Chapter 425 (1/2)
Chapter 425: And Where Were You?
The scornful expression on the general's face didn't add some approachable feeling to him . Instead, Ning Que felt a heavy pressure . He said slowly, ”I am not afraid . I am just unwilling to be questioned by you . ”
”I totally agree with your opinion about the buildings without walls . Our country, the Tang Empire, will never collapse no matter what happens to it from the outside . The only thing that could destroy it must start from the inside . If you insist on questioning me, I am afraid others will think that the Military Ministry is trying to oppress the Academy . ”
He said, ”I know you have no intention of doing that, but we shouldn't send this kind of misleading messages to our enemies . That is why I don't want you to question me, but to be fair, you also can't question me . ”
”Ning Que, oh Ning Que . ”
The mocking expression had disappeared on Xu s.h.i.+'s face . He said to Ning Que coldly, ”I would praise your integrity if you didn't deny your crime, but to shoulder it bravely . ”
Ning Que replied, ”It is not bad to be a sweet talker either . ”
”You are being too arrogant if you are determined to challenge the Military Ministry . Do you really think you are qualified to do that?”
”Although I don't understand what your words mean,”
Ning Que continued, after a short break, ”I really don't know what it is that I am not qualified for . After all I am a core disciple of the Headmaster and I represent the Academy to enter the human world after my Youngest Uncle . ”
After staring at him for a long time, Xu s.h.i.+ walked to the railing with his hands putting behind him . He oversaw Chang'an city, which was sitting beyond the forest and the meadow, and said, ”You were also a soldier before . I think you know clearly what a soldier's duty is . Do you really think that I don't dare to kill you?”
As his words finished, a strong and cold aura was emitted from his stooped body, separating him from the surroundings .
The refres.h.i.+ng breeze in the attic suddenly stopped, giving a halt to the swaying of the tree branches and making the fallen leaves stop rolling among the gra.s.s .
From Ning Que's view, all the movement outside the attic was halted and the landscape outside looked like a framed painting .
Even he became a part of the picture, unable to move anymore .
Only the old man was free, he was not in it .
The Qi of
Heaven and Earth in the attic was under the control of the old man . It also stopped moving and lost all its vitality . If the old man wanted, he could kill anything here easily .
Under the humped body of the old man, there was the terrifying power . Ning Que fell silent, thinking to himself that the old man was not renowned for being the strongest person in the Military Ministry for nothing .
His state in cultivation was nearly higher than the Peak state of Martial Arts .
Ning Que knew that he could not fight against such powerful state, no matter what he did . Even the slightest movement of Xu s.h.i.+ would send him to death, because his movement would summon the Qi of Heaven and Earth around to crush him to powder .
Sweat ran down his back, drenching his clothes and his umbrella on his back .
However, he still looked very calm .
In this landscape painting, only the man standing next to the railing was able to move .
It was lucky that the old man seemed to want to hear him saying something, so he didn't control Ning Que's mouth .
”I went to the Imperial Palace yesterday . ”
Ning Que continued, ”His Majesty led me to the little building . ”
He knew that as the leader of the Military Ministry, Xu s.h.i.+ knew very well what the building in the Palace meant . As expected, the court robe the man was wearing moved a little .
”Before I went to the General's Mansion yesterday, I went to the Vermilion Bird Avenue first . ”
Xu s.h.i.+ cut in before he could finish his words, ”The Vermilion Bird . . . accepted you as its master?”
Ning Que said, ”Yes . So I think you know very well that I am in charge of keeping Chang'an safe now . If you are considering for Tang and executing your duty as a soldier, you need to protect me, rather than to kill me . ”
Xu s.h.i.+ stood next to the railing and looked into the distance with his hands behind him . After being silent for a long time, he murmured in pity and anger, ”I just couldn't stop it from falling into your hands . ”
Ning Que did not say anything .
Xu s.h.i.+ turned around and said expressionlessly, ”The reason why I investigated you was that I didn't agree with His Majesty's decision of entrusting you with the Pestle of the Array Eye . And although I am an old friend of Yan Se, I think both he and the Headmaster made a mistake by trusting you so much . ”
Ning Que didn't realize that the leader of the Military Ministry was a close friend of his master . He was even more confused at the things that happened recently . ”Why?” asked him .
”Because you are evil and cold, and I know clearly that if Tang really faced a life-or-death moment, you definitely would not risk your life to protect it,”
Xu s.h.i.+ said slowly .
Ning Que was silent again . He had to admit that what Xu s.h.i.+ had said about him was totally correct . He valued nothing more than his own life, yet yesterday when he was standing next to the Statue of the Vermilion Bird, he was excited and did promise to try his best to protect Chang'an and Tang Empire .
After a long time, he looked up and said seriously to Xu s.h.i.+, ”But I can still promise you that at least I will try my best . ”
”But how can I believe you?” asked Xu s.h.i.+ .
Ning Que asked, ”Why can't you believe me?”
”Because you are not worthy of my trust,” said Xu s.h.i.+ .