168 Senior Brothers and Sisters II (1/2)
There was a stove inside the house and a watermill outside. White steam filled both inside and outside the house. When a red iron was put in water, a buzzing sound emitted. When a hammer hit the red iron, there was a loud boom. Ning Que and Chen Pipi stood outside the threshold, looking at the half naked brawny man who played with fire and iron like treating his lover carefully but rudely.
After a long time, the noisy sounds in the house finally stopped. The brawny man took off his leather apron and picked up a towel to wipe the sweat on his face. He walked to the door and said with a simple and honest smile, ”I am your Sixth Brother.”
Chen Pipi smiled at Ning Que and said, ”The armor and weapons that Sixth Brother made are unique in the world. The armor General Xu Shi wears was personally created by him. If you have a need for this in the future, you can come directly to learn from Senior Brother. He's kind and helpful. Although he's not very talkative, he can finish the things he promised you.”
Ning Que had been staring at Sixth Brother playing with the hammer and iron, and vaguely felt something interesting from the rhythmic beats and powerful movements. After hearing Chen Pipi's introduction, Ning Que thought of the three knives or those arrows hidden at Lin 47th Street. His eyes suddenly became bright and Ning Que exclaimed, ”Is Sixth Brother a Talisman Taoism Master?”
”If you want my exact faction, I should be counted as a martial arts practitioner. But in my life, I have no time to learn how to fight. I only focus on the blacksmithing work.”
Sixth Brother replied honestly, ”Junior Brother, I know what you want to ask. The helmet and armor I make do have Talisman inscriptions. But I don't draw them. They're Fourth Brother's works.”
”Fourth Brother?” Ning Que asked with surprise.
Sixth Brother looked at the dark corner of the house and said with a smile, ”That's him.”
It was only then that Ning Que noticed that there was a very small sand table in the shady corner and a man in a blue spring uniform of the Academy sitting next to the sand table. The temperature in the house was very high, but the man actually did not have a drop of sweat or feel any sense of hotness, he was focused on the small sand table in front of him. He seemed to be a part of the house and easy to miss. If one closed his eyes, he would not feel him sitting there.
”Fourth Brother recently went on the Mixing Fu cultivation.”
Chen Pipi explained it. ”He wanted to turn the Talisman inscription and the steel in the weapon into a tighter combination, perhaps even making them into one eventually.”
Fourth Brother, who was seated in the dark corner, looked up and ignored Ning Que as well as Chen Pipi. He said to the half naked brawny man, ”If Sanxing pattern is used to increase the front impact resistance, it naturally has no problem. But how about the tearing force from the side? If a martial warrior puts the Qi of Heaven and Earth over the body skin, it will be a little difficult to stimulate the Talisman inscription on the armor.”
ixth Brother went over to the other side, with Ning Que and Chen Pipi following behind him.
On the sand table were three seemingly simple lines, which were slightly crooked. Intersecting them were a few very smooth semicircular arcs, which seemed like a line holding a few drops that were about to be integrated, but not yet fully integrated.
Listening to the discussion of the two Senior Brothers, Ning Que knew that they wanted to modify the Talisman inscription on the armor so as to enhance the defensive ability. It was his first time seeing the use of Talisman Taoism. Therefore, he could not help feeling curious.
”I don't understand Talisman Taoism or the use of these decorations. But I always feel that the semicircle is too smooth or... perfect.” Sixth Brother scratched his head and said honestly, ”I think that things that are too perfect will definitely not last.”
After a long silence, Fourth Brother said, ”You've been a blacksmith all of your life, and are more familiar with the power than I am. Although I don't know why, I do believe your intuition. Indeed, these semicircles are way too perfect.”
Ning Que felt a little nervous, staring at the sand table paved by fine white sand, and wanted to see what changes Fourth Brother was about to make.
Though no one took the wooden pen to draw, the white sand on the sand table rolled about magically. It seemed as if there was an invisible hand holding the lines in the changing shapes. No one knew how many combinations these lines have made up in a single moment.
