Nightfall Chapter 160

Divine Talisman Master Yan Se's mood was very bad now.

He stared at Professor Huang He in the front and coldly said, "Anyway, your Academy can't have Ning Que."

Professor Huang He slightly furrowed the brows and said with mockery, "If uncle can have that kid, why can't our Academy?"

Yan Se loudly shouted, "That lad is naturally suitable for practicing Divine Talisman. Who else in the world is qualified as his teacher except me?"

Professor Huang He contemptuously smiled and said, "Only the Divine Talisman Master is qualified to be his teacher? Well, although our Academy can't pick out other powerful figures, we can still find out two or three Divine Talisman Masters."

His tone of those words was like saying that he could always pull out two or three green radishs in his garden. Divine Talisman Master was indeed rare and honorable. However, the Academy was not an ordinary place after all. Even he himself was a Divine Talisman Master. In addition to West-Hill Divine Kingdom, who could compete with the powerful Academy?

Yan Se suddenly paused and then nigglingly said, "Anyway, I saw him first. I'll never give him to you."

Huang He sighed and said, "Uncle, you're a venerable man. Stop making a scene, okay?"

Bah! Yan Se angrily said, "Look at me, your uncle. Every day I soaked in the brothel and hugged the girls. My each pore is acting like a wretched rogue's. So how do you think I'm venerable?"

"Even if uncle you give up self-esteem to act shamelessly today, it won't work at all."

Professor Huang He looked at him and earnestly said, "It works for His Majesty, Master of Nation, or even the hierarch and the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill Divine Palace. But our Academy won't buy it."

The conversation in the study room might seem ridiculous. However, no matter how they acted like rogues, the dispute between the two Divine Talisman Masters was bound to be excessively tense for their identities. Therefore, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became depressing.

At this moment, the Prince Li Peiyan suddenly smiled and said, "In fact, why argue for this matter? In my opinion, the cultivation of Ning Que was only in No Doubts State, far less than Prince Long Qing. Why not let Prince Long Qing enter the Second floor and let Master Yan Se have Ning Que? As a result, the Tang Empire and West-Hill Divine Palace are both satisfied, so is Master Yan Se. Besides, Ning Que still retains the identity as an Academy student. Therefore, the Academy will have two very promising students at the same time. Doesn't it sound a perfect ending?"

Professor Huang He listened to him and slightly startled. It sounded reasonable, but was not so persuasive.

Li Peiyan looked at him and mildly said, "If the Academy is limited by the system and inconvenient to make this decision, you can let Ning Que quit on his own. As long as he himself gives up the qualification of entering the Second floor, who in the world dare gossip about the Academy?"

Professor Huang He frowned and said, "Why does Ning Que give up?"

Instead of immediately answering his question, Li Peiyan turned to Master Yan Se and asked with a smile, "Master, I want to know if Ning Que becomes your disciple and enters South School of Haotian Taoism for cultivation, how will you and Master of Nation treat him?"

"We'll regard him as a son or nephew and teach him all we've learnt." Yan Se resolutely replied.

Li Peiyan looked at Professor Huang He and smiled with hands unfolded. He said, "We all know that Master of Nation doesn't have any outstanding disciples, neither does Master Yan Se. If Ning Que enters into South School of Haotian Taoism and diligently continues his own practice, with the two masters' careful training he might be the Master of Tang Empire in the future. With such a bright future, why will he refuse it?"

Professor Huang He finally understood where the previous question in his heart came from. He slightly grasped his hands in the sleeves and stared at the eyes of the Prince, secretly thinking His Highness' trick was really ruthless. If Ning Que was really tempted by the name of Master of Tang Nation in the future and determined to withdraw himself from the Second floor of the Academy, then they wouldn't have the reason to ask for this lad from South School of Haotian Taoism.

