Ning Que and the disciples of Black Ink Garden of the Great River Kingdom had been familiar with each other since they helped each other by the Blue Waist Sea and hunted together in the Wilderness. After fighting side by side in the meadow, they were even more intimate.
In the following days, Ning Que stayed in the horse carriage to heal his wounds. At the same time, he reformed the Talisman Master's worldview, outlook on life, and outlook on fighting again. He seldom got off the horse carriage and even ate and took a break in the carriage.
In the eyes of the disciples of Black Ink Garden, they inevitably felt a little strange. They were very clear that the Hill Master's temperament seemed to be indifferent, but in fact, she was mild and gentle. But she had never been so close to a young man. Zhuo Zhihua also felt it was very inappropriate. But thinking that Ning Que was seriously injured, she felt embarrassed to let him get off the horse carriage.
In fact, Ning Que's injury recovered very quickly. He no longer coughed blood on the second night. His sense of perception, which had been severely shaken, also gradually subsided. The occasional dizziness did not appear again.
Zhuo Zhihua and other disciples of Black Ink Garden were not very clear about his physical condition. But Mo Shanshan saw the whole process of his recovery and inevitably felt a little puzzled.
That night when Ning Que drew his bow and killed several Horse Gang members, Mo Shanshan felt the fluctuation of Psyche Power. At that time, she guessed that Ning Que should be a cultivator. She was not so surprised about this. The Academy, which was a wonderful place, chose students to go to the Wilderness alone to perform tasks, so the students were naturally extraordinary.
But the Horse Gang leader was a Psyche Master who had entered the upper state of Seethrough. If she had not understood the Half Divine Talisman in Mogan Mountain in spring, she could not have hurt him. Such a powerful Psyche Master attacked Ning Que with all her strength. According to common sense, even if Ning Que could survive, his sense of perception would be seriously damaged and it was very likely that he would become an idiot. How could he talk with confidence and fluency like now? Was Ning Que's Psyche Power stronger than hers?
The Calligraphy Addict was not good at talking with people, especially unwilling to pry into other people's privacy. So she had many doubts about Ning Que, but she did not ask any questions. She just sat quietly by the window and used graceful small regular script to remember Ning Que's instructions. Then she carefully chose what she could learn and tried to understand it.
Ning Que couldn't help praising her calligraphy, because Mo Shanshan's calligraphy was indeed excellent. The brush strokes were round but not coquettish, soft but firm, and the strokes were faintly discernible and clear. The thickness was appropriate and fresh.
At this moment, he finally understood why the female disciples of Black Ink Garden laughed so happily when he praised that the female Talisman Master's calligraphy obsession was similar to his own style in the camp a few days ago. The Calligraphy Addict was obsessed with books. The books here were the books of the world, not the books of reading and writing thousands of books. In the eyes of the disciples of Black Ink Garden, it was really ridiculous for an ordinary person to say that the Calligraphy Addict in the world was similar to his own style.
The disciples of the Black Ink Garden rode on horses and took a turn at a certain ice jam. From the northeast to the northwest, they went straight to the palace. Along the way, they saw few people, mostly cold-tolerant cashmere sheep and wasteland. The road was still difficult to travel.
The carriage kept undulating and shaking. Ning Que looked at her still wrist hanging the brush by the window, and the handwriting on the paper was not messy at all. He could not help but sigh with emotion. His reputation as a Talisman Taoism genius was not so real in front of this girl. Would even his reputation as a calligraphy master be taken away?
He placed the cotton pad behind the carriage and lay down comfortably. His face was very close to Mo Shanshan's white dress. He casually pulled out a piece of paper from the stack on the small table. When his eyes fell on it, he couldn't help but be slightly startled.
There were some familiar words written on the paper.
"Young Master Sangsang, I'm drunk today, so I won't …"
When he saw the young Talisman Master writing quietly by the window, Ning Que thought of Third Sister by the east window of the old library. He began to miss the Academy in the south of Chang 'an City, the days in the back mountain and those lovely fellow disciples. At this time, he suddenly saw his Chicken Soup Calligraphy in the Wilderness thousands of miles away. He began to miss the alley in the Eastern City of Chang' an, the days in the Old Brush Pen Shop and the dark and thin guy.
Mo Shanshan noticed his strange expression. She turned her body with her hands on the ground and found that he was looking at the Chicken Soup Calligraphy she bought with a lot of money. She could not help asking, "Thirteenth Brother, do you also know calligraphy?"
It must be said that the Calligraphy Addict was not good at communicating with people. If it was someone else who asked, they would probably say, "Senior Brother, do you also like calligraphy?" But she was direct and did not think about the listener's feelings at all.
Ning Que had long been used to her talking about things like Second Brother's ancient crown from time to time. He did not care about it at all. He shrugged and answered, "A little."
