Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The Pope gazed deep into the darkness, saying, "This is sending him to his death."

The person in the darkness indifferently replied, "What does his death count for? At the time, so many members of the Imperial clan died."

The Pope was quiet for a very long time, the sea of stars deep within his eyes gradually growing calm. "You are not of the Imperial clan, so why have you never been able to let these matters go?"

The voice in the darkness was calm and firm. "This is His Majesty's unfulfilled wish."

The Pope knew that the 'His Majesty' here naturally did not refer to Emperor Xian, but that most extraordinary sovereign throughout the ages: His Majesty Emperor Taizong.

This conversation began many years ago with a letter sent to the capital from Xining Village.

This argument began two years ago when that youth called Chen Changsheng entered the neglected grounds of the Orthodox Academy.

It seemed that they would both end in tonight's conversation.

But even at this moment, the Pope had still not confirmed his intentions. Just like the Green Leaf in that pot, he swayed lightly back and forth with the wind.

This did not mean that he had no position of his own, that his Dao heart was not firm enough. On the contrary, it was precisely because he had to consider too many things, matters spanning the entire world and considered in the most meticulous detail, so it was very difficult to make his decision.

"Besides me, no one else knows that you are the most skilled at the Scroll of Time, the Canon of Flowing West."

There seemed to be a gaze in the darkness, falling on that small pool within the hall and also the wooden ladle sitting by it.

The person said to the Pope, "You are the clear waters murmuring as they flow west. Although having flowed for one thousand years, you are still not stained by a single grain of dust or filth, but so clear that the bottom can be seen, a serene and gentle, yet boundless divine might. And so…you do not need to make a decision. At the final moment, you will eventually discover where your heart lies."

After saying this, the voice in the darkness spoke no more.

The Pope stood on the stone steps, gazing at the shadows cast by the eaves, standing before the sound of flowing water, his clothes swaying in the gentle breeze like a green leaf.

"Senior, you cultivate the way of following your heart, so you are so sure that my heart will follow yours?"

……

……

After leaving Xining Village, Yu Ren had followed his master to many places, but whether it was the snowy plains near Mount Han or the wilderness below Snowhold Pass, he didn't like it too much because there were too few people. The White Emperor City on the shore of the Red River also did not leave too deep an impression on him, except that when he heard that the demi-human princess was his junior brother's student, he grew somewhat happy.

His mood in the past few days had not been bad, but not at all because this was the capital, his hometown.

He was raised from childhood by his master, and only had faint recollections from when he was small, the memories having long since grown indistinct. His master said that he was a person of the capital, that he had lived here before, but he couldn't remember where the house he came from was. Moreover, he did not like the capital. Different from the reason he disliked the snowy plains and the wilderness, he thought the capital had too many people.

The capital had too many people, the snowy plains and the wilderness had too few. Xining Village was the best, as it had neither too many nor too few people.

He did not know why his master had brought him to so many places, why they had come to the capital. He was only worried about his junior brother's body and wanted to go see him, but after his master had brought him to the Mausoleum of Books, he had vanished. He also instructed him not to leave the Mausoleum of Books and said that in a few days, he would naturally be able to meet his junior brother.

As he watched his master disappear, he thought, feeling that this was also fine. No matter what matters his junior brother encountered, with his master present, they could all be resolved. In addition, there were far too many people in the capital and he truly did not like it. There were not too many or too few people in the Mausoleum of Books, and there were green trees and flowing waters. It was very easy for him to be reminded of that mountain behind Xining Village, that stream, and those happy days of memorizing the Daoist Canon with his junior brother and catching fish to eat. When he heard about when his junior brother had brought down a sky filled with starlight on his first time comprehending the monoliths, he became very proud and happy. As a result, he had even more reasons to like this place.

There was also another important reason: in the Mausoleum of Books, he could see the Heavenly Tome Monoliths. He had become well-versed in the Daoist Canon, in the three thousand scriptures of the Great Dao, and had fused them all together except the final one. Although he was like Chen Changsheng, his master never having taught him how to cultivate, he had a naturally intimate feeling towards the Heavenly Tome Monoliths that contained Daoist techniques and laws. He wanted to see if there was anything interesting within them.

Before leaving the Mausoleum of Books, his master had ordered him not to leave, but he didn't say anything about not seeing the Heavenly Tome Monoliths. He prepared two days of food in the small courtyard, stood by the fence with the aid of his crutch and watched the fluctuations in the sunlight twice, and after feeling that there were no problems, brought his packed food and walked into the plum trees, following the mountain path into the mausoleum.

It was still a long time to the Grand Examination, and because of last year's opening of the Garden of Zhou, the Boiling Stone Summit, and the many unforeseen events that followed, the monolith viewers within the Mausoleum of Books had successively taken their leave. The cultivators that remained within were much fewer than in the past. He walked for a long time on the mountain but failed to encounter a single person, all the way until he reached the first monolith hut.

In front of this monolith hut, he encountered a Monolith Guardian called Ji Jin. This Monolith Guardian had a very gentle personality, carrying a detachment and sense of ease that came from thoroughly understanding worldly things. He gave Yu Ren a very good feeling, and he thought to himself, the Mausoleum of Books is truly a holy land of cultivation. After viewing the monoliths for a long time, could it be that everyone will see such an advancement in temperament?

The Monolith Guardian called Ji Jin asked him which sect he was a disciple of and why he had entered the Mausoleum of Books to comprehend the Heavenly Tome Monoliths.

Yu Ren did not know how to answer, but it didn't matter as he was unable to speak anyway. He leaned his stick against the hut and used his hand to make a few gestures, though he did not know if the other party would be able to understand.