Previously it was Yan Se who had made concessions for gain and pretended to move ahead for retreat. However, the situation has changed this time. It was time for the Academy to make concessions for gain and think about the coping method. Professor Huang He undoubtedly said, "No matter how Ning Que thinks about it, I have to ask for all the Academy instructors' advice on this matter. Otherwise, isn't it too absurd?"

In the early morning, it was still at dawn. Ning Que rubbed his eyes and woke up.

Glancing at the shimmer outside the window, he silently calculated in the heart and knew that he had not been in coma for too long. He got up and went to the table. Then he lifted the pot of herbal tea and almost drank it over to refresh himself. He looked around and found that this should be the Academy's dormitory.

He walked to the door and reached out his hands to slowly push the wooden door open. The delicate dawn light weaved in through the narrow doorway and shone into his eyes, making him squint. Suddenly he woke up and watched that light, standing still in front of the door like a fool.

What returned to his mind were the long mountain trail, the arduous climb from midday to late night, those life memories of repeating joys and sorrows, the dark Wilderness and strange dreams.

"I... reached the top."

"I... entered the Second floor."

Ning Que stared at the dawn light from the door crack and realized what he had gone through and experienced. He could not help going blank for a moment, his face showing a confused smile. It seemed that even the smile could not believe everything that has occured.

When he remembered the last step on the boulder last night and the painful choice on the Wildernesss, he could not help shaking his head with a smile. He thought that the fantasy setter even made such a secular guy like him to do the metaphysical choice, which was like asking the butcher to think philosophically. Even if he could make the correct argument, he would never know the reasoning process.

He looked up to laugh and went out, refusing to be a conservative man. Ning Que smiled and pushed the wooden door open in front. He walked into the beautiful morning light and then found several officials standing outside. In fact, he had to make a very difficult choice.

"You are not yet a student on the Second floor of the Academy, so you still have a chance to quit and choose another path. It's completely different, but absolutely equally brilliant and even destined for you to rock the world."

Prince Li Peiyan sat in the chair and held the hot tea beside to slowly sip it, which slightly diminished the tiredness caused by lack of sleep. He watched the silent Academy student in front and continued to say, "I think you should choose the second path, for it involves the harmonious diplomatic relation between the imperial court and West-Hill. Although the Tang Empire never feared any enemies, nor surrendered for external pressure. However, that Prince Long Qing entered the Second floor was an agreement drawn by His Majesty personally and Divine Hall."

"As long as you take the initiative to withdraw from the competition of the Second floor of the Academy, it'll solve the predicament many people face, mitigate the pressures on the Tang Empire, and make you benefit from all aspects." Li Peiyan noticed that Ning Que kept his head down and remained silent. He became slightly unhappy and then said, "As one of the Tangs, you should think for the Tang Empire. Of couse, if I use this reason to make you exit the Second floor of the Academy, not to mention you, even I myself will feel it too absurd."

"So I'll give you another good reason."

Li Peiyan slowly leaned his body forward and stared at Ning Que's head. He said, "Master Yan Se is a prestigious Divine Talisman Master who did not hesitate to act a fool so as to take you back to be his disciple. You can imagine how he'll value and nurture you in the future. Decades of years later, you'll become a Divine Talisman Master with high status and the hope of South School of Haotian Taoism. Master of Nation Li Qingshan has only two disciples who are good for nothing. And he respects his Senior Brother very much, and knows the meaning of a Divine Talisman Master for a denomination than anyone else."

Ning Que was still silent, but got emotional waves in the heart. He just entered the Second floor and then got the favor of Divine Talisman Master. Just for a night, he has changed from an ordinary student, a nobody selling calligraphy in the small alley of Eastern City, to a person the Academy and South School of Haotian Taoism both tried to ask for. He was even seen as the hope of development - the hope seemed so big and incomprehensible, which even caused his headache. Wasn't it one of Prince Long Qing's private vocabulary?

