Nightfall

“Even if you’re Invincible prior to Knowing Destiny, you’re just Invincible prior to Knowing Destiny.” There were a lot of other meanings hidden in these simple and even a bit repetitious words. There was tranquility, indifference, and strong self-confidence. Because only a Grand Cultivator in the Knowing Destiny State was qualified to say so.

There were countless people who practiced Taoism in the world, but only a few who were able to embark on the path of cultivation. And those who could finally get into the Knowing Destiny State were even fewer. Those rare powerhouses either hid in the depths of different sects or silently sat in the highest positions of the Imperial Court. They rarely appeared before the common people. However, one of them appeared in the Chang’an Local Government today.

Zhuge Wuren looked at the young fat man in front of him with an extremely weird facial expression. He looked a little excited, afraid, and confused. As the highest official in the Imperial Center Administration, he often visited the Nation Master and Master Huang Yang. As a person from the secular world, he had seen the largest number of Grand Cultivators in the Knowing Destiny State. But he was still shocked at this time, for he could not imagine how such a young man in the world had entered the Knowing Destiny State.

Even Prince Long Qing, the most favored one in the Haotian Taoism sect, and Wang Jinglue, who the Tang Empire placed great expectations on, were considered only to be very likely to enter the Knowing Destiny State. However, this fat young man had stepped over the threshold with ease and knocked Wang Jinglue into the wall with a single finger!

After a short moment, Zhuge Wuren finally realized that there was only one place in the world where one could have such an incredible cultivation, namely, the Academy in the south of Chang’an City. Since Ning Que was a disciple of the Second Floor of the Academy, this man must also be one from the Academy. So, he asked in a slightly husky voice, “Which Mister are you?”

After all, this official had overestimated the Academy so that he had asked which Mister the fat young person was. In fact, only this fat young person had entered the Knowing Destiny State several years ago in all the Unknown Places in the world, including the back of the mountain, the Zhishou Abbey, and the Xuankong Temple.

Of course, he was Chen Pipi.

Chen Pipi looked at Wang Jinglue, who struggled to stand up at the foot of the wall. He thought about those things that he had heard in the past and could not help shaking his head, saying, “A person of cultivation should be proud and confident, but not be arrogant. I heard that you once were a fat man. It seems that you even have lost the only advantage today.”

After finishing this sentence, he shifted the thick bedding to another shoulder and prepared to leave with Sangsang. He did not expect to hear Wang Jinglue’s voice again, “If you continued to kill for several months without sleep, you would also lose weight.”

Wang Jinglue wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth and looked at his back, saying, “The Academy should not interfere in the court administration. I didn’t expect that the Second Floor had directly sent Mr. Twelve to grab the girl today.”

Upon listening to these words, Zhuge Wuren learned that this fat young man was Mr. Twelve from the back of the mountain. He had previously asked about it, but Chen Pipi had simply ignored him. He could not help feeling a little bitter and painful. But he repressed the shock in his heart and said coldly, “Shouldn’t Mr. Twelve explain it?”

Chen Pipi looked at him and said blankly, “You bullied a little girl and are not qualified to hear my explanation.”

Wang Jinglue took his handkerchief out from his sleeves and covered his lips, which continued to bleed. He coughed as he said, “It seems that the Academy has put its own interests over the world. Does it really want to cover up for a little maidservant?”

Chen Pipi looked at the three people and said disgustedly, “I hate people talking about the court administration and the secular world. You guys always think of the dragon throne in the palace. Some people want to test Youngest Brother’s reaction with it. Some people even don’t want Youngest Brother to be the Nation Master. So how can you be qualified to represent the secular world?”

“Who wants to be the Nation Master? Who cares which person sits on the dragon throne? You don’t have the same state as the people in the Academy, so you see a different world. Stop playing with these boring methods! Stop learning from those rural women who pondered whether the empress used a sauce when eating a scallion pancake! Otherwise, you would only embarrass yourselves.”

There were no harsh words in what Chen Pipi had said. He just honestly explained that there was an insurmountable gap between them. It made him naturally reveal an unquestionable sense of superiority.

Zhuge trembled in anger. He Mingchi was silent and lost in thought with a bitter and complicated smile on the corner of his mouth. Only Wang Jinglue looked at Pipi thoughtfully and seemed to think of something else.

Chen Pipi looked at the three people and thought that, fortunately, the Youngest Brother was not in Chang’an City now. Otherwise, if the Youngest Brother knew that someone in the Imperial Court dared to bully his little handmaiden, whom he valued more than money, who knew what kind of tragedy would happen?

Immediately, he remembered the serious expression of the Second Brother in the back of the mountain and could not help shuddering. He thought that he would be beaten to death by his Senior Brother’s hat if Sangsang was harmed today.

Under the pressure of the Second Brother, no one could stop Chen Pipi from taking Sangsang away, including the Imperial Center Administration, the Southern Gate Temple, the top person in the Tang Empire military, Xu Shi, and the emperor as well as the empress.

Chen Pipi carried the bedding with Sangsang and, swaying as he walked, left the Chang’an Local Government, which was strictly guarded. He left them with a final sentence before departing, “It’s not finished. I’ll deal with it when Ning Que returns.”

Zhuge looked a little scared. He Mingchi gently sighed. Wang Jinglue slightly laughed and left.

Half an hour later, a picture of the red rising sun on the background wall of the Chang’an Local Government hall tore in the middle for no reason. On this picture, the red sun was separated from the blue ocean, which made everyone cry out.

Perhaps it felt the vicious meaning hidden in Chen Pipi’s words.

Perhaps this was just a warning from a fat student from the Second Floor of the Academy towards the Imperial Court of the Tang Empire.

