Sangsang got up early in the morning and combed Ning Que"s hair before fetching the hot water. She went out of the shop to buy two bowls of hot and sour noodle slice soup, specifically adding two spoons of beef cubes. After Ning Que washed the face and brushed the teeth, he began to have breakfast with an unlined garment on. Sangsang opened the box to take out the clothes and the socks for a match - Last night, the Academy spring clothes have been ironed extremely well, with new socks - Today the clothes were so conscientiously and solemnly treated, which was only comparable to the previous spring when the Academy opened.
In Sangsang"s service, Ning Que began to wear the clothes. He pulled hard the brand-new, densely-woven lace belt with both hands. Sangsang held a lot of wooden cards from the bed to squeeze them inside his belt. But she actually did not finish squeezing them all for a long time .
Ning Que took that small ancient wooden card from her hand, slowly touching its smooth lines with the fingertip. He secretly thought the purpose of His Majesty who had sent him this ID token of Imperial Center Administration last night. And this wooden card seemed to have existed for many years.
The ID token should be tied to the belt rather than into the clothes. But Ning Que currently had too many ID tokens at hand - secret guard ID token, the Academy ID token, the Academy Second floor ID token, visiting professor ID token given by Fish-dragon Gang last year, coupled with fresh Imperial Center Administration ID token yesterday. If he hung all of them on the waist, he could even have the countryside dance.
Ning Que touched the bulge in his waist and moved the waist in front of Sangsang. He said, "We"ve been in Chang"an City for one year. We have also earned a lot of money and wooden cards. But your young master, I have a waist not thick enough. I"m afraid I won"t hang them all with more cards in the future."
Sangsang raised her face and looked at him with a smile, "Young master, don"t be so complacent, okay?"
Ning Que proudly said, "I pretend to be quiet and gentle outside. Why can"t I be complacent at home?"
Out of the Old Brush Pen Shop"s door, under the dawn beam, the horse carriage has long been quietly parked in the alley waiting. But today old Duan did not wait in the carriage but honestly stood in front of the shop with a very deferential appearance.
Old Duan did not know the Second floor of the Academy, or The Flower Blooms on the Sh.o.r.e Astride. But last night he was called by the horse carriage owner who had said old Duan was lucky and must serve Ning Que well in the future. So he honestly took out the spirits of serving his wife and got up at the dark night before changing a suit of clean clothes and unprecedentedly brus.h.i.+ng the teeth with a willow twig dipping in expensive medical powder. He came to Lin 47th Street waiting for Ning Que in advance after brus.h.i.+ng the carriage clean.
Looking at the clean wheeler and horse carriage, Ning Que could not help feeling somewhat surprised. Through a few questions, he guessed that the horse carriage owner must know something and could not help shaking his head with a smile. He thought it was really difficult for him not to be complacent.
The wheels ground on the stone lane of the alley, and the carriage was gradually away from the Eastern City, out of the south gate of Chang"an City through Vermilion Bird Road. On the imperial road, the carriage ran towards the Academy that looked like a fairyland under the distant morning beam.
Ning Que looked at the green trees, wildflowers, and the field outside the window beside the road. He looked calm as usual, for he has seen the scenery on this road too many times and was unable to trigger more thoughts. After a moment, he put down the curtains.
In the slightly shaking carriage, he slowly closed the eyes, with the exhaustion and tension these days leaving the body for a long time. But this was actually the first time for him to have a chance to calmly recall the experience of these days.
Morning beam pa.s.sed through the curtains and then the eyes to become a very dim light, whose intensity was close to the Wilderness light ushering in the upcoming darkness. His thoughts drifted back to those strange dreams and those strange fantasies during the mountaineering process.
After a long time, Ning Que opened his eyes and shook the head.
In the past, he once again recalled the mingling of light and darkness, those most distant, innermost summons from the world. And then he found that he had nothing to do with those matters at all. If the last choice was the test of the Academy, why did the Grand Cultivator of the Academy make such an enigmatic fantasy? And why did he guess it right?
The test of the Academy"s Back Mountain was too metaphysical and solemn. Ning Que was just a weak cultivator who has just entered No Doubts State. Make him answer this question was just as the philosophy professor at Heidelberg University asked a child who has just entered elementary school, "Who are you? Where are you from? And where are you going?"
That child would not painfully hold his head and thought for half a century before finally becoming a statue and answering nothing. He would certainly reply with a loud voice, " I am Vic. I come from Frankfurt. I"m going to Neckar River for fis.h.i.+ng."
