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0.33% Way of Choices / Chapter 4: This Is a Crude Name, But It Is My Name

บท 4: This Is a Crude Name, But It Is My Name

It took a while for Shuang'er to come to her senses.

She could see that this Daoist youth was not deliberately teasing or playing with her, but rather had truly not taken her words to heart. Seeing the youth's calm and serious expression, she began to get angry for some reason.

She hatefully declared, "You will die."

Chen Changsheng opened his eyes wide and replied, "Everyone will die."

Shuang'er retorted, "You know that this is not my meaning."

Chen Changsheng very earnestly replied, "Thank you for telling me these things."

Shuang'er's face was extremely unsightly. "The Madam wanted to end the engagement. Your response was to get payback. What need was there to insist on getting angry and saying that you came to end the engagement? Could it be that you thought that this was the only way you could recover a little face? If that really was the case, then whatever, but why did you have to change your mind at the end? Such a fickle look is really not appealing."

"In truth…I really came to end the engagement. It's not important whether you believe it or not. It's just that right now, I really don't want to end it anymore."

"Why?"

Chen Changsheng cocked his head as he pondered this question. A smile gradually appeared on his young and tender face, because he had found an answer that he could convince himself with. "Because…you never asked me for my name."

Shuang'er did not understand.

"From the moment I entered the estate until now, whether it was the Madam or you, none of you asked me for my name."

Chen Changsheng looked at her and seriously said, "I am called Chen Changsheng. I know that this name is very crude, but Master hoped that I could live forever. The intention was very good, so I've always used this name."

(TN: Changsheng '长生' of Chen Changsheng means long life/longevity.)

While he was saying these words, his eyes were very bright and his expression very upright.

Shuang'er abruptly felt that this seemingly normal Daoist boy seemed to be emitting a sort of light. Probably from that serious temperament? She understood his reason, and then she mysteriously felt a sense of shame.

From the moment he entered the Divine General's estate until now, no one had asked him his name. But he had never shown any anger or seemed to suffer any humiliation. Whether he was talking to the Madam or Shuang'er, he had always acted very courteously, not lacking in any aspect of etiquette, even to the extent that he felt rather stuffy. However, the wondrous thing was that those people that made him unhappy were even unhappier than he was at the end.

It wasn't that he was specialized in making other people unhappy, but rather that he very earnestly did the things that he thought should be done. No matter if it was ending the engagement or changing his mind, he felt it was all right and proper. He was absolutely certain, so much so that it made people feel like they couldn't object. Consequently, those people that he made unhappy would eventually become so depressed that it was very difficult for them to be happy again.

Shuang'er had grown up in the Divine General's estate. Because of her young lady, her status was exceptionally high. Even the Divine General and his Madam did not say any harsh words to her. She had never before encountered a person like Chen Changsheng and was very unused to this sort of feeling. She subconsciously began to feel uneasy. Perhaps to convince Chen Changsheng or to convince herself, she strengthened the tone in her voice and said:

"In the entire continent, only my young lady has the true blood of the Phoenix! She is unique!"

"In my senior brother's notebook, there is a phrase which I've always felt to be very reasonable. Today, I will give it you in the hopes that you will be able to seriously learn from it in the future. He said: Every person in the world is unique."

Chen Changsheng sincerely said to her.

...

...

At the end of the long street was a simple stone bridge. Under the bridge flowed not the Luo River, but an unremarkable little stream. Chen Changsheng walked onto the bridge and then turned to look back at the general's estate. He saw countless quiet, but still bustling, great houses and beautiful gardens, the Xu Estate standing out amongst the rest as the most eye-catching and illustrious. He couldn't help but shake his head.

On arriving at the capital, he had not gone to any of those famous sights, nor was he in a rush to head to the Mausoleum of Books. Rather, he had freshened himself up a little by the Luo River and then headed directly to the general's estate—he wanted to end the engagement. He was truly in a rush. If he became wed to the young lady of the general's estate, if his illness could not be cured, was there any need to involve the other side? Even if it could be cured, it would most likely waste many years of time.

He did not want to waste the years of her youth, yet he had not imagined that in the Xu Estate, he would encounter that arrogance, that contempt, that ridicule. Now that he thought about it, after he turned ten, the temple no longer received any gifts from the other side. The two sides had cut off relations, perhaps indicating that the other party had long had the intention of breaking the contract. He had come today to voluntarily annul the engagement, so it should have been achieved very effortlessly, an affair which both sides should have been delighted to see. But he did not think he would encounter this sort of display, and as a result, he had decided to change his mind on the spot.

