Chapter 82 (2/2)

“Second, we can’t find any more books, so when you aren’t able to find the book you are looking for, please question yourself on whether the book you want to read is worth it: Is Rou Pu Toan(肉蒲团), is it the most exquisite of He Jian Ben (河间本)? Is the East Conquer novel(东征话本小说) the most representative of big river flow(大河流)? If not, then don’t ask us, because that means we judge the book you want to read is meaningless.”

“Last and the most importantly, Old forbids the taking out of any book, and forbids copying. Don’t stare at me with that look, and don’t try to get me to change my mind: rules in Academy are rules, as I’m sure this morning’s lecturer Cao Zhi Feng presumably has already used his fist to teach you all. The logic of these rules can’t be questioned by any of you; the hard work and earnest thoughts hidden with these rules can be felt unconditionally and inexplicably—don’t expect us to explain.”

The lecturer stood under Old’s horizontal plaque, smiled and looked at the various emotions of the students—his smile seeming extremely hateful, like an evil businessman, or like he was showing off his gold to a poor miser. He continued softly, “Don’t try to challenge that last rule, even if you are the best book thief and wanting to show off your abilities to the world because there is only one punishment for break it—death.”

The students were in an uproar, with even Ning Que out in the crowd is shaking his head, thinking ”even if the building has the vastest collection of books in the world, you are not allowed to copy nor borrow, then how are you supposed to remember anything? About Old, he still has other doubts, but he thinks others should have the same question, so he decided to hold his questions and wait.

As expected, a student raised his hand and asked loudly, “Sir, you say Old has every kind of book?”

The lecturer changes his sight, finding the student who dared to ask, faintly frowned and said extremely unhappily, “You have doubts on my statement?”

“Your student does not dare!” That student, scared by the lecturer’s eyes until his body trembled, said, “Your student just… Your student was just curious, as to whether the building had…that, books about cultivation?”

The lecturer’s face slowly calmed down from anger, lifting his jaw and smiling, proud and contemptuous to a hateful level, “In the eyes of secular people, those books of heaven’s path may be legendary, but for our Academy what is hard to obtain? If you want to read the legendary heavenly seventh volume, ”Ke Lan Buddhist scriptures” (烂柯佛经), we actually don’t have them inside the building, but other than that I don’t know what cultivation book you can’t find!”

After he heard this sentence, the Ning Que standing out in the crowd tightened his fist in his sleeve, not changing expression, but his heart was beating faster by a few beats. Subconsciously, he rose his head, staring at the common three-floored wooden building, eyes burning as if wanted the building to catch fire.

Entering the world of cultivation is his childhood dream, and although countless times—even yesterday—that dream had been struck down…but a dream is wonderful because it is hard to achieve, attracting you to work endlessly hard, while occasionally revealing a little tail of hope in order to lure you, moaning softly: ”Come, chase me! Catch me! ”

He, who had already broken the hope of cultivation, suddenly found out that he could enter this building which stored books of cultivation anytime. For a teenager, no matter what the cost or how many markets been run, would do so just to buy a book of Tractate of the highest One on Actions and Consequences (太上感应篇). As for him, what kind of miracle blessing is that?

“I have to remind the students, don’t blaze your eyes with such greediness, otherwise Old will burn down and the master principle will cut us all into plum blossoms to drink wine.”

The lecturer downstairs, seeming to smile while not smiling, stared straight at Ning Que out of the whole crowd, before removing this smile for a dignified expression, looking at the students and saying, “I must warn you all of those wondrous books of yours: if you can’t remember it, only feel it, as in the sense in it, I will still not explain it. After all human sometimes just has bad luck, most don’t have potential for cultivation, but who don’t want to forcefully flow through the stars?

Giving people a feeling like being oppressed by the vicissitudes of time, the students outside the building were silent a moment, the only sound being the smoothing of clothing, converged with calm breaths, walked toward the door and entered.

Inside was much larger than it seemed outside, in the wide s.p.a.ce were who knew how many simple bookshelves arranged orderly. The bookshelves were arranged rows of six by subject and date, the covers displaying all the books you could think of, not caring about size or age, all nestled in one place like the countless sage of countless years, watching you over your shoulder naughtily.

Students entering the building then spread out, going to and finding the book that they are interested in. Ning Que walked alone between bookshelves, occasionally drawing out a book and reading, then he notices that there are desks beside the windows, and on the desk, there is pen, ink, paper and ink stone, curiously he thought, ”since we can’t even copy, why need to prepare these things?”

At the southern end of the building, he found a w.a.n.g Xing Long (王行龙) sticker. Ning Que drew out randomly and studied while walking. Slowly the surroundings become quiet before he lifted his head and found a clean stair in front.

The stairway is used to go up: since he is on the first floor, then upstairs must be the second.

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