Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 393 A Storm Blockades the City

The long street was absolutely silent. The several hundred people present actually did not make a single sound.

Standing in the inn, Chen Changsheng shot a glance at Hua Jiefu. Previously, this bishop of Xunyang City had warned that a powerful figure from Scholartree Manor was touring the north and that there was a chance that this would become a big problem.

Now that he looked at it, the Orthodoxy really was the greatest power on the continent, for them to even be able to accurately sense this sort of secret intelligence. It was just that the bishop had guessed wrong. That person was not problematic, and apart from this…Su Li had also been wrong.

Chen Changsheng looked at Wang Po’s back and said to Su Li, “You see, in the end, there’s still someone that’s willing to help you. This world isn’t always dark, it’s worthy of your trust!”

Wang Po stood in the drizzling rain like a lonely tree. He had repelled Liang Wangsun and Xiao Zhang, using his incomparably unyielding technique to slash at them until they had no more strength to battle. For this reason, he had also suffered heavy injuries and coughed blood, so his voice was somewhat weak.

“Let’s go,” he directly said, without turning around.

Chen Changsheng knew these words were for him. He helped Su Li up from the chair and followed Wang Po. They tentatively stepped through the shattered beams and crushed rocks, heading towards the street.

Su Li thought that walking this way was rather arduous. Crucially, he needed Chen Changsheng’s support. He could not walk freely and casually, and he even had to do this under the watch of several hundred people. This was dealing a critical blow to his legendary character.

“Before we entered the city, I told you that there was no need to get rid of those two furry deer so quickly, but you didn’t listen!”

Annoyed, he grumbled back at Chen Changsheng, “I don’t care, just quickly find me a mount.”

Chen Changsheng felt very helpless. At this time, where would he find a mount? He said, “Wait until after we leave the city.”

Su Li pointed towards the end of the street at the Red Cloud Qilin that Xue He was leading. “This animal’s not bad, it can fly.”

Chen Changsheng thought to himself, the entire continent knows that it’s not bad, but the problem is that it’s not yours, nor is it mine. Moreover, it’s the mount of a Divine General of the Great Zhou who constantly thinks about killing you. Why are you doing this sort of thing and not quickly leaving Xunyang City?

Su Li saw the expression on his face and reluctantly said, “If it’s really not okay, then the emperor’s carriage of the Liang Household is also fine.”

Chen Changsheng was silent. He thought to himself that he really had done wrong. Back then on the snowy ridge at that hot spring, he shouldn’t have gone back. As the two talked, Wang Po waited silently in front of them, seeming extremely patient. Suddenly, he turned around and walked into the crowd. Coming to a certain cultivator, he extended his right hand—that cultivator was leading a buckskin horse.

With a stamping of hooves, Wang Po led the horse back and put the reins in Chen Changsheng’s hands. This done, he turned and continued to head down the long street while carrying his blade. Looking at his back, Chen Changsheng was slightly astonished. He hadn’t thought that Wang Po would also be so interesting.

He seemed like an impoverished accountant, but he was a very interesting impoverished accountant.

“Wang Po is a very interesting person. Back then when he was working as an accountant in Wenshui City, I already thought very highly of him, it’s just…his eyebrows are far too long. He looks too destitute, too distressed.”

After Su Li mounted the horse, his mood improved greatly, becoming more inclined to chat about old times. Pointing in front of them at Wang Po, he said, “If he could look just a little better, I would definitely have looked upon him more favorably.”

Wang Po heard these words and his steps momentarily paused, then began moving forward again. As he broke through the puddles of water on the street, the rain falling from the sky gradually began to come to a halt. In the distance, the sky began to reveal an azure color.

This feast at Xunyang City had many guests. Painted Armor Xiao Zhang and Liang Wangsun, members of the Proclamation of Liberation, had come, as well as many other powers. Now that this feast was about to come to a close, there were still many guests that were unwilling to leave.

Those people had blood feuds with Su Li, old grudges that could not be resolved.

Wang Po’s blade could force back Xiao Zhang and Liang Wangsun, but it couldn’t intimidate the human heart. Since those people had come to kill Su Li and had already put death out of their minds, since they did not even fear death, they would naturally not fear Wang Po.

The gray stones of the street had been soaked by the rain, transforming them into black ink stones. On the sides of the street stood many people.

Wang Po carried his blade in front while Chen Changsheng held the reins behind. Drip drop drip drop—this was the sound of rain dripping from the eaves, and it was also the sound of blood dripping down, and that of the heart beating.

The gazes of the crowd were very complex: reverential, fearful, angry, unwilling.

The expression on Wang Po’s face did not change. Chen Changsheng looked down at his feet. Su Li continued to gaze upwards, carefree to the utmost. In the eyes of his enemies, he was naturally exceptionally detestable.

There was some person that could no longer hold themselves back. Rushing into the middle of the street, the person shouted, “Su Li, come pay with your life!”

Chen Changsheng remained silent, his left hand already tightening his grip on the dagger. Su Li continued to stare at the sky, not caring in the least.

On this journey from the snowy plains to the south, over the course of tens of thousands of li, the pair had already encountered far too many sneak attacks. Now, their group heading south had one more person. Going from two to three people, they would naturally be even less worried.

A swift and fierce, yet calm blade intent rose up. With a thud, before that person even had a chance to rush to the center of the street, he was sent flying back. He crashed against a wall and fell unconscious in a cloud of dust.

Another person arrived and again was sent flying back by the metal blade. Flying figures could be seen all along this long street of Xunyang City, as well as disgorged blood, smothered and miserable cries, and pained and desperate shouts.

Wang Po wielded his blade as he continued forward. He seemed to very casually strike out with his blade, but not a single person was able to overcome it and get closer to Su Li, whether it was that northern initial level Star Condensation expert or a genius from some sect.

