After Ning Que said this, the old library fell into silence. Chen Pipi stared at his eyes, and after a long silence, his thick lips slightly moved and he said, "You are really beautiful."
Ning Que was so angry that he stared back at him and said coldly, "Even if you don't want to reveal the exam questions, you don't have to talk to me like this. I don't believe that I can't enter the Second Floor without your help!"
Chen Pipi looked at him and shook his head pitifully. He said, "You have said many times that you want to enter the Second Floor. I didn't pay much attention at that time. I thought that although your aptitude was much worse than mine, it would not be difficult for you to defeat the so-called talent Xie Chengyun after half a year of careful guidance from me. However … who would have thought that the West-Hill Divine Palace would be willing to let Long Qing come to Chang 'an City? With this person in front of you, you really have no hope at all."
"I remember clearly that you said a few days ago that in your eyes, Prince Long Qing is just some cats and dogs. Now you say that I am not qualified to be compared with him. Does that mean that I am not even as good as a cat or dog in your eyes?"
Ning Que said angrily, waving his sleeves.
Chen Pipi raised his fleshy arm and patted his shoulder. He sincerely comforted him, "You don't have to say it so clearly. I was worried that it would hurt your self-esteem, so I didn't say it directly."
"Then why does it matter if you tell me the exam questions?" Ning Que said angrily, "It's no good for you if I can't enter the Second Floor. If Prince Long Qing enters the Second Floor and finds out your real identity, you will also cause a lot of trouble!"
"Because you are unlucky."
Chen Pipi looked at him sympathetically and said, "The Headmaster of the Academy and Eldest Brother have not returned from their travels. Although the Second Floor is opened according to the date set last year, it is Second Brother and the professors in the front yard who are in charge of it."
"The professors will not tell me the exam questions. Even if I know, I can't tell you at the risk of being whipped by Second Brother. Second Senior Brother is a righteous and serious man. He hates dirty tricks and shameless tricks the most in his life. If he knows that you want to use my backdoor, even if you enter the Second Floor, he will beat you and kick you out. "
He patted Ning Que's shoulder again and comforted him, "You are really unlucky. If the Headmaster of the Academy and Eldest Brother are here, they are very easy to talk to. Maybe I can ask them to let you enter the Second Floor. What a pity."
Ning Que sat cross-legged on the floor and thought that if what Chen Pipi said was true, then his luck was indeed terrible. He could not help but sigh bitterly, "The Headmaster is really too much. How can there be so many fun places in the world? It's really irresponsible of him not to return to the Academy after playing for a year."
Chen Pipi's face was full of disdain as he exposed his thoughts. "You want the Headmaster to rush back to the Academy because you want him to be irresponsible."
After a moment of silence, Ning Que patted the floor heavily and looked up into Chen Pipi's eyes. He said seriously, "Well, I don't expect you to leak the questions, but you have to at least tell me how to enter the Second Floor. It is better to know the general scope and methods of the exam than to be confused now. "
"I can tell you." Chen Pipi picked up the crab porridge and happily swallowed half of it. He said vaguely, "But it is useless to say this."
"Why?" Ning Que asked nervously.
"Because the exam method is different every time the Second Floor opens. The specific content is decided by the Headmaster of the Academy years in advance. You may be asked to write a piece of calligraphy, or draw a picture. You may also be asked to swim in the wetland. Or you may even be asked to eat faster. Take that year …"
Chen Pipi began to introduce with great interest, but Ning Que's mind drifted elsewhere. When he heard that it might be calligraphy and painting, his mind buzzed and he felt extremely happy. However, when he heard what Chen Pipi said, the happiness or surprise suddenly turned into confusion and extreme absurdity.
"Wait, wait, wait, swim and eat? What's this test about? "
Chen Pipi put down the crab porridge in his hand, looked at him innocently and said, "I'm not the Headmaster of the Academy, how would I know what the test is about? But I heard it from my Senior Brothers and Sisters, so it shouldn't be false."
Ning Que slightly raised his eyebrows and looked at his fat face. He hesitated and asked, "Then … what did you take that year?"
Upon hearing this question, Chen Pipi gently waved his sleeves to wipe off the nonexistent dust on his clothes. A calm and composed smile appeared on his face as he put on a calm and unperturbed demeanor. Then, he slowly said, "I've told you that I'm a rare cultivation genius. That year, I directly entered the Second Floor after I got six A + grades. The Headmaster of the Academy greeted me with a smile on the mountain road and Eldest Brother rubbed my head affectionately. There was no need for me to be tested. This … should be called exemption from the examination? "
Ning Que looked at the complacent expression in his bean-like eyes and suddenly had a strong impulse to beat him up. But when he thought that this fat man was a cultivator in the Knowing Destiny State who was more vigorous than Prince Long Qing, he had to dispel this idea. He sneered and said, "In my opinion, you are a big pot of steamed buns."
Chen Pipi touched his head and asked curiously, "Is it cute to be white and fat?"
