Nightfall

Chen Pipi sincerely praised, “Well said.”

Ning Que shrugged and responded, “I often say some beautiful words that are even beyond my expectation.”

Then they exchanged their eyes and laughed.

It was not noticed when did the melodious music drifting on the cliff terrace stop. And as for the issue of craziness and preference, Ning Que had found a temporary answer, which made him less anxious than he was the previous days. Then he went down the mountain shoulder to shoulder with Chen Pipi, pondering whether he should go to sleep in the old library, after which he might return to the Lin 47th Street to go shopping with Sangsang and relax himself. But unexpectedly, with a gust of swaying in the dense woods along the path, two men walked out of it.

Fortunately, there are two men here, and then it was impossible to be Eleventh Brother who was most frustrating. Unfortunately, these two men held lyre and flute, wearing loose Academy uniforms, who were exactly Senior Brother Beigong and Ximen addicted in tonality.

“Little Younger Brother, yesterday when listening to the song, you didn’t nod frequently, so I guess there must be some problems with the song.”

Beigong Weiyang, Ninth Brother, also got blood-streaked eyes. He warmly pulled Ning Que’s sleeves and said, “Last night, Ximen and I stayed for the whole night to make some adjustments in the three successive sections of the song, which we are satisfied. But after all, it was written by us, so our satisfaction is not reliable. Then I want to invite you to make some comments.”

Ximen Buhuo, Tenth Brother, held the Chinese zither and sincerely said, “Little Younger Brother, thank you.”

Chen Pipi looked at Ning Que with sympathy, figuring you had just solved your problems in mentality, but again had to be disturbed by those trifles and chores. As the youngest one in the Back Mountain of the Academy, you have to endure so much pain!”

Ning Que slightly stiffened. Looking at the burning eyes of the two Senior Brothers, he thought of the old scholar attentively reading books beside the cave. So after a moment of silence, he greeted a bow with hands folded in front with a smile and calmly said, “Two Senior Brothers, I am sorry I can’t appreciate the song today.”

“Then what else can you do? Those guys forced you to play chess or debate?” Beigong Weiyang unhappily said with a wave of his sleeve, “Don’t feel embarrassed, I can deny them for you. Don’t they know how precious your time is?”

Ning Que couldn’t help laughing at his words, shaking his head and saying, “Ninth Brother, today I won’t listen to songs or play chess, nor will I debate with Eleventh Brother. I just want to have a sound sleep.”

Beigong Weiyang gazed at him with wide eyes and asked in confusion, “Why not listen to the song?”

Ning Que gently replied, “Because I… don’t like it.”

Beigong Weiyang was stunned at his answer. Fumbling the vertical bamboo flute in his hand, he distressedly asked, “Why? I saw you listen happily in the previous times.”

Ning Que answered with a smile, “I just wanted to make the two Senior Brothers happy. In fact, I was not that happy.”

Feeling bewildered, Senior Brother Ximen Buhuo interrupted, “But you frequently nodded your head during listening… ”

Ning Que sighed, “Because I was too sleepy.”

Hearing their dialogue, Chen Pipi was dumbfounded and gently pulled Ning Que’s sleeve to draw him aside, reminding him in a whisper, “How can you speak to a Senior Brother in such a way? Don’t say out even if you really don’t like it.”

Ning Que looked distressedly at him and replied, “But it is the fact.”

Just at this time, a calm and solemn voice came from above the Mountain Path. All of them turned to be severe and less arrogant in an instant, be it the stunned two Senior Brothers or Chen Pipi who were ready to continue reminding Ning Que by further criticism.

“If I don’t like listening to it, I should say it out. We have to be honest. That’s the virtue of a gentleman.”

Second Brother, who wore an ancient-style crown, walked down from above the Mountain Path with seriousness in his face. He slightly nodded his head to greet his Younger Brothers and appraised Ning Que undisguisedly, “The little Younger Brother really has the virtue of a gentleman. You should learn from him.”

Ning Que lost in his thought at the praise, because this was the first time that he was connected with gentleman, a weird creature in his heart.

Looking at him, Second Brother nodded his head with a smile, and then he turned to Chen Pipi and the other two Younger Brothers, ordering with the resumed seriousness in his face, “From today on, no one is allowed to disrupt the cultivation of this little Younger Brother, or else you will be punished by the Academy regulation.”

