Ze Tian Ji Way Of Choices Chapter 107 – A War Of Words

Chapter 107 – A War of Words

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

When gazes met, it became impossible for either side to pretend that they had not seen the other, so Chen Changsheng nodded his head in greeting. Under the white pines, one of the slightly older Holy Maiden Peak disciples slightly nodded her head. Although the two sides had made very small actions, they could be considered to have acted with courtesy. The rest of the ten-some girls also nodded at Chen Changsheng.

One of the girls, who still had a childish air about her, did not nod. Her pet.i.te face was practically a sheet of ice and the gaze she aimed at Chen Changsheng was extremely cold. The slightly older female disciple was probably her senior sister and whispered a few words to her. The girl was somewhat irritated, saying, "Senior Sister Yourong will marry him? Since she won't, why should I greet him?"

At these words, the expressions of the other Holy Maiden Peak disciples subtly changed, but none of them knew what to say. The senior sister looked helpless and whispered a few more words of persuasion. However, this girl was still unconcerned, sneering at Chen Changsheng, "A toad wants to eat Phoenix flesh? What need is there to pay attention to such a delusional fool? Senior Sister, you also shouldn't pay him any attention."

She did not lower her voice as she spoke, intentionally allowing Chen Changsheng and the others to hear. At the very beginning, Chen Changsheng thought that there was no need to pay attention to just one girl, but after her second remark, they were forced to stop. Tang Thirty-Six refused to proceed any further.

The girl had an appearance of childish beauty and was very young, but her words were unexpectedly harsh. Her voice traveled very far, and while the students of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green across from her remained composed, the students of the Temple Seminary and the Li Palace Academy exploded with laughter.

The Divine Avenue of the Li Palace was very broad and straight, and also very long. Tang Thirty-Six, walking past the different expressions and gazes of these students and hearing the words of that Temple Seminary student, had already endured for a very long time. After hearing the harsh words of this girl and the laughter they induced, how could he suffer any longer?

The girl did not mind the laughter coming from both sides of the Divine Avenue. On the contrary, she was rather pleased with herself. Looking at Chen Changsheng, she snorted and then said to the senior sister beside her, "Don't you hear it? Even these people of Zhou think my words are reasonable."

The Li Palace was very quiet in the early morning, so the laughter resonated through the palaces and the forest, grating on the ear.

The reason the students of the Li Palace Academy and the Temple Seminary had reacted so uproariously to this girl's harsh jeers was that the phrase about a toad wanting to eat Phoenix flesh was already the most famous joke in the capital. Of course, it referred to Chen Changsheng's engagement with Xu Yourong.

No one dared to say it in front of the Orthodox Academy, and they naturally couldn't say it in front of Chen Changsheng's face, given that he was the target of the joke. Today, however, it had been spoken by this girl, and so those students who had avoided saying it so as to not make trouble had no reason not to join in the jeering.

"It looks to me…that this saying will be recorded in the dictionary and become a common saying on the continent, no?"

A voice came from the Temple Seminary students—perhaps from that student that had jeered at Chen Changsheng earlier—causing another bout of laughter.

Chen Changsheng turned to the girl under the white pine. Seeing her young face, he thought to himself, she's probably only twelve, about the same age as Luoluo. As a result, he was somewhat hesitant.

The senior sister from Holy Maiden Peak gave him an apologetic smile.

The girl confronted Chen Changsheng's gaze yet she seemed unconcerned. She sneered back at him, "What are you looking at? Did I say something wrong?"

After a pause, Chen Changsheng replied, "You truly did say something wrong."

The girl gave him a disdainful look and said, "Then say it, just what did I say wrong? In what way can you compare to Senior Sister Yourong?"

"Perhaps she really is a Phoenix."

Chen Changsheng looked at her and declared, "But I am certainly no toad."

He also wanted to say, and if I were, this toad here has no interest in Phoenix flesh.

The girl didn't give him the chance, jeering, "You aren't one just because you say so? Then who were all those people roaring with laughter at?"

"I don't know who they were laughing at."

Chen Changsheng suddenly gazed into the depths of the pine and cypress forest, saying, "But I know that there is someone who would definitely not believe that I'm a toad."

At some point, the gate to the guest courtyard had been opened. Gou Hans.h.i.+ and his three junior brothers from the Mount Li Sword Sect had made their way through the forest and to the side of the Divine Avenue.

Gou Hans.h.i.+ had heard the final part of Chen Changsheng's conversation with the girl and knew what he had meant. With a rather ambiguous expression, he shook his head and said, "Of course you're not a toad. If you are, then what are the rest of us?"

The laughter resounding through the palace halls instantly stopped and all returned to quiet.

During the Ivy Festival, the Orthodox Academy had defeated the Mount Li Sword Sect. As long as one was present, one would know who had played the critical role in this feat.

Although one could not say that Chen Changsheng was stronger than Gou Hans.h.i.+, he at least was not inferior.

If he was a toad, what was Gou Hans.h.i.+? And what were the Divine Kingdom's Seven Laws?

If the crowd was ridiculing Chen Changsheng, were they not slapping the Mount Li Sword Sect in the face?

