Nightfall

Listening to her schoolmates who were making fun of Ning Que, Situ Yilan sullenly stood up and then pulled Jin Wucai outside the study room. At first, she carefully looked at her female companion and wanted to warn her something, but then she quitted the idea when she thought that her gentle and taciturn companion actually had nothing to do with it. Thus, she just asked another question with a sigh, “Will you go there this afternoon?”

Jin Wucai smilingly replied, “You mean Prince Long Qing’s reaching Chang’an?”

“Yeah, though I have no interest in such kind of handsome man, I still want to have a look out of curiosity,” Situ Yilan smilingly said.

“I can accompany you. How about booking a room at the Building of Pines and Cranes where we can view the long street?”

Situ Yilan looked at her and banteringly said, “No need to accompany that big talent today? If you really want to see Prince Long Qing and wouldn’t like to leave Xie Chengyun alone at the same time, you could go together with him.”

“He naturally won’t be there due to Prince Long Qing’s arrival,” Jin Wucai laughingly said, “Young men have their own pride, especially for him.”

Thinking of what Ning Que was treated these days, Situ Yilan said with a little disdain, “He what? He should be prouder by nature?”

…

…

The associate professor Cao Zhifeng skipped his class to welcome his own country’s renaissance hope outside the city. Many students in the Academy were also having a discussion on whether they should join the fun in Chang’an City. In comparison, Ning Que, who was walking below the sheltered corridor, was just deeply thinking of the cultivation. Even the discussion about classmates’ handwriting works failed to catch his attention, let alone such kind of boring thing.

However, he still couldn’t help envying and admiring for a while, considering that the Prince Long Qing had already caused such sensation in Chang’an even before arriving. Though, there wasn’t too much shock element in this kind of envy and admiration.

A great figure of the Judicial Department in West-Hill Divine Palace? A talent being about to enter Knowing Destiny State? Such kind of glory might shock other people. However, for Ning Que, even though he got along with Chen Pipi every day, who had entered Knowing Destiny State at the age of 16, he still couldn’t find out why Chen Pipi was called a unique cultivation genius by others. He thought Chen Pipi had two eyes, a nose and a mouth, just like a common person, except that Chen Pipi would produce more waves due to his obesity when jumping into water…

Ning Que arrived in Chang’an for the first time in early 13th year of Tianqi era, and then he got acquainted with such great figures as Chao Xiaoshu and Chen Pipi. Such experience naturally made him more eye-opening and informed, so the name of Prince Long Qing could hardly arouse Ning Que’s much attention, though the fame of this well-known prince had successfully shocked other students in the Academy.

After entering the old library and politely greeting to the female professor, Ning Que was quietly reading that book about Haoran Sword. Outside the west window, the spring sunshine gradually became slant and faint. Later at night, the female professor left the old library and then the bookshelf was gently slided again.

“Prince Long Qing reaches Chang’an today,” Ning Que said, looking at Chen Pipi.

Chen Pipi, scratching his head with full confusion, asked, “Who is … Prince Long Qing?”

Ning Que felt a little surprised and asked, “You don’t know Prince Long Qing?”

“Why should I know of the what prince?” Chen Pipi sat down with difficulty. He took a sip from a small wine pot Ning Que passed to him, and then said, “Is this guy famous?”

“Quite famous,” Ning Que answered, staring at his eyes, “He is not only a prince of Yan Kingdom, but also the second figure of the Judicial Department in West-Hill Divine Palace. What’s more, he is regarded as a cultivation talent like you, so I can’t believe you don’t know him.”

“The Judicial Department?” Chen Pipi shrugged his shoulders, causing a tremble of his cheek fat. Then he indifferently said, “So what? There are too many idiots who call themselves talents in West-Hill. I should know of every common guy from that place?”

Ning Que confusedly and surprisedly looked at him and asked, “You once said you are the heir of West-Hill Divine Palace, didn’t you? Even if you have left West-Hill for four years, how could you forget such a figure?”