He had not cultivated and he wasn't a Daoist priest either, but he had studied the Daoist scriptures since he was a child and had been deeply influenced by them. Taken together with his gloomy future prospects, among the three thousand great Daos, he had chosen the one of following his heart. The so-called "following his heart" was to do everything in a way that left him with a clear conscience. Journeying ten thousand li from afar to come to the capital and end the engagement was following his heart. To not end the engagement was also following his heart. The Divine General estate had been discourteous, so he did not want them to follow their hearts, because if he allowed that, it would be difficult for him to accord with his heart's desire.

Of course, even now, Chen Changsheng only wanted that Madam who concealed coldness behind a kind face and the maid who only looked at the sky to feel a little anxious. After a few days, he would naturally return the marriage to the other side. Human life was beyond value. The young lady Xu's happiness was always more important than the cold reception and arrogant gazes he had received. He still felt this way.

However, in the end, it still made people feel very unhappy. At times, Chen Changsheng himself would forget that he was only fourteen years old. In the end, he was still but a youth, possessing his own pride and dignity. After being humiliated, there would always be some emotion.

He walked down the bridge and bought two sesame seed cakes from a stand by the street. Crouching on a stone by the stream, he nibbled on the sesame seed cakes while gazing at the distant Divine General's estate. His mood was a little sour. He knew where this emotion had arisen from, but he also understood that if he let this emotion flood through him, it would harm his body, and would be of no help in resolving this problem.

On the distant Luo River, reflections sailed across the surface of the water like clouds. On the long street opposite the river were wolf riders that had come from the west. Even separated by such a distance, it was still possible to smell the rancid stench arising from the mouths of massive wolves. A dark shadow drifted across the river. He lifted his head and saw the snow-white wings of a Pegasus as it towed a grand and luxurious carriage north. In an arrow tower on the distant city wall, Red Falcons entrusted with carrying military information were constantly flying in and out. In the even more distant azure sky, the city guard's flying carriages were on patrol, looking just like those bothersome dragonflies outside a temple.

This was the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty. There were countless mystical scenes that someone from the rustic countryside would find very difficult to imagine. Chen Changsheng gnawed on the sesame seed cakes and opened his eyes wide, taking in these scenes with relish while comparing them to the records in the Daoist Canon. He didn't know when he would get the chance to see those legendary mystical spirits, like the Spirit Tortoise which was said to have supported the stone pillars of the Li Palace for more than three thousand years, and maybe there were still those incomparably noble and awesome dragons spoken of in legends in the Imperial Palace. It was said that the rarest and most respected Golden Dragon had not appeared amongst humans for tens of thousands of years. Would he have an opportunity to see it in the future? That's right, there was also the legendary Phoenix…

The sesame seed cake was very delicious and also very hard, so eating it was quite the chore. Chen Changsheng had originally thought that he had cast the bitter experience he had in the Divine General's estate to the back of his mind and successfully dispelled his sour mood, yet when he thought of the word 'Phoenix', he very naturally thought of the true blood of the Phoenix that he had just heard about today. He thought about that young lady Xu who possessed the true blood of the Phoenix, and then he thought about those little gifts he received all those years ago…

He looked at the final bit of the sesame seed cake in his fingers and vacantly stared at it for a while. Only then did he put in his mouth, carefully chewing it thirty-two times before swallowing. From his sleeve, he removed a handkerchief, which he used to wipe the crumbs off his hand. Standing up and taking up his luggage, he disappeared into the crowd.

He had not noticed that not far from him in the corner of a street, an unremarkable carriage was parked. On the shaft of the carriage in some unremarkable place, the slightly dim crest of a blood-red Phoenix could be seen. Of course, even if he could see it, he would still not know that this crest represented the estate of the Divine General of the East. After the young lady of the Xu Estate was born, the Divine Empress had bestowed the blood-red Phoenix on the Divine General's estate as a new crest. This was a supreme honor and also a sort of proclamation.

The warhorse hitched to the front of the carriage had the blood of the Unicorn. Its eyes that looked at the flowing water under the bridge seemed very cold. The eyes of the old lady in the carriage were also very cold, but hidden within were also astonishment and wariness.

She had been following Chen Changsheng ever since he left the Divine General's estate. She had not imagined that the youth would be so calm after seeing the capital of the Great Zhou. He was completely unlike an inexperienced child from the countryside. This was because she did not know that this youth had grown up with countless scrolls. Within these scrolls, he had seen countless sights, traveled countless li of roads.

...

...

Xu Shiji sat in his study, his body which was tall and sturdy as a mountain emitting a faint smell of blood. In a tree, more than ten zhang away on the other side of the window, a kingfisher bird was so alarmed that it buried its head in its wings and didn't dare to make a single noise. That powerful Qi which carried a bloody scent about it was proof of this Great Zhou Divine General's power, and also indicated that his current mood was very terrible.

