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

by Mao Ni

  Chen Changsheng felt rather helpless, saying, "If Guardian Jin acts, won't the teachers of the academies, or even their principals, also appear?"

  Tang Thirty-Six replied, "If even the principals appear, do you still think the fight will continue?"

  Chen Changsheng didn't know how to respond, but Xuanyuan Po commented, "You humans truly are too cunning."

  "Speaking of which, you also spoke too harshly to that girl."

  "Eh? And just who was I putting myself out there for? That's too much from you!"

  "Fine, I admit my mistake."

  "I accept."

  "But there's still something that I can't quite figure out. When I met you at the very beginning in the Heavenly Dao Academy and also later on at the inn, you were very different from how you are now. It's said that you're famous for your cold arrogance and reclusiveness, so how did you become such a chatterer? And to have a mouth full of such filthy words…"

  "You just don't understand."

  Tang Thirty-Six stood on the stone steps and looked back on the capital with an indescribable sense of sorrow. "Just like that day when Tianhai Shengxue charged at the academy gate and I stood in the rain, sword in hand, exuding a natural arrogance and dashing aura, it was all a pretense. Feigning despair for a long time is actually very tiring."

  Chen Changsheng said, "Ah, so you were just pretending in the past?"

  Tang Thirty-Six coldly laughed, then answered, "Duh, besides that wolf cub in the north, who is born naturally lofty and cold?"

  "So why don't you continue pretending?"

  "In front of all of you, I still need to continue pretending?"

  "Then… could you please at least… at least curse a little less, that's really no good."

  "How can any of you understand the depression a person like me feels? From the moment we begin to think, we have to act arrogant and aloof, above the common people. After holding back for so many years, it's like a flood being held back by a dam. As soon as the dam springs a leak, can anything be done other than letting the damn thing flood for a few days?"

  "Your meaning is that either you keep holding it back until it causes you internal injuries or you become a scoundrel?"

  "Correct, the longer I hold it, the more terrifying the explosion. It's just like that wife of yours. She's such a fairy-like existence that even the demons of Xuelao City would want nothing more than to grovel at her feet, yet I'm extremely sure that there are often times where she…"

  Tang Thirty-Six slightly paused as he looked at Chen Changsheng, then continued, "…gets the urge to curse."

  Chen Changsheng froze, then suddenly understood that he was talking about Xu Yourong and kept his mouth shut.

  "But just now, all those girls changed how they looked at you," Xuanyuan Po said with great pity.

  Tang Thirty-Six replied, "I hate it when those girls stare at me like that. In Wenshui it was like that, in the Heavenly Dao Academy too. If it's still like this now, why did I enter the Orthodox Academy? I'm not the Mausoleum of Books; what's so good about looking at me!"

  Xuanyuan Po recalled the beautiful girls of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green and said with yearning, "It would be great if they could look at me like that."

  "Big Brother, although you look old, aren't you just thirteen? You're prepared to spread your seed so early?"

  "Chen Changsheng is only older than me by a year, and isn't he about to get married? Anyway, where I live, a thirteen-year-old having children is very normal."

  "Now that we're talking about it, I'm truly very curious: how many can you demi-humans give birth to at a time?"

  Jin Yulu's coughing could suddenly be heard on the stone steps.

  Tang Thirty-Six quickly brought the topic back on track. "What's so good about being stared at?"

  "What's so bad about it?"

  "What if they look you to death?"

  "What do you mean by 'look to death'?"

  "They just stare at you until you die."

  "Ah… then they can do it after I reach the Saint Realm."

  "It's impossible to talk with you."

  "Just say it."

  "Back then Zhou Dufu's younger brother Zhou Yuren was the most handsome man on the continent. When he first entered the capital, thousands of women lined the street to welcome him. Those women had such burning gazes that they practically wanted to take a bowl of water and swallow him whole. Zhou Yuren had a weak body in the first place, and he received such a fright that he nearly fainted to death, which is where the phrase 'looked to death' comes from."

