Nightfall

As suggested by her brother, Tang Xiaotang walked southward from the Wilderness thousands of miles away. After suffering a lot along the way, she eventually arrived in Chang’an and later was admitted to the Academy.

According to their original plan, she would aim to study under the Headmaster of the Academy. However, the Headmaster did not drive her out of the Academy due to her Devil’s Doctrine identity, nor accepted her as his student. Instead, he asked Yu Lian to be her teacher.

For the world, though the Second floor of the Academy was still mysterious, the secular world was still connected to the supermundane world after all. For Tang Xiaotang and her elder brother, who had been at the top level in the cultivation field, had heard of many figures in the back of the mountain of the Academy. They certainly had heard of such big figures as Mr. First and Mr. Second as well as Chen Pipi who was regarded as a unique treasure by Haotian Taoism. Even for those people like Beigong Weiyang, they were also well-known in their own fields and countries before they began their cultivation in the Academy.

However, few people knew that there was a Third Sister called Yu Lian on the Second floor of the Academy.

When the Headmaster of the Academy ordered Tang Xiaotang to be a student of Yu Lian’s, the little girl felt shocked, and then her first thought was to reject.

The female professor in the green wide Academy uniform was elegant and amiable, but her cultivation state was not high. It seemed that her state was similar to Tang Xiaotang’s, even weaker than hers. For Tang Xiaotang, who aimed to become the most powerful female in the world, it was impossible for her to be a student of another female whose state was weaker than her own.

However, when she was ready to reject this, Yu Lian just gently looked at her.

The Academy Third Sister’s eyes were gentle and kind, just like her own temperament. She looked vulnerable, but was actually full of grace and elegance. It was that glance that suddenly made Tang Xiaotang well-behaved and repress her feelings of dissatisfaction.

From an early age, Tang Xiaotang had been living a hard life in the Cold Region of the Far North. Both the Desolate bloodline and the education of the Devil’s Doctrine made her straightforward and tough. At her young age, she had already fought against terrible Snowfield Direwolves with her enormous blood colored blade. What’s more, she dared attack Ye Hongyu and even directly chopped off Prince Long Qing’s ice peach blossom with one knife.

However, such a young girl of the Devil’s Doctrine, who was extremely confident and dauntless, felt terrified when facing Yu Lian’s peaceful and gentle eyes. All she could do was follow.

“Jump down from the waterfall one hundred and twenty-nine times?”

Looking at her teacher’s petite back, Tang Xiaotang’s shocked voice trembled a little. On one hand, the times were exactly the same as the number of times she was defeated by Sangsang in their games on the cliff platform. She did not tell the number to Yu Lian, but how did she know? Was it possible that her teacher completely grasped the whole situation in the cliff platform while solving Ning Que’s problems at the entrance of the cliff cave?

Yu Lian turned around and said, “Obviously, you know you’re unable to beat Sangsang in playing stone chess, but you didn’t accept the fact back then until you consecutively lost one hundred and twenty-nine sets. It seemed very courageous, but actually, it was very stupid. If you’re always impetuous and foolish like that, how can you beat Ye Hongyu in the future?”

Tang Xiaotang argued, “Even if it seemed stupid, I just couldn’t give up. If I kept playing, maybe I could win one set sometime in that situation.”

Yu Lian calmly said, “I know it’s impossible for you to change your temperament, so I won’t even try. Since you insist that courage is the most important thing in the world, I’ll try to exercise and stabilize your courage as much as possible. Jumping down from the waterfall is one of the methods. Are you afraid?”

This was the simplest way to stimulate her. Tang Xiaotang, of course understood it, but even if she did, she still failed to control her temper and kept walking towards the waterfall.

From this point of view, as Ning Que felt, perhaps Yu Lian was really a truly excellent teacher. She knew her student’s character very well and was good at making the most of it.

…

…

“We all know she practiced the Devil’s Doctrine cultivation from an early age, so it’s easy for her to jump down from the waterfall. Even if she gets hurt, it won’t kill her. However, it’s a difficult task to climb up through the wet cliff. What’s worse, Senior Sister required her to climb up along the waterfall. You don’t really see the might of the flowing water and how slippery the moss on the stone is!”

“That little girl jumped down and climbed up for the whole night, with her nose, face and other body parts injured. It was very tragic! Second Brother’s courtyard is near the waterfall, and he was the first one to oppose it. He thought that such a teaching method would ruin the student. At last, even Eldest Brother spoke on her behalf, but guess what? Senior Sister outright rejected both Senior Brothers’ requests!”

“She is still jumping at the moment.”

“To be honest, the little girl is really stupid and obstinate to the extreme. She didn’t say anything when jumping down from the waterfall, and didn’t beg for leniency either, as if fighting against Senior Sister in her heart. You ask me how many times has she jumped? When I reached there at midnight, I didn’t know how many times she had jumped before, but since then I’d watched her jumping for more than thirty times. According to the speed, she may have jumped nearly sixty times by then, but that’s just half of what Senior Sister had instructed!”

“One hundred and twenty-nine times! Even if she finishes it, I’m afraid she’ll be disabled! I don’t know what on earth Senior Sister is thinking of! A female, who’s gentle and elegant in daily life, to be so horrible after accepting a new female student. Are there any emotional problems hidden within?”

