Nightfall

Liu Yiqing was a quiet and gentle young man.

His quietness and gentleness did not mean that he wasn’t proud. He had just carefully concealed his pride beneath his quiet and warm exterior. Just like many years ago, he heeded his elder brother’s orders to leave the Liu Mansion and joined the Sword Garret using an alias. He had remained mild no matter how cold his peers in the Sword Garret were to him and how they had treated him with enmity.

It was because his older brother was the Sage of Sword, Liu Bai. He had the right to be proud, but he did not have to show this pride to the other disciples of the Sword Garret.

However, in the face of the Academy in the south of Chang’an, his quietness and mildness were more sincere because he knew that he had no right to be pride here.

Out of respect for the Academy, he chose to sit at the side door in a secluded spot that was farthest away from the Academy’s main doors. The shame that Chen Pipi had described to Ning Que in the cliff cave was naturally an exaggeration. However, the fact that a Sword Master from the South Jin Kingdom who had issued a challenge to the Academy was left sitting outside waiting for someone to emerge from seclusion had indeed generated much debate and attracted many stares.

The morning breeze was rather cold at early spring. Liu Yiqing opened his eyes slowly and emerged from his meditation. He gazed calmly at the crowd watching him with complicated feelings.

Most of those watching the Great Sword Master from the South Jin Kingdom were students of the front courtyard of the Academy. However, as time passed, news spread through Chang’an and sparked the curiosity of many. Some curious people came with friends to see what he looked like.

The side doors opened with a squeak.

Professor Huang He walked out and stood aside futon. He looked up at the gloomy skies and suddenly sighed. He said, "I invited you into the Academy on account of your older brother, but you refuse to do so. You have attracted so many people today, don’t you think that this is a little ludicrous? Or have you decided to use this method to shame the Academy before you came to Chang’an?"

"I wouldn’t dare to." Liu Yiqing stood up from the futon and bowed. He said, "I would not dare to be impolite to the Academy. I have just heeded orders and come here. I do not know how to answer to my brother if I leave without battling Mr. Thirteen. Since Mr. Thirteen is in seclusion, I will wait for him here."

Huang He looked at the young Sword Master from South Jin Kingdom and felt as if he was looking at the obstinate man from many years ago. Even though the expression of the young man was calm and gentle, the stubborn in his body was obvious.

"You can continue waiting if you wish to. There is water in the courtyard if you are thirsty, but the Academy will not provide you with food. So if you run out the food you have, go back to Chang’an."

Liu Yiqing replied, "Rest assured, sir, I brought plenty of food."

...

...

Many disciples of the Academy came all the way to the side door just to look at Liu Yiqing from dawn to dusk. When they realized that the young powerhouse from South Jin Kingdom wasn’t any special, and was still on his futon, they all felt bored and left.

The citizens of Chang’an who had come to watch came in droves. They surrounded Liu Yiqing and pointed at him and whispered to each others. Some even started arguing loudly due to differing opinions. The once quiet side door became noisy.

"Great Sword Master... he must be a powerful cultivator?"

"This is my first time seeing a real live cultivator."

"I heard that he is already at the upper Seethrough state. He’s at the same level as Prince Long Qing."

"So what? I heard that the student he wanted to challenge from the Second floor of the Academy was the one who shot Prince Long Qing in the Wilderness. How can he win him?"

"Speaking of which, this guy from the South Jin Kingdom isn’t chicken like others from the South Jin. He had the guts to block the doors of our Academy."

"I don’t understand. The Academy’s doors have been blocked by him. Why do the people in the Academy allow him to behave so arrogantly and not chase him away?"

"Firstly, this guy from the South Jin Kingdom is sitting at the side door. Who else would pass by here other than us? Next, since the student of the second floor that he is challenging is currently in seclusion, it is awkward for the others from the Academy to act. Furthermore, wouldn’t they harm their reputation, if they deal with the challenger in an improper way?"

"That sounded making sense. Guess how many days the guy from South Jin Kingdom can sit here for?"

"Ten days or half a month? Who knows?"