He didn’t speak loudly, yet his voice drifted to the far distance without being scattered as if it were a virtually object. Then it echoed loudly in the mountain with the wind and spread to all the other Younger Brothers and Sisters who were under the pine tree, the flower tree or on the lake and clearly got the information.

Beigong Weiyang and Ximen Buhuo had to agree despite their unwillingness, who then couldn’t help peeping at Ning Que. Perhaps they were secretly lamenting how uneasy it was to find a Younger Brother sensitive to the beauty of tonality who yet was taken away by the Second Brother.

Of course Eldest Brother ranked No. 1 in the Back Mountain of the Academy. However, he was so mild person that the Younger Brothers and Sisters all felt intimate with him and thus was not afraid of him. The one they actually revered was this serious and stern Second Brother. As long as he ordered, no one dared to disobey.

Thinking that Ning Que would no longer be bothered by these Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, and what he himself had suffered when he freshly entered the mountain, Chen Pipi was very envious of this lucky guy, and meanwhile felt annoyed and unwilling to accept it, so he pretended to seriously ask the Second Brother, “Senior Brother, the array tactical of Cloud Gate is under big modification now, and Seventh Sister needs Ning Que to help her every day, so… ”

His words were not finished and implied bad intention. So Ning Que took a glare at Chen Pipi, who rewarded him with a proud look. However, his bloat didn’t last too long. What the Second Brother said later had indicated what a bad luck that being long-tongued could bring to a person.

“The modification of the array tactical of Cloud Gate hasn’t finished? What did Seventh Sister do in the half year? Deal with the array eye… ah, it’s really troublesome. The little Younger Brother is still a green hand, and how can he consume his time on such things. Pipi, I remembered I used to practice the array tactical of Cloud Gate with Seventh Sister the year before last year, and now that you have experience, how about you doing the job?”

The mouth of Chen Pipi was widely opened, who tried to cry but failed to shed a tear.

“Little Younger Brother, come with me.”

Holding his sleeves behind, Second Brother slowly walked down the mountain.

Ning Que patted the shoulder of Chen Pipi with sympathy and then quickly followed him.

From those chats with Chen Pipi and other Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, Ning Que knew that Second Brother was a proud and serious man, who was strict with both himself and others, so he somewhat felt afraid of him. However, it was this Second Brother that had solved a big problem for him today, which suddenly changed Ning Que’s impression on him. He felt the Second Brother was absolutely the most lovely person in the world.

One’s psychological state would definitely affect his or her visual effect. Ning Que slowly followed the Second Brother to the Mirror Lake on the cliff terrace. The rigid gesture and the absolutely even-paced step of Second Brother had turned to admirable self-discipline in Ning Que’s eyes. Even the high crown with the appearance of the rod for beating laundry on the head of the Second Brother became noble and unsullied.

Then unexpectedly he sighed, “Your state, is really low… ”

Hearing that Second Brother spoke to him, Ning Que quickened his step to follow him and honestly replied, “Yes.”

“The Back Mountain of the Academy has little experience about how to cultivate disciples at No Doubts State.”

Second Brother slowly shook his head and said, “Although Eldest Brother was only at Initial State when he entered the Academy, he was taught by the Headmaster in person. Yet both he and the Headmaster are now on tour in other countries, so even I don’t know what I should teach you.”

Ning Que sank in silence. Although he was a bit disappointed, at the thought that the Headmaster and Eldest Brother will return some day, he was not so anxious.

While talking, the two went down the Mountain Path and arrived at the beautiful cliff terrace.

Approaching Mirror Lake, Second Brother took a glimpse at the pavilion in the middle of the lake a few paces off and the girl who was embroidering with her head lowered in the pavilion. Suddenly he stopped and after a moment of silence he muffled, “Although the Headmaster and Eldest Brother are both absent, you still have to take knowledge you learn in the Academy as the basis, because after all you are a student of the Academy. Our dignified Academy can’t be defeated by the old naughtyTaoist Yan Se. So tell me, what do you want to learn?”

Entering the Back Mountain of the Academy, one would really enter the world of cultivation. Ning Que was quite clear what he would encounter here, however, he was too occupied these so he got a bad spirit, in addition, those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters were too absurd, so he completely forgot the thing. When suddenly asked by the Second Brother, he felt somewhat pleasantly surprised and meanwhile a bit disappointed.