Ning Que stared at the lines on the sand table, his eyes flashing rapidly as the lines changed. His thinking gradually could not keep up with the extremely complicated combination changes, and he felt a slightly irritating pain in his mind and a rising nausea in his chest.
...
...
Ning Que walked out of the house and came to the waterwheel, washing his face with some cold water. Only then did he feel better. He trembled and looked at Chen Pipi. ”I really didn't expect those fragments of Talisman inscriptions to be so incomprehensible.”
”Because the fragments could easily lead to mental fluctuations, not to mention that you have overestimated yourself by wanting to see so many changes.”
Chen Pipi used a bamboo tube to fetch some water and drank it. He wiped his mouth and laughed. ”Besides, Sixth Brother makes the stove in the house work all year around and smelts all kinds of stainless-steel materials. Though he doesn't fight, he has a very sophisticated Martial Arts cultivation. So he's fine staying inside. But a guy like you would faint in that heat.”
Ning Que did not mind being ridiculed by Chen Pipi, but felt excited when thinking of the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who he had seen in the Back Mountain of the Academy today, especially those seemingly crazy, but obviously very amazing, scenes.
”Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother are playing chess. One was a South Jin Kingdom nationalist and another was a court chess player of Yuelun Kingdom before they entered the mountain. They had tied more than 10 times. Later, they became Brothers after entering the mountain, but never forgot the grudges during those years. As long as they are free, they'll take a chessboard to sit under the pine tree of the mountain for a few days.”
Chen Pipi thought of the two Senior Brothers and said snappily, ”They often forget to eat when playing chess. How would they remember that today is the day you enter the Second Floor? If I hadn't climbed all over the mountain to find them to send food all these years, I really think they would have vomited blood on the chessboard, and frozen to death and become two elegant ghosts under the pine tree.”
Ning Que listened to this narration and could not help but become speechless. He thought the people living in the Academy's Back Mountain were really strange enough and wondered why the Headmaster of the Academy had accepted these people as students.
”You know Third Sister.”
Chen Pipi continued, ”At this time she should be still copying the minuscule characters in the old library. You can see her whenever you want. Don't ask me why she copies the characters every day beside the eastern window. I only know this is the assignment the lecturer gave her.”
Ning Que recalled the number of people in the cliff that night and silently counted. He said to Chen Pipi, ”Eldest Brother has followed the Headmaster to travel in another country. So there should be two Senior Brothers that I haven't seen.”
”You haven't seen Second Brother. As for the last one, he is not Senior Brother, but an old gentleman who has a strange identity. He reads and stays silent all day, so Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters don't like interacting with him.”
Chen Pipi led him to the waterfall behind the cliff square and warned him. ”I will take you to see Second Brother. You must behave yourself. Though the Senior Brothers and Sisters you've seen acted a little odd, they are very good and kind. Second Brother is serious and upright, and always asking others to correct their misdemeanors. If you do anything wrong, beware of his punishment.”
Ning Que felt shocked after hearing this and nervously asked, ”Then how should I behave with Senior Second Brother?”
Chen Pipi looked back at him and said mockingly, ”You have always been good at pretending, just behave as you did with the Senior Brothers and Sisters previously. I really didn't expect you to be so good at flattery.”
Ning Que said sarcastically, ”A wise man submits to fate, and an idiot resists fate.”
Chen Pipi looked at him and sighed. ”In addition to seriousness and uprightness, pride is the most prominent characteristic of Second Brother. And he hates seeing anyone be even more proud in front of him. So... please be careful.”
”You're always so proud, I think you've been punished by Second Brother many times over these years.” Ning Que looked at his chubby face and laughed. ”You don't need to worry about me, I will be the most humble person in the world in front of Second Brother.”
”It's too late.” Chen Pipi looked at him with a half-smile. ”The Mathematics problem you gave me last year has caused Second Brother to retreat into seclusion for half a month. Do you think proud Second Brother will forget that?”
...
...