"I only know that the man from South Jin Kingdom won’t be sitting when the student from the Second floor of the Academy emerges from his seclusion. He would lose painfully and return to the South Jin Kingdom pathetically."

The Tang Empire was the strongest of all. The second strongest was the South Jin Kingdom. The South Jin Kingdom ruled the south due to the support from the West-Hill Divine Palace and had always been trying to challenge the Tang Empire. The Tangs always felt that the South Jin Kingdom was below them. Though they watched out for South Jin Kingdom, they mocked and looked down upon them more often.

A young powerhouse from the South Jin Kingdom issuing a challenge to the Academy was an unusual scene of the Tangs. After many years of peace, it was a rare opportunity to show those from the South Jin Kingdom who was boss.

As for whether the man from South Jin Kingdom sitting outside the Academy could defeat the student from the Second floor of the Academy...The Tangs did not know who the student was and his state. However, they had never once considered that someone from the Academy would lose the battle.

This had nothing to do with pride, confidence, and arrogance. It was just an aura that flowed in the blood of the Tangs. They would not think about failure before the battle begins because the aim of battling was victory. There were no other thoughts other than victory.

...

...

Days passed, and the folks from Chang’an who had come to watch the young man curiously and spoke in whispers. They argued intensely and came to a conclusion. They felt that the powerhouse from South Jin Kingdom looked arrogant now, but he was no match for those from the Academy. He would have a humiliating defeat.

Days passed, and Liu Yiqing sat outside the Academy’s side doors. He received the curiosity and scorns from others’ stares. He heard their debates and the mocking jibes against himself and others from the South Jin Kingdom. His expression remained calm as if he did not care at all.

A wildflower bloomed at the stairs of the side door. Spring had finally arrived. Liu Yiqing looked at the little flower and smiled.

The smile on his face was warm, but the one in his heart was cold.

As the younger brother of the Sage of Sword, Liu Bai, and the most promising disciple of his generation from the Sword Garret, he had the right to be proud and confident. Even when facing the Academy, he had only hidden the pride and confidence deeply in his heart. However, how could he not be mad when he heard those fools in the Tang Empire debating.

Mr. Thirteen of the Academy, Ning Que?

The Sage of Sword, Liu Bai had once warned Liu Yiqing before he left the Sword Garret, that other than Mr. First, Second and Twelve of the Academy, he was not allowed to lose to anyone else.

The meaning was clear. In Liu Bai’s eyes, other than Mr. First and Second as well as Mr. Twelve, whose name had been known to the Haotian Taoism for years, the others were not opponents of Liu Yiqing.

Liu Yiqing knew of Ning Que’s current state very well.

How could a person who had just broken through the realm into the Seethrough state in the wilderness be his match?

There were many different cultivation sects in the world whose view of Ning Que remained at this stage. At first, they had not understood why the Headmaster was willing to accept this disciple who was a totally loser. After that, Ning Que had defeated Prince Long Qing, Monk Guan Hai from the Lanke Temple as well as Master Dao Shi from the Xuankong Temple. The cultivation world began to think of the true reason for why the Headmaster would accept Ning Que as his student. However, still no one really thought that Ning Que was strong.

The three battles that had secured Ning Que’s place in the cultivation world had become something that many cultivation sects studied in detail.

The more they studied it, the more they felt that Ning Que had won the three battles thanks to the weapons that the Academy had provided as well as a touch of luck. For example, that odd iron arrow in the Wilderness. And there was obviously an external force working in Ning Que’s favor when he battled with Master Dao Shi on the street of Chang’an in the holy land of lotus flowers.

Many from the cultivation world suspected that the fat young boy beside Ning Que was the legendary Mr. Twelve of the Academy. Or perhaps, Mr. Twelve had attacked secretly to defeat Master Dao Shi to be. It was just that there was no evidence. Furthermore, this was Mr. Twelve of the Academy, and his background was legendary. Nobody dared to raise their suspicion.

But nobody asking did not mean that there were no suspicions.