Today was Ning Que’s twenty-second day of being imprisoned in the cliff cave. According to the Headmaster’s plan, Chen Pipi came to the cliff platform, for instructing the no-boundary spirit of the Academy to Ning Que. However, it was obvious that the fat brother wasn’t in a mood to lecture today. Sitting outside the cliff cave, Chen Pipi violently waved his arms and spat. He expressed his most sorrowful opposition and anger to the thing that was happening at the back of the mountain from yesterday to this early morning.

After a long time, Ning Que understood what may have happened. Thinking about the little Tang Xiaotang getting such miserable punishment due to her rejection to call him Youngest Uncle, Ning Que could not help being a little anxious and fearful.

Ning Que had already found that there was something wrong with Chen Pipi’s mental state today. He asked with a frowning gesture, “According to the tone you used to warn me before, you should have hoped that all remaining people of the Devil’s Doctrine would die. However, I feel something different when I listen to your words today?”

Chen Pipi, a little shocked, angrily said, “Since she’s now a student of our Academy’s Third Sister now, she naturally became a disciple of the Academy and our niece. Under the circumstances, what’s the relationship between her and the Devil’s Doctrine? According to what you said just now, it seems that I should have killed you first!”

Ning Que sneered, “Come in if you can!”

Chen Pipi scornfully replied, “Come out if you can!”

Holding a tea tray, Sangsang walked towards Ning Que and Chen Pipi. She silently put down two cups of tea, and then glanced at each of them.

The two felt a little embarrassed, and then picked up the cups in silence.

Sangsang shook her head and said, “You two had better change the topic.”

After a short hesitation, she looked at Ning Que in the cave and said, “I want to visit her.”

Ning Que knew she wanted to visit Tang Xiaotang, and then said, “Of course you should do it since you are friends.”

After Sangsang left, Chen Pipi suddenly asked, “You had met Tang Xiaotang on the Wilderness before. Do you know why this girl is so obstinate?”

Ning Que began narrating his impressions on Tang Xiaotang.

Holding his cup, Chen Pipi sipped the tea without tasting it. Thinking of the little girl, who once broke a big stone on her chest at the south gate of Chang’an, he fell into silence for a long time.

Then he looked at the white clouds between the cliffs and frowned. After a short deep thought, he said, “She’s a Devil’s Doctrine girl, but why is she so cute?”

Ning Que didn’t always have the notion that the Taoism and the Devil’s Doctrine were extreme opposites. Since he joined the Devil, he was naturally disgusted to no end by this notion. He looked at Chen Pipi and ironically said, “Tao Addict Ye Hongyu is a precious girl of the Haotian Taoism, but in our eyes, why is she so horrible?”

Chen Pipi muttered, “It makes sense.”

Looking at Chen Pipi’s absent-mindedness on his round face, Ning Que suddenly thought of a possibility. After a short hesitation, he tentatively asked, “You kept watching Tang Xiaotang jumping down the waterfall from midnight to early morning?”

Chen Pipi nodded.

Ning Que took in a cold breath and said, “Indeed, the little girl has long black and beautiful hair. Besides, she’s very mighty and can tie with Ye Hongyu in a fight. Every aspect seems to fit your image of a perfect partner, except that she has a too powerful elder brother. But I have to warn you that she’s a young girl of the Devil’s Doctrine. If it was in the heyday of the Devil’s Doctrine, there would be no doubt that she’d be the Saintess of Diabolism. However, you’re the precious young master of Haotian Taoism. Given that the Haotian Taoism and the Devil’s Doctrine are natural enemies, the Academy can be a buffer, but which side will you take?”

At present, Chen Pipi was still a little absent-minded, so he did not fully understand the meaning of the words. He just subconsciously and deridingly replied, “Who laughed at my decayed opinion of the Haotian Taoism and the Devil’s Doctrine before?”

Ning Que sighed and said, “But have you ever thought that she’s one generation lower than ours and you’re her twelfth uncle. Can it work? Will our teacher agree to it?”

Eventually, Chen Pipi understood what Ning Que was talking about. His chubby body bounced off the ground a with ‘sou’ sound, just like an elastic fishball. He, with his face turning red, pointed at Ning Que in the cave and then scolded, “Appreciation! Do you know what the word appreciation means? Why is it that your brain is full of those filthy things!?”

Ning Que said, “Anger can’t persuade your opponent, but it will expose your true feelings.”

Chen Pipi furiously said, “That little girl is just fourteen or fifteen. Don’t think and act like a beast!”

Ning Que sneered, “I’m afraid that you’re worse than a beast!”

Suddenly thinking of one thing, Chen Pipi scornfully looked at Ning Que and said, “You think everyone in the world can be a beast like you, that they would do something filthy to a little handmaiden of their own?”

Ning Que could bear other things, but he could not endure this one. He shouted, “You fat-ass! I will definitely kick your ass today if I’m allowed to go out.”

Chen Pipi sneered, “Come out if you can!”

Ning Que angrily said, “Come in if you can!”

Suddenly, both of them shut up at the same time, and then looked at the edge of the cliff platform with frightened expressions.

They were very worried that Sangsang had suddenly come back and heard their extremely naive conversation again.

They embarrassedly looked at each other, and suggested that there were no hard feelings after the chat by waving their hands.

…