Mo Shanshan once asked him if he also knew Talisman Taoism. At that time, his answer was a little. Now that they talked about calligraphy, his answer was still a little. In front of others, he might have the confidence to say that he was a genius in Talisman Taoism and a calligraphy master. But in front of the Calligraphy Addict, he felt that it was better to keep a low profile to avoid losing face.
Mo Shanshan looked at him and suddenly asked, "What do you think of this calligraphy?"
She looked very focused and seemed to pay attention to Ning Que's answer.
Ning Que did not expect that she would ask for his opinion. He said in surprise, "You mean the Chicken Soup Calligraphy?"
Mo Shanshan looked at him and said seriously, "Senior Brother is a student of the Chang 'an Academy. Of course, you have heard of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. I heard that this calligraphy is a masterpiece of the Academy, so I want to hear your opinion."
There was a common saying that it was always difficult to know oneself. But it was also difficult to comment on oneself, especially in the case that the listener did not know, if you still wanted to praise yourself.
Ning Que hid his true identity from the disciples of Black Ink Garden. Although he did not have any malice, they were so close now. Once he was exposed, it would inevitably be a little embarrassing. Therefore, he had to continue to hide it until there was no suitable opportunity. At this time, facing such a situation, it was even more embarrassing.
Moreover, he did not know what the young Talisman Master thought of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy and him who wrote it. If she liked to appreciate it, it would be fine. But if she hated his calligraphy, wouldn't it be very troublesome? This possibility was not small. Although there was a saying that there was no first place in literature, in fact, people like Mo Shanshan, who was good at calligraphy, would always be somewhat disapproving of other calligraphers according to the conflicts that had occurred in the gatherings of poets and calligraphers in Chang 'an.
Scholars despise each other, so is it not between calligraphers?
"The tip of the brush of this calligraphy is exposed but not restrained. The form is scattered and the spirit is dead without a bone. It seems to be innovative, but in fact, it is just some chicken tricks. It is evil and lacks the style of righteousness and elegance. It is not worth mentioning."
He did not hesitate to belittle the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. His expression was calm, and he hid all the embarrassment and bitterness in his body. He did not dare to show any of it. This might be the so-called price.
Mo Shanshan looked at him quietly, as if trying to discern whether he was speaking the truth or just casually belittling her. After a long time, she asked seriously again, "Then what does Senior Brother think of the Blooming Flower Calligraphy?"
Ning Que looked at her and said with slight surprise, "Younger Sister, you have even read the Flower Blooms Calligraphy?"
Mo Shanshan shook her head and said, "I have collected some copies of the calligrapher of the Academy. But the Flower Blooms Calligraphy is hidden in the deep palace. Even the copies are also collected by the mansions of the princes and dukes in Chang 'an. Therefore, I have only heard of its name but not seen it."
Ning Que felt slightly relaxed and replied with a smile, "I have not seen it either, so I can't comment."
Mo Shanshan slightly lowered her eyes and fell on the rubbing of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy in his hand. No one knew what she was thinking. She only sighed softly and turned to continue writing her Hairpin-style Small Regular Script.
In the battle under the meadow that day, she saw the scene on the other side of the wall of fire, but did not see the fleeting fireball in front of the Horse Gang leader's face. If she knew that Ning Que beside her was also a person of Talisman Taoism, perhaps she would think differently and behave differently at this time.
…
…
Deep in the Wilderness, from the northeast to the northwest, they could see the faint shadow of the mountain in the distance after a short time.
Min Mountain was the most magnificent and longest mountain range in the world. It extended from the depths of the Wilderness to the south of the Hebei County of the Tang Empire, near Chang 'an City. No one knew how many kilometers it stretched, as if it was a sword left by Haotian in the north of the world.
In the middle of the Wilderness, there was a break in the Min Mountain, which formed a natural canyon. To the west of the canyon, there was a city guarded by the elites of the Tang Empire's North Road Army. It was heavily guarded, and Min Mountain was also divided into two footholds, north and south.
The vast Min Mountain where Ning Que used to live was the southern foothold. The northern foothold of Min Mountain was deep in the Wilderness and was called Zashi Mountain by the barbarians, which meant Tianqi Mountain. It meant that if you walked out of this mountain range, you would be abandoned by Haotian.
There was a fertile grassland in the east of Tianqi Mountain. The tribe of Chanyu of the Left Tent had lived on this grassland for generations, and the palace was there.
Looking at the shadow of the mountain in the distant sky through the window, Ning Que naturally thought of Min Mountain in the south, the North Road Army Fort on the other side of the mountain, and his old buddies in the City of Wei. He had left the Blue Water Battalion and joined the grain team. He had been walking in the Wilderness for many days, but the mountain range was still there, as if it had never changed.
Even a horse would die from looking at a mountain, not to mention such a majestic and precipitous continuous mountain range. The palace was close, but it still needed some time to arrive. As the distance was shortened, Ning Que became more and more silent. He spent more time hiding in the horse carriage and refused to get out. Even when Cat Girl called him to see the white cranes in the wetland, he did not move.
