Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Walking to the door, they could finally hear the voices clearly. Some people were shouting, some were yelling, and some were even banging on the door but at least their actions were not too exaggerated. Their words were still polite and their banging was still controlled. Their actions didn’t give people a feeling that they were trying to cause chaos. However, there were way too many people outside, it was still somewhat terrifying when the sounds all mixed together.

Tang Thirty six shook his head to suggest Xuan Yuan Po to not open the door. He found a wooden ladder from somewhere and placed it against the wall to indicate to him to climb up and see what was going on. Xuan Yuan Po followed his indication and climbed up. Looking towards the outside, he instinctively became scared upon seeing the gigantic crowd.

Seeing a head stick out from behind the wall, the people got surprised. They all became quiet right away. Looking at this scene,

Xuan Yuan Po felt that his previous conjecture was correct. He shouted to the crowd, “Are you all here to register for the school?”

The people in the front looked into each other’s eyes confused. They were wondering how he came up with such a notion.

Suddenly, another head stuck out next to Xuan Yuan Po. It was Tang Thirty Six who could no longer hold his curiosity. Seeing mostly aged people who were wearing simple but not demeaning clothes, he realized that they were obviously butlers. At same time, hearing Xuan Yuan Po’s words, he felt really embarrassed.

“Can we not be so narcissistic? Do you think these people look like students?”

He furiously pushed Xuan Yuan Po aside and supported himself by pushing against the wall.

He spoke coldly, “What do you want?”

The people standing in the front began to introduce themselves and voice their intentions. Immediately, the rest began to shout out too, causing a mixture of noises. Tang Thirty Six got a headache from it. He could only recognize some names of mansions and businesses.

So these people were all here to visit ………. Princess Luo Luo.

After the Ivy Festival last night, the people in the capital finally learned that the White Emperor’s only daughter was actually living here and obviously, they wanted to come visit. First of all, human and Yao were in a union and the two were trading partners. Even without mentioning this, it was still such an honor to meet the princess!

Tang Thirty Six understood why these people were so enthusiastic and why they came so early morning. Indeed, he said before, Xuan Yuan Po’s thinkings were too naive and narcissistic, but when he actually found out these people were coming to see Princess Luo Luo, and did not care about him and the rest of the Tradition Academy at all, he felt unhappy.

“To visit the princess, just go to the Herb Garden. Why make noise here?” His expression got colder.

“No one replied to us in the Herb Garden. I heard that princess left last night.” The head of the butlers who was serving the prince mansion said with a sad face. The rest all followed and confirmed his words. Then he said, “Princess is a student of the Tradition Academy. Since she is not in the Herb Garden, then she must be here.”

“Princess is not at the Tradition Academy.”

Hearing these words, Tang Thirty Six felt a bit surprised. If the princess wasn’t in the Herb Garden, then where did she go. Standing on the ladder and looking back towards the Tradition Academy, he saw Chen Chang Sheng standing under a big banian. He was looking at the Herb Garden silently. It was hard to tell what he was thinking.

Suddenly, a wagon slowly came from the entrance of the Hundred Blossom Street. The people surrounding the the entrance of the Tradition Academy all saluted to it. They stood by the sides. Tang Thirty Six saw the middle aged man on the wagon and recognized that he was actually the vice principal of the Li Palace Academy.

The Vice Principal of the Li Palace Academy; the title sounded a bit awkward. However, his identity and status were clear. The Tradition Academy’s door must be opened.

Chen Chang Sheng and the other two all saluted to this vice principal.

The vice principal took out a letter and delivered it to Chen Chang Sheng.

Chen Chang Sheng took out the letter. At the same time, his heartbeat suddenly sped up. He knew that his previous bad feeling was probably going to come true. Lightly rubbing the letter with his finger, he discovered that the seal of the letter was a bit soft. He concluded that this letter was just written a while ago.

The writing on the letter cover was beautiful. It was Luo Luo’s handwriting.

Chen Chang Sheng then knew that Luo Luo and her clansmen moved out of the Herb Garden last night. They left soundlessly to

Li Palace Academy. He didn’t open the letter. After remaining silent for a while, he looked up at the vice principal and asked, “Why?”

“Last night, the princess’s identity was revealed at the Ivy Festival, so it’s no longer convenient for her to live in the Herb Garden….It’s the same in the Tradition Academy.”