“That’s just your blind guess. When do I admit I am the successor of West-Hill Divine Palace?” Chen Pipi put down the wine pot and then sulkily said, “If you insist your opinion, I have to doubt your intelligence.”

“You aren’t the heir of West-Hill Divine Palace?” Ning Que quickly suppressed his astonishment and then smilingly looked at Chen Pipi and said, “What a pity! I have had got ready to depend on you.”

Chen Pipi surprisingly asked, “When do you show great respect to me, a great talent, in order to let me infer that you want to rely on me?”

Naturally, both of them wouldn’t take it serious because these were just some jokes between friends. Ning Que suddenly thought of one thing and asked, feeling puzzled, “To be honest, the relationship between my Tang and your West-Hill was really bad. In this world, only the two places had the capability and qualification to compete with each other. In other words, they could be called their respective latent enemy. In this case, why would Academy accept a guy from West-Hill Divine Palace? Ain’t they worried that some secrets might be stolen by West-Hill Divine Palace?”

“The recruitment of Academy just focuses on one’s ability and temperament, but not the origin and background. It provides an education opportunity for all people without discrimination. Headmaster of Academy dares to accept such a talent like me as an ordinary student, let alone just a tiny second figure of the Judicial Department in West-Hill Divine Palace.”

Chen Pipi contemptuously satirized. Then he suddenly changed the topic and said with worrying expression, “The Judicial Department of Divine Hall is mainly engaged in suppressing foreign and heretical sects. They usually rank in a very high position and carry out the killing in a cruel way. The people there are all crazy and mad-brained. In Chang’an, they certainly dare not do something outrageous, but outside Tang, you’d better not provoke their people either, though you don’t have to fear them and these guys outside Tang may be not so strong.”

Noticing Chen Pipi’s prudence, Ning Que carefully nodded and then emotionally sighed with his head shaking, “I heard that the first figure of the Judicial Department in Divine Hall is a female who is called Tao Addict by the world. Considering that Prince Long Qing had already been a troublesome barrier, I really can’t imagine the toughness of this female.”

“She is much more than toughness!” Chen Pipi, after hearing the two words “Tao Addict”, suddenly became hysterical. He, waving his right hand hard, said, “This female Ye Hongyu is absolutely a maniac, but not a so-called Tao Addict. In my eyes, such figures from Divine Hill like Prince Long Qing are just small potatoes. Even if you displease them, I can protect you. However, if you encounter that female, you must keep away from her, because I also would avoid her as much as I can.”

Astonished by Chen Pipi’s hysterical and exaggerating reaction, Ning Que recalled Chen Pipi’s strange and loathsome comment on female on their previous letters. He couldn’t help connecting the reason with the first figure of the Judicial Department in Divine Hall. At once he remembered the discussion at the study room about the Tao Addict. They all said the beautiful female was very mysterious and no one knew her name. However, Chen Pipi just directly uttered the name of this beautiful Tao Addict in a familiar way…

“You said you aren’t the heir of West-Hill Divine Palace…” Ning Que half-smilingly looked at him and said, “But you have exposed yourself. If you insist your description, I have to doubt your intelligence.”

Upon hearing the words, Chen Pipi felt a little surprised and then scornfully said, “Wanna make a bet?”

“Time is the only criterion for testing truth.” This was the second time Ning Que said it after arriving in Chang’an, and then he seriously added, “It is a very stupid thing to make a boring bet about truth, just like a cultivator, with his distinctive ability, making money from common people at a casino.”

A little confused by the words, Chen Pipi, scratching his head for a long time, failed to make a reply.

Ning Que suddenly frowned and asked, “Today at the study room, the discussion about Prince Long Qing is very heated. I just can’t understand. Is the Knowing Destiny State…really marvelous?”

“It is certainly very fantastic for a man to enter the Knowing Destiny State. Few people have the gift of cultivation, and among these people, just a very small group of people can enter Knowing Destiny State. In the whole world, you can hardly find several mighty Knowing Destiny State cultivators.”