The world of cultivation was like an ocean, then how to make a choice? After practicing flying sword, one would be a Sword Master, and after practicing Psyche, one would be a Psyche Master. Then how about pursuing Martial Arts? Or perhaps I shall really find a stinkpot to practice and became an unprecedented stinkpot master?

Suddenly he came upon an important question, so he asked with hesitation, “Senior Brother, is there any conflict between the cultivation of Talisman Taoism and other things?”

Second Brother stood beside the lake and shook his head, answering, “All schools obey the same law, and all the streams will finally flow into the sea. You needn’t care too much about the beginning and the ultimate phase of cultivation, yet you have to pay special attention in the middle part. But you are still a green hand in cultivation, so don’t worry too much about that.”

Looking at the back of the Second Brother, Ning Que pondered it over for a long time with his eyebrows knotted yet still couldn’t make up his mind. He worried that Second Brother might become impatient if he kept silent for too long. Therefore, under this kind of mental pressure, he suddenly remembered that apart from those Array Tactical Masters in Military Ministry he occasionally saw from a far distance in the frontier fortress battlefield, the first cultivator he met in his life was the Sword Master on the cross of Northern Mountain Road.

The first cultivator he killed all by himself was the Sword Master in the small lakeside house, and the first book about cultivation he had read, besides those books about basic knowledge in the old library was Wu Shanyang’s Theory on Haoran Sword . What’s more, he liked the woods of sword behind the meadow of the Academy.

“Senior Brother… I want to learn Haoran sword.”

Upon hearing those words, Second Brother slowly turned around and looked at Ning Que with a strange look, whose eyes gradually brightened. He praised, “Haoran Sword is not the most wonderful skill, but absolutely most worth learning by men.”

…

…

The story that Second Brother would teach the newly-enrolled little Younger Brother Haoran Sword had broken the long-lasted silence of the mountain behing the Academy, where it became rather lively. Those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who lived scatteredly in the mountain all walked out of their houses under pinetrees or flower trees and stood here and there on the cliff terrace. They curiously looked at the two men beside the Mirror Lake, pointing to them and whispering to each other from time to time.

Beigong Weiyang squatted under the bamboo woods, and couldn’t help shaking his head at the two men talking to each other beside the lake, saying, “Is the flying sword worth learning? It has little beauty, and what else can we use it to do except killing others?”

Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother drilled out of the bamboo woods with chess boxes in their hands. Fifth Brother severely patted Beigong’s head mercilessly and reprimanded, “Tiger is quite beautiful, then will you kiss it? The difference between men and beasts is not decided by beauty, but by wisdom. What future he can get if he learn playing flute from you?”

Fifth Brother looked at the side of the Mirror Lake and shook his head to show his disapproval, “The little Younger Brother will go astray if he learns flying sword with Second Brother. If he learns playing chess from us, even if he cannot be a national player, he can still have some gains in his wisdom.”

Beigong Weiyang looked at him annoyedly and said, “Fifth Brother, wisdom is not violence. You should not hit my head even if you don’t agree with me.”

Fifth Brother gazed at him and answered, “I am your Senior Brother. Do you mean you can’t accept it if I beat you?”

Beigong Weiyang moved to the side, muttering, “I accept, and how dare I say no. But now that Second Brother requires the little Younger Brother to learn flying sword, let’s stop complaining.”

Let’s just neglect those who looked dim on the cliff terrace and who, like what the Senior Brother did, regretfully thumped their chest and stamped their face, lamenting that the little Younger Brother had been misled by the Second Brother to a wrong road. Second Brother and Ning Que beside the lake were at the moment seriously talking with each other shrouded in the genial late Spring breeze.

“Although you have read Wu Shanyang’s Theory on Haoran Sword, the monograph was written by Mr. Wu Da, a previous scholar of the Academy, in his late years. The book was mainly focused on the interaction and conflict between the Haoran Sword Intent and its surroundings.”

Second Brother looked at Ning Que and continued, “This book is even more focused on the law outside the Taoism, which is beyond at scope of knowledge and ability at your state at the moment. So now that you want to learn Haoran Sword, you need to start from the basis.”

