159 Crack! Crack! (1/2)
Chapter 159: Crack! Crack!
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Under the big tree, people looked at the lad beside the big stone who was smirking at the magnificent scenery on the mountain top, all sorts of feelings welling up in their minds. They just smiled without uttering a word. Second Brother still sat there rigorously. A gray-haired scholar was reading an old book and it seemed that everything that was happening had nothing to do with him.
A melodious sound of a vertical bamboo flute sounded, and it was from the man who picked up the very same instrument which had been lying on his lap to play the music; Then a mysterious twang was played by a three-stringed plucked instrument; Seventh Sister picked up the embroidery needle, as delicate as hair, with her fingers and slightly paddled it in the air, during which the tip of the needle trembled at a high speed, issuing some crisp sound similar to that played by metal instruments; The strong man lifted up the heavy hammer and smashed it on the ground, producing a sound perfectly matching the summit of the melody.
The sounds produced by the vertical bamboo flute, the three-stringed plucked instrument and the needle were mixed into a rather ancient song, which melodiously spread out from under the tree and shrouded the top of the mountain behind the Academy. The clouds near the cliff were stirred to slowly move ahead and the pines were slightly swaying, seemingly to welcome a guest.
Standing on top of the big stone, Ning Que listened to the ancient song that had floated into his ears. Then he turned back to see those boys and girls under the big tree, who had different appearances yet showed the same gentle smile. At the sight of the figure of Chen Pipi under the tree, he realized that those were his new Senior Brothers and Sisters from the Second floor of the Academy, greeting him in this way, so he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart.
Yet the warm feeling quickly turned to be spicily hot in his chest and abdomen. All those before his eyes vanished in a sudden darkness and then he flopped down.
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Prince Long Qing stood still on the lawn below the big stone, as if he didn't hear this moving melody at all. His young face, which was as charming as the spring peach blossom, was still perfect, yet nobody noticed when his hair had become loose, dampened with sweat cluttering on his shoulders. He looked up and said, ”It may be ridiculous. It may seem ungraceful of me, but I really can't accept it.”
Unnoticedly, Second Brother stood up during the melody and came next to the lawn. He looked at Prince Long Qing as well as the unwillingness revealed in his eyes, calmly saying, ”If I were you, I wouldn't accept it either.”
After a moment of silence, Prince Long Qing asked, ”If you have extinguished all your feelings and love but still can't see through, then who can?”
Second Brother looked at him with a touch of pity and answered, ”If you want to obliterate them, it means you are fearful of them in nature, whether it is for choice or because of something else. Although I do not know what you saw or experienced, I can see that Ning Que is different from you, because there is no fear in his nature, so he needn't struggle to wipe it out.”
Prince Long Qing stared at his eyes, and asked with a strong puzzlement, ”Fear is the nature of humanity. If he is a man, he will certainly be fearful. Ning Que is also a man, why wouldn't fear exist in him?”
After a long time of silence, Second Brother shook his head, seemingly thinking that the situation was really confusing. He then said, ”Perhaps this is the difference between small fear and big fear. Both of you can overcome small fears by instinct, but as for big fears like life and death, day and night, things would be different.”
Prince Long Qing got the meaning of his words. Then the end of his eyebrows suddenly tilted up, and he asked, ”So you are saying that Ning Que has no faith.”
Second Brother replied, ”Perhaps so.”
Prince Long Qing was startled, then immediately showed a self-mocking sad smile, muttering, ”So I was beaten because I am so firm in my faith, by a guy who has no faith and always considers himself first. How can I be convinced?”
Second Brother answered after pondering for a moment, ”Maybe he has faith, yet it is hidden too deep in his heart, and even the illusion along the stone path can't drag it out to the surface. Or perhaps even he himself is not clear about his true faith.”
At this time, Chen Pipi carried a fainted Ning Que on his back and walked off the big stone, panting with the effort. For each step ahead, his plump face would gently tremble, which looked like ripples in the lake. He was well aware that Ning Que's mentality was severely impacted, consuming most of his energy. Then after finally succeeding in reaching the top, the sudden relaxation had made him faint. Therefore, he wasn't too worried about him, just like those Senior Brothers and Sisters under the big tree, who all looked peaceful and calm.
Looking at Chen Pipi's back and listening to the soft calling for the little Younger Brother to fetch water, Prince Long Qing squinted at the thought of the guy who was at times mentioned by the hierarch Lord and that woman, and then he incredibly asked, ”That... guy is him?”
It seemed that Second Brother never intended to conceal Chen Pippi's identity from others, so he nodded and answered, ”It is him.”
Prince Long Qing stared blankly at the fat lad who was ordered about, recalling the sighs, regret or anger when the Hierarch Lord and that woman in red skirt mentioned him. He found it hard to accept the sharp contrast between what he was in legend and reality - To think that the lad in the Taoist Temple, who was said to be more talented than that man by the Hierarch Lord, would just be a humble Younger Brother on the Second floor of the Academy!