Because he needed time to think, to think about two very important issues.
The Horse Gang who attacked them in the meadow had followed them for many days. Later, they had confirmed that the target of the Horse Gang was him. That meant that the power behind the Horse Gang had already known that he had left the Blue Water Battalion and joined the grain team.
Who were the minions of the Horse Gang or those groups of Horse Gang? Who wanted to kill him? Who was the leader of the Horse Gang? A Psyche Master in the Seethrough State could not be a simple leader of the Horse Gang. Ning Que felt the aura of a soldier in the battle, which made his heart heavier.
The right arm of the leader of the Horse Gang was cut off by him. If he did not die in the Wilderness after being rescued by his subordinates, he must need a place to be treated. Such a serious injury could not be healed by the common Horse Gang's nest. The man needed doctors and medicine. He had to hurry. And the place closest to the meadow where the broken arm could be healed happened to be the Left-Tent Palace.
Mo Shanshan insisted on bringing the disciples of the Black Ink Garden to the palace after the provisions were destroyed. Ning Que did not object. Besides the friendship made in the battle, there was another reason.
No matter the person behind the Horse Gang was the Chanyu of the palace or someone else, he firmly believed that as long as the leader of the Horse Gang was still alive, there was at least a 90% chance that he was hiding in the palace.
He wanted to find him, ask him some questions, and then kill him.
In addition, he was also reflecting on what he had done after leaving the Academy and coming to the Wilderness.
Since he was very young, after every difficult battle of life and death, he would analyze and summarize afterwards. That was why he survived with Sangsang.
Reflection had become a kind of instinct for him. However, this reflection in the horse carriage was deeper than all the reflections in the past years. He even traced back to all the actions he had done after leaving the City of Wei and entering Chang 'an.
After thinking silently for a long time, he confirmed that after leaving the City of Wei, especially after entering the Academy, many of his actions or choices were not the most appropriate one, because he had fallen into some kind of misunderstanding.
When he was in the City of Wei, he was used to riding alone into the Wilderness to spy on the enemy for the general and chase the Horse Gang with his fellows. So this time, when he brought the students of the Academy to the Wilderness to practice, he was still used to doing things like this with the two important tasks given by His Majesty and the Nation Master. He disguised himself and mixed into the grain team, thinking only to act secretly.
However, he forgot that he was no longer a small soldier in the City of Wei, not a scout, not a woodcutter in Shubi Lake, but a core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy, a student of the Back Mountain of the Academy, a golden secret agent of His Majesty, and a visiting professor of the South School of Haotian Taoism and the Imperial Center Administration.
Doing things secretly meant that his background, which was admired and respected by countless people, was all meaningless. The commander of the cavalryman of Divine Hall knew that Mo Shanshan was the Calligraphy Addict, so he did not dare to talk nonsense. If he showed his identity as a disciple of the Back Mountain of the Academy, how would the Horse Gang dare to attack him?
There was also a very important point: Before leaving the Academy, Second Brother specially reminded him in the Back Mountain that people from the Academy could only bully others and not be bullied. How arrogant he was. But now he did not have the identity of a disciple of the Back Mountain of the Academy. Even if he was arrogant, who would know that he was from the Academy?
Ning Que supported his chin with his hand and leaned against the window of the carriage. He looked at the mountains and the faintly visible tents in the distance and sighed helplessly. A poor boy from the countryside who made a lot of money in the city would only secretly buy some houses and eat a few bowls of hot and sour noodle slice soup. It would take some time for him to get used to bullying others after all.
…
…
It was the middle of winter, and the weather was freezing. The grassland at the foot of Tianqi Mountain was covered with green grass in the east and west, maybe because of the geothermal heat in the mountain. The tents were in full bloom in the grassland like white clouds.
Two carriages and a few tired horses carried the disciples of the Black Ink Garden of the Great River Kingdom to the grassland. There was no grain team behind them, nor any cavalry guards. It looked a little sad.
The peace talks between the Left-Tent palace of the grassland barbarians and the coalition forces of the Central Plains had officially begun. All forces gathered here with their cavalries. Noisy and lively sounds could be heard from afar. No one knew how many people were drinking and talking.
A cavalry of the palace welcomed the disciples of the Black Ink Garden into the camp. Obviously, the news of the attack on the meadow and the Half Divine Talisman had spread. Some people knew that the Calligraphy Addict was in the carriage, so the cavalry behaved respectfully.
On the contrary, the messengers and guards from the Central Plains in the camp looked at the disciples of the Black Ink Garden coldly. They did not understand why these people did not return to the North of Yan Kingdom when the provisions were destroyed. Did these disciples of the Black Ink Garden not know that some bigwigs in the Divine Hall and the coalition forces were extremely dissatisfied with their performance?
…
…
(Two more days, and I'm already dying …) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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