447 The Time Would Come for Stars to Fall (2/2)

Eldest Brother had asked about his new house by the Yanming Lake when he was at the back of the mountain. Ning Que had fended him off, and Eldest Brother had not continued with his questions.

Their conversation had seemed casual, but Ning Que knew that this wasn't the case.

Throughout their journey from the Wilderness to Chang'an, Ning Que had confirmed that Eldest Brother knew about what had happened between Xia Hou and himself even though he did not say so plainly. Even if he did not know about what had happened more than ten years ago, he knew about what happened in the past two years.

Eldest Brother knew what he planned to do. He was sure that Eldest Brother had guessed why he had bought that house by the Yanming Lake.

However, no matter Eldest Brother, Second Brother or his teacher, the people on the back of the mountain in the Academy all remained close-lipped regarding his actions.

The Academy respected the law of the Tang Empire. Eldest Brother would not agree with Ning Que's methods like the assassination of Huang Xing and Yu Shuizhu, but there was no evidence pointing to him.

Ning Que knew that his decisions did not fit into the Academy's ideals.

Eldest Brother had come to an agreement with Xia Hou on behalf of the Academy, asking him to disarm and retire. Having Xia Hou removed from the past and wiping away the old stories of the Devil's Doctrine and West-Hill, and allowing the world to look towards the future peacefully was the best decision for the Tang Empire.

It was a pity that it would never be Ning Que's choice.

...

The next day, Chen Pipi brought Tang Xiaotang to the Yanming Lake just as dawn broke. He looked at the opened doors of the courtyard and scratched his head puzzledly. He said, ”What happened?”

He had visited the Yanming Lake again after a day of thinking. He had thought through those things and could answer Ning Que's questions in the lotus land fearlessly. He was so eager to show Ning Que his loyalty that he wasn't too concerned about the doors being damaged.

Since the doors were broken, they didn't have to wait for anyone to open them. Chen Pipi extended a leg and kicked wildly, damaging the doors further. He made a hole large enough for a person to pass through, and then held Tang Xiaotang's hand and led her in carefully. Tang Xiaotang thought to herself that the skill she practiced was that of the Enlightenment doctrine. Even if splinters pierced thousands of holes on Chen Pipi, they wouldn't leave a mark on her. Why did he have to be so careful?

However, the girl did not have any intentions of moving away even as she thought so. She allowed Chen Pipi to hold her hand and they walked into the courtyard. The air was crisp and clear after a bout of rain. Her dark braids swung in the clean breeze.

They walked through the corridor and met Sangsang. Chen Pipi did not want Tang Xiaotang to hear what he wanted to speak to Ning Que, so he had Sangsang take her to catch frogs by the lake. Sangsang brought Tang Xiaotang towards the lake but recalled that she seemed to have forgotten something. When she turned around, she saw that Chen Pipi had already entered the main hall.

Chen Pipi crossed the threshold and saw a girl in maidservant uniform drinking porridge at the table. He asked curiously, ”Is this your new maidservant?”

Ning Que raised his head to look at him in shock.

Chen Pipi did not wait for him to reply. He sat down at the table unceremoniously and hit the bowl on the table lightly. He said to the girl dressed in a cloth shirt beside him, ”Bring me some porridge.”

He looked at Ning Que and said, ”I have already told you, how can you manage without a dozen of maids in a house this big?”

The girl in the handmaiden uniform had really risen to get Chen Pipi porridge. Ning Que held his bowl of porridge with an incredulous expression on his face.

”Sir, your porridge.”

The girl placed the bowl of porridge before Chen Pipi lightly. Her words were humble, but her tone was cold. It was so cold that it sounded bordering cruel.

Chen Pipi was startled when he heard the voice. He looked up and saw a stunning face and he inhaled deeply.

Ning Que held his bowl of porridge and was prepared to hide in a corner.

He had to abandon his furniture if he didn't want to die when a fight broke out between the two genius of Haotian Taoism.

”Your maid is so beautiful!”

Chen Pipi praised. Then, he picked up the porridge and began eating it. He mumbled, ”How much did you spend?”

Ning Que opened his mouth and only said carefully, ”I can't afford her.”

Chen Pipi studied the maid's beautiful face and grew to like it even more. However, the more he looked at her, the odder he felt. He furrowed his brows and said, ”Why does she look so familiar?”

The girl who was eating porridge by the table was Ye Hongyu. However, her green taoist robes were dirty and damp, so Sangsang had washed it and they had yet to dry. She was wearing Sangsang's handmaiden uniform, and even though they were a little small for her, it made her look fragile and charming.

Ye Hongyu looked at Chen Pipi and said calmly, ”Ten years ago, it was you who used to bring me porridge, how could you forget?”

There was a splat.

Chen Pipi had spat out the porridge in his mouth.

Even at a moment like this, he had managed to turn his fat neck around so that he would not splatter porridge over Ye Hongyu.

It was evident how afraid he was of that person.

Then, there was a shrill strangled shout and he flew upwards and knocked into the heavy beams before landing on the ground like a ball. He did not stop, but rushed out of the main hall like the wind.

...