Ze Tian Ji

Edited by: Michyrr

It was probably a bit of an exaggeration to say that Wang Zhice needed only one finger to crush Tang Thirty-Six to death like he was an ant.

But if he used two fingers, he was completely capable of easily killing Tang Thirty-Six.

The gap in strength between the two was just this massive.

Tang Thirty-Six could not possibly threaten Wang Zhice, and even seeking death in front of Wang Zhice was no easy matter.

The Wenshui Sword was caught in two of Wang Zhice’s fingers, so firmly held that it could not proceed another inch.

For a tragic suicide to suddenly become this was inevitably rather awkward.

Tang Thirty-Six seemed unperturbed, even raising his brow.

By raising his brow, he was issuing a challenge.

His meaning was crystal-clear.

If he sincerely wanted to die, he had many methods. Cutting his throat with a sword was undoubtedly the method with the lowest chance of success.

He was waiting for Wang Zhice to stop him, as only this way could he continue negotiating conditions.

Wang Zhice smirked at him, "Giving you this stone would still be useless."

Tang Thirty-Six saw his expression and understood.

Given his current level of cultivation, even if he got the black stone, he wouldn’t be able to enter the Garden of Zhou, so he wouldn’t be able to help Chen Changsheng.

Tang Thirty-Six asked with heartfelt sincerity, "Then can I trouble Sir to help?"

Wang Zhice did not reply.

Tang Thirty-Six added, "I know that he’s definitely not faring well right now."

Wang Zhice’s gaze dropped to the black stone as he said, "Correct. At the moment, he is facing an extremely difficult choice."

Tang Thirty-Six said nothing for a few moments, then commented, "He’s a good person."

He said these words with unprecedented dignity.

Wang Zhice agreed, "Yes."

Tang Thirty-Six looked into his eyes and said, "A good person shouldn’t have to live so arduously."

Wang Zhice replied, "This has nothing to do with good or bad."

Tang Thirty-Six was somewhat disappointed and extremely furious.

He mocked, "That’s right, it has nothing to with good or bad, only strong or weak. In the end, it’s just the strong bullying the weak."

Wang Zhice shook his head. "Every person has to take responsibility for their own choices."

Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "Then why does he have to choose? Why isn’t it any of you that’s choosing?"

Wang Zhice replied, "Shang Xingzhou agreed to fight with him because he was forced to make that choice."

Tang Thirty-Six replied, "That choice is too complicated. All of you should be a little simpler."

Wang Zhice asked, "For example?"

Tang Thirty-Six stated, "All of you can choose to die, or choose to die."

Wang Zhice faintly smiled. "Is there another choice?"

Tang Thirty-Six said, "You can choose to burning to death, drowning to death, being shot to death by arrows, or death by a thousand cuts."

This was not a chat, but a command, or perhaps a curse. His flat tone was brimming with scorn and hatred.

But all this came from helplessness.

As he gazed at the ice on the lake and the duckweed left over from last year, Tang Thirty-Six felt rather tired.

Would he just lose like this?

He truly felt unwilling.

He felt unwilling in Chen Changsheng’s place.

He suddenly shouted at the sky.

"You blind dog!"

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The turmoil in Hundred Flowers Lane made it difficult to hear Tang Thirty-Six’s words.

But the Hundred Herb Garden, only separated by a wall from the Orthodox Academy, could hear them loud and clear.

Yuren seemed to have noticed, and used his eyes to voice his question.

"Tang Tang wants to disturb Lord Wang’s mind."

Xu Yourong said, "If there’s the smallest possibility, he will use the strategies in Wenshui’s old estate to force Lord Wang into a compromise."

She referred here to that conversation between grandfather and grandson over the mahjong table.

He was willing to destroy the Tang clan, so he naturally didn’t care for all the living beings of the world.

It was obvious that this was still not enough to move Wang Zhice, to persuade him.

He had not even been able to express what he had truly wanted to say, what he had truly wanted to threaten.

Tang Thirty-Six’s attempt had failed.

A faint concern could be seen in Xu Yourong’s eyes.

Her left hand tightly gripped the five stone pearls.

These five pearls had originally been five of the Heavenly Tome Monoliths in the Garden of Zhou, a portion of Zhou Dufu’s great array.

A moment ago, a ripple had come from these five stone pearls, allowing her to get a rough understanding of the situation in the Garden of Zhou.

She knew that Chen Changsheng was facing a choice.

She also knew how Chen Changsheng would choose.

She knew before he had even made the choice.

To Chen Changsheng, this choice was simply not as difficult as Wang Zhice said it would be.

Because she understood Chen Changsheng.

Yuren also understood Chen Changsheng.

So he also knew how Chen Changsheng would choose.

And that meant that Chen Changsheng had lost.

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Every street and residence in the capital heard that massive explosion.

Furious waves of Qi exploded over the lake, jolting up snow, yellowed grass, and mud, crackling against the walls and trees.

The lake waters roiled and shook, rolling up snow as they flew into the air and rumbled back down.

The entire Orthodox Academy was enveloped in a sudden downpour.

Two figures appeared in the rain:

Chen Changsheng and Shang Xingzhou.

The sky brightened for an instant, like a bolt of lightning had streaked across it.

In that flash of light in the dark rain, one could vaguely see Shang Xingzhou’s hand fall on Chen Changsheng’s stomach.

Chen Changsheng flew like a stone, crashing through ten-some thick trees to fall deep in the forest.

The great trees snapped, creaking to the ground and sending shocks through the earth.

Tang Thirty-Six took up the Wenshui Sword and prepared to charge forward, his left hand clenching a magical artifact in his sleeve.

There was a light pop.

Wang Zhice’s finger struck his brow.

Tang Thirty-Six found it impossible to move.

Two golden flames suddenly appeared in the Hundred Herb Garden.

Xu Yourong vanished from her spot.

Without turning his head, Wang Zhice pointed his finger behind him.

Behind him was the academy wall.

An opening several zhang wide appeared in the wall.

The bricks and remnants of the wooden door lay quietly on the ground.

A light breeze lingered there, gentle and warm, yet unable to pass through.

A white feather drifted down from the void.

Xu Yourong appeared.

Wang Zhice suddenly sensed something and turned around.

His eyes were not focused on Xu Yourong, but behind her.

The Hundred Herb Garden was just as serene as it had been for the last several hundred years.

A walking stick quietly rested on the edge of the stone table.

......

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The great tree lay broken, flakes of bark spreading everywhere like petals.

Chen Changsheng sat against the broken tree, coughing.

Shang Xingzhou asked, "Do you still insist that choices have meaning?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "Yes, because how we choose determines who we are."

Shang Xingzhou was speechless.

Chen Changsheng was right.

If it had been the Xu Yourong or Tang Thirty-Six in the Garden of Zhou, he would not have given them a chance to choose.

He wanted Chen Changsheng to choose precisely because he wanted to know how Chen Changsheng would choose.

It was precisely for this reason that Chen Changsheng was Chen Changsheng.

Thus, choices had meaning.

But the current battle was already meaningless.

Chen Changsheng could still stand, but his loss was already decided.

By choosing to leave the Garden of Zhou, he had abandoned any hope of winning.

Shang Xingzhou had a rather wooden expression as he said, "Just concede."

Chen Changsheng’s tone was very natural as he said, "No."

Shang Xingzhou was quiet for a while, and then his right gripped the hilt of a sword.

Not the Stainless Sword, but his own sword.

As Chen Changsheng prepared to rise, his right hand fell on the broken tree.

Suddenly, his hand hit something solid and hard.