Translator:TransNEditor:TransN

The term Old friend is not appropriate. Zhong Dajun glared at that back in the Rain-proof Corridor, furiously saying, Who knows howHer Highness meet him, and is cheated by him.

Ahead of thestudy room, the strong-built Chu Zhongtian rubbed his head and said, I have mentioned it to the elders in my family when I was back home. My fifth uncle wrote back to me and explained he had asked about Ning Que fromHua Shanyue, theSenior Captain ofGushan Commandery. He replied thatNing Que was merely a solider of theCity of Wei who had escortedHer Highness on the journey back and might have made some contributions too. Her Highness wanted to repay his help, and so gave him special care inChangan city.

As the most outstanding one in terms of study among the thirty-seven grandsons of the sixteenth guard general Chu Xiongtu, Chu Zhongtian was a favorite with all his family members, so he neednt step aside when government affairs were discussed in his family. Therefore, his words were always trusted.

It seems that the encounter before theold library the other day was just a coincidence. As for his contribution onHer Highnesss journey back

Zhong Dajun snorted indifferently, What contributions can he make as a foot soldier? Oh, I see, putting up tents, holding the horse and picking up argol can all be counted as a help. It is not strange thatHer Highness gives him special care, for she is virtuous and kind. But who can predict that this vile guy should borrowHer Highnesss fame to raise his own status. How mean he is.

At these utterances,Situ Yilan, who had been sitting in silence beside the table suddenly, stood up and retorted, When doesNing Que borrowHer Highnesss fame to raise his own status? Do you know whatNing Que actually did duringHer Highnesss journey back fromCity of Wei? I know. If he just did trifle things like picking up argol, why didHer Highness come to see him personally that day?

Then her arched eyebrows tilted up and she continued in a deep tone, You saidNing Que was vile and mean, then I wonder, what do you think of gossiping about others like this? If you really think he is low, then tell him in his face. But just like what he said, you dont have the courage, because you are afraid of him.

Zhong Dajun became extremely awkward. He never expected this noble girl ofChangan to speak for Ning Que even if he had offended most of his schoolmates. So he suppressed his fury forcibly and defended himself, I am not afraid. But we are all cultivated scholars, how can we fight so brutally with that youngbarbarian?

Situ Yilan showed no intention of answering him but turned back to see her companion whispering with Xie Chengyun. Frowning, she asked unpleasantly, Wucai, wanna go back?

Jin Wucai took a furtive look at Xie Chengyun and then said toSitu Yilan with a smile, You go first, Ill go later to theold library to read books.

Situ Yilan knew it was just her excuse, so she didnt bother with it. She packed up her stationery and walked to Xie Chengyun. Looking at this reputed talent fromSouth Jin Kingdom she said, Wucai is the most adored granddaughter of Libationer of Tang. Although you are quite famous for your talent inSouth Jin Kingdom, you still have to enter theSecond floor first.

Xie Chengyun understood what she meant quickly and replied with a confident smile, I will try my best.

Zhong Dajun was still offended bySitu Yilans defense ofNing Que, so he sneered, If Mr. Xie fails to enter theSecond floor, then nobody in our grade can make it. Or perhaps you think that Ning Que can make it?

Situ Yilan frowned at him and turned to leave with great anger. How could she promise thatNing Que had the ability to enter theSecond floor in front of her schoolmates? She didnt have the confidence in him, not to mention that Ning Que probably didnt either in himself.

After having three slices of fried steam buns and a bowl of golden millet gruel at the canteen,Ning Que passed through the wetland at his quickest speed to the tranquilold library, where he went upstairs to the second floor. This second floor was not the one mentioned above. However, it held the same significance to him with its fragrant smell of books and faded ink.

Inside the building it was pleasantly cool, as if the fragrance of books could usher in calmness, or merely because the fervor sunshine was prevented by the tightly-closed west window. Up the second floor, Ning Que found that his complaints and grumbles previously aroused in the study room,like the hotness and sweat,were cleared off in an instant.

Walking to the east window, Ning Quelooked at the petite female professor who was delicate and peaceful, and respectfully bowed to greet her as usual. Then he straightenedup. Staring at her pretty side-face with no trace of age and thinking of her indifferent reaction towards him when he was lying on the ground, heavily-injured the day before yesterday, he felt totally confused. He was about to ask for an explanation from her, yet finally gave up.

The female professor seemed to have forgotten the scene she personally witnessed that day, and that the lad beside her was the one who had laid against the wall, desperately waiting to die. She slightly nodded at him in greeting as usual without a look at him or a word. She was just peacefully copying theHairpin-style Small Regular Script from the book and it was impossible to notice the slight movement of her lower jaw without carefulness.