As it was, nobody truly believed that Ning Que was stronger than Prince Long Qing.

Liu Yiqing was notified that Monk Guan Hai from Lanke Temple had been defeated on his journey to Chang’an from the South Jin Kingdom. He began to grow vigilant against Ning Que’s methods on Talisman Taoism. He began to study Ning Que’s past battles when he got to Chang’an and finally reached a conclusion. Other than what other cultivation sects had concluded, this Mr. Thirteen of the Academy who represented the Academy in entering the human realm preferred to use trickery to gain advantages in battles.

Liu Yiqing had practiced swordsmanship since birth. He practiced cultivation relentlessly and sharpened his wits and will. He suffered aplenty before he gained the status he had in the Sword Garret today. He had always hated those who played tricks to their advantage, or perhaps, he should say that he hated those who were lucky. And to him, the guy called Ning Que was just lucky enough to be accepted as a disciple by the Headmaster and continued to win glory after that.

That was why he did not feel enmity against the Academy, but against Ning Que.

Furthermore, he firmly believed that Ning Que was no match for him.

There were two other reasons for Liu Yiqing’s relentless enmity against Ning Que.

Even he did not sense the reason himself. He was still practicing penance in the sword house of the Liu Mansion when the Second floor of the Academy opened. He felt that he had missed a precious opportunity and felt deeply regretful about it.

And the opportunity that had passed him by had been taken by Ning Que.

He looked at the annoying Tangs surrounded him as he sat on the futon outside the Academy’s side doors. He said to himself that were it not for his brother’s orders for him to grasp the opportunity to sharpen his wits and try to be noticed by the Headmaster and become his disciple, he would definitely beat Ning Que once he emerged from seclusion!

An old lady dressed in blue robes and holding a bamboo broom emerged from the side doors. She walked to the futon and looked at Liu Yiqing’s side profile. She asked, "Are you unhappy?"

The old lady was very close to Liu Yiqing and he had only realized now. He was shocked, and said to himself that there were indeed hidden talents all over the Academy. Could this old lady be some Unworldly Sublime Being?

But he did not sense any ripples of Psyche Power from the old lady.

Liu Yiqing replied calmly, "There is nothing that I am unhappy about."

"Good."

The old lady in blue robes walked down the stairs with her back hunched and began to sweep.

Liu Yiqing frowned slightly. He thought that the old lady knew very well that he was sitting there, why did she not pay attention while sweeping and brush up so much dust?

The old lady seemed to have sensed what he was thinking. She stopped and after panting for a moment while holding on to the broom, she looked at him and said, "Someone wanted me to send you a message."

"Liu Yiqing’s expression turned solemn and he said, "Please, tell me."

The old lady squinted at the gloomy sky as if she was trying to recall the message she was to convey. After a long time, she finally remembered it and said, "The man that you want to challenge, he is at the cliff cave cultivating in seclusion. He is cultivating..."

"Oh, I remembered. He is trying to cultivate both martial arts and talisman."

The old lady continued, "He said that if you can bear not to use the Academy’s restroom, and the stench of excretion, the dust as well as the cold of early spring, then wait for him for three months."

Liu Yiqing was silent.

The Headmaster had returned to the Academy. Ning Que, Mr. Thirteen began to cultivate in seclusion. Many people knew about this. However, when he heard the old lady conveying Ning Que’s message, he realized that Ning Que wanted him to wait for three months. He grew even angrier when he heard the ridiculous cultivating in both martial arts and talisman.

It was true that cultivators needed to cultivate in seclusion often to receive Tao enlightenment. However, those who needed three months to do so were usually Grand Cultivators or those who were about to break the realm.

Ning Que’s state was so low, he was definitely not a Grand Cultivator who needed to ask the Heavens for enlightenment. Furthermore, he had just broken the realm and entered the Seethrough State in the Wilderness. Could he be about to break the realm once more to enter the Knowing Destiny State?

According to Liu Yiqing’s understanding of the cultivation world, nothing liked that had happened before. Cultivating in both martial arts and talisman sounded like a joke. That was why he felt that everything was false. Even Ning Que’s cultivation in seclusion was false. It was just an excuse to avoid battle!

