Nightfall

After the third bell sounded, Ning Que packed up the calligraphy stationery on the table and prepared to go to the old library as usual. He was anxious to leave Chen Pipi a message today, so he looked a bit of hurried when getting out of the study room.

“We came over when the bell rang. I thought we were already very fast, but I didn’t expect that we actually almost missed you, Ning Que. I don’t understand why you’re so anxious. Hurry to the old library so as to pretend to study hard, or hurry to leave the Academy, pretending not to know the semester exam and the gamble that day?”

A group of people came from the doorway, led naturally by South Jin Kingdom Xie Chengyun and Zhong Dajun.

After entering the door, Xie Chengyun greeted the students of Grade C Dormitory with a bow with hands folded in front. Though he could not completely suppress that proud smile on his young face, he still succeeded in showing his gentleness. However, Zhong Dajun beside him stopped in front of Ning Que and tapped his palm with a folded fan. He wore a weird expression on his face and his tone was full of sarcasm.

“At least say something before leaving?”

Situ Yilan stood up and wanted to say something. But thinking that Ning Que really did not participate in the semester exam, which meant that Grade A Dormitory had naturally won the gamble, she suddenly did not know how to speak but had to sit down.

Jin Wucai knew she was a competitive one and could not help but shake her head, and then got up to walk in front of Xie Chengyun, gently congratulating him with a gentle smile on the face like that of a breeze.

“How much do you want me to say something?”

Ning Que looked at the Grade A Dormitory students at the door, feeling the complicated emotions of the classmates behind him, and looked at Zhong Dajun after a thought and said with a smile, “Then I’ll just say something.”

Then he added, “But it’s none of your business. Please give way.”

Zhong Dajun looked unhappy, but did not say anything else. He backed away with waving his fan around.

Ning Que and Xie Chengyun greeted each other with a bow with hands folded in front. As for what they were thinking now, discontent or disdain, it was something unknown to outsiders. It suddenly became quiet in the study room, for everyone wanted to hear what Ning Que would say.

After a slight pause, Ning Que watched Xie Chengyun’s pale cheeks and said with a smile, “There’s no excuse. Since I didn’t participate in the semester exam, I’ve lost in the gamble. I remember that a treat was at stake. I’ll treat you. You can pick the place and people you’d like to join you.”

Xie Chengyun was slightly startled and never thought that Ning Que would be so honorable to admit his failure. So he could not say those words that had been discussed with Dajun at Zhong Mansion yesterday.

Zhong Dajun saw that Xie Chengyun not know how to deal with Ning Que and could not help but secretly get angry with this gentle friend and sneered. “You thought of such a lousy method in trying to fake illness to avoid losing in the semester exam. In the future, you can say you’re not worse than Xiesan master, but just poor in health… If someone like you treats us, I really worry about what weird things would happen on the table and dare not go for it.”

Ning Que’s eyebrows rose slightly. He looked at the gifted Tang scholar from Yang Gu, and said very seriously, “I remember I received the letter of challenge from Xie Chengyun. Then whether the semester exam’s scores are good or bad, the outcome of the gamble is just between me and him. Why does it bother you? Whether you go for the treat or not, it still depends on me.”

Zhong Dajun did not get annoyed and gently shook the fan to glance at Xie Chengyun. Xie Chengyun did not mean to be so aggressive in front of Jin Wucai. But he could not help but feel disgusted seeing Ning Que defend himself so eloquently without the slightest shame and said, “Forget the treat. I just hope you can recognize your behavior is actually a disgrace to the Academy.”

“I paid to enter the Academy. The paid tuition is for the knowledge I received. So I don’t think I need to be responsible for anything like a good reputation. Those things don’t have anything to do with me.”

Ning Que’s eyebrows rose even more steeply and he continued, “You said I pretended to be sick so as to avoid the exam. You’d better not say this boring inference again. Since we aren’t close, I absolutely don’t mind suing you for slandering me.”

The atmosphere gradually became tense in the study room, for while Ning Que stayed too calm as well as quiet, it did not mean any concession on his part. Like what Xie Chengyun felt, most students looked at Ning Que with more despise.

Chu Youxian coughed lightly twice and stepped forward to relieve the tension in the room. “It’s also a commonly used method in the business world for the weak party to avoid war to protect himself. Why’re you so serious?”

Ning Que stared at him and said, “Are you trying to help me or drag me down even further?”

“Why not admit defeat if you can’t beat him? Why use this rogue trick?” Someone suddenly said.

Ning Que did not turn around to see where the sound came from, but knew it was from a student in the same classroom. After a short silence, he looked at his classmates around him who had faces full of disdain and complicated facial expressions. He smiled and then began to speak.

“I don’t care whether you believe what I say or not, or whether you’ll call me a coward behind me. Because we’re at different levels. You can say I’m unreasonable, for I don’t have the energy to argue with you.”