Perhaps the philosophy professor at Heidelberg University also taught theology. Perhaps the professor was almost same with the ancient Zen master of China who loved playing that kind of back-to-nature game. When they listened to this answer, they felt fiercely shocked and thought that the children"s answer seemed simple but in fact straightly pointed at the ultimate road. Therefore, they gradually felt that kid was an unprecedented genius.
Soon Ning Que would formally enter the Second floor of the Academy for study. But to be honest, until now Ning Que still did not know why the Academy, the long road, the bigwigs setting the illusion choices had chosen him. After a long time of thinking, he could only come to this conclusion.
"Headmaster of Academy was so profound to be confused and I"m just that little kid."
On the straight wide official path of Southwestern Chang"an, a team with a few horse carriages and dozens of knights were silently moving forward. These horse carriages were mainly decorated by black and gold, revealing the somewhat invisible mixture of luxury and seriousness. Although those knights were not in armor, their tidy black gowns and perseverant facial expressions still emitted the sacredly invincible sense.
These knights were exactly the well-known Papal Guardians of West-Hill Divine Kingdom, the most elite cavalry in the world. And in the several horse carriages, the people who were qualified to be protected by them were no doubt the bigwigs of the Divine Hall. At this time it was still early and the team has appeared on the official road in Southern Chang"an. It indicated that they had left Chang"an City as soon as the gate has opened.
If the team of Divine Hall"s bigwigs and the Papal Guardians were walking in other countries, they would surely attract the applause of countless people and even many foolish followers bowing beside the road. But now they were in the Tang Empire and it was still early. Thus no one paid attention to them on the official path, or devoted tears of faith. The team only silently and fast moved forward, with a feeling of leaving as soon as possible at all costs.
Prince Long Qing sat in the middle black-golden carriage, a mixture of luxury and seriousness. He calmly looked through the window, seeing the Tangs" houses and rapes in the fields like golden blankets. He listened to the rapid hoof beats and knights" breath, feeling the depressing atmosphere and weird silence, and then suddenly said with a smile.
"When I came here, the entire Chang"an City was jubilant. The believers, women and children walked in the streets to welcome me, throwing the fruits and flowers towards the horse carriage. When I left, it was so silent and quiet. We even had to deliberately sneak away when they opened their gates. Don"t I look like a total loser?"
Vice President of Revelation Inst.i.tute Priest Moli sitting opposite him slightly changed the facial expression and did not understand why Prince Long Qing has said such words. Forcibly suppressing the anger, Priest Moli said, "Why did you feel self-humiliated?"
Prince Long Qing showed a faintly ironic look on the face and said, "No matter where the Papal Guardians are, they are dressed in golden armor, radiant like G.o.ds. But in the territory of the Tangs, they had to unload their guns, or they were not allowed to enter. This... is humiliated."
Before Mo Li spoke up, he continued to say with a smile, "Vice President, you know why I lived in Peach Alley in Chang"an City?"
Priest Moli felt slightly startled and did not know whether Prince Long Qing has asked this question for a test. When he looked at Prince Long Qing"s smile, his heart became colder and colder. After hesitating for a moment, he honestly replied, "Because peach is your Natal Item."
"Right. Then do you know why I chose peach as Natal Item?" Prince Long Qing asked.
Priest Moli shook his head. All the people in West-Hill Divine Palace did not know the real reason.
"Because in those years when the Headmaster of Academy went into West-Hill, he drank the wine as well as cut down all the peaches on the mountain. But no one dared come out to stop him."
Prince Long Qing looked out of the window to see those rape fields with the sense of country beauty. Then he calmly said, "This was the biggest humiliation suffered by West-Hill Divine Palace for a century. I chose peach as Natal Item so as to remind myself not to forget this humiliation."
He continued to calmly say, "This time I abased myself to accept the test of Second floor of the Academy, for I would like to have the opportunity to follow the Headmaster of Academy to study so that I can revenge this humiliation for the Divine Hall in the future. However, I did not expect to be humiliated by Ning Que."
Priest Moli tried to comfort him, but found no suitable words.
"You just said that my words are self-humiliated... In fact, it"s wrong. Shame this kind of thing has nothing to do with the initiator, but only strength. If I am stronger than others, then the words are ridicules. If I am weaker than others, then the words become self-humiliated."
"The Tangs could make the Papal Guardians unload the weapons. The Headmaster of Academy could cut off all the peaches on the mountains. Ning Que could force me to flee Chang"an like a dog. Not because they intended to humiliate me, but because they"re more powerful in some aspects."
"But I thank very much for this humiliation. I am telling you a good news. Perhaps I have already taken that step and now I only hope that Ning Que can really speed up his growth and make me have the opportunity to revenge this humiliation."
