Nightfall

At the critical moment of life and death, he could rely on what Sangsang had, but not Sangsang herself.

Ning Que held his jaw sitting by the window, and gawked at the little girl thinking if he should try on the calligraphy stationery so that Natal Items could be finalized. However, the pen he usually used was a brush rather than a magistrate pen; the ink was pine ink rather than graphite; the inkstone was made of mud; the paper was the budpaper.How could they be used as weapons? Furthermore, they were all things that a scholar used. It always seemed improper to let calligraphy stationery fly in the air and be involved in the war with cultivators.

He fiddled with something in his hands while pondering on these difficult questions – now the Old Brush Pen Shop had plenty of silver taels, and Sangsang had even done things like covering the entire bed with silver taels. At present, silver taels had been changed into notes that did not have so much the same hand feel as silver taels. He kept a new tael of snowflake silver, and played with it every day – Snowflake silver was cool and smooth with a really good grip. For a poor lad who struck it rich, it was infinitely more comfortable than things like walnuts and stone balls.

For the rest of the time, Ning Que continued maintaining a clear, bright and kind heart, continuously trying to keep his breath in harmony with his Psyche Power and aura. Meanwhile, he succeeded in making the candle sway and extinguished it and made a corner of the piece of paper that was affixed to the wardrobe fly, but he still failed to find a suitable object. This situation lasted till late into the night.

The chirping of cicadas and the hot summer remained. The dim bean-shaped candlelight on the table released constant endless heat, and the master and servant in unlined robes sat at the table, staring at each other in silence for a long time.

Sangsang crouched at the edge of the table resting her head on her arm. She opened her willowy eyes to watch the restless silver ingot slowly moving and reflecting the candlelight on the table. She said in an undeniable tone, “Young master, although this piece of silver does respond violently to your Psyche Power, I still strongly object. If you throw it all away in a fight, what shall we do? An ingot of silver is equivalent to twenty-two taels. All our property will be gone in a few years of fighting.”

…

…

The next day, Ning Que went to the Academy, and stayed in the old bookstore till midnight before he left. Chen Pipi wriggled out when the bookshelf slightly moved, and Ning Que bounced up to tell him what he had experienced at Lin 47th Street, and then asked a question that seemed important to him, “Why can’t I still not remember the contents of these books ?”

“Didn’t Sister Yu tell you? In the old library, all the books and texts on cultivation were written by the grand cultivators of the past. Every ink in the book is the accumulated Psyche Power power of those Divine Talisman Masters. Only when you enter into the state of Seethrough, can you see through its hidden meaning, you are still far away from that state.”

Ning Que remembered the female professor’s warning to himself and Xie Chengyun. He scratched his head and sighed. Suddenly he thought of something and looked at Chen Pipi and said, “Does this mean… you are at the upper state of Seethrough?”

“No,” Chen Pipi answered indifferently without a trace of shame on his face.

Ning Que, now understood very well the character of this fellow. It was the calm expression that helped him guess his real state which might have been above the superior grade of Seethrough. He was greatly shocked considering that Lyu Qingchen did not manage to step into the Seethrough State with one foot until he was old and frail. The fat lad in front of him had already surpassed the Seethrough state and entered the Knowing Destiny State!

“You’re so young… You… are a unique genius.” He looked at Chen Pipi’s big round face and said with admiration. “You don’t look like a genius nor a grand cultivator in the Knowing Destiny State, but you really are.”

Chen Pipi was speechless and didn’t know how to respond, but thought to himself, “Are you worshiping or ridiculing me?”

Ning Que was in awe of him after knowing that this guy was actually a Grand Cultivator. He felt that he was talking with an old man who exhibited celestial behaviors with a white beard, and he said respectfully, “I mean… Genius, surely you can solve my dyslexia as you’re so talented. Please give me some pointers.”

It seemed that Chen Pippi really liked the mild and sweet voice and the overt flattery. He smiled before replying, “A word needs to be read as a whole, because a word is a world with its own soul. You can avoid being injured by the calligraphy style by deconstructing words with the Eight Strokes Calligraphy of Yong, but you can only see some fragments of this world, and that naturally can’t be registered in the spiritual world. An ordinary person who hasn’t reached the superior grade state of the Seethrough wouldn’t be able to read these books. In the opinion of a genius like myself, you can probably find some tricks that rely on the Eight Strokes Calligraphy of Yong.

