Chapter 420 (1/2)

Chapter 420: The General (I)

That was the method that the Headmaster had taught him with a rod on the balcony of the Building of Pines and Cranes . Eldest Brother had also taught him a vague lesson about it in the Wilderness . He had also thought of that method when he was imprisoned in the cliff cave .

The method was simple, clear and was filled with power . However, from another respect, one could also say that it was a foolish one . It was completely at odds with Ning Que's take on life, which appeared bright on the surface but was actually dark inside .

Standing on the street of Chang'an in the slowly darkening spring day, Ning Que thought about what would happen after autumn . In a while, he felt pa.s.sionate, and then he felt sad . He did not notice a cloud drifting from the north .

”Are you Mr . Thirteen?”

Ning Que turned around to see a man bowing to him respectfully . The man wore ordinary clothes, but the clothes did not hide the unique tough aura that belonged to someone from the military .

He had become a famous person in Chang'an since last spring . But there weren't many who have seen his face and could recognise him on the streets .

Ning Que was a little wary, especially due to the ident.i.ty of the other person .

The man's next words state his identification .

”General Xu s.h.i.+ would like to invite you over . ”

The Tang Empire was renowned for its military power and martial strength and it counted on its military force to unite the whole country . Naturally, the people of the Tang Empire respected those from the military and revered the four great generals of their empire .

Defender-general of the State, Xu s.h.i.+, had fought for the empire on the battlefield for decades and had gained countless victory and glory . He conquered numberless territory for the empire . His efforts in gaining more territory for the empire were unparalleled . Even Xia Hou, who had built his great reputation in the recent years could not compare to him . He was the most highly regarded person in the military of Tang no matter in battle experience or in reputation .

Ning Que knew that the most powerful general in the military did not have a good impression of himself . He did not know the exact reason for his bad impression, but he knew that he would definitely meet the general eventually . He just did not expect he would do that today, and did not expect himself to be followed by the Tang military just as he left the palace .

General Xu s.h.i.+ did not choose the Military Ministry, but had chosen the General's Mansion near the Vermilion Bird Avenue as the meeting place . It meant that this was a private conversation .

Ning Que frowned slightly as he followed the man into the looming General's Mansion . He was aggravated by the chilling aura exuded by the trees and rocks in the mansion .

Entering the depths of the General's Mansion, he saw the general sitting by a desk on a quiet platform .

The old general did not wear his court uniform or his official robes, or his armor as well . Instead, he put on a simple cloth s.h.i.+rt . He was not gardening or sharpening his sword . Instead, he was eating .

The dishes on the table were simple . There were two bowls of brown rice, a bowl of pork belly and three slices green vegetables .

The man who brought Ning Que into the mansion left silently

.

Ning Que stood outside the platform . After a moment of silence, he went up the stairs and bowed slightly to the general .

The old general said, ”Sit . ”

Ning Que tidied his Academy uniform and sat facing the general .

The old general said, ”I did not think that you'd come so quickly . Please, allow me to eat before we speak . Mr . Thirteen, please forgive me for not treating my guest in proper manners . ”

Ning Que lowered his head and said, ”General, please do not say that . It makes me feel stressed . ”

The general did not say anything else and continued to finish his food concentratedly .

The old general's hair was white and his slightly tanned face was full of wrinkles . He was slightly hunchbacked . In the ordinary cloth s.h.i.+rt, he looked like any old man on the streets of Chang'an . However, when he used his chopsticks to pick up the meat, it looked like he was holding a riffle and piercing it through his enemy's chest . He looked incredibly mighty .

The general might be old, but he wasn't an old general .

A general was a general .

Especially before his enemies .

The pork belly sauce mixed with brown rice smelt aromatic . However, it tasted ordinary . But the general enjoyed it as his white beard twitched occasionally . When he crunched the three slices of boiled vegetables, it made great clear sounds, it looked like a devil in the Underworld was chewing human bones .

The general ate very fast, perhaps because he had established such a habit in his military career . The dishes on the table were cleared quickly like a tornado had torn through it . Then, he swirled some tea around in his mouth and gargled .

Ning Que said, ”It is bad for your health to eat and drink so hurriedly . ”

The general looked at him quietly and said, ”You do not have to pretend before me . ”

Ning Que was silent . Then, he decided not to pretend to be a gentle and caring young man .

The general said, ”A cultivator should leave the human realm, not enter it . ”

Ning Que did not think that this conversation would be so direct that without any lead-ins or warning ,it got the key point at the start . He was slightly shocked and did not know what to do .

He had thought that this would be a long conversation that was like boiling chicken soup . He thought it needed gentle flames, but did not expect that the fire was so strong and grew so rapidly . If he did not pay attention, the vegetables in the wok would char and become inedible .

”Why shouldn't we enter the human realm?”

Ning Que asked after a pause .

The general looked into his eyes and said blandly, ”Because to cultivators, mortals are too weak . They are like ants to them . A cultivator who enters the human realm will become arrogant and proud . ”

Ning Que raised his head and looked back to the general's calm and pressing gaze . He said . ”General, you have fought for the Tang Empire and have been living in the secular world for decades . ”

”My ident.i.ty as a soldier comes before my ident.i.ty as a cultivator . ”

The general said calmly, ”This is the greatest difference . ”

Ning Que said, ”I am also a soldier . ”

The general shook his head slowly and said, ”You were a soldier, and you were an outstanding one . But regretfully, you were not a cultivator when you were a soldier . ”

”What is the difference?” Ning Que asked .

The general squinted and said in a low voice, ”If you were able to cultivate in the City of Wei, I would have trained you well into an impressive martial cultivator . You'd then be able to understand what the battlefield is and then there would be no more stories that had happened later . ”