The scene in front of him had greatly comforted him for he suddenly found that today's experiences were not so bleak and unacceptable. After a moment of silence, he then sighed and said, ”A real genius like him, actually being ordered about on the Second floor of the Academy. I had intended to startle the Academy by successfully reaching the top, but now all of it seems really stupid and arrogant.”
”A real genius is a genius no matter where he is.”
Following his sight, Second Brother looked towards the big tree, saying, ”Since he is a genius in the Taoist Temple, he will certainly be a genius in the mountain behind the Academy. Although you are still not comparable to me, yet you needn't be so disappointed. Actually your performance has been very good today. If it were not for the slightly more favorable conditions and luck Ning Que had than you, the person being pleasantly greeted now would be you.”
Prince Long Qing sighed and deeply bowed to him, then he turned back to go down the mountain.
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...
The tranquility of the lawn in front of the Academy had already been replaced by buzzing discussions similar to flying bees. Those bigwigs in high positions still refrained themselves from showing curiosity, yet those ordinary officials, instructors and students couldn't repress their excitement and interest, eager to see the final result of today's contest to enter the Second floor. They just wondered about who was the winner.
The professor in charge of opening the Second floor of the Academy slowly walked out. There seemed to be a little weird expression on his face, which was a mix of delight and shock, as if he wanted to laugh, yet refrained from doing so due to anxiety over something.
Few knew the professor's origin or identity, including all the students in the Academy. However, this person presided over the mountaineering test for the entire day, which made his noble status evident. After several inquiries, they finally knew that he was a Divine Talisman Master secluded in the Academy to practice cultivation, so nobody dared to disrespect him. The moment they saw him appear on the stone step, they immediately stopped talking. However, the complex look on his face stimulated ripples in their hearts again, feeling that something unexpected would occur.
”Huang He'er, what are you dawdling for?”
The only person on the spot who dared to speak to a professor with such a tone, calling out his name directly and even deliberately adding ”Er”(the suffix used to call a child) to his name was naturally Yan Se, the Divine Talisman Master from the South School of Haotian in the Tang Empire. Whether in terms of state, generation or age, he was above Professor Huang He. Adding to that, he had already been anxious about the result and couldn't help speaking so impatiently in the face of the other man's dawdling.
”Now, I have the results of who is to be enrolled into the Second floor of the Academy today.”
Professor Huang He was unwilling to dispute with this Divine Talisman Master who was famous for his antics, so he just slowly announced to the crowd.
Suddenly, Yan Se thought of a possible scenario, so he quickly stood up and reached out his hand to stop him. ”No hurry!”
At the moment when a full-scale drama which had lasted for a day and a night was about to end, and people could finally see the real look of the hero after he put down his silver mask... the drama was rudely interrupted, so a roar actually bursted out from the crowd outside the Academy despite revering the identity and status of someone as lofty as the Divine Talisman Master Yan Se. - The law wouldn't punish numerous offenders. No matter how strong a Divine Talisman Master was, he still couldn't exterminate the hundreds of people present.
Professor Huang bluntly gazed at Yan Se, thinking, ”it was you that urged me to give the result, and now it was also you that asked me to hold it for a longer time, then what's wrong with you?” So he helplessly asked, ”Why?”
Yan Se rushed to the stone steps, and awe-inspiringly said with righteousness, ”What a big event it was to open the Second floor of the Academy! Although the Headmaster of the Academy is currently absent because of his travels, you cannot be so perfunctory. Before announcing the result, don't you think you should first take a bath, change your dresses and burn incense to offer a sacrifice to Heaven?”
His words suddenly stimulated louder hissings, and even the Prince Li Peiyan and Lee Yu could not help taking glances at this old Taoist.
Hearing the rising voices from the crowd, even a brazen-faced person like Yan Se would feel flushed and feverish. However, his strong thirst for a successor had finally defeated his low sense of shame, so he rudely shouted to the crowd, ”Who doesn't agree? Just stand up and refute my claims!”
The crowd sank in silence again. No matter whether it was Priest Moli or those instructors and learned scholars of the Academy, all of them turned back, figuring silently in their hearts: ”How dare we challenge you, a Divine Talisman Master of a rather high state one-to-one? We are not mad.”
Professor Huang He unhappily looked at him, ”Uncle Yan, what on earth do you want to do?”
There were very few Divine Talisman Masters in the world, the rankings among whom were not involved with their respective sects. They used another, simpler system which was in also complex in other ways that needn't be explained at the moment.
Professor Huang He asked Yan Se about what he exactly wanted to do, but in fact, what he wanted was very simple.
”If the Academy announces that Ning Que is the winner, and if this result is known to all those present on the grounds to be later spread to the rest of the world, it will be a done deal. Then how can my Younger Brother and I vie for him?”
Regardless of the indignant eyes from all those present, Yan Se forced Professor Huang He to walk into a study room with him. Together with them were other bigwigs who were qualified to be involved in the affair, or powerful enough to change the final result.