Chen Pipi, slightly raising his jaw, seemed very proud, as if he was telling Ning Que, “Look at me! Look at me! I, a genius, am one of the very fantastic Knowing Destiny State cultivators.”

Having a glance at him, Ning Que said with emotion, “In such case, maybe I am just misguided by a rare Knowing Destiny State cultivator like you who was extremely lack of requirement being a mighty one.”

Chen Pipi was irritated and rebuked, “What do you mean? You mean I am lack of the quality as a mighty cultivator?”

Ning Que smilingly said, “You are worse than it. You lack the most crucial thing–temperament…Do you understand the word ‘temperament’? It is totally a kind of feeling, irrelevant with your corpulent shape and boring talking.”

Chen Pipi angrily said, “State is state. What’s its relationship with temperament? As I have already entered the Knowing Destiny State, there is absolutely no existence of other states like superior Seethrough State in my eyes!”

“No evidence,” Ning Que perplexedly said, “You say you are a mighty Knowing Destiny State cultivator, but how to prove it?”

Looking at the evil laugh on Chen Pipi’s face, Ning Que was a little shocked and quickly said, “Don’t prove it by beating me hard! You often say I am a fool in cultivation, so what can it prove even if you defeat a cultivating fool?”

“So how to prove it?” Chen Pipi innocently asked with hands spreading, “You can find a superior Seethrough State cultivator to let me bully?”

“Good idea!” Ning Que smilingly said, “You know the female professor of the Etiquette Department Cao Zhifeng? I heard that he is a Psyche Master in Seethrough State. How about this rival?”

“Bullying an instructor?” Chen Pipi stared at him as he said, “You want me to be hung on the wall after being beaten hard by Second Brother?”

Pretending to make a deep thought for a while, Ning Que said, “It is indeed inappropriate to bully an instructor. How about targeting Prince Long Qing who is in Chang’an right now. Though he is a great figure of the Judicial Department in West-Hill Divine Palace, yet he is still a nobody in your eyes. What’s more, he will be a suitable target for your proving, for he is just one step close to Knowing Destiny State.”

“This target seems really pretty good…”

Chen Pipi frowned as he was thinking of how to give a lesson to that prince in Chang’an without alerting Second Brother. Suddenly, he realized something and angrily said as he stared at Ning Que with his soybean-sized eyes, “Something seems wrong with this idea! Have you been irritated at the study room and then you want to stir up trouble on purpose?”

“Your elder brother is never the kind of person that stir up trouble.”

There wasn’t any shame on Ning Que’s face though his evil plot was directly revealed by Chen Pipi. Instead, he confidently added, “You always say you are a rare cultivation genius, but nobody knows you. In comparison, another cultivation talent arrives in Chang’an now and everyone admit that he is a real genius. So how can you call yourself a rare genius?”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t have put up with it. You don’t have to degrade him in front of the public, but at least you should tell him that only who is in your state could have the right to be called a real genius!”

“Come on,” Chen Pipi scornfully glared at him and said, “Now I believe what your experience is true. If you didn’t grow up in an evil and dirty condition, how could you possibly be this evil at such a young age?”

Upon hearing it, Ning Que burst into laughter and stopped goading Chen Pipi. Out of the curiosity on Chen Pipi’s state, Ning Que suggested with a low voice, “How about having a simple performance now?”

Chen Pipi stared at Ning Que as if he was looking at a ghost, and then unbelievably said, “Showing the ability of Knowing Destiny State? Ning Que, we are the well-respected cultivators, but not those monkeys performing in streets and alleys.”

“Of course you are not a monkey, and I am not a street performer whipping a monkey, either. How could it be a street performance in the old library where there isn’t an audience? Just show your state ability as a lesson to me.”

As Chen Pipi refused to show his state ability, Ning Que became more curious about it and kept persuading him. When he referred to “a lesson”, it successfully persuaded Chen Pipi. For this similar-aged friend, Chen Pipi’s cultivation state was much higher than Ning Que. However, he never got any corresponding feeling of pride and Ning Que never showed any shocking and admiring expression, either. Heretofore, it seemed that Ning Que finally showed his admiration.