Ning Que greeted a bow with hands folded in front towards Second Brother and said, “Please give me some advice.”

“The flying sword is the sword that can fly without the control of man.” Second Brother calmly said.

“Second Brother… is really good at talking nonsense.” Ning Que silently thought in his heart, unable to remain calm.

“The easiest way of using a flying sword is to control Qi of Heaven and Earth by Psyche Power, and then invisibly touch and control the sword to move it around your body. The power of flying sword lay in three points: The strength of Psyche Power of the Sword Master; The amount of Qi of Heaven and Earth he could control, his strength of connection with the flying sword and the strength of the sword itself; The subtlety of the sword when it was flying.”

“Although you are still at No Doubts State, you can touch or even control objects by your Psyche Power, so it means your Psyche Power is powerful enough and has a good interaction with objects. But there is still another thing that is decided by your inborn condition, that is, the amount of Qi of Heaven and Earth that you can control.”

Second Brother looked at him and calmly said, “You can take the amount of Qi of Heaven and Earth that a Sword Master can control as an invisible rope in his hand. The more Qi of Heaven and Earth you can control, the stronger and longer the rope will be. Only a rope strong and long enough can carry the sword to a further distance, and you needn’t worry about its being out of control.”

Ning Que said, “I understand.”

Second Brother looked at him and said, “The so-called swordsmanship, is actually different ways of Psyche Power to control Qi of Heaven and Earth to operate the sword. As for Haoran Sword, it will seek through straightness rather than curve. It requires resolution and determination to unsheathe the sword. If it is powerful enough, it can break through all barriers. I will dictate the Haoran Sword tactic to you, so listen carefully.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother.”

…

…

“Do you remember?”

“Half of it.”

“Then I’ll say it again.”

“Ok.”

Ning Que suddenly felt this conversation quite familiar. He thought to himself, shall I answer him I totally forget it later? And after that Second Brother might whisk his Academy uniform, saying with a big laugh, “Little Younger Brother, you get it. Then you can go to that dark place to slaughter the thieves.”

Second Brother asked with his eyebrows knotted, “How about now?”

Ning Que woke up from his thought. Of course he didn’t to answer him like what he thought, so he honestly said, “I can remember all of them.”

Then the knot of Second Brother’s eyebrows gradually unfolded, and he then praised, “You really have a good comprehension.”

Just when finishing his words, he randomly waved his hand in the Spring breeze and a short and thin wooden sword without handle somehow appeared in his hand. He handed the sword to Ning Que and said, “As I have said before, you need to start from the basis. Now move the sword.”

Ning Que took over the hiltless wooden sword, feeling a bit of cool from his fingers. For a moment he should feel lost. And then after a period of silence, he took a deep breath and said, “Ok.”

Those disciples of the Second floor of the Academy looking on by the lake all stood up when finding that Ning Que was finally about to move the sword. Their faces were filled with curiosity. Although they still insisted that it was totally wrong for the little Younger Brother to learn flying sword which was an unaesthetic and a stupid way to kill others, they still wondered what level the little Younger Brother was at.

Ning Que slowly closed his eyes, holding the hiltless wooden sword aclinicly to feel the weight of it. He found the originally light sword became heavier and heavier, so he pressed the Psyche Power of the Ocean of Qi to the outside of his body and integrated it with the Qi of Heaven and Earth in the surroundings. By doing so, he faintly touched the wooden sword. So later he winded the Qi of Heaven and Earth around the sword based on the method taught by Second Brother.

“Rise.”

Ning Que opened his eyes and lowly shouted while looking at the hiltless wooden sword in his hand, along with which the Psyche Power from his Ocean of Qi spouted out, and soon after, the Qi of Heaven and Earth wound around the sword suddenly tightened and then vibrated to get up!

…

…

In the Spring breeze by the Mirror Lake, a thin wooden hitless sword tremblingly flew up.

That thin hiltless wooden sword flew very slowly and tremblingly, seeming to feel uneasy and frightened.

The wooden sword was moving slowly in the air, every inch ahead seeming to be difficult and laborious.

And the trace of the sword was not regular at all, which was sometimes on the right of Ning Que and sometimes on the left. It at one minute bounced up and then was about to fall on the surface of the lake.