Ning Que moved a bit closer and listened attentively.

“You’re good at calligraphy, so you can deconstruct these words into strokes by using the Eight Strokes Calligraphy of Yong. For example, you can try to unintentionally remember the order and number of strokes, and then reconstruct them in the mind with the method of calligraphy after leaving the old library. Consequently, the word’s still that word, but it no longer has the structural psyche given by Divine Talisman Masters who copied these books that year.

Ning Que was deep in thought.

Chen Pipi warned, “I just put forward a possibility. Whether you succeed or not, it will require you to conduct numerous experiments. The final result may work, or may not work.”

“It’s better to try than do nothing at all.” Ning Que suddenly remembered the attempt he made last night in accordance with the guidance of Chen Pipi. He then excitedly stood up and took out the prepared flint to light up a candle. After putting the candle on the table at the west window, he returned to his original place, and said, “Please see if my practice in cultivation has succeeded.”

As his voice dropped, his middle and index finger on his right hand merged into a sword, which stabbed the candlelight in the distance once he waved his arms. The Psyche Power exuding from his body controlled the Qi of Heaven and Earth, and finally disappeared along with his fingertips.

There was no sound of thunder, no great movement of the heavens and the earth.The dim candle on the table shook gently for a few moments and quickly regained its composure. It was as if a few wisps of summer wind had blown in through the west window crevices.

Chen Pipi frowned and after a moment of silence, he uttered shaking his head, “Weak.”

He spent a difficult night cultivating his ability to interact with objects in the Academy and finally learnt this ability, but could only receive the word [ weak ] from his peer. Although he knew the guy was a genius in cultivation, and that his current state was as dim and disdainful as the candlelight on the table in the eyes of the genius, Ning Que felt a bit unhappy. He took the silver ingot, and heavily slammed it on the floor in front of them, and said with extreme annoyance, “Please look at this before you make a comment.”

A moment later, Chen Pipi stared at the silver ingot that was slowly turning and moving on the floor. He then said incredulously, “Your response is not bad… Aren’t you the greedy type? Are you that fond of taels of silver?”

Ning Que suppressed the pride in his heart and rubbed the spot between his eyes that was starting to hurt due to the excessive output of Psyche Power. He thoughtlessly whispered as mildly as possible, “I’m not greedy, and the silver ingot knows I always care for them.”

“In other words, these silver taels are aware that you’re too mean to spend them, so they’ll give joyful responses to your perception? You’re not only weak, but extremely weak.”

Chen Pipi looked at him mockingly, and said, “It’s acceptable to cultivate the silver ingot into your natal item as you please, though I have never seen any cultivator doing so before. I must warn you that you’ve already exerted all your strength, yet this silver ingot still struggles like a dying white maggot. So what’s the use?”

…

…

Chen Pipi returned to the back mountain after spending half of the night in vain. He stepped on the stone path that was enveloped in fog and could not help sighing when thinking of the precious cultivating time he had wasted on that guy.

The mist suddenly cleared off and in front of the stone path, a tall figure abruptly appeared. In the darkness, one could clearly see that the guy’s black hair was neatly combed, and the tinsel ribbon on the waist was at the exact position, and the ancient crown cap on his head was as motionless as the eave.

“Why do you go to the old library at night? Which book can’t you remember so that you have to read at night? Don’t tell me you’re just there to check on ancient Classics such as Rites of Zhou.”

Looking at his most revered Second Brother, Chen Pipi gave a deep bow but he wore a bitter look on his face, and truthfully reported, “Second Brother, I went to the old library where I met a friend in the front department of the Academy, and we talked.”

“Hm…” The Second Brother continued with appreciation, “Gentlemen agree best in sincerity, regardless of wealth or poverty. Classmates from the front department are still friends. You’re worth rewarding since you can overcome your greediness and laziness to be a companion, but you should remember the rules of the Academy. You shall not speak about certain things.”

“No way!” Chen Pipi raised his neck and cried graciously, “Don’t you know how timid I am? I dare not give away any information. We just talked about mathematics.”

Upon hearing the word “mathematics”, the serious Second Brother suddenly remembered the question that Chen Pipi brought back from the back mountain one day. He thought of the painful time he had spent day and night in the room, while he was absorbed in calculating, hiding from his fellow students and sisters. A rare tremble crossed his brows and he said in a hoarse voice, “So it’s that guy.”