"No, it means that you are purely a foodie!" Ning Que angrily scolded, "You claim to be the treasure of the Academy and the most favored Younger Brother of the Second Floor. But you don't know what the exam is and you don't know either. I even pinned all my hopes on you and bought you such an expensive bowl of porridge!"
He thought of Prince Long Qing's graceful figure when the Second Floor opened tomorrow, thought of his own miserable ending, and looked at Chen Pipi's helpless expression. He felt more and more annoyed and reached out to grab the porridge bowl beside him and poured the remaining half of the crab porridge into his stomach.
"Oh, why did you drink all of it!"
No one knew whether Chen Pipi was angry because the crab porridge was robbed or because he was called a foodie. He pointed at Ning Que's nose and scolded, "I am a useless foodie! If it weren't for me, you … "
"I … am really useless."
Ning Que lowered his head. His expression could not be seen, but his voice was a little tired and gloomy.
"In fact, I have always thought that I am a real genius and can learn everything quickly, including killing horses, cows, and chickens. But cultivation really hurts my confidence. After so many years, I finally made some progress last year. But now when I see Prince Long Qing, I can't have the confidence to fight him head-on, so I subconsciously come to you for help." “
He raised his head and looked at Chen Pipi, saying self-mockingly, "I really want to enter the Second Floor, but I really don't have the confidence to defeat Long Qing and become the only one."
In the past six months, Chen Pipi had seen Ning Que improve step by step from an ordinary lad who didn't know what cultivation was to the current state. He had long believed that this friend of the same age as him was also a genius. Interestingly, Ning Que did not know this because he lacked a normal frame of reference. But Ning Que's time in the cultivation world was too short. Not to mention compared with him, even Prince Long Qing was a mountain that he could not reach.
Looking at Ning Que's self-deprecating expression, he had a strong feeling of sympathy. After a sigh, he forced a smile and said, "Although it is difficult for a peerless genius like me to understand the troubles of ordinary people like you, but … just like in the past six months, if you have any questions about cultivation, you can still ask me. In this case, there is not much difference whether you enter the Second Floor of the Academy or not."
Ning Que shook his head and replied, "Like now, I am learning from you. So no matter how well I learn, I will never be able to surpass you. But what if I have the opportunity to learn from the Headmaster?"
Hearing this, Chen Pipi's small eyes widened, and the little sympathy he had just had suddenly disappeared. He shouted angrily, "Are you still not satisfied with reaching my level?"
Ning Que tiredly leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He was too lazy to say anything, and he looked extremely disappointed.
Chen Pipi couldn't bear to look at him. His two tightened eyebrows under his smooth forehead suddenly raised, and he whispered, "In fact … those who can enter the Second Floor are not necessarily geniuses in cultivation. Sixth Brother is a good blacksmith born from a good blacksmith."
Ning Que suddenly opened his eyes.
Chen Pipi didn't look at him, and continued to frown, "The Headmaster of the Academy values a student's temperament the most. Every time the Second Floor opens, although the examination methods are different, they are all the same. So no matter how the examination is tomorrow, the first thing you have to do is to stay true to yourself and do this to the extreme. Then you may have a chance. "
"The extreme?" Ning Que thoughtfully said to himself.
"It's late. Let's go back."
Chen Pipi glanced at the spring night stars outside the west window and said, "There are only a few hours left before the Second Floor opens."
…
…
After returning to the Old Brush Pen Shop on Lin 47th Street, Ning Que couldn't fall asleep for a long time. He lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling above his head. His seemingly calm eyes actually hid nervousness and confusion, and his body also seemed a little tense because of nervousness.
Even he himself couldn't explain why he had such a strong desire to enter the Second Floor of the Academy. Perhaps it was because of the infinite yearning for the cultivation world since childhood. Years of hard work like last year when he kept coughing up blood to climb the stairs made every cell in his body love that world more and more. More because he finally stepped into that magical world last year and saw more strange scenery, he increasingly wanted to see more scenery.
When people went through hardships to climb a dangerous peak and looked up, they would see a faintly higher peak among the white clouds in the distance. If they could overcome their fatigue, then they would always want to go to the higher peak and see more beautiful scenery that they had never seen before. Climbing the city tower to see the mountain scenery, climbing the high mountain to see the city scenery, sitting on the clouds to see the scenery of the world. This was what a worthwhile life should be like.
Sangsang sat on the edge of the bed and stared at his cheek. She held his hand with a little force, trying to pass some kind of strength to him. There was a forced but sincere smile on her dark face, trying to pass some kind of confidence to him.
On this night in the spring of the 14th year of Tianqi era, the whole Chang 'an City and even the whole world were paying attention to the opening of the Second Floor of the Academy tomorrow. But no one knew how important this matter was to the ordinary lad who had been cruelly judged to be unable to cultivate since childhood, living in the back house of the shabby bookstore in the Eastern City of Chang 'an.
…
…
(Written on my birthday, revised on 201112102132. I spent this birthday alone in the hotel. It's a legend. I'll remember it.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for it. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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