The wooden sword flying in the air was like an old woman with bound feet, having no sense of direction.

And those disciples in the Back Mountain of the Academy all looked on by the lake with their mouth widely opened, which couldn’t be closed in a short time.

The embroidery needle which was pinched by Seventh Sister in the pavilion at the heart of the lake had fallen into the lake without being noticed, which was then eaten by a greedy golden carp.

Beigong Weiyang, who stood on the edge of the bamboo woods, looked at the hiltless wooden sword in the air and solemnly said, “If you use ‘fly’ to modify the sword, I think this sword… will be ashamed.”

Chen Pippi standing only a few paces off shamefully lowered his head, unwilling to admit that man beside the lake was his friend.

…

…

The hiltless wooden sword tremblingly flew back.

Gazing his eyes widely, Ning Que stretched out his hand in a flash to catch the sword for fear that it might fall down, feeling a lingering fear. He wiped off the sweat on his forehead and turned to Second Brother, asking with excitement, “Senior Brother, how do you feel about me?”

The excitement on his face was his genuine feeling at the moment. He even spent more effort to suppress the complacence in his heart for he had tried his best. In addition, this is indeed his best performance in flying a sword, if taels of silver were excepted.

Second Brother stared at him, and after a long time of silence he said, “Little Younger Brother, you still can’t cultivate your Natal Item, but your performance is already good… Take it easy, come on, you will succeed.”

After saying those words, Second Brother left without turning back.

Ning Que stunnedly looked at the back of Second Brother, and then he noticed that Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters looking on by the lake began to return to the woods, who shook their heads during their travel back.

He seized Sixth Brother who hadn’t left because of fetching water and asked, “Senior Brother, what does it mean?”

After a long time of pondering, Sixth Brother showed an honest smile and replied in a whisper, “Little Younger Brother, Second Brother has always been frank and outspoken, but he was so mild and indirect to you today… it seems really not good.”

…

…

Those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters all left the lakeside and returned to their original place under the pine tree, under the flower tree and in the dense woods, where they continued to play lyre and flute, play chess game and remain in telesthesia. Nobody laughed at Ning Que, or came to comfort him. Because in their eyes, the performance of Ning Que to fly the sword by the lake was too absurd to be commented on.

Ning Que stood silently by the lake for a while and eventually found the most real answer from the attitudes of Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters and the explanation of Sixth Brother, thus feeling disappointed. However,he finally failed to refrain himself from laughing out at the thought of the scene that Second Brother wished to speak but stopped on a seond thought. While laughing, he continued to practise the Haoran Sword.

The performance which he thought was already good was actually terrible to the extreme in the eyes of those Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters of the Second floor of the Academy. The sharp contrast could be a huge mental blow to an ordinary person. But for Ning Que, especially the current Ning Que, it was nothing at all.

Therefore, at the side of Mirror Lake in the Back Mountain of the Academy, one might find a hiltless wooden sword sometimes flying like a blind old woman with bound feet. It fluttered sometimes tremblingly, sometimes fearfully, sometimes aimlessly, or sometimes slowly. Sometimes it fell into the ground and sometimes nearly stabbed Ning Que, and one time it even flew into the lake directly, forcing him to jump into the water to fetch it.

After the repeated practice, Ning Que finally stopped with gasps when the remaining of Psyche Power in the Ocean of Qi was all pressed out. Then he flumped on a stone beside the lake and hold a handful of cool lake water to sprinkle on his face, sighing satisfactorily.

It was not noticed when Chen Pipi came to the lakeside after his today’s modification of array tactical of the Cloud Gate. Looking at the pale face of Ning Que beside him, he suddenly said after a moment of silence, “There are some things you can’t deal with just by risking your life.”

Ning Que looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and said with a smile, “In the past you said cultivation is a gift that Haotian gives to us and we should not be too demanding towards it. If you are inborn unable to pursue cultivation, you’d better give it up. Risking your life doesn’t solve the problem. But now, at least I can practice cultivation.”

Chen Pipi shook his head and replied, “But if you always risk your life, how can your body bear with it?”

“I’m not risking my life. I just like it.”

Ning Que glanced at him and picked up the hiltless mini-sword to freely wave it in the air, saying with a smile, “Some day, I will definitely make this sword into… a damned flying… sword.”