84 The First Split on the Mountain of Books (1/2)
Chapter 84: The First Split on the Mountain of Books
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Ning Que rubbed his head under the stairs, recalling the regulation that old library's instructor previously told him, and it seemed that students were not forbidden from going up to the Second floor. While in hesitation, someone passed by him and went directly upstairs, the clop-clop of footsteps making him relaxed. He, therefore, dropped the Wang Xinglong's Copybook of Regular Script into the book basket beside the column and went upstairs, holding up the front part of his robe.
The Second floor of the old library was quieter than the first floor, yet with fewer bookracks and books, which relatively looked more spacious. He hadn't expected that there were already a great many students upstairs. Among them, some were respectively selecting books to read beside the bookracks, some wearing smirks and still others mumbling to themselves, all of whom apparently felt excited.
Books about Confucian Classics and History were mostly stored on the first floor, and those describing martial art and cultivation were mainly found on the second floor. Before entering the library, that instructor had warned that books on the second floor were not recommended for reading. However, Ning Que still felt that it was all rather surreal when a big treasure of books suddenly appeared before him without any sign or indication. He stood blankly between the bookracks and only after a long time of silence did he manage to dispell the shock.
Li Zhitang's Comment on Buddhism, Mutual Verifications of Psyche Power and Emblematic Gesture, A Brief Introduction on Five Cultivation States, Memories of West-Hill, Dongxuan Scriptures, Collections of Nanhua, A Review of Swordsmanship schools in the South Jin Kingdom, Diverse Laws Appreciation Dictionary...
He walked along the bookracks, his eyes resting on the dense book spines, and then his previous shock and zest changed into blankness. His hands which were hidden in sleeves could not help quivering. He could guess the contents of those books from their titles alone.
That year, he followed the City of Wei's grain transportation team to the Kaiping County bazaar with the silver he had saved for a while. While looking for doctors to treat Sangsang, he also searched in all the bazaar's book booths, and eventually found a book named Article on the Response of the Tao, which later he had read for many years until it was burnt into ashes in a copper basin.
That year, he killed seventeen Horse Gangs beside the Shubi Lake and saved an army coming to exterminate those thieves. The general had asked him, ”What do you want? We all in the City of Wei can pool money to send you a popular geisha girl as a gift.” Holding the Article on the Response of the Tao that had been read from front to back and back to front again multiple times, Ning Que answered, ”I want to learn cultivation.” The general was left speechless by his reply.
The cultivator he met beside Min Mountain denied him, the commander in charge of the Military Ministry assessment shook his head towards him, the elder Lyu Qingchen made a long sigh, and yesterday the instructor teaching the Academy's magic skills course patted his shoulder, all of whom showed that he couldn't enter the world just revealed before his eyes. He told Sangsang it didn't matter because he could also earn a world with knives and arrows. It did, however, matter. He would not allow that world to merely appear shadowily before him without even knowing what was hidden inside.
When he entered the old library of the Academy, went upstairs, and saw those thickly-dotted books, he came to realize that it was hard to change his physical condition through these books, but he could at least take a glance at that world. During the past sixteen years, he struggled with the Article on the Response of the Tao, as if he were a poor kid holding his last potato, while today, he finally perceived an ocean of rice fields. Although those rice fields still could not be controlled, he still felt moved, his eyes warmed and moistened.
”Sangsang... ”
He stretched out his trembling fingers to stroke the book spines and read silently. At this moment, all he wanted was to share his feelings with her. She was perhaps the only one in the world who could understand what he was feeling now.
He had his sights fixed on the bookracks filled with cultivation books. He pressingly wanted to read books such as Memories of West-Hill. He was also not qualified to study materials like A Review of Swordsmanship schools in the South Jin Kingdom. Anyway, he should not bite off more than he could chew. He would start from the basics, from The First Exploration of Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi.
The moment he drew out the thin book, a muffled sound was suddenly heard from somewhere in the library. Tracing the sound, a student was found to have flopped to the ground with his face as pale as snow. His body seized and white foam spewed forth from his mouth without stopping, making it terrifying.
Four people wearing light-colored robes of the Academy emerged from some unknown place and went to the unconscious student. Some caught his hands and some his feet, and with a tacit understanding they lifted the poor student up as if they had picked up a chicken. After that, they rushed towards the staircase smoothly, as if they had done this many times.
Those beside the bookracks were now looking at each other speechlessly. Thinking of the warnings that Lecturer smilingly gave them before entering the old library, a sense of nervousness somehow struck them. However, nobody was scared off. Instead, more and more students came from downstairs.
They were all young talents from all over the Empire, who bore the same curiosity towards the enigmatic world as Ning Que and strongly believed they could enter that world. Therefore, they kept on taking out books from the bookracks and reading books silently, pretending that nothing had happened.
Then with another loud thud, a second young student with a pale face fainted. Ning Que looked silently at the student who was being swiftly lifted away and started hesitating. However, he still couldn't resist the attractiveness of that new world and thus chose to continue like his other classmates. He then grew firmly determined and opened the thin book in his hand.
The first sentence of The First Exploration of Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi read, ”Heaven and earth also have respiration, which is called breath... ”
Following the handwritten words, Ning Que continued his reading nervously and attentively, but suddenly those words turned blur in his eyes as if a piece of unpolished glass were put between his eyes and the booklet. Realizing maybe that was what the lecturer outside the library had warned, he lightly bit the tip of his tongue to force himself sober and read on.
”Human beings are most smart among all creatures, therefore they can understand the law of nature. Their will is powerful, which is called Psyche Power.”