Nightfall

Eldest Brother did not understand the word “fudging”, but Ning Que had become full of sorrow and pain due to Eldest Brother’s fudge. A rush of malevolence was born in his heart. To vent his dissatisfaction, he was dying to steal the tall hat from Second Brother’s head and then directly knock Eldest Brother out.

Ning Que thought, “You and the Headmaster of the Academy traveled around the world the entire time, and the other guys on the back of the mountain were also engaged in their own hobbies like playing the flute, admiring flowers, and playing chess. All of you were living such happy lives. However, I, the youngest student in the back of the mountain, had to suffer from fighting with those challenges in the secular world. Why would that be so? Now it could be assumed that both the Academy’s decision of changing the practice to the journey in the Wilderness and his thrilling inheritance of Youngest Uncle’s strength in the Devil’s Doctrine mountain…”

Ning Que resentfully shouted, “It’s a trap!”

Eldest Brother said with a laugh, “Why would you say that it’s a trap?”

Ning Que angrily said, “Why should the person entering the Human Realm be me, rather than other Senior Brothers or Senior Sisters?”

Eldest Brother sighed and said sincerely, “You also know that the other people in the back of the mountain just wander around the mountain and are crazy about flutes, books, paintings, ironwork, and Talisman Taoism. It’s really unsuitable to ask them to enter the Human Realm because they’re totally ignorant of worldly affairs and are as naive as children. If we insist on it, I’m afraid they would come back with severe injuries and tears in less than two days.”

“How about Second Brother? He’s so mighty.”

“As for Jun Mo, he looks upright and reasonable, but his disposition of a gentleman is too obvious. Besides, he’s incapable of dealing with something ostensible, so it’s easy to be cornered by other people. His character is really a little…”

At that, Eldest Brother paused for a while and then said with a smile, “A little rash. What’s more, he has been admiring Youngest Uncle very much all the time. If he enters the Human Realm, perhaps there will be many bloody cases in Chang’an.”

Ning Que continued asking, “What about Chen Pipi? He’s the youngest Knowing Destiny State cultivator. If he’s selected as the representative of the Academy, it definitely will frighten those people who want to challenge the Academy. Thus, he’s much more suitable than me.”

“It’s unsuitable for Chen Pipi to fight for the Academy due to his special family background.” Eldest Brother looked at Ning Que and said, “But, Younger Brother, you are different, you have experienced a lot of worldly things. I think you must be totally different from us who spend most of our time living on the back of the mountain. Therefore, you’re the most suitable one to enter the Human Realm. It’s also a kind of a Lucky Chance, like what I mentioned in the Wilderness.”

“Don’t talk this nonsense.”

Ning Que said angrily, “After listening to everything you said, I have eventually understood Senior Brother’s main idea. You just mean that I’ve experienced and witnessed many occasions of life and death, and that my fighting experience is rich. What’s more, unlike other innocent Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, my heart has been polluted by dirty water for so many years and has already become very insidious. Also, unlike the frank Second Brother, I’m sly and shameless enough to make a concession no matter what things I encounter. Above all, I don’t have such a firm and special background as Chen Pipi’s.”

“What you say is indeed true, but it really isn’t the way that I think. Besides, the thing isn’t as troublesome as you think,” Eldest Brother said honestly, but he did not know that his honesty had actually caused secondary damage to Ning Que.

“Youngest Uncle was also once in your position. Back then, he entered Chang’an on his little black donkey and then defeated 37 mighty cultivators. Who had he been afraid of?”

None of Ning Que’s ambition had been inspired by Eldest Brother’s words. Compared with that legendary Youngest Uncle, who destroyed the Devil’s Doctrine with a sword, Ning Que thought he was nothing at all at present, so he had no confidence to cause a stir.

Suddenly, he thought of an idea and then asked, “Will the Academy give me a hand if the enemy is very powerful?”

Eldest Brother said carefully, “If the opponent invites you to a duel in a correct manner, the Academy won’t help you because it will lose too much face.”

Ning Que said in surprise, “If the Sage of Sword Liu Bai challenges me, I have to fight against him?”

Eldest Brother consoled him, “He also can’t afford to lose so much face… In my opinion, the people who will challenge you in Chang’an in the next few years will be mostly young cultivators. However, there are a lot of mighty and secret people in many cultivation sects. Though your progress is very fast, your state isn’t high enough due to your late beginning, so you still need to be cautious.”

“Senior Brother, you know my state is still low, so your words really make me feel awkward.”

“No need to worry, because states increase from low to high.”

“In the Wilderness, those people were frightened like quails and didn’t dare to challenge me when they knew I was a student of the Second Floor of the Academy. However, why do they dare to challenge me when I enter the Human Realm?”

“Because that’s the Wilderness, not Chang’an. You can reject their challenge in the Wilderness, and even regard their action as a kind of provocation of the Academy. However, in Chang’an, you have to accept their challenge because it isn’t a kind of provocation of the Academy, but an opportunity to show cultivators’ courage and honor.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a citizen of the Tang and an Academy student.”

Ning Que found it hard to adapt to the latent rule, which was unreasonable yet a little heroic. After thinking for a long time, he was confused and asked, “I’ve already defeated Long Qing, will other people still take big risks to challenge me?”

Eldest Brother said, “But no one believes that you won that battle by your own strength. Besides, Ye Hongyu has made an evaluation of you to West-Hill, and it seems that her comments on your real strength are also not so positive.”

