hold it up for her. These words had always displeased her because she always felt that her father was teasing her for being so short, but now she suddenly rejoiced over the fact that she was so petite.

  That youth was truly not very tall, but he was taller than her.

  When the sky was falling, he had blocked it for her.

  For some inexplicable reason, Luoluo felt very happy and began to giggle.

  Then she thought of something and got up in surprise. She called out, "Where is everyone?"

  Ten-odd clansmen rushed over as fast as fire.

  She asked uneasily, "He's okay, right?"

  All the clansmen that were able serve her personally, whether man or woman, were all exceptionally intelligent. Upon hearing her question, they knew who she was inquiring after. A pe
rson reported, "Divine General Xue Xingchuan promptly arrived. That youth was not injured."

  Luoluo patted her chest, still somewhat fearful.

  "Then it's fine." She got out of bed and said, "I'm going to go see him."

  Those clansmen all glanced at each other, then kneeled as one, some of their eyes even turning red.

  Luoluo came to her senses and awkwardly said, "My apologies. In the future, I won't do anything like I did last night."