"I know you have a good relationship with the Princess." Li Peiyan mildly said, "Here I can give you a promise. As long as you're willing to think for the imperial court, it won't treat you unfairly. I personally owe you one. When you later enter into Knowing Destiny State and become a Divine Talisman Master, of course, you'll be the next Master of Tang Empire."

Li Peiyan continued to say, "The Second floor of the Academy surely has a very wonderful environment. But if you look back at its history, how many of its students could go down in history? But if you become Master of Tang Nation, after a thousand years there are still countless people remembering your name."

Master of Tang Empire in the future?

Although Ning Que looked calm as usual, he has long been agitated by the words.

He seemed to see a brilliant road developing at his own feet. It was really an incomparably hard choice, whether giving up the Second floor of the Academy to follow the Divine Talisman Master so as to fight for Master of Tang Nation in the future, or entering the Second floor to follow Headmaster of Academy to learn the exquisite cultivation methods. He even felt that the choice on the cliff-edge and the Wilderness was much easier than this one.

Ning Que looked at the Prince's face, knowing that as long as he nodded, he would have an infinitely bright future. He believed these words. As long as he had the chance to follow the Divine Talisman Master to study, he might really become Master of Tang Nation in the future. If it was not this man who asked him to do so, maybe he had already been tempted.

Li Peiyan saw the emotional reaction in Ning Que's eyes, vaguely guessing how this lad would choose. He suddenly became serious, firmly holding the handle with the right hand, and then stared at his eyes to say, "This is a chance Haotian makes the imperial court grant to you. If you miss it, you're about to embrace damnation."

It was doubtlessly a pure threat. In the face of this threat, even if Ning Que really became a student on the Second floor of the Academy, he also had to think it carefully. Because he lived in this world, he was bound to accept the rules of this world.

Ning Que respectfully greeted a bow with hands folded in front and said, "His Highness, after all, I was an Academy student and have been studying in the Academy for one year. So I have deep feelings for it. I'm willing to think for the imperial court, but I must also consider the Academy's feeling."

Some people put the pressure of the choice on Ning Que's shoulder without hesitation in order to avoid irritating the Academy. However, for Ning Que who seemed to be honest but slippery, how could he take the initiative to bear the responsibility? With a few sentences, he directly threw back the pressure of choice.

Ning Que was not worried whether the Academy would give him up and let Prince Long Qing enter into the Second floor. He and Lee Yu had the same understanding in this matter, for Headmaster of Academy hasn't returned so that no one in the Academy dared to make the decision. In fact, there was an idea deep in his heart that if the Academy could not even withstand the pressure of the imperial court and eventually gave him to South School of Haotian Taoism, he did not need to stay in such an Academy. Why not be Master of Tang Nation instead?

What he and Lee Yu thought was not wrong. But there were always some deviations between reality and thought, for they did not realize that the instructors of Academy quite adored Prince Long Qing and the instructors were not all the Tangs.

In the early morning, the Academy instructors sitting in the room were fiercely arguing. It was true that they were unable to reach the quickest conclusion, for Headmaster of Academy did not return. However, it was precisely for the same reason that they had the courage to express their own opinions.

Vice professor of Etiquette Cao Zhifeng angrily said, "Many people think our Academy cheated in this exam. I don't know whether it is true or not. I only know that Prince Long Qing came out of the fog very early, so why did he stay outside the fog for so long? Why in the end did he make the last step with Ning Que? What has happened during the process?

Professor Cao was a senior professor of the Academy. What he said naturally made some sense. Although everyone in the room knew that the professor from Yan Kingdom expressed his doubt for not accepting the failure of Prince Long Qing, no one could explain this question he raised. And even some instructors secretly wondered whether those people in the Back Mountain cheated in the exam.

An old woman in a blue coat, holding a bamboo broom in her hand, regarded the debating people as idiots and said, "What a boring discussion. First come first served. Why do you make it so complicated? Cao Zhifeng, you have gone to Chang'an City to see your Prince every day and sorrowfully cried when back to the Academy. You think he is your hope of developing Yan Kingdom, but it has nothing to do with the Academy. I can't listen to you any more. I'm leaving."