Ning Que blankly said, “It’s a pity that Ye Hongyu, my acquaintance, didn’t speak for me and told the truth!”

Later, he began to think about what he should do if someone powerful like Tao Addict invites him to a duel in Chang’an. Or in other words, what kind of surrender looked more natural for him.

Just then, Eldest Brother seriously reminded Ning Que, “Anyway, you can’t lose, because our teacher can’t lose face, either.”

The several “can’ts” directly wiped out all of Ning Que’s love and respect for Eldest Brother. He bitterly said, “Senior Brother, it seems that you’ve forgotten the most important thing. The problem that I mentioned to you by the wooden door just now hasn’t been solved. What should I do if other people discover that I’ve joined the Devil? Will the Academy have to admit accepting the remaining evil of the Devil’s Doctrine?”

“It’s indeed a problem. Though it isn’t a big deal to be criticized by others, it’ll cause some trouble eventually. It’ll be better if we can find some methods to cover it up.”

Eldest Brother said after a short pause, “You can give up using the Great Spirit of Youngest Uncle in fighting.”

Ning Que thought that Eldest Brother would offer an excellent idea in the beginning, instead, he heard such an irresponsible answer. He could not help recalling the scene that Eldest Brother said sorry for being late at the back of the Front Gate of the Devil’s Doctrine. He bitterly confirmed that Eldest Brother was indeed an irresponsible guy.

…

…

After finishing the conversation with Eldest Brother, Ning Que vented his grievances to Second Brother and wanted to seek some sympathy or support from Second Brother. However, instead of sympathizing with Ning Que, Second Brother sternly said that it was an uncommon chance at cultivation. He even said with emotion that he wished that he could enter the Human Realm if he was not so well-known for his strength or if he could find an equal opponent.

Listening to Second Brother’s words, Ning Que finally realized the meaning of the so-called entering the Human Realm. The assignment was delegated to him because the Academy regarded it as a kind of cultivation, but not as an action to keep away from harassment. However, what he was best at in his life was hunting in the mountains and forest and chopping off heads in the dark. Thus, he was really a little resistant to this kind of cultivation.

No matter how he resisted, he had to accept it in the end. Therefore, he began to seriously think about how to deal with all the possible fighting invitations that he would get in the next few years. In the past, he might have capitulated in a casual way, but now that idea would not work because the Headmaster of the Academy would severely punish him if he did so. In the past, if he had met a powerful enemy, he probably would have beheaded the opponent by using some insidious methods, stealthily at night. However, that method would not work either because Second Brother would mercilessly beat him. Thus, he found that he really needed a helper.

Sangsang was naturally the most suitable one, but he did not want to drag her into danger because fighting against those mighty cultivators might be dangerous. Besides, he also missed Old Chao from the Spring Breeze Pavilion. He thought that if they could fight together, there would be nothing to fear due to their strength and great teamwork. If so, he would not fear those people like Tao Addict, and there might be an opportunity to become famous if they could beat a Great Divine Priest of the West-Hill Divine Palace.

Unfortunately, Chao Xiaoshu was gone.

Fortunately, during the recent period, at least Mo Shanshan was in Chang’an, so Ning Que should welcome her as a host. Over the next few days, he went to the residence of those students of the Black Ink Garden, and went sightseeing in the city with Mo Shanshan. Sometimes, he also had a big meal in a famous restaurant with Cat Girl.

Considering the tacit understanding that they had fostered in the Wilderness, Ning Que did not make enough explanation to Calligraphy Addict. However, the lack of explanation usually would cause problems. In the eyes of those young girls of the Great River Kingdom, Mr. Thirteen of the Academy, who would arrive at their residence on time every day, obviously had some different feelings for the Hill Master.

Chang’an was sometimes snowy and sometimes sunny in winter. Ning Que and Mo Shanshan went outside, walking abreast. Sometimes they shared one umbrella, and sometimes they looked at the same fish by the moat. When passing the Spring Breeze Pavilion, he talked about the story that had happened on that rainy and bloody night. When climbing the Wanyan Tower, he said there were many figures in stone in the back. In addition, they sometimes explored and discussed books, handwriting, and Talisman Taoism. The time passed slowly and peacefully.

During these days, he did not receive any challenges from others, and did not see any flying Taoist Swords against him either. There was not any trace of the so-called challenges that a man entering the Human Realm had to experience. He thought it was absolutely right because the Academy was so well-known and no cultivators would be bored enough to challenge him.

He was not worried about that thing anymore. Besides, Eldest Brother’s words that day indirectly let him know the Academy’s attitude toward joining the Devil. Now, he was accompanied by a young and beautiful female Talisman Master. These things made his mood really good. He also thought that it sounded a little heroic and graceful to be called the representative of the Academy in the Human Realm. According to what Eldest Brother said before, the Academy had the responsibility to help the Tang proceed forward in order. Did that mean that he could also voice his opinion on the succession of the Tang emperor in several years? He could not help becoming complacent when thinking about those things.

One day when the winter snow gradually melted, Ning Que was holding his big black umbrella outside the Ministry of Rites. On that day, he and Mo Shanshan had already decided to enjoy the great calligraphy of the predecessors. However, shortly after Mo Shanshan walked out of the Ministry of Rites, a young monk in thin monk robes arrived in front them. He put his palms together and then politely asked, “Are you Mr. Thirteen of the Academy?”