159 Crack! Crack! (2/2)
”I'll express my opinion. I firmly object to allow Ning Que to enter the Second floor.”
Yan Se huffed and puffed, ”Even using your ass to think about it, how can that guy be stronger than Prince Long Qing? How can he reach the top earlier than Prince Long Qing? There must be some problem... with the Academy.”
Professor Huang He's face darkened, and looking at Yan Se he rebutted, ”Uncle Yan, although we have a close relationship, you still have to show evidence.”
Yan Se stared at him and refuted, ”Can the Academy prove it didn't cheat?”
Enraged by his unreasonable words, Huang He angrily said, ”Uncle, are you starting to act shamelessly again?
”Yes, so what?” Yan Se teased with his wretched triangular eyes and shouted, ”Anyway, the Headmaster is not in Chang'an City right now.”
Now that the Headmaster of the Academy was not in Chang'an City nor in the Academy, then as the Minister of Offerings of the South School of Haotian, what could scare him? - As a divine and lofty Divine Talisman Master, he could actually unscrupulously spell his intention. He was really a shameless one aboveboard.
Those bigwigs in the study room were all stunned by Yan Se's impassioned opposition, and silently figured the reason why the South School of Haotian was strongly supporting the West-Hill Divine Palace today, given the previous dispute on the grounds outside the Academy.
Priest Moli also gave a curious look at Yan Se, thinking that ”Last year, this old Taoist had heavily humiliated the Headmaster of Revelation Institute when returned to the Divine Hall, and even had a big quarrel with the Great Divine Priest. But today, he is strongly protective. Maybe it was for the sake of Prince Long Qing's great talent?”
It was indeed for the sake of a talent, but to their surprise, the talented man who had caused Master Yan Se's strong opposition to this result, and who he wanted to cherish, was somebody else.
Professor Huang He looked coldly at Yan Se and said, ”Uncle, although you are both high-positioned and respectable, this is after all a matter of the Academy. So no matter how strongly you object it, it will be useless.”
Yan Se angrily craned his neck and scolded.
”The Academy is the world's Academy, so everyone has the right to express their doubts and opinions! It is also the Tang Empire's Academy, so as a citizen of Tang, I am more qualified to object! You said opposition is useless, but I still have to oppose! Ning Que can't enter the Second floor!”
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…
It wasn't noticed that Lee Yu had secretly walked out of the study room, returning to the Academy's entrance grounds.
An official was standing behind her. After just learning from Her Highness about of today's mountain test results, he was suddenly stunned, with mouth opened and tongue tied. He immediately recalled it was exactly him who had suggested Her Highness that Ning Que was not talented and not worth cultivating, but now all he could feel was regret.
”After this night, countless people will try to explore Ning Que's unknown background, and the fact that he had escorted Your Highness back to the capital would certainly be exposed.”
In an attempt to make up for the mistakes he had made, the official began to quickly think about tactics, and then he said in a disapproving manner, ”Anyway, Ning Que has a closer relationship with us, so Your Highness should remain in the study room to ensure that he can really enter the Second floor.”
Lee Yu indifferently sneered, ”Those inside are older and more experienced than me, but they had neglected the simplest things.” ”The purpose of the Academy to open the Second floor is to enroll students for the Headmaster of the Academy. The success of Ning Que means the Headmaster has chosen him as his student. It is pointless to change this fact, no matter how long and how fiercely they quarrel.”
Looking up to the mountain behind the Academy, she imagined how excited and happy the lad would be at the moment. Then she recalled her journey back last Spring which was filled with killings and her invitation's refusal, several touches of blankness and confusion revealed between her brows, so she murmured, ”At that time I thought I had already attached enough importance to him and offered sufficient sincerity at a big cost. But it is only now when I realize why he would refuse me; after all, I didn't really see through him.”
Catching Her Highness' expression, that official figured out where her disappointment came from, so he comforted her in a whisper, ”Your Highness treated that little handmaiden well, and I have heard that Ning Que and his little handmaiden are quite intimate. In this sense, he would be grateful to your kindness no matter when and what.”
”These are two different things.”
Lee Yu frowned and shook her head. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, ”Of course, they have become one thing now.”
