The Academy had the Back Mountain, and there was a cliff behind the mountain.
Except for Ning Que, everyone in the Back Mountain had been to the cliff. They had been shocked by the peerless scenery of the cliff, and it was because they were too shocked that they rarely went there. To them, the cliff was not a dangerous place, but they knew very well that going there to see the sea of clouds and waterfalls and seclusion in the cliff were two different things.
Because the last person who was imprisoned in the Back Cliff of the Academy was the Youngest Uncle who had once shocked the world. Now, except for the people in the Back Mountain, no one was willing or dared to mention him.
They knew the story of the Youngest Uncle's seclusion in the cliff of the Back Mountain, and they knew how much perseverance and talent it took to break out of there. So when they heard that Ning Que was going to the Back Cliff to meditate in seclusion, everyone showed a look of disbelief on their faces. It was difficult for them to accept that their Youngest Brother would face such a trial.
There was dead silence in the hut. The disciples in the Back Mountain had mixed emotions. They obviously did not agree with the Headmaster's punishment of Ning Que, but no one dared to speak, because the Headmaster in the chair slowly closed his eyes.
Except for his tall figure, there was nothing special about the Headmaster. Except that he once went to the West-Hill to cut off peach blossoms, he did not have many legendary deeds in the world. He even left more marks in the world than his Younger Brother, Ke Haoran. However, people in the cultivation world believed that he was the greatest legend in the past thousand years.
For the people in the hut, the Headmaster was their respected and feared teacher. So they could not understand or agree with the Headmaster's punishment of their Youngest Brother, but they did not know what to do.
At this moment, Chen Pipi nervously rubbed his hands and walked to Ning Que's side. He bowed to the Headmaster in the chair and said in a trembling voice, "Teacher, isn't it a little too heavy?"
Before Ning Que entered the Academy, Chen Pipi was the youngest student on the Second floor of the Academy. He was the most favored by the Headmaster other than the Eldest Brother. According to past habits, only he could stand up and say a few words at this time.
Since last spring, although Ning Que had gone to the Wilderness and did not stay in the Back Mountain for a long time, all the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the Back Mountain liked this new Younger Brother very much. Now that Chen Pipi had plucked up the courage to speak, the rest of the Senior Brothers also came forward to plead for Ning Que.
Seventh Sister Mu You walked to the back of the Headmaster of the Academy and massaged his back. Beigong Weiyang and Ximen Buhuo sighed sadly and talked about the steep cliff at the back of the mountain. Fifth Brother and Eighth Brother tried to interrupt the conversation. Everyone tried all kinds of ways to make the Headmaster happy, hoping that the Headmaster would take back his decision of punishment.
The Eleventh Brother, Wang Chi, did not go forward to circle around the Master. He looked at the Master and thought for a long time. Then he asked very seriously, "If there is no thing, then there is no heart. If there is no skin, then there is no hair. If there is no flower, then there is no color. If there is no sin, then there is no punishment. I don't know what sin Master has committed by punishing the Youngest Brother so heavily."
Wang Chi had always been a man of few words and only liked to talk with flowers. At this time, he actually expressed his opinion on the Headmaster's punishment. It could be imagined that everyone was very worried about the outcome of Ning Que being imprisoned in the Back Cliff.
The Second Brother had always attached great importance to etiquette and was very particular about respecting the Master. However, at this time, he glanced at the Eleventh Brother, Wang Chi, and did not scold him. Instead, he looked at the Headmaster of the Academy and reported slowly, "Master, I have thought about the rules of the Academy. Younger Brother has not committed any sin that is worthy of such a heavy punishment."
At the corner of the hut, the Third Sister, Yu Lian, stopped writing the Hairpin-style Small Regular Script. She glanced at the Headmaster and then at Ning Que thoughtfully.
The people in the Back Mountain of the Academy kept persuading the Headmaster of the Academy, but the Headmaster of the Academy still sat quietly in the chair with his eyes closed. The Eldest Brother looked at the Headmaster quietly. Suddenly, he took two steps forward and bowed deeply.