  "Ah, we demi-humans have much stronger bodies than you humans. Nothing will happen no matter how much they look."

  "It truly is impossible to talk with you."

  "Thirty-Six, I've suddenly realized that not even you are that handsome. Perhaps you're overthinking things?"

  The sincere truth from the mouth of an honest person was the most powerful and most hurtful.

  Right now, the Orthodox Academy had two such people: Chen Changsheng and Xuanyuan Po.

  Tang Thirty-Six felt like he had been deeply wounded.

  * * *

  Although the thousand stone steps were long, they could not last against Chen Changsheng's hurried steps and chatting. It didn't take long before they arrived in front of the Hall of Pure Virtue.

  With Jin Yulu leading them, their identities were checked and they very smoothly entered the Hall of Pure Virtue.

  The Hall of Pure Virtue matched its name. A pure wind blew through the place and there were few furnishings within. The ground was clean of dust and the hall was extremely spacious, serene, and cold. What confused Chen Changsheng was that he looked all around but saw no trace of habitation, so he could not tell where Luoluo's chambers were.

  Jin Yulu also didn't say much. The priest leading the three youths continued deeper into the hall. The Hall of Pure Virtue was paved with green bricks two feet in length. When stepped upon, they would emit a faint light. It was very mystical, and Xuanyuan Po lowered his head to look down at this scene, thoroughly interested.

  Chen Changsheng had also noticed this special property of these green bricks. Looking around, he saw that although the other green bricks were not emitting light as the ones under their feet were, they were different shades. He thought, Given the area of the Hall of Pure Virtue, there must be tens of thousands of green bricks. Could they form some sort of pattern?

  However, it was difficult to get the complete view of a mountain while within it, and so even if there was a pattern, he wouldn't be able to see it while standing amongst the green bricks. Thus, it was best not to think about it.

  If one looked down from the dome of the Hall of Pure Virtue, one could see that the tens of thousands of differently shaded bricks of green joined together into a lonely green leaf. Chen Changsheng and the others were currently walking on one of the veins of this leaf.

  The priest was uncommunicative, occasionally saying a few words to Jin Yulu while completely ignoring the three youths.

  With their steps, green brick after green brick lit up, causing the stem of this leaf to light up, almost as if they were pouring some sort of energy into it.

  Ultimately, the entire vein of the leaf was lit, and Chen Changsheng's group had been led by the priest into the utmost depths of the hall.

  And then, there was naught but darkness.

  * * *

  The darkness lasted for a very short time, so short that it gave Chen Changsheng the feeling that he had merely blinked his eyes. In the closing and opening of the eyes, a night had passed. This was something that everyone had experienced. For everything before the eyes to go dark and then brighten, revealing another world, was not something that everyone had experienced.

  At the sight before him, his jaw slightly dropped. So stunned was he that he could not speak.

  Standing beside him, Xuanyuan Po had an even more exaggerated expression.

  Countless clouds drifted about the porcelain-blue sky. These clouds w
ere perfectly shaped, just like the magic clouds described in the Daoist Canon. Several hundred immortal cranes soared amongst the clouds, their cries purifying both heart and soul. A towering and magnificent palace lay before their eyes.

  In the distance were ten-some palaces of similar style.

  This was a beautiful world. The magic clouds, the immortal cranes, the palaces, the jade-colored lakes, and even the fresh and clean atmosphere—all of it was perfect, so perfect that it didn't seem real. However, standing amongst it, they knew that this was all real.

  "Don't shame the academy. Quickly catch up," Tang Thirty-Six whispered to the two of them, and then walked forward as if he didn't know them.

  Chen Changsheng came to his senses and saw that Jin Yulu and the priest had already reached that towering and majestic palace. He hastily patted Xuanyuan Po and hurried to catch up.

  When they reached Tang Thirty-Six, Chen Changsheng asked, "This is?"