Ning Que smiled self-mockingly and rubbed his head. Then he wiped off those things from his mind and returned to the bookrack, squatting to draw outWu Shanyangs Theory on Haoran Swordand then sat on the floor beside the west window to read it attentively by a faint light penetrating through the window paper.

He was totally incapable of remembering the content of classical cultivation books, and at the very beginning he even fainted at a look of figures in those books when his acupoints inOcean of Qi and Mountain of Snow were blocked. Later he learned how to useEight Strokes Calligraphy of Yong to deconstruct characters, which hence helped him to understand the implicated meanings behind the characters. Yet he was still troubled by those implicated intents. For example, the intent of those characters in this book about Haoran Sword was fiercely poking on him like sharp blades tormenting him.

He still did not know how manyacupoints in hisOcean of Qi and Mountain of Snow were reconstructed. However, hisPerception of that peacefulBreath of nature was enough to prove that his former anguish of blockedness had been mercily taken away byHaotian. He wondered what differences would be made when he read those books again.

There were indeed differences. The intent of those ink marks in the book entered his mind through his eyes, then gradually dispersed through his body, which was later transformed to a blade touring around. During the process, the previously unbearable suffering in his chest changed into a feeling of depression and he felt that something was blocked, very blocked, extremely blocked.

The feeling was not good, which easily reminded him of that medicine made by Ma Yinglong pharmaceutical company. So after an attentive reading of more than an hour, he shook his head and put the book down, then walked to the west window to leaveChen Pipi a message.

First, you can congratulate me, cause my acupoints are no longer blocked. Second, I still fail to find anything useful in these books, why? Third, can you offer some simple and workable methods? Lastly, thank you,

Feeling a little regret,Ning Que went downstairs in the twilight and returned toLin 47th Street ofChangan City byhorse carriage. Then he began to look forward to tomorrows Academy life, for he was curious about the answer fromChen Pipi.

He didnt realize that this regret was actually an emotion that was totally undeserving. If those great masters fromHaotianDivine Hall inWest-Hill found alad freshly entering theInitial Awareness State had expected to begin formalcultivation within a day, they would call it greedy and expel him from cultivation.

Similarly, if thoseInstructors of academy knew that one of their students, who just got ten of the seventeen acupoints in Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snowunblocked, couldnt wait to learnHaoran Sword, the unique skill of the Academy, they would definitely call him a narcissistic idiot and hit his palms a hundred times as punishment.

The engraving ofVermilion Bird by a Sage of the last generation in theVermilion Bird Street ofChangan, the mysteriousbig black umbrella with unknown sources at his back and theHeavenly Power Pill from some holy place ofWest-Hill were all most precious and marvellous existings in this world. Together, theybrought such changes in his body.

A saying in the world ofcultivation went thatcultivation was a gift fromHaotian which was picked up by a lucky person. It was against the will of Heaven to force an ordinary person without any potential ofcultivation to pursue it and such a power was only possessed by god, or just recorded inClassics and passed from mouth to mouth. OnlyHaotianDevine Hall ofWest-Hill Divine Kingdom owned such power, which needed great devotions of thoseGreat Divine Priests in a higherstate.

Therefore, the ordinarycultivator besideMin Mountain, theTalisman Master of Military Ministry in charge of examination, the old manLyu Qingchen he encountered in their journey back andChen Pipi who left him messages could simply assert without any hesitation thatNing Que couldnt pursuecultivation.

However, when the most marvellous existings-Vermilion Bird, Black Umbrella andHeavenly Power Pill intertwined withNing Que at the same time, the circle of life moving forward slowly began to be stirred. (This sentence can be neglected)

In the pitch black darkness before dawn, thecultivatorYan Suqing concentrated all his life power to break through the defense in Ning Ques chest made by his physical body. Later, the upperwing ofVermilion Bird changed into an intangible spear penetrating hisOcean of Qi and Mountain of Snow through the wound, and straight after, theVermilion Bird burnt all it could touch with an invisible fire which would have finally putNing Que to death.

Thebig black umbrella played a key role at this moment. It protected him like shadowy willows warding off sunshine, while rebuilding theSnow Mountain in his body with continuous chilly power from the night sky. But it was not enough, because this reconstructed micro-world in his body was too fragile and unstable and could collapse anytime.

Just then, Chen Pipi contributed aHeavenly Power Pill, which was as preciously as a virgin girl contributing her chastity.