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…
The people in front of the Academy focused their hearing, wanting to listen what those big shots were talking about inside the room. They also wondered who was the first to reach the peak and who could enter the Second floor of the Academy. Many of them noticed that the princess had left the room at an earlier time and quietly stood not far away, so they couldn't help peeping at her in order to find the truth from her facial expression.
It was not necessary for Situ Yilan to do so because she was quite intimate with Her Highness, so she directly walked to Li Yu made a bow, then she nervously looked at her and asked with a trembling voice, ”Your Highness, who won?”
Looking at the direction of the study room and listening to the faintly fierce quarrels coming from the inside, Lee Yu suddenly tilted her brow and showed a mysterious trace of a smile. Then she decided to cut the Gordian knot and set it down ahead of schedule.
”He won.”
From those simple words, Situ Yilan naturally seized the meaning that Lee Yu wanted to express, even if she didn't mention the name of the winner. She raised her hand to cover the unbelievable exclamation that was about to burst out of her mouth, shock and joy filling her bright eyes.
Yet the exclamation couldn't be restrained in the end, finally breaking the silence of the night in the Academy. The girl excitedly jumped up and ran to the crowd with a laugh, violently shaking the hands of her girl companion.
At this very moment, everyone knew the final result, even if Situ Yilan didn't say it out. The pavement sank in dead silence.
Zhong Dajun looked hurt, murmuring with his trembling voice, ”how... how... how could it be him?”
Xie Chengyun slightly flickered, gently setting himself free from Jin Wucai's support. He stubbornly stood upright and looked at Situ Yilan with his pale face, asking in a hoarse voice, ”You knew all along that he was hiding his strength? You must have been waiting to have a good laugh at us.”
After that semester exam in summer, Ning Que had been ridiculed, dismissed and neglected by those students in the Academy, and only Situ Yilan and Chu Youxian treated him as usual. Chu Youxian was a rich family's scion, who originally bore a different trait from those Academy students, not worth comparing. However, Situ Yilan was from a big noble family, who should be the same kind of person, as well as Xie Chengyun with his talent. On the contrary, she would always treat Ning Que well - Today, when Xie Chengyun and other Academy students were astonished to speechlessness, they then carefully recalled what had happened that day and would naturally believe that Situ Yilan had already known Ning Que was hiding his real power.
Looking at the pale Xie Chengyun and the other Academy students who were as stunned, immobile as wood, Situ Yilan sneered and said, ”I do not know what kind of power Ning Que hides. I only know, if it were not for your sneers in the past six months, you wouldn't have turned to be the biggest joke today.”
In the eyes of all the students, Ning Que used to be a despicable guy and the biggest joke in the Academy. However, having witnessed how he had reached the peak, those students were extremely humiliated to find that her satire was so appropriate. In fact, they themselves were the biggest joke in the world.
With a loud clap, the remaining pastry in Chu Youxian's hand fell to the floor. He looked blankly at the mountain behind the Academy, and thought in ecstasy about him actually getting to know such a great guy. ”If father knew it, dare he continue to say I made bad friends in the Academy? Dad, you made a big mistake this time!”
The place was as silent as a grave, with all the students immersed in deep shame. Some of them lowered their proudly-raised head, and some even became numb and stunned after the mental shock.
At this moment, an angry shout sounded from the study room.
”The cultivation of Ning Que is so poor, how can we let him enter the Second floor?!”
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…
The angry shout barely woke Zhong Dajun up from the huge mental blow. He raised his eyebrows and said quiveringly and quickly, as if he had seized the last sharp knife, ”Listen! Listen! The speaker is Master Yan Se… ”
”He said the cultivation of Ning Que is poor and he can't enter the Second floor. That's Master Yan Se! He is the legendary Divine Talisman Master and the Senior Brother of the Master of Nation of our Tang. If he thinks this way, then who else can feel sure that Ning Que will definitely enter the Second floor?”
Zhong Dajun turned back to gaze at Situ Yilan and tremblingly said, ”Did you hear that? Things are not what you have thought.”
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Inside the study room, Yan Se shouted with a ghastly pale face, ”See, this is the token of our South School of Haotian, and what I have said today represents the attitude of the entire South School of Haotian. I think both the West-Hill Divine Palace and the emperor will show respect to it!”
