306 Where Four People Travels, Someone Crosses the Lake (1/2)
Chapter 306: Where Four People Travels, Someone Crosses the Lake
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
His first sentence disregarded not only the bloody war between the Devil's Doctrine and the Righteous Doctrine lasting thousands of years but also the fact that the former was doomed under the sword of Mr. Ke of the Academy. Scandalous as these words were, they made some sense. When he spoke, Ning Que appeared righteous and retained his dignity as an Academy disciple.
Yet the next sentence that came from him was an utterly shameless and lowbrow plea for help. He didn't hesitate nor did he try to conceal anything. He couldn't seem any more shameless if he tried.
Tang Xiaotang looked at him with widened eyes, never once expecting him to ask for her help. She was stupefied. Was her brother telling the truth? Was this guy really a core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy?
Even Mo Shanshan, who knew Ning Que very well, could feel her cheeks burning. A hint of embarrassment was seen in her eyes as she took a step away from him.
Ye Hongyu shook her head with contempt. She had always believed everyone from the Academy to be incredibly proud as the only Unknown Place connecting the mortal and supermundane world. From the Headmaster of Academy to Mr. Ke to the new generation of disciples like Jun Mo, which of them would truly respect the Devil's Doctrine? Now Ning Que was shooting off his mouth here. It seemed to be true that the Academy educated everyone without discrimination.
To be honest, Ning Que didn't have to beg the girl from the Devil's Doctrine to help him leave the Tianqi Mountains. If he tracked the incomprehensive aura and fragments left behind by Master Lotus in his mind, he might be able to find a way out.
That was the same method he used to bring Mo Shanshan and Ye Hongyu out of the Devil's Doctrine. But he didn't want to do it again. He could pass it off as luck for him to find the right path among the deep, serene passageways the last time, but he would invite suspicion if he got lucky one too many times.
”Miss Tang, where are you heading?” he asked.
”I'm going to the south.”
The south was an abstract concept, especially for them who were in the bitterly cold Tianqi Mountains far north of the continent. No matter where their destination was, it seemed they had to first head south. Yet Tang Xiaotang spoke seriously and Ning Que also listened to her attentively, even telling her his thoughts truthfully.
”What a coincidence! We're heading to the south too.”
”A chance meeting is better than an intentional appointment, as the saying goes. Should we go together?”
...
...
It was the mighty ones of the Devil's Doctrine who excavated the stone valleys into passageways throughout the boundless mountains. The stone walls were so smooth and steep as if cut by a knife, hard even for eagles to make a grip on. There wasn't even a hint of dust collected on the stone surface despite the wind, frost, rain, and snow over the years, leaving no hope for green grass or trees to grow.
The Tao Addict of the West-Hill Divine Palace, the girl from the Devil's Doctrine, the Calligraphy Addict of the Mogan Mountain, and the weakest World Wayfarer in the history of the Academy made for a strange quartet as they walked through narrow, lengthy stone valleys in silence.
But silence wasn't quite the right word for it.
”I think we, as the extraordinary young generation of the cultivation world, mustn't follow the same disastrous road that our predecessors did.”
Mo Shanshan appeared grim. ”Disastrous road?”
”Desperately fighting as soon as they meet each other. What's the point? Isn't it better to just stay calm and cultivate in the mountains, and then say hello and chat when we meet?”
Ye Hongyu replied coldly, ”If we don't fight, we can't cultivate.”
”I've always disagreed with this line of thought but I won't be arguing about it with a cultivation freak with you. If you have the opportunity to visit Chang'an someday, I'll treat you girls to noodles. It's the noodles with fried eggs that Sangsang makes…”
Tang Xiaotang looked at Ning Que's side profile curiously. ”Who's Sangsang?”
”She's my little handmaiden. You may not know this but she makes the most delicious noodles in the world.”
Mo Shanshan smiled when she saw how Ning Que's haggard face lit up with delight after mentioning a certain name. She said nothing but felt a sense of inexplicable emptiness inside. That made her feel uneasy.
Mo Shanshan smiled when she saw how Ning Que's haggard face lit up with delight after mentioning a certain name. She said nothing but felt a sense of inexplicable emptiness inside. That made her feel uneasy.
He lowered his voice and said as he looked at Ye Hongyu's back. ”Do you know Prince Long Qing?”
Tang Xiaotang was infected by his actions and her quiet voice came from the beast tail.”I know him. I saw how your arrow pierced his body earlier… You're really impressive to be able to shoot someone from that distance.”
He answered sincerely, ”It's nothing compared with tactics of your Enlightenment Doctrine. You even dare to jump from that high place.”
Feeling bashful, she lowered her head and murmured, ”I was muddled in the head back then.”
Ning Que pointed at Ye Hongyu and said quietly, ”There's no way the West-Hill Divine Palace wouldn't want to take revenge on me after I abolished Prince Long Qing. This woman wants to kill me all this time, but we've agreed in your sacred site to fight after leaving this place. If a battle is inevitable after getting out of the mountains, I can help you.”
Though he kept his voice low, he had no intention of hiding anything. After all, the four of them were walking together in the silent valley. It was impossible for him to draw up a conspiracy or play the game of tactical collaboration.