What made his mood so violent was that half of a jade pendant on his table.

"Back then when Father was Grand Minister, he had the deep trust of the Divine Empress and, following orders, was sent to Mount Tai to preside over the book burning ritual of reporting to the Heavens. The demons wanted to disrupt this affair, and sent Gong Yangchun to assassinate Father. Father was heavily wounded. Even when His Holiness personally came to Mount Tai, Father could not be cured. It was only when a traveling Daoist passed through Taishan County that father's injuries were finally cured. Thus, we have this marriage contract."

Madam Xu said in a low voice, "From the looks of it, that Daoist truly does seem to have some skill."

Xu Shiji lifted his head and looked out the window at the azure sky. "In this boundless universe, the winds follow the tiger and the clouds follow the dragon, and there exist an innumerable number of experts. In the field of medicine, that Daoist could be called a saint, so naturally he can't be ordinary. Or else why would father betroth Little Rong to that person's descendant?"

Madam Xu was somewhat uneasy and advised, "At the moment, the most important thing is that marriage contract…if that Daoist's background is not impressive, if he isn't someone important, it's not necessary to be too overly cautious."

Xu Shiji's expression was cold. "Let that young Daoist wake up a little."

Madam Xu's voice dropped even lower, such that one would have to listen carefully to hear clearly. "That little Daoist doesn't seem to be someone that will take his leave for any random benefits. If he continues to harass us, what then? During next year's opening of the Mausoleum of Books, the southern sects will definitely send a diplomatic mission. At that time, I'm afraid they will formally go to the Imperial Court to propose. We can't let anything go wrong."

Xu Shiji narrowed his eyes like a fierce tiger about to sleep. "Then we just burn him into ash and toss it into the Luo River."

The rainy season would arrive in the next few days and the Luo River was on the verge of rising. Whether it was bones or ashes, when thrown into the Luo River, they would all quickly disappear.


บท 5: Heavenly Dao Academy

Just like every morning for the past fourteen years, Chen Changsheng woke up at five o'clock. Before he opened his eyes, he took five breaths to calm his mind. He got out of bed, put on his shoes and clothes, made the bed, then began to wash his face and rinse his mouth. This done, he went to the front hall of the inn and ate a bowl of duck meat porridge and four meat buns piping hot from the first batch. He returned to his room and used last night's old tea to rinse his mouth. He looked at a copper mirror and tidied up his clothes, and then he walked out into the small courtyard.

This was not Xining Village's small temple, so he didn't need to cut firewood and fetch water. He turned to the newborn morning fog and the distant daylight which passed through it, closed his eyes, and began to calmly think. In his mind, he silently began to recite the scrolls of the Dao. Only when he felt refreshed did he consider his homework complete. He exited a side door and walked onto the street which was gradually beginning to get more lively. In an extremely unremarkable fashion, he mixed into the crowd and started his day.

In his hand was a list naming various schools in the capital. After asking for directions to the first school from the market manager, he quickened his steps. He did not notice that a carriage followed behind him, nor did he realize that the horse had the blood of a Unicorn. And he even less noticed that the shaft of the carriage carried the gloomy crest of a blood-red Phoenix.

Countless years ago, the Heavenly Tomes descended to the earth and the minds of the people were opened. They developed into countless areas of study, but despite countless changes, none of them departed far from the original. They were all chasing the original source, and they were all included in the Daoist Canon—agriculture, business, and every other subject. As for the standard for evaluating these things, it was publicly acknowledged that the most authoritative standard was the Grand Examination held by the Great Zhou Dynasty each year.

The Grand Examination was first created by Emperor Taizu of the Zhou Dynasty. Whether entering the court to become an official, entering the army to become a general, or entering the Orthodoxy to become a priest, the scores from the Grand Examination were the most important criterion. Crucially, Emperor Taizu decreed that only those who ranked in the three banners had the qualifications to enter the Mausoleum of Books and look upon the Heavenly Tomes. Because of this rule, innumerable experts from around the world would congregate at the beginning of the year in the capital. In the very first Grand Examination, Emperor Taizu stood on the city wall and looked down at the geniuses of the various sects of the continent as they swarmed like fish to get in. He laughed and said a set of very famous words that also established the status of the Grand Examination.

The various kingdoms of the south, especially the Longevity Sect and other sects, were naturally extremely displeased by this rule. In their view, although the Mausoleum of Books was in the capital of the Great Zhou, the Heavenly Tomes were divine rocks that had descended to earth, so it was only natural to think that they were the shared wealth of the entire continent. For this reason, the south boycotted the Grand Examination several times, and the relations between both sides grew even worse.