Priest Moli was surprised and then immediately came to ecstasy, thinking if Prince Long Qing could enter Knowing Destiny State on the trip, then the Divine Hall might spare him this time on the humiliation.
After the congratulations, he has secretly made up his mind that he must serve the Prince better in the future. Suddenly he thought of one thing and whispered. "The crown prince Chongming has returned to Yan Kingdom and you have entered Knowing Destiny State. Should we inform the Emperor of Yan with the good news as soon as possible?"
Prince Long Qing slightly self-deprecatingly said, "What"s the meaning to let the father know about it? Compete for the throne? Is the Yan Kingdom throne more attractive than the Haotian cultivation?"
Priest Moli sincerely advised. "But the throne should have been yours, Prince."
"What"s mine is mine forever."
Prince Long Qing recalled those illusions seen in the Back Mountain of the Academy, especially the brightness and dreadful fear in last steps of the cliff. His face turned slightly pale, but he immediately resolutely said, "Anyone who wants to take away my stuffs will be dead."
His hand withdrew from the window, and a pink peach suddenly appeared within his fingers.
He randomly put the peach in his own clothes. No one knew whether there was a transparent hollow under those lively petals.
Prince Long Qing looked the house smoke and rapes in the fields outside the window. After a long time of silence, he calmed down and said with a smile, "In a few years, I want to pull down all these ugly houses of the Tangs and eradicated all the rapes in the fields. Then with a fire I"ll burn all of them, the sins and the dirty and rebuild a holy, bright world."
As usual, the carriage parked beside the Academy"s meadow. Ning Que got off the horse carriage and found that the atmosphere of the Academy today was very different from that in the past. There were still many students who stood in the distance watching him and went on their own discussions. However, the previous contempt and disgust in their eyes have changed to shock, envy and faint remorse.
Under these gazes, Ning Que walked into the Academy and slightly nodded to Chang Zhengming beside the stone stairs. He saw a little boy standing in the morning light and waving to himself and could not help feeling slightly startled.
Ning Que startled for a moment and shook his head to say with a smile, "The fat lad and Little Mister... always sound a little discordant."
The boy was little but imitated the style of old Headmaster of Academy. So Ning Que could not help smiling and asked, "Who is your young master? And why did you call me Little Mister?"
The little boy smiled and touched his head. He explained, "My young master named after Second. The t.i.tle was the order given by my young master. You are the youngest one in the Back Mountain. So I called you Little Mister."
Ning Que was very interested and asked, "Then... how about Chen Pipi?"
The little boy said with an innocent voice, "In the past he was Little Mister. But now since you"re Little Mister, he"ll be Twelve Mister."
Ning Que startled for a moment and shook his head to say with a smile, "The fat lad and Little Mister... sound a little discordant."
The little boy said seriously, "In fact... I also think so."
Today, Ning Que walked into the Back Mountain road of the Academy. Of course, it could not be the road that tortured him into half-death. The little boy led him to a secluded lane, walking up from a stone path beside the old library, and then stopped before the fog circling the mountain.
"Little Mister, there is also a road in the Second floor of the old library. But my young master said today was your first day to come, so we"ll go this way."
Ning Que looked at the clouds in front and subconsciously thought of the mist of the mountain road the day before yesterday, feeling that his body got slightly stiff. A few silent moments later, Ning Que looked at the young boy and gently asked, "In the clouds... nothing strange, right?"
The little boy chuckled and said, "Of course not, I often walked like this."
Those mountain fogs were really not strange, from the bamboo to a flying sword, from a spring to a waterfall, and from a small pool to the sea.
However, those mountain fogs were very strange indeed. Ning Que just walked dozens of steps and then actually arrived at the middle part of the Back Mountain of the Academy.
He moved his sleeves to wipe out the last wisps of fogs in front of him. He looked at the fairyland-like scenery of the mountain under the morning beam in front and could not help but be stunned.
From the direction of the Academy, he could see the steep mountain. In the direction of facing the east, there was actually a large flat cliff terrace
Above the cliff terrace was a mirror-like small lake, blooming wildflowers, quiet gra.s.s and towering old trees.
There were thousands of species of flowers, including peaches, but inconspicuous among them.
Under the towering trees were over ten simple-style houses with rising smokes.
There was a silver line pouring down between the cliffs behind the house. It was actually a faraway waterfall.
A group of black birds fluttered among the cliffs and the waterfall.
Under the morning light, with the beautiful scenery cras.h.i.+ng into sight, Ning Que felt stunned and did not know what to say.
Feeling the Qi of Heaven and Earth of the Back Mountain and taste of life, he was suddenly welled up with an idea somewhat.
"No matter who wanted to destroy such beautiful scenery, I will kill the one first."