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 his face and brushed his teeth, he began to have breakfast with an unlined garment on. Sangsang opened the box to take out a set of matching clothes and socks – Last night, the Academy spring clothes had 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.
With Sangsang’s help, Ning Que started getting dressed. He pulled hard on the brand-new, densely-woven lace belt with both hands. Sangsang held a lot of wooden tokens from the bed to squeeze them inside his belt. But she actually did not finish stuffing them all for a long time.
Ning Que took the small and ancient wooden token from her hand, slowly touching its smooth lines with a fingertip. He secretly thought the purpose of His Majesty, who had sent him this ID token of the Imperial Center Administration last night. This wooden identification seemed to have existed for many years.
The ID token should be tied to the belt rather than being kept inside the clothes. But Ning Que currently had too many tokens at hand – the secret guard token, the Academy’s token, the one for the Second floor, his visiting professor ID given by the Fish-dragon Gang last year, coupled with the newest Imperial Center Administration’s token he received yesterday. If he hung all of them on his waist, he would be ready for a countryside dance.
Ning Que touched his now lumpy waist and moved it 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 tokens. But this young master of yours doesn’t have a thick enough waist. I’m afraid I won’t be able to hang any more tokens 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 rays of dawn, the horse carriage had long been waiting, quietly parked in the alley. 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 about the Second floor of the Academy, or The Flower Blooms on the Shore 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 earnestly worked at home to appease his wife and got up at the dark hours of the morning, changing into a clean suit, and unprecedentedly brushing his teeth with a willow twig dipped in expensive medical powder. He came to Lin 47th Street waiting for Ning Que in advance after brushing 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 moving 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 dawn.
Ning Que looked at the green trees, wildflowers, and the field beside the road through the window. He looked calm as usual, for he had 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 his eyes, with the exhaustion and tension long gone from his body after taking time recovering. But this was actually the first time for him to have a chance to calmly recall the experience of these days.
Morning light passed through the curtains and then dimly brightening his eyes, which had an intensity close to the Wilderness light ushering in the upcoming darkness. His thoughts drifted back to those strange dreams and those strange fantasies during the mountain test.
After a long time, Ning Que opened his eyes and shook his head.
From 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 had just entered the No Doubts State. Making him answer this question was just like having a philosophy professor at Heidelberg University ask a child who had 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 think for half a century before finally becoming a statue and answering with silence. He would certainly reply with a loud voice, “I am Vic. I come from Frankfurt. I’m going fishing on the Neckar River.”
Perhaps the philosophy professor at Heidelberg University also taught theology. Perhaps the professor was almost the same as 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 child’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 to study. But to be honest, until now Ning Que still did not know why the Academy, the long road, and the bigwigs setting the illusion choices had selected him. After a long time of thinking, he could only come to this conclusion.
“The Headmaster of the Academy was too 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 the knights were not in armor, their tidy black gowns and rock firm facial expressions still emitted a sense of sacred invincibility.
These knights were precisely the well-known Papal Guardians of the 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 undoubtedly the bigwigs of the Divine Hall. At this time it was still early and the team had appeared on the official road in Southern Chang’an. It indicated that they had left Chang’an City as soon as the gate had 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 would bow 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 swiftly moved forward, with a feeling of wanting at all costs to leave as soon as possible.
Prince Long Qing sat in the middle black-golden carriage, a transport balanced between luxury and sobriety. He calmly looked through the window, seeing the Tangs’ houses and the fields which looked like golden blankets. He listened to the rapid hoof beats and the 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 fruits and flowers towards the horse carriage. When I left, it was so silent and calm. We even had to deliberately sneak away when they opened their gates. Don’t I look like a complete loser?”
The Vice President of Revelation Institute, Priest Moli, sitting opposite him slightly changed his facial expression and did not understand why Prince Long Qing had uttered such words. Forcibly suppressing a burst of anger, Priest Moli said, “Why did you feel so humiliated?”
Prince Long Qing showed a faintly ironic look on his face and said, “No matter where the Papal Guardians are, they are dressed in golden armor, radiant like gods. But in the territory of the Tangs, they had to put down their weapons, or they would not be allowed to enter. This… is humiliating.”
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 was asked this question as 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 the Academy went into West-Hill, he drank the wine as well as cut down all the peaches on the mountain. But no one dared to come out and stop him.”
Prince Long Qing looked out of the window to see those rapeseed fields with the sense of countryside beauty. Then he calmly said, “This was the biggest humiliation suffered by the West-Hill Divine Palace in a hundred years. I chose peach as a 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 academy’s Second floor test, for I would like to have the opportunity to study under the Headmaster so that I can later take revenge in the name of 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-humiliating… In fact, that is wrong. Shame about this kind of thing has nothing to do with the initiator, but with strength. If I am stronger than others, then those words are a ridicule. If I am weaker than others, then the words become self-humiliating.”
“The Tangs could make the Papal Guardians give up their weapons. The Headmaster of the 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 were more powerful in some aspects.”
“But I thank them very much for this humiliation. What I am telling you is 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 take revenge for this humiliation.”
Priest Moli was surprised and then immediately became ecstatic, thinking that if Prince Long Qing could enter Knowing Destiny State during the trip, then the Divine Hall might spare him this time for the humiliation.
After the congratulations, he had 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 the Knowing Destiny State. Should we inform the Emperor of Yan about the good news as soon as possible?”
Prince Long Qing slightly self-deprecatingly said, “What’s the meaning for letting father know about it? To 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 his last steps towards the cliff. His face turned slightly pale, but he immediately and resolutely said, “Anyone who wants to take away my things will die.”
His hand withdrew from the window, and a pink peach suddenly appeared over 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 at the smoke coming the houses and the rapeseed 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 eradicate all the rapeseed in the fields. Then I’ll burn all of them, the sins and the dirty, to then 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 was momentarily shocked and then shook his head to say with a smile, “The fat lad and Little Mister… it always sounds a little discordant.”
The boy was little but imitated the style of the old Headmaster. 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 is named after Second. The title 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 the Twelveth Brother.”
Ning Que was pensive for a moment and shook his head to say with a smile, “The fat lad and Little Mister… it sounded a little discordant.”
The little boy said seriously, “In fact… I also thought 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 taking a stone path beside the old library, and then stopping 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 here, 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 had become slightly stiff. A few silent moments later, Ning Que looked at the young boy and gently asked, “In the clouds… there’s nothing strange, right?”
The little boy chuckled and said, “Of course not, I often walked like this.”
…
…
That mountain fog was 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, that mountain fog was very strange indeed. Ning Que just walked around a dozen steps and then actually arrived at the very middle of the Academy’s Back Mountain.
He moved his sleeves to wipe out the last wisps of fog in front of him. He looked at the fairyland-like scenery of the mountain under the morning light in front of him and could not help but be stunned.
From the direction of the Academy, he could see the steep mountain. Facing east, there was actually a large flat cliff terrace.
Above the cliff terrace was a mirror-like small lake, blooming wildflowers, quiet grass and towering old trees.
There were thousands of flower species, including peaches, but inconspicuous amongst them.
Under the towering trees there were over ten simple-style houses with rising smoke.
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 crashing into sight, Ning Que felt stunned and remained speechless.
Feeling the Qi of Heaven and Earth of the Back Mountain and the taste of life, an idea was suddenly welling up in him.
“- No matter who wanted to destroy such a beautiful scenery, I would kill them first.”