“The old library isn’t a suitable place,” Chen Pipi carefully explained after thinking for a while, “Every character, written in the books by the precedent masters in the old library, represents a Divine Talisman. If I show the ability of Knowing Destiny State in this building and cause the backfire from the Divine Talisman, it will be impossible for me to withstand it, even for Second Brother.”

…

…

Among five cultivation states, Knowing Destiny State was the most advanced and enigmatic one. Ning Que knew it from Lyu Qingchen on his journey to Chang’an from frontier fortress. At that time, he was just a green hand in cultivation, an extremely long distance with the Knowing Destiny State. As if the ant was never envious of the flying eagle, Ning Que never thought about the Knowing Destiny State. Therefore, even if there was a young and mighty Knowing Destiny State genius beside him, Ning Que never gave a thought on viewing the enigmatic power of Knowing Destiny State before.

Today, when Ning Que heard from his schoolmates’ heated discussion about Prince Long Qing’s arrival in Chang’an, he could not help but felt envy and jealousy, and of course, a little resentment, since they usually ignored Ning Que in daily life, as if he was just a stranger for them. Such different treatments naturally made the young lad realize that he was facing a huge gap in states between him and Prince Long Qing.

Ning Que didn’t feel the same way towards Chen Pipi who had already entered Knowing Destiny State, for Chen Pipi was his friend and once saved his life. However, Ning Que indistinctly felt resistance and hate to Prince Long Qing who had been treated as a genius and in a high position since he was born. Maybe such thought was similar to the poor’s hostility to the rich?

Unfortunately, no matter how Ning Que persuaded, Chen Pipi refused to show the enigmatic ability of Knowing Destiny State all the time. As the spring night became darker, Ning Que had no other choice but to leave with disappointment at the thought of Sangsang, who was waiting for him at home.

When he walked along the edge of wetland before entering the building complex of Academy, he suddenly stopped. A shocking expression gradually appeared on his face as he stared at the shallow wave of water plants.

The wetland of Academy was shallow but clear. If you walked along the river in daytime, you could clearly see countless of red and black carps swimming around the water plants, like a beautiful picture of fish snuggling plants. If you walked at a starry night, you could see fish’s squama reflecting the star light. The glittering light on the wetland formed an illusory starry sky which was more beautiful than the real one.

Ning Que went to the old library every day, and usually left after the sun was blocked by that big mountain behind Academy. Therefore, he was very familiar with the wetland and the beautiful scene of fish in daytime and at night. Tonight, however, he suddenly realized that there was something different between the present wetland and the usual one.

It seemed that the star light reflecting from the water plants of the wetland was a little darker than usual. Carefully looking at the water, Ning Que found that those red and black carps were totally still like various-color sculptures between the water plants, which should be happily swimming around!

The fishes were still and the star light naturally stopped glittering, so the wetland seemed darker and more peaceful than usual. What on earth kind of power could keep fishes stand still between water plants, as if the star hanging on the night sky? The standstill was neither a death nor a simple solidification, because the life breathing could be sensed from the wave and plants. It seemed that these fishes just left a virtual projection in the water but their bodies had gone to another connecting world during this period…

The miracle-like picture was a usual epitome of Knowing Destiny State?

After a long time, Ning Que gradually became awakened. Turning his stiff neck around with difficulty and then looking at the old library behind him, he saw that familiar figure disappearing beside the window.

With a gentle ‘Pa’ sound, a black-body fish with a red tail happily swam and jumped above the water. After enjoying a gulp of star light, it fell into the water again, having no idea what had happened before.

…

…

After returning to the Lin 47th Street, Ning Que still kept silent. The previous sight of that miraculous scene in the Academy was beyond his imagination, so his current mood became very complicated. He felt a little shocked and frustrated, but later the frustration was transformed into a slight depression and ambitious hope.