“Just like what Princess has said outside the old library that day, you’re just the flowers in the greenhouse. You may look beautiful, but you have to hide from the storm outdoor. You guys do nothing all day but only swagger around to make some noises to prove your strength and ability.”

“But why bother me? If I’m interested, I’ll play with you. If not, I’ll just quit.”

“Don’t use those kinds of ethics and the likes to question me. You care about morality and ethics, but I don’t care. When you were still in the nurse’s arms and were scared by her Horse Gang stories because you were unwilling to drink your milk, I was already on the grasslands cutting the Horse Gang’s heads for fun.”

“As I said before, I don’t care whether you laugh behind my back and treat me as a coward or a rogue. But you must remember that from now on, don’t let me hear you laughing at me. Because I hate it.”

“If you don’t want your head to become a ball like those Horse Gangs’, do not ignore my threat.”

After finishing these words, he did not look at the people in the study room but waved a hand at the Grade A Dormitory students in front of him, signaling for them to move away. He lifted his chin and pushed out his chest and walked out of the door, along the rain-hiding hall to the back of the Academy.

His good mood was ruined because of this incident that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He became even more irritated when he thought of the classmates who were familiar with him did not defend him but trusted in what Zhong Dajun had said.

Since he became irritated, he also stopped playing at being a gentle and harmless primary school student and expressed his feelings directly.

Chu Youxian looked at his back in the rain-hiding hall and hurried to catch up with him. He shook his head and said, “Well, you’ve offended our classmates, so I’d better keep a distance with you in the future.”

“Then why did you come after me this time?” Ning Que laughed and said.

“You say they’re naive kids. But the girls in a dozen of brothels of Chang’an can prove that I’m not a kid. So I don’t think your words can hurt me,” Chu Youxian said with a smile, “What’s more, if I have a good relationship with you, I may be able to get close to the favored girls in House of Red Sleeves in the future. You don’t have to look at me like that. I assure you that I’ll only see Dewdrop from a distance. I just want you to introduce Miss Luxue to me.”

Ning Que turned to look at him and said with a smile, “Aren’t you afraid to offend a lot of classmates?”

“People in the Academy know that we have a good relationship. If I ignore you because you fought with them, I’ll be judged as ruthless by those pedantic scholars. You know I don’t like reading and I don’t think well of their pedantic behaviors.”

Chu Youxian laughed at himself and stopped to say, “So I have to comfort you in front of them. But as you said, I can’t confront the whole Academy, so I have to go back now.”

…

…

For a soldier in a border town who had lived a dangerous life since childhood and could really be described as a murderer in the grassland, the calm and peaceful life in the Academy was somewhat uncomfortable, let alone those classmates who grew up in a pleasant world.

Ning Que had just spoken from his heart. But for those students in the study room, this evaluation was undoubtedly the most vicious attack. They could not help but stare blankly at the scene.

For Master Xiesan of South Jin Kingdom, the gamble was a very important thing. He did not enjoy either being beaten at the entrance exam or having failed at cultivating in the old library. He even received sarcastic jibes from the Fourth Princess. He had depended on the gamble to regain the confidence.

It was indeed a rare good result for he had received A plus in five courses, but it was inevitable for Xie Chengyun to naturally generate some arrogance besides the joy. Today, he came to Grade C Dormitory with his companions. He did not mean to humiliate Ning Que but to show off his accomplishment.

As for Zhong Dajun, he had felt that all the show was stolen by Xie Chengyun, Ning Que and a but fourteen-year-old lad, Linchuan Wangying after entering the Academy. As a brilliant scholar trained by the Yang Guan Tribe, he was not willing to stay behind them. Xie Chengyun and Wangying were worth the reputation indeed, for they enjoyed a great fame before entering the Academy. One of them was his best friend, and the other was indeed young. But why should Ning Que be placed before him?

Therefore, he was even more active than Xie Chengyun for this semester exam’s gamble. Today he had entered Grade C Dormitory to humiliate Ning Que and expose this rogue’s sinister face in front of the Academy students.

However, neither Xie Chengyun, Zhong Dajun, nor those Grade A Dormitory students who accompanied them to Grade C Dormitory for the scene had thought that Ning Que, after making such a cowardly act, would have no shame but was eloquent to criticize the others instead.

They meant to humiliate Ning Que but were called being unreasonable and were humiliated by him. Therefore, those students, who had doubted Ning Que might be really sick on the semester exam day, did not want to think further in that direction.

Not only those students but also all the young students in Grade C Dormitory were infuriated by Ning Que’s seemingly forceful but unreasonable reprimand. Even the most ordinary students were much adored in the study rooms of their hometowns and they had never withstood such ridiculous mocking.

“Forget it. Don’t bother yourself arguing with that guy.”

Some students repressed the unwillingness in their hearts and reminded the others. “He’s the Fourth Princess’ old friend after all.”