Chapter 199 (1/2)
Ning Que had a military background and most hated this kind of thing like grabbing the military glory. As he said at this time, in the Wilderness outside City of Wei, if other forces of Seven Cities Fortress came to grab the military glory, he and his partners would directly draw knives to chop them. The party who won could have the military glory. The Wilderness' rule was just that simple.
Dongsheng Stockaded Village's Tang soldiers just watched that their exploits were s.n.a.t.c.hed by West-Hill guard riding troop. In addition to a few scolds, they actually did not draw the knife to kill the opposite? He was puzzled as well as inevitably indignant. After a while, he calmed down, thinking that Tang army generals indeed should keep a low profile when they were away from Tuyang City.
He shook his head and looked at the Wilderness around the faraway lake. He said, ”If I take the troop into the Wilderness for firewood and those West-Hill gangs dare to grab firewood, you'll see how I deal with them.”
Situ Yilan did not say anything but walked slowly beside him along the lakeside with her hands putting in the back. Suddenly she stopped and turned to look at him and said, ”I've gotten a family letter from Chang'an saying they would arrange a marriage for me.”
The slightly cold weather made the girl's breath quickly change into a white fog, adding up a bit of beauty to her refres.h.i.+ng face. Ning Que looked at the fog in front and the girl's face. He asked after a moment of startlement, ”Then?”
Situ Yilan shook her head, turned around and continued to walk along the lakeside. She said, ”I don't want to marry.”
Upon hearing her reply, Ning Que became more relaxed. But suddenly he became a little serious, somehow feeling kind of confused or lost in the direction. He looked at the girl's back and said, ”You should be careful with this kind of thing.”
Situ Yilan did not turn around and said with a smile, ”I've heard a lot of ministers in Chang'an City wanted to recruit you as a son-in-law.”
Based on Ning Que's reputation now in Chang'an City, and not to mention his ident.i.ty as a core disciple of Headmaster of Academy, a lot of courtiers began to introduce their daughters to him, just because His Majesty admired and adored him.
Ning Que smiled and said, ”I guess General Yunhui didn't have such a tendency.”
Situ Yilan looked back at him and said, ”My father knew I was familiar with you. So he really thought of this idea.”
Ning Que felt his cheeks slightly hot and subconsciously touched them, but did not know how to answer her.
Situ Yilan put her hands in her back, walking forward on the white cobblestones in the lakeside. She said, ”But I did not agree.”
Ning Que looked at the restless black tresses of this girl in a light armor. After a short silence, after all, he could not hold back his curiosity and some kind of emotion that could not be declared in the mouth. So he asked, ”W…why?”
”Oh, cause I don't want to get married.”
The girl's response was concise and powerful, whose crisp laughter awakened the thin ice films on the lake. ”There has been no female general in the Tang Empire these years and I want to become a female general. So I don't even have a thought of getting married.”
Ning Que listened to her heartfelt thoughts and could not help feeling somewhat ashamed. He kicked a white stone with a strange shape in front of his boots into the lake and said, ”I'm addicted in the cultivation and have no time to consider these things.”
Situ Yilan turned around and looked at the stone smas.h.i.+ng the thin ice and falling slowly into the bottom of the lake. After a moment of silence, she laughed and looked at him and asked, ”What kind of woman do you like if you have time to think about it?”
Upon this question, Ning Que could not help thinking of the dialogue with Chen Pipi in the Back Mountain of the Academy. After a long time of thought, he rubbed his jaw and seriously said, ”I like beautiful girls, fair-skinned, slanted eyes, and with a little red lips. It would be best if she has a plump body. In terms of intelligence, I wish she can be clever and does't always let me consider everything.”
Situ Yilan looked at him and shook her head. Then she sighed and said, ”Your request really is not high, and almost the same with the ideas of the vast majority of men in the world. There are no new ideas at all.”
Life had always been a very boring thing, both in Chang'an City and in the Wilderness of northern Yan. Was there any essential difference between climbing stairs every day and wandering everyday?
Each Academy student practicing in Dongsheng Stockaded Village had his own combat missions. It was impossible for them to spend every day with Ning Que to travel around the stockaded village, having meals, drinking and chating. He had to go alone to visit the stockade village, eat, drink and chat with himself. His life was monotonous and boring to the extreme.
After a few days he finally could no longer stand living such a boring life. So he sneaked out with his big black horse. He avoided the dozens of riding cavalries' sight near him and got out of the stockade village to a blue lakeside for relaxing himself.
Those dozens of riding cavalries no longer stayed close to him following behind like the second sun. Ning Que today went farther, running eastward 1000 or 1500 meters along the blue lake. He found a secluded lakeside and stopped his steps.
He unloaded the heavy bag off the dark horse's back and hard slapped its b.u.t.tock for one time.
The black horse rarely had such a wonderful relaxing time. With a pleasant loud neigh, it happily moved its hooves to step on mud and rushed into the lake. And then it used a faster speed to run back to the lake sh.o.r.e with a low and furious neigh.
Its whole body was slightly trembling and kept rolling its thick tongue with a grumble as well as turning its lips. It was obvious that it felt freezingly cold for the cold lake and didn't like the taste of salt water.
”I've never seen such a careless horse like you.”
Ning Que laughed at it and pointed to the luxuriant hills not far away, saying, ”Idiot. Where there is a lake, there are naturally lake branches. Run to the other side to see if there is drinking water. When it's done, come back earlier.”
The big dark horse dissatisfiedly shook its head and moved the back hooves, shaking some icy cold lake water out of its body. Then it scuttled away in accordance with the direction Ning Que pointed at.
Ning Que piled a pot and cooked some fresh vegetable soup. He smelled the gradually diffuse scent and sat beside the quiet lake. Now Sangsang was not nearby to serve him. So he had to serve himself. Luckily, when Sangsang was young, he had cooked their meals alone and never forgot his adept cooking skills.
There were perennial northwest cold winds blowing in the northern Wilderness, especially in the area between Central Plains and the great gra.s.sland. He sat beside the lakeside wearing a thick jacket, with a wind-proof gown outside. Unnoticedly it was the bowl of warm fresh vegetable soup or his cultivation that played a role. In short, he did not feel too cold.
In the shallow part of the lake, the water was very transparent. One could clearly see the white stones and fallen trees with a history of millions of years at the bottom of the lake. If one looked further, he could see bluer and bluer lake water. Stricted by mountain forests on the two sides and short cliffs, the lake became slender and one could not see its end, for it had been extended to the depths of the far northern Wilderness.
Ning Que sat on the stone and saw the beautiful lake view in front. He thought it was kind of indecent to regard the blue lake as a kidney. In fact, it should be a woman's weak slender waist that was not big enough to be held.
The slightly shaking lake water was like a blue gem that was about to melt and pushed the thin ices condensed by the cold air to the lakeside one by one. Some gradually melted away, while others were overlapping together. With the winter becoming colder and colder, these thin ices would eventually become thick and hard ice cubes.