With his whole brain filled with the miraculous power, Ning Que didn’t realize that today’s Lin 47th Street was a little bustling. Mr. Wu in the fake antique store was passionately describing something to neighbors below that big locust tree, and Mrs. Wu, who was usually harsh to her husband, just looked her man boasting without stopping him. Instead, she kept gently laughing on one side, with her thick rouge dropping from her face.

“Wow, the Knowing Destiny State is indeed fantastic. How could he manage to do it? Why those fishes just stood still? It looked like a previous magic that fishes marched forward like abreast soldiers. However, it wasn’t the similar way because the old library was so far away from the wetland.”

“In the past, Lyu Qingchen told me that Knowing Destiny State cultivators could essentially master the running rules of Qi of Heaven and Earth and could understand the origin of the world. But…the origin of the world wasn’t a particle? To be honest, its function was like a refrigerator, given that those fishes could livingly swim and jump again after being still.”

After entering his shop and closing the door, Ning Que sat on the round-backed armchair and then began muttering with his hands supporting his cheek. After a long while, he suddenly felt something wrong. Finally, he realized that there wasn’t Sangsang’s voice and an immediate cup of hot tea at home. If in the usual situation, the maidservant would doubt whether her young master began talking nonsense after Ning Que kept talking for so long, but today it didn’t happen…

Raising his head in surprise, Ning Que saw Sangsang staring at a point in the air and uttering foolish laugh beside the desk. Her hair appeared a little unkempt like a silly girl.

“Er…Are you possessed?”

Hearing this sentence, Sangsang was suddenly awakened. She stood up in a hurry and then said, “When did you come back, young master?”

Ning Que irritatedly said, “Your young master had been back for over one hour! I can tolerant those naive schoolmates’ ignorance in Academy, but why am I being treated the same way at home?”

A shameful expression appeared on Sangsang’s slightly-dark face and then she immediately fetched a cup of tea for him.

Suddenly thinking of the heated topic in Academy today, Ning Que raised his eyebrow and looked at the back of his handmaiden. After a little hesitation, he asked, “Did you…go to watch Prince Long Qing’s arrival, too?”

Sangsang poured down half the prepared cup of tea and then filled it with boiled water. After having a try in person and confirming that the temperature was suitable, she gave it to Ning Que and then shyly said, “There was little business…in the daytime anyway. Besides, Mrs. Wu kept inviting me, so…I agreed to have a look.”

Ning Que automatically breathed a gulp of cold air and looked at her little face in surprise. He couldn’t believe that Prince Long Qing was attractive enough to charm a twelve-year-old handmaiden?

Sangsang misunderstood Ning Que’s expression from his eyes. She tidied her unkempt hair in a hurry and then carefully explained, “That Prince Long Qing’s carriage group chose Tong South Street, but not Vermilion Bird Avenue. The street was narrow and crowded, so my hair was unkempt. But young master needn’t be worried the safety of our taels of silver, because I didn’t take it outside the shop.”

“Am I worried about this?” Ning Que angrily rebuked.

“So what are you worried about?” Sangsang asked in curiosity with her eyes open like salix leaves.

“Er…” Ning Que stroked his head and thought why he was worried and angry, but he failed to figure it out. After a while, he just skipped the thinking. Carefully looking at the little handmaiden from head to feet, Ning Que said with laughter, “I never expect that my Sangsang will so eagerly long for love one day. However, I had a piece of bad news to tell you. That prince already had a fiancee.”

Sangsang glared at him and said, “Young master, you said I couldn’t get married if I am less than 16. This year I am just 13 years old, so it is impossible for me to think of the marriage stuff.”

“In my view, you won’t be like an grown adult even if you are sixteen,” Ning Que said as he poked her smooth forehead with his finger, “Look at your foolish behavior just now! Do you feel embarrassed that you have begun longing for love at the age of 13?”

“I just followed Mrs. Wu,” Sangsang lowered her head and then explained in a low and guilty voice, “That Prince Long Qing was indeed handsome.”