Chapter 160 (1/2)
Divine Talisman Master Yan Se's mood was very bad now.
He stared at Professor Huang He in the front and coldly said, ”Anyway, your Academy can't have Ning Que.”
Professor Huang He slightly furrowed the brows and said with mockery, ”If uncle can have that kid, why can't our Academy?”
Yan Se loudly shouted, ”That lad is naturally suitable for practicing Divine Talisman. Who else in the world is qualified as his teacher except me?”
Professor Huang He contemptuously smiled and said, ”Only the Divine Talisman Master is qualified to be his teacher? Well, although our Academy can't pick out other powerful figures, we can still find out two or three Divine Talisman Masters.”
His tone of those words was like saying that he could always pull out two or three green radishs in his garden. Divine Talisman Master was indeed rare and honorable. However, the Academy was not an ordinary place after all. Even he himself was a Divine Talisman Master. In addition to West-Hill Divine Kingdom, who could compete with the powerful Academy?
Yan Se suddenly paused and then nigglingly said, ”Anyway, I saw him first. I'll never give him to you.”
Huang He sighed and said, ”Uncle, you're a venerable man. Stop making a scene, okay?”
Bah! Yan Se angrily said, ”Look at me, your uncle. Every day I soaked in the brothel and hugged the girls. My each pore is acting like a wretched rogue's. So how do you think I'm venerable?”
”Even if uncle you give up self-esteem to act shamelessly today, it won't work at all.”
Professor Huang He looked at him and earnestly said, ”It works for His Majesty, Master of Nation, or even the hierarch and the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill Divine Palace. But our Academy won't buy it.”
The conversation in the study room might seem ridiculous. However, no matter how they acted like rogues, the dispute between the two Divine Talisman Masters was bound to be excessively tense for their ident.i.ties. Therefore, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became depressing.
At this moment, the Prince Li Peiyan suddenly smiled and said, ”In fact, why argue for this matter? In my opinion, the cultivation of Ning Que was only in No Doubts State, far less than Prince Long Qing. Why not let Prince Long Qing enter the Second floor and let Master Yan Se have Ning Que? As a result, the Tang Empire and West-Hill Divine Palace are both satisfied, so is Master Yan Se. Besides, Ning Que still retains the ident.i.ty as an Academy student. Therefore, the Academy will have two very promising students at the same time. Doesn't it sound a perfect ending?”
Professor Huang He listened to him and slightly startled. It sounded reasonable, but was not so persuasive.
Li Peiyan looked at him and mildly said, ”If the Academy is limited by the system and inconvenient to make this decision, you can let Ning Que quit on his own. As long as he himself gives up the qualification of entering the Second floor, who in the world dare gossip about the Academy?”
Professor Huang He frowned and said, ”Why does Ning Que give up?”
Instead of immediately answering his question, Li Peiyan turned to Master Yan Se and asked with a smile, ”Master, I want to know if Ning Que becomes your disciple and enters South School of Haotian Taoism for cultivation, how will you and Master of Nation treat him?”
”We'll regard him as a son or nephew and teach him all we've learnt.” Yan Se resolutely replied.
Li Peiyan looked at Professor Huang He and smiled with hands unfolded. He said, ”We all know that Master of Nation doesn't have any outstanding disciples, neither does Master Yan Se. If Ning Que enters into South School of Haotian Taoism and diligently continues his own practice, with the two masters' careful training he might be the Master of Tang Empire in the future. With such a bright future, why will he refuse it?”
Professor Huang He finally understood where the previous question in his heart came from. He slightly grasped his hands in the sleeves and stared at the eyes of the Prince, secretly thinking His Highness' trick was really ruthless. If Ning Que was really tempted by the name of Master of Tang Nation in the future and determined to withdraw himself from the Second floor of the Academy, then they wouldn't have the reason to ask for this lad from South School of Haotian Taoism.
Previously it was Yan Se who had made concessions for gain and pretended to move ahead for retreat. However, the situation has changed this time. It was time for the Academy to make concessions for gain and think about the coping method. Professor Huang He undoubtedly said, ”No matter how Ning Que thinks about it, I have to ask for all the Academy instructors' advice on this matter. Otherwise, isn't it too absurd?”
In the early morning, it was still at dawn. Ning Que rubbed his eyes and woke up.
Glancing at the s.h.i.+mmer outside the window, he silently calculated in the heart and knew that he had not been in coma for too long. He got up and went to the table. Then he lifted the pot of herbal tea and almost drank it over to refresh himself. He looked around and found that this should be the Academy's dormitory.
He walked to the door and reached out his hands to slowly push the wooden door open. The delicate dawn light weaved in through the narrow doorway and shone into his eyes, making him squint. Suddenly he woke up and watched that light, standing still in front of the door like a fool.
What returned to his mind were the long mountain trail, the arduous climb from midday to late night, those life memories of repeating joys and sorrows, the dark Wilderness and strange dreams.
”I... reached the top.”
”I... entered the Second floor.”
Ning Que stared at the dawn light from the door crack and realized what he had gone through and experienced. He could not help going blank for a moment, his face showing a confused smile. It seemed that even the smile could not believe everything that has occured.
When he remembered the last step on the boulder last night and the painful choice on the Wildernesss, he could not help shaking his head with a smile. He thought that the fantasy setter even made such a secular guy like him to do the metaphysical choice, which was like asking the butcher to think philosophically. Even if he could make the correct argument, he would never know the reasoning process.
He looked up to laugh and went out, refusing to be a conservative man. Ning Que smiled and pushed the wooden door open in front. He walked into the beautiful morning light and then found several officials standing outside. In fact, he had to make a very difficult choice.
