Ze Tian Ji Way Of Choices Chapter 171 – The Three Strikes Of The Fisherman's Song

Chapter 171 – The Three Strikes of the Fisherman's Song

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng bowed to each other.

The battle that was about to begin was the final battle, the battle to decide the first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination. Compared to the previous matches, the atmosphere was naturally somewhat different.

The window on the second floor was open, the important personages viewing the proceedings by it. The Li Palace priests responsible for the tests had also come to the railing. They had not come to spectate, but to display their respect towards those two examinees partic.i.p.ating in this match.

Chen Changsheng and Gou Hanshi bowed to the people on the second floor.

At this point, a light creak was heard in the building, and then the Li Palace priests began to bow and back away. The faces of those important personages subtly shifted as they greeted the figure.

The leader of the Orthodoxy's conservative faction, Archbishop Mei Lisha of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education, had personally come.

Owing to his age and experience, and especially because of his conflict with the Pope for the greater part of the year, the archbishop's status within the Orthodoxy had soared. Prince Chen Liu and Xue Xingchuan first bowed and wished him well, Xu Shiji bowed, and even those two Sacred Hall archbishops, who belonged to the opposing faction, half-rose from their chairs out of respect.

The archbishop nodded to Mo Yu.

Mo Yu knew why this elder had personally come and her complexion chilled, but she remained silent.

The second floor was rather active as the important personages gave their greetings, after which the seats were rearranged, and then tea brewed and fruits fetched. For a moment, Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng, the two main characters of this match, felt a little forgotten.

Since they would not fight for a few moments, the two also began to talk.

Gou Hanshi commented, "You've surprised many people."

Chen Changsheng replied, "My luck in drawing lots was quite good."

These were sincere words, not modest remarks, and certainly not modest remarks being used to conceal smugness.

Gou Hanshi calmly looked at him and said, "With your ability, you've spent this last half of the year in the capital far too quietly. You should not have been so silent. You had the right to live more freely."

Chen Changsheng said, "I didn't expect for you to give me advice."

Gou Hanshi smiled. "We're both people that like to read, and I truly don't like going out as well. But these were the words that Senior Brother gave to me as advice, and I found them reasonable, so I'm pa.s.sing them on to you."

His senior brother was naturally Qiushan Jun.

Chen Changsheng considered these words, but did not reply to them, instead responding to the advice Gou Hanshi had given. "It's a necessity that I live cautiously, so I've made a habit of living cautiously."

Gou Hanshi disapproved. "'Strict' and 'cautious' are two different things."

Chen Changsheng shook his head, very firmly stating, "I'm just being cautious."

After a momentary pause, Gou Hanshi asked in confusion, "Why?"

"This is a matter that no one understands and also something that I am incapable of explaining," Chen Changsheng replied.

Gou Hanshi noted, "Living cautiously undoubtedly does not include taking first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination."

Chen Changsheng glanced at the second floor and said, "You were also there on that day; you know that I did not say those words."

Gou Hanshi stared into his eyes. "You didn't say it, so does that mean that it's not what you intend to do?"

Chen Changsheng's silence signified that he admitted to this point.

Gou Hanshi continued, "So I feel that you're quite the contradiction."

Chen Changsheng replied, "I said before that this is a matter that no one understands and also something that I am incapable of explaining, but this isn't a contradiction, as no one likes to live a cautious life."

At this point, the questioning voice of a Li Palace priest came from the second floor.

It was still those words that had been repeated countless times today.

"Have the two of you…finished your preparations?"

Before the battle's start, Chen Changsheng said a word of apology to Gou Hanshi.

"I have to take first rank of the first banner. For this goal, I am willing to do anything. Zhexiu…was given money from the Orthodox Academy. I made a deal with him. He promised me that he would do all he could to defeat you, or at the very least exhaust you. If he were to encounter me, on the other hand, he would directly forfeit."

Gou Hanshi was somewhat shocked. After a period of silence, he said, "No wonder he fought like his life was on the line."

After saying this, he coughed, his brow creasing in pain. He then asked Chen Changsheng, "You're not a person that cares about vapid t.i.tles, so why do you regard the Grand Examination with such importance?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "I said before that there are many things that can't be explained."

Gou Hanshi had nothing more to ask.

Chen Changsheng, however, had not finished all he had to say. He glanced at the sword on Gou Hanshi's waist and somewhat hesitantly asked, "What can a sword manual be exchanged for?"

The sword manual of the Mount Li Sword Style could be exchanged for many things, especially for the disciples of the Mount Li Sword Sect. Let alone something like the first rank of the first banner, they were willing to give up far more important things to exchange for this sword manual.

Gou Hanshi knew that the sword manual of the Mount Li Sword Style had been stored in White Emperor City once and was now in the Orthodox Academy, but he had never expected Chen Changsheng to suddenly make this sort of proposal. He silently contemplated the idea for a long time before finally shaking his head. "I am a disciple of Mount Li, so I cannot accept it. Since it is the sword style of my Mount Li, there will come a day in the future when we disciples will rely on our own strength to bring it back to Mount Li, so this exchange is not needed."

Chen Changsheng was not disappointed to hear Luoluo's proposal rejected. On the contrary, it somewhat eased his mind.

"Just come then."

Chen Changsheng's right hand raised the Falling Rain Whip. True essence circulated, causing the head of the whip to stir and winds to gently blow.

This was the last and most important match of this year's Grand Examination.

It began very calmly and very suddenly.

Gou Hanshi unsheathed his sword and casually shook his arm. The sword began gently trembling in the air, letting out a drone.

He began walking towards Chen Changsheng, his steps slow and steady, yet also seemingly unavoidable.

