Chapter 87 (1/2)
Seeing Xie Chengyun getting off the carriage, Ning Que couldn't help being a little disappointed. He noticed that Xie Chengyun had no intention of defending him though Xie Chengyun, obviously, had heard the rumors. In this situation, Ning Que, unwilling to explain more, just shook his head and said to them, ”If you think I'm mean, you could just persuade Xie Chengyun not to go upstairs, instead of quarreling with a mean person.”
Zhong Dajun, noticing that Ning Que wasn't irritated by his words at all, stopped the lad on the way and sullenly said, ”You can't go upstairs today anyway.”
After a stunned moment, Ning Que laughed. He lowered his head, slowly rolled up his sleeves, and gently asked, ”Is the Academy your personal property? No. The old library? Neither. And could you beat me up?”
He then looked at Zhong Dajun and said, ”Don't forget that I got A+ in both the archery and riding courses. If you insist on being a rabid mongrel in my way today, I will beat you into a gimp.”
Listening to this strange exchange, Situ Yilan, who was very anxious before, suddenly couldn't help bursting into laughter with a 'Puchi' sound. But later she realized that she had laughed at the wrong time and immediately lowered her head, after seeing the sad and worried expression on her companion's expression.
Jin Wucai, with slightly-moist eyes, looked at Ning Que and said, ”Zhong Dajun just made those impolite and tactless comments due to his anxious protection for his friend. I apologize for him, but...you really had better give up going upstairs. I have a suggestion: you give it up, and we also persuade Xie Chengyun not to go upstairs again. This way, it's a tie for you both.”
Situ Yilan, stood beside Jin Wucai applausively clapped her hands and praised him, ”It's a good way! Very good! A friendly solution.”
Smilingly looking at the two girls in front of him, Ning Que couldn't help recalling those innocent and child-like junior middle school girls from some old time and place, those witless young girls who kept offering suggestions to their companions. He, actually, clearly knew that they were just some innocent and ignorant girls from n.o.ble families in Chang'an, and then said, ”I have my own reasons to go upstairs, nothing to do with so-called bravery-and-resolution of battle. If you guys are really worried about Xie Chengyun's health, I advise you to persuade him more.”
Jin Wucai, gently sobbing, said, ”But Xie Chengyun is too proud to be persuaded...”
Peacefully looking at her, Ning Que said, ”I am just a young soldier from a frontier fortress who shouldn't have an equivalent pride, so you came to persuade me instead of him?”
Raising her face and wiping her tears with her sleeves, Jin Wucai hurriedly apologized, ”Sorry, I don't mean that. Hope you can forgive my inappropriate words.”
”It doesn't matter,” Ning Que, pa.s.sed by the sobbing girl and walked towards the upstairs, and said, ”I insist on going upstairs not because of pride, but some more important reasons than pride.”
Looking at his back in astonishment, Situ Yilan confusedly asked, ”What other things could be more important than pride?”
Without replying to her question, Ning Que just silently thought in his heart that there certainly was something much more important than pride, life and death.
”Ning Que, you had better think about the potential outcome before you go upstairs this morning.”
Zhong Dajun, also noticing the arrival of Xie Chengyun, said coldly. As Xie Chengyun kept silent, Zhong Dajun thought he clearly knew what he should do and his voice became sterner.
”Haotian offers his people many things, and all you need to do, naturally, is accept! Most of the people here are lacking in talent and ability for cultivation, but we are not as persistent as you. You're jealous! I clearly know what you want to do! Knowing that you can't enter the Second floor, so you just, by some crooked and dishonest methods, try to prevent Xie Chengyun from going into the Second floor! But have you ever thought about how evil and shameless this kind of harming-others-but-without-benefiting yourself behavior is!”
Hearing the noun ''Second floor' again, Ning Que recalled the hard fighting at the entrance to the Northern Mountain Road. At that battle, both Lyu Qingchen and that Great Sword Master a.s.sa.s.sin had mentioned it during their conversations. Such recalling spontaneously made his body stiff. He thought that an abandoned Academy student who just learned on the Second floor for a few days could become a Seethrough State Great Sword Master. The Second floor of the Academy...what on earth was it?
His silence and stiff body delivered a mistaken signal to the students right then. They thought Ning Que felt embarra.s.sed and indefensible because Zhong Dajun had correctly guessed his mind and pointed it out.
As the discussion began, Ning Que at the entrance to the stairs, slowly turned around with a sort of extremely strong sarcastic expression appearing on his pale and thin face. He looked around at the people and said, ”In the past, I didn't know what the Second floor was, so I never thought about entering the place. But now, since I have already known it, I definitely must make it. I hope none of you will be surprised if that moment comes.”
Being irritated, Zhong Dajun sneered, ”You still don't admit that you are jealous of Xie Chengyun?”
There were two horse carriages outside the old library. One had just been sent for Xie Chengyun, who vomited blood in front of the old library this morning and asked to leave. Another normal carriage with an indigo curtain, however, just stood there, with no one getting off and the curtain being absolutely still.
Just then, a cold voice suddenly came from the carriage with indigo curtain, ”I just know the hothouse flowers will be jealous of the height and purity of the lotus in high mounts, but I don't realize that the goshawk in the sky will envy the hen on the ground.”