  Tang Thirty-Six replied, "This is a miniature world. You should have heard of it before."

  Chen Changsheng said nothing. He was well-versed in the Daoist Canon, so he naturally knew of miniature worlds. However, only today, by actually coming to a miniature world, did he realize how shallow knowledge from books was.

  It was said that when the Heavenly Tomes descended upon the world, divine fire followed from the sky. Space fractured, ultimately leaving behind countless shards of space. These spatial shards spread all over the continent. Some spatial shards were extremely unstable, annihilated almost as soon as they appeared. On the other hand, others were quite stable and were able to persist for a very long time.

  With the passing of time and the procession of countless years, fewer and fewer spatial shards remained in the continent. Those spatial shards that continued to exist were naturally extremely stable. This led to the famous saying: 'Time is the only standard by which to test the world.'

  The stable spatial shards were found by humans, opened up by cultivators using frightening divine techniques, and set up with the most profound magical artifacts as doors. Through their efforts, these spatial shards were connected with the real world. The so-called spatial shards were often of vast size and able to be used in countless applications. This was what was meant by a miniature world.

  The Wenshui Tang clan possessed a miniature world. Although it was not large, it was enough to push the Tang clan to a level above other wealthy families. Tang Thirty-Six was not so shocked because he would often be brought into that miniature world by his grandfather to play around.

  "This is one flower, one world…"

  Chen Changsheng stared at the beautiful sight before him, the magnificent building, and was somewhat emotional. Then, for some reason, he lowered his head to gaze at the dagger at his waist.

  Chapter 109 – Reunion

  "One flower contains one world; one leaf also contains one world. These are metaphysical descriptions, but they're truthfully not accurate, or could we really be in a flower or a leaf? What we call flowers and leaves are all magical artifacts forged by our ancestors using grand divine abilities, gates that lead to spatial shards."

  Tang Thirty-Six continued, "The larger the spatial shard, the more stable it is, and the more difficult it is to open a gate. A truly grand divine ability is needed to successfully create magical artifacts. Only at this point can we finally say that this is a miniature world that has a master."

  Chen Changsheng thought to himself, That's true, this argument is easy to understand. Xuanyuan Po had grown up with his tribe in the wilderness, so he had neither experience nor knowledge in this aspect. Hearing the two talk, he was very confused and scratched his head. "This place is so big; how can it be called a miniature world?"

  Tang Thirty-Six said nothing, as he too had truthfully been stunned by the world before him. He had just not shown it. Compared to this beautiful world, the Wenshui Tang clan's miniature world didn't even count as a thatched cottage. They were two completely different concepts.

  Chen Changsheng asked, "This miniature world is so large. Just who does it belong to?"

  Tang Thirty-Six looked at him like he was an idiot. "His Holiness the Pope, of course."

  Chen Changsheng came to his senses. Across the continent, the people who had the divine ability to control this sort of miniature world could be counted with one's fingers, and since this was the Li Palace, who else could it be?

  "The opening of a miniature world rests solely in the thoughts of the holder."

  Tang Thirty-Six looked at the immortal cranes above and sighed, "There is nowhere safer for Princess Luoluo to live than here."

  If the demons still had any desire to assassinate Luoluo, they would first have to kill the Pope so that they could enter this hall.

  This was an impossible matter, so Luoluo's safety was assured.

  Chen Changsheng understood. Luoluo's living here was the safest and most dependable choice, but when he thought of how this was the Pope's world and her entry and exit were completely in another person's hands, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, feeling that this was no different from being a prisoner.

  However, when he thought of the assassination attempt that took place in the Orthodox Academy several months ago, he decided to remain silent.

  They entered the magnificent and towering palace, climbing the stairs upward. As they climbed higher and higher, they were able to see farther and farther, yet even at the twenty-ninth floor, they were still unable to see the edge of this world. Chen Changsheng was truly amazed, thinking, His Holiness truly deserves to be called one of the strongest on the continent.