No one dared to speak, let alone laugh. The girl from Holy Maiden Peak uneasily looked at Gou Hans.h.i.+, wanting to explain, but not knowing how to start.

Amongst the Li Palace Academy students, Su Moyu watched and slightly creased his brow. He was somewhat perplexed—why had Gou Hans.h.i.+ appeared and spoken on behalf of Chen Changsheng?

Only Chen Changsheng and Gou Hans.h.i.+ knew that there was another reason besides the Mount Li Sword Sect's wanting to show its grace. This reason was Qiushan Jun—Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong were the two parties of this engagement while Qiushan Jun looked on from the distance, so this matter could not be made too ugly.

The white pines were beautiful in their tranquility.

Chen Changsheng and Gou Hans.h.i.+ clasped their hands and bowed to each other.

No one paid any attention to the girl, including her senior sisters. The silence made her rather nervous. Offending a senior brother from the Longevity Sect was an unimaginable matter to her. She was very panicked and sobbed out, "I certainly didn't mean that, he…he can't even cultivate, so how can he not be trash?"

These words of hers made the mood over the scene freeze once more.

Guan Feibai slightly arched his brows, greatly displeased with this girl's way of doing things. Fifth Law Liang Banhu shook his head. Even Qi Jian, who put all his heart in cultivation and was quite unsocial, felt her words to be too much and looked to his senior brother in the hopes that he would do something.

Gou Hans.h.i.+ had a slightly bitter expression but did nothing. Although the disciples of the various sects of the south all considered themselves to be under one umbrella, addressing each other as brother and sister, each sect was still independent. As the second eldest brother of the Longevity Sect, he did not have the right to concern himself with matters of Holy Maiden Peak.

But someone already wanted to concern themselves with it.

"I'm very curious as to why you so detest Chen Changsheng…although he truly is rather detestable at times," Tang Thirty-Six suddenly commented.

The girl resentfully glared at Chen Changsheng, but did not answer.

"No matter how talented you are, it's impossible for you to surpa.s.s that Phoenix. Putting aside the problems with your personality for the moment, just with your age, it's not possible for you to enter South Stream Temple. So, which sect under Holy Maiden Peak are you a disciple of? Hm, I'm guessing…you are from Gentle Stream Monastery."

Tang Thirty-Six said.

Because he had mentioned problems of her personality, the girl was very abashed and angry. She originally wanted to ask him just how her personality was problematic, but upon hearing his final words, she instantly froze. She thought, Holy Maiden Peak has ten-some different sects under it; how did you guess that I was from Gentle Stream Monastery?

"Correct, I am called Ye Xiaolian, junior sister of Gentle Stream Monastery. Next year, when my age is enough, I want to enter South Stream Temple, and so what?"

She said to Tang Thirty-Six with her head raised, making no effort to conceal her pride and hostility.

Tang Thirty-Six suddenly asked, "Gentle Stream Monastery…is very close to Mount Li, right?"

Guan Feibai was somewhat flabbergasted at this question, thinking, this guy isn't a southerner. How does he even know this?

"Of the several dozen peaks that are a part of the Longevity Sect, Mount Li is the highest…and it just so happens to be right next to Gentle Stream Monastery. I think that you were probably able to often see Qiushan Jun's graceful bearing?"

Tang Thirty-Six didn't give her a chance to speak, continuing, "Given the sort of person that Qiushan Jun is, if you see him a lot, you'll naturally come to like him. Although you're very young, you've already secretly given your heart to him. Why do you detest Chen Changsheng? Precisely because in this matter, he was outdone by Chen Changsheng."

"Just what nonsense are you babbling?" the girl called Ye Xiaolian yelled, shame and anger intermixed in her voice.

Gou Hans.h.i.+ also could not continue listening, shaking his head as he said, "These words are untrue."

Ye Xiaolian's small face slightly blushed as she rebuked, "What does my detesting this fool have to do with Eldest Brother? I am saying he is unworthy on Senior Sister Yourong's behalf."

Tang Thirty-Six replied, "Don't lie; some women might be so kindhearted, but definitely not you. If you heard that your Senior Sister Yourong was about to marry a toad, you would probably wake people up in the middle of the night with your laughter."

Ye Xiaolian was slightly taken aback, asking, "How could I possibly act this way?"

In the end, she was only a twelve-year-old girl. She didn't know that her expression in the eyes of others was already a sort of proof, and her fellow sisters of Holy Maiden Peak could not help but slightly frown.

Tang Thirty-Six was expressionless as he spoke, seeming to speak with great solemnity. However, in reality, nothing in his words was solemn, making them seem all the more painful to listen to. "However, Qiushan Jun is still your idol, and since he lost against Chen Changsheng in a fight over a girl, if I were in your position, I would also be angry."

Chen Changsheng couldn't help but shake his head at these words, thinking to himself, what need is there for this?

Gou Hans.h.i.+ and his junior brothers all had rather ugly expressions.

"What right does he have to compare to Eldest Brother?"

Ye Xiaolian's voice was enraged now. She stared at Tang Thirty-Six and said, "I just don't understand why Senior Sister Yourong wrote that letter. To actually force Eldest Brother to be compared to this piece of trash, does she not realize what sort of insult this is to Eldest Brother?"