Professor Huang He looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot. After a long time of silence, he frowned and asked, ”Uncle, what on earth do you want to do here? Can you directly put out your request, and see if we can make a compromise?”
”Ok...” Yan Se quickly changed his expression. He smiled and pointed at Huang He, saying, ”That's what you said. If later you can't give me a satisfying result, I won't agree.”
Professor Huang He helplessly looked at the Divine Talisman Master who was perhaps of the highest seniority in the city of Chang'an, unfolded his hands and said, ”Say what you want first.”
After coughing a couple of times, Yan Se said, ”As for state and cultivation, Ning Que is quite far behind Prince Long Qing. Yet when it comes to unorthodox ways, he barely has the needed potential and is worth cultivating. So I think he is not suitable for the Second floor of the Academy, and he is more suitable to be my disciple.”
Although he had tried to express the idea as flat and natural as possible, his words still shocked those bigwigs in the study room. Professor Huang He strode ahead with his eyes widely opened, and even Priest Moli surprisedly stood up.
”You say... Ning Que has the potential to become a Divine Talisman Master?” Professor Huang He stared at him and inquired.
His reaction made Yan Se feel regretful about what he said, who secretly complained to himself about how could he had failed to tighten his mouth at such a critical moment, after keeping quiet for so long? Then he decided to be case-hardened and said with a cold humph, ”Yes, so what? He was first chosen by me.”
In this world, the successor of a Divine Talisman Master was as rare and precious as the Phoenix feather of legend. It was of crucial importance for both the Divine Talisman Master and the school the Divine Talisman Master belonged to.
After hearing Yan Se's confirmation, those bigwigs inside could no longer remain calm. Priest Moli first rushed ahead and glared at Yan Se, questioning, ”Uncle! Now that you find a candidate who has the potential to be a Divine Talisman Master, Why not inform the Divine Hall first?!”
”Nonsense. If I first inform you, will I still have the chance to get him?” Yan Se stared and answered.
Now it's time for Professor Huang He to show a smile. He then gratefully looked at Yan Se and said, ”Uncle, now that the Academy knows it, do you think we will give Ning Que to you?”
There was a sudden change in Yan Se's face, who pointed at Huang He and furiously growled, ”You, shameless villain! If it were not for your promise to make a negotiation, I wouldn't tell it to you!”
At the thought of the entrance of a new student to the Second floor of the Academy, and the probability of this new student to grow to be a Divine Talisman Master, Professor Huang He felt rather comforted. He then said complacently, ”Indeed we can negotiate. But if all negotiations have a preset result, then why bother negotiating?”
Yan Se shouted angrily, ”You're shameless!”
Huang He laughed, ”I learned from you, uncle.”
The answer drove Yan Se mad, who then furiously shouted, ”Ning Que is the only one I, Yan Se, has found to have good potential during half my lifetime. If who dare to loot this disciple from me, we will be at daggers drawn. Even if his bones are broken and body burnt, I will go on sharpening his bones and sprinkling his ashes!”
Huang He shook his head and laughed, ”Uncle, your words are so harsh and cruel. If it were not for the entire Academy behind me, perhaps I would really... feel scared.”
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”I, Yan Se, half of my lifetime... Ning Que... potential... disciple... at daggers drawn... bones broken... sprinkling ashes.”
Those words uttered by Yan Se under furious indignation spread out from the study room like a thunder, which then exploded on the stone floor of the Academy's entrance.
The trace of a smile Zhong Dajun had just squeezed out now froze on his face, which looked funny.
If Ning Que's success to reach the peak and the admission to the Second floor of the Academy was the first thunder exploding in the hearts of those Academy students, then the crazy and furious claim of the high-positioned Divine Talisman Master to get Ning Que as his disciple, which meant he would probably become a Divine Talisman Master in the future, could be regarded as the second thunder.
After the thunder-like shout, those students in the courtyard stood foolishly as if hit by lightning, not knowing what to say.
Looking at the pale face of Zhong Dajun, Chu Youxian sighed with sympathy, saying, ”If I were you, I would go to fetch a piece of overnight sour tofu in the kitchen to hit myself to death. This way, wasting fresh tofu will be avoided and the flavor of sour tofu will match the acrid words from your dirty mouth.”