…

…

In the Mansion of the Defender-general of the State—

Xu Shi looked at the plum flower outside the windows indifferently. His gray hair was combed tidily and the wrinkles on his face were like an array formation. The coughing sounds from time to time behind him could not distract him at all.

As a grand general with the most outstanding military achievements in the Tang Empire, he could fearlessly face many things. However, when he really did so, he found that the situation was different from what he had envisioned.

“Mr. Twelve from the Academy intervened, so I couldn’t make the maidservant stay there. I still don’t know how Wei Guangming has hidden in Chang’an City for so long or what the real relationship is between him and that maidservant. It is not clear what kind of responsibilities the Imperial Center Administration and Southern Gate Temple should bear in the death of Master Yan Se.”

Wang Jinglue looked at the mottled blood marks on his handkerchief and could not help frowning.

Xu Shi looked back at him and said, “You’ll cough blood for half a month.”

Wang Jinglue put his handkerchief into his sleeves and said calmly, “It seems worthwhile for me to cough blood for six months as long as I could see the legendary Natural Stream Magical Finger of the Zhishou Abbey and experience the no-boundary spirit of the Academy.”

Upon hearing this answer, Xu Shi felt somewhat satisfied and slowly nodded.

Wang Jinglue looked at the old general beside the window and slightly smiled.

As a nominal disciple of Mountain Dragon Tiger, he was actually a self-cultivator who depended on self-enlightenment for breaking the realm or cultivation. He heard from Xu Shi about the Unknown Place skills, including the no-boundary spirit of the Academy and the Natural Stream Magical Finger.

In the past two years, His Majesty had commanded him to follow the old general battling in the south of the Tang Empire. Though dull and stubborn, the old general had carefully educated and cultivated him. After living together for a long time, he actually respectfully regarded the old man as his master and father.

“An Unknown Place like the back of the mountain is so powerful.” After a brief silence, Wang Jinglue decided to confess to the general his true thoughts. “If they don’t intend to interfere in the court administration, I don’t think we should offend them.”

After Xu Shi listened to the words, the wrinkles on his face grew deeper. He said, “Who is the most powerful person in the world? It is not His Majesty or the prime minister, but a cultivator. I’m also a cultivator and have seen the Headmaster once. From my decades in the military, I’m more aware of the power of the Academy than anyone else. But as a soldier of the Tang Empire, I must be wary of those powerful cultivators and the Academy. If not, I’ll fail to do my duty as a soldier.”

Wang Jinglue whispered, “I think it’s not appropriate if you want to use this to see whether the Academy still respects the law of the Tang Empire. Because we can hardly prove that the little maidservant has sheltered an escapee according to the existing evidence.”

“I really want to see the attitude of the Academy.”

Xu Shi turned around and looked at the faint sky outside the window. He said in a slightly cold voice, “But I prefer to know why the Academy did nothing to Wei Guangming, who had spent so long in Chang’an City. What’s the relationship between this little maidservant and Wei Guangming? Does Ning Que have anything to do with this matter?”

Wang Jinglue slightly frowned and shook his head, saying, “This kind of vigilance… seems very unreasonable.”

Xu Shi said, “As a Tang, no one wants to offend the Academy. But this time, so many people want to offend it. Because that maidservant’s background is humble. Even if they troubled her, they would not make the Academy furious, so she is the best object. Besides, the officials and some nobles in the palace began to be wary of the Academy like I have.”

Wang Jinglue still could not understand why they were wary of the Academy.

Xu Shi said, “Why are so many people in the Imperial Court vigilant against the Academy? Because the world is composed of the supermundane and the secular world. And everything in the secular world has always been under the control of the supermundane. The emperor in the Yuelun Kingdom must go through with the head touching of the Elder in the White Tower Temple before ascending the throne. And the emperors in the other countries must get the permission of the West-Hill Divine Palace. Therefore, the Taoist hierarch on Peach Mountain and the Three Gods are the true masters of this world. Behind them are the Unknown Places of Buddism and Taoism. If one could connect the two Unknown Places, he would be a sage… For the connection, one needs to enter the Human Realm. But why did the Academy enter the Human Realm?”

Wang Jinglue finally understood the words. In the cold winter, his back was instantly soaked with sweat. There was no real so-called supermundane in the world. And the cultivators were in charge of all the countries, except for the Tang Empire. If the Academy entered the Human Realm and interfered in the secular world like the West-Hill Divine Palace, who could stop it?

“The Academy must not interfere in the court administration. That is the golden rule made by the Headmaster.” He seemed to suppress his uneasiness in his heart and said in a hoarse voice, “If the Academy really wanted to act like the West-Hill Divine Palace, it would have already done so.”

Xu Shi looked at the bleak sun above the clouds with his shimmering eyes and said slowly, “I never doubted the Headmaster. But you have to know that even the greatest man will die in the end. What if the people in the back of the mountain revolt once the Headmaster leaves the world? If they started to interfere in the court administration, there would be no imperial power. Do you think that the Tang Empire… would be the same?”

“Now we’ve confirmed that Ning Que was the person entering the Human Realm for the Academy. Otherwise, the Academy would not allow him to go to the frontier fortress and the Wilderness. I’ve seen this person’s resume in the Military Ministry. I must admit that he’s a very good soldier. But I became more vigilant toward him after knowing about it. Because a good soldier must be cold-blooded and ambitious. Whether for military achievements or opening up territory, that kind of ambition is like a wildfire and cannot be extinguished.”

Xu Shi said in a low voice, “The Tang Dynasty has been prosperous for a thousand years. Because, unlike those poor guys who kneel under the Divine Hall, we feel reverent as well as vigilant toward the supermundane people. And we have never surrendered.”