Way of Choices: Book II - Youths We Were, Schoolmates, Part 2

by Mao Ni

Mo Yu did not reply.

  Chen Changsheng shook his head and advised, "It's not a good thing to hide your illness and not see a doctor."

  "What do you understand?" Mo Yu couldn't help but ask as she stared at him.

  As she was the female official who served as the Divine Empress's most trusted aide, no small number of people in the Great Zhou Dynasty were keeping a watch on her every movement. There were some illnesses that she could consult a doctor over, and some illnesses that she couldn't. At the very beginning, when her own assessment of this illness showed a possible relation with her heart, she broke off any idea of seeking out the opinion of the imperial physicians.

  Her worries weighed too heavily on her mind? What worries did she have?

  The entire continent knew that all of her family had been executed. Was this her greatest worry?

  Could the Divine Empress still hold some resentment?

  Thus, she could not treat it.

  She could not let anyone know that her mind was so heavily weighed down with worries that she could not sleep.

  Until today, when Chen Changsheng exposed it with a single sentence.

  She stared into Chen Changsheng's eyes, thinking about which was the greater risk: killing him or believing him.

  "Can you keep my secret?" she asked.

  She and Chen Changsheng were enemies, but for some reason, she believed in Chen Changsheng's promises. Chen Changsheng's thoughts were simpler. Since a medical consultation had already taken place, the relationship between them was no longer that of enemies, but of doctor and patient.

  The doctor naturally needed to protect the secrets of the patient, so he nodded his head.

  "How will you treat it? Do you need to take my pulse?"

  When Mo Yu recalled that he was Daoist Ji's disciple, she developed some confidence in his medical skills. She extended her arm in front of him and said, "It's best if decoctions aren't used."

  Chen Changsheng knew why she didn't want decoctions, because the dregs of the decoction would make it very difficult to keep a secret… When he thought of how this seemingly well-off woman actually had to live with such care and prudence, living every day as if right before an abyss, his ill will toward her inexplicably lightened somewhat.

  He lightly pressed his fingers onto her wrist and, in a short time, reached a diagnosis, saying, "It will still be okay without taking medicine, but it will be somewhat slower."

  Mo Yu relaxed a little and waited for what he would say next.

  "Relax your mind, take more strolls, eat pearl barley porridge mixed with thickly cut pseudoginseng, and also…"

  Chen Changsheng looked at her face. The makeup had already been cleaned off, but a tinge of impatience was still visible. After hesitating for a while, he said, "There are some illnesses that will naturally be cured after marrying."

  Mo Yu was a little startled and then understood. Her two cheeks instantly flushed red, but her face exploded with a monstrous aura.

  She fiercely glared at him, and then without any words, her body blurred and she vanished.

  Chen Changsheng walked to the window and watched the woman's figure vanish into the autumn forest, shaking his head.

  While walking amongst the thick leaves covering the ground of the forest and listening to them rustle, Mo Yu felt her mind to be somewhat messy. Although the chilly autumn wind blew through the trees and across her face, it was still boiling. Earlier when Chen Changsheng had spoken of disharmony, she had already felt extremely humiliated and angry, but his revealing that she was still a virgin only added to these emotions.

  If Chen Changsheng were some old imperial physician advanced in both years and virtue, it naturally would be okay, but no matter how she saw it, he was just a youth inexperienced with matters of the world.

  The fallen leaves crumbled beneath her feet, and the autumn wind blew against her sleeves and through the Orthodox Academy's forest. As she reached the palace walls, she gradually calmed down. Turning her head back to look at the indistinct house behind the forest and thinking about those things she had just done, she found it impossible to believe.

  She actually aimed flirtatious glances at a youth, and even spoke such shameless words to seduce him? Although he currently knew her secret… the youth was not her enemy, and she was very relaxed around him, but… what she had done today was too excessive, wasn't it?

