Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 931 – Parting Is Only a Letter Away

On the same night, the Mount Li Sword Sect arranged a dinner in the valley, using a bonfire to roast meat.

This sort of treatment for someone like the Pope was inevitably a little disrespectful.

Chen Changsheng had no objection. He knew that it was because Qi Jian was somewhat shy and unwilling to leave the valley and meet so many of her fellow disciples.

Moreover, roasting meat over the fire had a rustic charm which he found quite pleasant. However, it reminded him of that night roasting meat and drinking wine at Sloping Cliff Horse Farm. He realized that Qiushan Jun had not appeared, causing him to feel a rather complex mixture of emotions.

Tang Thirty-Six had a bowl of wine in hand as he chatted with Ye Xiaolian, amusing her so much that she was shaking from laughter.

Gou Hanshi and Hu Thirty-Two were seated together, engaging in whispered discussion. They were probably planning how to handle some important matters in the future.

Guan Feibai and Bai Cai were sitting at Chen Changsheng’s side, their eyes fixed in front of them, their bodies not even flinching.

On the other side of the bonfire, Zhexiu and Qi Jian were sitting together.

Qi Jian leaned on his shoulder, the smile on her face appearing particularly happy in the light of the fire.

The new clothes Zhexiu was wearing were very eye-catching. It was easy to see that the skill of the tailor was rather mediocre, but the dense needlework was proof of how much effort and thought had been put into them.

Chen Changsheng was rather gratified to see this sight, but Guan Feibai and the others felt awful, leading to their quick departure from the valley. Ye Xiaolian soon followed after them.

On this quiet night, the fire crackled in the wind. Qi Jian leaned on Zhexiu’s shoulder, softly humming a little tune.

Chen Changsheng looked around him, then with a thought, he brought Nanke out of the Garden of Zhou.

Upon seeing Nanke suddenly appear by the fire, Qi Jian became nervous, her hands subconsciously going for the sword at her waist.

“You should be calling her Aunt. There’s no need to be so nervous,” Chen Changsheng said.

Qi Jian blankly stared for a while before getting his meaning. She gazed at Nanke’s face, her mood complex.

Tang Thirty-Six’s gaze moved between Nanke and Qi Jian, ultimately falling on Chen Changsheng as he said, “I feel like this sort of seniority is a little messy.”

Chen Changsheng ignored him as he told Qi Jian his intentions.

In the following days, Nanke would also be living in Mount Li, and he hoped that Qi Jian would help take care of her.

Upon confirming that this matter had received the Sect Master’s silent approval, Qi Jian naturally had no reason to object.

Leaving Nanke at the Mount Li Sword Sect was a decision Chen Changsheng had reached after long and careful deliberation.

His first priority was Nanke’s safety. Wuqiong Bi’s questions at Holy Maiden Peak were still ringing in his ear, and if she was not at his side, only the Mount Li Sword Sect was able and willing to accept a Demon Princess. In addition, the Mount Li Sword Sect’s Just Sword’s Clear Music might assist in recovering Nanke’s intelligence.

One could be treated as easily as two. In any case, since Zhexiu needed to remain at Mount Li to treat his illness, Nanke might as well stay here as well.

As Chen Changsheng and Qi Jian conversed, Nanke blankly stared at him, perplexed as to why they needed to part.

Just like in the last few days, she clung to his clothes, though this time with more force.

Looking into her eyes, Chen Changsheng felt a little depressed, but there was nothing he could do. Only after softly coaxing her for some time did he succeed in having Nanke loosen her grip.

Qi Jian had been watching the entire time. She suddenly very seriously said, “I have no intention of calling you Uncle.”

Chen Changsheng froze while Tang Thirty-Six’s laughter could be heard deep in the plains on the edge of the valley, startling countless birds.

“My father also would never want to call you his brother-in-law.”

Qi Jian glanced at Nanke quietly sitting at Chen Changsheng’s side and said, “Can you not be like this?”

Chen Changsheng had always had a gentle personality, but now he could not hide his displeasure. “Just what’s going on? I haven’t even done anything.”

Qi Jian said, “You understand what I mean.”

Zhexiu added, “Her meaning is that you shouldn’t treat other girls too well.”

Tang Thirty-Six said, “Do you think that Chen Changsheng doesn’t know? He’s well aware, which is why he’s gotten angry out of embarrassment.”

……

……

Their business at Mount Li finished, Chen Changsheng and his party bid farewell early next morning and returned on their original path.

Still nobody knew what was happening in White Emperor City. There was a shadow over his heart that caused him a great deal of concern.

He arranged to meet Xu Yourong in the village at the base of Holy Maiden Peak. He was confident that the latest report would have arrived by then.

They would decide what to do then.

The morning light had just touched the verdant mountains, so the wind on the Tong River was somewhat chilly.

Chen Changsheng looked at the village on the opposite shore. He knew that Xu Yourong was already there, which improved his mood slightly.

At this moment, a cry came from the sky as a Red Goose streaked out of the clouds to his north and landed in front of him.

Hu Thirty-Two untied the letter box from the Red Goose’s foot. He followed the stipulated methods and removed a token, taking the letter from within and handing it to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng’s expression did not change as his eyes moved across the dense passage on the letter, but everyone could sense that he had become rather nervous, and also angry.

The grass along the Tong River was covered in light layer of frost, just like the mood in his eyes.

Chen Changsheng took a sheet of paper and jotted down a few hasty sentences for Ye Xiaolian to give to Xu Yourong across the river. “I have an urgent matter, so I’ll leave first.”

After saying this, he immediately boarded a carriage that had been prepared in advance by the Daoist church of the south. The carriage quickly galloped off along the official road running along the western shore of the Tong River, its ultimate direction to the north.

Ye Xiaolian was clueless as to what had happened. She walked across the water to meet Xu Yourong. When delivering the letter, she could not conceal her concern.

By now, Xu Yourong already knew what had happened, and she was not angry at Chen Changsheng’s sudden departure. However, when she saw what was written on the letter, she couldn’t help but feel a little displeased.

“Go if you have to, and I won’t say anything. But riding my crane to see another girl? That’s a little too much.”

……

……

As one followed the course of the Tong River northward, one arrived at the eastern foothills of the Luomei Mountains. Chen Changsheng’s party arrived at the southernmost county of the Great Zhou Dynasty: Luling County.

When their carriage entered the Prince of Luling’s estate, the sun had just risen over the trees, from which one could tell how rushed they had been.

Tang Thirty-Six and Hu Thirty-Two felt thoroughly exhausted, and also just as curious. Someone had been sending Chen Changsheng letters ever since he had left Sloping Cliff Horse Farm, with all of the Li Palace’s plans related to these letters. Just who was the writer of this letter? Why did Chen Changsheng trust these letters so, and what was in today’s letter that made Chen Changsheng so anxious? It even reminded them of Chen Changsheng’s mood in Fengyang City upon learning that there was something strange going on in Holy Maiden Peak.

To Chen Changsheng, just who in the world had a similar status to Xu Yourong?

Tang Thirty-Six and Hu Thirty-Two did not find an answer in the Prince of Luling’s estate, and the person waiting for them was not the Prince of Luling, but… the Prince of Louyang.

This most useless prince of the Chen clan appeared greatly fatigued and covered in dust. He had probably just hurried down from the north.

Seeing Chen Changsheng come in, the Prince of Louyang hurriedly prostrated, his knees hitting the ground and his rear snapping into the air as he adopted an extremely deferential posture.