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Priest Moli looked frustrated, feeling that there must be something wrong with what he had just heard.
So he casted an inquiring look at the Prince next to him.
Li Peiyan's expression looked a bit weird too. He felt he had heard correctly, so it might be that Professor Huang made a mistake when announcing it.
In order to confirm it, he took a look at his niece next to him.
The delicate face of Lee Yu was emotionless.
Although she had countlessly thought of it, and numerous times expecting this result during the lengthy mountaineering test, she was still violently shaken when it really came true, and had difficulty recovering in a short time.
Priest Moli slowly scanned over those bigwigs, and all the responses were the kind he did not want to see. He slowly stood up and looked at Professor Huang, confusedly asking, ”You said the winner is... Ning Que?”
Professor Huang He nodded gently and answered, ”Indeed, it is Ning Que.”
Priest Moli stood by the chair, stiffened, and was speechless for a long time.
As the vice president of the Revelation Institute of the West-Hill Divine Palace, this time, he led the delegation to visit Chang'an City of the Tang Empire. Following the orders of the Hierarch, he was aiming to implement the agreement secretly reached by the two countries; that was, to send Prince Long Qing to the Second floor of the Academy.
Priest Moli didn't have the slightest favorable impression on the Academy. He thought it unnecessary for a God-favored genius like Prince Long Qing to enter the Academy's Second floor. However, now that it was an arrangement of the Divine Hall, and the entire world knew that Prince Long Qing was going to enter the Second floor of the Academy, then he must succeed in entering it, for it represented the honor and dignity of the West-Hill Divine Palace.
However, no one had expected that after such a long time waiting, the one that would finally enter the Second floor was not Prince Long Qing but somebody else!
Thinking about the consequences of the result being known by the West-Hill, the possible punishment he had to suffer under the indignation of the Hierarch, and the shaking of respect and revering towards the Divine Hall from billions of believers of Haotian Taoism, Mo Li felt a biting chill as if he was doused in ice water from head to feet, mumbling, ”Impossible, impossible.”
Suddenly he raised his head and indignantly waved his hand at Professor Huang He to show his protest, ”How can an ordinary Academy student defeat Prince Long Qing! The prince is only one step away from the Knowing Destiny State. What kind of thing is that student! The Academy must have cheated in the process!”
If those outside the study room who were still waiting for the results knew it, they probably would share Priest Moli's opinion. You know, the student competing with Prince Long Qing today was not Wang Jinglue who was invincible prior to Knowing Destiny, but an ordinary Academy student whose name and even whose level of cultivation were unknown to the public?
Could a field mouse defeat an eagle? Could an ant defeat a lion? Could an embroidered lady defeat general Xia Hou? No! All those were impossible, unless the wings and sharp beak of the eagle were broken, the lion was reduced to a pile of rotten meat and the empress married the embroidered lady to general Xia Hou, and, unless the Academy secretly played dirty!
At the same time those bigwigs in the study room threw their confused and questioning eyes towards Professor Huang He.
Professor Huang He refrained himself from showing his anger and explained with a poker face, ”As far as I know, Prince Long Qing performed well in the mountain. If it were in previous years, he would absolutely enter the Second floor of the Academy. But as we all know, this year the Second floor would only enroll one person. And Ning Que had indeed surpassed the prince at the last moment.”
Absentmindedly, Priest Moli returned to his seat. Suddenly he caught the sight of Li Peiyan, the Prince, who seemed to be the last straw to save his life. So he said to him, ”Your Highness, according to the previous agreement, the Prince is to enter the Second floor after replacing the Crown Prince to stay in Chang'an City. If he were not to be a student of the Headmaster of the Academy, how can our West-Hill Divine Palace allow the prince to leave the Judicial Department? If the Academy tries to find reasons to refuse him, then... ”
Li Peiyan slightly frowned, feeling rather embarrassed.
Royals of the Tang Empire had always been respectful and polite towards the Academy and never interfered its affairs. The problem was, they did secretly make an agreement about making Prince Long Qing a hostage in Chang'an City as the second-ranking figure of the Judicial Department of West-Hill Divine Palace, which was also recognized by the emperor. However, nobody from the royals of Tang Empire or the West-Hill Divine Palace could have expected that somebody would defeat Prince Long Qing to enter the Second floor of the Academy. So the current situation was totally beyond their expectations.
Li Peiyan looked at Professor Huang He, and after a second of hesitation he suggested, ”We'd better give the matter a further thought... ”
Professor Huang He was glassy-eyed.
Then Li Peiyan turned to Yan Se and the silent Eunuch in the corner, thinking, ”now that the Emperor and the South School assigned you two to wait for the result here in particular, you should shoulder your responsibility of supervision and show your opinion and stance in this critical moment.”
Feeling the stare cast by the Prince, Eunuch Lin stood up and smiled to explain, ”His Majesty ordered me to get somebody back from the Academy, and it has nothing to do with anything you all talked about. I naturally can't represent the royal palace to show any opinion or stance.”