It proved that Chen Pipi's intimidation was nothing but a paper tiger—When they walked to the small courtyard near that silver-like waterfall and finally saw the legendary Second Brother, Ning Que found that he was absolutely not the type of man who had a supercilious look and felt that his tone was very warm and kind without the slightest trace of pride.
Standing above the stone stairs, Second Brother calmly watched them and asked indifferently, ”Ning Que, little Brother he... sorry, I should not address him as little Brother... Twelfth Brother took you to visit the Back Mountain. How do you like it?”
”I've seen Senior Brothers and Sisters devote themselves to cultivation. They're really my...” Ning Que respectfully answered.
However, before he finished the sentence, Second Brother raised the hand and interrupted with a cold voice. ”Those guys only know about playing with birds, feeding fish, playing instruments and chess every day. They don't devote themselves to cultivation at all. Fourth Brother is very talented in Talisman Taoism, but lacks something in his brain so that he was actually cheated by Sixth Brother and became a blacksmith! The Headmaster is kindhearted and ignores them. Otherwise, I would have punished them many times over. It is really unwise for you to say they're your role models.”
Ning Que did not know how to answer him at all.
Second Brother suddenly lowered his voice and asked, ”What are you looking at?”
After seeing that waterfall, Ning Que had decided on the tone for this conversation and made a lot of mental preparations, determined to play a shy quail in front of Second Brother and absolutely not look into his eyes rudely. But the ancient hat towering up like a very tall laundry stick above the head of Second Brother was... too eye-catching.
It would be difficult to look away from Second Brother's old hat no matter who was looking at it. Ning Que felt that he was talking to a stick. This weird feeling made it difficult for him to look calm.
Compared with this high stick-like hat, Second Brother's appearance was much more normal, but also full of character.
Second Brother had straight eyebrows and thin lips. Though not handsome, he did not have the slightest problem with his appearance. His black hair was combed neatly, meticulously hanging behind his back and not leaning to any side. His two eyebrows were exactly symmetrical, and even made people feel that there was exactly the same number of hairs on both sides. No one could pick out any problems from his calm and mettled eyes. His person as a whole made people feel that they could not praise or blame him.
Probably everyone seeing Second Brother would have this feeling. Because of it, Ning Que felt a little absent-minded. After suddenly hearing the sentence, he could not help but feel scared and said with a smile, ”Senior Brother, young Brother is looking at your hat.”
Second Brother looked at him quietly and said, ”Why did you look?”
Ning Que looked very natural and confidently answered, ”Because it looks good.”
Second Brother was slightly startled. Chen Pipi, who had been standing silently on the sideline, also felt shocked and cursed in his heart silently. Chen Pipi thought that he had known Ning Que for a whole year but he did not know that this person was actually so shameless.
Even though Ning Que was good at flattery, there were times when he made people who accepted the flattery feel a little shy or even angry, not to mention Second Brother of the Academy. At this important moment, Ning Que would not allow the opposition to have any chance to respond or revive. He chose a thing from his mind at random and asked puzzledly, ”Second Brother, I returned to Chang'an from the grassland with Princess Lee Yu last year. I met a Great Sword Master in the Seethrough State on Northern Mountain Road of Min Mountain. Someone said he was an abandoned disciple of the Second Floor of the Academy...”
”It's hard to enter the Back Mountain of the Academy. How could he easily go out when he has come in?”
Second Brother said, ”There are distant relatives in the deep mountain and ignorant people in the world. They always think about having a relationship with the Academy to improve their status. There are a lot of Second Floor abandoned disciples who appear every year. Should the Academy tell the world there is no such person every time they appear?”
”I'm worried that these opportunists would ruin the Academy's reputation.” What Ning Que said was his honest opinion.
Second Brother said sarcastically, ”The people involved in it certainly know the truth. As for those who are not qualified to know, no matter what ideas they have, they're not qualified to affect the Academy's reputation. You can just ignore these things in the future.”
Listening to this sentence, Ning Que lamented in his heart that he finally felt Second Brother's pride. It was indeed a very arrogant pride.