The honored female professor of Mathematics in the Academy went away. And so did several professors who dedicated to academic services and were unwilling to be troubled by the trivial matters. Therefore, the debate in the room was getting fiercer. Many instructors thought that the imperial court's proposal really could make everyone satisfied. In that case, why not choose this? Was it necessary for Ning Que to offend all forces?

When Vice Professor Cao Zhifeng got angry and passionate again, the door was suddenly pushed open with a squeak. All the instructors stunnedly looked back, only to see a tender face stretching in after a short moment and a pair of black moving eyes.

The little boy came in, fresh and lovely but a bit shy. He looked at the instructors and asked softly in a mosquito-like voice, "My young master has something to ask you. So I take the message for him."

The instructors in the room knew the identity of this little boy, so they asked gently, "What's your master's question?"

"My young master got up early this morning and found that there were still many other unrelated people staying at the Academy. He was very angry with it." The little boy opened his eyes wide and looked at the crowd in the room to say, "He would like to ask you why the notice has not been posted after a night. What are those unrelated people doing here? Do you want him to treat them?"

Listening to these words, the instructors looked at each other and did not know how to answer. They all knew that Second Brother on the Second floor of the Academy was really kind of slow-witted. But they never thought that he has called the Prince and Master Yan Se as unrelated people.

Professor Cao Zhifeng glanced at the little boy and said, "We haven't decided the person entering the Second floor, so naturally we don't post the notice."

He thought that such an answer would make the other party unhappy. So he had already made his preparation to explain it in details. However, he did not realize that the young boy was so shy as to lower his head to go out after hearing the answer.

The instructors' debate in the room began again. But after a short time, the door squeaked again.

There was sweat on the little boy's pink face. Obviously he just ran very anxiously. The boy looked at the instructors and said, "My master asked, what do you mean by saying 'we haven't decided the person entering the Second floor'?"

Professor Cao Zhifeng unhappily said, "We mean what we mean, we haven't decided the person. Ning Que actually was able to defeat Prince Long Qing and first reached the top. A lot of people have doubts about that and suspected someone cheating in the Back Mountain. If people are doubtful, how can we decide it?"

The little boy confusedly looked at Cao Zhifeng and woke up after a long time. He said okay and turned away to leave, not knowing whether he actually understood the words of Vice Professor Cao Zhifeng.

It was quiet in the room and the instructors did not argue again. Because they felt strongly that it would not be long before the little boy of Second Brother came back and continued asking stupid questions.

Just then, the door was pushed open with a squeak.

The little boy widened his eyes and looked at Vice Professor Cao Zhifeng, asking, "Young master asked, who's doubtful?"

Professor Cao Zhifeng stunned, looking at the little boy's fresh lovely face and confused look. It was impossible for Cao Zhifeng to tell lies or speak out those people outside the Academy. So the professor moved the sleeves and frowned to say, "I'm doubtful."

Oh, the little boy was about to turn away to leave. Suddenly, he thought of the latter half of what the young master said to himself in the mountain and quickly turned around, embarrassedly scratching the head. He asked, "May I have your name?"

"I'm Cao Zhifeng." Vice Professor Cao Zhifeng unhappily said, "Why ask this?"

The little boy took it for granted and said, "Because my young master wondered who's doubtful."

After finishing this sentence, the little boy turned around and ran to the Back Mountain again.

Just then, the door was pushed open with a squeak again.

The breathless little boy placed a hand on the door frame for support and looked at Cao Zhifeng. He said, "Young ... young master said..."

Cao Zhifeng could not help laughing and shook the head to say, "What did your young master say again?"

The little boy swallowed the saliva and looked at the professor. He seriously said, "My young master said ' The Academy enrolls talents from all over the world regardless of the nationality. Cao Zhifeng, you're one of the Yans, so I don't blame you for supporting Long Qing. But you should remember that you are a professor of Etiquette course. How do you have the first class for the Academy students? What's the Etiquette of the Academy?'"