However, the Mausoleum of Books was far too important to cultivators. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty was powerful, it could not risk facing condemnation for its monopoly over the mausoleum. The various powers of the south were also incapable of resisting the enticement of entering the Mausoleum of Books and viewing the Heavenly Tomes. Even in that period when the demons were pushed back and the two sides began to gradually distance themselves from each other, the south continued to resist on the surface, but there were still many experts from various sects who came in a private capacity to participate in the Grand Examination.

Finally, when the Divine Empress took power, the Zhou Dynasty at last reached an agreement with the southern powers. The various kingdoms and sects of the south could voluntarily send a diplomatic mission to take part in the Zhou Dynasty's Grand Examination. The evaluation would also be performed jointly by both sides. In addition, the students from the south could not accept the titles and offices conferred by the Zhou Dynasty. Everything else was considered equal. In the same way, under this new agreement, the Grand Examination received a new name.

Over countless years, the Grand Examination had selected countless experts. It was said that every one of the present experts who stood at the peak of the continent had once come to the capital of the Great Zhou and participated in the Grand Examination. And everyone knew for a fact that the present Pope of the Orthodoxy and the elder of the south's Holy Maiden Peak had both once been well-known figures in the Grand Examination. Not to mention how several geniuses from the Demi-human race in the west had transformed into humans and taken part in the test. Even a certain prince of the demons had risked coming to the capital, but the previous Pope had seen through his disguise, and the demon prince was turned into gray ash by the Pope's divine technique.

Those were all stories from many years ago. Now there were different questions on everyone's minds. Would the Longevity Sect's Qiushan Jun take part in next year's Grand Examination? How many of the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws would enter the first banner? Would Xu Yourong break through beforehand and leave Holy Maiden Peak to return to the capital? Would that cold-blooded and mysterious genius expert in the wastelands of the demons appear before the common people for the first time, or would he continue his bloody mutual chase with the demon experts? Besides these things, what most concerned the people of the capital was which geniuses from the schools of the capital would cause their eyes to light up.

Yes, the capital had many schools. When the Divine Empress took power, the government was ruled harshly, but the style of government was well ordered and the lives of the people began to gradually improve. Over the past several decades, the world had been at peace and had entered a period of prosperity. Many schools had popped up like spring bamboo after the rain. In the last few years, there were even many private schools that especially focused on the Grand Examination, where experts of the Orthodoxy taught in secret. Of course, the most famous schools were also the most powerful, or those whose history was the longest. Amongst them, there were two schools whose history was even longer than that of the Zhou Dynasty.

Chen Changsheng's list had six schools. The Heavenly Dao Academy which he was heading to was ranked first on the list. The fact was that in the entire continent, the Heavenly Dao Academy had the qualifications to be ranked far in front—for almost two hundred years, students of the Heavenly Dao Academy had obtained the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination twenty-four times. The students that studied here were all extraordinarily gifted. This academy had produced many priests of important positions for the Orthodoxy, had consecrated countless cultivating geniuses for various sects. Most importantly, the current Pope of the Orthodoxy had once been a student of this academy.

The Heavenly Dao Academy had obtained the best scores throughout the history of the Grand Examination, so it was naturally the most difficult to enter, yet it still had the greatest number of people attempting its examination. Chen Changsheng walked over to the entrance of the Heavenly Dao Academy and saw the majestic and imposing school gate constructed of dark jade. When he saw the academy name which had been personally written by Emperor Taizu, he very naturally began to feel admiration and yearning. But soon after, this sensation was completely dispelled by the bustling market-like environment around the gate and the pungent smell of sweat and ink. He subconsciously lowered his head.

Before he left Xining, he had already calculated the time. The moment when he arrived in the capital was precisely when the great schools were recruiting new students for the springtime. He could also imagine that the people applying for the Heavenly Dao Academy would be many, but he could not imagine that there would be such a frightening number. Especially that crowd of youths leaning around by the gate with naughty expressions, pointing at people in the crowd. Their presence made him feel somewhat out of place.

The clothing those youths were wearing was all very similar. It was mostly black with a golden belt tied around the waist. It was probably the uniform of the Heavenly Dao Academy. Chen Changsheng knew that these youths were likely those old students that had not passed the Grand Examination at the beginning of the year. These people were proud and arrogant, but because they had failed the Grand Examination, they had rather foul moods. They would definitely not show a good face to these new students that had come to take the examination for the Heavenly Dao Academy. Hearing their sharp and unkind words, seeing the mockery in their eyes, he inadvertently lowered his head even more.