At this step, the hut suddenly became quiet again. The disciples in the Back Mountain were silent and then returned to their respective positions. They looked at the Eldest Brother nervously and hopefully.
The Headmaster of the Academy slowly opened his eyes and looked at him in surprise. He said, "You also have something to say?"
The Eldest Brother straightened up and said seriously, "Of course, there is a deeper meaning behind the teacher's action. I can vaguely guess some of it. However, Youngest Brother hasn't been in the sect for long. Although he had a fortuitous encounter in the Wilderness and his cultivation realm improved rapidly, how can he be compared with Youngest Uncle?"
The Second Brother frowned slightly and also thought of the story. He shook his head and said, "Master, what the Eldest Brother said makes sense. What if Younger Brother still can't figure it out after ten years? What should we do then?"
The Headmaster of the Academy looked at the two disciples who had been with him since they were young and the begging children around the hut. He raised his long eyebrows slightly and said, "If he can't figure it out, he should never come out. I have never believed in Lucky Chance. However, since he has accepted the Lucky Chance, he needs to solve it himself."
The Headmaster of the Academy's eyes were very calm.
He only slowly glanced at the crowd, but everyone felt that the Headmaster's gaze had always been on them. There was an indisputable majesty in his calmness. The crowd subconsciously lowered their heads and dared not to plead for Ning Que. The hut was as quiet as a dead pond.
Ning Que had heard Chen Pipi mention the Back Cliff of the Academy's Back Mountain once. At that time, he did not care much about it. Even when he heard that the Headmaster of the Academy wanted to punish him by isolating him in the Back Cliff, he was not too shocked. He thought that since he was in isolation, there would be a day when he would come out. Perhaps the Headmaster of the Academy wanted to take this opportunity to sharpen his mind and give him another Lucky Chance.
However, looking at the Senior Brothers and Sisters' reactions, and even the Eldest Brother and the Second Brother's solemn expressions, he realized that being imprisoned in the Back Cliff was a terrible punishment. Especially when he heard the Second Brother say that the Headmaster of the Academy would never come out after ten years, he suddenly felt a chill.
It was said that everything in the human world was cultivation. However, cultivation in the human world and cultivation in a lonely and cold cell were two different things. No matter how great the Lucky Chance was, he could not accept being imprisoned in the Back Mountain's Cliff for ten years or even for a lifetime, even if he had to die.
Ning Que lowered his head and thought of the miserable future of being imprisoned for a lifetime. His body was as cold as falling into an ice cellar. He could not figure out what he had done to deserve such a punishment.
However, when he raised his head, there was no anger or unwillingness on his face. Because he knew that those emotions were useless in front of the Headmaster of the Academy. He just asked seriously, "Teacher, what do I need to do to understand?"
The Headmaster of the Academy said, "If you understand, then you understand."
If he thought it through, then he would understand. No matter how he thought about it, this sentence sounded like nonsense.
Ning Que thought of the scene when he could not understand his Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi. He thought of the scene when he was meditating on the talisman and vaguely understood some things.
After a moment of silence, he said, "Then how can I prove that I have understood?"
The Headmaster of the Academy said, "You will understand when you understand."
Ning Que looked at him and said, "I think there must be a standard."
The Headmaster of the Academy looked at his little disciple in front of him and saw the hidden determination on his calm face. His eyes suddenly brightened like the dew on a pine branch, reflecting the morning light.
"Of course there is a standard."
"Who will determine the standard? Teacher, you? "
"The standard is already there."
"Teacher, but I can't stay in the Back Cliff for a long time. His Majesty still wants to see me. I still have to learn how to manage the array in Chang 'an. In a few days, it will be my teacher Yan Se's Hundred-Day Sacrifice. I have to kowtow there. How about I stay in seclusion for eight days every ten days?"