  The just-cooled cheeks once more became scalding hot, and her beautiful eyes exploded with resentment. If someone were to find out how she had acted in front of Chen Changsheng today, the entire capital would probably go insane.

  Suddenly, she became calm. She stood in the forest by the palace walls for a very long time, seemingly lost in thought. Rustling fallen leaves drifted about her dress, gradually accumulating around her and making her figure seem somewhat thinner and much lonelier.

  * * *

  As the autumn deepened, winter was naturally not far, and the Grand Examination grew ever closer.

  The Orthodox Academy once more welcomed a long period of peace. Chen Changsheng deeply valued this peace and put all his time into cultivating and studying. Xuanyuan Po did so as well, and while Tang Thirty-Six still thought of the world of flourishing blossoms beyond the academy's walls, he was compelled to be more diligent in the face of two such companions.

  In the library, Chen Changsheng would spend each night drawing in starlight for Purification. Although his body remained the same and his cultivation continued to make no progress, he was not the slightest bit discouraged. Every part of the process, from the meditation to the receiving of starlight, was done meticulously, without the smallest error.

  The injuries of Xuanyuan Po's right arm gradually began to improve, and at an ever-increasing rate. If he could completely recover before the start of winter and begin to learn the cultivation techniques in the library from Chen Changsheng, there was a real possibility that he could still make the Grand Examination.

  Tang Thirty-Six cultivated incessantly, the quantity and purity of his true essence incessantly advancing. He stabilized his position at the upper level of Meditation more and more and had long since reached the threshold of Ethereal Opening. However, just like his fellows on the Proclamation of Azure Sky, he was absolutely not intending to take that step until he had finished all preparations.

  In order to cross this pass of life or death between the Meditation and Ethereal Opening realms, this steepest and most dangerous of passes, even the most genius cultivator would prepare for a very long time. Even Qiushan Jun had used an entire year to prepare, and this was with the Mount Li Sword Sect providing him countless medicines to help firm up his foundation.

  It now seemed that Tang Thirty-Six was certain to be the first person in the Orthodox Academy to confront this trial of life or death that was the threshold of Ethereal Opening. As the first student of the Orthodox Academy, Chen Changsheng would never just look on as Tang Thirty-Six struggled on his own. In reality, Chen Changsheng had already made many preparations.

  The first was medicine. In the past few days, he and Tang Thirty-Six had taken advantage of the darkness to sneak into the Hundred Herb Garden three times, taking from it many rare medicinal herbs and spirit fruits. When they were needed, he would refine them into medicines using the methods taught to him by his teacher, Daoist Ji. He was confident that he could definitely refine medicines that would not lose out to the medicines in places like the Mount Li Sword Sect or the Heavenly Dao Academy. The second was the method. Although he had not yet succeeded at Purification, he had already begun to read books concerning Meditative Introspection in the hopes that he would be able to help Tang Thirty-Six smoothly make it through the pass when the time came.

  When they were stealing medicinal herbs in the Hundred Herb Garden, he had felt very nervous. These actions were somewhat contrary to his principles, but before the great principle of placing matters of life and death above all else, he didn't think too much about it. However, when he saw the oil lamp on the stone tabl
e, he very naturally thought of the middle-aged woman.

  And then he thought of Luoluo.

  If not for the fact that Luoluo had opened up that door in the academy wall, if she had not lived in the Hundred Herb Garden for so long, if Guardian Jin who she had asked to remain in the Orthodox Academy had not shadowed them while they were stealing herbs, none of this would be possible.

  On a certain night, when Chen Changsheng was reading a notebook left behind by someone who had passed from Meditation into Ethereal Opening, he thought of a very important matter that he had forgotten.

  It was still about Luoluo.

  In an instant, the back of his clothes was soaked through with sweat.

  Chapter 105 – Going to the Li Palace

  Luoluo possessed the blood of the White Emperor clan and had abundant quantities of true essence. In her several months within the Orthodox Academy, she had cultivated in accordance with his instructions and easily reached the upper level of Meditation—if demi-human cultivation followed the same levels as human cultivation, then she was also confronting an extremely perilous pass.