The Vice Principal looked at the entrance of the Tradition Academy and said, “You all saw the previous scene.”

“I simply have to not open the door.” Chen Chang Sheng said.

“The biggest issue is security. Last night, I just learned that the princess faced an attempted assassination by the demon elite at the Tradition Academy…Now that the entire continent knows that she is in the capital, no matter demons or hidden danger, all will come for the princess.”

“But after all, she is still a student of the Tradition Academy.”

“I understand what you mean. Do you think the Li Palace Academy will actually fight the Tradition Academy for a student?”

The Vice Principal looked at him and said coldly, “The situation of the continent is always the first priority. We must ensure the princess’s security. The princess is still a student of the Tradition Academy, but she’s just temporarily living in the Li Palace Academy. You don’t have to think too much about it.”

Xuan Yuan Po felt angry. He asked, “How is the Li Palace Academy safer than the Tradition Academy?”

Chen Chang Sheng and Tang Thirty Six patted his shoulder to show comfort. They didn’t want him to continue.

The Li Palace Academy was right next to the Li Palace. They were one set of constructions originally. Moreover, it’s only a saying to the outside that Luo Luo was studying in the Li Palace Academy. She would definitely live in the Li Palace.

The Pope was living in the Li Palace and so it was obviously safer than the Tradition Academy, and safer than the Herb Garden.

Besides the Great Zhou royal court, there wasn’t a safer place.

Speaking from this perspective, the fact that Luo Luo left the Herb Garden and the Tradition Academy to move into Li Palace was perfectly reasonable.

It was hard to argue.

The vice principal of the Li Palace Academy, ultimately said the most important sentence.

“This is Pope’s intention.”

……………………………………..

The vice principal left. Luo Luo and her clansmen moved out last night.

Chen Chang Sheng climbed up the big banian and looked towards the Herb Garden. It was complete silent — a stark contrast to the liveliness in the place in the previous months.

He opened up the letter Luo Luo wrote, read it over quietly and stayed silent for a really long time.

“Study hard.” He spoke to the little girl with his heart.

The bottom of the letter was a bit wet. It was probably because in the last moments, Luo Luo finally could no longer hold her tears. She couldn’t bear to part.

Chen Chang Sheng also couldn’t bear to part with her so his eyes became a little wet.

How can you suddenly leave? I still have some questions to ask you.

He felt somewhat empty. Is this the feeling of being lost written in the books?

He stood on the huge banian and looked towards the streets surrounding the Tradition Academy. He saw that the people that came to the Hundred Blossom Street to visit Luo Luo also left. It was completely silent.

No matter how many things had happened, as long as she was not here, the Tradition Academy was still a place that people would easily forget.

Luo Luo’s safety obviously was the thing that the human world concerned the most. This reason was justifiable, but several months ago, the elite from the demon Ye Shi race had already tried to assassinate her. If this truly was for safety, why didn’t the Pope make her move back then?

Why did he want Luo Luo leave the Tradition Academy right after the night when the Ivy Festival ended?

Why was it so urgent? After all, what did this thing mean? Chen Chang Sheng understood, Tang Thirty Six also understood and probably only Xuan Yuan Po still felt blank and still submerged in the pain of not being able to serve the princess in person.

Luo Luo was the Tradition Academy’s sign board and amulet. If those big figures wanted to destroy the Tradition Academy, then they had to think of ways to make her leave first.

Her leaving, was the first step to break the school.

The forest in the fall was faintly humid. A soft wind was blowing.

The rainstorm was going to arrive.

“Are you mentally prepared yet?” Tang Thirty Six looked at him on the tree and yelled.

Chen Chang Sheng looked at the streets in the capital and yelled back, “Not really.”

Tang Thirty Six was dazed. He yelled loudly, “If you are not ready, then why are you speaking so loud? So dumb!”

Chen Chang Sheng still yelled to the entire capital, “If I speak louder, then maybe someone will hear it, and come to help us!”

Tang Thirty Six yelled, “In your dreammm!”

………………………………..

In the afternoon in the capital, it was raining. The fall rain did not bring too much coldness. The buildings in the Tradition Academy became wet. Raindrops were falling down from the grasses in the corner making the grasses look very disappointed. The broken sculpture looked like it was crying. The liveliness that was just revitalized was short lived.

After the rain, the Tradition Academy would encountered its first trouble.