He didn't lower his head because he was afraid, but rather because he was somewhat of a clean freak, both physically and mentally. So he did not want to smell the stench of sweat coming from the crowd, nor did he want to hear those words.

"Look at that idiot over there, he looks just like a pig! There are still even some pockmarks on his face! Why does he want to stick a fan in his neck? Does he think he's Lord Huanyu? He didn't even think about how those layers of fat on his neck are almost about to snap that fan in two."

"You're right, look at how unstable and weak his footsteps are. At most, he only went through Purification two months ago. It's highly likely that he hasn't even toughened his muscles and bones before. To actually dare to come test for my Heavenly Dao Academy, just what does he think this place is? The Orthodox Academy? Haha…I really don't understand just what all these idiots are thinking. Could it be that with that weak and pitiful spiritual sense, they can become well-read in the Daoist Canon?"

"Well-read in the Daoist Canon? Even that bookworm Gou Hanshi would not dare to say these words, right? You sympathize with the bitter experience that idiot will go through in a while, but I sympathize with his father and mother. To suffer some humiliation is only second in importance, while the money spent beforehand can't be gotten back. If I were that idiot fatty's parents, I might as well take the money and go to the altar and buy a few pills for him to eat, make him lose some weight, and at least get him a wife."

"And so what if he gets a wife? Even the Cold Plum Pill only affects himself. In the future when he has seven or eight sons and daughters who are all as fat and stupid as him, raising a pack of pigs, are you telling me that's a good thing?"

Those students were heartily laughing while unrestrainedly discussing these examinees. Their words were exceptionally difficult to listen to, and they didn't even attempt to control their volume. Perhaps they even meant for the targets of their jeers to hear their commentary. It was extraordinarily repulsive. The fat youth that was the subject of their discussion was blushing, but he didn't dare to protest, because what those students said was the truth. He truly had only gone through Purification some ten-odd days ago. To get into the Heavenly Dao Academy had always been a near impossibility. Crucially, even if his luck was so good that it defied fate and he was able to enter the academy, he still would not be able to offend these seniors.

As Chen Changsheng walked through the crowd, he heard these filthy words and his brows slightly rose up. He thought to himself that if they were talking about him, he didn't know if he could hold back. Fortunately, his head was lowered and his air was far too normal. Amidst the crowd, he was very unremarkable and very difficult to notice. Luckily, he avoided being ridiculed and very smoothly passed through the dark jade gate and entered the academy.

Because he was thinking about these things and had his head lowered, he did not notice that on the two sides of the stone path that led into the Heavenly Dao Academy, there were two huge stone walls. On these walls were carved strange flowers and spirits, and in the middle, tightly packed together, several hundred names were written. It seemed like some sort of list. Many gazes rested on these names, fervent and admiring.

The family members and servants that followed all the prospective students were forbidden from entering the Heavenly Dao Academy, so once he walked into the academy, the environment suddenly became much quieter. Chen Changsheng extracted a pure white handkerchief from his sleeve and wiped the fine beads of sweat off his forehead. After taking a breath, he felt somewhat more comfortable. Following the student in front of him, he lined up at the end of a very long queue.

The people taking the test to enter the Heavenly Dao Academy were many and the line was very long. It looked just like the legendary Hundred Zhang Branching Snake said to live in the west in the land of the demi-humans. It extended from that distant building all the way to this grass lawn. In the middle, it even passed through a clear stream. Many prospective students stood on the wooden bridge crossing the stream. Struck by the cold wind of the beginning of spring, their faces were so frozen that they seemed a little ashen.

Very quickly, people emerged from that distant building, all young men and women. Their faces were as ashen as those of the people on the bridge and were extremely unsightly. Since they weren't frozen, they had definitely not done very well on the examination. When the people still in line saw their dazed expressions, they instantly grew more nervous and were no longer in the mood to chatter.

Chen Changsheng didn't know anyone, so he naturally didn't chat with anyone. He looked at the distant building and thought it was rather interesting. Right now, he was concerned about whether the entrance exam for Heavenly Dao Academy was like what was described in the books, whether it still used that sort of method. Why was it that the people that had failed had come out so quickly in a wave? Or was it that the Heavenly Dao Academy's test really had changed?

The crowd incessantly moved forward, crossing the lawn and stream, but before they had even gotten close to the building, the line came to a bamboo shed. Seeing the solemn-faced Heavenly Dao Academy teacher sitting behind the stone table, seeing that rock on the table that was black as obsidian, Chen Changsheng realized what it was. He remembered an old lawsuit he had seen in a scroll and was a little stunned.


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