Second Brother got gloomy and turned around to walk on the slate ground, since he did not want to remember the painful time nor the entire room of papers on which no answers were written.

Chen Pipi thought of something, and then quickened his pace to catch up with him. “Second Brother, I’d like to ask you a question.” He panted following him joyfully.

“What’s up?”

“There’s a guy who doesn’t have much potential for cultivation. Only 10 of his 17 acupoints were open and he could barely perceive the Breath of nature and enter the Initial Awareness State as of fourteen days ago. However, he’s strangely capable of responding to the outside world and even made the first step into the No Doubts State. Can… he be regarded as a genius?

Second Brother suddenly stopped and turned to give Chen Pipi a cold look. He could guess whom they were talking about. It was the lad in the front department. He frowned for a while before answering in a very positive tone, “Certainly not.”

“Why not?”

“He entered the Initial Awareness State, the Perception State, and then the No Doubts State in fourteen days… Not a single genius like him exists in the world. Geniuses of this kind may only be monsters, because I, as a genius, still took 15 days to complete these processes.”

Second Brother spoke these words with no facial expression of exultance or arrogance, but the implied meaning in the speech was the utmost of pride and self-confidence. It took him fifteen days to break through three states and no one in the world could complete the same things in less than fifteen days.

Chen Pipi noticed Second Brother’s prim black hairdo, and could not admire him more. He thought he still took 17 days to break through the three states after taking Heavenly Power Pills. Second Brother attained enlightenment in the rural place like Linquan County, and only took him 15 days without wise instructors or Tao sects. He was indeed more vigorous than Chen Pipi who was an amazing genius for cultivation. Then Chen Pipi asked with admiration and curiosity, “How about eldest Brother?”

“Eldest Brother… is also a monster.” Perhaps Second remembered something from the past. His hands stretched up to adjust the slightly crooked hat and he solemnly said, “Eldest Brother was enlightened at the age of thirteen, and then dazed for seventeen years in the Academy before understanding the meaning of the No Doubts State.

“He didn’t enter the No Doubts State until the age of thirty?” Chen Pipi asked incredulously. “Eldest Brother is too… ”

Second Brother looked at him and replied sarcastically, “Too dull? Eldest Brother reached the No Doubts State at thirty, but then he only took three months to realize the Seethrough. Of course, I’m already at the superior grade of Seethrough.”

He remained silent for a long time and then he looked up at the night fog amidst the mountain with a long sigh. “That day, Eldest Brother realized the Seethrough in the early morning, and then reached the Knowing Destiny State while he was observing the clouds in the evening. He entered two of the most wonderful states in one night. The professor praised him for even he himself couldn’t do it.”

The voice faded in the night fog in the mountain. Second Brother and Chen Pipi who proclaimed themselves geniuses were indeed geniuses of the Academy. They fell into a long silence recalling the scene then the scholar revealed a smile in the twilight.

The road to cultivation was long and endless. The higher one climbed, the more difficulty one would encounter. So many cultivators who were regarded as geniuses during their childhood could reach the Initial Awareness State and then the Perception State at the age of five or six, the No Doubts State and even the Seethrough State at sixteen or seventeen. However, for those cultivators, entering the Seethrough was like falling into the quagmire, it would be hard to make further progress for decades.

The eldest Brother who entered the No Doubts State at thirty was not the gifted one in the potential for cultivation, he even seemed dull. Yet he could realize the Seethrough in three months and most frightful of all, he could enter the Seethrough and understand the destiny in a day. His experience and fortune were really incredible. Perhaps no other person like him existed in the entire world of cultivation.

There was a long stretch of silence before Second Brother spoke, looking at Chen Pipi, “Eldest Brother is considerate and kindhearted. He is a real gentleman. He rose unexpectedly with his accumulated strength and attained enlightenment in a day. You and I are far from being compared with him in terms of his great accumulation.

Chen Pipi nodded repeatedly. He revered Second Brother who was rigorous and solemn. Yet both of them were very proud with the same temperament, so he knew some stories of this brother. Tonight, he knew for the first time that eldest Brother who was always gentle and generous to fellows, courteous to professors, and who dressed in the old robe holding old books and a water scoop, and who looked more like a disciple of the Academy, was actually a genius. Then he could not help but nervously reflect and self-examine himself. Had he ever shamelessly shown off in front of the eldest Brother during the two years before the eldest Brother went touring around for studies with his professor?