Chapter 166 (1/2)
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.”