”You are not yet a student on the Second floor of the Academy, so you still have a chance to quit and choose another path. It's completely different, but absolutely equally brilliant and even destined for you to rock the world.”
Prince Li Peiyan sat in the chair and held the hot tea beside to slowly sip it, which slightly diminished the tiredness caused by lack of sleep. He watched the silent Academy student in front and continued to say, ”I think you should choose the second path, for it involves the harmonious diplomatic relation between the imperial court and West-Hill. Although the Tang Empire never feared any enemies, nor surrendered for external pressure. However, that Prince Long Qing entered the Second floor was an agreement drawn by His Majesty personally and Divine Hall.”
”As long as you take the initiative to withdraw from the compet.i.tion of the Second floor of the Academy, it'll solve the predicament many people face, mitigate the pressures on the Tang Empire, and make you benefit from all aspects.” Li Peiyan noticed that Ning Que kept his head down and remained silent. He became slightly unhappy and then said, ”As one of the Tangs, you should think for the Tang Empire. Of couse, if I use this reason to make you exit the Second floor of the Academy, not to mention you, even I myself will feel it too absurd.”
”So I'll give you another good reason.”
Li Peiyan slowly leaned his body forward and stared at Ning Que's head. He said, ”Master Yan Se is a prestigious Divine Talisman Master who did not hesitate to act a fool so as to take you back to be his disciple. You can imagine how he'll value and nurture you in the future. Decades of years later, you'll become a Divine Talisman Master with high status and the hope of South School of Haotian Taoism. Master of Nation Li Qingshan has only two disciples who are good for nothing. And he respects his Senior Brother very much, and knows the meaning of a Divine Talisman Master for a denomination than anyone else.”
Ning Que was still silent, but got emotional waves in the heart. He just entered the Second floor and then got the favor of Divine Talisman Master. Just for a night, he has changed from an ordinary student, a n.o.body selling calligraphy in the small alley of Eastern City, to a person the Academy and South School of Haotian Taoism both tried to ask for. He was even seen as the hope of development - the hope seemed so big and incomprehensible, which even caused his headache. Wasn't it one of Prince Long Qing's private vocabulary?
”I know you have a good relations.h.i.+p with the Princess.” Li Peiyan mildly said, ”Here I can give you a promise. As long as you're willing to think for the imperial court, it won't treat you unfairly. I personally owe you one. When you later enter into Knowing Destiny State and become a Divine Talisman Master, of course, you'll be the next Master of Tang Empire.”
Li Peiyan continued to say, ”The Second floor of the Academy surely has a very wonderful environment. But if you look back at its history, how many of its students could go down in history? But if you become Master of Tang Nation, after a thousand years there are still countless people remembering your name.”
Master of Tang Empire in the future?
Although Ning Que looked calm as usual, he has long been agitated by the words.
He seemed to see a brilliant road developing at his own feet. It was really an incomparably hard choice, whether giving up the Second floor of the Academy to follow the Divine Talisman Master so as to fight for Master of Tang Nation in the future, or entering the Second floor to follow Headmaster of Academy to learn the exquisite cultivation methods. He even felt that the choice on the cliff-edge and the Wilderness was much easier than this one.
Ning Que looked at the Prince's face, knowing that as long as he nodded, he would have an infinitely bright future. He believed these words. As long as he had the chance to follow the Divine Talisman Master to study, he might really become Master of Tang Nation in the future. If it was not this man who asked him to do so, maybe he had already been tempted.
Li Peiyan saw the emotional reaction in Ning Que's eyes, vaguely guessing how this lad would choose. He suddenly became serious, firmly holding the handle with the right hand, and then stared at his eyes to say, ”This is a chance Haotian makes the imperial court grant to you. If you miss it, you're about to embrace d.a.m.nation.”
It was doubtlessly a pure threat. In the face of this threat, even if Ning Que really became a student on the Second floor of the Academy, he also had to think it carefully. Because he lived in this world, he was bound to accept the rules of this world.
Ning Que respectfully greeted a bow with hands folded in front and said, ”His Highness, after all, I was an Academy student and have been studying in the Academy for one year. So I have deep feelings for it. I'm willing to think for the imperial court, but I must also consider the Academy's feeling.”
Some people put the pressure of the choice on Ning Que's shoulder without hesitation in order to avoid irritating the Academy. However, for Ning Que who seemed to be honest but slippery, how could he take the initiative to bear the responsibility? With a few sentences, he directly threw back the pressure of choice.
Ning Que was not worried whether the Academy would give him up and let Prince Long Qing enter into the Second floor. He and Lee Yu had the same understanding in this matter, for Headmaster of Academy hasn't returned so that no one in the Academy dared to make the decision. In fact, there was an idea deep in his heart that if the Academy could not even withstand the pressure of the imperial court and eventually gave him to South School of Haotian Taoism, he did not need to stay in such an Academy. Why not be Master of Tang Nation instead?
What he and Lee Yu thought was not wrong. But there were always some deviations between reality and thought, for they did not realize that the instructors of Academy quite adored Prince Long Qing and the instructors were not all the Tangs.
In the early morning, the Academy instructors sitting in the room were fiercely arguing. It was true that they were unable to reach the quickest conclusion, for Headmaster of Academy did not return. However, it was precisely for the same reason that they had the courage to express their own opinions.
Vice professor of Etiquette Cao Zhifeng angrily said, ”Many people think our Academy cheated in this exam. I don't know whether it is true or not. I only know that Prince Long Qing came out of the fog very early, so why did he stay outside the fog for so long? Why in the end did he make the last step with Ning Que? What has happened during the process?