God helped those who helped themselves. Perhaps Haotian began to compensate him for the bitterness and harshness he had experienced during the first decade of his life.

Ning Que didnt realize that he had encountered the most magical luck in this world. Even if he knew, he still would not understand the reason and remained unsatisfied and regretful after his fate was changed against the will of Heaven. This really infuriated others and rendered them speechless

Chen Pipi was speechless and infuriated.

At the word congratulate,Chen Pipi realized that the guys fate should be forcibly changed against the will of Heaven and actually began his pursuit ofcultivation. He then couldnt help gaping, losing his ability to utter a word. He even suspected he had a blurred vision.

He had no idea of the miraculous fight with the engraving ofVermilion Bird and the one under the protection of the big black umbrella both using Ning Ques body as the battlefield. However, as acultivationgenius cultivated both by theWest-Hill and theAcademy, he could figure out some causes and effects. But no matter in what way, he still failed to predict thatNing Que should have such a miracle fortune!

Hisshocklasted for quite a long time, rendering him totally speechless for some time. A strong sense of admiration and jealousy aroused from the depth of his prideful but kind heart. He couldnt refrain from being indignant again when he caught sight of those messages on the paper,

It was hot and dry in summer. Although cool breezes sometimes visited and the chirping of cicadas outside the west window gradually faded in the night,Chen Pipi still sweated profusely, not knowing it was caused by his fatness or the indignation. He unbuttoned his clothes and wrote back to him with great anger,

First, I dont want to congratulate you, cause the thing is too absurd to understand. Second, the useless one is not reading books but you, an idiot incultivation. Third, I admit I envy you now, so Im unwilling to give you directions.

Finally, please first thankHaotian and your ancestors, as for me the hell thanks!

When he was young, actually very young,Ning Que was constantly brain-washed by a sentence, the general idea of which was: The knowledge one masters is like a circle. The more you know, the bigger the circle is. Then you will find there is more and more knowledge that you dont know.

He used to hate this sentence, not understanding why his mother and teachers always taught him such a pessimistic argument. However, when he finally knocked open the door ofcultivation, he realized what the sentence conveyed was so real which made him confused and helpless, for he found what he couldnt understand actually increased.

Getting the message fromChen Pipi, he went to the second floor to readcultivation books, earnestly following the idea in the message. But no matter how earnest he was, he still couldnt get the trick.

He had been accustomed to the lineal thinking mode of killing people atgrassland with three knives tied to the back. While it couldnt be counted as a bad thing, Ning Que decided not to think further when confirming that he couldnt go ahead, and turned to do something more important.

Nobody knew what Ning Que would do first after confirming he could pursuecultivation.

He didnt indulge in calligraphy in the companionship of wine and songs all day long, nor did he find anInstructor of the academy to strongly ask for an intensivepractice of the course of magic skills, yelling, I made it! I made it!. He even didnt visit theprincesss residence and brazenly tell Li Yu that he was now a big investment. Besides staying atOld Brush Pen Shop withSangsang basking in happiness privately, where they would raise their heads to look at each other like two idiots and then giggle inexplicably, he just showed off toChen Pipi and then left for theSouthern City.

At the gate of the famousStar-Picking Casino in the Southern City tonight, a master and his servant whispered nervously to each other.

The lad had a delicate appearance. He had shallow dimples in his cheek and black hair. He raised his head to take a glimpse at the golden powder-painted signboard ofStar-Picking Casino and swallowed his saliva not knowing if he was nervousness or greedy. He then asked with his somewhat coarse throat, Sangsang, if we win a big fortune later, will they come after us to kill us?

The dark littlehandmaiden felt nervous too. With a heavy casket in the right hand, she hid behind the lad, listening to the bustlings spread out from that dim light and said in a trembling tone, Young master, Im more worried about your method. Percepting Qi of Heaven and Earth can help you to see the counts on the dice? Are you sure about that? If you gamble away all your silver later, you mustnt use me as stake.

What nonsense! Moreover even if I use you as stake, thecasino may not even want you.Ning Que rubbed his hands together nervously, saying, As for how certain I am, I have shown you many times last night. I, your young master, never fight without confidence of success. Surely I will win, and the problem is, how to escape after I win.

You have confidence to win

It seemed thatSangsang was not anxious about the way to escape at all. AfterNing Que assured her that they could win, she bit her lips and made up her mind to fetch a little folded paper star from the old belt. She then murmured, I have taken out two hundredtaels of silver from under the bed to change for anote, and in the casket, there are still one hundredtaels of silver Young master, you take them all and try to win more.