A look of distaste crossed Liu Yiqing’s face as he said, "If Ning Que is not confident to represent the Academy in entering the human realm, he should just say so. How could he use such an excuse, he has shamed the Academy and the Headmaster!"

The old lady in blue robes did not mind him after she conveyed the message. She hunched over and continued sweeping the floor.

It was just that the bamboo broom in her hands jumped higher as she swept, as if she had felt the aura of early spring, and recalled the blissful days of her youth decades ago and wanted to dance.

Dust and sand flew up before landing slowly. She deliberately swept the dust and sand towards the stairs as the broom danced.

Liu Yiqing covered in dirt and looked extremely pathetic. His face was pale with anger and he yelled at the old lady, "No wonder Ning Que had asked you to deliver the message. So is this what he meant, bearing the dust? Is this the way Academy treats guests?"

The old lady glanced at him expressionlessly and said, "I have never heard of a guest who would sit outside his host’s doors and refuse to enter no matter how he was invited."

Liu Yiqing frowned slightly.

The old lady looked at him and said, "Even if you wanted to wait for Ning Que to emerge from seclusion, you could wait inside the Academy, or Chang’an. You could even write a letter to the Sword Garret of South Jin Kingdom to inform the situation, but you insist on sitting at the doors of the Academy. Everyone knows why you have done so, but it is just that the old one in the Academy and little Huang He are friends with Liu Bai, so it wasn’t nice to say anything."

"I have seen many young cultivators who became famous after practicing penance in the past century. They were all like you, and they thought the Headmaster was the spirit of the Academy. The other disciples were only lucky to become his students and gained lucky chances that you all could not get even even you worked hard for it."

"I know you want to shake the world and become famous."

"But you have chosen the wrong place and the wrong person."

"You do not like that others use trickery to their advantage, but you refuse to let Ning Que, who is the weakest on the Second floor, go. Is this not using trickery to your advantage? Once you take advantage, you have lost the root of the Liu Bai’s sword style."

"That is because your brother Liu Bai had never been a person who takes advantage of others."

"And that is why he is the strongest fighter in the world."

The old lady flicked at her blue robes and said, "You can’t even bear dust, much less suffering and boredom. Since you cannot bear suffering and boredom, what right do you have to use the Academy as something to boost your fame? If you don’t understand this, how can you build yourself to be legend?"

Liu Yiqing did not speak as he listened to the old lady. His face grew paler and sweat poured down his back, soaking his shirt and the futon beneath him.

After a moment, he straightened up and placed his hands on the ground before him. He lowered his head into a bow that was made from a disciple to a teacher and said sincerely, "Thank you, senior, for enlightening me."

The old lady walked to his side and swept the fallen leaves and rubbish into a basket and said, "Do not thank me. I did not come to remind you especially. It is just that you have been sitting at the Academy’s side doors for a week, and I couldn’t sweep for a week. If you really waited for that guy for three months, I wouldn’t be able to sweep for three months. I hate to see rubbish on the ground."

The old lady entered the side doors and leave.

Liu Yiqing looked at the tightly shut side doors of the Academy, and couldn’t help but feel that the rubbish that the old lady could not bear to see was himself. However, he was not angry, but began to think about it instead.

...

...

Ning Que would have been able to identify the old lady in blue robes should he be at the side doors of the Academy then. The students of the Academy would often see an hunchbacked old woman holding a bamboo broom and sweeping every corner of the Academy. This person and this scene were already part of the Academy’s legend.

That old lady was not a steward in charge of cleaning. She was the only female honorary professor in the Academy. She was a person of great power from the Mathematics department that no one dared to challenge.

Ning Que had scored the only A+ in the Mathematics exam when he entered the Academy. Eldest Brother had come up with the question, but in actuality, he had come up with five questions and the old lady was the one who chose the one about cutting down peach blossoms.

Ning Que, who was cultivating in seclusion on the cliffs thought of this question at the same time.

...

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