"As it turns out, the one you detested was not Chen Changsheng, but…your Senior Sister Yourong."

Tang Thirty-Six did not pretend that he had come to some sudden realization, as he disdained that sort of acting. He calmly asked, "And you still say that you don't like Qiushan Jun?"

Both sides of the Divine Avenue were quiet. Everyone in the crowd was looking at the young junior sister from Holy Maiden Peak, their expressions complex.

Ye Xiaolian stared blankly at him for a few moments, then suddenly understood what had happened: the thoughts she had hidden at the bottom of her heart had suddenly been exposed. Her small face instantly blushed a deep red, her eyes turning moist as if about to cry. She looked extremely worried.

"Why are you crying? Is liking someone like Qiushan Jun not a very normal thing?

"Because you understand that you don't have the right to like Qiushan Jun…in these past two years, there's been a very strange problem in the human world. It seems like only Qiushan Jun has the right to like Xu Yourong, and only Xu Yourong has the right to like Qiushan Jun. Thus, Chen Changsheng is ridiculed, and now, everyone also looks at you rather strangely."

Tang Thirty-Six turned to the crowd and calmly declared, "But truthfully, you aren't wrong. There's nothing wrong about liking someone, it's these people that are wrong. For what reason can't you like someone? None of you dare to like them, so no one else can? That's absurd.

"So, you shouldn't hate Chen Changsheng. On the contrary, you should commiserate with his suffering."

Ye Xiaolian raised her head, wiping away her tears. Seeing the unkind gazes falling upon her, she understood his meaning.

Everyone was still quiet. Tang Thirty-Six's words, though rather rude, were very reasonable.

Chen Changsheng thought to himself, it's actually different, because I don't like Xu Yourong. However, he wouldn't say this in front of so many people. During the Ivy Festival, Xu Yourong's letter had helped him, so he also had to give her some face.

The morning wind lightly brushed against the scholar trees and white pines, causing the light to waver, the temperature to slightly rise, and the autumn to calm.

The students all looked at Tang Thirty-Six, very moved as they thought, just as expected of the descendant of a n.o.ble clan, his style is overflowing with warmth and harmony. He simply resolved the sore point in this junior sister's heart. The girls from the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green looked up to him more pa.s.sionately than before.

Just when everyone believed that this matter would end with a perfect conclusion…

Tang Thirty-Six turned around again to look at Ye Xiaolian.

"But in fact…there's a fundamental difference between you and Chen Changsheng.

"He has an engagement with Xu Yourong. Let alone liking her, no one would be able to say anything even if he pulled her by the hand to go and see the sunset. However, there's no relations.h.i.+p between you and Qiushan Jun, and the entire continent knows that he likes Xu Yourong. On the other hand, because you like him, you humiliate Chen Changsheng. Is that reasonable?

"If he's a piece of trash…then aren't you a little s.l.u.t?"

He calmly said to the girl, clearly articulating the last two words so that n.o.body would mishear.

The entire scene was still and then exploded into an outcry!

Ye Xiaolian began to weep, covering her face as she ran into the guest courtyard within the forest.

The other girls of Holy Maiden Peak fiercely glared at him and then followed. Those girls of the Thirteen Divisions of Radiant Green who once ardently gazed at him also greatly changed. Who could have expected that his many words from earlier, those sensible and moving words, were all for the sake of the final two words!

Jin Yulu and Xuanyuan Po had been listening on the side the entire time. Demi-humans had always believed that humans were sinister, crafty, shameless, and untrustable. After experiencing this disturbance, Xuanyuan Po subconsciously edged closer to Chen Changsheng, not wanting to be too close to Tang Thirty-Six. Jin Yulu sighed, "You're the true s.l.u.t here."

Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say, so he clasped his hands towards Gou Hans.h.i.+ to bid farewell. Although Tang Thirty-Six's words were harsh and unpleasant, they did not concern the Longevity Sect. Gou Hans.h.i.+ also only shook his head and clasped his hands in return, then took his three juniors back to the guest courtyard.

No one liked how that junior sister from Holy Maiden Peak had acted, but she was still just a twelve-year-old girl. Seeing her beautiful face stained with tears as she ran away, many young men felt pity for her and felt that she had been wronged. In order to right this wrong, they spoke out.

"He can only use words to bully a child."

In the crowd of Li Palace Academy students, Su Moyu said nothing. He was just rather disappointed. Everyone said that the Orthodox Academy might be revived, but after observing today's events, he did not think so.

Chen Changsheng was worried that Tang Thirty-Six would waste more time and said, "Let's go."

Tang Thirty-Six gazed at the young students standing by the Divine Avenue and said concisely and clearly, "Once we finish these matters, I'll come back. If any of you have the guts, don't run."

The crowd was still in an uproar. The young students thought, this is the Li Palace, where our academies are! This guy just bullied a girl into crying and now he still acts with such arrogance! He's clearly inviting everyone to beat him until he looks like a pig.

Just then, the clear and long ring of a bell came from academy walls deep within the forest, accompanied by several simple and clear admonishments.