Nightfall

Ning Que rarely visited the front courtyard since becoming a student of the Second floor of the Academy. It was awkward hanging out with his peers from the Academy back then. However, he was in a rush today to report about what had happened. Furthermore, it was late and the students at the front courtyard were still in class, so he did not take the secluded side doors but brought Sangsang to the meadows, across the stone tablet and through the main doors.

The rain had stopped and the weather was balmy. The sun shone down upon them as voices rang from the study room. There was a debate going on in the other study room. The Academy was filled with a peaceful classroom atmosphere.

An aged voice rang in Classroom Three. “The basis and the origins are the most crucial. If you cannot understand the straight line, how will you understand more complex three-dimensional pictures? What is a straight line? A straight line is a straight infinite line. I will draw it for you…”

After a while, the female Academy professor in blue robes raised a chalk and walked out of Classroom Three with a solemn expression. She drew a straight line in the air.

There was no end to the straight line. The chalk in the professor’s hand continued moving. Her steps were calm and composed and she left Classroom Three and walked towards the instructor’s staffroom at the back of the Academy.

Ning Que watched on in a daze. He patted Sangsang’s shoulders and they followed the instructor into the staffroom, having forgotten the reason for their visit to the Academy.

Cao Zhifeng, the etiquette assistant professor had used the change in Qi of Heaven and Earth as an excuse to skip class to visit Prince Long Qing in Chang’an. Ning Que had thought that the Academy’s instructors were extremely ludicrous. However, the female professor who walked all the while holding the chalk had made him speechless.

Was this also a method of skiving off?

Walking outside the quiet study area, the female professor suddenly stopped and dropped her hand that had been stretched in the air. She carefully wrapped the chalk in paper and stuffed it into her sleeve.

She looked at Ning Que and said, “You’re here?”

Ning Que bowed and said, “Greetings, professor.”

The female professor straightened her robes and said casually, “Yiqing is already blind, so, let him return.”

Ning Que knew of the relationship between the professor and the Sword Garret of South Jin Kingdom. He was slightly startled when he heard that.

Since Chao Xiaoshu was alive and Liu Yiqing was blinded, a price had been paid. Under such circumstances, no matter how arrogant the Academy was, they no longer had reason to imprison Liu Yiqing. Would the Sage of Sword not retaliate if they continue keeping his brother imprisoned?

The female professor asked, “Is there a problem?”

“There’s no problem.” Ning Que said respectfully. “I will go to the back of the mountain and ask teacher later.”

The female professor said, “The Headmaster wanted me to ask for your opinion. Do you have any issues with this?”

Ning Que was shocked and he replied, “I… have no issues with that.”

The female professor smiled. Her face creased up like a flower and said, “Is this settled?”

Ning Que replied seriously, “It’s settled.”

…

…

Ning Que walked on the pebbled path and through the Cloud Gate array. He entered the back of the mountain of the Academy and around the mirror lake waterfall. He walked to the breezy grass cottage and bowed. He said, “Ye Hongyu has come to Chang’an.”

He was greeted by silence and the wind blowing into the grass cottage from the valley.

There were people in the cottage, but they did not bother with Ning Que.

The Headmaster sat within the cottage and did not move even though he was assaulted by the wind from all four sides. His beard and hair flew around him and he was immersed in his own world. He looked like a deity, but what laid at his feet was not a Chinese zither, but a messy table.

Eldest Brother and Second Brother sat beside the Headmaster primly.

The news that the Tao Addict had left the West-Hill Divine Palace and come to Chang’an had not caused the three to express any surprise, much less shock.

Ning Que thought deeply. Looking at how they were behaving, it seemed that this problem could be resolved. However, it was troubling to find that this was but just a small issue to them.

He coughed twice and said even louder, “Cough… She’s staying at my place right now.”

Second Brother looked at him coldly and said unhappily, “Can’t you see that teacher is doing something important right now?”

Ning Que looked at the leftover food on the table and wondered what could be so important. ” Wasn’t it just that the Headmaster wanted to show off his culinary skills and Eldest and Second Brother were both sucking up to him?”

The Headmaster waved towards the entrance of the cottage and said, “Strawberry shaved ice is just about to melt and this is the best time to eat it. You are quite lucky, come and have a bowl.”

Ning Que was not in the mood to eat strawberry shaved ice, but he brought Sangsang with him into the straw cottage resignedly.

Second Brother looked at him.

He sighed to himself and walked to the table. He moved the leftovers to a side, squatted down and separated the strawberry shaved ice in the large ceramic bowl into portions.

He gave the first to their honorable teacher and the second to his great Eldest Brother. The third, he naturally gave to his great Second Brother. There wasn’t much shaved ice left in the large ceramic bowl. Ning Que plated the shaved ice and was about to dig in. However, the Headmaster said, “Give it to the girl.”

Ning Que paused, before passing the bowl to Sangsang bitterly.

Sangsang smiled shyly. Then, she picked up the bamboo spoon and scooped the ice into her mouth. She tasted it carefully and a blissful smile blossomed on her slightly tanned face.

Ning Que asked curiously, “Is it that good?”

Sangsang held the plate in one hand and the spoon in another. She nodded seriously.