Ji Jin could not understand his sign language, but he could clearly see that Yu Ren was handicapped. His heart was filled with sympathy and he asked no more questions. He even warned that when viewing the monoliths, one should not force it, and that he should focus on resting.

Watching the Monolith Guardian leave along the mountain path, Yu Ren wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, his eyes revealing a content smile. He thought to himself, Junior Brother spoke wrongly when he said I am unable to deceive people. It's just that in Xining Village, I didn't need to trick anyone. You see, at this time, I successfully deceived a senior.

The first Heavenly Tome Monolith of the Mausoleum of Books was the Reflecting Monolith.

Yu Ren dragged his leg and slowly walked before the monolith. He looked over, somewhat curious, somewhat excited, even unable to resist the urge to stretch out his hand and caress it. He felt that this Heavenly Tome Monolith was truly very interesting. The poem written by that worthy predecessor was truly excellent. The feeling of his fingers against the monolith was truly very comfortable, cool and icy, just like the stream in that mountain behind Xining Village.

Then, he came to the second Heavenly Tome Monolith.

This Heavenly Tome Monolith was also very interesting, and he examined it with great excitement. He felt that those lines were so beautiful, they were just like the rays of light in the autumn back in the mountain behind Xining Village, cut apart by the tree leaves.

Then, he came to the third Heavenly Tome Monolith.

This Heavenly Tome Monolith was even more interesting. The traces on the monolith were still clear, the lines still beautiful, yet they were not as complex as the previous two monoliths. In his eyes, they became an extremely simple line.

Simple did not mean that it was not beautiful, did not mean that it was easy to understand. It was just like Xining Village in the rainy season, the lines of water sliding down from the eaves of the old temple and the marks left by the dancing yellow leaves that had been knocked down by the rain. In order to make clear the law behind these marks, Yu Ren needed to use somewhat more time, even putting his walking stick to the side and sitting to think for a while.

Then, it was the fourth Heavenly Tome Monolith.

The fifth Heavenly Tome Monolith.

The sixth.

The seventh.

……

……

Some time passed.

Yu Ren had reached a monolith hut. Leaning on his walking stick and slightly tilting his head, he examined this monolith, finding it rather strange.

Because this monolith was severed, the original monolith now in some other place.

He had no idea it had been cut apart by a man called Zhou Dufu. With this broken monolith as a boundary, the Heavenly Tome Monoliths he had viewed were called the front mausoleum.

He knew that last year, his junior brother had viewed the monoliths of the Mausoleum of Books very smoothly, making him very proud, but he did not know of the fact that he had viewed all the monoliths of the front mausoleum in a single day.

He raised his head to glance at the sky and discovered that the sun had not reached its zenith. The weather wasn't too hot, so he decided to continue.

From the time he had entered the Mausoleum of Books to now, not even half a day had passed.

How to view the broken monolith? He also did not know.

He slowly walked up to the broken monolith and extended a hand to feel its shorn edge.

After a few moments, he drew back his fingers, deep in thought. He looked around and saw that he was still in front of the broken monolith.

He changed the side of his walking stick, using his stump of an arm to hold it. His now emptied right hand scratched his itchy back. He was somewhat confused, and posed himself the question, "How should I continue?"

The autumn winds gently blew through the mountain mausoleum, carrying along the Daoist robe washed so many times it had lost color and lifting up that lock of black hair on his forehead, revealing his eye.

He had one eye that could not see things, but he did not know if it could see anything else.

He walked into the forest behind the monolith hut. Using his hand to push away the somewhat prickly grass, he curiously looked inside.

There was an indistinct path there, most likely stamped out by feet. It was on the verge of being covered by grass, meaning it had most likely been many years since it had last been traversed.

Seeing the unsteady trail, Yu Ren's face revealed an awkward expression. However, after thinking it over, he still took up his walking stick and hobbled onto the trail.

The grass gradually swallowed his figure, and the abandoned trail gradually extended under his feet and stick.

After some time, he finally exited the woods and arrived at another monolith hut.

He raised his arm and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face, feeling his face rather hot. He thought to himself, fortunately I didn't get lost, or else I would be in trouble. I don't have any means of calling for help.

He walked under the monolith hut and began to view the monolith.

This place was no longer the front mausoleum.

Of the thirteen mausoleums of the Heavenly Tomes, he had already reached the second mausoleum.

After Zhou Dufu severed the monoliths in the Mausoleum of Books, he was the first to directly walk to this place.

He naturally did not know of this. He continued to view the monoliths, continued to advance, viewing monolith after monolith.

When he felt hungry, he would take a lunchbox from his bosom and eat. When he was thirsty, he would seek out some mountain river to drink from.

The food in the lunchbox was very simple. It was dried meat fried with green peppers.

He had found the dried meat hanging in the beams of the kitchen of some abandoned house while the green peppers had been picked from some vegetable field that no one took care of.

The sun set behind the mountains and the numerous stars appeared in the night sky. The sun rose up and the numerous stars retreated behind the light. The clear streams in the mountains slowly flowed by, just like time.

Days passed, and Yu Ren realized that his lunchbox was empty. Whether it was the dried meat fried with green peppers or the pickled tofu, not a single morsel remained.

He truly was rather hungry, thus he returned via his original path. While passing those monolith huts, he finally encountered some other cultivators.

In these few days, he had seen nothing but silent forests and monoliths. Finally being able to see people made Yu Ren rather happy, so he nodded at these cultivators in greeting.

But those cultivators looked at him like he was a ghost.

Who was this person? How had they never seen him before? Why was he coming back from in front of them? Could it be that he had already seen the next Heavenly Tome Monolith?