Gou Hanshi struck, his sword intent serene and harmonious. There was no whistle of a sword within the Hall of Washing Away Dust, yet in the distant blue sky outside the hall, an extremely clear sound akin to someone belting out a song could be heard.

The songs of the fisherman called out to each other, and by the time their voices entered one's ear, the song had already arrived.

This attack came too quickly and too serenely. The sword was seemingly joyful to meet with the opponent. Against this apparently normal attack, Chen Changsheng had a feeling that he could not avoid it. Whether it was the Yeshi Step or just speed, they did not have the time to show their effectiveness.

He poured true essence into the Falling Rain Whip and used the whip as a sword to block the strike.

With a crisp crash, the Falling Rain Whip fiercely trembled.

A golden l.u.s.ter appeared on the Falling Rain Whip, a majestic strength that blocked Gou Hanshi's sword intent, yet it was unable to block the sword intent from transferring the energy through the whip and into Chen Changsheng's wrist.

His wrist trembled, and then his forearm, a vivid pain traveling upwards until it reached his shoulder. He found it impossible to keep his grasp on the whip and with a whoosh, the Falling Rain Whip dropped from his hand.

Gou Hanshi's second strike followed right behind. As this second attack appeared, another song erupted in the sky above the Hall of Washing Away Dust and evening clouds suddenly filled the sky.

The Falling Rain Whip had flown away, but Chen Changsheng still had the Wenshui Sword. He gripped the hilt and drew. With a zeng, the Wenshui Sword left its sheath, its bright blade reflecting the evening clouds in the sky. At the same time, it produced even more evening clouds, painting all the windows and doors of the Hall of Washing Away Dust with a warm red hue.

It was Gathering Evening Clouds of the Three Forms of Wenshui.

The two streams of clouds met in the Hall of Washing Away Dust and the black roof was transformed into gold.

An extremely pure Qi traveled along the sword intent of the evening clouds and shattered Chen Changsheng's defense, striking him in the chest. If not for the fact that the Wenshui Sword had let out a whistle at the last second and used the powerful Qi native to the sword itself to block the majority of this blow's power, Chen Changsheng would a.s.suredly have been deeply wounded.

The Wenshui Sword had saved him, but it had also been sent flying into the sky by Gou Hanshi. It spiraled through the air as it flew out of the Hall of Washing Away Dust and fell somewhere beyond.

Without hesitation, Chen Changsheng retreated backwards, wanting to use the Yeshi Step. At the same time, his right hand gripped the hilt of his dagger and his left hand gripped a small item that was falling from his sleeve.

Just as expected, Gou Hanshi's third strike had come.

Three consecutive strikes without any pause between them did not leave Chen Changsheng even a moment to catch his breath. Singing came from the horizon and evening clouds emerged in the sky, and then a fishing boat sailed out of the clouds.

The Three Songs of the Fisherman meant that there were three strikes.

This was the sword style used by Gou Hanshi, and it was also his strongest sword style.

His first strike had shaken the Falling Rain Whip from Chen Changsheng's hands, the second had sent the Wenshui Sword flying, and now the third strike was coming with all the brilliance of the setting sun. How could Chen Changsheng deal with it?

The three strikes had been connected so easily and perfectly that he didn't even have time to use the Yeshi Step.

There was a light pop in the Hall of Washing Away Dust.

Chen Changsheng's figure had ceased to be in front of Gou Hanshi's sword.

Chen Changsheng appeared by the wall twenty-some zhang behind where he formerly stood, his entire body pale from the seemingly pleasant and peaceful, but actually extremely hair-raising three strikes of the Fisherman's song. His body was even slightly trembling.

White smoke was slowly seeping out from the tightly clenched fingers of his left hand.

Gou Hanshi drew back his sword and straightened himself. He looked at him and asked in surprise, "A Thousand Li b.u.t.ton?"

Indeed, the method Chen Changsheng had used to avoid the last strike of the Fisherman's song was the Thousand Li b.u.t.ton. Only the Thousand Li b.u.t.ton could have helped him avoid Gou Hanshi's acc.u.mulated power, his determined three strikes.

When Chen Changsheng, Luoluo and all the others gathered at the forest’s edge were considering how to fight this match, how could Gou Hanshi not be contemplating his own strategies?

A deathly stillness pervaded the Hall of Washing Away Dust, broken after a while by a few gasps of surprise from the second floor that could no longer be restrained.

In order to avoid this attack, Chen Changsheng had actually been willing use the incomparably precious Thousand Li b.u.t.ton, an item that a cultivator would treasure as much as their life. This shocked everyone, and at the same once more confirmed just how much Princess Luoluo cherished and respected her young teacher. However, what shocked the people within the hall even more were those three strikes of Gou Hanshi's.

Those three strikes seemed ordinary. They were not accompanied by wind or rain, and the evening clouds were serene, yet they were truly worthy of being Gou Hanshi's three strongest moves, as they actually made others not want to resist.

If Chen Changsheng had not had the Falling Rain Whip, the Wenshui Sword, and the Thousand Li b.u.t.ton, he would undoubtedly have lost.

Gou Hanshi was truly very strong.

The crowd was rather astonished. Even when fighting Zhexiu last round, Gou Hanshi had not used a secret technique like this the moment he had stepped onto stage, so why was he so unsparing against Chen Changsheng?

Chen Changsheng looked at the Falling Rain Whip on the ground, thought about the Wenshui Sword now fallen somewhere outside the hall, thought of that Thousand Li b.u.t.ton that was already smoke, and he found that he had nothing to say. He knew that he was still very far from Gou Hanshi, much further than Zhexiu had been.

If Gou Hanshi had a fourth strike, how would he block it?