232 Farewell to being a Nobody (2/2)
Lu Jiachen was stunned to recognize the sapling to be the rare seven-petalled blue lotus. Such a lotus had petals of a very faint blue. They were stunningly beautiful and could resist drought and coldness, yet were rare in this world because they easily succumb to insects.
”The seven-petalled blue lotus… It's truly an excellent flower. It's not unreasonable to sell it for one hundred Liang of silver in the market.”
Though Lu Chenjia was disgusted with Ning Que, she was still the Flower Addict and had a great love for flowers. Her comment was incredibly objective and honest. She suddenly scowled, eyebrows knitting. ”Though it can endure the cold, it's still a flower native to the south Yan. How can it withstand the cold winds of the grasslands? Hurry up and put it away!”
Ning Que was very obedient. When she ordered him to put it away, he really did. But it wasn't the flower, but his hands.
The sapling fell from his hands, hitting the ground. When it hit the tough soil of the wasteland, its fragile pot shattered as if it was made of glass. Its protective film of paper was torn and scattered. The beautiful flower instantly lost its charm, with wilting petals and broken stems. From the looks of it, it would never live again.
Lu Chenjia's expression changed. She held onto the rein and nudged her horse forward but it was already too late. The beautiful blue petals scattered all over the ground, flying as they were swept by the wind. They were gradually contaminated by the dirt. The sapling was buried under the protection film, making for a pitiful and pathetic sight.
Looking at the dead flower, her beautiful face paled and a flicker of pain crossed her eyes. She gradually turned around and stared at Ning Que quietly. ”Are you… trying to provoke me?”
A tragedy was when a person was shown the most beautiful thing in life, and then forced to see it destroyed. Everyone had a different idea of what was the most beautiful thing in life, depending on one's values be it money, power, or knowledge.
For Lu Chenjia, the most beautiful thing in life wasn't worldly happiness but the flowers and plants that remained untouched and unconcerned with the mundane world. She wouldn't feel sad if any of the cavalrymen from the Divine Hall died. Perhaps she wouldn't even feel moved even if the students of the Revelation Institute dropped dead in front of her.
But when this flower fell into the mud, she truly felt a burst of heartache inside her.
She knew Ning Que did it deliberately. Therefore, there was also an anger that brewed in her heartache.
...
...
When they heard the sound of the flower pot shattering, the students of Revelation Institute all rushed over at the fastest speed without any idea of what had happened. When they saw the unconcealed pain and anger in Lu Chenjia's eyes and the dead flower on the ground, they could guess what was going on.
The world knew how much Lu Chenjia love flowers. For this young man wearing the uniform of the Mochi Garden to do something like that in front of her was a deliberate act of provocation.
Infuriated, the students unsheathed their swords and surrounded Ning Que.
Lu Chenjia dismounted her horse and walked toward Ning Que. She asked, frowning, ”How does it benefit you if I'm upset and angered?”
Ning Que smiled at her and explained, ”I remember you telling Shanshan that you don't care for the joy and sadness of the world. That's why I think it shouldn't matter to you what my relationship to Shanshan is and how I'm affecting her. As for this lotus, it's something I paid money for. It has nothing to do with you even if I kill it. And it has nothing to do me whether you're sad or angry about it. Since that's how it is, you can't interfere with me smashing this pot.”
Lu Chenjia looked at him in the eye. ”Flowers can't talk, all they can do is bloom quietly. In your hands, they become a sacrifice for your battle against others. Don't you think it's unfair to them?”
Ning Que returned her gaze. ”It's not fair either to people who died on the grassland, like my brother from the Mochi Garden. Now, they can't talk either and that's why the world is cruel to them. Naturally, I'm not the kind who likes seeking justice for others. What I care about is you threatening me earlier. That's why I want to upset you. That's only fair.”
Lu Chenjia asked, ”Who exactly are you?”
It seemed like a trivial matter to break a flower pot in the grassland but it was an act akin to slapping this girl on the face. And she wasn't just a regular girl.
She was the Flower Addict of the Three Addicts. Behind her was two monstrously powerful powers, the Divine Hall and the Yuelun Kingdom. Being such powerful and esteemed, even a Prince from Tang wouldn't dare provoke her this way.
Thus, even in her moment of furiousness, she was still guessing Ning Que's identity. Was he just a foolishly ignorant man who didn't care for his life? Or did he had even more powerful backing than her?
Before revealing his real identity, Ning Que first revealed his other identity as the master of the mighty black horse. The students had been wanting to know as well.
He put his fingers to his lips and whistled a clear and loud sound. In a moment, they heard the fast and loud thumping of hooves. The horse heading toward the source of the sound was obviously in high spirits.
A dusty black horse came from afar, rushing into the meadow. It cautiously paced toward Ning Que's side. It gently arched its shoulder, looking very docile.
The white horse behind Lu Chenjia stepped back after seeing the black horse. Remembering its miserable experience yesterday, it wasn't at all comforted by the gentleness of the black horse. It started retreating.
The rein fell from Lu Chenjia's hand.
She studied Ning Que, together with his horse and the dead flower at his feet, and said coldly, ”So it was… you.”
He saluted her with his hands folded in front and respectfully said, ”It was me.”
For the past two days, Ning Que's horse had been the focus of many discussions in the meeting of Ge Mumu. Many esteemed people were looking for it, wanting it to be their mount. Its sudden appearance attracted many people running after it, bringing them to the meadow.
Lu Chenjia's voice was cold. ”You think I wouldn't dare to kill you with so many eyes watching? I've said earlier, filthy things like you are only apt at using small tricks, forgetting the fact that strength is everything.”
”I know I'm weak. But I also know well strength isn't everything.”
Ning Que retrieved an ID token from his clothes. ”Sometimes your backing is even more important.”
One student read the words on the token and frowned. ”Fish-dragon Gang? What's that?”
Ning Que was stunned and smiled when he looked at his token. ”Sorry, it's the wrong one.”
He took out another token and showed Lu Chenjia.
The students of Revelation Institute were a little shocked, but still, someone said, ”So what if you're a student of the Academy?”
He shook his head. ”Read more carefully.”
The students obeyed him and finally understood what his token represented. Everyone was so shocked into silence. For a moment, they didn't know what they should do with the swords in their hands.
Lu Chenjia's expression turned colder when she saw the token.
”Is there anyone who still wants to kill me now?”
Looking at the students around him, Ning Que said sincerely, ”If no one wants to kill me, I'll be leaving. The meeting held by the Divine Hall should be starting. I don't really have time to waste.”
He smiled at Lu Chenjia. ”I have a few words for you.”
”Firstly, if the difference between a famous figure and a nobody doesn't lie in their morals but their backing, then I'm not a nobody.”
”Secondly, you don't have the ability to make me feel like dying was better than living. Not even the three Gods in the Divine Hall have the right to do so. Therefore, I hope you would save all that nonsense when we meet in the future.”
”Finally, there are no perfect people in this world. I'm not and your partner Long Qing isn't either. At least, I don't think he'll dare call himself perfect in front of me.”
Ning Que jumped on his black horse and rode toward the grassland. He didn't forget to deliberately step on the pathetic dead flower as he climbed onto the horse.