  When thinking about this, Chen Changsheng was overcome with remorse and fear. If Luoluo were to encounter some problem when breaking through, he truly would not be able to forgive himself. Right now, he had some understanding of the process of breaking into Ethereal Opening, and more importantly, he had medicine.

  He could no longer sit still. Rising, he ran over to the small wooden house by the gate and asked Jin Yulu, "Luoluo… when will Her Highness be able to take a trip outside the Li Palace?"

  Jin Yulu was drinking wine, his eyes squinted as his hand ferried white nuts into his mouth. Hearing this question, he became somewhat puzzled and asked, "What's wrong?"

  Chen Changsheng saw his expression and felt that he had been thinking too simply. After considering his response, he said, "I have some things that I need to tell her and want to meet her. If… it's truly too inconvenient, could I trouble Sir Guardian to help me by delivering a letter to her?"

  Jin Yulu threw a peanut into his mouth, chewing on it while he said indistinctly, "Just that?"

  Chen Changsheng was somewhat confused. What did he mean by 'just that'?

  "If you want to see her, go see her. What need is there for me to deliver a letter?"

  Jin Yulu raised his wine cup and downed it all in one gulp, constantly clicking his tongue at its fiery taste.

  Chen Changsheng was even more confused, his eyes opened wide as he asked, "I can… see her?"

  "It's not convenient for Her Highness to leave the Li Palace because of her safety, but you are Her Highness's teacher, and you're not going to harm her. If you want to see her, go to the Li Palace and see her. Who's going to stop you?"

  "Sir Guardian… why didn't you say this earlier?"

  "I saw that you never took a step outside the Orthodox Academy and thought you wanted to focus on cultivating."

  "Guardian…"

  "What's wrong?"

  "I've thanked you…"

  "But I don't seem to be hearing any gratitude in your voice."

  * * *

  It was not possible to enter the Li Palace at night, so early on the morning of the next day, before the sun was even up, before five o'clock, Chen Changsheng woke up early for the first time ever. He then proceeded to wake up Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po. Afterward, he went to the gatehouse to place awakening incense under Jin Yulu's nose to stir him from his drunken stupor.

  The carriage wheels rolled across the flagstones of Hundred Flowers Lane, rumbling as the carriage carried two humans and two demi-humans toward the Li Palace.

  The Li Palace was the residence of the Pope and the center of the Orthodoxy, and it had always been on equal level with the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. It was located in the western part of the capital and was a vast collection of palace halls, a most towering and grandiose sight. Even as far as New North Bridge, ten-some li from the Li Palace, it was still visible.

  The Orthodoxy was established in the year fifteen-seventy-three of the Calendar of Light and had now existed for eight hundred years. However, given how long ago the Heavenly Tomes descended to the world and the Dao of light became prevalent on the continent, its history exceeded ten thousand years. The Li Palace, as a symbol of the Orthodoxy, was naturally extraordinary.

  This collection of palace halls occupied such a vast amount of space as to seem boundless. The Divine Avenue, able to hold eight carriages running side by side at once, ran through the entire complex. The true Li Palace in which the Pope resided was at the very back of these palaces, in the deepest part of the Li Palace. The several dozen palace halls and stately buildings surrounding the plaza of white stone at the front belonged to several large institutions of the Orthodoxy.

  The Li Palace Academy was naturally within this group of palaces. Contrary to what the average person might expect, the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green and the Temple Seminary, also schools belonging to the Six Ivies, were also contained within these palaces. They were so close as to seem like one, leading some people to occasionally call the Li Palace the Academy City.

  The Ivies of the Li Palace, one of the famous sights of the capital, particularly referred to the seemingly endless ivy vines growing on the surrounding wall that connected these three academies. Of course, it also referred to the greenery in the very back of this collection of palace halls, closest to the Pope.