From start to finish, he did not use the edge of the blade, so no one died.

Both sides of the street were covered with the collapsed bodies of cultivators struggling to get up.

This was as expected of the strongest member of the Proclamation of Liberation.

Besides a Saint personally coming or one of the Storms of the Eight Directions appearing, who could block Wang Po of Tianliang?

Chen Changsheng still tightly clenched the hilt of his dagger, silent and wary.

His gaze did not stop on Wang Po’s body, nor did it rest upon that metal blade that flitted about as unpredictably as a ghost, even though he knew that this was a learning opportunity that was very hard to come by. Rather, his gaze was always watching those places on the street that were very easy to miss.

The broken wall, the hanging eave, the wounded cultivator, the scolded youth.

Even though they were on the verge of leaving Xunyang City, this was actually the most dangerous period.

He had never once forgotten that assassin who had always remained hidden in the darkness.

The world’s third-ranked assassin that had already silently followed him and Su Li for several thousand li, whose patience was so strong that it would make people tremble.

That assassin with the extremely ordinary name: Liu Qing.

He felt that Liu Qing would attack.

Wang Po had already arrived. If Liu Qing did not take advantage of this final chaos in Xunyang City to attack, then once they left Xunyang City, it was highly likely that Liu Qing would not find another opportunity. In the end, he would be like Su Li, forcing himself into the most awkward of circumstances.

The end of Xunyang City gradually grew closer. After turning the corner ahead, they would be able to see the tightly-shut city gate.

At this moment, Liang Wangsun said a few words.

From the moment they left the inn, Liang Wangsun had followed them.

He was already without the strength to attack, and yet he was unwilling to leave.

He wanted to see if Su Li would continue to live—to see if today, after all was said and done, Su Li would be able to open his eyes once more.

He said to Wang Po, “Although the heavens are vast, there is already no place where Su Li can take shelter. Just where are you thinking of taking him?”

Wang Po stopped.

The buckskin horse stopped.

Wang Po turned around and looked at him, then replied, “I will return him to Mount Li.”

Chen Changsheng had brought Su Li several tens of thousands of li.

So why shouldn’t he take Su Li several more tens of thousands of li and go back with him to Mount Li?

“But…even if you bring him back to Mount Li, what meaning will it have?”

From one side of the long street came an indifferent voice.

Chen Changsheng thought, right, if Mount Li really did change, what could Su Li do even if he did return to Mount Li?

Could it be that even though the world is so huge, there really is no place for him?

Then, he suddenly sobered up and turned to the place where the voice had come from.

Who had said those words?

Wang Po’s expression became extremely grave, solemn and speechless.

He was very vigilant, countless times more vigilant than he had been when facing off against the combined might of Xiao Zhang and Liang Wangsun.

Seeing the speaker slowly emerging from the corner of the road, Chen Changsheng felt his body become extremely cold.

It can’t be.

He silently thought in his heart.

Suddenly, he became furious beyond belief.

Stories should not have this sort of ending.

In a feast to devour a man, for what reason should it conclude at the host’s desire?

Wrath came from helplessness.

Chen Changsheng truly felt very helpless, because he had truly fallen into despair.

Whether he was facing Xue He and Liang Hongzhuang in the wilderness or seeing the Liang Household’s emperor’s carriage appear, he had never despaired. Even when facing off against Xiao Zhang’s spear while he didn’t even have the strength to lift his dagger, he did not despair.

Because he was still alive and Su Li was still alive, and he believed that there was absolutely someone in the world that would come to help them.

When he shouted out those four words into the lovely spring sunshine of Xunyang City, he knew that there would definitely be an echo.

Sure enough, Wang Po had come.

He had bullied the wind and tread on the rain to come.

Yet now, this person…had actually also come.

An even more brilliant and lovely spring sunshine would eventually fade away.

An ever-constant echo would also eventually dissipate.

Even if there were still people willing to help them, what use would it be?

Was there still anyone that could help them?

The person that appeared at the corner of the street was a middle-aged man.

The man’s long hair trailed over his shoulders, but within, one could faintly make out vestiges of white.

So much so that it was impossible to tell just how long he had lived, how many years he had cultivated.

Several decades or several centuries?

That person was very tall and very thin.

His bearing was out of the ordinary, confident and relaxed beyond compare, because he was the head of an aristocratic family.

His expression was very cold, because he was the Sect Master of the World-Severing Sect who had severed his emotions and destroyed his character.

As he looked at Wang Po and Chen Changsheng, he possessed a tyrannical and aloof manner.

Even when he looked at Su Li, he did not conceal his self-confidence and arrogance.

A name moves the eight directions, a storm darkens the skies.

The person who had come was precisely one of the Storms of the Eight Directions.

Zhu Luo.

He was one of the supreme experts of the continent.

He was a god of the cultivation world.

An absolute silence hung over the long street of Xunyang City, then suddenly there were countless noises.

Several hundred cultivators prostrated themselves.

Liang Wangsun clasped his hands and bowed.

The white paper on Xiao Zhang’s face moved.

Wang Po did not move and he did not bow. He calmly looked at Zhu Luo.

Chen Changsheng did not bow. He had forgotten to bow.

Su Li sat on the back of the horse, looking down from up high.

He looked at Zhu Luo and said, “You old farts finally couldn’t help yourselves.”

Zhu Luo replied, “It was just that I couldn’t bear to personally kill you, so I didn’t want to meet you.”

Su Li was quiet for a while, and then sighed. “From the looks of it, my thinking was really on point.”

Zhu Luo asked, “What did you think?”

Su Li looked at him and sincerely declared, “You lot are all bastards, old bastards.”