Ning Que whispered, “Give me a bite.”

Sangsang glanced at the Headmaster. She lowered her head and said, “This is mine.”

Ning Que was annoyed and he smiled coldly, “Have more since it is good.”

The Headmaster was delighted to see Sangsang eating happily. He waved his hands and said, “You can’t eat too much even though it is delicious. The cold in your body hasn’t been completely dispelled. It isn’t good to eat too much of cold things.”

Sangsang agreed softly and picked out the strawberry bits from the shaved ice.

The Headmaster suddenly remembered that Ning Que was around. He asked, “What did you say just now?”

Ning Que said respectfully, “The Tao Addict has come to Chang’an and is living in my house right now. I don’t know what happened in the West-Hill Divine Palace that had forced her to leave the Peach Mountain.”

Second Brother said indifferently, “Even the Divine Priest of Light could leave West-Hill. Ye Hongyu being forced to leave isn’t something that’s beyond our imagination.”

Ning Que said, “But the West-Hill would definitely know that she is in Chang’an. What should we do when they ask for her?”

Second Brother frowned lightly and said disgruntledly, “The West-Hill had once asked for your Sangsang. Did you give her up?”

Ning Que said, “That was different. Ye Hongyu isn’t part of my family.”

Eldest Brother smiled warmly and said, “Since the Tao Addict… has come to Chang’an… Perhaps…we should have her enter our sect… like Xiaotang.”

The Headmaster laughed out loud. He said, “I heard that the girl is quite decent. Ask if she is willing to learn from me.”

Ning Que was startled, he did not expect the Headmaster to come up with this idea so casually.

He thought of Chen Pipi’s story and how Prince Long Qing had come to the Second floor entrance exam because of a promise. He could not help but speculate that the Headmaster’s greatest hobby was to accept all genius disciples of the Haotian Taoism as his own. What kind of hobby was this?

Ning Que did not want Ye Hongyu to enter the Academy. But since this was the Headmaster’s wish, he had no right to disagree as a student.

He suddenly thought of the cold aura in Sangsang’s body that the Headmaster had mentioned. It suddenly occurred to him that he had not managed to cure Sagnsang’s old ailment, but he had forgotten that there was a deity at the back of the mountain of the Academy.

“Teacher, can you cure Sangsang’s ailment?”

The Headmaster looked at Sangsang who was concentrated on picking out the strawberries. He sighed and said, “The cold in the girl’s body is an inborn ailment. The cold rain had only exacerbated it. She had suffered for many years, and not even the best doctors on earth can cure this.”

Ning Que thought that Sangsang hadn’t relapsed often in the past two years. Could it be that she was slowly recovering by herself? He could not help but be surprised and said, “Teacher, you can’t just wash your hands of this!”

The Headmaster said, “I do not need to care about this.”

Ning Que did not expect the Headmaster to be so cold and grew angry. He said, “If you do not care about this, I… I… I will quit school!”

He was still rational despite his great anger. Everyone looked up to the Headmaster and Ning Que could not think of any other way to force his hand other than to quit school.

The Headmaster was even more incensed when he heard that. He lectured angrily, “You dumb idiot, don’t tell others that you are my student in the future! The Haotian Divine Light is one of the brightest and warmest thing on earth. The girl had learned this Divine Skill from Wei Guangming. Why would she need to worry about the cold in her body? Why would she need me to do anything about it?!”

Ning Que relaxed and felt a little ashamed. He said, “Couldn’t you just say so? Why did you have to say so much nonsense just to tease me? Teasing might cause the death of someone!”

The Headmaster’s beard floated around in anger. He said, “And you dare to rebut me! The number of years I have lived is many times that of yours. Even if we don’t talk about age, don’t you know anything about respecting your elders…”

Second Brother was a solemn person who adhered to etiquette strictly. His expression grew ugly as he watched the two spars verbally in an uncouth manner. However, it was obvious that the Headmaster was enjoying himself, so he could only shut his mouth tightly and glare daggers at Ning Que.

Eldest Brother could not watch any longer. He shook his head resignedly and interrupted. He looked at Ning Que and said, “Youngest Brother, I heard that you bought an estate in Chang’an.”

“Indeed.” Ning Que replied.

Eldest Brother did not say anything else. He lowered his head and ate his strawberry shaved ice.

…

…

In the hall of the estate by the Yanming Lake, Ye Hongyu combed her hair expressionlessly. Her green Taoist robe was still drying and she wore the common summer clothes of a Tang woman. Her dark smooth hair rested on her right shoulder, making her look more fragile and sweet.

Ning Que looked at her and said, “I’d understand if you refuse.”

Ye Hongyu stopped combing her hair. She looked at him mockingly and said, “I can understand why you hope that I would refuse. Would you be pleased if I enter the Second floor of the Academy?”

Ning Que said, “You can think what you want.”

Ye Hongyu said, “It is every cultivator’s dream to become a student of the Headmaster. It is also the greatest seduction and I am no exception to that.”

Ning Que felt regretful and sighed to himself.

Ye Hongyu looked at the wooden comb in her hands and said, “I am sorry to say that I have to refuse.”

Ning Que smiled happily and said, “I am sorry as well… Can I know why?”