The little boy repeated the words fast and smoothly, with the raised eyebrows on his little pink face from time to time to show the indifference and displeasure. He was obviously in imitation of Second Brother in the Academy and looked very funny and cute, making the instructors in the room laugh a lot. But Cao Zhifeng did not laugh but instantly concealed the smile, and depressed the anger to ask, "What does Second Brother mean?"

"Cao Zhifeng, you've talked it about in the study room. The Academy's Etiquette is the rule. The rule is set by the person who has the strength."

The little boy looked at him and earnestly said, "Headmaster of Academy and Eldest Brother travelled in another country. In the Academy now, I am the only one who has the strength to set the rule. Therefore, whether you're doubtful or not, you must listen to me and immediately post the notice."

Vice Professor Cao Zhifeng stunned for a while and angrily waved the Academy gown to protest. "What an overbearing behavior. How to convince the public?"

The little boy did not know that this was the true feeling, but thought it was a formal question. When he was ready to leave, he suddenly happily raised his small hand and said with joy while applauding, "Young master is really clever. He had guessed what you said and let me answer you. "

Vice Professor Cao Zhifeng looked very embarrassed.

The little boy looked at him and pretended to seriously say, "I don't need to convince them. I just need them to obey."

Some instructors could not bear to look Professor Cao's embarrassed look at this time and then said beside, "Even if this matter has nothing to do with His Majesty, Master Yan Se and West-Hill, we have to respect Ning Que's own choice."

Once again the wooden door was pushed open. The little boy, whose clothes have been all wet by the sweat, lifted his sleeves to wipe the sweat on his forehead and took a long time to calm down. He looked up at the people in the room and retold the conclusion of Second Brother for the last time .

"Respect Ning Que's own choice? Why should I respect him? As for Master of Tang Empire... "

Here, the little boy deliberately made a long pause and lifted up his slightly sharp jaw to show a supercilious look against the roof. Then he clumsily uttered a groan from his little nose. All in all, he has cutely copied the look of that proud man on the mountain.

"Is he amazing?"

Above the cliff on the Academy's Back Mountain, there was a pine tree showing its welcome with stretched branches and white clouds flowing around. The whole picture looked like a paradise on earth.

Two persons stood beside the cliff.

One of them wore a very dirty and tattered robe.

The other person wore a very weird old hat.

The Academy Second Brother turned around and looked blankly at the Minister of Offerings Yan Se in Haotian South School. Second Brother said, "You actually dare to ask the Academy for my instructor's student. Not to mention you, even Haotian hierarch of West-Hill doesn't have the qualification."

Yan Se showed a weird smile and looked at him to say, "The Academy Second Brother is really still the world's most proud one, with such a harsh tone. But I'm older than you. I won't fight with you, lest someone says I bully you. But I really want to take away Ning Que this kid. Even if Headmaster of Academy is here, I still insist it. If you want me to have no successor, I have to be ruthless."

Second Brother looked at him and slightly laughed. He said, "No more excuses. If you're not confused, you should remember my position is higher than yours based on the headmaster's or Pipi's. If you want to grab my student, you must fight with me."

"If I say no fight, then no fight."

Yan Se looked at his hat above his head and mockingly said, "The Academy's Back Mountain is your domain. I'm not so stupid to fight with you. Anyway, if I don't start, you have no reason to fight with me. As for the matter about Ning Que, after all, it all depends on his attitude. In the future I and my Brother can promise him to be the Master of Tang Nation, which is better than staying inside the mountain every day and being bullied by those Senior Brothers."

Second Brother showed a supercilious look towards the sky and then laughed. "Master of Tang Empire... is amazing? You're still bullied every day by the imperial family and those old men in West-Hill. Master of Tang Nation is not a master at all, just purely a wife who doesn't dare to cry when being wronged." 

Chapter end