One's eyes could reflect what one thought. Second Brother noticed the change in Ning Que's eyes. He thought that the new-entry young Brother was shocked by what he had seen today. So Second Brother tried to comfort him. ”The Back Mountain of the Academy, or Second Floor, in fact, is not as mysterious as people wish. It's just a place where the Schoolmaster teaches students.”
...
...
”Do you feel helpless?”
”Yes.”
”Don't you think that Second Brother is really boring and stereotypical?”
”Yes.”
”Does his hat look like a stick?”
”If I look at it for a long time, sometimes I suddenly feel that the cap looks like a folded paper toy.”
”No matter what it looks like, do you have any urge to break or squash it?”
”... ”
When they left the courtyard and could no longer hear the sound of waterfalls crashing from the cliff, the two youngest members of the Academy's Back Mountain began to speak, certain that Second Brother could not overhear their conversation.
Chen Pipi rubbed his cheeks, which had become kind of numb from maintaining a serious look, and looked at Ning Que. ”Just say it.”
Ning Que honestly answered after a moment of silence, ”Kind of.”
Chen Pipi looked at him solemnly and said, ”Not only you, but we all have this kind of feeling. Senior Sixth Brother has even tried it several times.”
Ning Que opened his mouth slightly, looking at the fat lad's face, and then hesitated before saying, ”... I don't know what to say.”
Chen Pipi shook his head and said, ”I'm not so stupid to trick you into hitting Second Brother's cap. In fact, after seeing your performance today, I firmly believe that you're more likely to use some sinister ways to trick me into doing this great thing in the future.”
Ning Que laughed and suddenly said, ”I think it's quite good for Second Brother to be proud. At least he acts like a person.”
”I won't use what you just said against you.”
Chen Pipi's face showed that he obviously did not mean what he said. He patted Ning Que's shoulder sympathetically and said, ”In fact, we all agree on this point, especially after Second Brother raised a goose two years ago.”
Ning Que surprisedly asked, ”A goose?”
Chen Pipi said with a smile, ”We always thought that the reason why Second Brother raised the animal was that the goose is very proud and he finally found his own kind. In that case, he certainly should raise it well.”
Ning Que was startled and repeatedly shook his head with a smile. ”That's so harsh and so vicious.”
Chen Pipi laughed. ”You don't buy it? You'll know why we say so after seeing the goose later.”
They came to a gentle slope where wildflowers bloomed in the green meadow. The two chose a clean place to sit down among the flowers. At the bottom of the slope was a gently flowing stream that seemed to come from the cliff's waterfall and might form a new fall after outflowing from the cliff square. But no one knew where it led to.
The spring breeze mixed with warm sunlight, gently blowing on the faces of two young people. They lay on the meadow among the wildflowers, with their hands behind their heads, and looked at the beautiful scenery feeling extremely comfortable.
Ning Que looked at the stream under the slope and said, ”In the Academy... I mean, below where we are, I occasionally looked up at the mountain, but never saw a waterfall. And I never expected it to be so beautiful inside the foggy mountain.”
Chen Pipi squinted, looking at those black spots at high altitude. He smiled and said, ”This mountain is so large that I haven't traveled all of it. Fourth Brother has said that the mountain's side facing Chang'an City is a cliff. So the waterfall you mentioned most likely falls from there. I have gone to glance at it secretly. At the bottom of the cliff are all clouds and no one knows what is below it.”
”If it's convenient for you later, show me around.”
”Okay.”
Ning Que had excellent vision, so he could see the swimming fish fighting for food in the stream. He thought about those Senior Brothers and Sisters he met in the Back Mountain today and asked curiously, ”Senior Brothers and Sisters... what state they are in?”
”Second Brother has been in the Knowing Destiny State for years. But I don't know whether he is in the Upper State or the Middle State or whether or not he has seen that door. And then from Third Sister to Eleventh Brother, they are in the Seethrough State, maybe the Upper State, Middle State, or Lower State.”
The answer was somewhat beyond Ning Que's expectations. He looked at Chen Pipi in surprise and said, ”You are in the Knowing Destiny State. How can Senior Brothers and Sisters still be in the Seethrough State?”