141 Maybe the Day after Tomorrow (1/2)
Chapter 141: Maybe the Day after Tomorrow
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Having gone outside to travel, the Headmaster had not yet returned, but the Second Floor of the Academy would be open soon. It was unknown where that news came from. However, according to the instructors' response, it had basically been determined to open the Second Floor the day after tomorrow.
Everyone knew that to enter the Second Floor of the Academy was difficult, even more difficult than climbing into the sky. Those students were clear that they probably would not encounter such a lucky thing as being blessed by Haotian. So, the people who could enter the Second Floor should be Xie Chengyun or the other five students in the course of magic skills. Therefore, after school, some people began to appear to encourage them.
This matter actually had nothing to do with Ning Que. As a classmate, he was forgotten by the Academy students and became a nobody marginalized by the others. No one could expect that his entire mind was focused on the Second Floor. After class, he intended to go to the old library for the suggestions of Professor Yu or Chen Pipi because he wanted to know whether he could enter the Second Floor at his current level and state. But before leaving, he was forced by Situ Yilan out of the Academy.
In Miss Situ's words, for this kind of collective activity, he needed to participate in it no matter how unsocial he was, even if he was marginalized by his classmates. If he often appeared and no longer walked alone in the woods and meadows like a ghost, then there would be a day when their resentment for him was resolved.
Ning Que never thought that he needed to try so hard to fit into the social circle of his Academy classmates, exchanging that attitude to get friendly circumstances, but Situ Yilan was extremely kind to him in daily life. Thus, after a moment of thought, he also left the Academy for Chang'an City with the students.
The students selected a gathering place in Southern Chang'an, which was a restaurant that had been rebuilt from an elegant and expensive mansion just beside a lake. There was a plaque hanging above the restaurant, on which was its name written by the Libationer: Victory House.
The Victory House was the topmost elegant restaurant in Chang'an City, which covered a huge area and had extremely refined luxurious decorations and furniture. Its guests were the officials of the Imperial Court and the wealthy people from the four cities. If the Academy had not been famous enough, it would have been extremely difficult for them to book a table in the open air.
Now, the spring was warm and the grass was growing taller. There were several layers of veil-like leaves in the mahogany tree outside the mansion that danced with the spring breeze, which was extremely beautiful. Over 100 young men and women smiled beside the bar or happily circled the lake or lifted the veils to walk through, suddenly making it the best place for them to have fun.
Ning Que stood in a common corner, holding a small teapot in his hand and calmly watching his joyful classmates in the spring breeze. He thought that he would probably not see any enthusiastic faces later on during the feast. So, he sat in a corner in a daze and decided to leave early. As a result, he summoned the manservant from the Victory House and gave him some money to call for someone to take a message to Lin 47th Street. Therefore, Sangsang could bring the horse carriage here and wait for him outside.
After a long period of time, the prodigal students chose the most comfortable table beside the bar. Those student couples who were lovers went off somewhere peaceful behind the veil into the bamboo forest. Not until then did the large lakeside terrace become gradually quiet. Situ Yilan acted as the leader of the Chang'an ladies army and stood up to generously say a few words, which were nothing but a blessing for the six people in the course of magic skills to achieve good results in the coming days as well as a wish for all classmates to make academic progress and the like.
After this, all kinds of nuts and delicate food were served. The students started drinking and enjoying themselves. In the liveliest place, one could clearly hear the flattery and blessing of the students toward those six people, including Xie Chengyun.
”I heard that the Second Floor would only recruit one person this time.” The child-like Linchuan Wang Ying looked at those big brothers and sisters around, and then turned to the side and asked, ”Did they have the same rule before?”
Xie Chengyun smiled and looked at all his classmates around him. He calmly answered, ”Every time the Second Floor opens, the rule is different. This time, it's possible to recruit only one person. Though it's pretty difficult, I will try my best to meet the expectations of my classmates and pay back the teachers' cultivation.”
Zhong Dajun opened a fan with a snap and said with a laugh, ”Chengyun, you are now in the No Doubts State. And even Professor Cao called you the most skilled person in the course of magic skills and believes that you can go to the Second Floor. If you don't have the confidence, then who else can enter the Second Floor this year?”
Linchuan Wang Ying thought about it and could not help looking slightly gloomy. He swiftly showed an admiration for Xie Chengyun on his young face and then said, ”Brother Xie, if you do enter the Second Floor later, please remember to tell us exactly what it looks like in there. I'm really curious about it.”
Xie Chengyun gently patted the shoulders of this lad and said, ”You are still young. Even if you can't get into the Second Floor this time, you'll make it next time. You'll see it for yourself.”
At this moment, a rushing of hoof beats resounded outside the Victory House. The students drinking beside the lake did not care about it because there were often some cavalries galloping in Chang'an City every day. Only Ning Que, who quietly sat in the corner, looked up to see where the hoof beats had come from, for he knew these cavalries were not the Yulin Royal Guards but the border army soldiers, who had truly experienced the bloody battlefield.
A moment later, a young dusty general in a military uniform went over to the lakeside terrace led by a few subordinates. He looked at those students drinking in the spring breeze and could not help slightly frowning, lifting up the veil to go directly somewhere much quieter inside the house.
The feeling of blood and iron carried by several Tang soldiers was extremely different from the relaxed, casual atmosphere at the lakeside terrace. When they appeared, the Academy students subconsciously lowered their voices. The officers, dressed in military vests and light armor, marched forward with long easy steps and looked very powerful. However, they turned several tables askew, which brought about some unhappiness in the Academy students.
The Tangs valued military exploits the most and the border guards were their most beloved ones. If it was on a weekday, even the ministers of the Imperial Court would not care about the slightly reckless movements of these officers. However, here at the lakeside terrace party, those Academy students were extremely young, and more or less kind of arrogant in nature. Therefore, some students did not hold the anger in their hearts but sneered toward the backs of a few officers, and then said, ”Even if Xu Shi were to come here personally, he wouldn't dare to disrespect our Academy even a little bit. But these military soldiers are actually acting so supercilious.”