Hearing Ning Que's words, the Headmaster of the Academy's eyes became brighter and brighter. The dew gradually turned into a pool of water. In the pool of water, there was a clear but unknown smile. The smile was so strong that it seemed to overflow.
Suddenly, the smile in the Headmaster's eyes disappeared. He looked at Ning Que and said slowly, "Last night on the balcony of the Building of Pines and Cranes, did you say that you were an indifferent person?"
"I was originally an indifferent person in Crouching Dragon Mound." Ning Que murmured.
The Headmaster of the Academy said, "I don't know where Crouching Dragon Mound is, but I know what indifferent means."
Ning Que understood this sentence and looked up at the white grass hanging from the eaves of the hut. He knew that a person like the Headmaster of the Academy would definitely not be angry with his student because of the dispute on the balcony of the Building of Pines and Cranes. Then why did he lock him in the Back Mountain? Was it because he … joined the Devil?
Youngest Uncle was punished by Heaven and died. His reputation and body were annihilated in the wilderness and were never heard of again. Could it be that the Headmaster of the Academy wanted to lock him, the disciple who had inherited Youngest Uncle's Great Spirit, in the Back Mountain because of that old matter? Was it for the Academy's righteous reputation or for other reasons?
His thoughts were in a mess, and the things that Ning Que had just figured out suddenly became blurry again. The Great Spirit in his chest and abdomen moved at will, like a knife going straight up, piercing his throat until it was dry. He said in a hoarse voice, "Teacher … turns out to be an unreasonable person."
Hearing this, the people in the Back Mountain of the Academy in the hut were shocked. Second Brother looked unhappy and Eldest Brother sighed slowly. Although the Headmaster of the Academy usually got along well with the students and teachers, a teacher was a teacher. Under such a serious situation, who dared to question or even criticize him like Ning Que?
The Headmaster of the Academy was not angry. He said, "Didn't you say that your teacher was the most unreasonable person in the Building of Pines and Cranes?"
Ning Que said after a moment of silence, "Teacher, please allow me to talk to my handmaiden before going to the Back Cliff."
The Headmaster of the Academy said, "No need. You still have to eat on the Back Cliff. I asked you to bring your handmaiden here to serve you. You can bring her to the Back Cliff later."
Ning Que finally understood why the Headmaster of the Academy asked him to bring Sangsang to see him. It turned out that the Headmaster of the Academy had already prepared to lock him in the Back Mountain. He suddenly thought of something. With Sangsang's temperament, she would definitely not leave the Back Cliff alone if he was imprisoned there. In fact, both of them would be imprisoned together. If he was imprisoned at the Back Cliff for the rest of his life, would Sangsang also be imprisoned there?
Thinking of this, the sharp and straightforward Great Spirit rushed into his chest like a knife. He could no longer control his emotions. He angrily looked at the Headmaster of the Academy in the chair and clenched his fists.
However, he did nothing but looked at the Headmaster of the Academy quietly. He took a deep breath and forced himself to swallow it. Then he said calmly, "Yes, Teacher."
The Headmaster of the Academy looked at the youngest disciple in front of him, who was also his last disciple. He quietly looked at him for a long time. He looked at him thinking hard, looking at him dejectedly accepting his fate, looking at him unable to suppress his anger, looking at him gradually becoming bolder, looking at him calming down, looking at him calming down, looking at him returning to normal.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! … "
The Headmaster of the Academy suddenly raised his head and laughed. Then he stood up from the chair and brushed his black robe. Without saying anything to the disciples, he walked out of the hut desolately.
Walking out of the hut, the old man looked at the Golden Orchid Tree that the two of them had planted many years ago. Looking at the dense green leaves on the tree, the old man sighed with both joy and regret. "There are indeed no two leaves in the world that are exactly the same. Then how can there be two people that are exactly the same?"
…
…
(Note: In the world of Nightfall, there is a tree called the Golden Orchid Tree. Also, this is the first chapter. If you don't eat, try to finish the second chapter by 8: 45.) (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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