  When Chen Changsheng and his group left the Orthodox Academy, it was still dark. When they reached the Li Palace, it just so happened to be half past five, right when the Li Palace opened. Jin Yulu could not help but laugh and shake his head at how precisely this youth had calculated the time.

  The outermost perimeter of the Li Palace was lined with countless stone pillars. These stone pillars were around ten zhang tall and would take several people to completely circle them. Each pillar was separated from the others by one hundred zhang. From a distance, there seemed nothing special about them, but from up close, the rows of stone pillars gave off a sense of grandeur.

  As he walked in front of a pillar, Xuanyuan Po realized that there were no chinks on its surface. He couldn't help but drop his jaw in astonishment. These stone pillars had actually been carved and polished from a single piece of stone. He was absolutely mystified as to how, when they were building the Li Palace, the workers had been able to find so many complete stones and transport them to the capital.

  The morning wind passed between the pillars and the morning light shone upon them. Nothing lay between these stone pillars, and only the sky was above them. It was all empty, as if nothing stood in the way, and the occasional bird flying through did not seem to invoke any strange phenomena.

  But these stone pillars were the main gate of the Li Palace.

  If someone entered without permission or attempted to sneak in after the gate was closed, they would trigger a restriction. As for what this restriction was, nobody knew. It had been far too many years since this restriction had last been triggered. There was simply no one who dared to invade the Li Palace, so the true appearance of the restriction had gradually been forgotten.

  These stone pillars did not bar Chen Changsheng's group. He offered a document and very easily passed the inspection. However, the gazes that were aimed at them were somewhat peculiar, because this document very clearly stated that they had come from the Orthodox Academy.

  Solely from its name, one would know that the Orthodox Academy was closely related to the Orthodoxy, but that was an old matter from ten-some years ago. From the moment the previous Principal of the Orthodox Academy joined with the Chen Imperial clan and caused trouble, and was consequently suppressed by the Pope, this relationship was ended.

  This was the first time in ten-some years that the Orthodox Academy had appeared in front of the Li Palace.

  The three youths of the Orthodox Academy were now famous in the capital, let alone the fact that Jin Yulu was their gatekeeper.

  In the upper part of
the stone pillars, illuminated in the morning light, some sort of design could faintly be seen.

  Chen Changsheng had once applied for the Temple Seminary, but he had gone to the River Wang Branch Academy, which had been assigned the responsibility of enrolling students, so this was also his first time coming to this place.

  He drew back his gaze from the pillar and followed Jin Yulu onto the broad and straight Divine Avenue. Countless trees had been planted on both sides of the Divine Avenue. Even in the bleak chill of autumn, when more and more leaves were beginning to fall, it was still difficult to see into the forest because of the closeness of the trees.

  The Li Palace opened at half past five, which was also the time when the students of the Li Palace Academy, the Temple Seminary, and the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green began their morning cultivation.

  From the distant academy walls came the faint sounds of recitation. Sword Qi crisscrossed through the forests on both sides of the Divine Avenue, startling birds into flight. All sorts of different Qis shuttled back and forth through the forest.

  Tang Thirty-Six gazed at those sword glows and sensed those Qis, his eyebrows slightly rising in interest. The students engaging in morning cultivation within the forest had quite a few unusual members amongst them. He could even sense a few Qis that were no weaker than his, but he didn't know which academies they belonged to.

  Chen Changsheng valued time and adored studying, so he would naturally be very pleased at this sort of sight, even feeling a slight yearning. However, when he thought of Luoluo, he decided that he didn't have time to stop and look. He quickened his steps, walking toward that imposing palace at the end of the Divine Avenue.

  Suddenly, he stopped.

  Jin Yulu and the other two youths also stopped.

  Something rather strange had happened.

  In the forests to the sides of the Divine Avenue, in line with where they were standing, the sounds of sword Qi howling through the air could be heard. Those sounds had suddenly stopped, leaving an abnormal silence.