  There were still ten-some palaces flickering in and out of sight in the distance.

  Chen Changsheng looked at those palaces and faintly felt that something was wrong. He walked up to Jin Yulu and whispered a few questions, and only then did he find out that there were actually many famous and meritorious priests of the Orthodoxy, as well as many experts, cultivating within the Pope's Green Leaf World.

  He voiced his concerns. "If the demons wanted to do harm to Her Highness, it would truly be impossible for them to destroy this world… but what if one of the priests of the Orthodoxy cultivating in this world has always been a spy for the demons? How do you guard against that?"

  "What demon spy could possibly deceive His Holiness's enlightened eyes? Even that old traitor Black Robe wouldn't dare."

  The guiding priest had heard Chen Changsheng's question and coolly replied.

  Chen Changsheng said no more.

  After quite some time, the group finally reached the top floor of the building. Atop the roof, which was flat like the deck of a boat, was a small courtyard. Bamboo was planted within and without the courtyard, giving it a delightfully verdant aura.

  Knowing that Luoluo was living in a place like this made Chen Changsheng's mind slightly relax.

  Jin Yulu sent the three youths to the gate but proceeded no further. Smiling at Chen Changsheng, he said, "The words of that priest definitely haven't addressed your concerns. I just want to tell you, it's impossible for me to take a single step into this courtyard, so what are you still worried about?"

  Chen Changsheng knew that miniature worlds had a maximum capacity, especially very small spatial shards. If a person possessing an excessive quantity of true essence entered the space, the spatial shard would collapse, bringing the person that entered with it into nothingness.

  But this courtyard clearly lay within the Pope's Green Leaf World.

  Why couldn't Jin Yulu enter?

  And if this were true, wouldn't it be even easier for the demons to assassinate Luoluo, only needing to send in a suicide soldier?

  Jin Yulu explained, "In some worlds, the threshold is too high. In some worlds, the roof is too low. In some worlds, the door is too narrow…"

  Chen Changsheng understood, but he recalled the description in the 'Doctrine of Space and Void'.

  Some miniature worlds would be destroyed if someone with too much true essence entered. This
was what was meant by the roof being too low.

  Some miniature worlds were impossible to enter unless one had reached a certain cultivation level. This was what was meant by the threshold being too high.

  Some miniature worlds, on the other hand, were impossible to enter if one surpassed a certain cultivation level. This was the door being too narrow.

  Some miniature worlds had many rooms.

  Space was forever the most unfathomable of objects, the laws governing it forever the most complex and abstruse.

  The Pope's Green Leaf world was obviously a world where the roof was too low. However, this world was too large, so even such a low roof was enough to hold an expert like Jin Yulu. However, all the places they had earlier passed were just a part of the courtyard.

  The courtyard at the roof of this palace was a real room of the Green Leaf World, and the roof of this bedroom was even lower, so Jin Yulu could not enter.

  "Only those at Ethereal Opening or below can enter," Jin Yulu finally explained.

  At last, Chen Changsheng was completely at ease. As Luoluo's teacher, he was extremely sure that no one at Ethereal Opening or below could threaten her in the slightest.

  * * *

  Chen Changsheng and the other two entered the courtyard. They wound their way around two clumps of green bamboo, and before there was any time for the maid to stand up, they saw Luoluo.

  Luoluo was at the window, holding a brush and diligently writing something. Occasionally, she would pinch her slender brows or nibble on the tail of her brush, making her seem very adorable.

  Seeing a corner of the paper stirred up by the wind, Chen Changsheng knew that she was following his instructions and writing down notes on cultivation. This was because this paper was still the paper that he had found in a cabinet in the recesses of the library, and each paper carried the seal of the Orthodox Academy.

  His heart warmed at this sight.

  Luoluo was just sending the brush into her mouth when she sensed something and turned around, the brush stopping at her lips.